A/N: "Scorched Earth," when Danny misses their anniversary, aired on 10/19/2012. I try to keep my timelines as close to the air dates as possible, so I've decided that their wedding anniversary is October 19—which was actually a Saturday in 1996.
He half-crutches, half-hobbles into the restaurant. After almost one month of no PT, he had gone back on Monday, and he's down to one crutch. He's not entirely sure how that works, but he's happy that one crutch has a permanent home in the hall closet, and hoping to ditch the other soon.
He had apparently been an idiot to think that every other week therapy-therapy (with Doc), would be less intense. Linda has been his saving grace through sessions that dug down to the very roots of… things he doesn't want to think about right now.
He's going to let her know how freaking grateful he is, starting tonight…and continuing until he gets the boot off and they can properly celebrate.
Lucky for him, he'd remembered their anniversary was coming up, the day he got kicked out of PT. If he'd called even one day later, he wouldn't have been able to make reservations. And Linda would have killed him for missing their twentieth anniversary.
"Reagan, party of two," he tells the hostess.
Linda brushes up against his left side—she's done that whenever they're out in public for the last week, since he got the AOK to go down to one crutch. She says she's trying to keep his ankle from getting jostled.
Tonight, she definitely has another reason, and he stifles a groan. He wishes she'd let him leave the crutch and boot at home.
He pulls Linda's chair out for her, and she sits down. The little black dress she's wearing…leaves nothing to his imagination. If any of the other men at this expensive restaurant even look in her direction…he's going to throw his crutch at them.
"None for me," he says, when the waiter uncorks the wine.
"None for me, either," Linda says, and he looks at her, surprised.
"Babe, why…?"
"I'm driving, Danny. Also—solidarity. We'll celebrate when you're 100% better."
He has plans for that, too—for January, by which time he should be off the pain meds, off the crutches, and out of the boot.
The boys are at his dad's for the night, even though it's a school night. After dinner, Linda will drive them home.
She doesn't know he has plans.
A little help from Erin means their room has been decorated with rose petals and 20 red roses, there are candles (un-lit) in the bathroom.
When they get home from dinner, there will be a shared bath and making sweet, sweet love to his wife—as long as his ankle and his memories cooperate.
They take sparkling water instead, and he drinks a toast to her. "To Linda, for being the best, hottest, most beautiful wife…"
"Danny…"
He puts a gentle finger over her lips. "Shhh."
He clears his throat. "To Linda, the hottest, most beautiful wife—and the only wife I ever will have—the most amazing nurse, and the most patient caretaker of her stupid crippled husband. I'm sorry I haven't thanked you enough for taking care of me, or told you I loved you often enough, over these past three-and-a-half months. And I'm sorry I've been a knuckle-head and have gotten myself injured, hurt your feelings, and failed to treat you with one-tenth of the love you deserve, for the past twenty years. I love you, Linda Rose O'Shea Reagan," he says, and struggles to his knees.
She's crying now.
His whole left leg is killing him (good thing his wife is a nurse who knows massage), but he reaches into his pocket for the little jewelry box there.
"Linda Rose O'Shea Reagan, will you do me the honor of saying 'yes' for another twenty years?"
She's kissing him so hard he barely hears the whispered 'yes,' and then she opens the box and the tears flow again.
He'd convinced Wendy to give him the ring and earrings that match the necklace Linda's grandmother had given her—the ring and earrings Wendy had "borrowed" and never returned.
"Danny, how…?"
He kisses her to stop the flow of words and tears, puts the earrings in her ears.
"I love you, Danny Reagan."
"Love you more, Linda Rose."
"Hey, that's my line!" she says, swatting him playfully.
"I love you most," he says again, and kisses her just as their waitress comes with their menus.
Ankle or no ankle, he's going to show her how much he loves her when they get home.