Caroline enjoyed the day with Emily and Dena, it was exactly what she needed. She had caught Tim looking at her several times, smiling as she laughed with Emily as they helped his mom with dinner. Now sitting in front of the fire pit, snuggled on the lounge with his arms around her, she felt safe and found herself dozing off as she listened to his deep comforting voice.

Dena watched as Tim spoke softly to Caroline, a slight smile on her face as she seemed to fall asleep. She grabbed a blanket from another chair and began to place it on Caroline when Tim stopped her. "Momma, please just hand it to me" he asked. She watched as he took the blanket, explaining his every move to Caroline as he covered her with it. 'That poor child, frightened still by the simplest touch' she thought to herself.

Emily too watched her brother, his tender touch and whispered voice, she could tell just how much he loved Caroline. Tim looked up, catching his sister looking at him, he raised a brow. "I hope I find someone just like you that loves me as much as you do her " she told him quietly.  "You will" he mouthed the words to her with a smile.

****
It was after 11 pm when they finally returned home. Tim locked the door as Caroline grabbed an ice cold bottle of water and headed towards their room. She grabbed her tee shirt and lounge pants, heading to the bathroom to change. That had been another thing different about her since the incident, she wouldn't change in front of him or let him see her naked. She wouldn't wear her shorts, tank tops or camisoles, nothing the least bit revealing. He was grateful she would allow him to hold her and comfort her, to make her feel safe, that meant more to him right now than anything remotely sexual.

He noticed her phone was on the nightstand, blinking, obviously someone called while they were gone. He checked the phone to be sure it wasn't either of her parents. She'd had a very relaxing day and he didn't want it ruined by an upsetting phone call. Checking the caller ID he found it was from Dr. Kim. He played the voice mail just as Caroline came into the room.

"Who's on my phone" she asked with a puzzled look.  

"Dr. Kim. He left a message and said he would like to see you on Monday for a quick followup. He said not to worry" Tim explained as he ended the message. Caroline shrugged as she crawled into bed "ok" she replied settling her pillows before laying down.

Tim headed to the bathroom to change for bed. He soon returned wearing just his boxers, Caroline was already asleep by the time he crawled in bed. He was tired but wanted to check a few things first. He grabbed his laptop and began reviewing his reservations for their upcoming trip. There was an email from the travel agency requiring a final booking confirmation. The only thing stopping him from confirming was the possibility of the damn trial being set for the same time frame. He made a mental note to contact Bobby in the morning to check the status of the case. He checked a few other sites he had items waiting to be purchased when Caroline began to stir a bit restlessly next to him. He quickly shutdown the computer, placed it and his glasses on the nearby table before reminding her it was him about to slide his arms around her. She opened her eyes for a moment as if to be sure before she moved closer to him, resting her head on his arm.

****

Caroline woke up before Tim and laid watching him sleep. His hair fell alongside his face and shoulders, his slightly bearded jaw enhancing his facial features. Her eyes drifted to his chest, gently touching the bit of hair upon it. He took a deep breath as he began to wake from her gentle touch. She looked into his eyes "you know I love you with all my heart, don't you" she asked. "Of course and I love you with all mine too" he smiled as he placed his hand on hers. "I promise I'll  get better, please wait for me" she asked as tears began to fall along her face. He wiped her tears and pulled her close to rest her head upon his chest. "Darlin, I'm not going anywhere "