Amara couldn't hear him. She was in it now, fully inside the horror her own mind was building for her, scene after scene, vivid and merciless and completely real to her in this moment, her daughter's face, a face she had held, a face she had memorised in those first second before everything fell apart, and all the terrible things that could be happening to it right now, tonight, while she sat here and didn't know and couldn't reach her.
"No, no, no…"
Julian wrapped his arms around her.
All the way around. Both arms, pulling her fully into his chest, his hand going to the back of her head, holding her there against him as he could physically block whatever was playing inside her mind if he just held on tight enough.
He didn't say stop. He didn't say Calm down. He didn't say any of the things that don't help.
He just held her.
