Then he’s by my side, rubbing my back in gentle circles, holding me with a tenderness I wouldn’t have thought possible. “Breathe, baby. Breathe. I’ve got you. I’ve got you for as long as it takes.” Empty nothings. That’s what Mama used to say about words like that. They were just things people say without meaning them, but they don’t feel like nothing. They feel like everything. I’ve got you for as long as it takes.
