Summary

It is month 19 on the grieving chart, and even though Elvis and the Babbitt family are doing well, Elvis is glad to have two extra months on her grieving chart. Lizzie is seeing a new therapist, and Elvis’s father is “a better parent now that he’d had more practice” (307). Elvis worries about Boomer, whose age shows more and more each day. He has difficulty climbing the stairs. Elvis agrees to help Dr. Rotherwood with a pygmy hippo birth in exchange for medication for Boomer. At home after the birth, Vanessa practices visualization exercises with Lizzie. These exercises are for Vanessa’s child psychology class. She tells Lizzie to visualize something that makes her feel good before bed. That night, and for the few ensuing nights, Lizzie goes into Elvis’s bedroom to sleep.

Lizzie goes to court for the incident at...