Title: Sick and Tired
Authors: Ginny and Dee
Rating: FRT
Pairing: Don/Danny
Disclaimer: Still don’t own them…sorry. We’ll put them back as soon as we’re done. Promise.
Summary: Don’s sick…and Danny’s driving him crazy.
Author’s Note: For Kathie. Because we love her. And are trying not to keep fics from her anymore.
Challenge: 10 Hurt/Comfort
Prompt: 3 – Sick

~*~*~

"Don?" Danny called as he knocked on the bathroom door. "You okay?"

"Go away!" Don shouted hoarsely.

"You've been in there thirty minutes," Danny pointed out. "Can I help with somethin'?"

"Leave me alone," Don insisted. He knew how long he'd been in there. It was the only place he could go and escape Danny.

"You sure?" Danny asked

"I'm sure," Don begged. "Please just go away." Don started coughing harder.

"Don? I'm going to fix you some tea," he nodded and started toward the kitchen.

"I'm fine," he called, but knew Danny would ignore him. Just like he'd ignored every plea that he was fine, it was just a little cold.

"Don?" Danny called again ten minutes later. "I have tea."

"Go away!"

"If you don't come out now, I'm breaking the door down," Danny insisted stubbornly.

"Leave. Me. Alone!" Don shouted as loud as his hoarse voice would allow.

"Then why are you in there? Throwing up?" Danny asked.

"No!"

"It's just a little tea and it'll make you feel better," Danny replied as he tried the doorknob.

Don listened to the knob rattling before he gave up. With a sigh, he stood and opened the door. "If I drink the tea will you leave me alone?" he requested.

Danny's eyes narrowed as he took in Don's appearance. "You look worse than you did. You're sure you didn't throw up? C'mon, you're going back to bed," he instructed as he took Don's arm and guided him back to bed.

"I don't wanna go back to bed," Don insisted. "I wanna take a hot shower, put on clean clothes and have a decent meal."

"You can't take a shower! It'll only make you worse. Now, get into bed and I'll fix you some chicken noodle soup. You'll like that, won't cha?" Danny kept rambling on as he tucked the covers around Don.

Don glared at him, refusing to answer. As soon as Danny was out the door, he pushed the covers back, swing his legs over the side of the bed.

"Get back in there," Danny ordered, stepping back into the room with a glare. "You're not getting up until you're not coughing up a lung."

Don grumbled but laid back down as he started coughing again. Eyeing his cough drops on the other side of the room, Don slowly stood from the bed and grabbed the small blue bag before Danny could hear him.

"Maybe if I play along, he'll finally leave me alone and maybe I can get some sleep," Don muttered as he stuffed a cough drop in his mouth.

He was dozing when Danny walked back into the room with a bowl of soup.

"Eat," Danny commanded.

Don growled and rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head.

"You have to eat if you're going to regain your strength," Danny said patiently as he held out the bowl of soup.

"Sleeping does that also," Don grumbled, not moving the blanket.

"Don, please. You need to eat this." Don flung back the covers and glared at Danny.

"I finally get to sleep and ya want me to eat soup?"

"I'll let you sleep when you're done and after you take your medicine," Danny agreed, nudging the bowl of soup towards Don again.

"Fine," Don muttered and took the bowl. Anything that would get Danny to leave him alone. He'd been hovering for two days.

"You can take more cough medicine now too," Danny said. "Eat the soup, take the cough medicine and you can sleep. Right after --"

"Danny," Don growled around a cough. "Shut up or I'm throwin' this soup at ya."

"I'm just tryin ta help," Danny insisted but still took a step back.

"I know," Don sighed and started eating. He looked up and stared at Danny, who was still hovering over him. "What?"

"You need anything else? More tea?" Danny asked, almost bouncing on his heels.

"I'm fine."

"More cough drops?"

"I'm fine."

"Tissue?"

"Danny," Don warned.

"I could fluff your pillow," he offered.

"Danny!" he yelled.

"Yeah?"

"Go away!"

"I'm just tryin' to help."

"You can help by leavin me alone," he pleaded before coughing again. "Just, let me sleep."

"As soon as -- okay," Danny muttered at Don's glare. He looked down at his feet as he said, "I'll just be out there if you need me."

Don only glared. He held his breath after the door closed, waiting for Danny to come back. When a full minute had passed he turned over and pulled the blankets up. "Finally," he muttered.

He lay there, staring at the ceiling for several long minutes before tossing back the covers. "Danny?" he rasped as he opened the door.

"What?" Danny asked, quickly wiping his eyes before turning to face the other man.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he started coughing again.

"I'm fine," Danny answered shortly, but he refused to meet Don's eyes. "Do you - I'm fine."

"Danny, I'm sorry - " Don began before the coughing started again.

"It's fine. Get back to bed," Danny told him. "You're going to make yourself even sicker."

Don could only nod weakly before making his way back to the bed. He just hoped that he hadn't hurt Danny too badly; he just didn't have the energy to be patient.

He looked up when Danny reentered the room a few minutes later with a mug of tea and a glass of water. "Here," he said as he placed them on the bedside table. "These might help."

"Thanks," he groaned. "I'm not feeling too good."

"Sip your tea," Danny said softly. "I'll be back in later."

"Danny."

"It's fine," he said quickly. "I'm not going to hover, but I will check in on you."

"It's not that," Don quickly said. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I know," Danny said with a small smile.

"Thanks," he replied, pulling the covers tighter around his body. "Are you cold? I'm cold. May I have another blanket? And some more of your tea?"

"Sure." Danny spent the next few minutes fussing over him. "Are you warmer now?" he asked as he tucked the blanket in around him.

"No. Wanna keep me warm?" Don asked him.

Danny thought about it for a few minutes before he curled in behind Don and wrapped his arms around the other man. "Better?" he whispered in Don's ear.

"Much," he whispered, already mostly asleep.

"Good," Danny muttered, pressing a quick kiss to Don's temple. "You're burning up," he stated before adjusting the blankets.

"Feel better now," Don murmured as he snuggled into Danny some more.

Danny nodded, "Okay. If you don't feel better in the morning, I'm taking you to Shel."

"Fine. It's not fair though."

"What's not fair?" Danny whispered, brushing Don's hair from his forehead.

"Why am I sick and not you?"

Danny smiled. "I'll probably be sick tomorrow."

"Promise?"

Danny laughed. "Yes, I'll try to be sick tomorrow. Can I get you anything else?"

"Danny - " Don warned. "Shut up."

"Okay," Danny grinned. He tightened his grip on Don and pressed a soft kiss into his hair. "Sleep now."

"Okay," Don agreed. "I'll take care of you tomorrow when you're sick. Love you," he whispered, his eyes closed as he fell asleep.

~~End~~