His hands were completely steady.

“Do you want me to step out into the hallway with June?” I asked.

“No,” he said, turning to face me.

“You stay right there.

I want you to hear every word.”

He touched his silver wedding band once with his left thumb, a small habit he always fell back on when he was pushed to his limit.

He tapped the screen to open his work contacts and scrolled down to the letter V.

“It’s four minutes to eight,” I said softly.