It sounds a little like she's asking permission, or at the very least for confirmation this is okay. Permission is bad, if she's shaken up then sometimes you need it just to carry on. John gets that. He slows his steps and turns toward her, keeps on his best neutral expression. Like it's still not a particularly big deal, because John finds that's the easiest way to cope with an endless sea of problems. Act like they're not big problems, like they're easy to handle. Even when they aren't.

'On my own, not today' is excessively vague. If not today, when? John errs on the side of telling medical professionals as soon as possible when there's a problem, but he also breaks that rule plenty of times himself. He's gone on missions when he should have been in surgery, and he'd probably do it again if the cause was important enough.

"Sure," he says, which is his classic neutral dismissal. Sure, whatever you want, it's no big deal. Then, after a second of hesitation. "Just make sure you do. I know this kind of thing is rough, but... it's rougher if nobody knows."

Don't say you will then avoid it, TJ.