[He listens silently and after she speaks his eyes break away from hers as he ducks his head down, running a shaky hand through his hair. He needs to calm down. Take a deep breath and swallow the fear and keep moving. He could handle this. He wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste and he would do everything and anything within his power and then some to keep her safe. Mayfield would not hurt her. It would not get her.

But there was still that little voice in the back of his head. The one that kept telling him it was stupid to think that he'd be able to keep her from harm, that it didn't matter what he did. He couldn't even save a little girl, how could he think he could save his mother, too?]

Of course I will, I never... I wouldn't do anything less, but I --

[he hesitates, his voice straining]

-- what if it isn't enough? What if not matter what I do, it's not enough? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I'm going to just let this opportunity pass me by. I don't plan on giving anyone or anything a chance to hurt her, but --

[his hands clench as he finally looks back up. fear is rooted in his eyes. fear and worry and hurt. Too much happened at once. In only a couple of days his best friend and his mother, his mother, shows up and for a moment he was able to forget what a terrible place this town was, what it was capable of doing. For one moment he was able to enjoy spending time with his mom, time he never had, but not a day later Mayfield rips it all away. Takes back the limbs it replaced because it wanted him to remember where he was, who was in control. Remind him that there was a price to pay for that moment of happiness, that nothing here could ever really be considered "normal". Remind him in the most brutal way possible of what he did.

His voice shakes -- it's quiet and scared and so incredibly vulnerable.]

I'm... I'm so scared, Di. I can't lose her again. I can't.