It had been two weeks since Della was taken. Paul had closed in on a facility, but it was difficult to get anyone to talk. One night, Tragg was driving around with Burger when they spotted someone walking in their direction. It was a woman who could hardly walk and had hospital clothing on. They pulled over to help but were stunned when they got closer. "Dear God, it's Della," Burger said.

The woman was in a zombified state. She had bruises, scrapes, and cuts all over her body. There were also burn marks on her temples. "Della, what did they do to you?" Tragg asked.

The woman didn't answer. Burger removed his coat and put it on Della. He gently put her arms in the sleeves. The two were able to get Della to Tragg's car. Burger sat in the backseat with the woman. Upon arriving at the hospital, Tragg went inside and asked if there was a way to sneak Della in. A nurse directed him to a door on the side of the building. He drove there and Burger got Della in the wheelchair and went inside with her while Tragg parked. The lieutenant then called Paul to bring Perry down.

Perry sat in the waiting room with Paul, Gertie, Tragg, and Burger. "Mr. Mason," a doctor walked into the private waiting room an hour after Della had been admitted.

"How's my wife?"

The man sat in front of Perry, "she hasn't snapped back to reality yet. Whatever they did to her, they did a very thorough job. A lot of the bruising and scrapes on her legs and hands are from falls she took outside. Some bruising is the result of being handled roughly. The lieutenant's men took pictures of everything. The cuts, I'm guessing are from her struggling with whoever was grabbing her."

"So there are no serious injuries?"

"Not on the outside."

"What does that mean?"

"Perry, they really did a number on her. The burn marks are a result of ECT."

"Elcector convulsive therapy?!"

"Yes," he said. "Della did say that you signed off on it."

"I never signed off on that. I never would."

"Perry, listen to me. We've done some tests and it looks like there's some nerve damage. That's probably why she kept falling. I'm guessing they gave her ECT at the same voltage until this last time. Then they probably cranked it up and let her 'escape'."

"What now?"

"First, we need to get Della back. Do you think you can?"

"I can try."

"I'll take you to her."

Perry left with the doctor while the others went back to investigating the facility that Della had been at. The name had been on the clothing that Della was found in.

Perry sat by his wife's bedside and held her hand. He cringed when he saw the burn marks and the bruising. He had promised to always protect her and now, he felt as if he had failed her.

"Perry," Della whispered.

"I'm right here, darling."

Della slowly turned her head to look at him, "where am I?"

"Cedars," he said.

"Please, don't send me back there," she begged as she began to cry, "don't make me go back."

"Never," Perry said, "I'm not leaving your side."

Della broke down. Perry gently sat next to her in bed and took her into his arms. "Shh, it's going to be alright. They'll never hurt you again. I won't let them."

They stayed like that for a little while, "Perry, how long do I have to be here?"

"They don't know yet. You just got here a few hours ago. Burger and Tragg found you wandering the streets."

Della blushed, "I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be," he said, "I'm glad they found you. I'll call for the doctor." Perry pressed a button and a nurse arrived within seconds. She said she'd page the doctor right away and that it would be a minute or two. "Della, I want you to know that I never signed off on anything they did at that facility. I didn't even know they had taken you until I arrived at the hospital the next day."

"Deep down, I knew that you wouldn't. I wanted to talk to you and they wouldn't let me."

The doctor walked into the room. "Mrs. Mason, it's nice to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore, and a bit out of it."

"I'm sure in time that will go away. Has your husband told you anything?"

"No," she answered.

"It appears that the ECT caused nerve damage. Now, in order for us to know how much damage, we have to assess you. Let me know when you feel up to doing that."

"Now," she said. "I want to do it now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Della said. "Let's just get this over with."

The doctor lowered Della's bed. "Can you move your body so that you're sitting on the side with your legs down?" Della tried but reached out to the doctor when she felt pain. She winced as he helped her. "Where was the pain?"

"My wrist and lower back."

"I'm going to have you try to stand. Try to stand on your own first and I'll step in if you need me." Della grabbed the bed railing and started to stand. She once again reached for the doctor who took her hand and pulled her up. Della moaned in pain. "Is the pain in the same spots?"

"And my feet."

"What about your legs?"

"They're tingling."

"Think you can walk a bit?" the doctor asked. Della nodded and the doctor let go of her. He stood by just in case. As Della took a step, she lost her balance and began to fall. The doctor quickly caught her and helped her get back into bed. He covered her up, "just rest right now."

Perry had hated watching everything. He couldn't believe what they had done to her in such a short time. "What do you think?" Perry asked the doctor.

"All we can do is try physical therapy. I can also prescribe her some pills for the pain and to help her sleep. The damage is permanent. All we can do is try to get her independence back." He looked at his patient, "Della, are you up for the challenge?"

"Yes," she said. "I want my life back."

"I want to keep you at least overnight. Maybe for the week. I'm having a bed sent in so Perry can stay with you. The lieutenant is posting an officer at the door. If you need anything, press that call button. Don't try to go without medication if you need it."

"I need it," Della said.

The doctor smiled, "I'll go tell one of my nurses to bring you something. I'm also going to have a wheelchair and a walker sent here for you. I don't want you to try to walk unaided right now. The wheelchair is in case you're in too much pain to walk."

"Okay," Della sighed.

"If either of you has any questions, let one of the nurses know." The doctor left the room to get something for Della's pain. A nurse came in moments late with the medication. She said that Della could have more in four hours, but to press the button if she felt she needed more sooner and they'd look at the time to see how close it was. Paul brought Perry and Della some stuff from home.

"Oh, do you know where Burger's coat is?" Paul asked.

"It might be in the closet," Perry said.

"He was here?" Della asked.

"Well, he came in with you while Tragg parked and called Paul. He put the coat on you when they found you," Perry explained again.

"Found it," Paul said. He told them to call if they needed anything and left.

"Perry, do you think I can recover?"

"I have no doubt," he smiled. "There may be times when you're in pain or discomfort. You might even need help moving around here and there, but I believe you will be fine for the most part."

"I really wanted to try for another baby."

"Let's get you better and go from there."

It was a slow recovery, but Della managed to recover enough that she only had to use a cane and not too often. Dr. Stevens, Dr. Leads, Louise, and the judge from before were all prosecuted. It was discovered that the two doctors and the nurse were torturing their patients before allowing them to escape. After finding the escaped patients, they then convinced the families that the only way to help them was to do a lobotomy. The procedure never worked and then the families were forced to pay for their loved ones to stay there indefinitely. The judge was in on it. They needed him to help them beat any court action taken by their husbands and loved ones. The judge was to side with both parties but not enforce anything he had instructed the facility to do. Every patient was a woman. Della and other survivors had to testify. A young woman had been on the operating table when the authorities raided the facility. She was about to undergo a lobotomy. When it was all over, Perry and Della did try for another baby. They ended up with six. Four daughters named Maureen, Vivian, Margaret, and Violet. They also welcomed twin boys, Maxwell and Vincent. As time went by, Della's nerve damage became more of an issue. The older she got, the worse the effects got. The couple spent years grieving their firstborn without realizing their pain was all for nothing.