Wrong dose

Epilogue

4 days later:

"Clarice, Skylar," Softly called the woman, Lila, from the bed.
After the police had arrived to the scientists' lab and learned what had transpired, everyone agreed to keep quiet about what Lila had done to the man. The act had been out of self defense, and she hadn't been completely mentally stable at the time. In fact, she still wasn't, hence the reason she had decided to stay at a mental treatment center for a while and Clarice had assumed legal guardianship of Jake and Skylar, at least for the time being.

Yes, because the man's bullet had hit Jake's left collarbone, shattering it, but avoiding any vital organs. He was being cured at the local hospital, where Clarice and Skylar had just visited him.
Jake had been exhilarated when his doctors had told him that he could also get surgery to strengthen his legs so he wouldn't need the braces anymore. 

"How are you two?  How is Jake?" Asked Lila, standing up with a small smile.
"Oh, I'm doing fine, and Jake is recovering nicely. The doctors say he should be out in a handful of weeks," replied Clarice.
"Yeah, and apparently Jake can get surgery for his legs," happily added Skylar.

Lila smiled again. "That's wonderful," she exclaimed. Then, more seriously, she asked, "And how are you, Skylar? I heard about your adoptive parents..."
The wave of sharp loss hit Skylar again.
Just two days ago, a police detective had knocked on the door of the hotel room she and Clarice were staying at. He told them that all of Skylar's adopted family had been brutally shot when she was at Jake's house. They were in the process of tracking down who had done it.

Fresh tears threatened to spill over Skylar's eyes as she remembered the bitter despair that overwhelmed her, the pain of  learning her hope had been crushed, even though she should have been expecting this to happen.
Skylar braced a hand against the nearby wall as her chest tightened.

She felt a hand stroke her hair softly. "It's okay to cry," whispered Lila, pressing her against her frail body.
Engulfed in her embrace, Skylar felt better than she had in a long time. She breathed in Lila's scent and wrapped her arms around her.
Mother.
She didn't know when she would forgive Lila for doing the things she had, but somewhere, Skylar knew she had already started.

Clarice joined their hug, and the three of them stood there, bodies close together.

That was when Skylar finally let the tears drip down her cheeks and the sobs wrack her body.
Clarice put a hand on her back. "It'll get better," she whispered, "We're a family now."

And Skylar knew she was right. The four of them, her, Jake, Clarice, and Lila, were a family.

Things would get better.