Oahu, Hawaii

Sitting beside Pam on the cool tile bathroom floor, Bobby found it difficult to trust his wife's judgement as she weakly turned to him and murmured, "really, I'll be fine in the morning". Having returned to their suite after she reported feeling faint and nauseated it appeared they'd arrived just in time as her sudden illness soon resulted in further unpleasant symptoms. She claimed she felt better now because she'd been sick but he still wasn't convinced.

"Let me at least get a doctor up here to confirm that", brushing a stray hair from her face, his concern for her wellbeing grew as he got a good look at her. Pale and shaky, she took small sips of water to find a balance between quenching her thirst and not upsetting her stomach, indicating to him that she really wasn't a well woman.

"No, it's unnecessary", shaking her head, she sighed and straightened up, as if to try to make him forget her recent misery, which of course, it didn't.

"Unnecessary? Pammy, you're not well", pointing out the obvious, he really didn't understand her opposition. She was sick, that was clear, as was the need to see a doctor, at least to him; the hotel was sure to have an on call doctor too so it was no hassle to have them come up to see her, but it wasn't what she wanted, even if it was the logical thing to do.

Moving to stand, using him as a support at first but eventually separating herself and standing independently, she looked in the mirror and began to brush her hair into a neat ponytail, answering him as she did, elaborating on why she saw no need for medical intervention. "It's unnecessary because I know what's wrong with me and it has everything to do with being out in the heat all day sipping cocktails on the beach and continuing with that same behaviour when the sun goes down, drinking with the dinner feast, dancing all night and then repeating the same thing the next day. I'm not suffering from any illness that an early night, drinking more water and avoiding the direct sun won't fix and I'd really rather not go through the hassle of explaining myself and hearing the same from a doctor, I just want to go to bed".

Following her lead, he stood, meeting her eye in the mirror as she described her illness as little more than heat exhaustion, dehydration, and a good social life, and for the first time since she'd come down with her mystery illness he was inclined to believe her. Perhaps she was right; perhaps she would be fine resting, rehydrating and taking it easy going forward. So far, their honeymoon had been what he considered the perfect mixture of activities and downtime, though Pam talked some sense when she suggested that maybe the dancing that continued late into the night might have tipped her over the edge when paired with long, hot days drinking specialty drinks for enjoyment rather than hydration.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around slowly to face him, taking a few moments to look her up and down; she was doing a good job at holding herself together but it was clear she wasn't in full health. "I'd feel more comfortable if we got a medical opinion, but if it's not what you want then we can hold off for now. If you're still like this tomorrow though then I'm calling a doctor". Wanting to respect her wishes, he laid out a compromise; he'd be in bed next to her all night so if her condition worsened he could always call for a doctor and get her the medical attention he thought she ought to have.

"I'll see how I feel in the morning", smiling weakly, she placed her hand on his, squeezing gently, letting him know she appreciated his concern.

"Good, now do you feel up to getting into bed or do you need a few more minutes here?" sincere, he wished to take care of her, though he didn't want to crowd her.

"I'll just brush my teeth again", squeezing his hand again, she gave him a small nod to indicate she would be just fine on her own for a few minutes.

"Ok", nodding himself, he accepted her answer, kissing her lightly on the forehead before leaving the bathroom, doing a walkthrough of their suite to turn the lights out and check the balcony door was locked, then returning to the bedroom.

Undressing, he put his robe on and tossed his dirty clothes into the laundry bag ready for housekeeping to collect in the morning. Walking over to the bed, he pulled the covers back and fluffed the pillows, performing his own turndown service, just in time for Pam's return.

Hearing the bathroom door close, he looked up to see her across the room, still pale and tired but no longer shaking or unsteady on her feet. Hurrying to her side, he enquired about her health again, "feeling any better?"

"A little", leaning into him as he led her over to the bed to sit down, he liked that she no longer seemed hesitant about letting him take care of her.

"I know what'll help", stepping away from the bed, he grabbed nightgown from the closet, handing it to her and waiting for her to change before helping her into bed, pleased when she let him pull the covers up for her even though she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. He was her husband, he liked to look after her, in fact, he'd promised to in their marriage vows.

"I'll just brush my teeth and be back in a few minutes", sitting on the edge of the bed, he leaned down and kissed her softly, hearing her murmur, "ok", as he stood up.

Making his way across the room, he turned around as he reached the bathroom, hearing her speaking his name. "Mm?" leaning against the doorframe, he met her eye again, smiling when he heard what she had to say.

"I love you", relaxed in bed, she seemed more content now than she had been all evening, though she was determined he know how she felt about him and he was happy to hear it.

"I love you too", returning to her side, he kissed her again, then headed back to the bathroom, turning to look at her when he did. Noticing her eyes drooping as she tried her best to watch him, he smiled to himself; he suspected she'd be asleep by the time he joined her again, and really, that was probably for the best. He wanted her to feel better and he wanted her to be able to enjoy the rest of their honeymoon and for both of those, the more sleep she got now the better.

To be continued…