CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
December turned to January, January to February, and soon spring was settling over the state and new growth began to flourish.
Luka thrived with Maia and Atom to help her. It wasn’t easy—there were nights when she would wake up screaming, and Maia would run in to calm her hysterical daughter. Many nights she would have to sleep with her daughter to keep her from crying.
Through it all, Atom was the calming force for them, and he and Luka slowly got to know each other. Atom talked to her like an adult, respecting her experience and her pain, never overstepping, but soon Luka was learning to trust him as Maia did.
The day Luka went unbidden to hug Atom, Maia thought she might cry with happiness. She knew Atom was delighted and touched.
All three of them decorated Luka
