"Oh, I'm sure you're taking it easy on yourself," she teased. The little nudge he gave her had her lips pulling a little higher on one side. It dawned on her then that she probably needed this, too. Maybe not as much as Stephen -- the ungodly amount of stress he was under was insurmountable, she was sure. But with everything she'd been trying to make clear, to grasp and really process since being made aware of this multiverse situation, on top of the daily/nightly stress of being an ER surgeon that came with its own set of psychological and emotional stresses, Christine needed a break.
His ego had definitely been a wedge in their relationship once it'd gone from being 'part of his charm' and as endearing as it was irritating, to through the roof and infuriating. He was different now though, and she could and had acknowledged that. Right now he seemed more like when they'd first met, and it was appealing even if the Strange Policy was still in effect. It made her want to be around him, not just because he helped her understand what was going on, but because she actually enjoyed it.