"I know. I trust you." Elaine ran a fingertip over the firm round shape of John's buttons, buttons they had made themselves while telling stories by the fire. "I just want them to be safe. It's all I've ever wanted. I feel like if something happened to them, then-"
Then she had failed as a mother; then she would feel their pain as if it was her own; then she would burn anyone who dared hurt them where they stood.