The call that never ends

I'm sitting at the console again, but the headset cord is tangled around my legs, and the caller on the other end is just breathing — heavy, uneven, like they're trying to say something but can't get the words out. I know I should follow protocol, ask the questions, keep them talking, but my mouth won't open. And the whole time I'm thinking, this is the one I didn't get right, the one that still waits for me every time I close my eyes.