Tim was standing in front of the sink looking out the kitchen window lost in his thoughts when he felt Caroline slide her arms around his waist, resting her head against his back. He turned around slowly, putting his arms around her as he looked down into her beautiful hazel eyes.

"How are you feeling" he asked softly. "Better" she replied as she tightened her arms around him, as if to hold on so not to fall. "Are you dizzy" he asked as he helped her to a chair to sit. "No, I feel a bit wobbly, if that makes any sense. And I'm kinda hungry" she replied when she sat down.

"I'd expect that due to the medication they gave you. And it's 4 in the afternoon, you haven't had anything to eat since our picnic yesterday" he told her as he sat down next to her.

"Wow, I wasted the whole day, in bed, sleeping" she frowned.

"It wasn't wasted. You needed to rest. The migraine took a lot out of you. What would you like to eat, I'll fix whatever you'd like" he offered while reaching for her hand.

She smiled at his touch, his concern, his love. How did she get so lucky to have such a loving man in her life, she thought.

"Just something light. I'm hungry but not like cheeseburger hungry. And maybe a bottle of water, I'm very thirsty" she answered.

He laughed at her response "how about some soup. It's not too heavy and shouldn't upset your stomach."

"Ok, sounds good. Do we have any chicken noodle?" she asked as he handed her a bottle of water from the fridge.

"I think there is some in the pantry, do you want to sit here or on the sofa. I can bring it to you on a tray when it's ready".

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay right here. That way we can talk while you cook" she replied before drinking over half the bottle of water at once.

"Easy girl, sips, you take small sips after emptying your stomach. You don't want to be sick again" he cautioned.

Tim found the soup in the pantry as well as a box of saltine crackers. He chuckled to himself  'this was Nana's cure all for sick days at her house'. He walked back into the kitchen just as Caroline was coming back to the table. She caught the look of concern as he started to speak but she quickly said " I needed to go to the bathroom. Apparently not eating wasn't the only thing I haven't done all day" she laughed.

"So what have you been doing all day while I just laid around" she asked as she blew across the soup on her spoon attempting to cool it down.

"Research" he answered as he sipped his.

"What kind of research? Something you're working on for a class" she asked while dropping a few crackers into her bowl.

"Migraine headaches and what triggers them" he answered as he poured more soup into his bowl. "You'd be surprised by what we consume that could trigger them. Even this soup, now that I think of it".

"How could a bowl of soup trigger that" she asked laying down her spoon. She was starting to feel a little queasy and felt it was best not to eat any more.

"The preservatives in processed foods. Also the cheese we had on our picnic could have triggered it. I don't want you to have to go through that again Caroline, so if we change some of our eating habits, hopefully you won't have another one. Besides, I could stand to lose a little weight" he said self consciously.

"You're crazy, you do not need to lose any weight, you're perfect and gorgeous just the way you are" she told him with a smile.

"And you, my dear, are under the influence of narcotics and can not be making those statements" he laughed as he tapped her nose lightly with his finger before taking their dishes to the sink.

As he stood there, running the water over the dishes, Caroline stood behind him encircling her arms around his waist, sliding her hands up under his tee shirt "this is not the body of a man who needs to watch his weight." Her touch sent shivers through him. He turned to her, pulling her close, kissing her passionately. She returned his kiss, sliding her hands up his chest. He pulled back "darlin, I would never, ever refuse you but you need to rest more." She knew he was right, but she couldn't help wanting him as much as she did. She frowned at his words, looking away. He raised her chin so he could look into her eyes " I promise, as soon as you're better". She nodded as she removed her hand from under his shirt.

He felt like shit, never had he ever told her no. The look in her eyes, as if she'd been rejected, it hurt him. He knew she wasn't feeling as well as she tried to make him think. "Do you feel like watching a movie? We can cuddle on the couch if you'd like" he suggested instead. "Sure. Mind if we watch the notebook? Again" she asked with a slight smirk. "Absolutely" he replied as they walked to the living room.

The Notebook. Emily's copy laid on top of the coffee table in his Mom's living room. "She always thought she had to convince me to watch it with her. Little did she know, it was one of my favorites too" he said aloud as he placed the DVD in the player just as Chance answered on the other end of the phone.