Hunh. That's pretty surprising that you didn't feel it as painful while writing it. Were the situations kind of theoretical for you, as distinguished from close-to-RL?

My history includes a close relative dying of cancer, a former co-worker ending up on the street, and a sort-of-friend spending time in the locked ward of a mental hospital (where I visited her, and was THAT ever creepy!), so I have those emotional buttons sitting right there ready to be pushed. Not to mention the feeling of I Can't Fix This, with which I am far too familiar. *very wry expression*

But, as I said, skillfully told.