Complicated

Chapter Twenty Seven: Whatever It Takes

I'll do whatever it takes
To turn this around
I know what's at stake
I know that I've let you down
And if you give me a chance
Believe that I can change
I'll keep us together whatever it takes

Lifehouse – Whatever It Takes

Of all the apologises Don had to make today this one was by far the hardest. He was standing outside Grace's apartment door carrying a bag of Chinese take out. He'd picked up all of her favourite starters from the Peking Duck restaurant, spring rolls, prawn toast, chicken and sweetcorn soup, he'd thrown in her usual main of beef and blackbean sauce along with a slice banoffee pie.

Don knew that this didn't even begin to make up for the past two months but he hoped it was a step in the right direction. Mac's words were still ringing in his head from yesterday.

"You should be taking care of her."

Mac had been right, the job wasn't the only area of responsibility he had been shirking recently. Grace was capable of taking care of herself and he knew their friends from the crime lab had rallied around her to formulate the support network she needed. Yet he knew the kind of reassurances Grace craved, he knew that in the dead of night she would wake up whimpering and gasping for breath because of the nightmares that dogged her sleep. He should have been there in the past few weeks to hold her in the night, to whisper in her ear and kiss her until she forgot about the dreams.

Don rapped on her door again, bowing his head and listening out for the sound of her footfalls through the wood as she padded towards the door and opened it.

Grace looked tired, in fact she looked exhausted. There were dark circles rimming her grey eyes and she looked lethargic as she stood before him wearing a black vest and his pair of NYPD sweats from his days at the academy. Her eyes widened in surprised as her gaze dropped to the take out bag clasped in his hands.

"It's frightening how good you are." she informed him, holding up the take out menu that was clutched in her left hand as she opened the door fully to let him in.

"They don't call me a Detective for nothing." he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

Don's eyes swept through the apartment as he catalogued the tokens of her life without him. There was a blanket strewn across the couch, he could tell she must have been under it when he'd knocked. There were a stack of DVD's piled on the coffee table, all of them he recognized as ones she watched when she was feeling down. Whip It was playing on the DVD menu on the TV. Grace rose up on tip toes, removing two plates from the cupboard. She was moving stiffly, he could tell her side was hurting her. He couldn't help but feel responsible for that.

Despite the amount of alcohol he had consumed he still retained a memory of the day before. She had been bleeding in the car when she had dropped him off, light splotches but he knew that she had reopened part of the wound. From the sight of the medikit perched on the opposite side of the coffee table he guessed she had patched herself up again too.

"I'll sort this, you go sit down again and I'll bring it over." Don said softly, his hand came to rest on her lower back back lightly, thumb grazing over the bare patch of flesh revealing her tattoo.

Grace slipped out from underneath his touch, gliding past him as she took his advice. He watched her in concern over the breakfast bar as he began to arrange the assortment of Chinese food onto their plates. Grace sat back down on the couch and pulled the blanket around her before hitting play on the DVD player. She was quiet, which was out of character for Grace, then again the way things had been between the two of them lately he couldn't say he blamed her.

Don wasn't good in these situations, he was the one that was used to detaching from people. He was used to holding his hands up and walking away when there was a problem he couldn't fix. He knew when to cut his losses and when to fight and now was one of the times he needed to stand up and be a man. Only Don didn't know the right words to say so he started with the question that had been burning in his mind all day.