I exhaled. "Thank you," I said. "That's very thoughtful."
It came out more stiff than I intended. Leo mouthed *relax* at me from the bed.
I ignored him.
But even as I said it, I was aware of something accumulating - small gestures, one after another, each one reasonable on its own. The hospital visit. The basket. Now this. I was starting to feel the weight of it, the slow, steady way a debt builds before you realize you're in one.
Phineas didn't stay long. He was considerate about it, which somehow made it worse - he glanced at Leo, said he needed his rest, and stood to leave within twenty minutes of arriving. Martha immediately nudged me toward the door.
"Walk him out," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
I walked him to the elevator. He pressed the button and
