F I F T Y - T H R E E

It took a few days before Paloma and Heath were released from the hospital. Heath had suffered a concussion, a broken leg and a few broken ribs, but he was healing well. Paloma had been mainly unharmed, although she was knocked unconscious during the collision. Doctors had done a multitude of scans to make sure she wasn’t bleeding internally or suffering any underlying issues and had found that she was doing okay.

They couldn’t remember much of the accident, only that the car had redlined as if it had been stationary before their arrival at the intersection. There had been a small crowd of witnesses at the scene but all had been unable to provide a definitive description of the perpetrator, only causing Kate’s stomach to churn in unease.

Guilt had consumed her at the officer’s words. She had offered for Paloma and Heath to stay with her, but they had declined. All Paloma wanted was to spend time with Florence. The brief hospital visits hadn’t been enough. She had gratefu