Being back at work after nearly being blown to bits was a little weird, to say the least. It'd taken weeks of rehab to get his superiors to even consider letting him come back to work and then, he wasn't allowed to go out on any calls. "Strictly desk duty," They'd said.
That didn't seem too enticing but neither did staying in his apartment watching soap operas every day. So here Flack was, back in the NYPD and stuck behind a desk. He was trying to ignore the questioning looks from uniformed cops as they strode in and out. He tried to ignore the whispers from people if it took him a moment too long to stand. Damnit didn't they understand? His gut had pretty much been ripped out, they'd be moving slowly too if it were them. But fact of the matter was, it didn't happen to them.
He still had repurcussions from the bombing. Loud noises weren't on the top of his 'favorites' list; in fact fireworks going off near his apartment building the other night had made his hair stand on end. That had ended up being one hell of a sleepless night. Mentally, he felt okay although he did have his up's and down's just like with anything else. Physically he was getting better by the day, although he still limped a little bit and the still-healing wound in his chest felt like it was pulling every now and then. He still had to go to physical therapy, which pissed him off, but the sooner he got back in top physical condition (or somewhere close to it), the faster he'd get out from behind the desk.
Growing bored of having nothing to do, Flack left to go visit the crime lab. Sure he'd seen all the CSI's while he was in the hospital but he was tired of the stares at his desk. Once on the floor of the crime lab, he was walking slowly down the hallway. He hoped to catch up with Mac or Danny, see if maybe he could help with anything. Doing anything else besides sit at a desk sounded good right about then. He found Danny in the breakroom, eating a quick lunch of what looked to be Chinese take-out. He looked up when the taller figure walked in and grinned, "Well well well, look who the cat dragged in! You actually look good!"
Flack laughed before taking a seat, "Quit flirting with me Messer."
Danny snorted, looking up at the tv that was on one of the news channels. "You do look good though. Not all pale and dead-like. That wasn't a good look for you Flack."
He shook his head, "Nah I don't think so either."
"So how you doin'? How's it feel to be back?"
Flack shrugged as he looked at the tv, "Weird. I don't like being stuck behind a desk. I've finished all the paperwork and shit that was left over. Now I don't know what to do."
"Well just take it easy. Milk it for all it's worth 'cause you know as soon as you're back to 100, you'll be working all the long hours just like us again." He held out a carton that was full of rice, "Hungry? I got plenty."
Flack shook his head, "Nah I'm good. You busy?"
Danny shot him a smile before continuing to eat, "Would I be sitting here if I was? But no, hasn't been too busy this morning. I'm waiting on some lab results though. Gonna hang up here for awhile?"
"Yeah thought I might. Better than getting stared at like a freak show."
He nodded before closing up the carton, moving to put his leftover Chinese in the fridge for later. "Well hang around, just about everyone's here but Mac and Hawkes. They went out to a scene about a half hour ago."
Danny noticed the look on Flack's face. He looked almost...sad. He frowned, moving to stand in front of his friend, "Hey you okay?"
Flack blinked a couple of times, hoping he could fake out his friend by forcing a smile. He nodded and stood slowly, "Yeah I'm fine. Just miss it, you know?"
Danny nodded, well aware of how it was to not be able to work when it was really all you knew. He watched his friend carefully as he stood, taking a moment to completely straighten up as if moving too fast would jar his injury. "I'm sure you'll be back before you know it. And you'll be complaining about how bad the coffee sucks just like the rest of us."
That did it, causing a full fledged laugh to roll out of Don Flack. He knew it was true, the coffee was horrid and he was usually running to a small coffee shop down the street just to stay away from the office stuff. And he knew he'd be back to normal soon, but that didn't mean he had to be patient about it. He followed Danny out of the break room and down to one of the labs, listening to the other man ramble on about a case he'd been working the week before. As much as Flack would bitch and moan about not i really /i being able to work, he had to admit that it was really great to be back.