I talked to my suicidal friend. She was thinking about doing something unpleasant, which I won't say lest triggers...

We talked for a long time about her feelings. I just listened as you suggested and gave her a big hug. (I'm healthy and didn't worry about getting COVID in this particular instance. Whether that was smart, I'll see.)

She now has the Suicide Hotline number. You can chat with them in addition to calling. Isn't that handy? So if you're on the train and feeling terrible, you can chat instead of calling. Love it. And of course I stressed that she can call me any time day or night. I'd like another person to do this for me someday .