“I died in my dreams last night.” The revelation sounded strange out loud. “At least, I’m pretty sure I did.”

“Oh?” Sarah regarded me with the look of a scientist observing a specimen.

“Cut that out. I know that look.”

She feigned innocence. “I don’t rightly know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re analyzing me.”

“It’s what I do.”

“Yeah, but not with me.”

“Especially with you, Captain.” Her eyes were bright, despite the video compression required for long-range videoconferencing. “Are you worried about something?” Her head cocked to the side, and her blue eyes held a different expression than before. “Mike, tell me what’s wrong.”

“Well, nothing really.”

She continued watching me in silence. Waiting for more.

After a moment, I sighed. “It’s just the distance, you know? I’ve always been close to home, close to you, but now . . . I mean, if something goes wrong, there’s no . . .” The words caught in my throat.

“Listen, sweetheart. We knew the risk going in. You and me both.”