Jake has lots of practice waiting out Cougar's silences, and she knows when he's dredging his brain to try and come up with things to say. It's why she doesn't prompt him, just lets him cling to her and press his face into her neck, why she just strokes his hair and leans against him and waits.

"Yeah, okay," she agrees, smiling gently at him, curious as to what he's going to say but willing to wait him out. "But you can't put my legs behind my ears tonight, okay, I gotta let 'em heal."