Complex sentence: While her daughter is in the attic with the android, Martha waits at the bottom of the attic steps close to tears, then after regaining her emotional composure, she climbs the ladder to join them.
Split into simpler sentences: While her daughter is in the attic with the android, Martha waits at the bottom of the attic steps close to tears. Then, after regaining her emotional composure, she climbs the ladder to join them.