Parker hadn’t been expecting that reaction as she slapped his hand away. The surprise was clearer on his face than he would have liked. He did however take a half step back and let his hand fall away. Perhaps he should have stepped back further but he was going to catch he if she fell whether she liked it or not. He simply couldn’t let her hit the ground. Thankfully she moved to the table. His blue eyes followed her as she started quietly counting backwards. The concern on face was clear as he met her eyes.
She told him she was ok again. This time he didn’t tell her otherwise. It was obvious she was repeating it to convince herself it was true. She needed it to keep herself steady and if it worked for her he wasn’t going to tell her otherwise. Slowly he moved closer to her, waiting to see if she told him no before he sat next to her. She didn't but he was sure not to touch her as he joined her.
"Don't apology. There is nothing about this that you have to apologize for." he told her softly. He knew it a predictable response but it was the best response. She was the victim in the situation and she should never have to apologize to anyone. Even as she leaned her head against him, Parker hesitated to touch her. Parker would do anything to make her feel better, to make her feel whole again but there was nothing he could do. He didn’t even have a good answer for her.
As she started to cry there he couldn’t help himself from wrapping his arm gently around her shoulders. He was hoping the move would be comforting and didn’t startle her again.
"I wish I knew what to tell you." he told her softly. He did not like admitting that he didn’t know any more than her. "But I'm here. And I'll always be here." He had broken up with her so long ago to protect her from the darkness in his life but darkness had found her anyway he was not going to let her deal with it alone.