Father Dmitri approached Elena gently. "Elena," he said in Russian, "there are some people here who want to talk to you about your daughter."
Elena looked up with frightened eyes. "My Maria? What happened to my Maria? Is she hurt?"
"She is safe," Jonathan said in his limited Russian. "She is safe, and she is looking for you."
Elena began to cry. She cried so hard that her whole body shook. "I thought she was dead," she sobbed. "I thought I had killed her by leaving her alone. I have been praying for her soul every day."
Dr. Murphy knelt down next to Elena. "Your daughter is alive and well," she said through Father Dmitri's translation. "She has been looking for you. She loves you and wants to see you."
Elena was afraid to believe it was true. For months, she had been living with the guilt of abandoning Maria. She had tried to drink away the pain, but it never worked. She had become sicker and sadder every day.
"I am not a good mother," Elena said. "I left her alone. I am sick in my head, and I cannot take care of anyone."
"You can get better," Dr. Murphy said. "There are people who can help you, and Maria needs you to get better because she loves you."
That night, Elena agreed to go to a treatment center for people with alcohol addiction. It was the first step toward healing and maybe someday being a mother again.
When they told Maria that her mother had been found, she cried with relief and joy.
"Is she okay?" Maria asked. "Can I see her?"