A/N - Another story! Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Perception.
Kate was absolutely crazy. Not in the certifiable way that Daniel was, but she did manage to rival him sometimes.
Daniel was cautious. It was the paranoid schizophrenia really. It kept him from risking life and limb. Of course, there were instances where he went against his better judgment simply because he knew right from wrong—like when he went in the house with the bomb despite Kate's protests. It was more important to talk down the kid than keep himself safe. Plus, he knew that he could convince the young man not to blow them all up. That was the exception, though, not the rule.
He'd never jump from a third story fire escape or chase down bad guys three times his size. That was something Kate would do—quiet, unassuming Kate whom he thought would become a therapist or perhaps the CEO of some big name corporation, not become a reckless FBI agent.
As he sat next to her bedside, watching the heart monitor, he wished she had become a therapist. Then she wouldn't have gotten shot.
The bullet just grazed her second to last rib and missed almost all her vital organs, but there had been so much blood. Daniel remembered balling up his scarf and holding it to her side as she lay motionless on the pavement. Agent Probert had gone after the suspect, and Daniel was so grateful to see the shooter in handcuffs.
Yet, he couldn't feel that justice was served when Kate was still lying in the hospital.
The nurses hadn't wanted him staying considering he wasn't family, but after a few moments of resistance, he told them that he was her fiancé. They commented on a lack of a ring on her finger but he told them that she did wear it while on the job—she didn't want to ruin it.
They relented.
A few hours later, after surgery, he was allowed into the room and he sat at her bedside, waiting. He had all the time in the world, really. He'd cancel his class that afternoon before he'd leave her side. His students would understand.
"You really care for her." A young man appeared in the empty chair next to Daniel.
It was the same boy that had been following him around for the last two days. It was the same young man who helped Daniel to solve the latest case. His name was Greg Douglas, or at least that what he told Daniel. Greg, a nuisance at first, assisted Daniel in thinking like the murderer who suffered from a severe form of autism that caused him to see the world through the eyes of a child instead of the grown man that he was. It was what led them to the abandoned circus where Kate went after the suspect without back-up—with only Daniel and Probert on his way—and ended up on the wrong end of a gun.
"Shut up." He snapped, sipping his cold coffee. It was disgusting but he kept drinking.
"You don't even like hospitals." Daniel turned to glare at Greg. "I wouldn't either if I had to endure the same things you did. Shock treatments, experimental drugs—"
"Stop talking, Greg!" Daniel shouted.
A nurse popped her head into the room after that last outburst and Daniel pretended to be asleep. Once she was gone, he sat up again and glared at Greg.
"You know what I'm talking about, Daniel." Greg persisted. "If you didn't have some kind of feelings for this woman, you wouldn't be here right now. You'd be back at home."
"I stayed with that boy, Kyle, and I didn't have feelings for him."
"Yes, but he would have died for certain if you had left. It's not the same with Kate. She'll die whether you're here or not." Greg remarked with a shrug.
"You're terrible at this, you know? This isn't making me feel any better." Daniel said.
Greg shrugged again, as if that explained away his comments. That just made Daniel wish the boy was real so he could make the nurses throw him out. If he called the nurses, though, to throw out someone who didn't exist, he would be admitted into the psych ward for sure.
Leaning forward, Daniel whispered to the unconscious Kate, "Please wake up. You're a much better conversationalist than this kid."
No response.
That made a lump form in the pit of his stomach as he sat back in the plastic chair.
Looking around the room, he found a brochure on cerebral hemorrhaging to read. After a few minutes, he realized that reading a pamphlet about bleeding to death wasn't making him feel any better.
"You don't have to do this to yourself." Greg said. "She'll probably be fine."
"I thought we were done having this conversation."
"I'm bored." The boy returned.
Daniel groaned. His subconscious was getting bored. That wasn't a good thing, but he refused to leave until Kate woke up.
"What if she doesn't wake up?" Greg asked.
"Just leave, Greg." Daniel snapped. The boy shot him a dirty look but stood, walking into the hallway. Daniel slumped in his chair, hoping that the last he would see of the boy.
He wished he had his music with him, or the newspaper. Maybe he should ask someone if there was a crossword puzzle somewhere he could do. He had dropped all his things—including his phone—at the crime scene. He had been too preoccupied with Kate to pick up his stuff. Someone probably retrieved it for him, but he'd have to go all the way back to the FBI building just to see. He could send Lewicki but he'd have to get home first. And that wasn't going happen anytime soon it seemed.
Eventually, his eyes drifted shut.
When he reopened them, the room was crowded. At first he wasn't sure what was going on. He thought they were all hallucinations, but realized quickly that they were all wearing scrubs. Kate's heart monitor was flat lining and the doctor was going to use the defibrillator on her in hopes of getting her heart going again.
A nurse standing near Daniel saw that he was awoken by the commotion and ushered him into the hall where he waited. Greg was out there, but he didn't say anything.
After what seemed like hours of sitting there, waiting, a nurse reappeared in the hall.
"She went into shock but we managed to restart her heart. She's awake but she's tired. You can go in and see her though, but not for too long." The nurse told him.
Once all the doctors and nurses left the room, Daniel practically ran in.
Kate was sitting up, pale as the sheets beneath her. Her eyes drooped but she smiled when Daniel walked into the room. He didn't know what to say so he simply pulled a seat up to her bedside and sat down.
"When were you going to tell me that we're getting married?" She asked.
Daniel stopped and stared at her in confusion. Then he remembered that he told the nurses that he was her fiancé. He gave her a weak smile.
"Yeah, I was awfully confused when the nurse told me that my fiancé was waiting in the hall for me. I thought perhaps I had lost my memory, but then you walked in."
"They wouldn't let me stay otherwise."
"Well, I'm glad you stayed." Kate said, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. Her hand was so tiny and delicate. Yet, Kate was nothing like her outward appearance. She was small and petite, but Daniel wouldn't dare treat her like that. She'd probably kick his ass.
"The nurse says I can't stay for long."
"Well, that nurse is a fuddy-duddy." Kate murmured, her words laced with sleepiness.
"I really should let you get some sleep." Daniel told her, starting to stand up. "You can call me later if you want to talk."
"Wait." She said, grabbing his arm.
Kate was pretty strong for someone who just her heart stop. With just one arm she managed to upset Daniel's balance. He fell, catching himself with a hand on the mattress. His face was just inches from hers. He tried to scramble away and get out of her personal space but she held him in place.
Then her lips were on his.
He couldn't help but go rigid. Kate was kissing him! No nonsense FBI agent, Kate Moretti was kissing him! His mind went blank and next thing he knew, he was kissing her back.
When he stood up, looking down at a smiling Kate, he heard Greg from behind him, "Told you so."
"Shut up, Greg." He said out of habit.
Kate looked up at him for a moment, confused, but then smiled. "You look worn out. You should go home and get some sleep."
Daniel nodded. He was exhausted.
As he reached the door, Kate called after him sleepily, "I want a spring wedding, Daniel."
A/N - I think I would want a spring wedding too. A white dress would get lost in the snow and the summer is too hot for most of these wedding dresses nowadays. Anyway, I rambling. Review!