"Yeah," he muttered. "But this time, I wanna stick around long enough to feel good about it."

He finally pulled away and glanced up at her, looking exhausted and burdened. The fog had cleared away from his head and he could think more clearly than before, but he didn't count on it lasting very long with as little sleep as he'd gotten.

"Do... do you think I'm gonna make it?" he asked. "Don't lie. Just tell me the truth, okay?"