Tony checked the water and turned up the heat a little. He walked back into the bedroom and pulled out a drawer, looking for some clean clothes for Michelle. He could feel her looking at him.

"You know, Almedia, I forgot what a nice ass you have." she flirted weakly. Tony wiggled his booty a little before turning around and smiling. She winked at him and laughed feebly. He reached over to look in the next drawer, expecting to find some of her clothes - but instead he came upon his own. He ran his hands over the material and looked back at her.

"You left it here." he said slowly. "All of it." Michelle closed her eyes. "Why?" he asked as he rotated to look at her.

"Because," she began, rolling to her side. "Because I knew you'd be back." Tony smiled, tears threatening to well up. He took a sharp breath and turned away from her, blinking the water away. He pulled out one of his shirts and some boxers for her.

"How about this?" he asked, throwing them at her playfully. She smiled.

"Only if you'll wear them too."

A few minutes later Tony ventured into the bathroom and turned the water off. He came back in and lifted her up so she sat on her bottom. He looked at the hospital gown. "Why don't we take this off here so I can put you right into the tub?" he suggested. She nodded nervously, which he noticed. He got up and ran to the hamper of clean laundry, pulling out a towel. She smiled and allowed him to untie the gown, pulling it off of her and turning around so she could wrap the towel around herself.

After she was satisfied she grunted and he came back over to her, scooping her up in his arms. She wrapped her frail limbs around his shoulders and allowed him to dip her into the tub. Michelle's head lay on the inflatable pillow and her eyes fluttered shut, breathing in the wonderful scent.

Tony smiled, happy that she was comfortable. He sat there for a moment on the edge of the tub, not sure of what to do next. He knew she felt uncomfortable being naked in front of him, but at the same time he was afraid to leave her alone. He stood and sat on the closed toilet, watching this woman lying in front of him.

She looked a little silly lying in a tub with a yellow towel wrapped around her breasts, but her face looked exactly the same as he remembered. He paid attention to her breathing, wanting to make sure she was still alive. It was something he had never noticed before, but now every breath she took was a miracle. He wondered how long she had been living like this, so fragile and weak. It made him sick. There she was, in that hospital bed, knowing that any moment could be her last, and she thought that he didn't want her anymore. His train of thought was broken by her voice, slightly stronger than it had been.

"Well, you coming?" she asked, not even opening her eyes.

"What?" he asked her, confused about what she meant. She opened one eye and looked at him without rotating her head.

"I thought you were getting in here with me. After all, I feel a little silly lying in this tub with a towel on, and I can't very well remove it myself." she complained. He grinned at her and nodded his head. He quickly stood and undressed, slightly apprehensive about being naked in front of his wife again after so long. Now he understood why she wanted the towel.

He walked over to her and leaned her forward, untying the towel and removing it from the tub. He rung it out and it splashed her, making her giggle. Tony recognized her laugh. He climbed behind her and carefully positioned his legs on either side of her body, leaning against the back of the tub and pulling Michelle up to rest on his chest between his legs. She moved herself back as far as she could, her head resting on his shoulder. She situated her arms on top of his legs and closed her eyes again.

He continued watching her, this time letting his eyes take in her whole body. The first thing he noticed was the bruises. Her abdomen was covered with small red spots that, upon first glance, looked like love marks. The next spot was a scar about four inches long below her breast. It looked fresh, as if only inflicted a month ago. He reached his hand out and brushed over it lightly underwater.

Michelle opened her eyes and noticed him examining her wounds. She smiled a little at his concern - it was embarrassing to her that she looked like this. She looked as if she had been badly beaten a week or two ago and was only now beginning to heal.

She watched his eyes as they moved to her arms, covered with little spots that could easily be mistaken for bug bites. He knew it was from all of the injections and he curled his eyebrows. He couldn't even imagine the pain she had been through while he was gone. He wanted to kiss all her wounds and take all the pain away, but he knew he couldn't. He was afraid to hold her, not knowing if she would want him to or not.

She noticed the dilemma going on in his head and spoke softly to him. "They don't hurt." she began. He looked to her quickly, not aware that he was being observed. "None of it hurts anymore." she explained, cuddling her face into his neck. She moved her arms and grabbed his hands that had found an uncomfortable spot on the top of his own legs. She moved his hands to her waist and placed them firmly there, feeling him touch her with his palms and fingers.

She sighed and ran her hands over his legs, still slightly hairy but none the less sexy. He had lost a bit of weight while in prison, but he still had the same build. He was still very strong but held her just as tenderly as he could. He was afraid that he would hurt her, but she wiggled her body towards him, trying to give him the hint that she wanted him to hold her.

He noticed her hints and consequently moved his hands to wrap his arms around her. She slid her hands up his arms and scratched at him a little before trailing back down and resting on his knees. They lay there for a long time, Tony's body cradling his wife's. For the first time in two years, Michelle felt safe and Tony felt whole.

I'm taking a few creative liberties. I don't know the exact effects of a cancerous tumor or if it could cause bruising or other things like that, but they are in the story. It's kind of like they don't know exactly what kind of cancer she has. I know leukemia patients are prone to bruising (as far as I know) but I don't know about other cancers. If anyone has any info on that please let me know. Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm having fun with this.