Blessed silence, Emily thought. It was easier to be alone when everything was quiet. At first Emily thought Mary's quiescence was because she was worried about Tristan, but she soon realized that Mary was making a genuine effort not to intrude on Emily's need for solitude. Mary might not leave Emily alone, but she'd leave her alone, let her be.

James, however, was right there with her... and yet worlds away.

Emily had fallen into taking care of Tristan as though it were routine, like brushing your teeth. At first Mary thought her seeming nonchalance simply meant Tristan wasn't too bad off, he just needed a glass of water every now and then. Then it hit her that playing the role of caretaker was second nature to Emily. She'd done it for months with her dying grandfather.

Dying. As soon as the word popped into her head, Mary felt every muscle in her body tighten. She looked up with alarm.

Mary: "Uh, guys? I really think we should take Tristan to the doctor."

James sighed. He looked tired, like he was finally crashing after too much caffeine.

James: "He'll be fine. He can't not be. But we're not taking him to the hospital, because... he's a Christian Scientist."
Mary: "So we'll take him to a Holy Lab, whatever. But I don't see how just keeping him here is going to help the situation."
Emily: "He doesn't want any help. He told me so himself, between... episodes. I think we should respect his wishes."

Emily's voice was soft as she spoke. Mary bit her tongue before she pointed out to Emily that Tristan was not an 80 year old man with terminal cancer with a living will and a DNR on file.

Emily: "And Markus is a certified paramedic, so it's not like he's not getting any help."

Mary/James: "He is?"

Emily looked at them like they were morons.

Mary: "I knew that."
James: "So did I. Clearly. That's why I called him. Of course."

James frowned to himself. He wondered if Markus was just making up stories to explain why Tristan couldn't go to the hospital, or if he really had no clue what Markus' day job was.

As if on cue, Markus entered the living room.

Markus: "James, I think you should get in here."

Emily stood up immediately, and James followed, hesitantly. Mary sat on the couch, unsure of what to do with herself, before finally leaping up to follow as well.