"A bloody fractured ankle" Nikki hissed hours later as she hobbled into her house on crutches, a cast around her ankle "why me?"
Harry just rolled his eyes behind her as he closed her front door, he had been listening to her moaning about it since her x-ray results had come back.
"and don't roll your eyes at me" Nikki snapped from the living room and Harry was quite shocked that she knew him that well "I have to call Leo now and tell him that I have to be stuck in the lab for six weeks"
"The doctor said you have to spend this week at home" Harry reminded her as he walked into her living room to see her dialling Leo's number.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Nikki asked and Harry just shook his head and seated himself on her sofa.
"Where else would I be than here with you?" he enquired and Nikki opened her mouth to reply but Leo picked up on the other end.
"Dalton"
"It's Nikki" Nikki said down the phone and sat down on the armchair "There's..um.." she blushed as she tried to think of a way to explain to Leo what she had done. She had pride, too much sometimes, and admitting that she had broken her ankle on the stairs wasn't something she liked to admit. Running from a suspect, yes, injuring herself at a crime scene, yes, falling down the stairs, no.
"Nikki what's wrong?" Leo's voice interrupted her musings
"Mmm?" Nikki mumbled then remembered "Oh yes..um..I've fractured my ankle"
There was a slight pause
"You've fractured your ankle?" Leo repeated incredulously "Honestly Nikki out of all the people I have met you are the most accident prone"
"I don't go looking for trouble Leo" Nikki told him "It finds me"
"How did you do it?"
"Tripped down the stairs" Nikki mumbled
"Sorry?" Leo asked, not hearing what she had said
"She tripped down the stairs" Harry called out and Nikki glared at him but he just grinned back at her and shrugged.
"What is Harry..doesn't matter I don't want to know" Leo said quickly "So it's plastered yes?"
"Yeah and I have crutches" Nikki replied quietly and both Harry and Leo realised how much of a bruising her pride was taking with this "I'll stay in the lab, please don't make me have time off Leo. I'll end up going mad"
"Aren't you already there?" Harry commented and Nikki gave him a sarcastic smile before shifting in her seat to try and get more comfortable.
"There's no use arguing with you is there?" Leo asked and Nikki shook her head
"No"
"Right. You will stay in the lab" Leo told her forcibly "Under no circumstances are you to go to any crime scenes or perform any autopsies until the hospital has given you the all clear. Am I making myself clear Nikki?"
"Perfectly Leo" Nikki replied sweetly
"Good" Leo added "Well I'll see you tomorrow"
"Bye" Nikki said before hanging up the phone and smiling triumphantly at Harry who just shook his head in exasperation.
"You should take your painkillers and go to bed"
"Are you telling me what to do in my own house?" Nikki asked as she stood up unsteadily and reached for her crutches "Thank you for everything Harry" she added more softly as Harry stood up and nodded, giving her a smile as he walked and Nikki hobbled to the door.
"If you need anything just call me" he said as he opened the door and stepped outside "at any time"
"Thank you" Nikki nodded again and leant up to kiss him on the cheek, both trying to ignore the spark that they felt when their bodies connected.
"I'll be round in the morning to take you to work" Harry added quickly "You obviously can't drive"
"You don't have to" Nikki protested but inwardly she was happy that Harry was thoughtful like that "I can get a taxi"
"Don't be silly" Harry laughed "I'll pick you up. Seven okay?"
"That's fine" Nikki nodded and Harry gave her one last smile before reluctantly dragging himself away from her and down her garden path to his car. Nikki closed the door slowly and then leant on it, letting out a loud sigh.
--------
"Good morning" Leo said cheerfully the next morning as Harry and Nikki walked into the lab, Harry holding the door open for Nikki "Harry you're being a gentleman, what has gotten into you?"
Harry pouted slightly as Nikki giggled and hobbled her way over to her desk where she sat down with a grateful sigh.
"How are you feeling?" Leo asked sympathetically and motioned to Nikki's ankle.
"Useless" Nikki replied "It took me double the time to get ready this morning because of this bloody thing" she motioned to her leg.
"I'm surprised we're here on time" Harry told Leo dryly as he put his coat on the back of his chair and flinched slightly when an unexpected ball of paper hit him on the side of the head courtesy of Nikki. Harry picked it up and was about to throw it back with a grin on his face when Leo sighed.
"Children" he warned and Nikki blushed slightly and grinned at him "Harry stop antagonising Nikki. She's an invalid remember"
Harry and Nikki let out a loud protest at the same time.
"Me?" "Invalid?"
The younger pathologists looked at each other and burst out laughing at their synchronised answers while Leo shook his head at their interactions.
"Ah Dr Alexander you didn't get kidnapped again did you?" came a voice from behind Nikki and she swivelled her chair round to see Detective Mumford standing behind her.
"Oh God" she moaned under her breath, just the person she didn't want to see in her state "No actually I..." she paused "It doesn't matter"
"Nothing serious I hope" the detective added and looked her up and down when she wasn't looking, making Harry shift slightly and glare at the man opposite him who he had the awful feeling that he would be working with.
"Just a fracture" Nikki replied "Nothing too serious"
"Well that's good" Mumford nodded and Nikki nodded back "Shall we get on with this then?" he asked Harry who nodded, having no idea what Mumford was on about but he wasn't going to let the detective know that.
"I'll meet you by the car" Mumford added after a few seconds of tense silence and Harry nodded again and watched as he walked from the lab before turning to Leo.
"Where am I going and what am I doing?"
Nikki just let out a loud giggle and busied herself with her paperwork.
17 days until the new series!! :D
xxx
