Back on the station, there was this moment where Richie just. Vanished. (He...He hadn't really spoken to anyone about that. For a humiliating moment, his eyes water, but he shuts them and keeps them closed until he felt more steady. He opens his eyes and stares at her. He slowly lowers his head and rests his cheek on the mattress, keeping them close together. It didn't feel weird. It felt more like they were in a very private bubble.)

...Yeah, well, he can't promise that. No one here can. I can't go back home. I can't...(His voice spiked desperately at the end but he was quick to lower it.)

And I don't want to lose you and Jake. You guys are-. Special. (He rolls his face down so that it was pressed into his mattress. He felt panic fluttering in his chest and tried to remind himself to calm down and breathe.)