Doc nodded.
"That's true."
"So why does this matter so much to you?"
The biker stood motionless.
For a moment, the workshop seemed unbearably quiet.
Then Doc reached beneath his leather vest.
He unfastened the small pink ribbon.
He held it out.
Mark looked at the faded fabric.
Across the center was a name.
SOPHIE.
Doc's voice became almost a whisper.
"My daughter's name was Sophie."
Mark looked up.
Doc swallowed.
"She was eight."
He paused.
"She's been gone eight years."
Mark stared at him.
The biker looked toward the unfinished passenger seat.
"She wanted to ride with me."
Mark lowered his eyes.
Doc continued.
"I kept telling her we'd do it when she was older. When she was stronger. When the doctors said it was safe."
He rubbed the ribbon between his fingers.
"She never got that day."
Mark stood completely still.
Doc looked toward him.
"I'm not trying to make up for what happened. I know I can't. And I'm not asking you to risk Ellie because I couldn't save Sophie."
His voice trembled.
"But when your little girl asked that question, I remembered what it felt like to have a child who wanted something simple that the world made complicated."
Mark looked at the frame.
Doc continued.
"If there's a responsible way to give her that experience, I want to try. And if there isn't, I'll be the first one to say we stop."
Mark stared at the pink ribbon.
For the first time, he understood.
The motorcycle wasn't a publicity stunt.
It wasn't a hobby that had gotten out of control.
It wasn't an attempt by a stranger to become a hero.
It was a grieving father trying to turn the memory of an unfinished promise into something good.
Mark carefully closed the folder.
He handed it back.
Then he asked, "What do you need from me?"
Doc looked surprised.
"What?"
Mark nodded toward the structure.
"I'm not promising Ellie will ride it."
"I know."
"And Rachel and I are listening to her doctors."
"That's exactly right."
Mark took a breath.
"But if there's something I can do that makes this safer or helps you understand what she needs, I want to be part of it."
Doc stared at him.
Then he held out his hand.
Mark shook it.
Neither man said anything for several seconds.