Goodnight settled down next to Billy, pressed their legs together as soon as he was comfortable. "Surprised you haven't passed out yet," he said fondly to Billy, because he looked tired. Overnight shifts were rough, sometimes on both of them.

Neil looked rough, too, and Goodnight stayed quiet while the boy opened up about exactly why he had such a long face.

"That's not terrible," he assured gently. "Two classes over the summer, you can cut through those in no time." He was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Or is there something else that's eating at you?"