[The joke elicits a weak smile, true or not. It isn't what she meant-- more the stupid life-before-your-eyes cliche, though even that felt more real than a soundless montage of highlights.
Time at home has the decency to keep to one direction. Reliving the past, glimpsing the future, takes a toll on a person; and that's what's left her shaking.]
I'm fine. [She nods a little. She is. She isn't dead, or even injured; just a little bit lost. Here that counts as normal. A few deep breaths do a lot to restore her calm.]
☞ But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight
Time at home has the decency to keep to one direction. Reliving the past, glimpsing the future, takes a toll on a person; and that's what's left her shaking.]
I'm fine. [She nods a little. She is. She isn't dead, or even injured; just a little bit lost. Here that counts as normal. A few deep breaths do a lot to restore her calm.]
You didn't have to come.
[That means thank you.]