We fought. [ she tells him, easing steve backward so he can take a seat on the bed's edge and she can apply the compress with a beguilingly ginger touch. ] While you were out of it for those three weeks. He and I fought and I said some dreadful things.

[ she's apologized, since. a real and sincere apology. but things still haven't felt right -- she carries the guilt, now. ]

I've never seen his parallel for survival, you know. If something happened to him, it must have been -- [ she doesn't want to say intentional but... ] It must have been something damn worthwhile.