Tim was wrapped up in a blanket on my knee. I had relented and allowed him full control of the TV and was beginning to regret it. Even if I had wanted to watch something, it would have been interrupted every few minutes by Tim's coughing fits and snuffling.

He refused to stay in bed no matter how many times I put him back into it. He would look at me innocently as he stood in the kitchen telling me that he only got up to get some water, or to go to the bathroom, or something similar. He was the worst patient and I was losing mine.

After only three days he had lost far too much weight, out of the inability to eat combined with the inability to keep anything down. It felt like I had nothing heavier than a small child in my lap which was more than a little concerning.

The only thing I had managed to do was feed him some biscuits and to drink a few mouthfuls of soup when he was still too delirious to refuse. I remembered now the fiasco of trying to get him to breath through a ventilator to help ease the coughing when he had whined and fidgeted, pushing my hand away and moaning that he wanted to go home.

Seeing Tim like that should have made me more sympathetic but instead it just infuriated me and I practically held him down and told him it was for his own good. I'm glad he doesn't remember it.

Reaching my hand up I massaged the back of his neck and he surprised me by pulling away sharply.

"Oww," he said in surprise. "That hurts."

"Sorry," I murmured and kissed his cheek.

"Are you going to work tomorrow," he asked suddenly, knowing the answer already.

I sighed.

"Yes, Tim. I'm sorry but I have to. You know I can't miss it."

"Okay," he replied quietly.

He had been oddly complaint free about me leaving him alone all day. Cookery programmes and boredom were driving him to insanity but I had found lately that Tim never drew attention to any of his childish concerns anymore.

I nuzzled his neck and kissed it, smiling when he squirmed from being ticklish. I consider tickling him to lighten the mood but realised it would probably lead to another coughing fit and so I restrained myself.

"Love you," I whispered just below his ear before kissing him again.

"Love you too," he replied softly and rested his head on my shoulder.