The light from the window woke him the following day. He glanced at the clock and saw it was still early. He couldn’t believe how long he had slept, and now he was starving.
Cesar moved slowly to extract himself from her and then moved to the side of the bed. He was quiet as possible because he wanted her to sleep as long as she could.
He walked into the bathroom and closed the door. After he dressed, he checked on her before heading down to the kitchen. She needed to eat more, so he wanted a plate ready for when she woke up.
Several minutes later, a presence behind him had him glancing over his shoulder. He set down the spatula, walked to her, and set his hands on her shoulders.
“Chica, what are you doing out of bed?”
“You weren’t there.”
He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I was just making us breakfast. Are you hungry?”
She looked at the stove and nodded. “Can I help?”
“No. Not today. Do you feel like sitting down at the table or getting back in bed?”
“I’d like to sit down here, please.”
“All right. Let’s get you settled.”
He made sure she was comfortable before he went and finished the French toast. Within a few minutes, he had two plates full of food and two glasses of juice in front of them.
“Dig in, chica.”
She nodded and instantly started eating. He watched her as he ate and was glad she seemed to be doing better. She had a nice healthy glow to her.
“Is that all you can eat, pequeña?” he said as he spied the half-eaten food on her plate.
“Yes. I’m full.”
“All right. Let’s get you settled on the sofa in my office, or you can go back to bed.” He’d rather her be in his office, but he’d let her decide. The thought of not being able to look up and see her, even if she was close, just a set of stairs and down the hall, was too much for him.
“Can I sit up?”
“Maybe later. I can see you already starting to tire.”
“Okay. In your office, please.”
He led her into the room and sat her in a chair. “Stay here while I get a blanket and pillow.”
“Here we go,” he said as he walked back in. He made a makeshift bed and got her settled on it.”
“Are you comfortable?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Cesar grinned. “Always so polite,” he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
For the rest of the morning, he was able to get work done. It made it easier knowing he just had to look up to see her sleeping peacefully.