Gil sighed quietly as he watched Heather sleep; It was now 10:27. She had been asleep for nearly twelve hours, but he had no intentions of waking her. If she was sleeping good, then he would let her rest; She deserved it.

The night before, after she had fallen asleep, he had walked the few feet to her office and taken a chair. He had guessed that night would be a difficult one; His instincts had proven correct. Heather had woken up, screaming, during the night; Gil had been sitting in that chair fully knowing it was bound to happen sooner or later. And both times he had stroked her cold hand until she was calm enough to fall back asleep.

Her screams had frightened Gil; They were desperate, crying out for someone to stop her nightmare. After Heather had stopped screaming the first time, she hadn't said a word. She had simply laid back down on the bed, the stray hairs from her ponytail sticking to her face, and had tried to soothe herself.

Gil now sat looking back at the brunette, silently beating himself up; He should have asked her what she needed. Maybe there could have been more he could have done. But then again, he was there to hold her hand; To help her get through this; Still…

Gil hadn't fallen asleep once. He wanted to be awake and alert for whenever Heather woke up; Both times her screams had terrified him so much there was no way he could have fallen asleep, and nor did he want to.

Heather's breathing noticeably increased; Her frantic gasps for breath startled Gil. He was just about to wake her up from the nightmare when she rolled over and revealed that she was already awake.

Her emerald eyes puffy and bloodshot; A few strands of hair still remained stuck to her face. It was obvious she had been crying, whether in her sleep or otherwise was undeterminable to Gil, but very understandable.

"I don't feel so well," She immediately blurted. Gil stood up from the chair and walked to the doorway.

"I'll make you some soup."

Heather tossed the covers back, jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. He cringed as he heard her vomit; He was almost positive the mention of soup had made her sick, making him feel bad.

A moment later, Heather emerged from the bathroom with her arms crossed over her chest. She was pale and her head was lowered.

"Heather?"

"Mmm?" She crawled back into her back, pulling the covers up over her head; She didn't want to be seen. She wanted to be left alone but knowing Gil, that would never happen.

"What do you need me to do?" He took one step into the room, a determined look covering his face.

Heather was surprised by this statement; He was asking her what to do? Slowly, she turned the covers down from her face.

"I don't know. Do whatever you want. I'm sleeping all day," Heather replied. She closed her eyes hoping he would leave; Much to her dismal, Gil's footsteps could be heard nearing her bed.

He paused at the foot of her bed. He wasn't sure what to do; He was sure, however, that Heather's lying in bed wasn't a good sign. But he wasn't about to interfere. If that was what she wanted to do, then he had no right to stop her.

"Fine. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

He walked out of the room with a sigh. 'Maybe it's what she needs to start back on the road to healing,' He thought.

Heather listened to Gil's footsteps disappear down the stairs; When they could no longer be heard, she threw the covers off once again and tiptoed into the bathroom.

She closed and locked the door, then turned the shower on; Her clothes lay in a heap on the floor as she stepped into the steamy shower. The hot water stung her body, but only for a minute; After that, the warmth seemed to wash away her pain.

It was surprising, and when she stepped out of the shower nearly an hour later, she felt ready to take on the world. She dried off and put on fresh clothes, then walked out of the room with her head held high.

Gil was seated in the living room, an Entomology book held in his hand. He heard footsteps on the stairs and dropped his book to see if it was Heather, even though he knew it was.

She sighed as she spotted him. "Did you ever call that psychologist?"

Gil stopped walking to the stairs. She was ready to see a shrink?

"No, not yet. I can right now if you'd like."

Heather nodded twice as she descended the rest of the way down the stairs. Her hair was damp, and she didn't look nearly as pale, Gil noticed as he walked to the kitchen to use the telephone.

While she waited for him to complete the call, Heather sat down on the bottom stair; She dropped her head into her hands. Why had she allowed herself to lie for so long, saying she was okay when really she was the farthest thing from it?

Never before had she felt do vulnerable and powerless; It wasn't a good feeling and she wished it would just go ago. But she knew it wouldn't; Not until she would accept help from others. She could no longer go on being completely independent upon herself; It was a harsh reality, but one she understood.

"Your first appointment is the 19th of next week, at one o'clock; She said you can be early if you feel like it," Gil announced as he returned from the kitchen; A yellow slip of paper was held in his hand. Heather knew it was most likely the information the psychologist that he had written down so neither of them would forget.

"Thank you," Heather stood up, her arms dangling loosely at her sides.

"You're welcome. It was no trouble at all."

Something clicked in her mind; Not only had Gil stayed with her during her stay in the hospital, making sure she got whatever she needed, but he had also welcomed her into his home. He had taken care of her there; In fact, he was the only man she had ever known that had ever taken care of her. Exceptional care; That meant something, she was sure of it.

Gil had also offered to help her through everything; He had been there after Zoe's death, and now he was here helping her through yet another crisis. He cared enough to stay with her not only once, but three times.

"No, I mean, thank you for everything. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it," Heather considered a few things in her head. She wanted to kiss him; It was something she had never admitted to herself. But she was afraid of how he might react; And what effect it would have on her.

"Heather, I swear it was no trouble at all," Gil smiled briefly at her. He could tell she was thinking hard about something; But he couldn't seem to figure out what it was. "Are you hungry?"

Heather swallowed once; She could already feel the tears welling up behind her eyes, for what reason she didn't know. 'You'll never know how he feels unless you try,' She told herself.

With a sharp inhale, Heather took a step in front of him; And she did as she had wanted to.

She kissed him.