"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you," Val said in a low voice.
"Sorry, I didn't know where else to go. Can I come in?" Karen asked, and Val moved slightly from the door to let her in.
Karen entered the house, and even in her sick, worried state and disjointed thoughts from the worry about her missing son, she noticed how empty the house seemed, but she didn't mention it. She looked at Val, who turned away from her, and Karen realized then that her friend was secretly battling something serious.
She had gone to talk to Val, but how was she to talk about her predicament when Val herself was in trouble? Karen looked at Val and thought that it was her turn to be Val's life jacket.
