The next day, Harry was taking a break from his case files. While waiting for a pot of coffee to brew, he stared absently out the window. He caught sight of Judit sitting on the steps out front, just visible around the edge of the building. The coffee pot beeped, the last drops of fresh coffee falling into the pot. Harry pulled two mugs from the shelf above the pot, filled them both with coffee, stuffed a handful of creamer and sugar packets in his pocket, and took everything outside.
"Hey," he said, holding out a mug to Judit.
She looked up. "Oh. Thanks, Harry." She took it, staring into the dark liquid.
"Two sugars, right?" said Harry, holding out a couple sugar packets. She nodded and smiled, accepting them, too.
"I thought you'd take the day off," Harry said, sitting down next to her.
She laughed a little. "I didn't know what to do with myself. Jean told me he'd fire me if I came in to work before noon."
Harry glanced at his watch. "It's eleven."
"And I'm not at work yet. Technically." She smiled.
"Who's watching the kids?" Harry ripped open a bunch of cream and sugar packets and dumped them indiscriminately into his coffee.
"Bastien. More or less. After they brought him home this morning, the kids promised they could be quiet and let him rest, so…" She shrugged. "I didn't want to make them go to school today."
Harry nodded. A warm breeze blew down the street, carrying the scent of summer.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
Judit stared into her coffee. "I don't know," she said. "Scared, I guess. Gottlieb thinks it may have been a suicide attempt. Bastien seems better today, a little happier despite everything, but…" She trailed off, rubbing a spot on the mug with her thumb. "Olive told me what she told you last night," she said. "I don't know how you got it out of her. I've been trying to get her to tell me what was wrong for weeks."
"The human can opener strikes again." Harry grinned. Judit breathed a laugh, then sighed. She let her head sink sideways onto his shoulder. Harry put an arm around her.
"What am I going to do now?" she said, half to herself.
"You'll keep going." Harry said. "You'll lean on us when you need to. And you'll take it one day at a time."