A half hour later, EMS attendants took out Bartolucci and the girl. Pepper had gotten cops pulled off St. Patrick's Day duty to come and escort Bartolucci out first, not wanting the girl to even see him. A female EMS attendant had examined Jennie, talking to her in a soft hypnotic voice that had the girl calmed down faster than he would have thought possible. Pepper had sat next to her on the bed the whole time, making sure she felt safe.
Pepper could tell from the looks the attendant gave him that the girl had been abused. The bite marks and bruising that seemed relatively minor at first glance masked internal wounds that were probably more severe. As they wheeled her out, she reached her hand forward and Pepper took it in both of his, comforting her. There was relief in her eyes. Her tiny frail hand felt like a baby bird in his grasp, and he smiled down at her and nodded, hoping she'd have the strength down the line to be in that courtroom to put the bear into hibernation for a long, long time.