The next hour was the longest of Leo's life...
The silence in the living room was a physical presence, thick and heavyweighted. Sarah's mother busied herself in the kitchen, the clinking of coffee cups and the running of water sounding unnaturally loud...
It was an unnatural attempt to do something, anything, to feel useful in a situation where she was utterly helpless. Sarah's father sat stiffly on the couch, his hands clasped between his knees, staring at the blank TV screen as if it held the answers to their problems...
Sarah didn't leave Leo's side at all. She sat on the floor by his chair, leaning against his leg, her hand resting on his knee...
She was very quiet, and her breathing was shallow. Leo didn't move, his focus narrowed to the second hand on his phone's clock, watching it tick away the minutes with excruciating slowness...
