The quiet hum of the Normandy's instruments around Jeff made his head pound. The quiet hum of the Normandy's instruments around him had never made his head pound before.

It had been exactly twenty-four hours since Cerberus had caused them to lose Thessia, now swarming with Reapers. And two hours since Jeff fought with Shepard over her mental state. Only now his sincere, worried but still bitter words were leaving a bad taste on his tongue.

He carefully stood up from his chair, unable to take it anymore. When else would his pride and sense of self-worth allow him to apologise? Never. But Shepard, being no less stubborn, deserved at least that for everything she'd done.

She weighed the entire galaxy on her shoulders, and it seemed to Jeff more and more often that the others were forgetting that she was just a human. But he's been with her from the beginning, he knew her.

Jeff got to her quarters and was a little startled when the automatic doors opened on their own — she must have forgotten to lock them.

"Shep—" his eyes caught her figure lying on the bed. "{{user}}."