For a while Ben didn't do anything. He knew Melody wasn't going to tell him anything while Art was here, but he couldn't bring himself to tell his friend to go. He still felt vaguely untethered; as if he might accidentally crash and burn without some sort of grounding presence. Besides, what would he possibly say? Thanks for helping me track down my possibly-homocidal wife, please don't say anything about this to Aldous? That was perhaps the least ridiculous option. He could hardly say I got this or We're ok.

He glanced at Art with a heavy sigh, hoping he would understand without having to be told. Hoping he would trust Ben to get through this without fucking anything up any farther (hoping, really, that he actually could get through it without fucking it up farther).