By the time Brent stepped from the room, he was sure that his blood pressure was though the roof and that his best friend was making a terrible mistake. Well, it wasn’t the first mistake his friend had made. It wasn’t even the first time he’d made this particular mistake. Maybe, just maybe, Brent could convince him to never file.

The memory faded as Brent rejoined the conversation and listened as Courtney continued to describe the house. “Wait until you see Nichol’s room! It is fit for a princess.”

“I can’t wait. I can’t wait to get out of here and see anything,” Tony said.

Brent nodded. “I’m hopeful that it will happen sooner rather than later. The only step is the final review. Your acceptance of the terms of the community service was the last hurdle. Now, we just need to wait. I got the impression they were encouraged, by your record here and your history of philanthropic support. You pled guilty. In prison you’ve had a job, taken classes, and gone to counseling. You’ve even agreed to further counseling once you’re released. You’re established in your community. It’s very promising.”

“Yes, look at me. I’m the model prisoner,” Tony said sarcastically. “I’m not sure I want to put my hopes in the final unit review. I’ve been screwed before.”

“Faith,” Courtney said, “have faith. Think about Claire. Three weeks ago, she wasn’t talking. Now, she’s doing so well. I just know everything will work out.”

“I hope you’re right,” Tony said.

“Have you ever known me to be wrong?” Courtney asked with a smirk.

While at work, Brent received the call. Tony’s early release had been approved. In fifteen days, Tony would be able to walk out of Yankton, a free man. After calling Courtney, he began filing his petitions. The first was to revoke Emily’s power of attorney. With doctors’ statements regarding Claire’s recent improvement, he didn’t anticipate that being a problem. The next was Family Court. Whether Tony thought his family needed to be together or not, Brent surely did. He wouldn’t stop until he got Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings full custody of their minor daughter.

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

—Lewis B. Smedes

As the plane ascended, Tony sighed at the overwhelming sense of freedom. From his Armani suit and Italian loafers to the glass of Johnnie Walker in his hand, Anthony Rawlings felt his true self re-emerging. No longer was he subjugated to the people around him. He had power: power to move mountains. He also knew that he would never again step foot inside of a federal prison. He wasn’t even sure he’d ever step foot in South Dakota again. It wasn’t that he intended to forget his experience—Tony didn’t know if that was even possible. He did intend to move beyond it.

It was this exhilarating sense of freedom that he wanted for Claire, too. “When can we get Claire?”

“We could go tonight, but it’ll be late. I recommend we go tomorrow morning. From what Meredith told Courtney—”

Tony shook his head. “That’s still the strangest turn of events I’ve ever heard. Who’d have thought that I’d ever feel indebted to Meredith Banks?”

“I know, right? Courtney was skeptical, until Meredith got her to Claire. Cort said that she could tell that Claire and Meredith had a mutual admiration. Meredith has risked a lot to continue this charade. Claire told Courtney that her first memories of coming out of her fog were hearing Meredith’s voice, hearing her talk about you.”

Tony took another drink of bourbon. “I can’t believe she thought she killed me. I can see how traumatic that would be. No wonder she tried to block that out. Hell, I don’t know what I’d do if I thought I’d killed her.” Memories of a dark night in her suite came rushing back. “Actually, I do know. It’s something I never want to experience again.”

Changing the subject, Brent handed Tony a folder. “Here’s the report from the child psychologist I hired in Iowa City. She’s very reputable and having her involved helped the court’s decision regarding custody of Nichol.”

Tony took the file and scanned the first page. He saw the recommendation for weekly family-therapy sessions. Damn, he also had agreed to weekly anger-management sessions in order to facilitate his early release. “I thought I was going to get away from all this psychobabble bullshit.”

Brent smirked. “I don’t think that’ll happen for a very long time. Besides, I still don’t believe you’re thinking straight.”

Tony’s eyes darkened. “Don’t go there. I’m not reconsidering. Do you have the copy of the petition for divorce?”

Brent handed him an envelope. “I have the petition, but I’m not filing it.”

“I don’t want you to file it—not yet. Not until we get Claire home. I’m anxious to see her, but I think tomorrow is best. That’ll give me some time to get everything ready.”

“I agree tomorrow is better. I was going to say earlier that Meredith told Courtney that Emily visits in the morning. That’s why Meredith works the later shift, to avoid her.”

“I don’t want to avoid her,” Tony proclaimed.

Brent nodded as a smile filled his face. “That’s why I think tomorrow will be better. You won’t be sneaking in. You’ll be going in and setting the record straight. In my opinion, if she’s present, it’ll help with the aftershocks.”