So maybe trying to crack a smartass remark didn't go as well as she'd hoped. She can't even bring herself to tell him not to worry, that everything is going to be all right, because she just has no guarantee for that.

Instead, her arms tighten around him more firmly. "Come on. What's there to say that you haven't said already? Or that I don't already know?"

Not that that's the point, and she knows it. If she were in Nick's shoes...

No, she can't think about that right now.

"I'm sorry. I... I was being selfish." She doesn't dare to phrase it like a question. For this, she has no one but herself to blame, regardless of the reasons. There's no excuse to hurt someone this way -- least of all someone you love.