stress level, all you have to do is ask. I love you, Mike."

"Thanks, Dad. I love you too."
Chapter 6

My conversation this morning with Rebecca and my dad has given me the courage to face what I have been avoiding. After I eat lunch, I leave the house and see Billy is sitting on the porch with Susan. I walk over to say hello.

"Are you going somewhere, Mike?" Billy asks me.

"I'm going to the hospital to talk to my boss about my job."

"Are you scared, Mike?" Susan asks me.

"I'm a little nervous, but your mom convinced me that I can still help people with one hand. So, I am going to talk to my boss about going back to work."

"Mommy said you had a nightmare about when you gotHas she said anything to you?"

"No, not much. Lauren asked me the other day if I'd talked to you, which of course, I hadn't. I asked her why she doesn't call you, and she told me the two of you are no longer involved."

"I suspect that she is having an affair. Our relationship had been tense a few months before the shooting. She picked the most opportune time to leave me when I was unable to ask why. I confronted her, and she refused to answer my questions. That in itself is a red flag."

"I won't lie to you, Matt. My head is still fucked up. It takes a lot of effort to get through the day, and I still have issues that need to be worked out.