The alarm went off and Ellie rolled over and slammed her hand down on the button that turned it off. She began to blearily rub her eyes to get rid of the crust that accumulated as she slept. It was then that she realized that the other half of the bed was empty.
"Carl?" she called out curiously. Where was he? He never got up early on Saturday.
Just as she was starting to really wonder, Carl appeared in the bedroom door, a plate in one hand and a glass in the other. He stopped suddenly on seeing Ellie awake.
"I forgot to turn off the alarm, didn't I?"
She nodded with a smile. "It only went off a minute ago. It's alright."
"I made you breakfast!" He held out the plate, which was piled high with eggs and toast and bacon. He set the juice on her bedside table.
Ellie smiled and propped herself up on pillows. She pulled one of Carl's pillows into her lap and he set the plate on it for her. She picked up the fork and took a bite of the fluffy scrambled eggs.
"It's delicious," she said with a small smile. "Thank you."
"I thought you might need it today," he responded. "I know that I can't make it better, but at least I can do this."
"I really appreciate it," she said with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and kissed her forehead.
"Anything you want today, alright?" he whispered. "Anything."
She could only nod as the tears started to fall in earnest. As Ellie tucked her face into his shoulder and cried, she wondered how she could be both so lucky and so unlucky at the same time. And she knew she couldn't have survived it without him there by her side.