"He knows better than I do. ...I'm not planning on staying long," he adds, just to be clear. The struggle between wanting to get his mind off everything that just happened and wanting to be at Law's side every moment isn't one he relishes.

"But I think he'll be all right," he says, as he has a sip of the wine. Maybe it's purely idiotic optimism, but he refuses to consider any alternative.

The wine tastes off. Not watered-down, for it has the body that wine should have on his tongue, but it tastes weak. He frowns and tries another sip, but it's no different.