As Simon stood up to leave, there was an unmistakable sheen of tears in his eyes as he squeezed Tessa’s limp hand. “She’ll pull through this, Mr. Gregson, I just know she will. Such a sweet, kind girl - she certainly doesn’t deserve this after everything else she’s been through.”

Ian had to fight back his own tears. “I know, mate. Keep her in your prayers, will you?”

“Constantly, sir. Please call me if I can do anything else. Anything.”

It was early evening, and Ian was half-dozing in the bedside chair, when Andrew and his girlfriend Isobel poked their heads inside the room.

“We brought dinner,” announced Andrew, holding up a large paper takeout bag. “Bento boxes, I hope that’s all right.”

Ian grimaced. “Why is everyone who stops by today trying to feed me?”

But he managed to eat almost half of the salmon teriyaki, rice, and miso soup before pushing the takeout container away. Isobel got a phone call that she excitedly exclaimed was from a gallery owner, and dashed out into the hall to answer it.

Ian raised a weary brow to Andrew. “Pleasant enough girl but frankly doesn’t seem your type.”

Andrew returned his gaze steadily. “Are you referring to the tattoos, the piercings, the purple hair, or the funky clothes?”

Ian smiled. “Ah, I suppose all of those. You’re much more conservative than she is.”

“You think so?” inquired Andrew. “Guess you’ve never noticed these, hmm?”

He pointed to the holes in his right earlobe and above his left eyebrow where some sort of hoop or stud would normally be inserted.

“Obviously I don’t wear any jewelry to the office. And there’s one more piercing in, um, let’s call it a more private spot.”

Ian couldn’t suppress the shudder that went through him at the thought of a piercing - there. “Any tattoos?”

“Six of them at last count,” confirmed Andrew. “All of them well hidden under my suits at the office. No purple hair, but during college I did have a ponytail. Down to here.” He pointed to the middle of his back. “And the funky clothes come out on the weekends, though it’s mostly just jeans and T-shirts, nothing too out of the ordinary.”

Ian’s grin grew a bit wider with each revelation. “Will wonders never cease. I do believe you’ve bested me at my own game, Andrew. I would never in a million years have guessed at any of these hidden secrets of yours. So your image as a stick in the mud was all just one big hoax, hmm?”

Andrew dared to glare at him. “With all due respect, sir, it’s vital to the continued operation of the office that this stays strictly between us. If anyone else knew, I’d lose all respect, and then it would be complete and total anarchy in that place.”

Ian laughed, the first time in over twenty four hours he’d come close to doing so. “I agree. So for the sake of maintaining control over the troops, your secrets are safe with me.”

Isobel returned then, beaming with the news that a local gallery owner was very interested in displaying some of her sculptures. She seemed anxious to get back to her latest project, so Ian shook both their hands and thanked them for dinner.

“My treat next time,” he surprised himself by saying. “When Tessa’s fully recovered, we’ll make it a double date - you two pick the place.”

Andrew glanced uncertainly at Isobel. “Sir, I’m not really certain that’s a good idea. We probably shouldn’t be socializing outside of the office.”

“Oh, quit being such a stuffed shirt, Andrew,” scolded Ian. “You’re getting to be ten times worse than I ever was. Besides, I’m a little curious to see some of these tattoos of yours. But not,” he added hastily, “the other piercing you mentioned.”

It was quiet after they left, and still there was no significant change in Tessa’s condition. The doctor making evening rounds assured Ian that she was holding her own, and that they should expect to see some change one way or the other within the next twelve hours or so.

Ian frowned. “What exactly does that mean?”

The youngish doctor seemed to hesitate a bit before replying. “She’s more than twenty four hours post op now, so either her fever will break and the infection will start to clear up. Or, well, the fever will continue to spike and the infection could spread. But we’ll continue to keep a very close eye on her as we’ve been doing and look for any changes. You should really try and get some sleep yourself, sir.”

But Ian knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, not so long as his beloved Tessa was still so sick and unresponsive. He tried reading, doing a bit of work, but all he could think about was her. After a while, he simply sat down in the chair next to her bedside, holding her hand, and pressing occasional kisses to her forehead or cheek, still alarmed by how hot her skin felt.

“You know, darling, if you don’t wake up soon, we’ll have to delay our trip to Italy next month,” he told her. He knew she couldn’t hear him, but he was desperate for any sort of distraction. “And that would be a great pity, because you’d completely ruin some very carefully laid plans I’ve made.”

Ian brought her hand to his lips. “I’ve never brought a woman to the villa before, so this will be another first for me. And it will be an excellent opportunity for you to practice your Italian, so you really need to wake up now so you can start recovering in time.”

He brushed a damp strand of hair off her forehead. He’d tried to comb the tangled locks earlier in the day, but had given up when she’d kept turning her head to and fro in distress.

“I know you’re a sleepyhead, Tessa, but this is getting ridiculous,” he joked. “Besides, this mattress is a poor substitute for ours. You know how much you love the Hypnos, so please open your eyes now so I can bring you home.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “God, Tessa, you have to wake up, have to get better. I’m lost without you, darling. Didn’t you know I was lost for my entire life until I met you? I used to joke that I was married to my job, that work was the only thing I really needed in my life. My poor mother had given up hope that I would ever meet someone, or give her a grandchild. Speaking of which, I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I think I’d like a daughter first, one with your blonde hair and blue eyes, and if you like we could name her Gillian, after your mother.”