At first, his pupils constrict, but then his eyes are searching back and forth, as if he is reading something. All the while, his hand stays clenched in Mariko's, not noticing, or not caring about how hard she is gripping in return. Her voice, it only adds to what he is seeing, draws him deeper into it, before he snaps out of it.

A deep breath in his nose, before his jaw finally unclenches. "You were there. You. Her. Her you." Another breath. He doesn't have the mental capacity to keep separating it all out.

Slower, and shaky, because the rawness of the memory is still right there on the tip of his mind. "You were there, helping me, when I got shot last time. We've done this before."

Another breath, and he is settling again. The strain on him doesn't look like it will be sustained, but there is a faint sheen of sweat on him now, enough to make the paleness of his face stand out more. He can only try to communicate the rest of what he is feeling with his eyes, the intense, grateful gaze he gives back to her. What had she said before about the connection between them? You're here. You're always here for me.