Under the cover of darkness Poppy returned to the medical suite and sang her sunshine lullaby while the senior neurologist carefully monitored the equipment. When she reached the final line of her song Matteo actually curled his fingers around her small hand bringing his mother to overwhelming tears of pure joy. Over the following week Matteo finally opened his eyes and began the arduous journey of regaining his speech and mental clarity. Once he could communicate in full sentences he privately met with his trusted security chief Walter Briggs to investigate the true cause of his devastating accident. The investigation quickly revealed that someone had intentionally sabotaged the brake lines on his vehicle and traced a massive financial payoff directly back to a shell company controlled by Vittorio’s personal attorney. Armed with this undeniable proof of his brother’s betrayal Matteo bravely attended the crucial board meeting in a wheelchair just as Vittorio was attempting to finalize his corporate takeover. Matteo presented the damning photographs and signed confessions to the stunned board members effectively halting the illegal power grab. Federal authorities promptly arrived at the corporate headquarters to take Vittorio away for his undeniable role in the treacherous financial conspiracy.
By the time spring arrived Matteo was walking again thanks to months of intense physical therapy and the constant encouragement of his favorite four year old helper. Poppy cheerfully guided his daily walking exercises while he affectionately adopted the new title she had given him. Rosalind completely forgot her old rules about the second floor and instead offered me a wonderful permanent position managing a new children’s charitable program. The incredible job came with a generous salary and a beautiful small house on the estate grounds where Poppy finally had a custom built bed adorned with painted daisies. On a crisp autumn evening I watched Matteo and my daughter sitting peacefully together on our back porch while she dozed against his shoulder. He confided in me that during his darkest moments in the coma he had felt entirely lost until he heard her distant voice reaching out to him. He realized that my brave daughter had simply been the first person willing to cross the threshold without any fear of his imposing reputation or his complicated medical equipment. Her pure innocent compassion had effortlessly unlocked a door that all the sophisticated medicine in the world had completely failed to open.