How did he bear it? Well, that was a loaded question if ever there was one. Sometimes he felt like he wasn't bearing it very well at all — like he wouldn't survive it, or at least that his marriage wouldn't survive it. But he wasn't going to sit here and tell Nova about the fights that he had with Melody, or how sometimes they went days together without exchanging more than a handful of words. He didn't want to paint the picture that this was hopeless, even if it felt that way sometimes.

"Some days are better than others," he said with a despondent shrug. "You find little things where you can." Ben hesitated a moment, because he had something else that he felt was relevant to say, but Nova had no reason to expect that he would have any experience with this and so he wasn't sure whether or not it was wise to bring it up. If she was really feeling the same way he was, though... well, it was worth the risk to try and point out some little areas of hope, wasn't it?

"Your children must help?" he asked, with eyebrows raised in sympathy.

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