"I'm sorry.." Ted answers sadly. He wishes there was more he could do. He bites at his lip. He doesn't know how fast Joan usually solves these things. It's been a rough week, to say the least.

"How about we give it a week? Give you guys some time to follow up on Perry. If there's no progress, then just... Come back. And we can try to solve it together instead," he suggests.

He knows part of the reason it hurts so much right now is because it feels so indefinite, so eternal. If there's a light at the end of the tunnel, then it's easier to bear in the meantime.