TERRI
1977
A VOICE JEFF TRUSTS
Terri occupies a unique place in Jeff O’Brian’s life. A nurse by profession, she first met Jeff in the emergency ward after he broke his wrist, and the connection between them was immediate.
Their relationship has never been simple. On-again and off-again, they have discovered that living together may not suit either of them. Yet beneath the complications is a genuine closeness. Terri knows the man behind Jeff’s cynical exterior—and understands him well enough to tell him exactly what she thinks, whether he wants to hear it or not.
NO EASY ANSWERS
Terri has little patience for excuses or self-pity. When Jeff becomes frustrated—with his career, with other people or with himself—she has a way of cutting through the noise and telling him what she believes he needs to hear.
Jeff may not always appreciate her honesty in the moment, but he respects it. Terri does not flatter him, retreat from an argument or tell him what he wants to hear. That independence is one of the reasons their relationship can be difficult—and one of the reasons her opinion matters so much to him.
CLOSER THAN THEY ADMIT
Jeff and Terri have learned that caring deeply about someone does not necessarily make a relationship simple. They can frustrate one another, argue fiercely and recognize that sharing a life under the same roof may never quite work.
Yet the bond between them endures. Jeff trusts Terri in a way he trusts very few people, and her willingness to challenge him is part of what keeps drawing him back. Whatever their relationship may be called, Terri remains one of the most important people in his life.