"It was my fault, John." He'd just like to put it out there. "It was your birthday and I basically gave you the shittiest birthday present to date. I don't know why you're making excuses for me."

Oh...that's. Well. He's not sure what to say about that, actually. "But why?" Why did John value all that so highly?

"I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I still kept in touch with Jade and Rose. Rose, wasn't really my choice since my bro and her Mom knew each other. Actually, she knew about my condition since she could remember the word and its definition. She was trying to convince me that showing you a photo of me wasn't going to be an end all. Probably should have listened to her."