[b]Jess - Haywood - Bruce[/b]

Jess could hardly believe her ears. She had been expecting a verbal attack, nasty words meant to scar her.
Instead she got an apology from a man who was remorseful and scared. How could he still love her after all of this? All of those horrible things he had said? 
She shook her head. "Bruce... how am I supposed to believe you now? After every-" her voice broke and her hand went up to cover her mouth. She took a few breaths until the urge to cry passed. "I don't know if you really mean what you are saying. You say whatever works for you in the situation."

But despite this she sighed. She couldn't resist someone asking for help, even if it was Bruce.
"I'll help you, because I am trying to remain a good person in this savage world. I do not believe that you love me though. I think that is your desperation talking. I would rather you not say such things unless you are sure that you mean it. Time will tell if you do."
She tucked her hair behind her ear and thought about what she would say to the people outside. "You know Bruce, you should just tell them what you just told me. You made some mistakes... several very bad mistakes. But they happened. They can't be changed now. But you can change how you do things from here on out. You are not going to get their trust back right away. Trust has to be earned. So find out how you can earn it. But no matter what happens, I can't stay here Bruce. Floyd... he saved my life. And now he's out there somewhere. I need to go and find him. Lynn too."

Going behind him, she untied his hands. Coming back around, she gently touched his face near his eye. "I wish I had something to help with the pain, but as long as you keep it clean it will heal just fine."
She pulled him to his feet and brushed off his shoulders. "I'll walk with you. They won't take a chance on hurting me while I am pregnant. Just remember : tell the truth. Tell them how you feel about everything. Everything is going to be okay. I have to believe that, because that is the reason I keep going."