"I woke up to the sound of the smoke alarm going off and smoke filling my lungs," I choked out, trembling. "I couldn’t breathe and I had no idea what was happening."

"I tried to get in, but your mama had locked all of the doors," he choked out, as a lone tear trickled down his cheek. "I screamed for help, and banged on all of the neighbors' doors, told them to call 911, but they were all moving so fucking slow and the fire was spreading so goddamn fast that I couldn’t wait –" he sucked in a ragged breath, "so, I did the only thing I could in that moment; I ran around to the side of the house and bust your bedroom window out with a rock." Sniffling, he choked out a pained sob. "Fuck, I probably made it worse because the second I let the air inside, the flames in your room fucking tripled in size, but I couldn’t leave you in there. I couldn’t lose you."

"D…"

"Everything happened so fast after I got you out. I was pulled away when the paramedics started working on you. They couldn’t get to Bobby or your mom in time, and were shouting that you were going into shock and that you might not make the ride to the hospital. I fucking lost it after I heard that, but then another ambulance arrived to take me away –" he roughly cleared his throat before adding, "By the time I got treatment for my shoulder at the ER, you had already been helicoptered to a hospital with a more advanced burn unit in the city."

"And I never saw you again."

He shook his head sadly. "After you and your dad left town, it was all hushed up – courtesy of Wren and his contacts – and put down to some freak accident, but I never forgot what really happened that night." He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "I was so fucking traumatized after that night, I can't even begin to tell you the number of shrinks my mom pushed me to see, or name the countless number of pills I'd been prescribed." He exhaled brokenly. "I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that I never forgot you, Molly, not really. I just… I had to protect my mind and block you out. Make it stop. Make you stop haunting me. It was the only way to stop my sanity from slipping on me."

52 Daryl

After I finished, Molly remained silent for the longest time.

Aside from her quiet sobs and sniffles, she never spoke a word, and for a while, I started to worry that she never would.

Finally, she broke the silence with two words that I hadn't expected. "Thank you."

"You don’t have anything to thank me for," I replied, reluctantly releasing my hold on her when she moved to stand up.

"No, I r-really d-do," she sniffled, wiping her cheeks. "Thank you for sa-saving me t-that night –" she paused to suck in another sharp breath, "and th-thank you for finally te-telling me the t-truth."