Characters: Lamb, Veronica, Keith, Darlene (OC).
Sorry for any mistakes. Reviews are greatly appreciated!
It will be fine, Veronica thought, biting her lip. You'll be done with this in no time at all. Darlene will keep him company. The drive to Balboa County Storage facility was tedious. For the first time in a while, she wanted to simply pass the case on to her father, but even that was no longer an option. Not since he decided to step up to the plate, like the last Boy Scout he is, and take the office of active Sheriff.
Veronica's eyes scanned the horizon - only a half an hour or so left until she gets to the storage place. Her mind was back at the hospital with Don. Now that Darlene was there for him, she felt that she could wrap up her obligations to Janine. No more cases after that, not until Don gets back on his feet. She was considering putting her college year on hold, so that she could stay with him, come September. It's possible that he was going to need lengthy physical therapy after he gets out of the hospital. This decision inevitably led to an awkward conversation with her dad last night.
"Honey, think, I realize that you feel strongly about this, although I'm not sure where this all came from, but I was hoping that you have a little bit more sense when it came to your education." - Veronica could tell by his strained voice that Keith was holding back, trying his best to sound calm and reasonable.
"I realize that, dad. But this is important to me. This is not some crush. I truly think this is something important, something fundamentally serious."
"With Don Lamb?" - he emphasized his name, as if the thought of Veronica caring so much about Lamb was a fact that he could not accept. - "What has happened? Where did this come from?"
"Dad, I...care about him, that's all. He is not the asshole I thought him to be."
"Are you sure about this? I just don't want this to be another…"
"What? Logan situation?" - Veronica's cheeks flushed at the thought. Her dad was supportive enough when they dated, but it was no secret that he could not stand the "Echolls kid". Who could blame him - Veronica cried plenty when she dated Logan. She was thankful that he had no idea how many tears were shed as a direct result of Don's actions over the years. - "Dad, I appreciate you being the...father hen. I am not quitting college - I am merely delaying it until Don gets better. His sister can't stay here forever, and he doesn't have anyone else."
"Sweetheart, while I appreciate your kind heart to the very bottom of mine, I just don't understand when Lamb became your project."
"He is not my project. I love him."
Keith sunk back into his chair, speechless. That's what he was afraid of. He chose his words carefully:
"Does he feel the same?"
"We have not talked about it, I don't know. We just..clicked, you know? Underneath all that attitude that he brings with him out to the public, he is actually a really good guy."
"I see. Well, I've always said - I trust you, sweetheart. I'm not happy about this, and should you want to hear my opinion on this again - I'll tell you straight up - don't stop college for anyone. Not even me. But…"
"I know, dad. I appreciate you. Please let me do this?" - Keith couldn't resist that flash of blue, directed at his very heart and soul. Little girls will fall in love - that's just a fact that fathers must accept, however unhappy that made him feel. It wasn't even the fact that Lamb was never going to be good enough for Veronica.
Of, he liked the kid back in the day - hell, he hired him straight out of the academy. Young Don had potential, sharp mind, zeal for the job. He was always a bit full of himself, but Keith let it slide - let the handsome young man have his fun, as long as he did the job right.
Back in the day, he urged Don to not take the Sheriff's job, but Don's vanity wouldn't let the kid to pass up that Don the kid got his shiny new toy, and Neptune got the Sheriff they deserved. Keith hated to dwell on things that he couldn't change, so he quickly brushed the memories of the past few years aside.
Regardless of Don's actions in the past, it did seem that he had proven himself to be a decent cop. Hell, he was a hero. And with Veronica, losing her mind over this, the worst thing he could do is to try to stand in between. He just hoped that she would gather her senses before it was too late.
It was dark, by the time Veronica got back into Neptune. The trip to the storage was fruitless - after hours of digging through stacks of paper and boxes with folders - she found nothing on the Miller kid case. If there was a record of him getting pulled over - it didn't look like it made it. After hanging up with Janine, she called Darlene at the hospital to see if it was too late to see Don. It was, but Darlene gave her a full account of his status.
Don was getting better in some ways, but worse in others. It's been four days since the shooting. The doctor switched him to a different pain medicine, so he was much more coherent than before. He was also able to eat solid food and keep it,, which was a huge plus. Unfortunately, he developed a fever two days ago, and even with the constant flow of antibiotics into his system - it wasn't going down. Darlene found out that the hospital ran a drug and alcohol use test on Don. Once she was approached by the doctor for the possibility of providing him with substance abuse counseling - his situation became all too clear.
Veronica felt like a traitor, when Darlene asked her if she knew about her brother's drinking problem. She did and she didn't. She also didn't really want to tell Darlene, that for the past few years, her and Don would not stop to take a piss, if either of them was on fire. That they have not exchanged a kind word to one another for years. That she was not in the position to question Don, or even cared about his problems, until a few days ago. It was heartbreaking to see Darlene's face, when she was told that Don's body is just not healing very well due to the heavy drinking. The infection from the wound was spreading downward, and the doctor was very frank about the possibility of another surgery.
The next morning, Veronica made her daily visit to the hospital. It didn't take but a few seconds for Veronica to guess that the brother and sister had a fight. Darlene's eyes were puffy and woman greeted her, and immediately excuse herself out of the room. Don avoided to look at Veronica, it was obvious that he was fuming. He nodded to her curtly.
"Good morning, Deputy" - she said cheerfully, hoping to avoid getting between the two of them. She knew better than get between fighting spouses or siblings. Don didn't answer and Veronica could see that he was clenching his teeth. The room was far too small for him to continue avoiding looking at her, and eventually the situation became comical.
Well, this is starting to be a stinker of a day. She came closer to Don's bed and waited until he had no choice but to face her.
"Hey, Deputy, I was beginning to think you weren't glad to see me." - she smiled.
"Sorry." - he shrugged, still looking angry.
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"Not really." - he rubbed his few days-old stubble. Darlene mentioned that he refused to be helped to shave, as he did with almost everything else. The nurses had to nearly force him to be bathed. Veronica could understand - how much more humiliation can a person take?
"Hey, now, Deputy, I thought we were starting to talk about things. We can either spend the next couple of hours awkwardly staring at the daytime TV programming and avoiding each other, or we can talk it out." - Don sighed, looking annoyed. But Veronica could tell that she was breaking through the wall of frustration that surrounded him. - "You will be rewarded." - she added.
"Yeah? Are there are samples?" - he sounded intrigued.
Veronica stood up and leaned over him, hovering her face close to his. He flinched a bit, but she placed her fingers on his cheek - it felt scratchy. A wave of tenderness flowed over her. She could feel the heat coming off of his skin - his fever didn't drop. His skin smelled of whatever hospital-sanctioned cleanser they used on him. It was a strange feeling - this man was so helpless on this hospital bed, yet he had so much power over her. She looked into his stormy eyes, hoping to peer through the wall that he was building back up. For a few moments, Don looked like he was actually going to push her away, so before he got a chance to do that, Veronica leaned in and kisses his lips.
It took only a few moments for Don's body to relax, and Veronica could feel his lips softening under hers. He reached his arm up and pulled her head closer to his, his fingers caressing the delicate skin of her neck. His stubble scratched her lips, but she loved the fact that with each kiss that she gave him, he was pressing her closer to him. It was unfortunate, that his IV tubes were shackling his arms to the bed, because she was craving to feel his hands on her body, even if just for a few minutes. The reality of the hospital stay was stark and anything but romantic. It was pain, humiliation, and embarrassment. Veronica broke the kiss and looked at his face. He held on to her hand for a bit, but then gently pushed her face away from him.
"Let's not start something we can't finish." - his voice sounded broken.
"Hey, look at me." - she said. - "Tell me, what's happening. Why are you and Darlene fighting?"
"We are not."
Veronica inclined her head, looking at him intently. Finally, Don gave up.
"She was berating me for my drinking."
"And by "berating" do you mean…"
"She wanted to talk about it and I didn't."
"Would you want to talk to me about it?" - Veronica said, but Don's eyes turned steely and cold. It took just a glance for her to feel being emotionally thrown across the room.
"I don't want to talk about it. Not to you, not to Darlene. Is that clear?"
It was no wonder Darlene stormed out of the room.
"I'm sorry that just doesn't work for me. I really don't like having things unsaid. I really feel that we should have a good chat about this."
"We?" - Don smirked. - "Just when did this become a we?"
Veronica flinched.
"Don't get me wrong, I am glad you come over, but I don't remember enlisting you in the ranks of my confidants. Did you elect yourself to be my councilor?" - his words felt poisonous, and wrong. Veronica bit her lip - when did they come around a full circle and landed in the land of "couple of years ago"? She could tell Don was getting angrier, but she just kept telling herself that the pain and fear was making him hostile. This is not her Don.
"I didn't elect myself, I thought you wanted me to care." - she said quietly. Don didn't say anything, and looked away. Uneasy silence surrounded them. Veronica waited for him to say anything, as if waiting for him to decide their relationship (or whatever she figured this was).
"Look, you can't just fix me. I'm not your case and I'm not your pet project." - he sounded less sure now. - "The mighty Mars can't just swoop in and make it all better."
"I never thought of you as my project" - she felt defensive.
"Then what am I? Sad? Pitiful? Another one of your boy toys?"
Veronica flinched again, feeling as if she was hit. Don's eyes were fixed on her, as if he was waiting for her to retaliate, to answer his challenge. She fought the temptation to open that little mouth of hers and dump a whole world of hurt in response. But the taste of his lips, that still tingled on her lips deflated her anger. Her head was spinning, and for the first time in a long time she just felt lost. Why was he doing this? Has the past few days meant nothing at all? She wanted to tell him that he was far more than she ever cared for him to be. That she loved him, was scared witless for him. That she DID want to fix him, but not out of stubbornness - she wanted him whole and hers.
But looking at his steely stare, slight smirk, clenched fists - now she was simply scared. She wanted to run and hide. Maybe he is right: they made a mistake, their connection was nothing but a fluke. He wanted a few sweet moments with a pretty girl, and she wanted to play out her high-school fantasy. Fighting back tears, she gathered her bag, still hoping he will stop her.
"Look, I appreciate you being there. You and Darlene have been great…" - his voice softened a bit, but his stare was still impenetrable. - "But I'll be fine. I don't enjoy my actions scrutinized, especially by some girl who seems to enjoy acting out some adolescent fantasies."
"Some girl? Is that all that's happening here? Some girl?" - Veronica's face felt flushed, and she just wanted to storm out of the room like Darlene did, slamming the door in the process. Too bad hospital room doors couldn't be slammed. Worst of all, he didn't look took a few steps towards the door, stopping herself, hoping that he will snap out of this.
"You know, I hate you doing this. I know it's been rough, but we are here for you. You don't have to do this alone." - she said, looking at him from across the room. He sneered.
"Well, welcome to the wild world of Don Lamb, Mars! Sorry to disappoint you, but there is more to life than solving all your problems in a half an hour and hugging it out in the end. I know you want a charity case to solve…"
"That's not what I want!"
He paused.
"Then what do you want, Mars?" - his words hung in the stillness of the room.
You, Veronica thought feverishly. Instead, her mouth formed different words:
"I want you to get better. I want you to be able to talk to us about this."
Don stared at her for a few moments. Disappointment crossed his features, and he turned away, suddenly quiet:
"Please, just go, Ok?"
Veronica slipped out of the room, unable to contain the tears that were spilling onto her face. She felt someone's arm wrap around her shoulders - it was Darlene. The woman rubbed her shoulders, whispering:
"So sorry, honey, he's been impossible since last night. We got into a shouting match. He must be scared somethin' awful."
Veronica sniffed, but felt comforted by her words. She hated the fact that lately she was falling apart at every little thing. So, he was mean, so what? Is she going to pack up her feelings and run away like a child?
"Come, lets go have a coffee together, let my little brother stew over this for a bit. I need to talk to you anyway."
They got some coffee and found a table in the hospital's cafeteria. Darlene told her that after the blood tests came back, the doctor started pushing for having a councilor to come visit him. Don refused, saying that he didn't have a problem, he was just having some hard times. The doctor told him that his leg wasn't showing much improvement, and he freaked.
"So, the infection isn't getting any better?"
"Not by much. It's not getting worse, but not any better either. He's just scared they going to tell him the leg will have to go."
"Don't blame him, that'd be awful."
"Very awful. He's always been all independence, and he figures without a leg - there goes his career and hope for any normal life."
Veronica nodded. She couldn't imagine someone having to consider losing a limb. Perhaps she failed to empathize with his situation completely, expecting it to be all smiles and hands holding.
"Is that a real possibility?" - Veronica asked.
"The doctor didn't say that, no. But he did say to me, when we were out of Don's earshot, that he doesn't want him to have any illusion that everything is peachy either. If it comes down to choosing between saving his leg and his life - well you know how the doctors are sticklers for making sure the patient lives."
"Do you mean they will do it against his wishes?"
"I'm afraid that they won't have any choice. If the infection spreads, and he is unconscious, that decision will fall to me." - Darlene's eyes swelled with tears. Veronica's heart dropped - how can someone be expected to make an awful decision like that? She didn't have to be told which Darlene will choose. - "But as for you and him, if he's being ornery - nevermind him. He's always been like that. Whenever he's scared or troubled - he takes it out on everyone around him. I normally don't let him push me around, and he knows it too, but I guess I'm just gettin' soft lately. God knows sick people are a pain in the ass to deal with. And the sicker they are, the meaner they get sometimes. So don't you let him give you the lip, I can see that he loves you to bits, you know?"
Veronica felt a warm buzzing feeling in the back of her head and couldn't help but smile.
"I don't let it, I really don't."
"The heck you don't, Ronnie. No pretty girl like you should be crying over my boneheaded brother like that. I tell you a secret - when he gets like that, let him stew in his own anger for a bit, and then just tell him to stop jerking you around. You'll see, minutes after saying somethin' awful he'll feel bad."
"I'll take your word for it. Darlene, me and him...we..I have to tell you something." - Veronica bit her lip. - "I'm not really his girlfriend."
"You could have fooled me, honey. The way he looks at you, does he know this?"
"Don't get me wrong, I want to be..his girlfriend" - there is was, the foreign feeling of these words - "But we really haven't discussed this or anything like that. We just kind of, made out the night he got shot."
Veronica felt downright stupid. It sounded ridiculous. She felt like a 14-year old, blushing and bumbling, telling about her crush. But Darlene just smiled:
"Ya'll will figure it out, I'm sure."
Listening to Darlene, the true Steel Magnolia, felt comforting. Her soft southern drawl calmed her nerves, undoing the damage done by Don's harsh words before. She knows him better than anyone. Perhaps that's all he needs - some space, some time to process all of this. He never did ask her to be his girlfriend, and neither did she indicate that she wanted to have a relationship with him. And right now is really not the best time to be discussing long-term relationship plans anyway. Not until he gets better at least.
"Darlene, let me take you to Don's for a bit. You look tired."
"I think that's a good idea, honey. I can use a shower."
Veronica dropped her off at Don's apartment, and decided to surprise her dad with some fresh donuts. Ever since he took the office, albeit temporary (as he claimed), she hadn't had the chance to come and visit the station. She figured, that the sight of her dad in his uniform should bring some semblance of normalcy into this crazy day.