"Slightly cleared is better than not at all," he reminded her with a sigh. "But at least there's that much, darling. I'm glad you're able to relax."

He understood the difficulty with the month. He'd be feeling the same pain in just a few months, himself. Of course, the deaths in her life had been friends, lovers, partners in crime, while his had been family -- mother, father, son -- but the ache was the same and there was no making it stop.

"The best thing you can do to honor them is to live each day to the fullest, remember. They wouldn't want to see you suffering."