It's just a graze. Look at the TV — look at this guy climbing a mountain. See him? He's a soldier. He hasn't got any legs. A bomb blew him up. He has to use metal ones now, but he still climbs mountains and runs races. He didn't cry, and I bet it hurt him a lot more than a grazed knee. Maggie Dunlop, to seven-year-old Ian, on taking it like a man. DUNLOP RANCH, ATHEL RIDGEJULY. The real world had come crashing in on Ian with a force he'd never imagined. He sat in the living room, blinds drawn, ashamed of himself for not fighting back. Rob was talking with Mike in the hall. Ian caught snatches of the conversation, which seemed to be about not telling someone until they knew more. "You're going to have to call the crew, at least." That was Rob. His accent was deceptively soft for a scary guy. "But I need to see it again." Mike sounded New England, very upper class, with something else in the mix.
