He was groggy and off balance but he still remembered his promise from last night and that earned him another smile, no matter how faint.  “Okay,” Natasha agreed, watching him wander out to the kitchen before making her way to the washroom again.  A shower sounded pretty good, but not as good as brushing her teeth and getting rid of the lingering taste of sickness in her mouth, so she did that first and gargled with mouthwash – it wasn’t like she planned on breakfast this morning anyway – before mixing the water for a warm shower and stepping under the spray.

She could do this.  Another couple of hours and the appointment would be over.  The worst wouldn’t be, not by a long shot, but one step at a time.