Not only had Conrad hidden her boot, he had called the doctor for another house visit. She was given strict orders to stay on bed rest, although she wasn't sure if the doctor had told Conrad or if Conrad had told the doctor.

She tried weaseling her way out of it, but Conrad didn't fall for any of her tricks. He had installed a new smart tv and bought her a laptop and a few books when she complained about being bored. He had her nail and hair stylist visit her at home so she felt pampered. He even arranged for personal shoppers from a variety of stores to bring racks of samples so she could choose the newest clothes, shoes and accessories. Conrad knew that none of those things would make Victoria feel any less stir crazy, but he enjoyed pampering her. He also enjoyed keeping her on bed rest, which was more his decision than the doctors. He rarely got the opportunity to take care of his wife and although sneaky, he wasn't ready to give that up.

She huffed when he walked in, noticing yet another shopping bag. He had been showering her with gestures and presents. Although romantic, she knew it was to appease his guilty conscience.

"I've got a surprise for you."

"It's not a surprise if you bring me presents every day."

"If you don't know what it is, it's a surprise." He said. She rolled her eyes at him, annoyed with these games. She crossed her arms as he pulled out a wide selection of DVDs. He claimed the store clerk considered them the "must see" movies. He had added a bunch of romance movies, which she knew was intentional.

"Just pick a movie, we'll curl up on the bed and spend the evening together."

"Who said I wanted to spend the evening with you?" She asked, slowly turning her head to look at him.

"You said the other day that you were bored. I plan on entertaining you."

"Lucky me," she muttered, fixing her earring the way she sometimes did when she was nervous. In the days since her romantic lunch on the beach, she had closed herself off from Conrad. It didn't take long for the walls to build around her and she was scared to let him in all over again. She understood his logic, but she felt jilted that he denied her sex. After that, she could feel her icy exterior building back up.

"Don't be like that. Pick a movie, whatever you want."

"I don't care about picking a movie, Conrad! You're going to do whatever you want anyway." She scuffed before crossing her arms again.

He had hoped she would be more receptive, but he knew Victoria. If she wanted to play hard to get, he had a backup plan. He pulled Die Hard out of the shopping bag.

"I had bought this for me, but since you don't care about the movie I'll make an exception." She rolled her eyes, she should have expected him to pull a stunt like this.

"Do you need anything before I put the movie in?"

"A strong drink."

"Not while you're taking those pain pills. Remember the last time?"

He put the movie in and curled up next to her in bed.

"Don't bother with trying anything." She said.

Conrad faked a yawn, wrapping his arm around her. She gave him a disapproving face but didn't push him away. After a while he felt her relax in his embrace. She even went as far as to rest her head in the crook of her neck.

"See? Isn't this nice?" He asked, kissing the top of her head.

"The movie or laying with you?"

"Is there a difference?"

"No." She said. Conrad was fully aware that she was lying but Victoria was still in denial. Conrad enjoyed the fact that he knew something she didn't, even if it made it more difficult for him.

Victoria pretended not to be interested, but Conrad could tell that she didn't completely hate the movie. He started to think she might actually enjoy watching John McClane, but around that time he felt her head get heavy against his shoulder. Victoria had a long history of falling asleep during movies, but it had been so long since they had watched a movie together that it took him by surprise. He pushed the blanket to cover her and she shifted slightly, letting her arm wrap around his neck.

He carefully lowered himself so he was lying instead of sitting. He grabbed Victoria's waist so she would lay, too. It amazed him how easy it was to move his frail wife. Not only did she lay down in her sleep, but she actually nuzzled closer to him.

After the movie ended he flipped through the channels. He was on the brink of exhaustion, but he didn't want the night to end. Even with Victoria sound asleep, spending the evening with her was better than any dream.