Instead of opening it, she ran through the garage, got into her Lexus, and drove off before the second unit could block the lane. One officer reported she nearly clipped a mailbox and ran a residential stop sign. They did not initiate a high-speed chase through neighborhood streets over a nonviolent warrant, so patrol pulled back and broadcast her plate.

An hour later, on Interstate 70 eastbound, Sharon tried to pass a semi on the shoulder during backed-up traffic caused by road construction.

She struck a concrete barrier, overcorrected, and rolled the SUV.

There were no fatalities. No one else was seriously injured.

But Sharon’s spinal cord was damaged at the thoracic level.

When Detective Ruiz called me from the hospital, her voice was steady, almost careful.

“She survived,” Ruiz said. “But the doctors say she likely won’t regain use of her legs.”

I looked at Lily, quietly coloring at the dining table in her replacement chair.

And for a long time, I couldn’t speak.