As soon as Doc leaves, Danny decides now is the time to make a break for it. He is going to prove to himself (and to Linda) that he can navigate the stairs by himself.
Using just one crutch (because only one leg is bad) he gets himself off the couch and hobbles to the bottom of the stairs.
He's standing there, staring at the 15 stairs, and trying to remember if he's supposed to go up leading with his good foot or his bad foot, when the front door opens. "Babe, what are you doing?"
He braces himself, expecting to be run over by his sons, but all he hears is Linda closing and locking the door. "What does it look I'm like doing, Linda?" he asks, exasperated.
"Going up the stairs. Please don't snap at me because you're mad at Doc."
He sighs. "Where are the boys?"
"We ran into the Keenan's; they're spending the night."
"A week away from home, and they're not hankering for their own beds?"
He about jumps out of his skin when she slips under his arm and holds him up. "Come on, Marine, let's get you into bed."
"I need a shower, Linda." He's been doing sponge baths since the…little incident…and he desperately needs to wash his hair and shave.
"Okay. I'll help you."
The knot inside loosens just a little, and he leans on her as they make their way up the stairs.
He shivers a little once he's stripped down to his birthday suit, sits down on the edge of the shower chair to let Linda wrap his cast in garbage bags and duct tape. "I thought I was supposed to get it off today; it's been a month."
"And the X-rays this morning showed it isn't healed, Danny—probably because you've been trying to see how much weight you can put on it when I'm not looking."
"I just want to get the cast off," he grumbles.
"And the more you put weight on it and don't elevate it, the longer it will take to heal, Danny."
He nods and lets her help him stand up.
The hot water, and her nails massaging his scalp, feels so good he's dozing until she shakes him awake. "Babe, wake up. Wash everything else so we can get you in bed."
He shakes his head. "Need you in here with me."
She giggles. "Danny, we are not having sex in the shower when you have a broken ankle. That will end up with something else broken on at least one of us."
"Come on, Linda, I'm injured."
"I swear, Danny, you have a one-track mind."
He panics a little when she goes into the hallway to get towels to dry them both off—she'd gotten soaked trying to get away from him—but then he hears her voice. "I'm still here, Danny. Just trying to find bath towels. Sean put the washcloths where the bath towels go and got everything all jumbled up."
Her voice sounds like it's getting farther and farther away, and he tenses, listening for the front door to slam.
And then she walks back in, and the knot in his stomach unclenches a little.
She isn't leaving him again.
Later, holding her on his chest in a post-sex haze, he kisses the top of her head. "Thank you, Linda."
"For what?" she asks sleepily.
"For not leaving. For making love to your crippled husband. For…putting up with everything I've put you through the past four weeks."
She sits up, kisses him. "You're welcome. I love you. Now, why are you so afraid of being left, Danny?"
He groans. "Come on, Linda, not now."
"Yes, Danny, now. You…panicked. You admitted you had a legit panic attack when I left. Why?"
He sits up, pulls her to his chest so she can't see his face. "I told you you're the best partner I could ever ask for, right?" He feels her nod, and he takes a shaky breath.
"In the Corps, and on the job…your partner is the one who has your back. Always. You know that your partner would give his life for you if it came down to that. And…I know the past year or so has been rough, you getting shot, Wilder, now this…but you said you weren't going anywhere. And…I…I had twelve partners in the Corps—the guys in my unit—and every single one of them…left. Yeah, it was because they were killed, but they gave their lives for me, and I was left—alone. Before Baez, I burnt through five partners in three years. Baez is still around, God knows why. I can't lose you."
"I'm not going anywhere, Danny. No matter how angry I get at you for being the most im-patient patient I've ever met, or how much dirt from Fallujah is dug up…I won't leave you again. I promise."
She turns to face him, and then her hands are wiping away…tears?...on his face, and he falls asleep listening to her heartbeat.