A/n: inspired by @ancilla89 and a conversation we had over on AO3
(Check her out if you haven't already-- she's a fantastic writer!)
"How about you?" Frank looked at his son.
"Broken bone, a few stitches, no big deal." Danny tried to play it off like it wasn't hurting him every time he took a breath.
"He's got two broken ribs and 28 stitches." Erin explained to her dad. She looked at her brother, "You could use a few days off."
"You are such a girl."
"I'm glad you're fine," Linda said, anger in her voice. "But I'm not."
Danny frowned, reached for her hand which she sandwiched between her other arm. Softly, he said, "Hey."
"I got to call the boys. They need to know that you're okay."
"Why did Linda act so weird when you were at the hospital?" Erin asked Danny a day or so later.
"I don't know. She hasn't really been talking to me," he lowered his voice so Linda couldn't overhear his side of the phone conversation. "She hasn't acted that way before."
"Danny."
"What?"
"Really?"
"What?" His voice was annoyed now. He was a terrible patient- he knew he was a terrible patient- so being stuck at home with broken ribs and a cranky wife was making him irritable.
"Danny, come on. This isn't news. Linda's always mad at you when you're badly injured like this."
"I'm not badly injured," he argued, trying to hide the grunt that came from his lips after reaching into the fridge.
Erin made a face, and tossed back the 'insult' he had told her earlier. "You are such a guy." Someone knocked on her door, "oh, I gotta go. Talk to your wife!" She hung up before he could argue.
He sighed and pocketed his phone. He walked to the stairs, "Linda! Are you up there?"
"I'm doing laundry."
Danny frowned and started climbing the stairs. Why did he have to be so stubborn? He could've easily waited for her to be finished. He was out of breath by the time he met her in Sean's room.
"You're not supposed to do that," Linda told him tartly as she folded Sean's shirt. She slammed the drawer shut and stalked to the laundry basket on the bed.
Danny watched her angrily putting laundry away until he felt he could breathe again. He took the shirt from her hands, but she only grabbed the pairs of socks and turned away from him again.
Linda turned around, and groaned when she saw Danny was holding the laundry basket. "What do you want?"
"You. But we'll get to that." He stood up, blocking Linda from distracting herself with clean clothes. "Can we talk?"
"I have laundry to do."
"It can wait." He led her out of their boy's room into their own where he sat her on the bench at the end of the bed.
Silence hung in the air as Linda crossed her arms and looked away from her husband. She resisted the urge to lean into his touch when he pushed her short hair away from her face. He touched her arm, and she actually swatted his hands away.
"Linda, what's going on?"
"I... don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on; yes, you do." He kept his voice soft and gentle, knowing harsh words would shut her down.
Linda closed her eyes and quietly told him, "you're gonna get yourself killed."
Her voice was so quiet he wasn't sure she meant to say it out loud. "No I'm not."
"You are with that attitude!" She started to stand again, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.
"I didn't go in with backup- which was stupid of me- but I came out alive and relatively unscathed."
"You have two broken ribs and twenty eight stitches, Danny! That's not 'relatively unscathed'!"
Danny put a hand on Linda's shoulder, rubbed the knots in her neck. "I'm sorry I scared you, but this man-"
"You promised you wouldn't do this again."
"Wouldn't do what?"
"Wouldn't... do something stupid like this again! You promised!" Linda started to cry, so she stood to flee to the bathroom. She was stopped by Danny again, and he held her in his lap as she cried.
Danny rubbed Linda's back as he thought about when he promised her anything like what she was saying. He had; he had promised her he wouldn't do something so stupid again. That was the case with Billy Flood and the bank; she had been mad at him for an entire week after the relief of him being okay wore off.
"I don't wanna lose you," Linda cried, clinging to her husband. "I don't want you dying!"
Danny wondered if this meltdown didn't have to do with her ptsd. She had been clingy ever since she got shot, and he didn't mind so much— he was always up fro more cuddles with Linda. He picked her up, and laid her on the bed so that he could hold her more comfortably.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Linda continued to apologize as her tears finally slowed down.
"Don't apologize. Okay?" He wiped a tear from her cheek, then kissed her forehead. "Never apologize for how you feel."
"You sound like me."
"That's because you've been a good teacher." He joked, earning a small smile.
Linda sighed after comfortable silence, "I suppose I should put away Sean's clothes."
"He's old enough to do it himself."
"They'll be home from practice soon. I should get dinner started."
"Or you could take a bath and order Chinese food."
"Chinese food is expensive." She frowned and sat up. "It used to be cheap."
"Yeah, I remember." Danny sat up and hugged her from behind. He kissed her cheek and his hands slipped beneath the back of her shirt.
A smile crept in her face, "Danny, what're your doing?"
"I can't give you a proper massage with fabric in the way."
"Is that so?"
"Mhmm." He pulled her shirt over her head, making her giggle.
"Danny."
"Come on," he stood from the bed and pulled her to her feet. "Practice doesn't end til six, and Patrick's bringing them home. We have time for a bath."
Linda wanted to protest, but a hot bath sounded so heavenly, and a shared one with her husband sounded better. So she let him lead her to the bathroom.
While Danny rubbed Linda's lower back, half way through the bath, he asked her, "so I'm forgiven now?"
"Oh, Danny, I was never mad at you."
"You did a good job at pretending."
"I was frustrated... and maybe a little scared... okay, a lot scared. This guy... he kills without thought or reason. You'd be just a lead he stepped on if you got in his way."
Danny hugged her tightly, ignoring the shooting, burning pain in his ribs. "I won't let that happen."
"Why? Because you're some sorta Superman?" She asked sarcastically.
"No, because I love you. And you love me. So it's true love; do you think this happens every day?"
Linda chuckled at the reference to one of their favorite books and movies. "It doesn't work that way, Danny."
"They said it in television- it must be true."
She took the wet washcloth from the side of the tub and slapped his head with it. She laughed as he wiped the water off.
"Ohhh, you shouldn't have done that!" He grabbed the big cup from the other side of the tub, dunked it in the water, then poured it over Linda's head.
Later that evening, once the Chinese food was eaten, Jack and Sean started to clean the kitchen. Jack stood at the archway, pointed to his parents snuggled on the couch. "At least they're not grumpy anymore."
Sean nodded, "if Mom getting mad at Dad means we get Chinese food, then I'd be happy with a little more anger."
"Not gonna happen, kiddo!" Danny's voice came from the living room.
Jack and Sean both laughed, "Aww!"
Linda smiled; she would still be worried every time Danny (and the kids for that matter) walked out the door, but sitting with them at the end of the day... maybe she could live with the worry.