Mindy had never met Miller until he appeared in court the other day. She saw him make brief eye contact with her, and what she saw was fear. "I looked at him and held out my arms, and I hugged him to let him know it's OK and he doesn't need to feel fear," she says. "He wanted to die after the accident. I don't want him to feel that way."

They embraced for a long time, simply because she had so much she wanted to say. Among other things, she told him that she and Bridger aren't angry, and that they weren't going to let the state make an example out of him. She assured Miller, who has been afraid to read newspapers, that Bridger has progressed and that he'll be OK. With tears in his eyes, Miller repeatedly expressed his sorrow and thanked her.

"My therapist says it's OK to feel anger, but it's just not there," Mindy says. "This man is already punished. He's heartbroken. Putting a decent man in jail does no one any good. He's not a criminal. I can tell he's a good man, and I will be fighting for him."

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Doug Robinson's column runs on Tuesday. Please send e-mail to drob@desnews.com.