"Alive?" She finishes it for him, not willing to beat around the bush, not when he's here, fucking finally.

"Hell if I know, Texas, we're all just the playing pieces here. Christ, Ellie's gonna be beside herself. Do you have any idea how long we've been sittin' around here waiting for your sorry ass to show up?"

Her voice is a mix of lighthearted dismissal, tinged with a hint of underlying anger, and maybe something else, too. Maybe some deep-buried worry that this is a dream, and he'll disappear again, and if she takes it too seriously, it'll be over and she'll never see him again.

If she treats it flippantly enough, maybe she can will the nightmares away.