Mara helped her move to a quieter space.
They sat together beside a window overlooking the healing garden.
Lucy held the yellow paper crane.
“Is the bird bad?” she whispered.
Mara looked toward the paper.
“Which bird?”
Lucy pointed toward the wings.
“This one.”
Mara took a breath.
“No, sweetheart.”
Lucy frowned.
“But the other bird—”
“I know.”
For a moment, Mara struggled with the words.
She didn't want to confuse Lucy by insisting the raven meant nothing. To Lucy, it meant something very real.
But she also didn't want the child to spend her life believing every image, every tattoo, and every person associated with motorcycles was dangerous.
So she answered carefully.
“A drawing can't decide what a person does.”
Lucy looked up.
“The man with the bird hurt Mama.”
Mara nodded.
“Yes. Somebody hurt your mother, and we're helping the people investigating find out exactly what happened.”
Lucy stared at the crane.
Then whispered.
“But Hammer has a bird.”
Mara felt her chest tighten.
“Yes.”
Lucy looked toward the garden.
“He didn't hurt me.”
“No.”
For several seconds, the little girl remained quiet.
Then she asked.
“Why?”
Mara swallowed.
“Because people make their own choices.”
Lucy thought about that.
Then looked toward the yellow crane again.
“So one bird can be good?”
Mara smiled sadly.
“A bird drawing isn't good or bad by itself. What matters is what the person wearing it does.”
Lucy examined the paper.
For a while, she said nothing.
Then she asked quietly.
“Can Mama get better?”
Mara felt tears gather.
She'd learned not to make promises about recovery.
So she took Lucy's hand.
“Your mother is working very hard with the doctors and therapists. Some things have already improved, and we'll keep helping her.”
Lucy nodded.
Then whispered.
“I couldn't help her.”
Mara turned toward her immediately.
“Lucy.”
The girl stared at the floor.
“I just screamed.”
Mara's heart broke.
She moved closer.
“Sweetheart, you were seven years old. It wasn't your job to stop a grown man.”
Lucy began crying.
“But Mama fell.”
Mara wrapped an arm around her when Lucy leaned toward her.
“I know.”
The little girl trembled.
“I should've been brave.”
Mara closed her eyes.
For months, she had feared Lucy believed that.