“That feels like a canned answer,” I said. “Like the kind of thing someone says when they can’t come up with a good response.”

“Victoria,” he said. “I am on your side here.”

“I know,” I said. “Absolutely.”

“Okay?” he asked. “Yes, maybe the response was a little trite, but I don’t think it’s wrong. I can’t know where you’re coming from. From what you describe, that could be a good thing. From what you describe and from what I was told, the experience was legitimately horrifying. Sometimes when you’re in a bad place you need someone who isn’t in that place to lead the way out.”

I drew in a breath. He held up a hand.

“Canned, I know. Bear with me, please.”

“Bearing,” I said.

“If it reassures you, I have a lot of experience helping people through trauma. I’ve spent twelve years with people, with heroes, who were traumatized on and off the job. I’ve dealt with people who were scarred head to toe, and their experiences after were not too dissimilar to what you most likely experienced in that hospital room. Others have been through what you’ve been through and they found their way through it. I have confidence that I can help you do the same.”

I drew in a deep breath.

“You are not alone,” he said.

“You spent a lot of time with heroes, you say, but you don’t mean capes when you say hero. You’re new to helping caped heroes, you said.”

“Yes,” he responded. “I get it. You came from a background that celebrates capes, that puts a lot of importance on costumed heroics. You value that and it matters that I admitted I’m not that experienced.”

“I celebrated capes, yeah, but you know my aura is all about awe and fear, right? I put my awe of capes behind me a good while ago,” I said. “So that background? It’s not that I’m elitist. It’s that I’m worried. I’m worried you don’t understand because the normal rules do not apply. Every cape you deal with is alone and unique. They have their own rules and neuroses. They have their unique, personal powers and challenges.”

“Everyone’s unique, Victoria. I don’t think that’s exclusive to capes. We can look to common ground.”