Trevor didn't say anything for a moment while he thought about what Claire had just said.
She felt safe and warm in his hand, but she could see the pain in his eyes.
He wasn't in pain because of his illness; he was in pain because he loved his granddaughter very much and didn't want her to suffer.
"Claire," he finally said in a soft but firm voice, "I wish I could take this load off your shoulders, but you have to deal with some things on your own." But that doesn't mean you're by yourself. You have me and your own power. "I've known it about you since you were a little girl."
Now Claire's tears were free to fall. The strong feelings she had been holding in were leaking out as she listened to her grandfather talk.
The strength she had been trying to call up all of a sudden seemed out of reach, like she was stumbling around in the dark.
