“Jenny,” Shane said softly, laying her hand on Jenny’s shoulder.

“What the *****?” Jenny murmured, jumping at the touch.  She quickly whirled around.  “Shane!”  Her laptop forgotten, she leapt out of her chair and threw her arms around Shane.  “What are you doing here?”

“Not now,” Shane said, shaking her head.  “I have to talk to you first.”  Grabbing Jenny’s hands in her own, she gazed at her seriously.  “Jenny, you and I both know you have a problem, and you still haven’t gotten help.  Please, get some help, for me.  Get some help before something happens.  Don’t be afraid to admit you need it, and don’t let yourself fall back into that dark place.”

“Okay,” Jenny agreed, nodding slowly.

Shane cupped Jenny’s chin in her hand.  “Promise me,” she prompted.

“I promise,” Jenny replied.

She was surprised as Shane pulled her into a tight embrace.  “I love you, Jen.  You really need to take care of yourself.  There is hope in this world; you just have to go out and find it.”

“Shane, I love you, too, butwhy are you acting this way?” Jenny demanded, pulling away.

“I can’t answer that now,” Shane replied, shaking her head.  “I have to go.  I have more work to do.”  She reached into the pocket of her sweatpants and extracted a note.  “And give this to Mark, would you?”