[ Mercy watches him for a good couple of second, and then nods a little, looking down at her lap. Gwen opens her mouth, and then closes it, having no idea what she could possibly say. The silence is oppressive until Gwen can get her throat to work. ]

Sweetie, you know what you can do to help? [ Gwen asks, and Mercy looks up, eyes watery. Gwen lets go of her hand to reach and wipe away the tears with her thumb. ] You can draw me a picture. A really good one, okay? Can you do that for me while I talk to Alfie?

[ Mercy sniffs, and then mutters a little okay. She hugs Gwen first, tightly, kisses Gwen's cheek, and then slides off to go get her drawing stuff. Gwen sinks down on the bed, resting a hand over her face to try and compose herself. ]