A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Soreness filled her body, and she wanted to roll onto her right side and curl up. Her body, though, protested, and she groaned in discomfort. Her hands were able to lift up a little, and she felt that she could put some weight on them. Coming to such a realization caused her to drift into consciousness more. Steadily, her eyelids blinked open. Dull, grey natural light flowed into the room from the two windows. Her throat felt parched, and she couldn't remember being moved or anything. From what she could tell, she hadn't awoken into that blurry, partially awake state again. As her (e/c) eyes opened more, (f/n) registered that a form was moving to her right. What sounded like water being poured met her ears, and her eyes drifted over towards that direction.

Ether stood there, and his eyes soon locked onto hers. The close distance between them almost made her jump since she just was waking up, especially since momentarily the nearly white hair had made her think ... A chill snaked through her body, and he noticed the slight tremble of her limbs. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he held out the water for her.

A frown formed on her lips. He was testing how much she could do. She pushed against her hands more and managed to get herself into a sitting position. His eyes watched her the entire time. It wasn't until she almost fell back down that he hurriedly set down the water, closed the distance and supported her up. Ether propped the pillow behind her and rested her against it. "... Thanks," she muttered as her mind pieced together their last conversation.

All of the tears and emotions struck at her heart and mind, and they made his touch feel ... welcoming. She shoved the thought aside and saw him pull away before he picked up the water again. He held it out to her, and she focused on lifting her arms up. Barely, she was getting them away from her sides, and she concentrated more on the task. "I think," her arms moved a little more, and her words were stressed due to her exertion, "that I'm getting ..." Almost there. "I'm getting ..." Her fingertips nearly touched the cup of water. "Better." Finally, they graced the plastic container.

Wrapping her fingers around the cup, he slowly let go. Without his support, though, her grip wasn't enough to hold it up. Instantly, he wrapped his right hand back around the cup. It ran over her hands securely, and she felt a light bit of heat enter her cheeks. His touch felt so ... nice. Mentally, she cursed at herself. Just because she admitted that she missed him and couldn't leave his side, she couldn't start getting all embarrassed whenever their skin made contact. Otherwise, the future days were going to be long and even more frustrating than they had been with him in the past.

"Good. I was worried." He helped her bring the water closer to her lips. She gave him a questioning look. "After our ... talk," his eyes averted from hers before they returned back to her gaze more intently, "you ... Well, you've been asleep completely for the last two days." Ether aided her in tipping the water glass. (F/n) would've been surprised if her throat hadn't felt so neglected. "We were going to start back up with the smoothies and water today if you didn't wake up."

Cool water touched her tongue before it traveled down her throat in a relieving manner. It was as though it was warm coffee after a long day in the snow. "But, I wanted to wait even if it probably wasn't the best decision. I didn't want to disturb you too much after our talk. You really had exhausted yourself; you needed the rest." She nodded in understanding and drank more of the water until the whole glass was gone.

Pulling the cup away from her gently, he set it back on the nightstand, and her thirst was satisfied for the present time. "We'll get some more solid foods in you today if we can." A memory of the mushy apples and almost expired canned meat filled her mind. Nearly, she gagged, and she moved her hands to cover her mouth. Successfully, she did so, and she would've smiled from her progress if it weren't for the nauseous feeling in her stomach. "No apples or canned meat."

Eyes meeting his, she nodded in appreciation. It was a small nod, but her neck was allowed better movement too. Hopefully, the next day she would be able to move even more. She brought her hands away from her mouth. "What kind of food?" she asked softly as she broke her gaze from his and stared to her lap. She intertwined her hands and noted that his tone with her wasn't too high-pitched anymore. The change was, admittedly, nice.

"Nothing too hard for you to eat." His focus went to her mouth. "Try chewing." She would've sighed in a slightly irritated way at his commanding tone, but she understood the purpose. (F/n) parted her lips and began to chew lightly, and she found that she couldn't chew too fast or anything too big. "Okay, we'll start with simple things that are soft and high in protein. You need to gain your weight back."

"My weight is ..." She looked down to herself. Even with her clothes on, she could tell that she had lost a lot of weight. Momentarily, she had forgotten just how much she had lost while under ... his tormenting care. "Right."

Ether turned away from her and headed over to the door. "Do you want some Greek yoghurt? I think that they have key lime pie and vanilla cinnamon. Maybe, some fruit too." He furrowed his brows. "Like berries. I think that they're lower in sugar?" She raised a brow, and it did raise completely. "The v - ... doctor gave us a list of what to give you during your recovery." Almost, he had slipped. He didn't want to worry her and tell her that she was stitched up by a vet; he wanted no new stress put onto her.

Suspicion entered her (e/c) orbs, but she didn't question him. "How long?"

"Six to eight weeks. I want to wait the full eight weeks, though." She wasn't surprised, and she didn't have the energy to protest. "We're in no rush to get out of here even if," his tone grew a little lower, "we have some ... barely tolerable company."

"I already ..."

"I know, but I still don't like him." Ether turned the doorknob. "We already talked about it." At that, surprise entered her eyes as did worry. He didn't even have to look back to sense what emotions she was feeling. "I'm not going to kill him as long you're alive and he doesn't threaten you. Same for the others." Opening the door, he didn't wait for a response from her. There was no need to call out for anyone, though, since Deidre had been coming to check on (f/n) since it was late afternoon in the day. Deidre usually would check three times a day, which Ether appreciated even if he didn't voice such gratitude every time.

"Ether?" she asked, confused as to why he was up and opening the door. Realization hit her, and she hurried over to him, completely forgetting what he was capable of for a moment. Instantly, his right hand reached out and gripped her upper right arm tightly. She stopped entirely and glanced up to him.

"She's up. I need you to get some yoghurt for her." Ether briefly glanced back to (f/n), and she felt tears start to form a little at seeing Deidre alive and well. She had seen her some time ago, but she had been blurry. Now, she could view her completely, and she was relieved that Deidre hadn't received too many marks from Ca ... him. "Which kind?"

"Umm ..." Her recovering mind had forgotten the flavors momentarily until she recalled them. "Key lime pie." Deidre didn't glance back to Ether when he repeated it. Rather, she smiled to (f/n) and waved. (F/n) managed to wave back a little.

When Deidre met Ether's gaze again, she nodded. "I'll be right back. I'll ..."

"No, let her wake up some first. I don't want too many people in here right now. It might tire her out again." Ether had noticed his pink flower's tears, and he didn't want her to start crying again. That only would strain her already exhausted body more.

"... I understand, but they'll probably figure it out." Ether released her arm, and a frown formed on his lips. "But, I'll let them know not to enter."

From his lips parted a giggle, and he rested his left hand on the top of her head. He gave her a few head pats. "Make sure you do." Slightly, a bit of fear entered her brown optics, and she spared one more glance at (f/n) before she headed off back down the hall. Ether closed the door again and stepped over to the nightstand with the water.

"That wasn't necessary," (f/n) remarked, a bit of annoyance in her voice. "She just wants to check on me like you." He pointed to the water with his right index finger, and she nodded before he poured her more. Again, he helped her drink the soothing beverage.

When she was finished, he finally answered, "It was. I'm your caretaker. They're simply helpers." She rolled her eyes. Slightly, one of his eyebrows twitched. "(F/n), I'm doing this because he's still out there. And even if I'm tolerating living with them for now, that doesn't mean we're buddies." Ether walked over to his chair and seated himself while they waited for Deidre. "You're my only real concern. Like in the cabin, I'm going to be taking care of you. Just I won't be torturing someone in the room over unless I have to."

"I guess that's something," she muttered, managing to cross her arms. She did feel uneasy about the unless I have to part, but she should've expected that even after their talk. He still had no qualms about killing; however, she was fine with that when it concerned Ca ... him. There was another topic she wanted to discuss, though, and her worry returned immensely.