He knows she doesn't want to hear it that way, hates that she pulls away because of it, but he gets why she does and allows her the space that she wants without leaving her side as they walk. He gets it, he does, but after the things he's seen/heard in the future - all the sleepless nights once he got back - this seemed like a small price to pay to see it not come to fruition.

The change in subject comes as no surprise, but the question does have him letting out a breath of relief, glad that Christine was talking to him again. "Yes. I went too long without being able to do it, I don't plan on stopping now. Going to be pretty busy the following weeks I think. A lot of stuff they want broken down and rebuilt. Unless there are a lot of serious injuries and people getting sick, I'll probably be spending more time with the forges when I'm not on clean up."