It's a while before Dan does make good on his promise to come learn from Price, although he does better this time than just getting caught up in side missions and benders and leaving Price wondering. He checks in from time to time between missions, goes through a little how are you, I'm on my way to Dushanbe to track a striga, I'll see you around enough to let Price know that he truly is swamped and not just avoiding him. He's never going to just ghost on Price again. He's well aware of how much that hurt both of them.

But he doesn't have a chance to meet Price in the infirmary until after the Project Prometheus disaster, and then he shoots Price a quick message to meet him there. For the last hour, he's been slowly bleeding through his clothing thanks to manticore scratches going down his left shoulder, and by the time he gets to the infirmary he's pale and shaky underneath the smear of blood on his forehead where a phoenix gave him some much shallower and less painful cuts. When Price meets him, he's alternating drinking from his flask and guzzling a bottle of water, sitting on the exam table.

"Saw you helping us do the evacuation. It's much appreciated," he says, giving Price a small wave. "My shoulder got cut up. Might could need stitches, but might could just need to be patched up. It feels longer than it is deep, but I ain't got a chance to check it for myself."

If he had his way, he'd still be back there helping some of the injured myths home, but he can no longer hide a bloody injury under his coat when it's making him wan and feeble.

"You make it through that whole thing okay?"