Beating about the bush

Although Ryan tried his best to prolong his stay on the off chance that Becca would come, he had run out of things to say to Mrs. Laura. It probably wasn't a good idea for him to keep talking to her, even though left to her, she would have happily talked until she dropped. It wasn’t as though he didn’t want to talk to her, but she was only just recuperating, and she needed her rest. After some time, he asked her about Becca and if she was coming to see her, but the woman had shaken her head.

“No, she hasn’t. I don’t like her traveling all that distance just to see me, you know. She tries to do so very often, but I know how difficult it is, especially with the b...” She trailed off, glancing unsurely at Ryan, and then glancing away guiltily, not finishing her sentence.

“Especially with the what, Mrs. Laura?” Ryan asked, sensing that what she had been about to say was serious.

“Especially with the busyness of her schedule, of course. You still love her, don’t you, Ryan?”

Ryan averted his