"Caroline," he says, and waits until she's stopped, and is looking at him, and might actually listen to him, this time around. "What do you need right now?" he repeats, calmly, evenly.

He can talk around in circles with her, but what good is it going to do? He's not shutting down dialogue, far from it, but he wants to start with the here and now. Anchor her in this moment.