Wrapping his arms around her, he took those words to heart. "The basics then. My mother..." He took a deep breath at that. Most of his life and she was still the hardest to talk about. "I was nine months old, I'm told, and sickly. Colic. Stomach issues. You name it. She had gone to the store to get a new prescription for me and... and two underage girls had been drinking and they hit her car. Fled the scene but they were caught later."

He spoke softly, mouth brushing her hair, not hesitant but slow. "I was... ten, I think, when my dad told me what happened. I remember worrying he'd hurt them, the girls that was. Last I knew, they were both married with kids though."