Dying Embers

The piercing sunlight in Don's eyes sent him jolting awake. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep in Brett's hospital room. He turned and looked at her sleeping face. Her auburn hair was spilling all over her face, her arm was curled onto her pillow. He sat up and yawned. A nurse came in.
"Sorry we didn't wake you. We'd thought you might want to be with your girlfriend", she apologized. Don blinked.
"Oh, she's not my girlfriend. She's my partner", he said, stretching. The nurse blinked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you two looked so cozy, I thought you were dating", she said. She put a syringe to Brett's medicine bag and walked out. Sythe came in.
"Hey, she's still sleeping?" he said. Don nodded.
"Yeah, they said one of the side effects of her concussion is exhaustion. She'll be out for a while", he replied. Sythe gave him an amused look.
"She's a fighter, that's for sure. Grayson is in critical condition. If Brett had shot even more slightly to the left, he would've been dead on impact", he said. Don shook his head, watching Brett.
"He'd beaten her two nights ago and she left to go to my place to check up on me on the fourth of July", he said distantly.
"Why didn't either one of you file a report? That's serious, we could've gotten him for domestic assault, plus assaulting an officer", Sythe scolded. He was mad now.
"Brett didn't want to file one. He'd had her so twisted, that she thought she'd deserved it", Don responded bitterly.

"Your team wants blood. It took a lot to get them backed off and calmed down, we nearly had a riot in the bullpen", Sythe said. Don chuckled.
"She's a good cop. Acts on instincts, not emotions", he replied.
"She's more like Jess than a little", Sythe said. Don could tell he was treading carefully.
"Yeah, they would've either have been best friends or worst enemies", he agreed. Sythe sat down in the other chair and watched Brett.
"Gimme a call when she wakes up, kay?" he said after a minute. Don nodded. Sythe tossed a bag onto his lap.
"So your neighbors don't catch you in the walk of shame", he said, walking out. Don walked into the bathroom and changed into the jeans and t-shirt. When he walked out, Brett was sitting up groggily.
"Well, good morning sunshine. Glad you could join the land of the living", Don said. Brett frowned and studied the chair.
"Did you stay here last night?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yeah, I passed out not too long after you did", he replied.
"What time is it?" she asked. He checked his watch.
"Ten am. You and I have the day off", he replied. Brett yawned.
"When do I blow this popsicle stand?" she asked.

"When the doctor thinks you're fine. By the way, good job on nearly killing Grayson", Don replied. Brett frowned.
"I want to get out of here", she complained. He chuckled.
"Want me to swing by your place and get you a change of clothes?" he asked. Brett looked up at him, those pretty blue eyes of hers shining with gratitude.
"You will be my bestest friend ever if you do that. Diego's there, so be careful. He likes you, so you probably won't have an issue", she replied. Don kissed the top of her head, chuckling.
"Don't worry, just tell me what to grab. I dunno if I can handle picking out your outfit", he said. Brett slapped his arm.
"I have a pair of jeans and a shirt on the trunk at the foot of my bed. Be sure to grab the undershirt though, otherwise I'm showing New York something it doesn't need to see", she replied. Don gave her an amused look.
"Alright, I'll be back", he said. He walked out, laughing to himself. He called Sythe.
"Yeah, she's awake and feistier than ever. I'm swinging by her place to get her some stuff", he said.
"Good. I'll swing by and talk to her real quick. I want you to keep an eye on her, she's bound to get herself into some kind of trouble", Sythe replied. Don chuckled.
"See you then", he said. He knew crime-scene cleanup hadn't been through yet, but he'd gotten the clothes from the trunk by her bed. He couldn't stop himself from holding up the top to see what she'd been talking about. It was baggy and low-cut, which would show a significant amount of skin. He scooped up the undershirt and left. Diego lifted his head and barked. Don petted the gigantic German Shepherd's head and walked out.

By the time he'd reached the room again, Brett was already walking around. He looked away from the hospital gown.
"Here you go", Don said, tossing the clothes onto a chair. Brett smiled brightly and walked into the bathroom to change her clothes. She came out, the cami covering a lot more skin than he'd like.
"Hey, crime-scene cleanup hasn't gone through your place yet. You're welcome to crash at my place for a while if you need it", he offered. Brett looked up.
"You don't have to do that. I'll stay with my cousin's friend", she replied. Don rolled his eyes.
"He's a total pervert. Would you rather stay at a pervert's place or your partner's?" he said. Brett gave him a death glare.
"Fine, but I get the couch", she replied.
"Only you would be so stubborn about a couch, Brett", he said. The doctor signed her release forms.
"Your meds are right there", she said, pointing to the table. "And if you start to feel nauseous, or you throw up, then come back here". Brett nodded.
"Thanks, doc", she replied. Don walked with her out of the hospital and Brett threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you for everything", she said in his ear. He hugged her back.
"No problem", he replied.