Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs or any of the characters.
Author's Note: I know this scenario has been used before in other fics, but I tried to put my own spin on it.
"Ooof!"
"Sorry."
"It's okay. Just let me— ow!"
"Sorry!"
"No, it's fine. Wait. Umpfh. There! I'm good! You good?"
"Yeah, Don. I'm good."
"Good."
Don shifted once more and lay still. Terry was now snuggled beside him in a hospital bed, and it had taken some convincing to get her there. She remained fully clothed on top of the covers, but at least she'd kicked her shoes off before climbing into the bed beside him. Don chose to view that as a small victory.
He'd been pursuing a suspect in a high-speed chase when a second car driven by an accomplice slammed into the side of his SUV, sending it careening into a cement barrier along the shoulder. Luckily, no one was in the passenger side at the time. Terry and David had been running down a different lead across town at the time of the accident.
Despite the severity of the crash, Don remained intact thanks to a combination of his seatbelt, airbags, and luck. His injuries were minor, mostly bruises and sore muscles from the jarring impact, but he'd briefly lost consciousness at the scene and the doctors wanted him to stay overnight for observation.
Terry was trying to avoid jostling him or brushing up against any bruises, but she couldn't scoot any further to the edge of the bed than she already was. "This is stupid. I'm getting up."
"No! Come on! This is the best idea I ever had."
Terry rolled her eyes. "This is the best idea you ever had?"
Don grinned. "I always was the smart one in the family."
Terry laughed.
"Hey, you said the chair was uncomfortable," he argued.
Terry snorted. "Yeah, this is so much better."
Don nodded contentedly in agreement. The adrenalin rush from the accident had long since subsided, but Don was still in surprisingly good spirits. The crash had been a bad one and he knew he was lucky to walk away from it relatively unharmed. Maybe it his sense of relief over the narrow escape that brought out his playful side. Maybe it was the pain medication. Don preferred to think it was the way Terry had clung to him when she rushed into his hospital room and hugged him tightly for a very long time.
Later, when Terry made a joke about the uncomfortable visitor's chair she was sitting in, he'd started to tell her she should go home. Visiting hours would end soon anyway. There was no reason for her to stay. Alan and Charlie had already come and gone. But somehow he couldn't bear to see her go. On a whim, he'd invited her to join him in the bed. And then proceeded to tease, cajole, and finally dare her into agreeing.
"This is ridiculous!" Terry's protest was weakened by the smile she couldn't quite suppress. "Look at you! You're one big bruise! And now you're scrunched up on one side of the bed to make room for me. This can't be comfortable."
Don's smile widened. "Totally worth it."
Terry giggled at his playfully exaggerated wink.
Encouraged by the girlish sound, Don arched an eyebrow and shifted a little closer to her.
Wary of his now wolfish grin, Terry bluffed, "That's it! I'm getting out of the bed."
"No, wait!" Laughing softly, he put a lightly restraining hand on her thigh. "I'll be good. Promise."
Placated, Terry settled back down in the bed. Don honored his pledge not to advance any farther, but saw no reason to give up any of the ground he'd already gained and left his hand resting lightly on her thigh. He resisted the urge to let his hand to wander, but his thumb rubbed back and forth as he enjoyed the feel of her leg under his hand.
They chatted quietly about everything and nothing, enjoying the intimate feeling of lying in a bed together despite the unusual circumstances. Neither of them mentioned the accident, but they were both aware of how bad it could have been. Terry wrapped her hand around Don's arm and gave it a squeeze. After a while, she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Don turned his head to gently kiss the top of her head, and thrilled at her pleased hum in response.
Gazing down at her, he softly murmured, "This is a really great date."
Terry opened her eyes. "Date?"
"A really great date." He repeated. "Doesn't beat my favorite date ever. But definitely in the top five."
"This is a date?"
He hesitated momentarily; worried he'd overstepped his bounds. Deciding to take a chance, he replied, "Sure. Feels like a date. Doesn't it?"
Dodging the question, Terry joked, "You didn't even buy me dinner."
Don pondered that for a moment. Looking around, he spotted his jacket slung over the back of the chair she'd recently vacated. The rest of his belongings had been taken home by Alan and Charlie, who'd left Don alone with Terry after much hovering and repeated assurances that Don was fine and could go home with them tomorrow. They must have forgotten the jacket when they left. Pointing to it, he offered, "I think I still have a candy bar in my pocket."
He held his breath waiting to see her response. If she declined the offer, it would be a subtle way of telling him she wasn't interested and the evening would remain safely in the non-date category. Terry stared at him for a long moment before turning to reach over and attempt to grab the jacket off the back of the chair.
As she leaned halfway out of the bed, her legs pressed more firmly against him and he had to bite back a curse at the increased contact to his bruised leg. He refused to complain, unwilling to run the risk of ruining the moment. By the time she'd snagged the jacket and turned around to face him again he'd managed to stifle a grimace; but he was very relieved when she shifted back into the bed. Still, he noticed that she was now lying even closer to him than before, her whole body now lined up against him and he counted it as another small win.
Terry handed the jacket over to Don, who fished a Snickers bar out of one of the pockets and triumphantly presented it to her. Then he gently draped the jacket over her like a blanket. It wasn't cold, but he figured he might as well go for all the chivalry points he could get.
Unwrapping the candy bar, Terry teasingly cooed, "Wow, Don. You really know how to spoil a girl."
Don simply settled further back against the pillow and closed his eyes, pleased that this now officially qualified as a date.
She offered him a bite but he declined, opting not to mention that the hospital staff had strictly forbidden him from eating anything in the outside chance he required surgery. He knew that just like the overnight stay, it was only a precaution.
She let him rest for a while, munching quietly on the Snickers bar. He'd started to drift and wasn't sure how much time had passed before she softly whispered, "Don?"
"Mmm?" Don sleepily replied.
"So… what was your favorite date ever?"
The need for sleep was finally catching up with him. He couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, but there was a slight smile on his face as he mumbled, "Laundromat."
As Don sank further into sleep, he missed the surprised and delighted expression on Terry's face as she turned to look at him and watched his face slowly even out in slumber.
Terry polished off the last of her meager "dinner" in an austere hospital room beside a man who'd fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation and decided Don was right. This was a really great date.