Tim laid his head on his arms as he rested against Caroline's bed. He was emotionally exhausted. Explaining the decision he'd made for her weighed heavy on his mind as he dosed off.

Caroline gradually began to wake as the sedatives wore off, her body felt heavy, sore. She remembered bits and pieces of what had happened, mostly of leaving the house and driving for what had seemed like hours. Turning her head she found Tim sleeping against the bed. Raising her hand she gently moved the hair covering his eyes.

Tim furrowed his brow at her touch before fully waking. He opened his eyes to her looking at him "hey" she said with a hoarse voice. Tim took her hand holding it against his cheek as a tear escaped his eye. "Hey" he replied back.

"What happened, why am I here" she asked. Tim explained the accident and her injuries, he wasn't ready to tell her everything just yet.

"I'm sorry" she whispered "I didn't mean to cause you any more pain or worry. That's why I left...I.." she tried to continue when Tim kissed her gently. "Shhh, I understand" he told her as he laid on the bed along side her. Caroline leaned her head against him before drifting back to sleep.

****
Two weeks had passed since her accident, the cuts and bruises were healing. She had moments of  memory lapse, a sign Dr. Kim told Tim to anticipate as a result of the head injury from the crash in addition to the progression of the cancer.

Tim knew the time had come to tell her, he'd kept it to himself as long as he could. "Caroline, I need to tell you something" he began while they sat on the back porch swing.

"Ok, sounds serious" she replied turning towards him.

"I don't know where to begin, really. I've done something, something I never thought I would do" he stated nervously.

Caroline looked at him, now just as nervous as he appeared. All she could think was he was tired of her and had found someone else. She couldn't blame him really, she'd become a burden to him. She wasn't the same person he fell in love with. She took a deep breath "who is she?" she asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"What?..wait..there isn't anyone else" he replied.

"Is she someone I know, is she pretty, are you in love with her" she asked, standing now in front of him "and don't lie to me" she demanded.

Tim looked at her in disbelief. How could she possibly think he would cheat on her. She was his life, his soul, he could never love anyone else.

"You don't understand" he said just as she slapped him across the face. Caroline looked at him, her heart aching thinking there was someone else in his life. "Why, damn it, why.." she asked angrily.

Tim stood, grabbing her by the arm before she could hit him again. He knew where this was going, she was about to have an explosive emotional episode, just like the night she left. He quickly wrapped both arms around her attempting to restrain her not so much to keep himself safe more to ensure her safety. She thrashed about trying to strike him, yelling and screaming, throwing her head back against his chest, demanding he let her go. He'd described the episodes to Dr. Kim while reviewing her MRI. He informed Tim she was having a type of seizure caused by the position and size of the tumor enhanced by stress.

Tim held her up against him, talking calmly, trying to get her to relax. This episode was one of the longest she'd had so far, lasting 20 minutes. Once over, she slumped against him exhausted. He picked her up, carrying her inside to their room. He laid her gently on the bed, then lay beside her.

Caroline knew these episides happened but she rarely could remember what she had done. She looked at Tim, the red mark from the slap and scratches along his cheek. "What did I do this time, how bad did I hurt you? Baby, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" she cried.

Tim gently caressed her face "I'm fine, you didn't hurt me. Just stay calm. I'm going to get your medication so you can rest" he told her before quickly getting a glass of  water and her pills. He waited about 10 minutes after she took it to try to tell her again. Once she was calm he began "While you were in the hospital Dr. Kim did another MRI to rule out any injuries from the accident and to check for any changes to the tumor. He said....he said despite the six weeks of radiation the tumor hadn't changed much". Caroline looked at him intently. "He recommended another three weeks of treatment" he added. 

"I see" she responded quietly.

Tim moved a bit closer, caressing her face once again. "Remember those papers we signed in his office, the ones outlining what your wishes were if you came to a point of not being able to make your own decisions " Caroline nodded. "Well, I...I..made the decision to stop the treatments. There was no quarantee an additional three weeks was going to make a difference, the past six weeks hadn't. I couldn't let you suffer with the side effects any longer. I know you only agreed to them because of me in the first place. You've been through enough. Please don't hate me" he explained.

Caroline looked at him, reaching up cupping his face in her hand. "I don't hate you, I could never hate you Tim.....did he...did he say how much time I had before..." her voice cracking slightly.

Tim closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers "six months" he told her as the tears rolled down his cheeks. Caroline pulled him closer as they wept together.