Chapter 14 - Storm Before the DawnAt thirty-six weeks, the stress of the impending trial finally took its toll.
It was a rainy Tuesday night when Savannah suddenly gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, a sharp gasp escaping her lips.
"Christopher..." she whispered, her face draining of color. "It's time."
Panic surged through me. "Now? Savannah, you're a month early!"
"The contractions... they're two minutes apart," she choked out, holding her stomach.
I gathered her bag, helped her down to the car, and drove through the pouring San Diego rain toward Sharp Mary Birch Hospital, my hands gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.
While Savannah was admitted to the labor delivery wing, my phone buzzed incessantly in my pocket.
It was Arthur Vance.
I stepped out into the hospital corridor to answer. "This is not a good time, Vance."
"Christopher, you need to hear this," Vance said frantically over the line. "Bernice just signed the plea agreement. She accepted the felony charges. She's taking the eight-year state prison sentence to avoid a public trial."
I stood in the sterile, quiet hallway, listening to the rain beat against the heavy glass windows.
"Is it final?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"The judge signed off an hour ago. She’s being transferred to the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla on Friday," Vance confirmed. "It's over, Christopher. She can never come near you or your wife again."
I closed my eyes, letting out a breath I felt like I had been holding for three long years.
"Thank you, Mr. Vance," I said, and hung up the phone.
I walked back into the delivery room, where the medical monitors hummed steadily and nurses moved with calm efficiency. I took Savannah's hand, leaning down to kiss her damp forehead.
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"She signed it, Savannah," I whispered into her ear. "She's going to prison for eight years. It's over. We're safe."
Savannah squeezed my hand with incredible strength, a tear slipping down her cheek as a gentle smile broke across her face.
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