Chapter 13 - Custody Restored
Three days after the grand jury indictment, family court judge Sarah Miller signed an emergency permanent custody order granting full, unhindered guardianship of three-year-old Maisie to her grandmother, Evelyn Calloway.
I walked out of the downtown Houston family courthouse holding Maisie tightly against my shoulder, shielding her eyes from the swarm of reporters and television news cameras camped outside the granite steps.
Maisie looked up at me, her big brown eyes blinking sleepily as she clutched a small stuffed rabbit in her tiny hands.
“Grandma?” Maisie whispered softly, her sweet voice sounding completely steady and untraumatized.
“Are we going home to our house now?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” I whispered back, kissing the top of her soft brown hair as a warm wave of profound relief washed over my soul.
“We’re going home... and nobody is ever going to lock your door again.”
Dr. Alan Vance—the child psychologist appointed by the court to oversee Maisie’s trauma recovery—met us at my apartment building parking garage with a warm, welcoming smile.
“She’s remarkably resilient for her age, Evelyn,” Dr. Vance reported, reviewing her latest evaluation chart.
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“Children three years old process trauma through physical presence and immediate safety.”
“As long as she knows you’re right beside her, she’s going to heal completely.”
