We Were Born Sick • Gotham Fanfiction •

XXVIII: Sink or Swim

"One lives with so many bad deeds on one's conscience and some good intentions in one's heart." - John Dewey

Bird's eyes slowly opened and she looked over to where Harvey was sleeping next to her, a smile spread over her lips as she looked around his bedroom and she started to lay her head back down until the incessant buzzing from the nightstand started up again.

Leaning over she picked up her phone to see she had seven missed calls from Fish and four missed calls from Butch. Just as she went to call one of them back, Fish called again and she answered the phone. Her drowsiness cleared up within a matter of seconds when she was told that they'd pulled Liza out.
Soon enough they'd be making the call to Falcone with their demands and she needed to get to the club as soon as possible.

Shutting her phone, she slid out of Harvey's bed and quickly went about gathering her clothes from the day before, trying to move as quietly as possible but in her rush and still trying to wake up, staying quiet was next to impossible.

"What are you doing?" Harvey asked in a slightly raspy voice as he walked into his living room to see Bird picking up a stack of movies she'd accidentally knocked off the tv stand.

"I can't find my left shoe." She admitted, with a groan.

Rubbing his eyes and trying to clear his sleep-blurred vision, he blinked several times before pointing next to the couch and asking, "That shoe?"

"Thank you." She breathed, darting over and hopping on one foot while she tried to pull her shoe on. "Fish called, I have to go into work."

"No." He said shaking his head back and forth, still trying to wake up.

Picking her purse up off the coffee table and checking to make sure she had everything in it, she let out a small laugh as she pointed out, "I wasn't asking you, I was telling you."

"I still said no." He softly said, as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and reminded her, "We were going to spend the morning together, remember? I don't have to be in court until later."

Leaning back against him she promised, "If I had a way to get out of this and stay here with you, I would... but this is important and I can't say no."

Her serious tone was sobering to his ears and he moved around to get in front of her when he asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." she nodded with a smile, but he didn't believe it.

"Then why are you rushing out of here like the building is on fire?"

"If you had a court time moved up, I wouldn't give you the third degree about it." Bird pointed out, trying not to get angry with him.
She didn't want to start her day with a fight.

"True, but you work for..." His voice trailed off and he pulled in a deep breath before calmly saying, "I worry about you and seeing you darting around here all frantic to get out the door makes me worry even more."

"You know I can't tell you anything about it. We agreed, remember? You'd stay out of my work and not ask me incriminating questions." Bird reminded him and he nodded, his forehead resting against hers as he softly added, "And you agreed you'd start trying to distance yourself from these people."

"And I will." She assured him, tilting her face to press a soft kiss to his lips. "Just not today, today I have to be at work and I should have already left ten minutes ago."

Keeping his hands on her sides, he held onto her so she couldn't pull away and offered, "I could drive you back to your place. So you could shower and get clean clothes-"