A friend can want company in uncertainty without wanting you to remove it.

Not every problem brought to you is a request for a solution. Someone waiting on test results, a decision or news often knows perfectly well that nothing can be done, and what they are asking for is not to sit in the waiting alone. Rushing to fix it can feel like being told the waiting is unacceptable and should be over.

Ask whether they want thoughts or company, and take the answer at face value. If it is company, stay, talk about other things, be there on Tuesday as well. Tolerating an unresolved situation beside someone is a real skill and one of the kindest things you can offer.