Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI: NY characters, but the rest are mine.
Summary: Flack and his wife need a day to themselves to reconnect. Somewhat of a sequel to "Just Give it Time."
Reviews please!
Don walked into the dark apartment and went straight into the bathroom to take a shower. The warm water soothed his tense muscles. He had been working ten hours straight and still tonight he had to be "on-call." After his shower he decided to try to get a few hours of sleep before he would get called in.
Paige was laying with her back to him as he got in the bed. She felt him lay down and she rolled over. They smiled at each other. She never slept well without her husband sleeping beside her.
He put his arm around her, "I'm gonna try to sleep a little before they call me." She frowned slightly. "What? If you think I have any more energy to do anything else you're crazy."
She kissed him on the lips, and then moved to his neck. "Come on Paige, I really have no energy." She continued. Just as she got down his chest and was at his stomach they heard his phone vibrate. Paige's head dropped onto his stomach, and she heard Don sigh heavily. "I'm sorry." He said as she got off of him.
She laid back down where she had been. "Me, too," she whispered. She heard him get his clothes on, and then walk out of the room. Then, she heard the door open again, "I love you," he said.
She had barely fallen back to sleep twenty minutes later, when she heard their 8 month-old daughter crying.
"What's the matter with you tonight?" Danny asked Don.
"What are you talking about?" Don snapped.
"That. That's what I'm talking about. You're snapping at me. You snapped at Mac. What's up with you?"
"You wouldn't get it."
"Come on tell me."
"You get to work with Lindsay. I have a wife and two kids at home who never get to see me. This is what I was scared would happen one day. It's the same thing that happened with me and my dad." He paused and looked at Danny. "And I don't even know when the last time was that we made love. She tried to when I got home earlier and I had absolutely no energy. I feel bad, but I love my job."
"I'm sorry, man. I don't know what I would do if Lindsay and I didn't work together. Our jobs don't make being in a relationship easy. Especially a marriage."
"Yeah I know."
"But you can do something about it. Take a day or two off and just spend it with your family. They need you more than this job does." At that Peyton walked up to examine the body. She noticed the solemn looks on the guys faces.
"Is everything all right guys?"
"Yeah, we're fine," Danny answered.
They all started to go about their different jobs. Don talked to the different witnesses, and Danny started to collect evidence and take pictures of the scene.
After Don was done at the scene of the crime, he went to the precinct to fill out some forms and follow up on some of the information he had collected. He began to think more about what Danny had said about taking a couple days off. By the time he was done with his work there, he had decided to take some time off. He called his Captain and left a message on his phone, explaining the situation and that he had left his case to another detective.
It was about 4 am by the time he left the precinct and started back home. When he got into bed with Paige she didn't roll over to look at him. She was fast asleep.
At about 6 am he heard through the baby monitor, Kate crying indicating she was awake. He had decided he would take the kids to his parents' house and let Paige sleep in. Then, the two of them would spend the day alone.
When he looked at Kate lying in her crib he smiled, and began to think about how much she seemed to grow since the last time he really looked at her. His eyes started to slightly well with tears when he thought about how much he was missing his kids' lives. He picked up Kate hoping Paige hadn't woken up. As he walked out to the kitchen he peeked in at Jensen who was still fast asleep, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he would be up too.
When in the kitchen he made Kate a bottle and started a pot of coffee. Jensen came out and looked up at his dad with his bright blue eyes. Don laughed at his surprised look.
"Hi, Daddy," Jensen said.
"Hey buddy. Do you want some cereal?"
"Yeah," he exclaimed.
As Don juggled Kate, a bottle, a cereal bowl, and a box of cereal he began to feel bad for his wife and wonder how she did this everyday.
When Jensen was done eating he told him to change his clothes and that they were going to Grandma's house. Don change Kate's clothes and put her in the walker in the living room as he changed his own. He wrote Paige a note and laid it next to the baby monitor on the night stand.
He loaded the kids into the car and started toward his parents' house. From the minute he got Kate out of her crib and started making breakfast he began to have new respect for his wife. His job was hard work, but his wife's was just as hard.
He had called his parents when he was getting ready to leave and they, of course, agreed to take the kids. Don had the diaper bag loaded with the essentials and a bag full of Jensen's favorite toys. Jensen insisted on certain toys and Don had laughed at him when he had drug the overflowing bag out of his room. He now smiled remembering it, and was happy he was getting to spend some time with his children.
When Paige woke up she looked over at the empty spot in the bed next to her and frowned thinking Don had stayed away all night, or had gone back to work. Then, she looked at the clock on his night stand and almost jumped out of the bed, but she first looked by the baby monitor at the note Don had left. She unfolded it.
"Hey Baby,
Don't worry I did come home at about 4. I let you sleep. I'm taking the kids to my parents'. Don't you dare get out of this bed until I get home. We're going to spend some time together. Just the two of us. I love you more than anything.
-Donny"
She smiled to herself and almost started to cry. She folded the piece of paper back up and lied back down, but didn't go back to sleep- anticipation kept her awake.
On the way back from his parents' Don stopped at Starbucks and got Paige her favorite drink. Then, he stopped at a small bakery around the corner from their apartment, and he got a couple of Danishes.
Paige was laying in the same spot he had left her in. As he sat on the edge of the bed he set the coffees and pastries down on the night stand. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead. As he pulled away she turned toward him and he kissed her lips. She sat up in the bed and looked at the coffees and the brown bag.
"I brought you your favorite drink and a Danish from that bakery around the corner," Don stated. Paige clapped her hands in excitement, and he laughed at her.
"I'm so excited," she exclaimed. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"
"No, but I know how much. And I love you more." They kissed again, but this time they didn't part right away. He kissed her again and again. Then, he kicked off his shoes and got in the bed. Coffee and pastries would have to wait.
After making love and then eating their breakfast they, both got in the shower. Don told her he had plans for the day, but refused to tell her.
"Come on, just tell me," she begged as they got ready.
"No, then it wouldn't be a surprise. You'll really like it, though," he teased and laughed at her frustration.
In the car she stared out the window, trying to figure out where they were going. It was snowing outside, so there were few things they could actually do. As they drove along Don was holding Paige's hand.
"OK, you have to put this on now," he handed Paige one of his ties.
"What do you mean?"
"You need to wear it as a blindfold. I don't want you to see where we're going. You're too smart you'll figure it out and that will ruin it."
"Are you serious?"
"I'm very serious," he looked at her with a stern look to show he was serious. So, she tied it around her head.
She felt the car stop about ten minutes later, and they didn't start going again. "Are we here?" she asked.
"Yeah," she started to take off the blindfold. "No, you can't take it off yet," he said and she let out a groan in frustration. "Just stay there I'll come around and get you out."
"Come on Don this is crazy." He opened her door and she got out of the car, holding his hand. She could kind of tell they were in a parking garage.
"We're almost there. Just relax."
He led her to the end of the level they were in on in the parking garage. They were at the edge, looking at the street. He took off the blindfold. He didn't say anything, waiting to see if she noticed what he wanted her to see.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Look hard. It's across the street."
She looked and saw a Broadway theatre. A huge smile came across her face, and then got even bigger when she read the marquee. They were going to see "The Phantom of the Opera."
During the entire show she held onto Don's hand. The seats he had gotten at the last minute, so they weren't the best, but she still loved every minute.
After the show they decided to call Lindsay and Danny to see what they were up to. They all met for dinner at a nice restaurant a few blocks down from the theatre. It was nice for Paige to spend some time with the people that her husband spoke so highly of and got to spend a lot of his time with. Danny was Don's best friend, and Lindsay was so sweet and funny. They always had such a great time, all of them, hanging out together.
It was still early when they finished dinner so they decided to go get drinks and maybe shoot some pool. Don called his parents and asked if they could keep the kids until the next day and, of course, they agreed.
The pub they went to for drinks was packed with a lot of fellow detectives and police officers. Don and Danny said hi to a few guys that they knew, and introduced Lindsay and Paige to the different ones they talked to.
Paige would look at Don every once in a while and just think how lucky she was to have such a great husband. Maybe he didn't always do stuff for their anniversary, or maybe he wasn't always home when she thought he should be, but it was times like this day that made up for the other times. And these times just reminded her why she loved him so much. She was proud that he was her husband and proud that he was the father of her children. She wouldn't change anything. Their life wasn't perfect by any means, but it was good enough for them.
That night when they got home and were lying next to each other in bed, Don's arms wrapped around her, she told him all the things she had been thinking.
"I know that you work a lot and sometimes it gets to me, but I know you try, and I still think you're a great husband and father," she was staring into his blue eyes. He kissed her.
"I love you and the kids more than anything in the world. I don't know what I would be without you guys in my life."
"I love you too. And I know the kids think you're the greatest dad in the world."
"I wish my job didn't keep me away so much, but I love what I do."
"I know you do, and I would never want to take you away from doing what you love, but we need you around here too. And more so than your job needs you."
"I'm gonna try Paige. I really want to be here. I'll try really hard."
"I know you will," she threw her arm around him and squeezed him close to her. "I love you so much."
"I love you more."
THE END
