Emma was Linda’s daughter and was turning seven. She had planned a great party for her. But things changed when Thomas, Linda’s distant father, showed up out of the blue. Because of his drinking, Linda hadn’t seen him in years. Their relationship ended because of his drinking. She told him he had to leave because she didn’t want him around Emma.
Thomas quietly left, looking like he had lost, but Linda couldn’t get rid of the anger and guilt she felt. She had spent years trying to keep Emma from going through the same pain she had, but now she wasn’t sure if she had been right.
Linda became scared when she realised Emma wasn’t with her. She looked everywhere quickly because she was scared that Thomas had taken Emma as a way to get back at him. When the cops arrived, Linda’s worry grew as they searched the forest. She felt very sad because she was afraid of losing Emma and had unresolved pain from her youth.
The cops finally found Emma. She was stuck high up in a tree, and a pack of stray dogs was buzzing around below. Emma was about to hurt herself when Thomas jumped in and caught her. Linda was shocked by what he did.
Linda sat next to Thomas on the way to the hospital, crying the whole time. She said she was sorry for how she had treated him and thanked him for saving Emma. Because Thomas felt so bad about what he had done, he promised to be a better father and grandfather. They made the choice to heal as a family through moving forward.
