Author: Ceindreadh Email: to archive: Yes to WWOMB, anybody else, please ask first.
Fandom(s): CSI-New York
Genre (general, hetero or slash) : Slash, angst, hurt/comfort
Pairing/Characters: Don/Mac
Rating: PG-15
Summary: Don feels abandoned by Mac after the explosion
Warnings: spoilers for Charge of this post.
Disclaimer. I don't own the CSI-NY characters, I'm only borrowing them, and I promise to return them in minty fresh condition when I'm finished.
Previously on CSI-NY.
Don was recovering from his injuries, but Mac had made a point of avoiding visiting him. Stella did her best to reconcile the two, and managed to persuade Mac to speak to Don once he was released from the hospital.
And that was when Don suffered a setback and Stella knew that she was going to have to take matters into her own hands.
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4
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An abscess had developed on one of Don's many wounds from the explosion. The surgical team had had to open him up again to drain it, and his discharge date had been pushed further away while he was dosed with antibiotics. It affected Don more than just physically. The main thing that had kept him going through his hospital stay was the hope of getting the hell out as soon as possible. The prospect of being stuck there indefinitely while the docs sliced and diced him whenever they felt like it, was not one he relished.
Stella had reported the change in Don's status to Mac, hoping that it would make him reconsider his decision, but if anything it had only strengthened his resolve. Life was so fragile and fleeting...to allow himself to get seriously involved with somebody was only going to result in more pain. Mac told himself this through many sleepless nights.
Stella noticed that Mac wasn't sleeping well. She also noticed how subdued and withdrawn Don had become. Something was going to have to be done before both men were damaged irreparably.
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"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," said Nurse Wu. "I could get in a lot of trouble for this."
"I promise I'll take full responsibility," said Stella. "And believe me, I'd never ask you to do something like this if it wasn't really important."
"Hmm. Well I've seen how unhappy that poor boy looks. Lying there all day, just waiting for somebody who ain't gonna show. And anything that helps cheer him up can't be all bad. Just answer me one question. This Mac Taylor guy that he's so cut up over...is he worth it?"
"Don believes he is."
"Then that's good enough for me, honey."
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Mac walked briskly along the hospital corridor, carrying his CSI kit. He'd been just on his way home when he'd received a page from the hospital, requesting a CSI to collect evidence from a John Doe assault victim. Mac briefly considered handing the case off to one of the rest of his team...but it wasn't as if he had any other plans for the evening.
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"He's just in here," said Nurse Wu. "I'll just get his belongings out of storage. If you need any help, just press the call button."
"Thank you, Ma'am," said Mac.
There was a privacy screen pulled around the bed when Mac entered the room. He set his kit down on a chair and said, "Sir, my name is Detective Mac Taylor with the New York PD crime lab. If you don't mind, I'd like to collect some evidence from you."
Mac had been told that the patient was unconscious, and so he didn't expect an answer. What he expected even less when he pulled aside the screen, was that a sleepy looking Don Flack would be lying in the bed behind it.
The expression of surprise on Don's face mirrored that on Mac's. He had been told by a nurse that one of his surgeons would be checking in on him that evening. Half asleep from the combination of painkillers and antibiotics, he had barely registered the door opening.
Mac was the first to recover. "I...I must have the wrong room," said Mac.
Don's face fell. "Yeah...that'd be right. No need to figure you'd be here by choice." His fist clenched around the bedclothes as a wave of disappointment crashed over him. He should have guessed that Mac wouldn't have had a sudden change of heart.
Mac hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I...I should go. I was called here to collect evidence..." He took a step back, almost knocking into the chair, which held his kit.
"Can't you stay...since you're here and all..." Don hated the way it sounded like he was begging, but he hadn't set eyes on Mac in over a week, and he couldn't bear to see him leave. "Please Mac..."
"I'm on the job, Don. You know I can't stay."
"Yeah...that's right. It's always the job. Nothing comes between you and the job."
"I'll talk to you another time, Don." Mac grabbed his kit quickly and headed for the door, almost reaching it before he heard Don's voice again.
"Mac...don't...don't go. We need...I need to talk..."
Mac had his hand on the door as he let himself slump against it. "Don...I can't..." He clutched the handle but couldn't bring himself to open it. Maybe he could stay for a bit...just five minutes with Don...it couldn't hurt...but Mac knew that his resolve would be sorely tested if he turned around. His only hope was to keep moving...and yet he couldn't bring himself to open the door.
"The hell you can't..." Don had had enough. He threw back the bedclothes and pushed himself to his feet. But he only managed a few steps before his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, ripping the I.V. line from his hand as he did so. "Mac!" he managed to cry out as he crashed heavily to the floor.
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to be continued