Natalie awoke to a throbbing pain radiating out from her ankle and all the way up to her knee. She groaned, rolling over onto her back. Blinking her eyes a few times, she was briefly confused, until she remembered she was at Adrian's apartment. A gentle clanging sound was coming from the kitchen. Those soft domestic sounds in the early morning light reminded her of what it was like to not live alone. It was very comforting. Natalie smiled and closed her eyes, rolling back onto her side and tightening the blankets around her.

She was awakened again by the sound of a gentle knock on the door.

"Natalie?" Adrian's voice called softly, muffled through the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

"Mhm," She replied, her voice still raspy from sleep. She cleared her throat and raised up onto one elbow.

Adrian entered the bedroom, carrying a tray filled with food.

"I'm sure you're hungry," he began, crossing over to the bed and sitting down beside her.

"Adrian Monk is serving me breakfast in bed?" she exclaimed, completely caught off guard by the gesture. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I didn't want you to have to walk anymore than you absolutely had to," Adrian explained, nervously twisting his hands together. Natalie glanced down, realizing he was no longer wearing his wedding ring. She raised her eyebrows, surprised. She hadn't noticed that last night.

Adrian offered her the tray, which she took, her face still etched with curiosity and a bit of amusement.

"How's your ankle this morning?" He asked, eager to get the attention off of himself.

"It hurts like a bitch," Natalie replied, sighing.

Adrian nodded. "Well, I put two ibuprofen on your tray, there. Oh, and I already called the doctor and made an appointment for you today."

Natalie raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Wow, Adrian, I'm impressed. What on earth has gotten into you since I've been gone? I should've left you a long time ago," she teased.

Adrian looked up at her, his expression slightly confused and hurt.

"Oh, no!" She began, realizing her mistake. "I didn't mean it like that. I just mean, it's very nice to see you doing things like this. You've made a lot of progress and I'm very proud of you."

Adrian smiled, blushing slightly as he looked down at his hands.

"Well," he started, rising from the bed, "Eat up. We have to be at the doctor's office in an hour and forty-five minutes. And don't get out of bed without me. You need to keep the weight off of your ankle. Just call me when you're finished."

Adrian turned and exited the room, pulling the door halfway closed behind him. Natalie sat up and looked down at the breakfast that had been prepared for her. There were two perfectly square pancakes, two slices of bacon, and a glass of orange juice. On the side of the tray were the two ibuprofen he had mentioned. She couldn't help but smile, touched by the kind gesture. Again a strong feeling of affection rose up in Natalie's chest and she closed her eyes briefly in an attempt to calm herself. But, despite her best efforts, she couldn't help the thoughts that began to flood her mind.

48 hours ago, she had been perfectly fine not speaking to Adrian. Well, not fine, but she had learned how to deal with it. But now, she was here, at his apartment, and he was taking care of her. And it didn't feel forced or out of obligation like it would have several years ago. It felt genuine. Natalie had to admit, it felt incredibly nice. But it brought up old feelings she didn't want to have to acknowledge. She had learned a long time ago how to control those feelings, but now that everything had been brought back to her so suddenly, she was having a much more difficult time doing so. Plus, Adrian had grown so much in the time she had been gone. He was more confident, more empathetic, more in control. Not to mention, he had lost a bit of weight and his face had a little more color to it. Natalie had to admit, the whole transformation was very attractive. She briefly allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to share a bed with Adrian - to wake up with him like this each day. She blushed, unsettled by how appealing that thought really was. Shaking her head slightly, Natalie proceeded to eat her breakfast, her face still burning.