When Olivia slid the door to the porch open, Maria half turned to see who was coming out. She was bundled up in a sleek royal blue wool coat and pink scarf with her long curls tumbling around her shoulders and down her back. At her side, Molly was leaning her head against Maria’s thigh but had started wagging her tail in excitement as soon as Olivia had appeared on the other side of the glass door.

The dog had barely left Maria’s side all night.

Rick was completely wasted, to a state Olivia had never seen him in.

Maria had been quiet. Which wasn’t unusual—she usually was quiet in comparison to some of the louder ladies, like Angel or Sharon. But now she was out there in the dark and the cold by herself.

Olivia was pretty sure it all added up to something being wrong.

When she saw the wet tracks glistening on Maria’s cheeks in the light coming out the door she knew she was right.

Instead of asking if Maria was alright, she came forward and leaned on the porch railing Maria had been. Slowly, the other woman turned and rested her weight back on the wood. Sitting between them, Molly whined a little until Olivia reached down to stroke the silky top of her head.

The air was cold but not bitingly. For a week before Christmas it was actually a pretty nice night. The stars were out, although she couldn’t see them too much. Through the trees surrounding Luke’s backyard she could still see a few lights in houses where the occupants hadn’t gone to bed yet, as well as some streetlights.

The two of them stood there in silence for a long moment, looking out into the darkness, at the yard and the stars. Olivia waited. If Maria wanted to talk then she would. If she didn’t, then at least she wasn’t alone.

Molly snuffled and her head moved away from Olivia’s fingers to press against Maria’s thigh again.

“I had a miscarriage,” Maria whispered.

Pain for her friend panged through Olivia’s chest, making it ache. She leaned over and wrapped her arm around Maria’s shoulders—much in the same way Rick had been doing all night and no wonder.

Maria leaned into her, body quivering slightly from the effort of not crying. Olivia could feel her own body starting to shake the same way as she pushed down her tears. Her voice was an anguished hush. “Almost a month ago.”

“Oh sweetie.” Olivia turned, wrapping Maria into a hug and Maria turned towards her, wrapping her own arms around Olivia to soak up the comfort. She sobbed into Olivia’s shoulder, her body wracked with her pain. Holding her tightly, Olivia rubbed her back, hating the helplessness sweeping through her. But there was nothing she could do except let Maria cry it out.