405 House Arrest

The sunshine felt extra bright after days stuck in the hospital room. Ten-year-old Trisha bounced in the backseat, finally free and heading home. But a frown creased her brow as she peeked out the back window. A shiny white car, just like the ones on TV cop shows, seemed glued to their bumper. "Mommy," Trisha piped up, her voice laced with childish worry, "is that a police officer following us?" Linda jumped a little when confined to their house by a court order she hadn't quite figured out how to explain to her daughter. A nervous laugh escaped her lips. "Oh, honey, that's probably just someone going the same way we are." Trisha needed to be convinced. Her brow furrowed even deeper. "But it's been there for, like, forever!" Linda stole another glance in the mirror, her stomach clenching. "Maybe they're lost?" she offered the answer, sounding weak even to her ears. Trisha crossed her arms, her bottom lip jutting out in a familiar pout. "Are we in trouble, Mommy?" The question hun