“What?” Jared demanded. He hated the way his voice sounded, like a distraught abandoned child’s. “What are you talking about? What are you doing?” Rusty’s voice was so kind. It had always been kind under the put-on detachment and drawl, Jared thought numbly, but it had never seemed as kind as it did now. “Take care of yourself too, if you can manage it.” It was only then that Jared understood.
