Steve walked down the hallway toward Danny's apartment, wondering how Danny was feeling. He'd called in sick early this morning, sounding stuffier than a hot air balloon and coughing harder than Steve had ever heard anyone cough before. Steve wasn't sure would ever admit it, but he had missed his second-in-command. The office hadn't been the same without him - kind of quiet and lonely, in all honesty - and Steve hoped that Danny was feeling better.

He reached the door and knocked, patiently wait for the door to open. When it didn't open, Steve pulled his key ring from his pocket and found the spare to Danny's apartment.

Just as Steve let himself in, he heard a terrible hacking sound coming from the bedroom. He headed in the direction of the noise and noted that Danny sounded worse than he had this morning. Steve's heart sank; so much for hoping Danny would be back at work tomorrow.

Steve had just reached the partially closed bedroom door and was about to push it open when it opened from the other side.

There stood Danny in blue pajamas and a gray housecoat. His sandy curls were a mess, his blue eyes were bloodshot, and his nose was red from constantly being blown. In one hand, he carried an empty glass; in the other, a box of tissues.

Around a strange combination of a cough and a yawn, Danny waved and said in a strained voice, "Good evening. How was work today?"

He made his way around his boss and headed for the kitchen, but Steve caught him by the arm.

"I'm not here to talk about work, Danno. I came to check on you. What are you doing out of bed?"

Danny held up his glass in response to the question. "Juice."

Steve took the glass by the bottom and pointed with his free hand. "Bed…now. I'll be there in a minute with a refill."

He hated seeing Danny like this. The sandy-haired detective rarely came down with anything, but when he did get sick, his immune system was hit hard. Based on the way he looked tonight, Danny would likely be out the remainder of the week. Steve grimaced at the thought.

He entered the bedroom shortly with a full glass of orange juice, and as he glanced around, he noticed that the bedside table slightly resembled a small pharmacy. It was covered with a cough medicine bottle, a bottle of aspirin, eye and nose drops, and the box of tissues. Directly in front of the table was a trash can, filled with tissues.

Steve placed the juice in the one corner of the table that was empty and looked at Danny, who was laying in bed, his housecoat draped across the arm of a nearby chair.

"Danno," Steve said quietly, "is there anything else I can get for you? Soup, some crackers…anything at all?"

After another coughing fit, Danny shook his head negatively. "No, I'll be fine; I just need to rest."

Steve didn't want to drop it that easily. He'd missed spending the day in the company of his friend, and sick or not, he wanted to see Danny for more than five minutes.

"How about if I stick around for a while, just in case you change your mind?"

Danny raised his eyebrows as he stifled a yawn. He cleared his throat and reached for a tissue. After blowing his nose, he replied, "Suit yourself, but consider that a warning as to what could happen to you."

Steve suppressed a grin as he moved Danny's housecoat from the chair to the foot of the bed and sat down. He stretched his long legs out before him and crossed them at his ankles. "I'll take that into consideration, Danno. Now go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

xXxXx

Danny smiled as he closed his eyes. He was well aware of the fact that Steve would never come right out and tell him that he'd been missed today. The offer to stay for a while was the closest Steve would ever come to actually saying, "I missed you."

It was a beautiful thing, Danny's friendship with Steve. They had a rare understanding of one another, were able to pick up hidden messages in words and gestures. That understanding had been there from the beginning; it was why they worked so well together. It was that understanding that gave each man such a deep trust in the other.

It was because of that understanding that Danny was so quick to fall asleep. Even as he slept, he was subconsciously aware of Steve's presence, aware of Steve's readiness and willingness to take care of Danny.