Chapter 11 - The First Signs of Spring
March brought the thaw. The thick crust of winter snow dissolved into muddy earth, and the first purple crocuses broke through the damp soil along the front walkway. Lily noticed every green sprout with intense fascination, running outside every afternoon to report her findings to David. To her young mind, the waking earth was an explicit promise that the waiting was coming to an end.
David received the long-awaited phone call on a Tuesday afternoon while sorting laundry. When he heard Claire’s voice on the line—clear, vibrant, and entirely free of the labored wheeze that had plagued her for months—his knees buckled, and he sat down on the laundry basket, weeping silently in relief. The doctors were discharging her for the final phase of outpatient recovery. She was coming home.
He didn't tell Lily the exact hour, wanting to spare her the unbearable anticipation. Instead, he simply helped her put on her favorite pink dress—the very one she had worn on the day her mother left—and tied her hair back with two matching ribbons. They cleaned the hallway until the pale floorboards shone like amber beneath the soft morning sunlight.
