Kate and Lin watched Maddie closely for any sign of trauma.  She seemed perfectly fine.  Even though Jason had broken the law, it seems like he'd taken good care of her.  Maddie said she hadn't had any bad episodes with her diabetes, so he must have figured it out.  The next week was just spent being together.

The police in Philadelphia were in contact with Kate about Jason's case.  She might have to go back to Philadelphia to testify against him in court.  Kate had no qualms about pursuing a harsh sentence for him.  He'd waltzed into Maddie's life after being absent for years, then had taken her away from everything and everyone she knew.  They kept all this private from Maddie, of course.

They decided to enroll her at a local neighborhood school.  It had a good reputation and a lot of the kids from the apartment building went there.  On the first day of school, Kate was very nervous about leaving her.  Both she and Lin went to drop her off. 

When they arrived at the classroom, Maddie was excited and raring to go.  Kate gave her a hug and kiss with tears in her eyes.  Lin put a hand on her shoulder in support.  They went to the main office to make sure they had strict pick-up procedures on file.  Jason was in jail, but his mother wasn't.  No one but Lin or Kate was allowed to pick her up.

They went back home and Kate cried on the bed, terrified of losing her again.  Lin just held her and tried to be reassuring.  He tried to fill up the morning playing with Rio and spending time together.  When 3:00 rolled around, they were the first parents at the door to pick her up.  Maddie ran to her mother with a huge smile on her face.  She loved kindergarten.

Lin and Kate, and also her teacher, began to notice that Madeline was very anxious.  After talking with the school counselor, Jason was constantly worried about being found out, and some of that rubbed off on her.  Plus, Kate was still being very anxious, afraid of somehow losing her again.  The school counselor recommended they send Maddie to regular therapy.  They enrolled her straight away.

It wasn't long before Maddie was invited to her first sleepover.  Kate was worried about letting her go, but Lin urged her to let Maddie attend.  Just because this event had happened didn't mean they should let fear control their lives.  Kate relented, but spent the whole time anxious.  She texted the girl's mother throughout the evening, checking on how Maddie was doing.  She was doing just fine.

However, at around 10:00, Kate received a phone call from the girl's mother, saying Maddie had started to cry at bedtime.  She was missing her mom and wasn't feeling good about sleeping at someone else's house.  Since it was so late, Lin went to pick her up.

The door opened to a tearful little girl.  Lin scooped her up in her arms and rubbed her back, then the girl's mother handed him her bag and pillow.  He thanked her and Lin carried her home, her head resting on his shoulder.  By the time they were back, she was asleep.  Lin tucked her into bed and Kate came in to see her.  She didn't think she'd ever get tired of watching her little daughter sleep.

The anxiety reared its head on field trips, outings out with anyone other than Kate and Lin, and sometimes at school.  It broke Kate's heart that her daughter was experiencing all this nervousness.  Many times, either she or Lin had to end up picking her up or staying with her.  She was working with a therapist once a week to get her anxiety under control.

About a month later, Jason's trial was set to start.  Kate had to testify.  She really wanted Lin to come with her, but they knew they couldn't leave Maddie, and she didn't need to go back to Philadelphia.  Before Kate left for the airport, Lin hugged her tightly and tried to reassure her.

"He's going to prison for sure," he told her, his hands on her upper arms as he looked her in the eyes.

"I just don't want to see him again," she admitted, not feeling very brave.  Kate tried to remind herself she was doing this for Maddie.  Jason had put her through quite an ordeal and he needed to answer for it.

"You won't have to see him ever again after this," he promised her.  "I will handle any and all interactions between him and Maddie.  Lin kissed her sweetly, wishing he could go with her.  However, Maddie was their top priority right now.

Kate summoned all her courage and headed out the door to the airport. It was a quick flight.  She wasn't even planning on staying overnight.  The trial was set for 1 in the afternoon.  As soon as she was done testifying, she was flying home.

Jason had posted bail, so he walked into the courtroom in a nice suit and coiffed hair.  He didn't look overly confident, but he didn't look afraid either.  There was really no way of getting around the charges.

The trial began, and some of the formalities were gone over.  Kate was called to the stand within fifteen minutes.

"State your name for the court," an official said.

"Kate Matthews"

"Thank you.  You may be seated."

Kate sat down and moved the mic so it was closer to her mouth.  She cleared her throat nervously and waited for the questions.

"What is your relationship to Madeline Phillips?"

"I'm her mother," she smiled proudly.

"And what has the custody arrangement been between you and her father, the defendant?"

"We were married when Maddie was born, then he took off when she was around one year old.  I raised her by myself until she was four.  Jason then moved back to town and requested visitation.  He was awarded every other weekend and every Wednesday."

"And that custody arrangement worked out well?"

"For the most part," Kate said.  "My daughter has diabetes, and there were two occasions in which she had extremely low blood sugar.  On the second occasion, she had to be seen by a doctor immediately."

"And can you describe the events that took place the day your daughter disappeared?"

Kate's stomach churned at the memories.  "It was a Sunday, and Maddie was due back around 5:00, per our usual agreement.  When she wasn't home by 6, I called Jason and got no answer.   When I went to his apartment, it was dark and there was no sign of him.  I repeatedly tried to contact him, but got no reply."

"And how long was Madeline gone?"

"Eleven months."

"And you received no contact from Jason or Madeline during that time?"

"No, sir."

"And how would you describe Madeline's mental health now she's back with you?"

"She experiences bouts of anxiety, mostly brought on when she's away from me or my boyfriend.  She's expressed to me that she's afraid she'll be taken again."

"And is she receiving any treatment?"

"Yes.  She goes to a child therapist once a week."

"Thank you, Kate."

There were more questions, but really it was all a formality.  The situation spoke for itself.  Jason had violated his custody agreement and kidnapped his child, keeping her away from her mother for almost an entire year.  What he'd done was inexcusable.  His child was suffering because of it.

Jason plead the 5th, not wanting to self-incriminate.  Kate would like to ask him some questions.  All in all, it was a pretty quick ordeal.  Jason didn't have a record, so he was sentenced to two years in prison.  Afterwards, he would have parole, which would determine whether he could gain any visitation rights back.

Jason was expecting to be sentenced to some prison time, so he seemed resigned to his sentence.  Kate requested to have a brief meeting with him.  She was taking to a holding room where Jason came in a few minutes later.

He sighed when he walked in, looking like he didn't want to have this conversation.

"Kate-" he began, but was cut off.

"You owe me an explanation," she said coldly.

"Kate, I'm sorry.  It's just - when Maddie was with me, all she ever talked about was you and that Lin guy.  I was like minced meat.  I wanted her to love me.  To need me."

"She needed her mother," Kate growled.  "Did you know she's suffering from anxiety now?  Any time I'm not with her or Lin's not with her, she's afraid she's going to get taken away.  Are you proud of yourself?  Was your little year away with her worth it?"

Jason closed his eyes, knowing there was no good answer.  "I'm sorry.  It was a mistake.  And I'll spend the next two years paying for it."

"You're damn right you will," Kate told him.  "And don't even think about contacting Maddie in the meantime."

"So you're going to stop my own daughter from seeing me?" he asked, perturbed.  "How is that good for her?"

"I'm not going to bring her into a prison to visit you," Kate spat.  "And don't forget you didn't see her on your own accord for three years."

Jason looked down and shook his head.  He knew he wasn't perfect, and he hated when Kate pointed out his faults.  Kate stood up to go, finished.

"I'll leave it up to Maddie if she wants to contact you when she gets older.  In the meantime, leave her alone."

Kate walked out, feeling confident.  She headed straight for the door and hailed a cab to go back to the airport.  She didn't want to spend another minute in Philadelphia.

Kate got home after 10:00 so Maddie was already in bed.  Lin waited up for her in the living room, watching TV.  When she walked in the door, he went to her and pulled her into a hug.  She looked relieved, but emotional.

"It's over," he reminded her.  "You won't have to talk to him ever again."

She nodded into his shoulder, feeling his arms tight around her.  Kate felt so safe.

"Come on," he said.  "Let's go to bed."

Lin took her hand and guided her down the hallway.  They stopped at Maddie's door so she could watch her sleeping for a minute.  Lin tugged her along and they got ready for bed.