Wow, SS, your stories dredge up bad memories for me. My incidents weren't the same, but the feelings certainly are. I commend you greatly for your attempt at salvaging this M. I'm not sure I would have been able to even think about it after being as far down the road as you two were.
One note: I've found through the years that the only people that truly understand the difficulties of step-life are those that have walked in the step-life shoes. I hope you have other more situation-specific resources helping you through this.
