The Mercy of Birds

CHAPTER 16: YOUR SOUL TODAY

CHAPTER 16
YOUR SOUL TODAY

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There was something the sunlight that irradiated her skin did to her. Cameron couldn't describe it in words, but he could feel it stir in his chest when he watched her step out of the main door of the hospital where the security guard that performed the body search protocol and supposedly seized any suspicious object from them, became the one to confer to them all of their belongings. She halted at the threshold and just stood there for a taciturn second as though she was confronting two branching pathways in front of her and couldn't decide which one to take to lead her home.

She didn't have any notable possession, merely a tangerine colored backpack that had faded out significantly from time, a little incongruous to be carried by a thirty-six years old woman, but of course she had her reasons. She also wore the only clothes she had other than the allotted hospital uniform, which was a black blouse and tattered baby blue jeans, the attire that she had on when they had admitted her to the first institution that she was confined into after the verdict of her crime was declared. It had gotten slightly bigger on her after eighteen years because she had lost a remarkable weight after all this time.

He could recall clearly as though it had only happened yesterday, that when they had taken her into custody, it was the height of the summer, and if they didn't allow her any respite for a change of clothes that at least brought out some individuality from time to time, then she wouldn't have owned any suitable garments for this winter where she was finally discharged. So he had brought his thickest sweater and overcoat and laid it out for her to wear. She didn't say anything when she had donned it over herself before they made an exit, but he didn't need to hear a word, he already felt complete.

Now as she began to move, his footsteps fell in adjacent motion to her. They descended the stairs and when they reached the ground that was blanketed with the white out snow, something crunched beneath her shoes and she stopped again, looking down to where the noise had come from.

It was cold even though the sun was as lucid as a pearl in the sky today, but warmth spread over him when he looked up at her. "Everything okay?"

At his voice, she perked up again, her dark hair swayed with the wind. In the luster, he could see how dry and brittle the dark brown strands were after years of neglect, and he wanted to offer her a haircut only if she consented to it.

She nodded but didn't utter a reply. Cameron noticed how she had reverted back similarly to the disposition of when he had his first and second session with her, but the fact stood out that she had accepted him now and they were walking home together: the only thing that he had been dreaming of for years since he lost her.

They continued walking to the parking lot and he caught the sight of several security guards watching them intently from the distance, the man who had accosted her for frolicking around suspiciously was among them and he turned his head slightly and gave an acknowledging nod. Back on the stairs of the main door, a couple of nurses and Dr. Singh herself stood by in pensive observation. Cameron was almost unable to suppress the urge to hug her but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, as he thought that merely shaking her hand firmly wasn't enough to show how grateful he was that after a week long wait for the final conviction, she had pronounced that all of the formal prerequisites had been achieved and Clementine could be cleared for immediate release.

The psychiatrist reminded him that there would be an officer to conduct a wellness checkup every month and it wouldn't only pertain to the condition of Clementine, but also his capability and responsibility as her legal guardian. She also told him she might come and visit from time to time and he was more than happy to invite her for dinner at their house.