Frederic gave a soft smile, his heart warming at her words, and replied softly, "I love you, Karen," but she was already asleep again. He returned to the kitchen and finished up the soup, and when it was done, he went back to Karen's room, peeking in to see if she was awake. To his surprise, she was sitting up with an expression on her face as if she'd just seen a ghost. He hurried in and put the bowl of hot soup he'd brought on her nightstand as he sat on the side of her bed and then took her hands in his own. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"