25 Days of MacBree-mas Day 5: Defending Roger staying behind

He needed to know he could be the right man for Brianna

While many think Roger should have gone back to Brianna right away, that could have been the biggest mistake for all. Had Roger realized that he couldn’t deal with everything that had happened to him and left, it would have left Brianna all the more heartbroken. At least, that’s a possibility.

And I don’t just mean the knowledge of Jem possibly not being his son. Had it just been anyone who raped Brianna, I think Roger would have been happy to claim the child. As soon as he learned that it was Bonnet, his whole demeanor changed. Roger had seen first hand what Bonnet was capable of doing.

Then there was everything that Roger had been through due to Jamie’s mistake. Yes, that mistake was through mistaken identity but Jamie reacted before he checked with Roger who he was. One clarification could have changed everything. And Roger needed to deal with the knowledge that it was his father-in-law who had beaten and sold him.

Could Roger live with all that? Could he be around the Frasers with everything that happened?

He needed to be all in. Just being a tiny bit out would have led to him and Brianna splitting and would have been much harder for everyone. Taking a few minutes, hours, or even days to think things over made sure Roger was in the right mindset and wouldn’t cause more pain. It was a mature decision to make.

What did you think of Roger’s decision to stay behind after Claire and Jamie found him? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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