He nods very slightly, a subtle jerk of the chin, and continues staring into the woods for a few moments.

"What I went through," he says carefully, "almost killed me. And it can hurt people here, if they know too much, or spend enough time around me." People excluding Gabriel, he thinks bitterly, who can take care of himself. "I don't know how bad it could get here, but I don't want to risk it. And I can't talk about it, because that's how it spreads."

He finally looks at her again. "I'm sure his heart's in the right place or whatever," he says begrudgingly. "I just want him to stop asking about me. For his own good and everyone else's."