Aaron must have been able to tell how distressed she was, though he didn’t know exactly how bad Jack’s situation was. He seemed to be searching for something comforting to say. Anything would do if it kept her from bursting into tears. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, sitting down on the side of the bed near her knees. “Jack’s a tough guy, right? He can fight this, you know? It’ll be fine.”

“You don’t sound very convincing,” she pointed out.

He ran his hand through his hair, and Cadence knew he was thinking about how to respond. “You’re right, I don’t. I’m sorry. Do you want me to try again?”...