Sarah, my custody attorney, walked through the hospital entrance.

She looked tired, her coat wet from the rain, but she had a small smile on her face.

“Emily,” Sarah said, running her hand down Mason’s shoulder. “The judge just signed an emergency order.”

“What does it say?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

“Daniel’s custody rights are suspended indefinitely pending his criminal trial,” Sarah said.

I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of the last year lift from my chest.

“We still have to find my mother,” I said, opening my eyes.

“We will,” Sarah said. “The federal investigators are clearing the building.”

A sudden commotion came from the elevator bank at the back of the lobby.

The digital dial above the elevator doors began to spin.

It was rising from the sub-basement level, the numbers blinking in red light.

The elevator chimed, and the heavy metal doors slid open.

Two federal agents in dark windbreakers stepped out of the elevator first.

Behind them, two paramedics pushed a stainless steel gurney.

My breath caught in my throat as I saw the woman lying on the thin mattress.