When her sight readjusts to something like normal, the three of them find themselves in a thicket of oaks and tall pines; the air cool and the sun making a reasonably valiant attempt to shine through the branches above them. Jessica is kneeling next to Sam, her hand grasping his as firmly as she had been in the hospital. Her instinct is to rest his head in her lap, to bring whatever semblance of comfort she can to him.

“What now?” she asks the archangel, looking up from her position on the forest floor and suddenly feeling more insignificant than ever. “What can I do to help?”