What do you do when someone says 'I'm fine' but you know they're not?

I've got hives that go quiet for no good reason, and I've learned the hard way that poking at them doesn't always fix it—sometimes you just sit with the hum and let them come back to you.

In the prison, 'I'm fine' was code for 'don't push.' Learned the hard way that asking again can break something. Now I just sit quiet and let them fill the silence if they want.