Garrot halfway shrugs at the assertion that his world is nonsense, he can't deny that. But it's the shaking finger that really makes him start to grin and laugh, at least until. Gyre just. Stops. Then there's silence, discomfort. Garrot's not the most empathetic person around, but he's a doctor; he's had to tell people all sorts of bad news. He knows what it looks like when he's hit a nerve, when he's crossed a line. And this isn't like before, where his pal just stormed off in a huff.

This feels so much worse.

"You're a grandpa?! Congrats!" His voice is soft, and the backrub quickly turns into a one-armed hug. Garrot's reading that smile, the unknowable depth to it, and he's not sure what to say. So after learning so much about how to work with Gyre, he knows what he needs to do.

"We don't have to talk about them if you don't want to." There's something here that shouldn't be disturbed, and yet, well, Garrot knows he wants to do the right thing. The helpful thing. "And if you're ever worried about them, I can make a couple calls and send a doctor out there to check on them." His family is okay. Both of them are okay. And hopefully they all stay that way. Garrot's arm starts to tighten a bit around Gyre's shoulders. This doesn't seem normal, so he sure as shit doesn't want to leave him alone to deal with whatever this is.