Max changed into his pajamas quickly and put on his robe. He looked through the closet to see some of the work Niles had done in consolidating some of this clothing to make room for Fran's. There was now a whole section where Fran could hang some of her things, and even a few drawers that had been emptied. There was also the shelf space over the drawers where Fran could set things for the next day. He would show her when she came in.
Max hurried into the bathroom to brush his teeth, and then came back into the bedroom. He pulled the covers down on the bed and started fluffing up the pillows when Fran knocked at the door and came in.
"Hi, darling, come on in. I'm just turning down the bed," he said. Fran had her arms full of clothes. "Oh, come here- Niles cleared some space for you, there's a spot where you can put those things." Max led her to the closet and helped her set her clothes for the following day on the shelf, then showed her the drawers Niles had emptied and the space for her to hang things. "I know this isn't quite enough space, but we'll figure it out."
"Oh, it's alright. It's good for now. I don't want you to feel like you're being pushed out of your own closet," she said to him. Max looked at her and took her in his arms.
"I don't, darling. And I don't want you to feel like you are giving up all the room you had. This is our space now, we can adjust things however we need. I want you to feel comfortable in here, and I'm not so stodgy that I need this place looking completely masculine. We can combine our tastes."
"Well, on that note- I was wondering if we could maybe figure out where the dressing table might work. And maybe move that over after we come home tomorrow? I think that might help."
"Absolutely. Let's plan for that, then." They left the closet and headed into the bedroom. "Sweetheart?"
"Yes?"
"Before you brush your teeth, I do want to get your temperature again, if you don't mind." He reached for her fingertips and looked into her eyes. It made him sad.
"Okay. I think you were right before, when you said you thought I felt warm. I'm feeling it now. So I don't know what tonight might be like," her face tilted down and away from him, like she was almost ashamed.
"Honey, look at me-" he lifted her chin with his fingertip so she would face him. "Don't worry about that. It's temporary. I want to take care of you, and I'll do whatever we can figure out that helps make you feel better, alright? I hope this is the last time you'll feel like this. And hopefully they say you can go back on the medication after all the tests tomorrow. Okay? And if this comes up again, please come to me. Let me hold you or something, whatever you need me to do. I want to do it. Okay?" He stroked her face with the back of his fingers, then kissed her lightly on the lips. "I love you." She rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing him tight.
"I love you, too, Max. Thank you for taking care of me." He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, then rubbing them lovingly. She looked back up at him. "After I brush my teeth and finish getting ready for bed, I want to say goodnight to the kids, okay?"
"Of course. Here, sit down here a moment while I get the thermometer, alright?" He helped her sit down on the bench and he hurried in to the bathroom to retrieve the thermometer. He came back to her with it in his hand, shaking it out a few times to prepare it. Then he handed it to her and she stuck it under her tongue. "Darling, I should go get you some cold water, too, to drink. I don't want you getting dehydrated." She nodded her head. "I'll be right back." He left the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
Fran looked around the bedroom, thermometer sticking cock-eyed out of her mouth. She liked being in here, being closer to Max. She felt safe here. She noticed the stack of hospital papers and thought she should set them on the bench so they wouldn't forget them. She saw the notepad she had written on earlier and walked over to get it. She came back to the bench and sat down. Questions to ask, she wrote across the top of the paper. Should she number them? Make bullet points? Maybe numbers would be better.
1. How soon do I need surgery?
2. Will I need treatment afterwards, like chemotherapy?
3. Is there a way I can eat normally without it causing problems?
4. Can I take the medication again?
5. Is there a chance of recurrence after the surgery?
Fran stopped writing then. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that question. Maybe she wouldn't have to ask it. Max entered the bedroom then and saw her with the pad of paper.
"Coming up with questions to ask?" She nodded. "I almost forgot about that." He set a large bottle of water on her bedside table, then walked around the bed and set one on his side. He checked his watch and reached for the thermometer in her mouth, then held it up towards the light. He tried not to scrunch up his face, to let her know. "Here, sweetheart, let's give it another minute or so." He put it back under her tongue and stroked her forehead. "Oh, let me get an envelope or something to put the papers in." He headed over to the drawers under the bookshelves and dug around until he found a large manila envelope. He brought the envelope over to her, picked up the hospital papers, then slid them inside. Then he sat down next to her on the bench. She almost looked emotionally beaten down, but he was pretty sure it was mostly due to the fever knocking the stuffing out of her. He reached for the thermometer again and checked it. He looked at her.
"Fever?" She asked. He nodded.
"I'm sorry," he handed her the thermometer so she could see for herself. Fran twisted it in her fingers until she could read it. 100. She sighed.
"Well, we knew it could happen again. Of course it happens when I can't take anything for it." Max draped his arm over her shoulders, then kissed her temple. He looked down at the notepad she had been writing on and read through her questions.
"Would it be alright if we tried to come up with some more questions together? I mean, if you want to go brush your teeth and then see the children first, then we can do that. I can run back downstairs and see if there's an extra cold pack and bring it up in case you need it. Maybe you won't need the whole cold compress thing tonight, maybe we can head it off."
"Okay." She got up from the bench and put the notepad on the bed and thermometer on the bedside table, then headed in to the bathroom. Max hurried down to the kitchen again to look for an ice pack.
Max rushed into the kitchen to find Niles just sitting down to read the paper. "Oh, I wasn't sure if you'd gone to your room yet," Max said.
"No, sir. Just tidied up a little, thought I'd have a quiet evening before heading to bed. Oh, the car will be here at 7 to take you and Ms. Fine when you're ready. And I can get you breakfast before you go. What would you like?" Niles asked him.
"Um, I'm not really sure. I may not even have an appetite. Fran might only have a shake, if she feels up to it. Maybe just one egg and toast? We can probably get something at the hospital if we really need to. Thank you, Niles. Oh, Niles, do we have a smaller cold pack by any chance?"
Niles looked over at him, wide-eyed. "Is everything alright, sir?"
"Ah, well, honestly, no. Not really. Her fever is coming back. And she can't take her medication. I was just thinking, maybe just starting with a cold pack to see if we can stave it off with that. Save the big cold pack in case the fever gets worse, you know." Niles jumped out of his seat and ran over to the freezer, pulling open a lower drawer.
"Here- would this work?" He handed Max a small cold pack.
"Yes, that would be perfect. Thank you." He took the cold pack from Niles.
"Um, sir, might I ask- might I ask, if it isn't inappropriate, what is her temperature at?"
"100, Niles."
"When did it start coming back?"
"I think after dinner. I noticed that she felt a little warm after Val and Sylvia left. But she wasn't completely noticing it yet. But she is now. God, Niles, I just hate seeing her like this. It really knocks everything out of her. Like it's all she can do just to do basic things. She's getting ready for bed, she wants to say goodnight to the children. I'll get her settled and I'll try to help her stay cool."
"Well, sir, get a washcloth wet and wring it out completely so it's barely even damp, and then put the cold pack in it. Keep putting it on her neck and forehead. That should help. And I'll get a bowl out and some other things should you need them later."
"Thank you, Niles. It could very possibly be a long night ahead. But I'll set my alarm. But just in case, if you don't hear us stirring by 6:15 or so, would you come get us up?"
"Absolutely, sir. Make sure you try to get some sleep, too. I know how much you must be worrying." Max looked down at the cold pack in his hands.
"Yes," he said quietly. "Good night, Niles."
"Good night, sir."
Fran got her teeth brushed, flossed, and swished a swig of mouthwash. She removed her makeup with her cold cream and wiped it all off, then washed her face. She wasn't worried about the children seeing her this way. She didn't look so bad without makeup. And at the moment, she couldn't care about vanity. She pulled the tie on her robe tighter and headed over to the children's rooms, stopping by Maggie's room first. She knocked on the door and heard Maggie's familiar voice say "Come in."
Fran opened the door and peeked in. Gracie was in there too. "Hi, girls. I'm going to bed so just wanted to say goodnight." Grace put down the novel she was reading and ran over to Fran, giving her a firm but gentle hug.
"Good night, Fran. I wish I could go with you tomorrow," she wouldn't let go of Fran. Maggie got up from her bed and walked over to Fran. The radio played softly in the background.
"Goodnight, Fran. We'll miss you in the morning. I'll be back here as fast as I can after class. Do you need me to get you anything? Magazines? Books?" Maggie asked.
"I don't think so, but thank you for asking. Maybe later though. And Gracie, I want you in bed no later than nine, alright? Teeth brushed and everything!"
"I will." Gracie reluctantly started to let go of Fran.
"I'll make sure, Fran." Maggie said, leaning over to give Fran a hug.
"And Grace, don't forget to take off that necklace, okay? I don't want you falling asleep in it. You know, you could go get your pajamas on now and get it put away. That would save you time later."
"Okay, I guess I can do that." Grace put a hand over her new necklace. Maggie gave Fran a knowing look.
"Can I see your ring again?" Maggie asked. Fran held up her left hand and Maggie grasped it. She and Grace looked a the ring. "Gosh, it's so pretty! You know we're all really happy you and daddy are finally together, don't you?"
"Aw, sweeties! It feels really good to hear you say that." Fran hugged them both again. "I love you guys, and I'm glad we get to be a family." Gracie was beaming at her. "I better go say goodnight to Brighton. Your daddy might come looking for me if I don't get moving." Fran started heading back to the door. "Oh, Mags-" she whispered.
Maggie stepped closer to her. "Can you keep an eye on Brighton? I mean, if he seems like he's having a hard time with all this, please let me know."
"I will, I'll keep an eye on him." They hugged again.
"Thank you. Goodnight Gracie, get your pjs on, okay?"
"Okay, I will."
Fran walked around the corner down to Brighton's room and knocked lightly on his door. He opened it. "Hi, B. I just wanted to say goodnight, I'm going to bed now."
"Oh, okay. I'm still working on the proposal, but it's getting there. I need to cut some things back, but that should be easy to do once I get everything on there first."
"Okay, but I want you to try to go to bed early, okay? So you get enough sleep and you're ready for testing tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll get this wrapped up and printed out, then I'll get ready for bed and go over my review sheets. Maybe it will stick in my head better if I go through it before I go to sleep."
"Maybe it will. And B- thank you again for all this that you are doing. I know it's all- it can be upsetting, and I know you need to feel like you are helping. You are helping. You are. Okay? But remember, don't lose focus and get lost in everything. Make sure you keep everything in balance. And ask for help when you need it. Like I had to do. Right?" He smiled.
"Yeah, I will. And don't forget how many people you have that would do anything for you. We all love you a lot, Fran," Brighton told her, with a slight twitch to his eyes.
"Aw, B, you really are a softie, you know? Just like your daddy. Don't ever lose that!" Fran hugged him. "And we'll talk tomorrow after school, okay? With everyone."
"Okay. I'll let you know how things go with my biology teacher at school,"
"Okay, good. Goodnight, sweetie."
"Goodnight, Fran," Brighton's eyes twitched slightly again as he closed the door.
Fran headed back to the bedroom and found Max sitting on the bed with the notepad, legs stretched out in front of him. She closed and locked the door behind her and turned off the overhead light. She tossed her robe to the bench, then stopped at the bedside and got several gulps of water from the water bottle before climbing on to the bed with Max. He looked over at her, trying to read her.
"Those kids are the best!" She said. Max smiled. "Gracie was reading a book in Maggie's room. I asked her to go ahead and get her pjs on and put away her necklace, and make sure she got herself to bed by nine. Maggie's going to make sure she does."
"Oh, good," Max said.
"And Brighton was still working on the proposal but it shouldn't be much longer, then he'll print it out. He said he'd go over his review sheets before he goes to sleep." She pulled the sheet over her legs but left the comforter. She was feeling too hot. Max seemed to sense this, and reached over to his bedside table to retrieve the cold pack in the washcloth, and handed it to her. She clutched it and put it to her neck, first one side and then the other, and then on her forehead. She leaned back on the pillows.
"Just make yourself comfortable darling. Tell me if you need something. Let's see if this cold pack is enough. I can always run down and get you the big one anytime, or if you want ice water and a cold compress instead."
She reached for his hand and pulled it to her to kiss the back of it. "Thank you, baby." She let go of his hand to hold the cold pack on her face. Then she reached over to shut off the bedside light, and rested back against the pillows again. Max turned back to the notepad and jotted down a question he thought of.
"Let me know if you think of another question, alright? But also don't try to stay awake if you're able to fall asleep." He watched her pull at the neck of her pajama shirt, moving it out of the way of the cold pack and washcloth.
"Okay. And I don't want you staying up all night worrying about me. We both need to get some sleep. I'll let you know if it gets to be too much for me, okay?"
"Okay."
"And it's okay if you're wide awake and want to go downstairs to watch TV so you don't wake me up. Or if you need the light on to read or something." Max chuckled, reached for the top of her head, and stroked her forehead with his thumb.
"Alright, darling. Oh, the car will be here at 7 to take us when we're ready."
"Okay…" Fran started fading out. She sat the cold pack on her forehead and pulled the sheet up over her. "Max?" She said softly.
"Yes?"
"Has Brighton ever had a tic before?" She asked.
"A what? A tick?" Max was confused.
"That twitch- around his eyes," She peeked out from under the cold pack to squint up at him. She pointed to the outside part of her own eyes.
"Twitch? Oh, that kind of a tic," He looked off to the side. "Did he twitch?"
"Yes, when I was just talking to him. Twice. And I think he did it earlier, at dinner, but it was like he was trying to hide it. It wasn't as strong. But it looks like a tic- like people have when they can't control it. Do you think it's from stress?" Max got quiet, remembering.
"You know, now that you say it- yes. He did have that for a while, but I haven't seen it in years. Not since he was much younger. It started happening after- after, um, when Sarah got sick. And it was pretty constant after she passed. But, you know how he started acting out? When we were all kind of messed up, and I was a workaholic. And we couldn't get a decent nanny that he could connect with. But when he started acting out, it started to ease up. I hadn't really even thought of it before- but it eased up when he kind of turned into a real pain in the ass. No offense to him. I guess he was allowed that much. Maybe that was some kind of control thing. He could control what he did to try to get attention. Maybe that eased his stress in a weird way." Fran was still looking up at him from under the cold pack.
"Then we need to watch him. Try to help him feel little like he has control over something. See if it eases up. I've just never seen him do that until today. If he needs some therapy, then we need to make sure he gets it."
Max slid down on the bed, put the notepad aside, and propped his head up on his fist to look at Fran. "Thank you for telling me. I never imagined that would come back. But I understand why it did. He loves you like a mother. Well, like a mother he had a crush on first. And it hurts him to see this happening. He wants to fix it." Fran reached a hand up to his face.
"It must be triggering a lot for him, maybe things he didn't remember. Poor baby." Max kissed Fran's shoulder.
"I'll try to watch him tomorrow, see if I see it happen. And maybe talk to him privately. I don't want him feeling like we're all watching his every move, you know, to see if he does it. But I don't think we should ignore it, either," he said.
"No, we'll deal directly with him. Let him know we noticed, and we have a little concern about it. If it is stress, which I imagine that's exactly what it is, we'll figure something out. Maybe he needs to burn it off like you do," Fran said.
"Like I do? You mean like a workout? Hmm, maybe that's not a bad idea." Max put a hand across her waist and they lay there quietly for a while. Max could see the rapid pulse from her fever on her neck, between her collar bones. He carefully lifted the cold pack from her forehead and put it on a collarbone, so just enough of it touched her neck and the upper part of her chest. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. He watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed. He thought she might be falling asleep and he didn't want to startle her. He softly put his hand back on her waist and rested his head close to her shoulder. He closed his eyes, too. They needed the rest.
About an hour after after Max had finally fallen asleep, Fran woke up from the fever. She pushed the sheet down away from her and sat up, waking up Max. He jolted up, confused.
"Fran? Fran, are you alright?" He reached for her. She stared in the distance, a little delirious from the fever. Max felt her neck and forehead. "My gosh, darling, you're burning up." He caressed her face and tried to turn her face towards him so he could look her in the eyes, but she closed them again. "Darling, hold on, just a second," Max jumped off the bed on his side and ran around to her side. He sat down on the bed next to her and grabbed the thermometer from the nightstand, shook it out, then gently placed it under her tongue, then turned on the bedside light. She limply put an arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. Max rubbed her back and tried to lift her hair off her neck to help cool her off. He reached down her back to lift up her shirt a little, exposing her skin. "Just trying to help you cool off some," he whispered. "I'll run downstairs after I get your temperature and get some ice and the other cold pack. We'll get you feeling better in no time, Fran, okay?"
Fran squeezed his waist lightly. Max continued gently rubbing her back. Fran began rocking her head back and forth on his shoulder in discomfort.
"Darling," he leaned back and lifted her head from his shoulder. "Darling are you in any pain or anything?"
Fran wasn't sure how to respond, but she knew she couldn't lie to him. She still had the thermometer in her mouth, so she just rested her forehead against his and looked him in the eyes.
"Is that a yes?" He whispered. She nodded slightly. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry!" He kissed her cheek and held her to him. Her back was hot, she sweat a little bit through her clothes. He stroked her shoulders. "We'll get you a drink of water in a minute. That will help a little. Then we'll get you cooled off so you can get back to sleep. It'll be okay, darling." She clutched at his waist again, glad to have him with her. After another minute or so, it was finally time to check the thermometer. He took it from her mouth, turned on the bedside light, and squinted to read it. He looked at her and brushed a stray curl away from her face. "101.7, Fran. I'm sorry, but I guess we knew it could be something like that. Here, let's get you comfortable, and get you a drink." He pushed the pillows up against the headboard so she could sit up, then pulled the back of her shirt back down. He handed her the bottle of water. "Let me get you a dry shirt, and I'll get you some colder water downstairs, too." He rushed to his closet and grabbed a t-shirt for her to change in to, then hurried back out to the bed. "Here, darling, change into this, it will feel better. I'll run downstairs real quick and be right back." He stuffed his feet into his slippers and rushed through the door, shutting it behind him.
Fran chugged some water from the bottle and set it back down on the table, then picked up the shirt he gave her. She pulled off her own shirt, tossed it to the end of the bed, and pulled the dry shirt over her head. Thankfully it was big on her, so the neck hung down enough to let some of the heat out. She leaned back on the pillows and closed her eyes. She didn't like this feeling. Not just the discomfort of the fever, but the weird feeling in her side. It made her very aware of what was there, very concerned for what was happening with it. She moved over to her right side and curled up, uncomfortable.
Max ran down the back stairs and went for the items Niles had set on the counter. He grabbed the plastic bowl and went to the freezer to fill it with ice, and then opened the drawer to take out the large cold pack and leave the now-warm small cold pack. He set the bowl and cold pack on the counter and went back to get water bottles out of the fridge. He then hurried over to a cabinet to get a plastic cup, and then filled that with ice. He figured maybe the bottled water wouldn't be cold enough to help, so maybe ice water would be better. Niles had also set out a couple of hand towels, wash cloths, and even a baggie- that must also be for ice. Max grabbed a tray from the back of the kitchen and stacked everything on it, then went back upstairs.
Niles came through the kitchen door, thinking he heard something. He looked around and noticed that everything he had set out was now gone.
"Oh dear," he said to himself. He knew they were going to have a rough night ahead of them. Niles decided he had better head to bed himself, in case Mr. Sheffield needed a hand at any point.
Max balanced the heavy tray in one hand as he turned the knob on the bedroom door, then pushed it open. He saw Fran curled up, half sitting up on the bed. He set the tray on the bench and went back to shut and lock the door. Fran made an attempt to lift her head and look over at him, then laid back down. He took the bowl of ice to the bathroom and filled it with cold water, then headed back to Fran. He began to prepare everything to take care of her that night. He poured the cold bottled water into the cup of ice and coaxed Fran to sit up and drink some of it. She chugged it. He set the cup down and laid one of the hand towels behind Fran, then put the large cold pack on it, then another towel over that. He laid her back against it and got her comfortable, then grabbed a washcloth and the bowl of ice water. He turned off her bedside light and sat on the edge of the bed next to her, soaked the washcloth, wrung it out and folded it, and began to dab it around her forehead and neck. She sighed.
"Thank you…" she whispered.
"I wish I could make it go away, Fran. I really do. How is your side feeling?"
"It's been better. It's not a strong pain, mostly a weird feeling. Like a heavy sensation. Then once in a while I get that pain."
Max glanced down at her side. "Would cold help it any, do you think?"
"Mmm, I think it's too far in. I think that medicine is the only thing that would help it. I'll be okay, Max. It's mostly the fever that is really bothering me." She took a deep breath. Max dunked the washcloth again and tucked a piece of ice into it to try to make it colder. He pressed it around her neck, then turned it over and set it on her forehead. He picked up the other washcloth, dunked it, then wrung it out and folded it and wrapped it on the front of her neck. That seemed to help calm Fran's restlessness. He watched the pounding pulse in her neck, the rise and fall of her rapid breathing. Earlier, he fell asleep watching that, but sleep was the furthest thing on his mind now.
He took the cloth off her forehead and dunked it again, then put it back. He did the same thing with the cloth wrapped on her neck.
"Max?"
"Yes?"
"I think I need to lift the shirt up some. I'm hot all over."
"Okay, darling, whatever you need." He watched as she grabbed the sides of his t-shirt that she had changed into, then pulled it up to expose her belly. "Can I check you there? See how warm you are?"
"Yeah." Max put the back of his hand on her belly. She was pretty warm. He reached down her legs and slid her pajama pants up over her calves. He legs were warm too.
"Can I try something real quick, sweetheart? You can tell me if it's uncomfortable."
"Okay…"
Max reached for the other bottle of cold water and placed it against the bottoms of her feet. "Is that too cold?"
"Uh… no, it's- actually good." She whispered.
"Okay, we'll see if that helps, too." He refreshed the washcloths and put them back on her. "Tomorrow will be better. We'll have more answers, more plans. And they should be letting you take the medicine again, I would expect. If we need a nap when we get back, we'll take one. Just gotta get you through this rough patch, okay?"
"Yeah…"
"I'll shut up now and let you rest as much as you can, I'm sure you can't settle down with me babbling."
"Max, you aren't babbling. You're helping me a lot. I'm just trying to focus and imagine that I'm bringing my temperature down. It might not help, but who knows." Max lifted her hand and kissed it.
"Okay, we'll be quiet a while and see if you start feeling like it's getting better."
"K." Max refreshed the cloths again. Fran reached up to move the cloth on her forehead down over her eyes. Max sat quietly and looked her over. She was still beautiful, even when she felt miserable. He felt bad for even thinking it, but he loved her so much. He wanted to kiss her, but that wouldn't be right- not now. He looked down at her feet and then rolled the water bottle to another side. He tried to think of what else he could do to help. Then he remembered something. He needed to run down to his office.
"Sweetheart- I just remembered something that might help you. I need to run downstairs again. Will you be okay for a couple of minutes?"
"Mmm hmm…"
"Let me get these wet again for you, then I'll run downstairs." He took both of the cloths and put them in the ice water, swirling them around, then wringing them out and placing them back on her. "Be right back, darling!" He kissed her on the cheek and left the room again, shutting the door behind him.
Max hurried down the front staircase, which was dark now. He turned on the living room light and rushed through to his office. He turned on the light in there and began pulling open drawers until he found it- a small electric fan. That might help keep her cool a little more constantly than him replacing the cloths over and over again. He grabbed the fan, shut off the light, hurried back through the living room and shut off that light, then rushed up the stairs as quietly as he could. He quietly stepped back into the bedroom, and shut and locked the door behind him once again. Fran looked like she was writhing slightly back and forth. She had a cloth over her eyes.
"Here I am, darling. Let me help you." He got the cloths cold again and put them back on. "Do you need a drink?" She shook her head. He looked around for a place to set the fan, then moved her glass of water and the thermometer over, set the fan on the bedside table, and then pulled the cord around behind the table so he could plug it in. Then he turned it on low and aimed it so it would give a gentle breeze most of the way across her. "Let me know if that bothers you, alright?"
"Mmm. It feels kind of good." Max smiled. He moved some of the things off of the bed, including the bowl of ice water, which he put on his bedside table. He got up and moved around to his side of the bed, turned the light down to low, and climbed into bed next to her. He watched her for a little while, then turned the washcloths over to put the cooler side on her, and watched her a little longer. Then he refreshed each one, one at a time, and gently placed it back on her. He touched her arm with the back of his hand. Still warm. Then he touched her bare side. Still warm. But her breathing looked like it had slowed- like she was settling down. He curled up next to her, but not touching her. He didn't want to be responsible for heating her up again. He watched her some more, then flipped the washcloths over again. He felt the breeze of the fan as it washed over them. He tended to her a while longer, until he finally fell asleep next to her.