Maybe the world is like this

 "The only person I know who ever had their thyroid removed was this girl I knew in high school, but she's a guy now," Dora hugged herself with a shrug. She looked at Tristan who was rather frazzled, there in the hospital corridor waiting while they were running tests on Delia/Dale. The walls were so pale, she thought it might blind her as she looked for maybe a vending machine.

He didn't say anything but pressed his lips tight and gave her a sigh.

"Oh, she never complains, really." Dora knew that wasn't very optimistic. "Maybe..maybe she's just run down."

"She never said if ..if she had COVID or not," Tristan looked at her as if Dora would know. 

"She always got her shots, flu, COVID...that kind of thing," Dora said Delia might have gotten it, but it was a real light case. No more than a sinus infection. "She's always taken care of herself. She didn't want to be like her mother."

Tristan nodded. He looked away from her as if he was still taking it all in, or maybe making his own diagnosis. 

"You're a real comfort for her, you know." Dora sat next to him in the waiting chairs. "Not like Hoyt."

Tristan cleared his throat as if he didn't want to bring up Delia's ex. 

"He'd just call her and expect her to drop everything for him, you know." Dora thought Tristan should know. "I guess she didn't think she'd ever meet anybody else. Like you know, you get stuck in a rut sometimes."

"How's it going with you and Holden?" Tristan asked as if he wished she would stop talking about Delia and Hoyt.

"Oh, he's so Holden, you know." She smiled then. "Sure he wants to be all tough, but he's not really like that."

"Or..you just want to believe that?" Tristan gave her a dead stare. "It's just some of the things he says. I dunno If..if I can even go on being his friend."

"He's just hurt, that's all." Dora shrugged.

"And you can live with that?" Tristan winced.

Dora really hadn't stopped to think about it much. She knew she had to be here for him. He needed someone in his corner. Of course, there was his Dad too and she was doing her best to make the peace.

"You know, you can get moody too," she told him, "But hang in there for Delia. She needs you. You two are good for each other." Dora knew Tristan wouldn't let her best friend down.