It happened in slow motion. He felt like he could see each and every raindrop as it fell from the sky, colliding with the pavement and shattering. Staring in disbelief, he watched as she fell, slowly, her body crumpling to the ground as her weapon slipped from her weakened grasp.
The second she hit the asphalt, it was like a spell had been broken. He surged forward, crashing to his knees by her side as she stared up at him. Cradling her head, he used his right hand to put pressure on the wound, her blood escaping through his fingers.
"Please, God, no…" he whispered brokenly. "You can't do this to me, Stella. You can't leave me."
One of her hands reached up, taking hold of the collar of his dress shirt and tangling her fingers there. She pulled him closer, her breaths ragged and pained.
"Donnie…"
"Stell, don't."
"Donnie, I…I love you."
He couldn't feel the tears that slid down his cheeks in torrents, mixing with the rain that continued to fall steadily. He just held her closer, tighter, as though he could give her the strength he suddenly seemed to have an abundance of.
"Please, Stell…don't leave. You gotta hold on. Just a couple more minutes, Stell –"
The grip she had on his shirt suddenly loosened, and fear began to choke him. He searched her eyes desperately, but she was no longer there.
"Stell? STELL!" he screamed raggedly.
The only answer was the steady fall of rain.
88888888888888888888
"You look tired," Danny commented as he stepped up to Flack's desk.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," the detective grumbled.
"What, did you have a hot date? She keep you up all night?"
"Shut it, Messer."
"Wow, you're cranky."
"Yeah, well, you're pissing me off."
"I hope the sex was really good, because putting up with you like this all day is gonna be a real pain in the ass."
Don slammed one of his desk drawers shut, his face mottled with anger. Stepping forward, he slammed a finger into Danny's chest. "You know what, Messer? Right now, you're the pain in the ass. So why don't you go find your little girlfriend and leave me the hell alone?"
Danny's face turned to stone as he took a step back from his friend. "Go to hell, Don."
Flack sighed as Danny turned and stalked down the hall. Shaking his head, he turned back to his desk, but found himself face-to-face with an angry Stella instead.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded.
He shrugged. "Nothing."
"Nothing? You practically tore his head off!"
"Yeah, well…he was stickin' his nose where it doesn't belong."
Stella looked at him closely, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the way he wouldn't meet her gaze. "What's wrong, Flack?" she asked.
"Nothing."
"Don't lie to me. Something is obviously bothering you."
"I told you, it's nothing. Everything is fine."
"Don –"
He rounded on her. "Since when do you care, huh? Just drop it, Stell! I don't need you tryin' to fix me."
Her eyes hardened, but her voice gentled. "I have always cared, Don."
Flack snorted. "Yeah, sure."
Taking a deep breath, Stella stood up straighter. "Fine. Obviously you don't want a friend right now. So I'm just going to tell you that whatever this is, you need to suck it up and deal. Because we have work to do, and I don't have time to babysit your every conversation."
With that, she turned and swept back down the hall, leaving Flack to stand in her wake, more confused and frustrated than ever.
888888888888888888
Flack looked up when the door to the locker room opened, his heart speeding up a little when he saw Stella walk in. She didn't meet his gaze, simply walking to her locker and opening it. He watched her for a few minutes, the silence killing him.
"I didn't mean to snap at you," he finally said, his voice quiet.
She nodded, but still didn't look up. "Then why did you?"
He looked down at the floor. "I…I'm not sure I can tell you."
Stella turned, a thoughtful look on her face. "You can tell me anything, Don. I mean that."
"It'll sound stupid."
"Try me."
Eyes still locked on the floor, he nodded. "I…had a dream…a nightmare."
Stella crossed her arms. "About what?"
"You."
Her eyes widened and softened at the same time. Slowly, she took a step forward, resting a gentle hand on his arm. "Me? Did I do something to hurt you…?"
Flack's head snapped up, his eyes finally locking with hers. "No! No…you didn't do anything, Stell."
"Then what happened?"
He swallowed hard, dying to look away, but unable to make his eyes leave hers. "You…died. In my arms." She opened her mouth to speak, but he kept going. "I know it was just a dream, Stell, but it felt so real. I watched you get shot and then…you fell, and I held you, and I begged you not to go, but…"
She saw the tears building in his eyes, and the way his hands were starting to shake. Not knowing what else to do, Stella closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. He didn't hesitate in hugging her back, his arms tightening their hold on her until their bodies were crushed together. Stella let her head fall onto his shoulder, even as Flack buried his face in her hair, breathing her in as though trying to convince himself that she was really there.
They stood like that for a long time, but eventually they had to pull back. Stella stared at him for a moment before reaching up and kissing him gently on the cheek.
"You can always talk to me, Flack. Always." He nodded and she gave him a smile. "Come on. We've still got work to do."
8888888888888888888
It happened in slow motion, and Flack found that he couldn't breathe. Everything was just like his dream, so much so that he was dizzy with the sensation of déjà vu. He felt like he could see each and every raindrop as it fell from the sky, colliding with the pavement and shattering. Staring in disbelief, he watched as she fell, slowly, her body crumpling to the ground as her weapon slipped from her weakened grasp.
The second she hit the asphalt, it was like a spell had been broken. He surged forward, crashing to his knees by her side as she stared up at him. Cradling her head, he used his right hand to put pressure on the wound, her blood escaping through his fingers.
"Please, God, no…" he whispered brokenly. "You can't do this to me, Stella. You can't leave me."
One of her hands reached up, taking hold of the collar of his dress shirt and tangling her fingers there. She pulled him closer, her breaths ragged and pained.
"Donnie…"
"Stell, don't."
"Donnie…"
His eyes locked with hers as he brought his face closer. "Don't, Stell. You say it, and the rest of the dream might come true, too. And I can't take that Stell. I can't lose you.
She nodded in understanding. Letting go of his collar, she took a hold of one of his hands, squeezing tightly. "Promise me you'll be there when I wake up?"
"Always, Stell," he whispered. "Always."
He couldn't feel the tears that slid down his cheeks in torrents, mixing with the rain that continued to fall steadily. He just held her closer, tighter, as though he could give her the strength he suddenly seemed to have an abundance of.
Sirens sounded in the distance, their red and blue lights flashing at the edges of Flack's vision. He prayed that they weren't too late.
888888888888888888
Flack didn't really want to sit still, but he couldn't bring himself to get up either. He was afraid that if he started to walk, he wouldn't be able to stop, and then he wouldn't be there when Stella came out of surgery. And there was nothing on earth that would make him break his promise to her.
Slowly, he became aware that he wasn't alone. Mac sat next to him, stoic and strong, his presence alone giving Flack a strength he didn't know he had. Lindsay sat on the other side, one of her hands rubbing gentle circles on his back. His eyes focused on the space in front of him, as he realized that Danny was crouching in front of him, looking at him intensely.
"Hey," he said quietly.
"Hey," Flack whispered.
"C'mon, man. Let's get you cleaned up."
When Flack frowned in confusion, Danny took a hold of one of his wrists, lifting Flack's hand until he could see it. They were a deep red, the color staining his skin from the tips of his fingers down to his watch.
"Oh God," he breathed.
"C'mon," Danny said gently. "We'll go wash it off."
Flack shook his head violently. "I can't."
"Don –"
"I promised her, Danny. I promised her I'd be here when she woke up."
"It'll be five minutes, tops."
"I can't leave her."
Danny lowered his voice. "You need to get cleaned up, Don. When Stell wakes up, you're gonna go see her, and you don't want her blood on your hands. It'll upset her. So let's go clean up and get you back here as soon as possible, okay?"
Numbly, Flack nodded. He stood slowly, and Danny took him by the arm, leading down the hallway and toward one of the bathrooms.
8888888888888888888
It was almost an hour later when the doctor finally came out to talk to them. Flack was on his feet immediately, the energy he'd been suppressing finally coming to the surface.
The doctor held up a staying hand. "Detective Bonasera is going to be just fine. She came through the surgery easily, and I'm expecting her to make a full recovery."
They all let out a sigh of relief, and Mac stood up, extending his hand.
"Thank you, Doctor."
The older man nodded. "Are you Don?"
Mac shook his head and pointed at Flack. "He is. Why?"
The doctor turned to the detective. "She's awake, and she's asking for you. You can go see her, as long as you promise to let her rest."
Don nodded, and the doctor turned, leading him down the corridor.
88888888888888888
"Don," she breathed as soon as he walked into the room.
He tried to give her a smile, but the tears were fighting back. Shaking his head, he crossed the room, gently sitting on the edge of her bed, facing her. "Hey, Stell," he whispered, his voice shaking.
She reached out, taking one of his hands in hers and entwining their fingers. Flack looked down for a long minute, transfixed by the way her skin felt against his.
"Thank you," he finally choked out.
Stella frowned. "For what?"
He raised his eyes to hers. "For not dying."
Her bottom lip quivered as she reached out with her free hand and cupped one side of his face. "Can I say it now?"
"Say what?"
"What you stopped me from saying before the ambulance came." Unable to speak, Don just nodded, and Stella gave him a warm smile, rubbing her thumb across his cheek. "I love you, Don."
He opened his mouth to say something, but a strangled sob escaped first. He lifted his hand to place it over the one she held against his face, soaking in the feel of her. Tears streaming down his face, his eyes locked with hers.
"I love you too, Stell."
Leaning forward, Don pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft at first as they tested the waters, feeling out the new direction that their relationship was taking. Flack dropped one hand to the bed to support his weight as he moved even closer, tilting his head and deepening the kiss. Stella opened her mouth to him without hesitation, their tongues moving against each other languidly as they drank each other in. Soon, the kisses grew more insistent as Stella locked her fingers in Flack's hair and a soft moan escaped his lips.
Stella pulled back then, breathing heavily. Don watched her, a frown on his face.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she assured him. "I just…" She looked down, and Don was surprised to see a small blush creeping up her neck. "I'm not cleared for all…physical activity yet."
Flack chuckled at that, leaning in and pressing his lips against hers for a brief moment. "Then we'll just have to keep it light until you are," he murmured.
Stella let him kiss her for a little longer, and then she pulled back again, her eyes sliding shut. "I'm tired," she said quietly.
"Do you want me to go?"
Her grip tightened on his hand as she shook her head. "Stay. Please."
He smiled, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "Of course I will."
A shy smile crept onto her face, along with another blush. "There's room up here for two, you know."
Flack's smile broadened. "Yeah?"
Stella nodded and slowly pushed herself to the side of the bed. Don slipped his shoes off before climbing under the covers next to her, his arms pulling her against him. She laid her head against his chest, her eyes sliding shut as sleep finally came over her. Flack watched her for a long time, enjoying the relief that continued to flood through him at the knowledge that Stella was safe. Leaning in, he kissed her gently on the head and pulled her even closer, his own eyes closing as he drifted off to sleep.