Neil helps Andrea walk slowly towards the car. The last ten days have really drained all the energy from her. God knows how many chemicals she has had pumped into her body over the past few days, she has been sick countless times because of the side effects of chemotherapy and all she seems to have the strength for at the moment is sleep. Despite her exhaustion Andrea has a growing sense of anticipation and excitement as she and Neil left the hospital to go home. It doesn't matter that he has been at the hospital with her for hours every single night she has been there, Andrea has missed Neil immensely and he has missed her too. Everyone has been extremely supportive since the news about Andrea's illness became known to those closest to her and Neil. Andrea's parents have been in to see her every day as Neil has and have been offering their support to Neil as much as possible. His parents have also been doing their best to take care of both of them and there has been an endless stream of their friends and colleagues from Sun Hill visiting when Andrea has been well enough to see them.
Once inside the flat, which Neil has cleaned and rearranged at least a dozen times to make it perfect for her homecoming, Andrea settles down on the sofa and is soon lulled to sleep by the soft melody emanating from the hi-fi system. Neil covers her over with a throw rug from the back of the couch before moving slowly towards the kitchen to prepare a small meal for himself. He cannot remove his eyes from her as she sleeps silently. While there is still as much exhaustion and pain etched on her face as there was during her time in hospital, there is now something else in her features which was lacking when she had to stay at St Hugh's. Now there is a small smile on her face and a sort of contentment even as she sleeps. It is obvious she is happy to be back home with Neil, where she feels safe, loved and protected.
Recovery is a slow process. Andrea still finds herself unable to do much during the day, drifting off to sleep several times only to have her slumber interrupted by intermittent bouts of nausea. Though she is constantly improving, and with Neil running himself ragged to take care of her Andrea finds it much easier to regain her strength. It hasn't been an easy time for either of them but they support each other and give each other strength to cope. There has also been one piece of positive news which has given them some hope for Jake's prospects of recovery. The physiotherapists want to start working with him next week and he is due to be released from hospital on Friday. Despite the fact that their troubles are far from over, Neil and Andrea are so thankful for the excellent progress Jake has been making. Andrea has always had an immense amount of respect and admiration for Neil. Aside from her father Neil is the best man she has ever known and he is her hero. However, her admiration for him has only grown since she became ill. He does so much for her and she knows he must be going through hell but he bears it all with the patience of a saint never once complaining or showing any annoyance about everything he has had to deal with.
During the night she wakes with a jolt feeling extremely nauseous and runs to the bathroom as quickly as possible, her legs barely able to hold her up. The retching is agonizing and as she brings up everything that is left in her Andrea feels like crying. Neil is at her side within minutes not at all bothered by the unpleasantness of watching Andrea retching and being violently ill. He just supports her body weight with his as he pulls her hair back holding it away from her face and soothingly strokes her back. He sits with her on the bathroom floor for almost an hour as she continues to be sick, rubbing her back and gently comforting her.
"Hey," he says softly as he embraces her and hands her a glass of water "you want me to run you a bath sweetheart?"
"No thanks I just want to go back to bed and try to sleep again. Thank you for taking care of me tonight I know you're tired too." Her voice is rough and weak from the effects of being so ill.
"I don't care about being tired all that matters is making sure you're alright. You don't have to thank me for looking after you I love you its just second nature to me," he whispers reassuringly.
"Just want you to know how much I appreciate you." Her eyes are beginning to shut slowly as she speaks. Neil lifts her as if she weighs almost nothing and carries her back to bed pulling the covers over her to keep her warm. Andrea instantly falls asleep as Neil carefully brushes stray strands of hair off her face and out of her eyes and kisses her forehead before climbing into bed beside her and letting her sleep in his arms.