"The guilt of abandoning others would be worse than the apprehension I feel in what I need to face...." He slipped his hand over Avon's on his chest, letting it rest there and pressing it against the dull thud of his mechanical heart. But he continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"You are usually inclined to do the appropriate thing yourself, despite your personal wishes. I know you would not abandon Vila and Dayna."