"It's what I'm here for," he says, drinking in the feel of her in his arms.

He hadn't realized how much he missed holding someone and being held until the day he met her, when he'd hugged Kim and when Renee had gathered him in her arms. As he'd tried to fight the twitches and trembles caused by the prions' destruction, she'd wrapped her arms around him, a kind of support he hadn't felt in years and had thought he was long past needing.

Now he'd like to return the favor. Not that it's much of a chore on his part.

"It's gonna be okay, Renee," he whispers into her hair. "I know you're tired, but it's gonna be okay."