"Not too bad," she murmurs. A mild headache but that's probably mostly the tension. "It's fine-- I promise."

It's not really fine, she knows, and he knows it too. But it's not much worse than it always is, and these days this is the best she can hope for. She's all right. Someday-- someday soon, maybe, sooner than she wants-- she won't be, but for now it's just a nosebleed.

"We can just take it easy, for a minute.... I ought to drink some water."