Part of her knew she should have come home sooner. How many times had it crossed her mind? It hadn't been a conscious choice, she realized, to stay and help, but she should have chosen differently. She could hear it in his voice and understood where he was coming from. It hit harder than she realized. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Elsie couldn't even find a chuckle for his joke in her. Everything was just so heavy and the regret was overwhelming now. She should have thought more of home in making a decision.

Elsie dared to peek up at him, hoping he could forgive her. In the aftermath, she still felt overwhelmed, like she was still struggling to figure out what to do next even though her body was only upright because she was clinging to her husband. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe the lingering panic, the fear still flowing through her veins, but she shut her eyes tightly, a fresh wave of tears spilling out.