'Hector was useless.'

He crosses his arms and looks at her with every impression of being calm.

'Of course it's easier. It's not your son whose name you're tossing about, talking about rescuing from death. You don't stand to lose anything if he lives, or if he dies again.'

It took him years, literally years, to become anything approaching normal again after Emanuel died. He can't even contemplate trying to save the boy and having it fail.