Tended (6)
I believe the answer is:
nursed
'tended' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for nursed that I've seen before include "Tended to the sick, cared for" , "Took care of while ill" , "Tended to while ill" , "Cherished" , "Cared for the ill" .)