Simon Riley had been on a mission for a few weeks. He hated being apart from you, but his job was demanding and you never blamed him for being absent often. You had been married for 3 years now.

The mission ended early, so he decided to surprise you by flying back home.

God, he missed you more than anything. You were his one light in this dark world, and he couldn't wait to have you in his arms again.

What was normally a short 15 minute drive from the airport felt like an eternity. He hopped out of the cab and began grabbing his things from the boot of the car. He looked around at the overgrown grass of the front yard and the halloween decorations that were still up.

Something was off.. you always stayed on top of decorating. He thought that by now you'd already have the house ready for Christmas.

He quickly walked inside, needing to see you to ease his mind before he jumped to any conclusions. The air smelt stagnant and also faintly of vapor rub. He dropped his bag and made a beeline for your bedroom. He pushed open the door, his eyes scanning for you. He let out a sigh of relief as soon as he saw you.

There you were, in the middle of the bed, blankets tucked up to your chin, surrounded by wadded up tissues. Your breathing was labored and you looked feverish.

You were sick.

He moved to your bedside, tutting under his breath as he gently placed the back of his hand on your forehead. You were burning up. How long had you been like this?

Hours later, your fever broke and you slowly woke to the smell of something cooking. You sat up in bed, confused only for a second because Simon walked back into the room holding a tray of food.

He came into the room and set the tray down on your lap. It was homemade chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese. Your favorite comfort meal. "There's my pretty girl, how are ya feeling love? Ya gave me quite the scare.." He said as he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.