Don't you worry about that. I don't have a death wish, or anything of the kind. If I can get away with running away from something and not getting hurt, that's what I'm gonna do. But that doesn't mean that I don't want a contingency plan -- or a contingency plan for my contingency plan. You need to know all the cards you've been dealt before you make your move. [ He waves a hand. ] Besides, I'm hardly close enough to anyone here for little ol' me to snap them out of it.

[ Would he let others put themselves in harm's way for it? He wouldn't prefer it. It would be a last ditch effort. But he would if necessary, just like he'd put himself in harm's way. Like he said, it's all about planning for the worst and making sure he does everything he can to fix things. ]

Anyway... I can see why your friend would avoid you, after all that. But now's the time to hold your people closer than ever, right? Maybe you just need to let him know there aren't any hard feelings.