A/N: Ah, it's good to be back in civilization again! I was on vacation last week and didn't get a chance to post my last Post-Ep story until late Thursday/early Friday… and then travelling all day Saturday and Sunday so I'm a bit behind yet again. Thanks so much for your patience! I had a great trip, feeling refreshed although I didn't realize how much I love my internet until I had to spend five days without it… I think I may need to join a support group of some kind because I was experiencing serious withdrawal symptoms by the end of day two!
So, a huge, massive thanks to all those who reviewed my fic for 7x18 and I hope you all enjoy this one too! It was so awesome to get two really fantastic DL scenes, but I was disappointed in the episode in general. Don't get me wrong – I'm psyched that Hawkes is finally getting a little somethin' somethin'. It's just that I'm not so sure how I feel about Camille… something about her just doesn't sit well with me. Maybe I'm in the minority though.
Anyway, as always seems to be the case with me these days I started out to write one story and ended up with something completely different, although I think I actually like this version better than my original idea. I hope you enjoy!
Sheldon Hawkes emerged from the elevator with a white paper bag clutched tightly in his hand. His eyes scanned the various labs and offices as he made his way down the hall, on the lookout for one person in particular. He veered off course as he saw Danny hunched over a microscope in one of the labs and he knocked softly on the door, smiling when Danny looked up from his work.
"Hey there Romeo," Danny grinned. "You're back early. I figured you'd be taking a long lunch with your girl."
Hawkes chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. She had to work. Figured I'd bring lunch back and eat it here… care to join me?" He held up the paper bag. "Got two burgers here with all the fixings."
"Yeah?" Danny asked. He glanced around him at the work laid out on the table in front of him and sighed. "Just gimme a few minutes to pack this stuff up and I'll meet you in the break room."
Nodding, Hawkes retreated back into the hallway. Walking through the door to the break room, he dropped down into a chair and began to unpack his wares, setting down the Styrofoam containers on the table. Opening his own, he inhaled deeply, taking in the aroma of his burger and fries before he dug in.
He was just licking his fingers after finishing his burger when he heard the scrape of one of the chairs as Danny pulled it out from the table and sat down across from him. He scrubbed his hands together in anticipation, eagerly opening the container and taking a massive bite of his burger.
"Oh my God," he sighed with his mouth full, "That is so damn good… Thanks, Sheldon. You're a real life saver – I was about ready to gnaw on my own fist I was so hungry."
Hawkes smiled at his friend and wiped his hands on a napkin before taking a sip of his soda. "Not a problem, man," he said. "Besides, I figured I owed you one for covering for me this morning. I really appreciate you going out on a limb for me like that, Dan. Thank you."
Danny shook his head and grunted something that sounded like "Forget about it," while waving his burger at Hawkes before he took another hearty bite.
"No, seriously, Danny. I can't thank you enough for having my back like that," Hawkes continued. "I mean, especially after the other night - me getting caught playing hooky... well, let's just say that I'm on thin ice with Mac as it is, so knowing that I could count on you when I was late this morning… it means a lot. If there's anything I can…"
"Will you just let it go, Doc?" Danny chuckled as he munched on a fry. "I'm happy to help you out, especially if it means you're finally getting a little action." He winked at Hawkes and took a long swig of his own soda. "Let's just call it even for the times you covered for me and Linds, alright?"
Hawkes laughed and shook his head. "I'd hardly call that a fair trade, Danny. You and Lindsay were never late for work because of… well, you know."
"Yeah, I know," Danny replied with a wry grin. "But let me tell you it wasn't for lack of trying on my part. She's just got a thing about being late." He popped the last of his burger into his mouth and regarded Hawkes speculatively as he chewed. "It's good to see you letting loose a little, Sheldon," he said after swallowing. "Just make sure you don't let yourself get too loose, if you know what I mean. Camille seems like a nice girl; but nice or not, if she really cares about you she'll realize that it's not fair for her to interfere with your job."
Hawkes nodded and stared silently down at the table top where his hands were idly tearing at his napkin. Hoping that he hadn't overstepped the mark in regard to his friend's fledgling relationship, Danny reached out and put his hand on Hawkes's arm. "Hey Sheldon; look, I'm not trying to give you a lecture here – God knows I'm the last person on earth qualified to lecture anybody on being responsible," he tried to catch Hawkes's eye and give him a friendly smile. "I'm just looking out for you, buddy."
"I know that, Danny," Hawkes replied, returning Danny's smile with a half-hearted one of his own. "And I appreciate it." He let out a sigh and swiped the torn bits of napkin from the table and into his hand, depositing them neatly into the paper bag. "It's just… it's been a long time, Danny. I haven't had anyone in my life in so long and Camille is just… she's just so smart and funny and beautiful, and we have such a good time together."
"I sense there's a but in there somewhere," Danny prompted gently, garnering a nod from his friend.
"But… I just can't seem to say no to her, you know?" Hawkes said. "I mean, I knew I shouldn't have skived off work the other night, but she batted her eyes at me and I caved before I even knew what I was doing. And then last night at her place…" He shook his head. "I just don't want to disappoint her. I guess I'm afraid that one day she'll discover that I'm just boring old Sheldon Hawkes and that I won't be enough for her."
Danny furrowed his brows and leaned back in his chair, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "So, this boring old Sheldon Hawkes… have I met him?" Danny asked. "Because the Sheldon Hawkes that I know is a pretty interesting guy and if he needs to pretend to be somebody he's not in order to make Camille happy…" He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders before leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "Look Doc, I've been there, alright? I've played that game more times than I care to admit. I was reinventing myself for a different girl every other week for years, trying to make myself the person they wanted me to be. And you know what?"
"What?"
"I was never more miserable in my entire life. There's nothing worse than losing yourself to try and please other people and it took someone coming into my life who saw past all my bullshit to make me realize that I was worthwhile just being myself. Lindsay wasn't interested in my act. She saw right through all my pretenses and she wanted to be with me despite the fact that I was just boring old Danny Messer. And you can feel free to tell me to fuck off and mind my own damn business, but personally I think you're doing yourself and Camille a disservice by hiding who you really are from her." He smiled at his friend across the table. "Give her a chance, Sheldon. Let her get to know the real you and you might be surprised. Hopefully she'll see what a great guy boring old Sheldon Hawkes really is."
"And if she doesn't?" Hawkes asked quietly.
Danny took in a deep breath and blew his cheeks out slowly as he considered his answer. "If she doesn't then you've got to ask yourself if she was really the one for you," he said somberly. "It's not exactly a bed of roses, I know. But really loving somebody means accepting them for who they are – warts and all. Anything less and you're selling yourself short."
"You make it sound so easy," Hawkes lamented, earning an amused chuckle from his table mate. "What?"
"It is so far from easy, my friend," Danny said with a rueful smile, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "It's a lot of hard work and it ain't always fun. It's all about compromise and respect; and it's a two way street, Hawkes. You both have to be willing to compromise but you also have to be able to respect one another enough to realize that you can't compromise on everything and there will be times that you just have to stand up for yourself and fight for the things that are really important to you."
"Like my job, for example?" Hawkes asked.
"Like your job," Danny agreed with a nod of his head. "And like I said before, if Camille really cares for you, she'll realize that your job is something that you are not willing to compromise on, no matter how hard she bats her eyelashes at you."
Hawkes chuckled and nodded. "Thanks man. I think I needed to hear that," he said.
"Ah, what are friends for, right?" Danny grinned. "I told you I got your back, Hawkes. I'm really happy for you. Me and Linds… we're rooting for you, buddy."
Hawkes flashed his friend a genuine smile, which widened significantly as another person entered the break room.
"Hello boys," Lindsay said as she dropped down into the chair at Danny's side and leaned in to peck him on the cheek. "And what are you two slackers gossiping about in here while the rest of us are out there working our tails off."
Danny turned to his wife with one eyebrow raised. "Excuse me? Who's the slacker?" he asked. "I seem to remember someone dumping her workload on me yesterday and sneaking away to gorge herself on the burger that I went halfway across town to get."
"Well that was yesterday and this is today," she said matter-of-factly, reaching across Danny to steal one of his left-over fries. "Hey!" she exclaimed when he snapped the Styrofoam clamshell shut before she could get her hands on the greasy, golden wedges. "What was that for?"
"Those are mine," Danny said. "And I intend to eat them all."
Lindsay gaped at him for a moment. "What happened to what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine?"
Danny shrugged his shoulders. "Went straight out the window yesterday when you left me stranded in layout with all your crap," he informed her.
"But…"
"Fact," Danny said, holding up one finger, "I went waaaay out of my way to get you exactly the meal that you asked for. Fact," he continued, holding up a second finger, "All I asked in return was that you save me one, single, solitary, lonely little French Fry. Fact," he said loudly, drowning out Lindsay's muttered protests as he held up yet another finger, "When I finally got finished putting all your stuff away, not only had you not saved me anything, but you went out and got yourself a coffee and didn't bring me one back. So, therefore… fact; these fries are all mine. You want some, go get your own."
Hawkes held his breath, his eyes darting back and forth between the married couple engaged in a silent power struggle. Danny held his hand firmly over the container while Lindsay stared back at him with a small frown on her face. Finally the corners of her lips twitched upward and her eyes softened. "You feel better now that you've got that out of your system?" she asked.
"Yeah, I do," Danny replied with a grin.
"Good," she said, reaching out to pat his cheek affectionately. "I'm sorry I didn't save you any fries yesterday."
"And didn't bring me a coffee," Danny reminded her.
Lindsay rolled her eyes. "And didn't bring you a coffee," she parroted.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Danny smiled and slid his arm around her shoulders, pushing the Styrofoam box toward her with his free hand. "You want some of my fries?"
"Yes please," Lindsay said, eagerly flipping open the container and extracting a finger-full of fries, sighing as she popped them into her mouth. "Mmm… thank you, baby."
"Anytime, sweetheart," Danny said, pressing a chaste kiss to her temple before he turned to Hawkes. "See? Compromise."
Hawkes chuckled and got up from the table, grabbing the wrappings from his lunch and stuffing them into the garbage. "If you say so, Dan," he said. He clapped his friend on the shoulder as he passed by the table, leaning in and speaking quietly so only Danny could hear. "Thanks again for the talk, man. I'll think about what you said, okay?"
"Alright buddy," Danny replied, giving Hawkes a small salute as he rounded the doorway and walked away down the hall. "Good luck!"
"Good luck?" Lindsay asked through a mouthful of fries. She chewed and swallowed, grabbing Danny's soda and taking a sip to wash it down. "With what?"
"Ah, he's having some trouble finding the right balance between work and play right now and I gave him a little friendly advice."
Lindsay giggled as she set the cup back down on the table. "You gave him advice?" she asked.
"Yeah… why? What's funny?"
Lindsay shook her head and grabbed the last fry from the box, holding it between her fingers. "Nothing. It's just… I think it's sweet, that's all. You two were having a little Dr. Phil moment."
Danny gave her a sidelong glance. "Now you're just being mean," he grumbled. "And after I shared my fries with you, too."
"I'm only teasing, babe," Lindsay said, taking a bite of her fry and holding the other half out for Danny to eat. "I'm glad the two of you talked. I mean I'm happy for him, but I just don't want to see him get hurt. And I'm just… I'm not sure about this girl he's seeing. I think she's a bad influence on him. It's not like Sheldon to be so cavalier about his work. I mean he read you the riot act for taking a day off during the Blue Flu… but he calls in sick to go on a date? It's just not like him."
"I know," Danny agreed. "That's what I talked to him about. I just let him know that I was a bit concerned… and hopefully gave him a couple things to think about. So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I mean, all we can do is let him know we're here if he needs us and just hope that things work out for the best." He pulled Lindsay tightly into his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Sheldon's a smart guy, Linds. He'll figure things out once he starts using his brain again and stops thinking with his… you know."
He wiggled his eyebrows playfully at his wife who gently swatted his chest before she pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek and rested her hand on his thigh, giving his leg a squeeze.
"I'm gonna go get a coffee from that place on the corner," she declared after they'd sat in contented silence for a moment. "You want one?"
Danny smiled. "I'll do you one better; I'll come with you. And I'm buying."
They stood and Danny gathered the remnants of his meal, tossing them into the garbage as they walked out into the hall. "Babe, I'm just gonna grab my coat," Danny said, gesturing with his thumb to the room he'd been working in before Hawkes had shown up with lunch. "Meet you at the elevators."
Lindsay nodded and continued on her way while Danny stuck his head into the lab where Hawkes was now unpacking the evidence Danny had been working on earlier. "Hey Doc," he said, rapping his knuckles on the doorframe. "Me and Linds are heading out for coffee. Be about five minutes or so, alright? You want anything?"
Hawkes looked up from his work and smiled. "Uh… no. I'm fine, thanks Danny," he said. "But… if you guys want to, you know, take a few extra minutes… I'll cover for you."
"Uh…" Danny turned and looked down the hall to where his wife was standing in front of the elevators. She looked up and caught his eye, raising her arm and tapping her watch impatiently. Danny let out a sigh and turned back to Hawkes. "As much as I'd love to take you up on that offer," he said, grabbing his coat from the hook by the door, "I think I'll have to take a rain check. Looks like Linds is itching to get back to work."
"Alright," Hawkes chuckled as he turned his attention back to his work. "Just let me know."
Danny grunted an acknowledgement before he hurried down the hall, pulling on his coat as he went. "I hope you're happy," he grumbled to Lindsay as they stepped into the elevator. "I just blew off a chance for us to have a lunch time quickie."
"Oh really?" Lindsay asked as Danny punched the button for the lobby. "And why is that?"
"Well, I didn't want to go setting a bad example after I just finished lecturing Hawkes about being responsible."
Lindsay smiled and stepped closer to Danny, reaching up and straightening the collar of his jacket. "You know," she began, leaning in so that her face was mere inches from his, "I think I like this side of you; Mr. Responsibility. It's kind of sexy."
"Really?" Danny asked, clearing his throat when his voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. "Ahem. I mean… really?" he repeated in something closer to his normal voice.
"Oh yeah," Lindsay assured him, leaning in closer and brushing her lips teasingly against his. "Kind of makes me want to, I don't know… break the rules. Maybe you'll tell me off. Teach me a lesson."
"I could do that," Danny said, his voice tight as he tried to restrain himself from leaning forward just that little bit more and claiming Lindsay's mouth.
"I know you could," Lindsay assured him, her arms winding around his neck and ruffling the hairs on the back of his head. "So… is that quickie still definitely out of the question, or…"
"I know what you're doing, you know," Danny informed her. "But I told Hawkes we'd be back in five minutes, so yes. The quickie is definitely out of the question."
"Too bad," Lindsay pouted playfully. "Because I had a really good place in mind."
"God, you're evil," Danny groaned.
"And you're such a good boy," Lindsay said, giving him a gentle peck on the lips before she unwrapped herself from around him and took his hand in hers instead. "I'm proud of you," she said, smiling up at him. "Thinking with your head for once and not your… you know." She glanced down past his belt buckled and raised her eyebrows suggestively.
"Shut up," Danny muttered, nudging her gently with his elbow. "You like it when I think with my… you know."
"I really do," Lindsay sighed. She leaned his side, resting her chin on his shoulder and peering up at him. "But I like this side of you too."
"Thank you," Danny said with a shy smile. He planted a quick kiss to her forehead just as the doors opened to reveal the bustling lobby. "Coffee, then back to work?"
"Coffee then back to work," Lindsay agreed as they emerged into the foyer and wound their way hand in hand through the crowded streets to the coffee shop on the corner.
So there you go. I realize that through all my fics I've never really had Danny and Hawkes interact all that much and I thought I'd try my hand at writing the good doctor here. I was kind of trying to pull from Season 4 where the show really seemed to hone in on the friendship between these two before they kind of forgot about it near the end of the year and now we seem to only get the odd glimpse of it every once in a Blue Moon.
Oh, and can I just say… Spudtastic? Spudtastic? Seriously? *sighs* People, it's called Poutine, alright? It's a Canadian food staple and no matter how you dress it up – whether you put truffles or duck fat or whatever the hell else on it, when you take fries and slather them with cheese curds and gravy it's still Poutine. *grumble grumble* Dammit. Now I want some Poutine… I wish I didn't live out in the middle of freaking nowhere. *sighs again*
Now that I've got that little rant out of my system, I'd love to hear from you… so please feel free to leave a review or drop me a line and let me know what you thought!
*rhymes*