A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 55

Everything was dark. It was so dark that Sidney couldn't see her hands in front of her. She felt like floating in the air, hovering over something she couldn't fully see or understand. She saw a small light in the distance. This was the light at the end of the tunnel. She had always heard people see a light when they died. She was floating toward the light, and it grew ever closer. So this was how it all ended.

As she got closer, Sidney began to hear voices. They were voices she recognized. "Mom, Dad is it you?" she said. It wasn't clear. She needed clarity. The light grew brighter; she was almost there now. The voices grew louder. It was time.

In the distance, she saw her parents waiting for her arm in arm. Sophia smiled at her while Todd stood proudly by his wife's side. Sidney wanted to go to them, but something held her back. Sidney was confused, wanting to go to her parents. Her mother looked at her and then shook her head. Sidney wanted to call them again, but she had no breath. She struggled, wanting to call out to them. Sidney, with one last effort, drew a breath.

A breath? How was that possible? She began to feel heavy as the image of her parent disappeared. The ground rushed to meet her feet. Sidney opened her eyes opened in a small slit. It was all so bright. She could make out two shapes. They were not in the distance but much closer now. Instinctively, she took another breath—deeper this time. The air filled her lungs. It hurt to breathe so deeply. Pain? There shouldn't be any pain unless.

Slowly, she tried again to open her eyes. This time, someone saw her because she heard a male voice call for the nurse. Another voice was calling to her—a female voice, not her mother's but familiar. "Sidney," it called to her. "It's me, girl. Do you recognize me?" So familiar. Where had she heard it before? "Jillian," came a weak reply from a voice that sounded almost alien to her.

"Yes, girl, it's me," came the response.

The nurses came in and began to attend to her. Behind them walked an older man. She looked through the haze and came to recognize Luke Brady. "We nearly lost you, my dear. It's a miracle you're still alive."

Sidney tried to sit up, but the pain in her side wouldn't let her bend at the waist. As she slightly moved her leg, she heard the clanking of a metal chain. "Sorry, it's procedure. You're in a hospital, a real hospital. They let us stay with you for certain hours, but a guard is outside the room. You'll have to go back as soon as you can be moved."

"What happened?" she weakly asked.

"You were attacked in the prison yard," Brady told her. "The woman told authorities that she had been put up to it by Pierson or someone who represented him rather." He could tell she was scared even in her weakened, drug-induced state. "Sidney, he won't come for you again. Leonard Pierson is dead. Killed himself a few days ago."

She tried to move, but she felt too weak, and her head was heavy. "Dead?" she finally managed. "Is it over then?"

"Not yet. There's still the manner of your conviction, but we can move forward much faster. Don't worry about that right now. You just rest."

Jillian took her hand and said, "I have to go home soon, girl, but I wanted to be here when you woke up. I've got more pictures and more videos to send you. Get better for me, okay?"

Sidney gave them a small and weak smile and closed her eyes again. She hated going back to sleep with them still there, but she was exhausted. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep. A sense of safety swept over that she had not felt in a long time. Pierson was gone now, so this nightmare might soon be over.

The wheels of justice move ever so slowly. It had been almost a year since the attack, and very little had been done with her case. Jillian was true to her word. She regularly sent videos and pictures to her, about two or three times a month. Sometimes less, but she did what she could to keep her connected to the outside world.

Finally, Luke Brady returned with news on her case. "I've been in constant contact with the court," he told her. "I'm afraid it's not all good news. The court refused to set aside your conviction completely. They said since you took the plea bargain, it was an admission of guilt they could not ignore. They have ordered a negotiation with the new District Attorney." Brady looked down at his files with a depressed expression on his face.

She considered what he just told her. It wasn't very reassuring to say the least. "So what does that mean?" she asked him.

"It means that you're not likely to get out anytime soon. When I meet with the DA next week, Detective Taylor is coming with me to tell him about the information you gave to help his case against Pierson. Hopefully, the DA will consider that and all the other irregularities in your case. At the very least, I think we can reduce your sentence greatly."

She smiled at him and said, "Well, that's something, I guess." It sounded more sarcastic than she meant it to be, but after four years of being locked away, she lost some of her courtesy. Brady looked as if he had lost his best friend, and he had. Her dad was his best friend, and she tried to remember that her parents trusted him with her case.

"I'm sorry, Sidney," he said, "this is my fault. I should have taken your case to trial. Maybe I could have done more for you if I had."

"You did the best you could with what you had. Mom and Dad would be proud of the job you've done. So am I."

Six weeks passed before she saw him again. When he returned, he had news about her case. "I'm afraid I have mixed news on your case," Brady began. "The DA has agreed to reduce the conviction to First Degree Manslaughter. They have offered a six-year sentence with credit for time served. That means you have eighteen months left to serve. However, he agreed to allow you to spend the last six months on parole. If the court agrees, you should be out next year. You'll have to appear before the parole board, but that should be a formality."

The next several months passed to her as a mixture of fast and slow days. Eventually, the day came for her to appear before the parole board. She answered their questions and told them about her plans for life after her release, what she had learned from her experience, and how she planned never to break the law again. As expected, a few weeks later, Sidney received their decision to grant her parole on the last six months of her sentence.

On her last night, Sidney began to give away her things. She began saying her goodbyes to the inmates she had known. Sidney thanked Jo again for saving her life a year ago. That night, she returned to her cell and heard the door close, locking her in for the last time. After tonight, she hoped never to hear that sound again. She didn't sleep much, excited to know she would leave this place tomorrow.

The following day, she got up quickly, hoping that, like Jillian, they would come for her early in the morning. She was not disappointed. Shortly after the headcount, Officer McConnell came to her cell. "Lewis, roll up your stuff. Let's go." Sidney turned to her cellmate and wished her well. The door opened, and Sidney began her walk to freedom. Walking down the cellblock, she said goodbye to some of the inmates she knew on her way out.

After they walked through the door to the cellblock, McConnell told her it would take a few hours to get her released. "For the record, I'm happy you're going home. Just do me a favor and never come back here." They arrived after a while at the processing area, where she was told to have a seat and wait her turn.

She was there about an hour before she was admitted to start signing papers. Sign here, initial there, all so formal and exacting paperwork. Once completed, she was directed again to the waiting area, where she got the clothes and personal items Luke Brady brought. She sat there for over an hour waiting for her belongings. Finally, they brought them, and she was directed to a changing area. Even upon release, a guard watched her undress and dress. It seemed ridiculous to her that they would search her one last time on her way out, but after so many searches over the years, she just did it and got it over with.

Finally, she began the long walk to the freedom gate. A male guard walked beside her down the long sidewalk. She seemed to walk forever before they finally arrived at the gate. The guard quickly turned the lock, and the gate to the outside opened for her at last. He wished her good luck as she walked out through the gate. Sidney took in her first breath of freedom in over six years.

Almost before she knew it, Jillian ran to meet her and threw her arms around her. Sidney dropped the bag she was carrying and returned the embrace. They stood there for what seemed like forever, with tears streaming down their faces. She looked up and saw Luke Brady leaning against the front of his car. She smiled at him as he waved at her from the car.

Linking arms with Jillian, she said, "Let's go home."