I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

Five

A/n Written by @ancilla89. I just popped in for the Linda content

***********

Danny sits down on the couch.

Today is day 5 of no heat. Maybe the part to fix the heater will be in in two days like the guy said; maybe it won't.

He's never going to tell a soul, but he had called his boss as soon as Linda left for work and practically begged for the chance to come into the precinct.

But there hadn't been a case for him, so he's stuck staring at paperwork for one of the seven open cases he has.

He had wanted to beg Linda not to go to work—not because he's worried about her (he always worries about her safety, but today he is seriously, seriously concerned about his own mental state).

Sean is upstairs doing his online classwork for 12 th grade.

Maybe he'll drive around.

Except—where the hell is there to go? He can't go see anyone; and the last time he'd driven aimlessly around the city...had not ended well.

There are seven hours and nine minutes until Linda gets off work, which means probably eight hours until she comes home. 8 ½ until he can hold her—she takes scrubbing herself down when she gets home seriously.

He wraps up his paperwork, orders some Christmas presents online.

The gift he wants to get for Linda won't be delivered 'till mid-January.

He can't...he shuts the laptop and escapes to the basement--where he yells himself hoarse.

He dials Linda's cell, praying by some miracle she's on break, praying she picks up.

When she doesn't, he calls the nurse's station and asks for Nurse Reagan, and says it's an emergency.

"Hello?" She sounds tired, and out of breath, but not out of breath like she's been running around a lot. It sounds like she's going to be sick--she's always a little out of breath when she gets nauseous.

**

No one answers the phone, so she says again. "Hello? Is anyone there? I really gotta--"

"I...I'm sorry, I'm sorry to bother you; I just...I'm cold, and Sean's busy, and your Christmas present won't be here until January because of shipping  shit, and...I...I just needed to hear your voice."

He's standing in front of the closet now, staring at the lockbox where his off-duty weapon is, and wondering how he got here—he doesn't remember walking in here.

Maybe he'll just clean his weapon, or look at it, or...

He unlocks the box, hoping Linda doesn't hear the distinctive click it makes.

**

Linda hears the distinct sound of the lockbox, curses in her head. She wipes the phone down with a Clorox wipe, covers the mouthpiece, hands it back to the nurse at the station. "Get him talking about my Christmas present. I gotta FaceTime him."

"But-" the younger nurse starts.

"Please, it's an emergency."

"Well... okay..." when the phone is next to her ear again, she says, "Linda's gonna FaceTime you.... what're you getting her for Christmas?"

**

Linda's in the break room in a flash, pushes her face shield off her head and pulls down her mask. Maybe that's not the best idea, but she doesn't need Danny freaking out any more by the sight of what she has to wear in order to stay safe. She pulls out her phone, waits impatiently as it rings. She sees herself in the little frame--gosh, she looks awful. How long have those purple bags been under her eyes?