Flattened emotionally and physically exhausted, Carrie turns towards Quinn in the command room, her face twisted with anguish. She shakes her head silently towards him as if to ask, "what else could I do?" Quinn lowers his eyes, equally distraught, gently places his hand on Carrie's back and begins to guide her out of the room.
"Come on," he whispers, "let's go."
Carrie walks towards the door in a daze. Numb to everything around her and yet acutely aware of how wrong everything felt. It was all wrong.
Without any argument from her, Quinn continues to guide Carrie out into the hallway and into the east elevator. His hand remains rested across the small of her back, mostly because he genuinely fears she might collapse but also because he needs her to feel his presence and hopefully a sense of comfort.
They exit the elevator on the 8th floor, where they both reside, two doors down from one another. Quinn slips in front of Carrie and opens her apartment door. Carrie shuffles in and collapses on her couch while Quinn locks the door behind him and begins a security sweep of the entire apartment. Though Carrie's locks had been changed, he was convinced no one and no place was safe. Several minutes later, he returns to the living room with a blanket, drapes it over Carrie's shoulders and then turns towards the kitchen. Carrie turns her head and watches him.
"You don't have to do that," she tells him.
Quinn fills the teapot with water and turns on the stovetop.
"I know," he simply says, pausing to look at her before opening several cabinets in search of her tea.
Quinn eventually returns to the living room and hands Carrie a warm mug, then sits in the armchair across from her. She cradles the cup in her hands, finding some comfort from its heat, and stares across the table.
"I was trying to do the right thing for once. I was trying to keep someone alive instead of…steering them to their death."
"And you did."
"I don't know what I did….I betrayed Saul. He was counting on me, and I betrayed him. How can saving someone's life be the wrong choice, but it was…"
Quinn listens intently and observes Carrie as she awakens before his eyes.
"Because there are only wrong choices…and it's like I'm finally seeing it now for the first time! Nothing good can come from this fucked up world we've made for ourselves…can it?"
Carrie stares at Quinn, searching for some kind of answer, but Quinn is as sickened by it as she is. She finally sees what he's been trying to tell her.
"I think it's late…and you haven't slept in two days…"
Carrie shakes her head. None of this made sense.
"How am I supposed to sleep…" she grumbles.
"Come on," he stands and reaches his hand out towards her to help her up.
Carrie looks up at Quinn, and giving in to his care, places her hand in his.
"Get yourself in bed, take an Ambien. I'll stay right here. If anything happens, I'll wake you up."
Quinn helps pull her up off the couch and directs her toward her bedroom. She turns around to face him.
"I promise, Carrie."
Carrie smiles weakly, feeling some actual relief to have Quinn here, listening… looking out for her, for Saul.
"Thanks, Quinn."
As Carrie readies herself for sleep, Quinn lays down on Carrie's couch, his eyes looking up at the ceiling and wondering if Carrie was truly starting to emerge from the rabbit hole or not.
A few hours later Quinn is jolted awake to Carrie's screams. He rushes into her bedroom and finds her in the midst of a night terror, likely involving Saul or Aayan, or hell, maybe Brody. He knows waking her suddenly might do more harm than good so sits on the side of the bed, combs her hair away from her face and tries to soothe her.
"Hey, shhh, shhh. It's okay, Carrie…shhh…Carrie it's okay."
Quinn strokes her hair and arm as he tries to gently coax her from her nightmare. Her eyes flutter open. She gasps and shudders violently as she comes to, then bolts upright, trying to make sense of where she is and what's happening.
"Hey…it's okay, Carrie. You were dreaming…it was just a dream. You're in your bed in your Islamabad apartment. It's okay…"
He continues to stroke her arm and tries to calm her. Visions and emotions flood Carrie and with them, come the tears.
"Oh god Quinn…" and she collapses into him.
"Hey…hey…shhh…."
Quinn's arms encircle Carrie like a blanket as she buries her face against his chest and sobs. Her body shakes, releasing years of pain and sorrow. Quinn tightens his arms around her, one hand cradling her head. He wants her to know he is here, that he is not going to let her drown in all this.
It's not long before Carrie's exhaustion and the Ambien take hold of her again. Quinn feels her relax in his arms and he gently lays her back down on the bed. Carrie curls herself into a fetal position again as Quinn drapes her blankets back over her. He gazes down at her, then rises slowly to leave.
"Don't go…" she whispers with closed eyes.
Quinn stops in his tracks and stares at her lying there, then climbs onto the bed, and lays next to her. Carrie turns over to face him.