Vernice Hall is home, at last

As she gazed into her father's eyes, Vernice Hall must have known Friday was a special occasion.

"Hey Star, give me a blink if you're happy to go home," her father, Steven Hall, asked Vernice by her nickname.

She blinked.

"Yeah, this is our big day," he said, planting kisses on her face.

After 112 days in the hospital and doctors telling loved ones to prepare for the worst, Vernice's parents on Friday prepped for the moment they believed would happen all along.

"My baby's coming home," said her mother, Letice Hall, while taking down a collage of get-well cards and photos. "With us!" The 12-year-old girl was shot in the head in September, just steps outside a party at her north Minneapolis home. It was a bullet meant for someone else. Two teens will stand trial as adults on attempted first-degree murder charges. "They took so much from her," her father said Friday. "I want justice." The bullet ripped though Vernice's brain. After two major surgeries, which included removing and restoring part of her skull, and months of rehabilitation, doctors believe Vernice has progressed enough to now sleep in her own room, in her own bed. Home, sweet home

Vernice appeared to be more calm and comfortable because she has been given botox injections and medication to help move her limbs, said Dr. Susan Quigley, a pediatric rehab medicine specialist at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare.

Some days were better than others, said Susan Tovas, a speech therapist who recalled one during a session that Vernice playfully "flipped me off."

"She likes a lot of attention," Tovas said. She points out that a curly mane of hair now covers a Y-shaped scar atop her head and the spot on her forehead where the bullet entered is still clearing.

Though she's ready to make the transition to go home and attend school, Vernice will continue to need round-the-clock care, Quigley said. She expects Vernice, who will maintain a daily physical and occupational therapy schedule, to come back for periodic checkups every three to four months.

During her last inpatient therapy sessions on Friday, Vernice showed good use of her right index finger and she's improving tracking people with her eyes. Yet, even the slightest movements can be tiring. Speaking and walking are still beyond her ability.

"She's made small, steady changes," Quigley said Friday. "While we've seen some progress, from a cognitive standpoint, there's still some deficiencies."

Since her hospitalization, Vernice's parents have married, moved twice (they currently live in the south suburbs) and got a good deal on a handicapped-accessible van after a Golden Valley couple read stories about her condition. A limo owner had even offered to give the family rides to the hospital.

"I can't thank y'all enough for taking care of my daughter. It really helped," said a teary-eyed Steven Hall as he handed nurses a bouquet of red roses. "You guys are like family to us."

Hall later confided to them some concerns about handling his daughter at home when one nurse, Ruth Conoryea reassuringly said, "It might be challenging at times, but it's going to be all right."

After Vernice's parents wheeled her past several smiling faces into the cold, Sheldon Williams, a hospital housekeeper, summed up the moment in one word: "Wow."