"I take it your partner is MIA for a reason?"
"Yeah, he went to see Huang."
"So, he decided to listen, huh?" John shook his head. "He must be one of the moodiest men I have ever met."
"Why's that?"
"He came about this close to assaulting me last week."
Her head snapped up from the pictures they were looking at. "What the hell happened?"
John shrugged. "He told me to stay out of his personal life. Confronted me on the fact that you and I had been talking, and about it specifically. He found it nosy that I had told you that perhaps he should visit a shrink. We had a nice heart to heart."
Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes. "I knew the minute it slipped out of my mouth that he was going to get angry with you. I don't know why I told him."
"Hey, don't worry, I'm still here, and Stabler decided to take my advice anyway. All's good and well." He put his hand on her arm and rubbed it for a second, then let it lay still. "Everything's all right."
Opening her eyes, she put her own hand over his. "Thanks, John."
He grinned. "What are friends for?"