Chapter 5 - The Mother ArrivesThe ambulance doors were almost closed when a woman stumbled out of the clubhouse.
“Mia!”
She wore an expensive designer dress.
Her eyes were glassy.
She pushed through the crowd.
“Where is my daughter?”
Nobody answered.
A police officer stepped toward her.
“Ma'am, are you Mia's mother?”
“Yes.”
“Why was your child locked inside that vehicle?”
The woman stared at him.
Then at the shattered SUV.
Then at Leo's blood-stained sleeves.
“I only left her for a little while.”
Leo looked at her in disbelief.
The officer's expression hardened.
“You left a five-year-old alone in a locked vehicle in extreme heat.”
The woman began crying.
But Leo wasn't listening anymore.
He was staring at the ambulance disappearing down the road.
May you like
All he could think was:
Please live.
Related Stories
Chapter 6 - The Longest Ten MinutesAt Austin Children's Hospital, doctors fought to stabilize Mia.
Chapter 7 - The VideoThe next morning, the footage appeared online.
Chapter 8 - The Price of Doing NothingBrenda was fired within forty-eight hours.
Chapter 9 - A Little Girl Fights BackThree days later, Mia opened her eyes.
Chapter 10 - The Woman Who Finally Told the TruthMia's aunt, Sarah, had been living with guilt for years.
Chapter 11 - America Watches LeoTelevision interviews followed.
