"Of course it's okay. But Macy, these aren't things you have to decide right now." I said firmly. "We'll figure it out."
Macy seemed to consider this, then nodded slowly. "Okay. I'm really tired now."
"Of course you are, honey," Caden said, adjusting her blanket. "You've been through so much today."
"Will you both stay here tonight?" she asked, her voice small and vulnerable.
"Absolutely," I said without hesitation. "Wild horses couldn't pull me away."
As if those were the words she'd been waiting to hear, Macy's eyes finally began to close. A minute or so later, I heard her say, "Hey Felicity?"
"Yes, Macy?"
Still sleepy with her eyes closed, she responded "Did you hear I got to turn on the sirens in the ambulance?" 
"No way, that's awesome!" I whispered back.
"Yeah," Her breathing evened out, and within minutes, she was asleep.
Caden and I sat in the quiet room, listening to the soft beeping of monitors and the distant sounds of the hospital corridors. The adrenaline that had carried us through the night was finally wearing off, leaving behind bone-deep exhaustion and the crushing weight of everything that had happened.
"I can't believe we're here," Caden said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I know." I watched Macy's chest rise and fall steadily. "This morning feels like a lifetime ago."
"This morning, I was worried about finding a way to get you to forgive me and give us a second chance." He ran his hands through his hair. "How did I not see this coming?"
"Caden, stop. You can't blame yourself."
"Can't I? I'm her father. I should have protected her better."
I looked at him next to me in these uncomfortable hospital chairs. I could see the guilt written all over his face—filling every line. The way his shoulders curved in, like he was holding the burdens of everything across them.
"Jessica is an adult who made her own choices," I said quietly. "You trusted her. That's not a character flaw."
"I barely spoke to her, to be honest. I missed the signs because I didn't care to look."
"Signs of what? Addiction? Mental health struggles? You're not a mind reader—even if you were looking, who's to say you'd know what you were seeing? You're not a doctor. Even Brad didn't see what was happening. Caden, I don't know a lot, but I do know that addicts usually hide their addiction—at least, until they can't hide it anymore."
He was quiet for a long moment, staring down at his hands. "I don't know. But something. Anything."
I reached over and took his hand. "The only thing that matters right now is that she's safe. We found her, she's going to be okay, and she's coming home with us. That's what counts."
He squeezed my hand gratefully. "I keep thinking about what could have happened. If her fall had been worse when Jessica broke her arm, if the police didn't get there when they did, or if Jessica had..."
"Don't," I said firmly. "Don't go down that road. She's here. She's safe. That's reality."
A soft knock on the door interrupted us. Detective Morrison peered in, his expression apologetic.
"Sorry to bother you again. I just wanted to give you a quick update." He stepped into the room and lowered his voice. "Could we talk outside?"
We both looked at Macy. She was fast asleep, so we stepped outside but cracked the curtain to keep an ear and eye out for her.
In the hallway, Detective Morrison continued, "Mrs. Jensen is stable. She's been admitted for psychiatric evaluation and will likely be here for several days at minimum—at least seventy-two hours."
"What happens after that?" Caden asked.
"That depends on a lot of factors. The DA will decide on formal charges, but given the evidence we have..." He glanced meaningfully toward Macy, then back at us. "She'll be facing serious felony charges. Child endangerment, theft, drug possession. Even if she gets treatment, she's looking at significant jail time."
The reality of it hit me like a cold wave. Jessica wasn't just going to disappear into rehab for a few months and come back ready to resume her role as Macy's mother. This was bigger than that. This was life-changing—this was permanent.
We talked more about planning, the need to give statements, and the jurisdictional issues that Morrison would take care of in partnering with the local police department. After he left, Caden and I went back to sit with Macy while we sat in silence again, waiting for them to release us so we could take her home—a long night, even though it was almost morning at this point. The weight of everything we'd learned was settling over us like a heavy blanket.
"Are you okay with everything? I know this is a lot. I know we still have a lot to manage and deal with, and taking this on is huge. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am for all of it, and now for all this too." Caden said eventually.
I looked at Macy, sleeping peacefully despite everything she'd been through. Her face was relaxed in sleep, making her look even younger than she was. 
I turned back to look at Caden and said, "We aren't fixed, but we aren't completely broken. We have a lot to work on. I believe you when you say you want to work on it. I'm not going anywhere. Not right now. Not if we continue to work on us."
We were still gathering the fragments. But for the first time in a long time, I believed we might finally make something whole.