Re: trailer park: alex and mal
It took a little too long for Mal to realize he'd made Alex uncomfortable. He was waiting for an answer, and the protest of not enough money reminded him of the careful way Alex had handled his cash at the shop, which did make him feel a bit thick. He resisted the powerful urge to stop up the problem with more money, his first instinct. He didn't have it in his bank account just now, but there were always ways, weren't there?
"Nonsense," he said. His siblings had always made fun of him for sounding so much older than he actually was. He kept it in check pretty well, but sometimes he did slip and start to sound like someone's parent. Worry brought it out in spades. "There are free clinics, after all."
He paused, finally noticing that Alex wasn't making eye contact.
"Not that you need to. If you don't want." He took a hesitant step forward, getting them moving again. "Sorry. That was pushy, wasn't it? I'm only saying that it sounds serious." He paused. "But a few cameras are at least likely to help solve the mystery definitively."