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“Didn’t know you were so accomplished with hair?” I say

His lips curl up, his voice going soft “I used to braid MJ’s hair Weird, huh?”

“Not at all,” I say “Very intimate”

Again, his gaze moves to ht?”

“I had hoped ould I think you’re ready”

We’re talking about the actual crash and what happened after It’s a subject he’s steered me far away fro strides, I know he can do it I honestly think he needs to do it—needs toto talk about

To ht’s back, one on top of the other, then lowers his head until his chin rests on theht reen in his eyes sparkle

“I don’t remember the crash For a fewup or down because I was so disoriented At some point, ere upside down, but that’s really all I know The crash investigators say I’d ain, and that the treetops sort of slowed us down a bit But I pretty much blacked out the actual impact”

His voice isn’t quite flat, but it is a little detached A safety mechanism

“What’s the next thing you remember?” I ask

“Pain,” he replies “In onally acrossback,aith blood all over it The plane remained pretty much intact, or at least the cockpit area had Except…”

His voice trails off

“Except?” I prod

Tacker blinks a few tihtens He doesn’t bolt, but ers work at braiding another long piece as he talks “Except a huge tree branch had co MJ in the lower stomach and pelvis”

I don’t say a word, but my stomach cramps with pain over what it must have been like for him to see that What it must have been like for her to feel that

“She… uhtly “She was… uht she was dead when I figured out what had happened and saw all the blood I was in shock and couldn’t tear my eyes away, unsure what to do When I finally snapped out of it, I tried to e Then, the radio sort of crackled Startled me”