What he'd meant to say was as soon as people had been exposed to his bedside manner, as it were, he imagined they would stay far, far away from the medical center. Once Severus opened his mouth, however, something else entirely came out. "I'll always have time to brew something for you," he said with a small smile.
And, in spite of what he might have thought initially, when he'd actually heard himself, he ... didn't regret having said it. Because it was true. It had always been true, and it always would be. Never mind that Lily didn't need him to brew for her. She was an exceptional potion-maker in her own right. But still, he didn't regret having said it.
"After you," he said, gesturing toward the counters up front, as Lily started in that direction. As he followed her that way, he could scarcely believe it. They'd had two conversations now, and they hadn't ended with her telling him off. He could get used to this.