"I... I..." I stammered, totally off guard.

"I said... who the fuck are you? Did I stutter? Are you fucking deaf? Who the fuck do you think you are, barging in to Annie's room like that, you fucking... fucker! She's... she's leaving us, and you come and... and stick your nose in...and... and..."

And then she began to sob; harsh, horrible, end-of-the-World tears of the sort I was only too familiar with.

She released me and buried her face in her hands and made noises that hurt even me.

I watched her for a moment, off guard, confused by the intense conflict I felt within me.

The almost overwhelming need...