A/N: I won nothing. Duh. Same as always. Sadly. By the way to Midnight Tiptoes in the csifiles Flack and Aiden forum- I need that fic you're writing- I've been waiting for it and it's been driving me nuts!
It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes saying' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine
-Alison Kraus
The beeping of the heart monitor sounded the same as it had the past four hours Detective Don Flack had spent in the room. The two before that, he hadn't been allowed in the room, and the three before that Aiden Burn had emergency surgery. It almost seemed surreal to Flack as he sat there, soaking it all in. They'd had a fight- he couldn't even remember what it was about as he sat looking at her bruised and beaten body laying in a hospital hooked up to machines and ventilators that helped keep her alive. She'd stormed out, on her way to work. But she never made it there.
She'd cut through a park to get to work, and that was the last that was seen of her. She'd been beaten almost to death. Two broken ribs, three fractured fingers, a smashed knee cap, 160 stitches, and a bad concussion proved that quite clearly. He reached out and traced the swelling under her eye carefully, as if proving it to himself that it was real. That it all wasn't some twisted dream, a sick dream that he'd wake up from with her beside him.
He stood quickly, shoving the chair out from behind him abruptly, and turned on his cell phone, remembering suddenly that he had turned it off and he might have a message from the department about the guy who did it. That thought shocked him more than anything. He worked around people who did unimaginable things to people all the time. But the fact that someone would do that to her of all people made him angrier than he had ever been.
He dialed the number to the station hurriedly, hands shaking in barely suppressed rage.
The secretary picked up. "New York Police Department- how may I direct your call?"
"This is Detective Don Flack. I need to speak to Detective Thacker."
She put him through, and Don drummed his fingers on his hip, waiting for Thacker to pick up already.
"Thacker."
"It's Flack. Have ya' found the guy yet?"
Thacker sighed. "Listen Flack, man to man, I don't think it's a good idea for ya' to come down here."
Probably not the best thing to say.
Flack's eyes hardened immediately. "Listen," he said "Have ya' seen her? She looks fuckin' dead. Do you understand me? I'm standing here in a hospital because someone decided to play rag doll with her, don't tell me to clam down, and don't tell me ya' opinion, I don't care. Do ya' have the guy or not?"
There was silence on the line.
"Thacker?" Flack asked, an unspoken threat in his voice.
"We got the guy. For sure. He's got scratch marks and he meets the profile."
"I'll be down in ten." He said, hanging up abruptly.
He leaned down and kissed Aiden's cold forehead cautiously, trying his hardest not to look at the marks on her neck. Those marks that almost ended her life and take her away from him.
Flack probably hadn't driven there safely. Ok, definitely not, but he walked through the doors calmly, radiating silent anger and pent up rage. He flashed his badge and walked into the interrogation room. A guy sat in the table and Don profiled him in his head. 6'2, Caucasian Male, probably 270 pounds, hefty, blonde hair, brown eyes. Face of a murderer. Right down to the cold stare and crazed look. Flack would have hated the guy, even if it hadn't been Aiden he had done it to. Even if it had been some random girl Flack had never seen before. He still would have passionately hated the guy. But having Aiden in the Crash Room at the hospital definitely did help matters.
Flack scraped the chair back and sat down hard. Flipping through the guys file. Kevin Stewart. Thirty-three. Bronx. Flack flipped the file closed and grabbed the pictures of Aiden from the officer standing in the corner of the room. Flack slid the photos across the table at Kevin, mouth twisted into a scowl.
"Ya' know her?" Flack asked, voice hard.
Kevin didn't even glance down.
"Look at the fuckin' picture." Flack said with gritted teeth.
Kevin glanced down for a second and smirked. He glanced back up at Flack.
"Never seen her before."
Flack backhanded the guy. The officer in the corner winced.
"We've got ya' DNA under her fingernails. Games up."
Kevin straightened himself, not even reaching to touch his rapidly swelling lip. He grinned insanely at Flack and laughed maniacally loud and frightening. When he came to a sudden halt, he looked at flack, a gleam in his eye.
"Is the bitch dead?" He grinned again.
Flack hauled the guy out of his seat by his shirt; bring himself eye to eye with the man.
His teeth clenched instantly and fury ripped into his blue eyes. "She's as good as dead. But she's not gonna' stay that way, She's gonna' wake up and get betta', and then she's gonna testify against you for rape and attempted murder. You'll be condemned to years of maximum security prison for attacking a government employee, and then you'll die, cold and alone in a prison cell, with God and Aiden as ya' only witnesses to what ya' did. I hope ya' rot in hell."
The man stayed calm but smirked.
He cackled again. "So that's her name? Aiden? A personal attachment, I see. Did I fuck up your little girlfriend? Wife? I didn't see a ring."
Flack shoved the guy into the wall, punching him up under the chin and once in the head before two officers pulled them men apart. As Flack left the room, he heard Thacker reading the man his rights.
After stopping at home to take a quick shower and change into jeans and a tee shirt, flack was back at the hospital an hour later, carrying flowers. He pushed open the door to the room and would have smiled if he wasn't dog tired. Aiden's room was filled to the brim with flowers and balloons, cards and candy. Flack leaned on the bedside table and read the tag on a bouquet of pink roses- Stella. Danny had sent a large bouquet of sunflowers, Mac sent orchids, Chad sent a huge thing of balloons, and Maka sent a box of chocolate and had snuck in beer for Flack. He chuckled looking at it, wondering how she had gotten it in.
There were various other boquets of ballons and flowers from fellow officers and other csi's. Flack felt bad that he hadn't been there to see them, but figured they would probably understand.
A letter with 'Flack' written on it caught his eye. He tore it open, glancing at Aiden, still sleeping on. He smiled softly as he read it.
Flack-
If you need anything, call.
Mac.
Flack sat back down on the chair and leaned his head on Aiden's bed, eyes closing to the wonders of sleep, but not before uttering a quick prayer for Aiden.
He could tell someone was watching him. He opened his eyes blearily and looked at his watch- 2:37 in the morning. He almost jumped out of his skin when he was Aiden studying him. He leapt out of his chair.
"Aid." He said, not quite knowing what to say to her. He was surprised to feel his eyes fill with tears- he'd been fighting them for a while. He coughed loudly and sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Don." She said quietly, but her raspy voice broke his heart.
After a second of silence, he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. He yanked his hand back when she flinched. He knew it wasn't his fault, because she wouldn't want people to touch her for a while, but it still dug deep.
Suddenly she started to cry-hard. She just burst out crying- which was shocking because she was supposed to be tough, but Don didn't care. He carefully touched her arm, running his hand up and down it carefully while she sobbed.
"I'm so sorry." She managed to choke out.
His eyes filled with tears again.
"Aiden, it's not your fault."
She wouldn't look at him, just looked to the side and continued crying, harder.
"Aid. Aiden. Look at me. It's not your fault. Look at me, Aid. Please. Babe, come on."
She looked at him for a second, her body still wracking with sobs, which must have hurt like hell.
"This isn't your fault." He repeated, more sternly.
She swallowed and nodded.
"Oh my god." She whispered, and sat back.
He reached carefully towards her and rest his hand on the side of her face. She flinched momentarily but kept her eyes locked with his.
"I love you." He said, not daring to look away. "This doesn't affect anything. I'm still here. I promise you, I won't go away."
"I love you too." She croaked, but it came out raspier than expected, and she was tired.
"Go to sleep." He said.
She nodded and grabbed his hand. He squeezed it reassuringly, being careful of her broken fingers. She closed her eyes, falling into a deep and hopefully peaceful slumber. Flack stayed awake though, to watch her, thankful.
A/N: Liked it? Hope so.