[ ...oh.

There's mixed feelings here—relief, confusion, a thick streak of he really shouldn't, what if I decided to do it again?—but he nods, mostly to show that yes, he heard him. Don't worry, he's paying attention. ]

Thank you. [ The words almost get caught in his throat, but he manages to get them out. His next ones, too. ] It's... probably more than I deserve, but thank you. I appreciate it? No, that's not right, I... [ ...a shake of his head, gratitude is enough. Moving on: ] What else?