For the first time in weeks, Sebastian slept.
Not well.
Not peacefully.
Not for very long.
But he slept.
When he opened his eyes the next morning, sunlight was already filtering through the curtains.
For a few moments he simply lay there.
Listening.
The apartment was not quiet.
Which meant Ellie was awake.
A fact that surprised absolutely nobody.
Sebastian checked the clock.
7:14 a.m.
Too early for any reasonable person to have that much energy.
Yet somehow Ellie managed it every day.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Then he pushed himself out of bed and headed toward the kitchen.
The moment he entered, he was greeted by chaos.
Not bad chaos.
Just Ellie chaos.
"—and then Bunny fell off the bed!"
Ellie sat at the table enthusiastically explaining something.
Lillian was making breakfast while simultaneously packing Ellie's school bag.
"Really?" Lillian asked.
"Yep!"
"What happened then?"
Ellie gasped dramatically.
"He got hurt."
Lillian nodded seriously.
"Oh no."
Sebastian sat down.
"What happened to Bunny after that?"
Ellie immediately turned toward him.
"Daddy!"
"Good morning."
She launched into the story again.
Apparently Bunny had fallen off the bed.
Then needed medical attention.
Then recovered.
Then demanded pancakes.
Or something similar.
Sebastian wasn't entirely sure.
Neither was Lillian.
But both listened anyway.
Because Ellie considered it important.
And that was enough.
A short while later breakfast was finished.
Lillian moved around the kitchen gathering things for school.
Water bottle.
Lunch.
Extra sweater.
The usual routine.
Sebastian's attention wandered toward the kitchen counter.
A notebook sat there.
Open.
At first he paid it no attention.
Then he noticed his name.
Sebastian frowned.
Curiosity got the better of him.
As Lillian helped Ellie find her shoes, he glanced down.
Then froze.
The notebook wasn't filled with work notes.
Or grocery lists.
Or reminders.
It was filled with information about him.
Pages and pages of it.
Medication schedules.
Warning signs of another seizure.
Doctor's instructions.
Emergency numbers.
Hospital contacts.
Information about alcohol withdrawal.
Foods he should eat.
Foods he should avoid.
Symptoms that required immediate medical attention.
Every page was organized.
Neat.
Highlighted.
Carefully written.
Sebastian slowly turned another page.
Then another.
And another.
His chest tightened.
Because this wasn't something someone threw together in five minutes.
This had taken time.
Hours.
Maybe more.
A lot more.
Lillian appeared beside him.
Immediately realizing what he was looking at.
"Oh."
Sebastian looked up.
"You made all of this?"
For some reason she suddenly looked embarrassed.
"It's not a big deal."
Sebastian stared at her.
Then looked back at the notebook.
Then at her again.
"It is."
Before Lillian could answer, Ellie appeared carrying Bunny.
"Mommy! Shoes!"
Lillian sighed.
"Right."
School.
The interruption ended the conversation.
For now.
A few minutes later Ellie was ready.
Backpack secured.
Bunny staying home.
After several emotional goodbyes to Bunny, the crisis was resolved.
Then Lillian and Ellie left for school.
The apartment door closed behind them.
And silence returned.
Sebastian remained at the kitchen table.
The notebook still open.
He stared at it for a long time.
Every page told the same story.
Lillian was worried.
Truly worried.
Enough to research everything.
Enough to write everything down.
Enough to prepare for emergencies.
His fingers brushed over one page.
There were even reminders she'd written for herself.
Check medication at 8 a.m.
Watch for dizziness.
Call doctor immediately if seizure symptoms return.
Sebastian swallowed hard.
Because nobody had done something like this for him in years.
Maybe ever.
His employees respected him.
His board needed him.
His investors depended on him.
But none of them would have sat at a table for hours making notes about his health.
Only Lillian.
The realization stayed with him all morning.
When Lillian finally returned from dropping Ellie off, she found him exactly where she'd left him.
Sitting at the kitchen table.
The notebook open.
He looked up as she entered.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Sebastian asked quietly:
"Why are you doing all this?"
Lillian paused.
She knew exactly what he meant.
The notebook.
The care.
The apartment.
Everything.
She set her keys down.
Then walked over.
"I already told you."
"No."
Sebastian shook his head.
"You didn't."
Lillian hesitated.
For some reason the answer felt difficult.
Not because she didn't know it.
Because she did.
The answer was simple.
Painfully simple.
Finally she sat down across from him.
And told the truth.
"Because I'm worried about you."
The words settled between them.
No excuses.
No complicated explanation.
Just honesty.
Sebastian stared at her.
Something in his chest tightened.
Because after everything he'd done.
After everything he'd ruined.
After all the years between them.
She was still worried about him.
Neither spoke for several moments.
Lillian looked away first.
Because suddenly she was thinking about the photograph again.
The one she'd found in his bedroom.
The one beside his bed.
The one she still couldn't stop thinking about.
The words almost left her mouth.
Why do you still have that picture?
But she stopped herself.
Again.
Because she wasn't ready.
And maybe he wasn't either.
So instead she stood.
"You should take your medication."
Sebastian smiled faintly.
"There it is."
"There what is?"
"Nurse Lillian."
Lillian rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious."
"I know."
Yet he still took the medication.
Which felt like a victory.
The rest of the day passed quietly.
Until evening.
When Ellie returned home.
And immediately decided everyone needed to draw.
This was apparently not a suggestion.
It was a requirement.
Now the three of them sat around the dining table.
Paper scattered everywhere.
Colored pencils spread across the surface.
Ellie worked happily on her masterpiece.
Lillian sketched something surprisingly decent.
Sebastian stared at his page.
Then at the rabbit he was attempting to draw.
Then back at the rabbit.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
"It looks strange."
Lillian leaned over.
The moment she saw it, she burst out laughing.
Sebastian looked offended.
"It's a rabbit."
"No."
She laughed harder.
"That's not a rabbit."
"It absolutely is."
Ellie looked at the drawing.
Then immediately collapsed into giggles.
"Daddy!"
"What?"
"That's a potato."
The betrayal was unbelievable.
Sebastian stared at both of them.
Mother and daughter laughing together.
Nearly identical blue eyes.
Nearly identical smiles.
And despite being the target of their laughter, he found himself smiling too.
The apartment felt warm.
Comfortable.
Safe.
For a few precious minutes, everything felt normal.
Like a family sitting together after dinner.
Like this was how things had always been.
And perhaps the most dangerous part was that none of them wanted the moment to end.