”Like what? What problems does she have, kid?”

Nico stares down at the floor. He sighs. ”She lies a lot…and she gets sad sometimes over nothing. My aunt tells her to take her medicine but I think sometimes mommy forgets.”

Hearing all this come out of an eight-year-old is shocking to Nicky—but opens her eyes to just how sick in the head Lorna still is. No wonder she hasn’t tried to come in contact with her or anyone else from their prison family; she’s been to busy dealing with her mental illness and raising a child. ”What happens when she doesn’t take it?”

He kicks his shoe slowly against the ground. ”Stuff.”

”What kinda stuff? Does she get mad or sad or happy—what happens?” Nicky gently asks, placing a comforting hand against his shoulder. She gazes warmly into his eyes, making sure he knows he’s safe with her. ”It’s okay, kid…you can tell me. I care about your mom; she’s my friend.”

Exhaling a deep breath, Nico uses his finger to brush a loose strand of hair from his eyes. ”Mom never gets mad—well, not at me or anyone else. She just…I-I’ve seen her do some not so nice things to herself. There-there was this one time when I went to use the bathroom and-and I saw mommy trying to drown herself in the tub. I-I had to do CPR on her for a long time…it was so scary,” tears start running down his porcelain cheeks. He instinctively puts his thumb in his mouth, trying to self-soothe himself.

Nicky’s heart bursts with emotion. She wraps her arms gently around the distraught child, pulling him against her chest and dropping a soothing kiss atop his head. ”Shh, shh, it’s okay; it’s okay, buddy. What a brave little boy you are…saving your mommy. I’m so sorry you had to walk in on such a thing—that sounds scary,” her voice tenderly whispers into his ear.

It’s nearly three-thirty when Lorna walks in the kitchen door. She immediately kicks her shoes off and places her briefcase on the table. She’s about to head into the bathroom for a shower when she feels a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. Lifting her face to stare up at whoever it is that’s holding her, she becomes concerned at the somber expression on Nicky’s face. ”What’s wrong, hon? Are you okay?”