How much time does she have left? She won't even tell him anymore. That's the kind of bad sign that puts a sick hollow in his stomach.

He's been stepping carefully, knowing she wants to win on her terms, that she's the expert, that she has every right to do this her way. But he told X once, what seems like a long time ago, that there was a point at which he would stop worrying about Bela's feelings at the expense of worrying about her survival.

That point is now.

"I think," he says slowly as he sits down, "that you should start considering other options."