He doesn't quite catch her smile or wave, with his optics dimmed to nothing; still, he may not need to. Optimus makes another sound that could be an attempt at that earlier 'hnh', but it falls flat as he puts his mind to the system scan.

"...the levels have improved. Time will tell, at this point," he allows, sounding...tired. And he is.

Her ability to hurt him if she chose to do so hasn't changed, but without her so much in him, it's far less present- and far easier for his trust of her to rise above that.