'Dom, what the hell are you doing?' Hawke took two angry steps across the Santini Air office and yanked the sandwich out of the older man's hand. He stared in disgust at the mixture of bologna, salami and some other fatty meat he worriedly couldn't identify. Dom tried to snatch his lunch back; Hawke dodged him easily and chucked it in the trash.

'Were you listening to the doctor at all?' Hawke snapped at him. 'You need a healthy diet or you could have a real heart attack.' The memory of visiting Dom in the hospital a couple of weeks previously after the older man had experienced chest pains was still fresh in Hawke's mind.

'It's a load of nonsense.' Dom put his hands on hips and gestured at the younger man. 'You just threw out my sandwich. What am I supposed to eat now?'

'There's a salad in the fridge.' Hawke said.

Dom snorted in disgust. 'Rabbit food.'

'You heard what the doctor said.' Hawke nagged him. 'You need to change your eating habits, less red meat, more salad and vegetables...'

'String, you are not my mother!' Dom yelled.

The two men glared at each other. Hawke spun on his heel and walked out of the office.

Dom watched him go and rubbed his chest. The remembered pain he'd suffered in his mind. He turned around and straight into Caitlin's accusing stare.

'Oh now don't you start.' Dom muttered.

Caitlin crossed her arms. 'He's worried about you, Dom.'

'Well, he doesn't need to be.'

'Dom, it was just a couple of weeks ago that you were in the hospital.' Caitlin reminded him.

'And if the two of you don't stop raising my blood pressure with all this nagging, I'll soon be back there.' He snapped and immediately felt guilty as Caitlin recoiled as though he'd slapped her.

Her blue eyes flashed and temper kicked in. 'Dominic Santini, you want to take it out on me? Fine. But you ever say that to String, and you and I are through.'

'Caitlin…'

'No, you listen. String needs you alive. You matter to him and he's scared stiff that he's going to lose you because you're going to kill yourself with bad habits. So you will eat what the doctor told you to, you will exercise and you will do everything other damn thing else the doctor told you. You understand me?' She held Dom's shocked gaze for a beat before she stalked out of the office. The door slammed behind her.

Dom looked at the closed door and sighed. He looked heavenward for a moment and gestured. He took his cap off stuffing it in his pocket and rubbed his hand through his short grey hair. He sighed. He walked over and opened the office door coming face to face with a surprised Hawke who took a stumbling step back.

'I'm sorry.' They spoke in unison and their gazes collided in rueful amusement.

'I'm sorry kid.' Dom said. 'I shouldn't have gone off at you like that.'

Hawke sighed. 'I'm not sure I didn't deserve it.'

Dom harrumphed. 'So are we OK?'

'We're OK.' Hawke agreed and felt the tension in his gut dissipate.

'Good.' Dom rubbed his hands together and sighed. 'Look, I've been thinking...'

'Oh?'

'I might head to Italy for a while.'

'Italy?' Hawke leaned a shoulder on the office doorway and looked back at Dom with the question in his blue eyes.

'Yeah. You know my sister Maria, well she's been on at me to go and recuperate over there ever since the…the hospital.' Dom said. 'And I was thinking maybe that's not such a bad idea. Good Italian diet. Plenty of rest and relaxation.'

'This isn't because of…'

'No, no.' Dom reassured him and then as Hawke continued to watch him with an even blue gaze, sighed. 'Although I'm thinking we could do with the break from each other, kid.'

'I know I've kinda been nagging at you, Dom...'

'And I know it's because I scared you, String.' Dom gave a small laugh. 'Scared me too.'

Hawke broke their eye contact, staring at the floor.

'And I think that's why we need to take…take a time out. Kinda give ourselves a chance to come to terms with it without worrying at each other.'

Hawke straightened and folded his arms. 'Guess you could be right.' He sighed. 'When do you leave?'

'Tomorrow.' Dom said. 'You can watch the business for me? It should be pretty quiet.'

'Sure.' Hawke agreed.

'Good.' Dom glanced over Hawke's shoulder and looked at Caitlin abashed. 'About before…'

'Forget it, Dom.' Caitlin waved his imminent apology away.

'You know you're lucky to have her.' Dom said.

Hawke smiled, his warm blue gaze connecting with Caitlin's. 'I know.'

Dom slapped his red cap on. 'Well, we have work to do, huh?'

'What happened to lunch?' Hawke asked wryly.

Dom harrumphed. 'Why don't we head out to Dino's and have a proper lunch?'

'Great.' Caitlin grinned and headed for the jeep. 'It's not often you offer to buy lunch.'

'Now hang on, who said anything about buying…' Dom spluttered. 'Now you just wait a minute…'

Hawke grinned and slapped a friendly arm around Dom's shoulder as they followed Caitlin out of the hangar and into the LA sunshine.