"It isn't." There really isn't a gentle way to say it. Clara still doesn't know how doctors can manage to work up the nerves to tell people that their lives as they knew them were over. "You were too..." despite her best efforts to clamp down on her sobs, another one manages to rip out of her throat, "...too injured. They brought in a specialist from the Omni Foundation and...it was either this or possibly losing you." Or worse. Though, in the end, she still lost him. Not that she's going to tell Alex that right now. Or ever, if she can help it.

Alex's grip on her shoulder finally slides from uncomfortable to kind of painful, making her wince. Clara's briefly torn on whether she should try to tough it out and hope he notices and risk possibly getting her collarbone broken, or tell him that he's hurting her and probably throw almost any chances of him touching her anytime in the near future out the window. Of course, if he were to do some actual damage to her...she can't let him live with that.

She tries to find the words, looking away from his face and instead looking down at her feet, noticing the start contrast between her heavy boots and his uncovered feet. There has to be a way to say it that won't scare him off. Something that isn't Alex, you're hurting me, because those are the exact opposite of what he needs to hear right now. "Could you not squeeze my shoulder so hard?"