After spending a month by her side, spending a week at a distance made him feel off centered. She was being release today and he was taking her home. Her parents had wished them well and offered to visit in a few weeks when things settled. Since the night she woke up he had heard any one ask the question he knew was on everyone's mind. What about the divorce? Troy waited at the desk sign the right papers for insurance. What about his run for presidency? Going through the motion he initialed by every x and made sure to dot the I's and cross his T's. What about Anthony?

"Here you go Mr. Bolton, she's all yours." Troy turned around to find a nurse standing behind Gabriella in a wheel chair. Her duffel bag on her lap along with a vase of flowers, her hair was pulled back into a pony tail. She was wearing a sweat shirt and a pair of jeans. A sharp contrast to his grey suit and tie.

"I didn't know what flowers to being home but I think I like these the best?" Gabriella looked at the white Lilly's. "There's something innocent about them."

"Now remember, no strenuous activities, we don't want to pop any stitches or bruise any healing tissue." The nurse gave Troy a knowing look.

Troy nodded and waited until she handed him the papers. "These are her prescriptions for the pain and a diet she'll need to follow to get her liver better. Her next appointment is in a month, arrangements have been made so that see may attend a hospital in Washington."

"Thank you," Troy looked at all the papers in his hands and then rolled them up and tucked them under his arm giving everyone his goodbye smile he pushed the wheelchair to exit doors. .

As soon as they had come home from the hospital Troy kept to himself in his office. Most of his outside interaction was with Chad or brief passing with Gabriella in the halls. He made sure that she had everything that she needed, he hired a nurse to take care of her medical needs and made sure all the food she needed was stocked in the kitchen. Those were the easy things, the things he knew how to handle.

When it came down to how he felt. He didn't know what to say or what to do. It seemed like things were so off balance and lost at this point. staying in his office was just his way of Somehow, maybe he could delaying the pain a little longer by avoiding the problem.

Tapping the remote against his bottom lip he read along with the subtitles on the television screen. "Gabriella Bolton was release from the hospital. The couple is said to be heading back to their home in Washington for a little r and r. At this time there has been no word if Troy will be continuing his campaign or not sources say-" His eyes came away from the screen and focused on Lady who was lazily sleeping on a pillow that had somehow made it's way into his office.

Because of her condition Lady had been spending her time with him. She'd been sleeping in his office and resting at the foot of Gabriella bed at night. As a dog who loved both her owners very much she seemed to cope well with juggling between spending her time with both of them. Tearing his eyes away from her he eyes rested on his cell phone. A cell phone now resting in pieces on his desk alongside the phone he'd unplugged from the wall.

There was a knock on his door and his eyes shifted toward the brown oak as it was lightly pushed open. Gabriella features slipped into the room. "Chad been trying to get a hold of-" her eyes rested on the phone pieces littered on his desk. "So he decided to come over..." her voice died as she looked back up at him."Should ask?"

Troy shook his head and raised a brow. "How are you feeling?"

Gabriella paused as she looked at the television screen. The reporter was currently commenting on the republican campaign. "I guess I feel a little lost, and confused."

"Why?" Troy said closing a file folder on his desk to clear away some of the madness.

"Because there are reporters outside, on the phone, on the TV and their all asking questions about your campaign, Anthony, my health, our marriage." Gabriella eyes darted away from his at the mention of the last one. "I just guess I'd feel better if I knew some of those answers as well."

Troy leaned back in his chair. "Assuming that I have them?"

Gabriella looked down at her phone. She shouldn't be the one assuming that he had all the answers. Not when she'd been walking past his office door periodically attempting to work up the nerves to knock or come in. "Assuming we ever talk about them."

"Right," Troy let out a sigh and picked up the remote to shut off the television.

"How's you campaign?" Gabriella asked sinking into the chair finally.

"Winning by default is always depressing, no matter what the prize." Troy said biting his lips a little at the end. In the silence they both lingered on the thought.

"In a race against yourself it was the only way you were going to win anyway." Gabriella said with a shrug. "Anthony was the one stealing from you remember?"

"I suppose," Troy said looking up at her, their eyes met and his shoulders seemed to slump into a more relaxed state. "Are you getting everything that you need?"

"Yes, and you can get rid of the nurse." Gabriella said raising a brow. "I can remember to take medication all on my own."

Troy smirked. "Done, anything else?"

Gabriella thought about for a moment and then shrugged. "I want real food." she added, "I been hungry for the last three days." She said holding her stomach.

Troy shook his head. "Doctor says you have to build up your strength. Eating the right food is helping your liver, you don't want to skip any steps on the road to recovery. "

"Well can't I build it up with a touch of salt or flavor," Gabriella paused, "I'll settle for a bake potato?"

Troy chuckled. "Sorry," he said with a small shrug. "Your mother would kill me if I let you stray from the doctor's orders."

They both fell into a silence after that. Gabriella who was contemplating an escape slowly looked up at the now blank television screen.

Troy took a deep breath; this had gone on long enough. He had to put an end to it. He had to put himself out of his own misery. He had been pent up in this office avoiding her, staring at the door and thinking of a million ways to apologize, to redeem himself, to assure himself that he hadn't lost her just yet. He had to do something that might show her how he felt about her. "I'm sorry, that I've put you through all this."

"You didn't put through anything I didn't agree or ask for?" Gabriella responded relived that he had said something first. A weight was lifted from her shoulders and she shrugged a little as she thought about the past couple of months. "Despite all the black mail, secrets, and manipulation I think we're lucky that things have come this far."

Troy nodded and held out his hands in surrender. "I couldn't agree more. If you want to leave, I'll make sure you're taken care of, I'll even delay the press as long as I can until you're settled in. I can have a plane at the air-"

"I don't want to leave." Gabriella cut him off.

Troy felt his entire insides freeze up in surprise and then release with joy, a weight on his shoulders shifted. "Why not?" He asked with small smile.

"I don't want your campaign to suffer anymore than it already has, I mean I know we had an agreement and you already signed the paper work," Gabriella said as she fiddled with her phone. "Maybe we could just wait," Avoiding his eye contact, unable to risk that he might see the truth and see that she was afraid of being rejected.

"Let's forget about the papers." Troy said folding his hands in his lap. He could feel his heart pounding inside his chest. He could hear it in his own ears. This was what it boiled down to, beyond everything they had been through would she be able to look past it. He studied her, watched as she looked around the room obviously uncomfortable with the attention he was giving to her but he couldn't help himself. She was beautiful, her lips were plum with the shade of soft pink, her cheeks full and covered in a soft glow. She looked so healthy, she looked happy. Gabriella expression shifted as she looked at him in confusion.

"I don't understand, Chad said that you already signed," Gabriella leaned forward. "I just thought that you might want to get this over with?"

"Do you?" Troy said leaning back in his chair. "I mean I'm not going to make you stay. I want you to want to stay." Troy felt himself holding his own breath as she looked at him with her wide brown eyes blinking a few times as if registering what he said.

"I want to stay," Gabriella said slowly.

"Right," Troy said nodding slowly as he tried to control his own smile. "You're going to stay."

"I'll stay," her own smile was uncontrollable. Butterflies released themselves into her body cause all sorts of jittery feelings from the way he was smiling at her.

"About the divorce," Troy stood from his seat at the desk walking around it slowly."The thing is," Troy said leaning against the desk as he tried to brace himself for whatever her reaction would be to his next confession. "I love you." He said in a soft voice. "I can't tell you how much you mean to me or if I be able to breathe if you were leave me," Troy trying his hardest to meet her in the eye and not waver no matter how scared and unsure he was. "What I do know is that I want you to be my wife."

Gabriella felt a tear rolling down the side of her face. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say it because," Gabriela paused as she wiped her eye slightly. "I love you too." Standing from her seat she wrapped her arms around him wincing at the pain but not at all wavering from her desire to touch him.

"Are you alright?" Troy said holding her gently as he looked down to examine her side.

"Kiss me,"

Troy eyes looked back up into hers. "So your fine then?" he said raising a brow.

"I'm better than fine," Gabriella said shifting her right hand through his hair at the back of his neck. "I'm in love with my husband."

"Really, do I know him?" Troy said pulling her close.

Gabriella giggled. "Troy," she said in a soft moan.

Troy's lips softly covered her own in a small kiss, slow and deliberate they both hung onto each other as the kiss seemed to become deeper and more passionate.