Chris beseeching Lou in such a way gets the smallest quirk of a smile. He gathers her close, one arm under her and the other around her back as he holds her. Her head falls to rest against his shoulder and big green eyes turn back to Chris to watch them as Sam shifts in place to gently rock from side to side.

"Don't like makin' a fuss when I can just solve shit myself, you know? Don't wanna get anyone caught up in my mess when I can just deal with it alone." Or remove himself from the situation entirely. For all the good that that does him. "For what it's worth, I do appreciate talkin' with you, Freeman. It just feels bad takin' up your time when you got a dozen other things goin' on and I'm still used to just doin' it on my own. It's nothin' about you n' everything to do with my own shit."