He nods at a bit. "We both have Merrick too," he points out, though there's no blood relation with Merrick that didn't stop him from being family.

He returns his focus on the question he had asked. Then, after a moment, he tucks his lower lip in and gets much more serious.

"How..." he starts, but then stops, trying to figure out how to word this. "How many mothers have you lost?" he knows childbirth can be pretty dangerous, but he trusts that Anders will say little to none of them had died under his care. He just needs to hear it.