The 'Doctor' reference would bother him later, once he'd had a dream or two, but for now he assumed that the name was a title of respect, the way one might say Mister. He'd earned a PhD. He'd take it without fuss.
"What does that mean? I'd like to help her - I'm going to help her - but I don't understand the problem. Safe from herself?"
That seemed far less threatening than fire-eyed creatures. Troy liked a good, difficult quest, but you couldn't start them from nowhere. And this was Jean; failing to help her was simply not on the table.