" Mel?” he called. “Sit with me a minute.” “I should go to Joey. She came all this way…” “Maybe we should talk. About what’s been going on with you.” She had been on this precipice for days, teetering on the fine edge of losing it. The only thing that seemed to take her mind off the violent event that changed her life was work. If she had a patient or an emergency, she could lose herself in it. Even the day with her sister, showing Joey the town, the lambs, the beauty, took her away a little bit. But it just kept coming back, haunting her. A picture of him lying on the floor bleeding out could float in front of her eyes and she’d have to pinch them closed, praying she wouldn’t break down. There was no way she could sit down and talk about it. What she needed right now was to get out of here, go home and have a good hard cry. With her sister, who understood. “I can’t,” she said, her words little more than a breath. Jack stood up. “Then let me drive you home,” he said. “No,” she said, holding up a hand. “Please. I need to just go.” “Why don’t you just let me hold you. Maybe you shouldn’t be alone.” So, Mel thought. She told him! She closed her eyes and held up a hand as if to ward him off. Her nose became red, her lips pink around the edges. “I really want to be alone. Please, Jack.” He gave his head a nod and watched her leave. Mel "
― Robyn Carr , Virgin River (Virgin River, #1)