faltering in worry

falter in worry

think / meditate / consider / expect / reflect / prepare / make up one's mind / imagine / contrive

the future / future prospects

in the future

hesitant / faltering

to gather in large numbers of people / to assemble (as a military unit or posse)

tonne, metric ton / (now uncommon) ton, Imperial ton

gathering, gathering place / camp, barracks

he / distal demonstrative, something far off removed from both speaker and listener: that / boyfriend