[Hm. She could lecture him, easily; so many others were jumping to do that one way or the other. But that tone... it was clear that this was something he thought he needed to do; a punishment to make up for something that he had caused. It was extreme, there was no doubt about that. In his current state of mind, however, being told that his solution was no better than what the problem itself had been...

Well. For now, really, she had other concerns.]

Billy, can you drop by the flower shop to see me tomorrow afternoon? Hopefully the weather will have cleared up by then. [And it would be a day off from school from her, so less stressful on all fronts with her current fear.]