She let the silence linger for a few seconds, waiting, hoping, before Faye allowed herself a sigh, shaking her head minutely. For months, she'd already agonized over the difficulty she'd encounter in trying to be a mother, because none of that seemed to come naturally to her. Where Dean would bring up the sweetest nothings, where Dean was already so natural with Cori, Faye didn't know the first thing about comforting a kid. And if babies seemed hard enough, how was she supposed to dive into adolescence?

"You have to help me out a bit here," she murmured, sounding defeated. "There's a right answer, Ed. I'm not going to leave you if you ever want to come back. But I also can't force you to stay. You're almost grown, and I'm confused enough as it is."