Chapter 19
One year after the fall, Khloe asked to visit the courthouse steps.
I hated the idea.
I said that.
She smiled.
“I know.”
“You don’t have to prove anything.”
“I’m not proving. I’m reclaiming.”
So we went at 2:13 p.m.
The same time she had called me.
Maya came.
Olivia came.
Avery came.
Dr. Patel came with Elliot in a stroller, because Khloe wanted him there and I apparently no longer controlled anything.
Good.
Khloe stood at the top of the stairs.
Her hands shook.
I stood one step below her.
Not holding.
Ready.
She looked down at the marble.
“I remember the sky,” she said.
I swallowed.
“What?”
“When I fell. I remember seeing sky between steps.”
I could not speak.
She continued.
“I thought Elliot would never see it.”
Dr. Patel placed Elliot in her arms.
He babbled and touched her face.
Khloe cried.
Then she descended the stairs.
Slowly.
All thirty.
At the bottom, she turned around.
“I’m still here,” she said.
No cameras.
No reporters.
Just us.
But the words felt bigger than any statement she had ever given.
Afterward, we went for lunch.
Elliot threw mashed potatoes onto Avery’s sleeve.
Avery looked offended.
Then kissed his head.
Khloe laughed until she cried.
That night, she sent me a photo.
Elliot asleep in his crib.
Caption: We made it through today.
I texted back: Yes, you did.
She replied: No, Harry. We did.
I sat in my quiet study and let myself believe her.
May you like
For years, I had been known for dismantling people.
My sister was teaching me how to help rebuild.
