It wasn't difficult to say how Rory knew Rae wouldn't be harmed here. She saw her friend get drugged. She had been there to witness how the men who had taken them had refrained from physically overtaking her in that fight. They hadn't wanted her harmed. They'd come for the mothers and children and pregnant women; hurting them would've defeated their sick purpose. And so, while she was fighting for her child, at least she knew her friend wasn't hurt. She wasn't being mistreated.
But that had been an emotionless assessment, and perhaps Rory had steered her thoughts that way to make it easier. Until she could see Rae, there was nothing she could do but worry, and what good did that do? Seeing her now, seeing the fight that had been emotionally beaten out of her, was difficult. Rory squeezed Rae's hand, knowing it wouldn't be enough, knowing none of it would do much good. But she also decided she could support her friend as best she could, and that was something. Rory couldn't fix this, but she could keep Rae from losing hope.
Hearing guilt and sadness in Rae's tone, in her words, Rory shook her head, waiting for the woman to look up from her lap before firmly saying "This isn't your fault, Rae. I saw what you did, I saw you fight so everyone was able to escape. I couldn't leave you, and that was my choice. I won't have you blaming yourself. You did everything you could."
Rory took a moment to shift AJ, and without stirring, the boy curled up in her lap, head against her chest and a small hand groping to bunch up the fabric of her shirt. It was easier to have a conversation this way, easier to hold her son and her friend's hand at the same time. For a moment, Rory almost shifted him back, wanting him that much closer, but she resisted. It was ridiculous.
Taking a slow breath, Rory reminded herself that she needed to stay strong, remain calm. Thinking of what these people were doing, what they'd done to her child, her friend, it all made her angry, but if she let that win out, things would only unravel further. She couldn't let that happen. "They wouldn't let me see AJ at first. They used that as their bargaining chip. Even then, the first time they tried to draw blood, I made a grab for the needle..." She shook her head. "It wouldn't have done any good. I don't know how to get out of here."
It took another moment, a careful look around, a drop in her volume, before she said "They'll find us. Find a way in, Rae." Even if she didn't believe that, Rory needed Rae to keep faith.