Nicholas was surprised at his wife’s attitude that morning. She was nothing like the woman who met him at the end of the aisle and told him to bite his tongue when he tried to apologize. The woman sitting beside his bed was kind and gentle, she even promised to take care of him. It made Nick wonder what he did right. Or perhaps he should concentrate on what he did wrong. Whatever she was doing might be part of her plan to retaliate. Therefore, when she mentioned that she sent everyone away, Nick stared at her asking, “Have you finally decided to kill me?”

His voice came out raw and still a bit sleepy. It was then he realized how dry his throat felt and how empty his stomach was. He hadn’t really eaten any decent meal since the night before he got shot. 

However, when she buried her fingertips into his hair, he sighed and closed his eyes. How did she intend to kill him? And what was that she said about inviting someone over? He meant to ask who she invited, but had completely forgotten about it – that and the fact that he was hungry – especially when she bent down and kissed him. 

When Nick felt Claire finally pull apart from him, he opened his eyes and found her staring down at him. She was not going to make his work easier. When he saw her for the first time wearing her wedding dress, he quietly thanked his handler that he chose a lovely bride to be his wife, but now he was thinking it was more of a curse than a blessing. 

[i]All these is not real,[/i] he reminded himself.

[i]”Tell me. I know this isn't the Paris you were looking forward to,"[/i] she demanded softly, referring to her question about how she could make him happier. He wanted to tell her to please leave him alone with his thoughts, or to send a note to his father to see him, but neither of the two was reasonable. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to spend the morning with Claire. Bennett told him to stay out of their assignment anyway. 

But then he noticed the dark circles under her beautiful eyes and the puffiness surrounding it. She had cried. No, more than just cried, she might have cried the whole night. Nick frowned. “Have I done something to make you cry?” he asked, pushing himself to a sitting position which forced her to back away. The sheet fell to his lap as he clutched at his wound then leaned back against the headboard breathing hard. He stayed that way for a few moments, fighting for a steady breathing. There was a fist-sized red stain on the bandages wrapped around his torso, just beneath his ribs. “What time did you sleep last night? Come here and sit with me.” He reached for her hand and tugged her towards him. 

[i]Just this once,[/i] he told himself. Just that morning, because Bennett had forbidden him to interfere with the assignment, he would have to find other ways to entertain himself. 

“Have you had breakfast?” he asked, using one hand to balance the tray from the bedside table to his lap. Nick lifted the cover to find that his breakfast consist of gruel and water. He looked at Claire then back to his food – the first he would eat after missing breakfast, lunch, and dinner on his wedding day – then back to Claire. He thought it was the doctor’s instructions to feed him soft food that would be easily digested. It was reasonable, and he wasn’t even sure he could hold the food down, but after missing a number of meals, he expected a better tasting alternative to gruel. Nick aimed one of his charming smiles at Claire. “You know that I will always provide for you.” He shoveled a spoonful and raised it a few inches above the bowl. “In sickness and in health,” the young man added quoting their vows while raising the spoon higher. “I wouldn’t want you to get hungry, especially after you took care of me the whole night, dear wife. Come on, share this with me. Didn’t you want to make me happier right now?” 

Nick raised the spoon to her mouth, grinning. “Come on, now. Don’t be shy. It’s just you and me in the house all morning.”