The date to the fair had finally arrived for Emily and Bobby. She decided on the flirty dress Caroline liked so much, a simple pair of flats and flipped her hair over slightly to the side so that it flowed over her shoulders.

Dena, Tim and Caroline were sitting on the front porch sipping sweet tea when Emily walked through the screened door. "You look so pretty Em" remarked Caroline with a smile.

"Don't you have anything a little less revealing" Tim asked with a raised brow.

Emily put her hand on her hip "Seriously Tim, any less revealing and I would be dressed like a nun" she retorted.

"Nothing wrong with that" Tim replied sipping his tea, grinning behind his glass.

"Momma, what do you think" she asked.

"You look fine. Don't listen to him" Dena replied.

"Great, he thinks I'm under dressed. You think I look 'fine'. Now I'm more nervous than before " Emily replied starting to pace across the porch.  "Maybe I should change" she added.

Caroline stood and walked over, grabbing her by the hands "Look at me. You look beautiful, you're not going to change anything. Your brother is just teasing" Caroline told her.

"I just want it to be perfect, I really like him Caroline. I don't want him to think I'm some .... you know" Emily confided.

"Just relax, be yourself. He already knows what type of girl you are Em. Everything will be fine" Caroline told her just as Bobby pulled in the driveway.

Bobby walked up, greeted everyone then reached for Emily's hand " You look very pretty Emily", making her blush "are you ready?" he asked. Emily nodded as they both walked towards his car. He opened her door while she slid in, before getting in the drivers side. Everyone waved goodbye as they drove down the driveway.

"You're such a brat" Caroline told Tim, slapping his arm.

"Ow, what did I do" he replied with an innocent chuckle.

****

This third week of radiation was taking it's toll on Caroline. She really wanted to wait up for Emily to hear all about her date with Bobby, but she couldn't hide it any longer. The overwhelming wave of nausea caused her to jump up from the porch swing and quickly run inside to Dena's bathroom.

Tim immediately followed, with Dena following him. "Is she alright, Tim" she asked concerned as he ran down the hall.

Tim walked in to see the all too familar site of Caroline hovering over the toilet emptying her stomach. He took the wash cloth from the cupboard, wetting it with cold water before placing it on the edge of the tub. He sat down behind her gently rubbing her back as she continued to vomit.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, flushing the toilet again.

Tim handed her the washcloth, then pulled her back to lean against his chest. "No sorries, remember" he said quietly, gently surrounding her with his arms.

Dena approached the doorway, knocking lightly "can I get you anything, a glass of water or something" she asked.

"Not yet Momma, it will be a little while before she drinks anything, but thank you" Tim told her.

"Dena, I'm so sorry" Caroline apologized, a bit embarrassed. It was bad enough getting sick in front of Tim, she felt worse having it happen in someone elses home.

"Caroline, you have nothing to be sorry for, I understand. Why don't you two stay here tonight, that way you can rest right away" she told her.

Tim knew Caroline would rather be home, especially when not feeling well. "Thank you Momma but we'll be heading home in a few. She has medication to take and will rest better at home" he replied.

"Thank you, though" Caroline replied weakly.

Tim leaned her forward, standing to pick her up to carry her home. " I can walk" she told him as he bent over scooping her up in his arms.

"Nonsense, I will carry you across the field, it's not that far" he replied.

Caroline was to sick to argue, she knew there was no way she could walk even if he assisted her. She put her arms around his neck as he headed out the door.

"Call me if you need anything at all" Dena stated as they headed back to their house.

Once home Tim laid her on their bed but she jumped up again stumbling to the bathroom. Tim followed her in, sitting behind her, rubbing her back again as she emptied what little bit she had left in her stomach. Handing her a towel he waited for her to finish. She leaned back against him, totally exhausted, and began to cry. 

Tim held her close, trying to soothe her, to calm her while he hummed lightly stroking her hair. He felt bad, she was enduring all this added stress because of him. Because he convinced her to try some sort of treatment to give them more time. And this was only week three, she still had six more weeks of this.

****
Caroline was finally sleeping. She was able to take her antinausea medications with a few sips of water. Tim sat in the recliner across the room reading so he would be nearby if she needed anything. He had darkened the room and put both their phones on vibrate on the table next to him so not to disturb her.

****
Bobby brought Emily home around 10, he would have liked to stay out longer but his shift was at 6 am. Emily totally understood. She knew the life of a police officer was unpredictable and she felt she was ready to handle it, that was if he wanted to see more of her after tonight.

Bobby came around to hold her door, then walked her to the front porch. "I had a really nice time tonight Emily" he told her, stepping up with her to the front door.

"I did too, thank you" she replied, wringing her hands, still a bit nervous.

Bobby took her hands in his "don't be nervous" he smiled stepping closer to her. He lifted her chin slightly, lightly kissing her on the lips. Emily's heart skipped a beat at the touch of his lips, she had imagined this moment for quite sometime, having had a crush on Bobby for several years.

Bobby had also admired Emily from afar for almost as long, but he wasn't sure if he would ever share his life with anyone. He felt it wasn't fair for a loved one to deal with the
uncertainty of his line of work.

He leaned back from their kiss then pressed his forehead against hers "Can I see you again?" he whispered.

"I would like that" Emily whispered back. Bobby told her he would call her the next day after his shift. They said goodnight and he waited to hear her lock the door before returning to his car. Emily never saw her mom sitting on the sofa as she leaned back against the door with a huge smile on her face.

"From the look on your face, I'd say you had a good time" Dena stated, causing Emily to jump.

"Yes momma, I did" she giggled running past her to the stairs, heading to her room.

Dena smiled, "young love" she said aloud, returning to reading her book.

****
Tim crawled into bed slowly, trying not to disturb Caroline. He laid on his side watching her sleep, his mind consumed by the last year filled with so many struggles she has had to endure. "I'm so sorry Darlin, if I could change places with you, I would in a heartbeat" he whispered.

Caroline opened her eyes, giving him a slight smile. "Hey" she said softly.

"Did I wake you" he asked moving a bit closer to her.

Caroline told him no and moved closer to him, "Would you hold me" she asked.

Tim took her in his arms and began to lightly stroke her arm. He could feel her relax more as she snuggled against him.

"I love you, Timothy" she whispered as she drifted off to sleep.