Rick turned his head to look at Kate, who was sound asleep next to him. He smiled, watching her sleep for a moment before he rolled out of bed, careful not to wake her. He glanced back at her as he left the room, making sure she was still sleeping. He went to the kitchen, pulling the various breakfast foods he'd bought for today.
Luckily they weren't yet at a point where they did grocery shopping together or she would have thought he had a tapeworm last time he'd went. He ended up buying close to one hundred dollars of breakfast food, including her favorite pancake mix that he'd traveled almost an hour out of his way to find and a special blend of coffee.
He set several pans on his large oven range, one for eggs, one for pancakes, one for sausage, another for bacon, and diced potatoes in the final one. He added seasoning to the potatoes and eggs then turned the burners on. He placed four pieces of bread in the toaster, pushing the lever down then went to make the coffee.
He was determined to make the day as perfect as possible. 14 years ago her entire world collapsed, nothing he could do could ever take away what happened. No amount of kisses and I love yous would bring her mother back or fill the void left in her life. All he wanted to do was make her smile.
He'd seen it the last few days. As soon as the calendar turned to January, her entire demeanor changed. She was rougher with the suspects in their cases, she was short with him when they spoke, she started distancing herself from him and pushing him away. Maybe he'd overlooked it in years past, but he didn't remember her being like this as the anniversary of her mother's death approached.
No matter how hard she tried to push him away though, he never budged. He knew she'd need him, even if she didn't know it.
He returned to the stove, turning the temperature of the burners down then turning all the food so it cooked evenly. Finally everything was done and he put everything on separate plates, poured her coffee. He also got a glass of orange juice and placed a single rose in a thin vase.
He retrieved his breakfast in bed tray and carefully placed all the food on it then carried it to the bedroom. He'd left the door slightly ajar so he could nudge it open even though his hands were full. She was still sleeping. It wasn't strange for her to be sleeping this late, their last case had involved lots of long nights and early mornings so it was her recovery day.
Gates had agreed to give her a day to relax at home so she wouldn't burn out but if a call came in, she'd still have to come to work. Rick was hoping the people of New York would behave themselves for a day and not kill each other so Kate could focus on herself for once.
He placed the tray on the bed, across her lap then kissed her forehead softly. He smiled as she stirred. "Morning," he said softly.
"Hi," she said, barely opening her eyes. "It's early. What's going on?"
"I made you breakfast. All your favorites, even those blueberry pancakes you love so much."
She sat up against the pillows, her eyes narrowing at the food displayed in front of her. "They only sell that mix in Freeport."
He smiled at her. "I know. Do you know how hard it is to get from Manhattan to Freeport at rush hour?"
"You went all the way there to get pancake mix?"
He nodded. "Anything to make you happy."
She smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Thank you."
"Thank you? I go all the way to Freeport and all I get is a thank you?" he asked, not sounding angry, almost a teasing voice. "Kate, you don't have to do this alone this year. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
"I know. And I appreciate that, I do."
"But," he prompted.
"But… it's gonna take time. I've always ended my relationships before this day came, I don't even talk to my dad. We both like to be alone."
He nodded slowly. "Right. I uh… I'll let you eat then." He started to get off the bed to leave her in peace but she grabbed his hand.
"But I don't think I want to be alone anymore."
He nodded again. "You won't be. You never have to be alone again."