Hope didn't speak for three days after the battle which was—I mean she'd killed four people and watched fifteen die protecting her and survived extremist assault at three and a half so honestly silence seemed like reasonable trauma response except watching my daughter go nonverbal was terrifying in ways I couldn't articulate.
"She's eating." Morgana's medical assessment was clinical but I heard the concern underneath. "Sleeping when prompted. Responding to direct physical cues. But zero verbal communication. Zero emotional expression. She's—" She struggled for terminology. "She's shut down. Complete psychological withdrawal."
Complete psychological withdrawal. Right. Our three-year-old had experienced combat trauma severe enough to stop speaking.
"How long does this last?" Because I needed timeline for when my daughter would be okay again.
