Katie had pacing up and down the rows of the greenhouses, cataloging her plants and assessing the damage from that day's round of classes. The first year students had been particularly rough with a some plants she had shown them today, and she knew that some repair work and love would be necessary. She heard the door swing open slowly and saw one of her students, Mary Macdonald, step inside.
"Hiya, Mary! How are you doing tonight?" Katie had noticed that since the beginning of the semester the girl had been much quieter and distracted than previous years. "Certainly! Let me grab a watering can, okay?"