Keep going, no matter what; keep going because the alternative is worse.

Keep going, even though the world has moved forward without you and everyone you have ever loved is firmly beyond your reach.

It breaks his heart anew, to be encouraging the very thing that ultimately destroyed him, but what else can he do? Hell won't reunite the Captain with anyone he's lost, or give him any measure of peace. There's still a chance for that in his own world, however fleeting it feels.

So he's nodding, ready to push himself up and away, and then -

How is it that everything this man does catches him entirely off-guard? He hasn't felt this unsteady in decades.

"I..." Pulling away himself isn't the same as pushing someone away; it's the exact sort of meaningless bullshit that a devil would exploit.

Instead, he leans forward and clasps the Captain's hand.