I won't be faking my death a second time. It would be entirely pointless.

[Nor would he be killing himself truly or abandoning Joan. Now that he's had time to recover a little from the dehydration and the haze it had left his mind in, he can think through things much more clearly. After some rest, he might even be able to formulate a reasonable plan. Well, as long as he's lucky enough to avoid infection in any of his injuries.]

You'll have to come with me, of course. Not much choice in it now. We'll first need to handle this small group, then there's a few other loose ends that need knotting before coming back in any overt fashion.