Hermione wanted to disavow everything Kirk was saying by proclaiming that he was simply wrong, that he didn't understand. But such a thing was petulant, and he by no means deserved that kind of treatment. He was trying to help, trying hard, and it wasn't his fault that it wasn't working. It was just a matter of too many emotions feeling too bloody raw for anything to be of much help to her.

It got harder and harder not to cry when he brushed his hand against her hair, and she shook a little as she swallowed around the hard lump that formed in her throat. She didn't want to be angry, not at Kirk and not at Anders, but anger felt more proactive than any of the other feelings coursing through her veins at the moment.

"Living with that is easier said than done," she managed to choke out. "Not all of us are doing a particularly good job of it."