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She'd woken up to her alarm and found Isaac's bed empty.
Running for the bathroom, the worst thoughts ran through her mind.
He'd still been pretty weak when she went back to his room only a few hours ago. What if he'd fallen and hit his head? What if his fever had gotten worse and he hadn't been able to call for help?
Oh, God!
What if he'd called for her but she hadn't heard him?
Skidding to a stop at the open door she found the bathroom empty.
"Isaac!" she called out because she had no idea where to look next.
Then her nose told her exactly where to find him.
Holding tightly to the banister, she took two steps at a time going down the stairs. After rounding the bottom of the stairs, she took long strides through the living room before flinging open the kitchen door.
"Good morning," Isaac said pushing scrambled eggs onto a plate already heaping with bacon as though he hadn't just scared the living shit out of her.
"You're better." She knew once his fever broke he'd be well soon. But not this soon. She'd hoped for just one more day with him before he wouldn't need her anymore. Before she ran out of excuses to stay.
"Thanks to your expert care." Isaac set the family-sized serving down between two place settings on the island.
"You made breakfast."
"I owe you a lot more than this but I figured it would be a good start."
Katie sat on the stool closest to her at the end of the island.
"Tell me when." He sat next to her spooning eggs onto her plate.
"When," she said and he switched to the bacon. "You better just do an even split of the bacon. I won't stop you from giving me all of it."
Isaac chuckled moving the mountain of bacon onto Katie's plate. "It's all yours."
"Oh, I was only kidding. I can't eat all that. I mean… I can but… Please, take your share."
"I tell you what," he said serving himself some eggs. "You eat as much as you want and I'll eat the rest. Deal?"
"Deal."
He made me breakfast.
Katie's stomach fluttered and floated to her throat.
Why did it have such an effect on her? It was only eggs and bacon. But biting into the crisp slice of heaven made it feel like he'd given her something more… Soulful and rare. A delicacy he'd given his heart to create.
Then she realized, she couldn't remember the last time someone had cooked for her. More than… ten years?
Katie glanced across the kitchen. She saw her mom standing at the stove waiting to flip the last pancake she'd ever make. The last anything she'd make before she fell and the short stacks were left to rot as the paramedics carried her away.
Biting back the tears, Katie tore into another strip of bacon.
"Okay. I lied," Isaac said. "Can you spare a slice or two?"
Her concentration broken, Katie looked down at the plate. The eggs were gone and she'd eaten all but about five pieces of bacon.
"Oh, my God. Here." She pushed the plate towards him.
