Disclaimer: Not Mine!
A/N: Had to write this, it kept bothering me. Thanks for reading! Takes place six months after the end of A Man's Guilt.
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He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it.
Six months after his girlfriend got shot, Don Flack was back at the hospital. Him in the waiting room, her inside. He couldn't believe this was happening again.
He knew she hadn't been feeling well. She would walk around the apartment coughing and sneezing, rubbing her sore throat, all the signs that told Flack she was sick. But, being as stubborn as she was, she never admitted to it.
"I'm fine," she would say. "It's just stress."
The one time he reminded her she didn't really have anything to be stressed about, he ended up sleeping on the couch for a couple nights. From then on, he just let her say what she wanted. He knew she was sick.
Even their dog, Bendel, knew she was sick. When she'd lay in bed sneezing or coughing, he'd curl up next to her, trying to get her to feel better. Flack was sure the dog hated him, because every time he got around Kate, the dog growled at him. Damn dog. It was Flack who bought the stupid thing in the first place.
But now, here he was again. Flack pacing the waiting room, waiting to hear any kind of news. And, once again, she had collapsed after another one of their famous fights.
The whole team was going out for drinks to celebrate the catching of a serial killer. Flack had called Kate to join them when he was leaving the station, which was an hour ago. She had plenty of time to get dressed, if she had to, and join them. The bar was only a ten minute cab ride from her and Flack's apartment, but she still wasn't there.
Flack started to get worried, and decided to call her to see where she was. He called her cell. No answer. He called the house phone. No answer. That wasn't a good sign. Kate always answered at least one of the phones.
Flack told the team he was heading home, but that he'd be right back. He got in his car, and drove to the apartment. When he got there, he saw her laying on the bed, with jeans and a tank top on, fast asleep. He sighed in frustration and went over to her, waking her up.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? You don't answer the phone anymore?" he asked as she woke up slowly on the bed.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear it ring. I must've dozed off," she said. He noticed for a brief second how weak she sounded, but he pushed past it.
"Dozed off? What, like you don't get enough alone time here all day?"
"Don, please, I'm tired. I don't want to fight."
"Yeah," Flack said, "Well I didn't wanna be standing in a bar wondering where the hell my girlfriend was."
"You just said I'm always here," she pointed out, getting up to put some shoes on and grab her purse. Bendel was crying on the bed. He hated when his parents fought.
"I just caught a serial killer who raped and murdered ten different women, just because they walked past him the wrong way. Excuse me for being concerned about you," he said, brushing her comment off.
"Donnie, please," she pleaded, trying to balance herself while she put a shoe on.
"It's just amazing, Kate. You won't go see a doctor, even though everyone knows you're sick and you won't answer your phone, even though you know this job gets me paranoid enough to think you could be dead somewhere. You disappoint me, Kate, really." Flack walked out of the room, heading to go out without her, when he heard a crash from the bedroom. He raced back in, and saw Kate lying on the floor. She must've passed out and fallen over while she was putting her shoes on. He pushed Bendel aside – the dog was barking like crazy now – and told him to go to bed, while Flack tended to Kate. She had a pulse, but it seemed weak. It was only then he realized how hot she was. She must've had a fever. He lifted her up, placing her gently on the bed. He ran into the bathroom, grabbing a thermometer, and took her temperature. 106. Not good. He immediately called an ambulance, and that's how he ended up at the hospital.
The team was waiting with him. Lindsay, of course, was distraught over having to be here a second time within a year for her little sister. Stella was comforting her, while Danny, Mac, and Hawkes sat nearby. Flack was pacing back and forth, blaming himself again.
It was only a matter of time before a doctor finally came out. Flack attacked him with questions, before the doctor could even introduce himself. "Miss Monroe has a very intense, severe case of the flu," he explained. "She has a very high fever that we have to monitor, as well as the usual symptoms that go with the flu: headache, sneezing, coughing, fatigue, and chills. This condition of the flu is very serious, so we'll have to keep her here for a few days, maybe even a week or so."
Flack just nodded along to everything the doctor was saying. The flu? Flack didn't realize people could get seriously ill from the flu, he thought it was mostly for kids and the elderly. And looking back on it, she had been weak and feverish the past day or so. Damnit, he should've just taken her to the hospital as soon as she started sneezing.
"Can we see her, doctor?" Lindsay asked, breaking Flack out of his inner guilt trip.
"She's awake, but I wouldn't if I were you. The flu is very contagious," he explained.
"We all got flu shots, and we can wear masks," Lindsay reasoned. "Please, she's my sister."
The doctor sighed, but agreed. He arranged for the team to get some masks from the nurses so they could go in, but as he was doing this, Flack walked away. He wanted to see her, obviously, but he didn't think she'd want to see him, and she was the sick one. He just watched from a distance as the rest of the team went in to see her. He kicked the wall behind him, and walked off to the cafeteria.
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Kate was laying there in agony, when she saw her sister rush in. "Hi," she croaked out.
"Oh, Katie," Lindsay gushed, "How are you feeling?"
A few tears fell from Kate's eyes. "Not well," she said, and laughed once before crying silently again. "I'm so sorry," she said.
"It's not your fault," Stella said. "You didn't realize it would be this bad."
"Donnie kept telling me I was sick, but I didn't listen. I don't want to be sick," Kate cried. It was then that the team realized Flack wasn't there, but no one moved to say anything.
"It's gonna be OK, honey," Lindsay said. "You're going to be just fine." Lindsay ran her hand through Kate's hair, and it scared her how hot her baby sister felt.
Kate calmed down a bit before realizing there was someone missing. "Where's Don?" she asked.
The team looked at each other. They didn't know. He was there. So they lied. "He'll be here as soon as he can," Lindsay said. "He's so worried about you."
"OK," Kate said, weakly. The team decided to let her rest, and left so she could try to get some sleep.
Walking out of her room, the team turned Kate's question amongst themselves. "Where the hell did Flack go?" Danny asked.
"He was here," Stella said. "Maybe he's sick too."
"No," Mac said, "He couldn't bear to see Kate like that." Everyone agreed that must've been it. They walked out, figuring Kate was in good hands, and didn't see Don beating himself up in the café.
