He half-smiled, a twitch of the mouth that didn't reach his eyes. Bone-weary as he was, worried as he was, it was more of a relief than he could comfortably admit to have her treat it so matter-of-factly. It took some of the weight off him, even if it did nothing to soothe the gnawing discomfiture in his gut. The whole situation felt like it was running out of his control. Having someone other than him take control, even of so small a part... that wasn't nothing.

"Three, I can manage," he said after a moment, unwinding the sheet from his hips and letting himself be guided to his feet. "Beyond that, no promises." But he looked at her with a new kind of fondness, one hand going out to rest for a moment on her hip.