Thieren sat with Stacey for breakfast after he had insisted on helping her brush her teeth and wash her face.
"It looks like having your friends around during mealtimes helps you eat," he smiled, feeding her oat porridge and spilling it all over her lap. "You look much brighter today."
"Porridge. Everywhere," Stacey looked down at the mess with disgust.
"Nevermind that. The nurses will help you clean up afterwards," Thieren said. "You can have a shower and be squeaky clean for your visitors today. Your friends will be back in the late afternoon to have dinner with you again. You didn't have any nightmares last night, right? So I'm guessing them being with you before you sleep is a good thing. I might need to find you a bigger room at this rate though. I heard it was quite the crowd last night."
"Crowded," Stacey nodded. "Fun. Lots fun."
"Yes, I can imagine," Thieren agreed, feeding her another spoonful and spilling half of it on the bedsheets before it reached Stacey's mouth.
"Spilled again," Stacey teased.
"It just means I need more practice. If I don't practice on you, who will I practice on then?" Thieren asked.
"Practice?" Stacey said in between mouthfuls.
"Of course I need to practice looking after you. That way I'll at least have some skills when it comes to feeding our children."
Stacey froze and her eyes grew wide.
"Children?"
"Who else am I going to have children with if not you?" he nudged Stacey with a jocular elbow. "Wife."
"Children?"
Stacey's neck and face flushed a red so tomato bright that Thieren pinched her cheek to see if he might be able to squeeze any juice out of it.
"I guess you hadn't thought of it yet," Thieren shook his head. "I'll leave you to contemplate how wonderful it will be when finally we get together and…"
Stacey shoved him off the bed, making him laugh and spill the rest of the porridge on the floor.
"Why not? We're already married on paper. All we need is the formal ceremony. We can have that when you're better. Soon," Thieren rubbed his hands together.
"Pervert!" Stacey shouted, throwing her pillow at him.
"I guess it'll be a lot further in the future then," Thieren put on an injured face and dodged to one side.
"Never!"
"Maybe someday?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"You. Don't. Love. Me," Stacey enunciated with biting precision. "I. Hate. You."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, do."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do."
"Are you practising saying 'I do' for our wedding ceremony, wife?"
"Get out!"
"This is your husband, obeying his wife."
"Go to work!"
"Going to work."
Thieren picked up the pillow while Stacey was catching her breath. He tucked it back behind her back while she glared at him.
"Did you notice you started speaking more clearly just now? You used pronouns and prepositions properly. See, your speech is coming back. What do you think if I make you angry more often? Do you think it will help you regain your ability to speak faster?" he teased, smoothing her hair down and kissing her forehead.
"Get lost!"
Stacey threw her pillow at him again and he caught it, replacing it behind her back again.
"I think I'm starting to fall in love with you," Thieren crooned, dodging a flying spoon. "There's no denying that my fears are coming true."
He caught the rolling table that she pushed at him before it tilted over and spilled everything on it on the floor. Stacey covered her face and then hid her face in her arms, while he continued to sing.
She flinched when he came close. He hugged her stiff body and planted another kiss on her head.
"Have a good day, darling," he whispered in her ear. "I'm so glad that you're feeling better again. I'll either see you this evening or tomorrow morning. Don't tire yourself out too much while you're having fun. Telea is coming to have lunch with you. She may bring one or two of the program staff with her - or it may be one of the other mentors. I'm not sure. I left it up to her. Hugh and Tutor Carraway are coming this morning to help your therapists with your rehab, so you'll want to get ready before they arrive."
"Thank you," Stacey whispered. "For everything."
"What was that? I didn't hear it. Can you say it again?" Thieren asked with one hand behind his ear and Stacey shoved him off the bed again.
"Go to work, smartass!"
"Think of me," Thieren began singing in a mock dramatic style, "think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye."
Stacey threw her pillow at him again and he skipped out the door just in time. She heard his singing voice fading down the corridor and covered her face again.
"Remember me, once in a while, please promise me you'll try..."
Goodness knew what the doctors and nurses in the corridor thought of him while he behaved in this way.
Stacey poked glumly at the half bowl of porridge that had ended up on her lap and the quarter bowl that had ended up on the floor. The room was a mess. The nurses would think they'd had a food fight in here or something. Stacey combed her hair back from her face with her fingers and discovered that Thieren at some stage, had wiped oat porridge off his fingers and into her hair.
Was it fun? Was it funny to tease her in this way? Was she laughing?
Stacey wiped the angry tears from her eyes. And then wiped them again. She didn't even know why she was so angry or why she was crying.
Annoying man.