Hey, everyone! SURPRISE! Finally ... I'm back. ;)

I want to get this story going again and the best way to do that is dive back in. This chapter was not as much of a struggle as I expected, so I hope to get back to regular updates in the coming months.

Thanks to the reviewers on the last chapter: Sarai, Suzy Q1068, DS2010, Guest, Fan, Guest, and Guest. :) Also thanks to the messages that have encouraged me to keep writing this. All of you are appreciated. Now enjoy!

...

Bull found a light blanket and spread it over Cable. She was fast asleep. He dreaded having to wake her but it was going to have to happen on a regular basis for the next twenty-four hours at least. Her recovery would around two weeks - thankfully she was not younger, in which case recovery could be expected to take a month. Knowing her stubbornness and tech addiction though, he was particularly concerned. He doubted that she would read her body's signals to put the phone to the side. Although a little exposure to it would not hurt too much, he knew Cable fairly well. She was not going to take a break from technology unless she was forced.

While she napped, he puttered around the kitchen. He often ordered out due to late hours and no focus, but tonight he was here early and needed something to take the focus he usually sunk into clients but was now consumed in worrying about Cable.

He pulled out a cutting board and retrieved some vegetables from the fridge. He began to chop some tomatoes, onions, and herbs before tossing them into a pot to simmer. Freshly-made pasta sauce always helped him feel better, and whether or not it had the same effect on Cable was irrelevant. It was going to be nutritious and comforting, at least to him. He was going to need to calm his nerves and steel for a week of conflict. He did not have much experience in caring for someone else - especially not a "kid" - and he needed to be as prepared as possible.

He put some pasta in to boil after the sauce had simmered down to a thick, steaming pot of comfort. After he drained the noodles, he spooned some into a dish, topped it with the sauce, and sprinkled it all with a pinch of dried oregano and some grated parmesan cheese. He carried the dish over to the couch where Cable was sleeping and set it next to her on the coffee table.

"Cable, time to wake up," he said quietly. She did not respond, but she was also a heavy sleeper without recent head trauma, so he did not worry. He lightly tapped her shoulder and repeated, a little more firmly, "Cable, wake up. Time to eat something."

She shifted and he eyelids twitched a little. Her eyes fluttered open and she started to roll over before pausing and wincing. She looked up at him and frowned, thoroughly confused.

"Remember what happened, Cable?" he asked, worry seeping into his voice despite his normal professionalism. This was not a normal situation and he was concerned that her confusion was not just grogginess. His worries were set to the side at her answer.

"I hit my head and you dragged me up a kajillion stairs like a tyrant," she grumbled before closing her eyes again. "Go 'way. I'm sleeping!"

"Well, I'm glad you wake up in such a cheerful mood," he quipped sarcastically. He nudged her shoulder again. "You can't fall asleep again just yet."

"You can't make me stay 'wake," she murmured, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Eat something first."

"Don't ... what'd you make?" she asked, reappearing from under the blanket, her nose twitching a little as the smell of the sauce drifted over to her.

"Pasta. Homemade sauce."

She smiled a little. "I thought only old Italian grandmothers made homemade sauce." She slowly tried to push herself up, and winced.

"In pain?"

"Yeah. My head hurts worst but the rest of me got pretty banged up too from what I can feel." She took a deep breath and began to sit up again. Bull took her hand, helping pull her up. Once she was sitting she cradled her head in her hands and took a few deep breaths.

"It hurts," she murmured.

Bull checked his watch. "I'll get you another painkiller if you'll eat. You shouldn't take any more until after you've got something on your stomach or it's going to end in a stomach ache on top of all the rest."

Cable tried to nod, but winced at the movement. "Sure. Pass me the dish," she mumbled.

Bull handed her the bowl and she took the fork. She kept her eyes closed, but managed to get most of the noodles into her mouth in the six bites she took. Then she blindly pushed it toward him.

"You can't eat any more?" he asked.

"I've got to lie back down or I'm going to be sick," she replied, easing herself back down and pulling the blanket around her. "I'm dizzy and want the painkiller," she grumbled between gritted teeth.

"Okay. I'm getting it for you," he said quietly, seeing that she could not handle anything too loud from her own atypical, quiet tones. He retrieved the medication and a glass of water for her. He headed over to her, then turned back and sorted through several drawers before finding a straw. That might be helpful instead of Cable dousing herself, the couch, and the expensive rug as she tried to swallow a pill.

The straw proved to be helpful. Cable took the pill and sleepily blinked.

"You should go by Giovanni instead of Jason," she murmured with a yawn.

"What?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

"The sauce was good," she answered right before drifting to sleep.

...

I hope you enjoyed! Please review if you have a moment. :)