“Mirabelle?” Kara muttered in confusion as she opened the door of her small apartment two hours later. As though the woman thought she was hallucinating, she looked over Mirabelle’s shoulder with a frown. If Mirabelle had strength, she would have asked who her friend thought she would find. But Mirabelle didn’t have the strength for humor to manage such a simple task. Besides, she still had to take care of something. Mirabelle cleared her throat and stared at the floor, a wave of shame temporarily flooding her. She wasn’t even sure why she was embarrassed, but she couldn’t look up. “Uhm. Kara, I need… could you… I mean.” Mirabelle stopped and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, feeling the hot tears she’d fought burn behind her eyelids. Suddenly, Kara’s arms wrapped around her like M