He isn't expecting it when she practically collapses against him, sobbing rough and raw and harsh. He immediately circles his arms around her and rests his cheek against the top of her head, squeezing gently, like maybe if he did it hard enough, he could just make everything melt away.
But he can't.
He can't take away this kind of pain. This bone-deep, world-shattering pain that he can actually feel rolling off of her in waves. All he wants to do is wrap her up and tuck her away somewhere safe, where she can't ever be hurt like this again.
But he can't.
So, instead, he just rubs his hand across her back in small, soothing circles and tries to keep his own emotions calm enough for her to draw off of. "It's okay," he whispers, barely audible. "it'll be okay, Lydia...we'll make it through. We always do."