SOTD – This was the horse that devoured his du! See more

I stayed by her side for every minute of her recovery, sleeping in the uncomfortable hospital chair and holding her hand through the night. The doctor who had called the police on me eventually came by to apologize, but I told him there was no need. He had done exactly what he was supposed to do. He had seen a child in danger and he had acted to save her.

I ended up leaving the force after that. I couldn’t look at a badge or a precinct without seeing those ultrasound images. I took Lily far away, to a quiet town near the coast where the air is clean and the people are kind. We have a small garden now, and sometimes we sit outside and watch the sunset. Lily still has a scar on her stomach, a thin silver line that reminds us of the day the world tried to break her. But when she laughs, the sound is full and bright, no longer thin, and I am reminded that even the most heartbreaking stories can find their way to a second chance. I am no longer an officer of the law; I am just a father, and that is the only title I ever truly wanted.