“From what she’s said, it would be far more unfair to her if you were to end your relationship because you’re having trouble coping with the death of your partner and friend.”

Christina’s soft sob broke him.

“Please don’t cry. I’m sorry. I’m an asshole.” Gonzo put his arm around her and drew her in close to him, holding her while she wept silently. He had no idea how long they stayed that way before she lifted her head from his chest and tried to regain her composure.

“You’re not an asshole,” she said softly. “You’re heartbroken. I only want to help.”

“I know, baby. I just... I don’t know how to let you help me. I feel like no one can help me.”

“That too will pass,” Trulo said. “In time.” After a pause, he said, “Christina?”

She swallowed twice and looked up at Gonzo with liquid blue eyes, her nose red and her skin blotchy from crying. It broke his heart to know he’d done that to her, to know it was the least of what he’d done.

“I’ll stand by you for as long as it takes,” she said. “If it takes years for you to feel like yourself again, I’ll be there. But...”

Gonzo steeled himself to hear what came next.

“If you try to push me away again, Tommy, like you did the other night, I’m gone. And I’m taking Alex with me. If we go, we won’t be back. I can take all the rest of it. That I can’t handle. I just can’t.”

A heavy silence fell upon the room, making it hard for him to breathe.

“Tommy? Do you understand what Christina is saying?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“What happened the other night won’t happen again. I promise.”

Her relief was so obvious and so profound that it cut through the numbness inside him, making him ache for what he’d put her through.

He reached for her and she came willingly into his arms.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do together,” Trulo said. “But today was a good start.”

Gonzo buried his face in the sweet fragrance of her hair, taking comfort in her familiar scent. They broke apart reluctantly. He was nowhere near done holding her, and he sensed she felt the same way.

Trulo saw them out. “I’ll see you next week at the same time.”

“Thanks, Doc,” he said as he guided Christina through the door with a hand on her lower back. He kept it there until they were on the sidewalk and she turned to look up at him.

“Are you going to work?”

“Malone encouraged me to take a few more days to get my head together. He told me to come back Monday.”

“You must not have been happy to hear that with such an intense case underway.”