Medal in Hand: A Stand for Justice Chapter 10
Thanks to Isaac’s firm hand, everyone involved in Giselle’s bullying was finally brought to justice.
Tricia, the ringleader, and her friends were sentenced to prison terms. Meanwhile, Harold, who had enabled her every wrongdoing, was exposed for framing others, assault, bribery, and countless other
crimes.
Parents whose children Tricia had tormented stepped forward to testify against him too. With the charges piling up, he was ultimately sentenced to life in prison.
The powerful figures who had protected Harold were also stripped of their power. Each met the downfall they deserved.
As for Louis-the principal who had expelled Giselle-he was fired from his position. The school held him
accountable for breaking the law and permanently banned him from working in education.
With Moses’ comrades at our side, Giselle and I moved into the villa they had prepared for us.
Giselle looked around our brand-new home, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Everything inside was new. Even the bathroom had been fitted with a fully automated shower system.
“Grandpa, is this our new home?” she asked.
I smiled and nodded.
“But if we move here, will Mom and Dad still be able to find us when they come back?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the air in the room turned unbearably heavy. The veteran who had given us the villa broke down, dropping to his knees.
Right then and there, I knew I could no longer keep the truth from Giselle.
“Elle, your mom and dad are never coming back,” I said.
With trembling hands, I placed the Medals of Honor and the official papers into hers.
Giselled stared at the documents bearing her parents’ photos, her head lowered in silence.
I knew she was overwhelmed with a grief words could never capture.
She sat clutching the yellowed papers as tears streamed down her face.
It felt as though her heart had been ripped into pieces. The sudden wave of loss and loneliness weighed on her until she could hardly breathe.
When Giselle closed her eyes, beautiful memories of her parents came rushing back.
She remembered Moses holding her hand as they’d strolled through a park. She saw Clara in the kitchen, busy preparing her favorite meals.
On holidays, our family would gather around the table, with laughter echoing throughout the house.
The memories were vivid, so close she could almost touch them. Yet, they were forever out of reach.
She longed to return to those days, if only to hear her parents’ voices once more, or to feel the warmth of
one more embrace.
All at once, Giselle threw herself into my arms and sobbed uncontrollably. I fought back my own grief so
that I could comfort her.
The first lesson in life was learning to say goodbye. But for Giselle, this lesson had come far too early and
with unbearable pain too.
Moses’ comrades quickly gathered around us. One of them said to Giselle, “From now on, we’ll be like parents to you. No matter how old you grow or where life takes you, we’ll always protect you.”
“Yes. We’ll love you just as your mom and dad did,” another added.
At their words, Giselle wiped away her tears before hugging every one of them.
Losing her parents left her feeling utterly helpless and in despair, and she knew that no amount of grief or remembrance could ever fill the void they’d left behind.
At the same time, she feared that her grief would weigh on those around her, dragging them into a sorrow
of their own.
Now, accepting reality was Giselle’s only choice.
“From now on, consider us your family!” the veterans declared.
Their promise to Giselle wasn’t just empty words. In the years that followed, they proved it. They handled her rides to and from school and even attended every parent-teacher conference.
Sometimes, they argued over who would get the honor of escorting her. In the end, they agreed to take
turns, and only then was everyone satisfied.
With so many people stepping in as her parents, Giselle was no longer the lonely child who had lost her mom and dad. From then on, she lived her life surrounded by love.
