[110] a

Olive absolutely refuses to lower her blanket. Her shoulders are still trembling a bit, as she's trying to hold back the sobs she just let out while talking to her mother on the phone. She pays no attention to her husband's bewildered expression after hearing her cry just a while ago.

"Bee," Thomas finally calls out. He's approaching the figure curled up under the blanket, even though it's well into the afternoon. The beach, which had called them to visit, has been completely ignored. Olive's mood has suddenly taken a nosedive.

"I don't want to talk to you," she says.

Thomas flashes a reassuring smile. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Plenty!"

No, Thomas isn't going to force Olive to unveil from her cocoon and drag her to sit down for a chat about what's really going on. Although Thomas is pretty sure that most of her behavior right now is due to the test results the doctor mentioned not too long ago. And that it's likely unavoidable. The