A/N WARNING: there are a three uses of expletives in this chapter – but it is meant to be funny, so hopefully those that like my stuff because it's usually pretty clean will forgive me this.

XXX CSI: NY XXX CSI:NY XXX CSI:NY XXX CSI: NY XXX CSI:NY XXX CSI:NY

Hearing the doorbell, Noelle roused from the light sleep she had fallen into on the couch and got up. She cringed slightly, remembering why she had laid down in the first place. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the hall and glanced through the peephole. With a sigh, she opened the door. "Hi, Danny."

"Hey, Hansen. I came by to grab Flack's hockey stick."

She nodded a little absent-mindedly. "Yeah. He, uh – He told me you'd be coming by." She stepped aside and let him in.

Danny walked into the apartment and studied her. "You don't look so good, kiddo. Everything okay?"

"Just not feeling so great."

"Bad time of year. Half the Lab's down with the flu."

"Yeah. I'm just waiting for Katie to get it, too. Poor kid seems to catch everything. Here…" She walked over to the hall closet and opened it to retrieve the hockey stick. Suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness, she nearly fell over, grabbing onto the wall to keep herself from falling.

"Whoa. All right, I got you," said Danny, quickly moving over and putting his arms around her.

"I'm okay." Embarrassed, she shrugged out of his arms and straightened up.

"Sure ya are. C'mon. Come sit down."

She walked back into the living room and slumped down on the couch, running her fingers through her hair as she took a few deep breaths.

"Where's the rug rat?"

"She's napping."

"Listen, Hansen, why don't you go in and crawl into bed. You look like you could use some sleep. I'll stick around and watch Katie 'til Don gets home."

Noelle looked at him warily.

"What? I've learned a lot of stuff since the twins were born. I know you shouldn't let them stick things into electrical outlets or drink whiskey," he teased her. "C'mon, I've got a degree in chemistry and I carry a gun. You think I'd have any of that if I weren't a responsible adult?"

She laughed in spite of herself. "Thanks. The, uh – The monitor's right there. You'll know when she wakes up. And – Wait, what about your hockey game?"

"I've been looking for a way to get out of it. You know your husband volunteered me for this? He gets assigned to some task force and thinks he's some big shot now. So, far as I'm concerned, lettin' me use you as an excuse not to go is justice," he explained jokingly.

She laughed weakly. "You're not a hockey fan like Don, huh?"

"Nah, I'm a ball player."

"Well, here's a confession for you: I'd rather watch Mussina over Valiquette any day. Just don't tell my husband or he might call for an annulment."

Danny groaned. "The Yankees and the Rangers? You cut me deep."

"But I'll take the Giants over the Jets any day. Does that help?"

"A little. Now go."

An hour later, Noelle was still asleep and Danny was playing with a set of blocks with Katie on the living room floor when Don arrived home.

"Uh, what's this?" Don asked with a hint of amusement after kicking off his shoes and hanging up his overcoat.

"Your wife is down with the flu. I told her I'd watch the ankle biter 'til you got home. You know this kid is a genius, right?"

"I told you that once. You said I was biased."

"I was wrong. Mac needs to stake a claim on her, Matt and Liv before they're snatched up by some other government agency."

"Their combined age is less than three," Don replied with a laugh.

"It's never too early. 's all I'm sayin'."

Flack just shook his head. "Can you hang around a while longer? I'm just gonna go and check in on Noelle."

"Go ahead. Ma's got the twins 'til morning and Montana's on 'til eight, so I'm in no rush."

Don headed down the hall and quietly walked into the bedroom. He headed over and sat down on the edge of the bed beside where his wife lay sleeping. He reached over and felt her forehead, surprised at how warm it was. He let her be, then headed back into the living room.

"How's Hansen doin'?" Danny asked from his spot now on the couch with Katie on his lap, a picture book in her hands.

Don slumped down beside them on the chesterfield, reaching over and ruffling his daughter's hair. "She's got a fever. And she's gonna freak if Katie gets this and gets sick again."

"Listen, why don't Linds and I take Katie tonight? You look pretty beat yourself."

"You sure? You don't get many free nights without the kids…"

"Not a problem."

"Mama sad?" Katie asked then.

"Nah, sweetheart, she's just not feeling well. Just like when you had the chicken pox, remember? She just needs to sleep for a while. Will you be a big girl and go stay with Danny and Lindsay tonight? Uncle Danny will read you stories just like papa does, okay?" Don assured her.

Katie looked at Messer a little skeptically but then nodded for her father. "k."

"How's the task force goin'?" Danny asked then as Katie turned back to paging through her book.

Don sighed wearily. "Nothin' like ten hour days in a boardroom with a bunch of suits. If that wasn't bad enough, I think I'm gonna have to head up to Toronto the week after the Policeman's Ball to meet with the brass there. Feels like I've spent the last two weeks spinnin' my wheels. I mean, I'm a street cop, Dan. I head investigations. I don't know anything about leading initiatives. I don't know how I let Bowery talk me into this. I don't know how I let you and Mac convince me to even hear Bowery out!"

"C'mon, man, it can't be that bad."

"It's just frustrating. Noli and I've been married barely a month and if feel like I've hardly seen her the past couple weeks with nothin' to show for it. I should be out in the field."

"Look, as long as Carlos Caravaggio and his crew are walkin' the streets, you're where you need to be."

"Since when did you start supporting the brass or anything Chisholm or Morton's administrations have done?"

Danny scoffed. "Please. I wouldn't trust any of 'em as far as I can throw 'em to clean up these streets. But you and me, we come from the same place and we got the same goals. Flack, somewhere along the lines, we ended up married with kids of our own. Now, I got no desire to be livin' in the 'burbs somewhere with a minivan, but I also don't want to be afraid to let Matteo and Olivia out of the house. Look, this new generation of street gangs, nothin' scares 'em. They don't give a flyin' fuck 'bout anything."

As Don considered his best friend's words, Katie glanced up from her book. "Fuck," she said quietly.

Don's eyes widened and he fired a glare at Danny. "Ah, Christ. She's –"

"Ah, Christ!" Katie exclaimed, looking up at her father with a giggle.

Danny stifled a laugh, knowing it would just encourage the parrot on his lap. "Sorry, man," he apologized half-heartedly.

"Sure ya are. Noli's gonna kill me."

"Look, we'll just pack up and go. By the time I bring her back tomorrow, she'll have picked up a whole bunch of other words."

"Yeah, I'm not sure I want you teachin' her anything else," Don muttered. "Hey, cutie, let's go get your stuff for your sleepover. Want to come pick some toys?"

"Fuck!" she exclaimed.

It took everything in Don not to swear in response. He sighed and picked up his daughter, carrying her down the hall to her room to get her ready to go to Danny and Lindsay's. He gathered everything Ekaterina would need for the night. Soon, Messer was off with the little girl, intent on teaching her some new, acceptable words, and Don was heading back in to tend to his ailing wife.

Upon his return to their bedroom, he found Noelle still sleeping. He shed his suit and headed to the bathroom where he jumped into the shower, willing the hot water to wash away the knots that had formed in his shoulders and back during the day.

When he emerged, having dressed in a pair of track pants and an old Academy t-shirt, Noelle was still in bed, but she was awake, sitting up with her knees hugged to her chest as she leaned against the headboard. He walked over and sat down on the middle of the bed. "Hey. How are ya doing?"

"I feel like I got run over by a truck. A small truck, but a truck nonetheless. And I noticed our daughter's MIA. You know something about that?"

"She's with Danny and Lindsay. They're going to keep her overnight."

"Oh, thank God. I don't want her getting sick again."

He reached over and felt her forehead. "You're still warm."

"I'm not surprised. Usually when you're around, my temperature rises," she kidded.

He grinned but then studied her with some concern. "Why don't I go run you a bath? Might bring down your fever."

"I'd ask you to join me but it looks like it might be a little redundant," she pointed out, running a hand through his damp hair.

"And I wouldn't want you over-exerting yourself," he replied with a wink. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, then got up. "I'll go fill the tub."

While Noelle soaked in a lukewarm bath, Don warmed up some soup for her. And not long after, she was back in bed, this time with her husband's arms around her.

"I'm probably going to Toronto in February," he said, stroking her hair as she laid her head on his chest.

"Really? Maybe I can get a couple days off and come with, show you around. I'd love to take Katie and show her where her Gramma Sarah grew up."

"How do you do that?"

She glanced up at him. "Do what?"

"Here I am dreading this thing and you just completely turn it around. Wow. Slip a ring on the woman's finger and suddenly she loses all her cynicism," he teased her.

"I know, isn't it sick? Even down with the flu, I'm still disgustingly happy. You've wrecked me, Detective."

He chuckled, kissing her temple.

She yawned, feeling the pull of sleep. "This trip gonna get you out of the Policeman's Ball?"

"Nah. Unfortunately. Hill and Bowery already told me they're expecting me and my lovely new wife. If I'm the new golden boy of the department, we're the golden couple."

"You don't make that sound like a good thing," she observed, laying her head back down on his chest and closing her eyes.

"It's all politics, doll. It's a game, one I don't care about playing. 'Cause right now, I might be the golden boy, but if this all goes south, I'll be the fall guy."

"Well, baby, no matter what happens, there's one little girl who things you hung the moon, and her mother's not far behind. I know you don't like the game, but that's what makes you perfect for this job. You're not being driven by ambition or political gain. Justice and a desire to make this city safe for our family is your only motivation. And that makes you a hero in my book." She yawned again.

"Go to sleep, sweetheart. You're not gonna make a good trophy wife if you've still got the flu," he joked.

Noelle laughed but didn't open her eyes. "Ah, so that's why you married me."

"Yep. It was all about havin' a gorgeous woman on my arm. Once the Policeman's Ball is over, that's it."

As she felt herself being pulled into sleep, she muttered, "Sorry. Stuck with me."

"I guess there are worse things." Realizing she had not heard him because she had succumbed to sleep, he just smirked and reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. Yep, there were definitely worse things than going to sleep with the woman he loved curled up against him – even if she was sick with the flu.