"You don't want to be like me." He could pull up the corners of his mouth, but he couldn't make that a smile even as he tried a joke. "What happens the first time you get in a cab?"

It just wasn't funny.

"We have my old research, and this time we have you. You're a better biochemist than I'll ever be." He tucked his hands more tightly against his body, almost hugging himself. "We'll work to fix this, but I don't want to be what pushes you over the edge."