The only slight improvement was that she had begun to eat some of the food they left for her, though she did so cautiously, as if expecting it to be taken away at any moment. The terror in her eyes broke their hearts, but both Lora and Dana knew they had to be patient. The trauma she had endured would take time to heal, and the most important thing was to make her feel safe.
To help with that, they decided to restrict access to the room, allowing only themselves and a few trusted nurses to enter. No one else was to disturb the girl, hoping that the quiet and consistency would help her begin to trust them.
But Asher, being the curious pup that he was, had overheard his parents talking about the new arrival, and his curiosity got the better of him. One day, while everyone was busy, he mana
