Don Juan frowned at him. "I do," he said, meaning that he still felt he owed Hudson a great deal. After he said it he wondered if it might have come across wrong — like everything between them had been transactional, and remained transactional. He blinked at Hudson, unsure whether he should clarify or let it lie. What did it matter, in the end? Hudson was drunk. He would take it however he wanted to, no matter what Don Juan said, and he might or might not have some hazy recollection of this conversation later.

A rogue thought: if Hudson was drunk enough not to remember, then Don Juan could say something without worrying he'd regret it. What would he say to Dean, if he knew his words would never leave this moment?

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