"Would you believe I'm doing this for her sake?" says Darlington, looking down at her as she glares up at him, gesturing with his free hand at Alex's belly. A few drops of paint run from the roller in his hand, speckling the toe of his shoe and the denim of his jeans. "If we're going to be a family here, if we're going to raise a child in the city, we should know as much as we possibly can. We should know what to expect if, God forbid, one of us vanishes. If we both do."

It's a concern that's kept him up late, kept him worrying over things he never would have contemplated in New Haven. He doesn't expect to give it voice until it's already out in the air between them.

"You won't need to rescue me this time. Even if you were in any way inclined to, or able."