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helsinkibabyTitle: Knight in Shining Armour
author: helsinkibaby
Fandom: Sports Night
Pairing: Dan Rydell/Natalie Hurley
Word Count: 742
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Summary: Natalie has a cold. Dan tries to save her from herself.
Notes: for the prompt "sneezing/sniffles" on my Cotton Candy Bingo card. Appropriate for me at the moment!
"OK, Nat, get your purse. I'm taking you home."
Dan Rydell walks into his wife's office, puts on his best husband voice and utters those words as if he expects to be obeyed. Natalie Hurley-Rydell, love of his life, lady of his heart, looks up at him and laughs, an action that would doubtless hold more sway with Dan if it hadn't turned into a hacking cough.
"I don't need to go home, Dan," she tells him when she recovers, in a voice made strange by a congested nose and sore throat. "I'm fine."
"Really." Dan raises one eyebrow as he crosses his arms over his chest, his point being proven when Natalie lets out what he's fairly sure is the biggest sneeze he's ever heard in his life. Grabbing a tissue from the half empty box on her desk, she holds it up to her nose; the nose which Dan usually finds adorably cute but which now resembles something belonging to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. "Which is why Dana's one more sneeze away from calling the CDC in here."
Natalie rolls her eyes. "She is not," she scoffs.
"Oh, I think you'll find you're wrong about that. And that I have, in fact, been instructed to remove you from the premises before you infect everyone in the control room tonight."
Glaring at him, Natalie stands, her chair shooting back and almost hitting the wall behind her. "I'm perfectly fine, Danny..." she begins before another round of sneezes seizes her, leaving her holding onto the table as if it's the only thing holding her up. Dan crosses the room to her side in a few quick steps, mentally cursing because she hadn't been this ill this morning but he'd known she was sick, had tried to convince her to stay home. Looking at her now, he thinks he should have tried harder.
"OK, that's it, Nat," he tells her. "You're coming home." She straightens, looks at him with those big brown eyes of hers and he doesn't give himself time to think about what he's doing, simply lifts her up over his shoulder in a fireman's lift and carries her out of the office, through the rows of desks, with Natalie protesting the whole way.
Dana meets them at the elevator. "A car's waiting downstairs for you," she tells them, and Dan can imagine Natalie's glare.
"Traitor," she hisses at Dana. "What about the Sisterhood?"
"The Sisterhood won't help me if my entire control room goes out sick," is Dana's breezy reply as she punches the button to call the elevator. "Feel better."
Dan carries Natalie over his shoulder into the lift, down into the parking garage and he doesn't let her down until he places her into the car. When she's sitting down beside him, her ire seems spent and she slumps against him, laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulls her close to him and presses a kiss to the top of her head. She's asleep before they leave the parking structure.
When they get back to their apartment building, she wakes just enough to get out of the car and then he swings her up into his arms again, this time carrying her the same way he'd once carried her over the threshold. Her head rests against his shoulder and he carries her into their apartment, laying her gently down on the bed, taking off her shoes and covering her up with their comforter. He pushes her hair back from her face and she blinks up at him drowsily. "I got some meds before I came into your office," he tells her. "I'm just going to get you some water, ok?"
She nods, looking miserable. "I hate being sick," he mutters before she sneezes again. "I hate it."
"I know." Dan leans forwards, kisses her forehead. "Just relax... I'm going to take good care of you."
Natalie frowns. "What about the show?"
"Casey can carry it for tonight," Dan shrugs. "And tomorrow if need be." Her eyes widen in shock and he shakes his head. "Nat, I'm here for as long as you need me. I'm not going anywhere." His tone, he hopes, makes it clear that it's not up for debate and for once, Natalie just nods, closing her eyes.
"I love you, Danny," she murmurs, and he smiles, squeezes her hand.
"I love you too."
author: helsinkibaby
Fandom: Sports Night
Pairing: Dan Rydell/Natalie Hurley
Word Count: 742
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None
Summary: Natalie has a cold. Dan tries to save her from herself.
Notes: for the prompt "sneezing/sniffles" on my Cotton Candy Bingo card. Appropriate for me at the moment!
"OK, Nat, get your purse. I'm taking you home."
Dan Rydell walks into his wife's office, puts on his best husband voice and utters those words as if he expects to be obeyed. Natalie Hurley-Rydell, love of his life, lady of his heart, looks up at him and laughs, an action that would doubtless hold more sway with Dan if it hadn't turned into a hacking cough.
"I don't need to go home, Dan," she tells him when she recovers, in a voice made strange by a congested nose and sore throat. "I'm fine."
"Really." Dan raises one eyebrow as he crosses his arms over his chest, his point being proven when Natalie lets out what he's fairly sure is the biggest sneeze he's ever heard in his life. Grabbing a tissue from the half empty box on her desk, she holds it up to her nose; the nose which Dan usually finds adorably cute but which now resembles something belonging to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. "Which is why Dana's one more sneeze away from calling the CDC in here."
Natalie rolls her eyes. "She is not," she scoffs.
"Oh, I think you'll find you're wrong about that. And that I have, in fact, been instructed to remove you from the premises before you infect everyone in the control room tonight."
Glaring at him, Natalie stands, her chair shooting back and almost hitting the wall behind her. "I'm perfectly fine, Danny..." she begins before another round of sneezes seizes her, leaving her holding onto the table as if it's the only thing holding her up. Dan crosses the room to her side in a few quick steps, mentally cursing because she hadn't been this ill this morning but he'd known she was sick, had tried to convince her to stay home. Looking at her now, he thinks he should have tried harder.
"OK, that's it, Nat," he tells her. "You're coming home." She straightens, looks at him with those big brown eyes of hers and he doesn't give himself time to think about what he's doing, simply lifts her up over his shoulder in a fireman's lift and carries her out of the office, through the rows of desks, with Natalie protesting the whole way.
Dana meets them at the elevator. "A car's waiting downstairs for you," she tells them, and Dan can imagine Natalie's glare.
"Traitor," she hisses at Dana. "What about the Sisterhood?"
"The Sisterhood won't help me if my entire control room goes out sick," is Dana's breezy reply as she punches the button to call the elevator. "Feel better."
Dan carries Natalie over his shoulder into the lift, down into the parking garage and he doesn't let her down until he places her into the car. When she's sitting down beside him, her ire seems spent and she slumps against him, laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulls her close to him and presses a kiss to the top of her head. She's asleep before they leave the parking structure.
When they get back to their apartment building, she wakes just enough to get out of the car and then he swings her up into his arms again, this time carrying her the same way he'd once carried her over the threshold. Her head rests against his shoulder and he carries her into their apartment, laying her gently down on the bed, taking off her shoes and covering her up with their comforter. He pushes her hair back from her face and she blinks up at him drowsily. "I got some meds before I came into your office," he tells her. "I'm just going to get you some water, ok?"
She nods, looking miserable. "I hate being sick," he mutters before she sneezes again. "I hate it."
"I know." Dan leans forwards, kisses her forehead. "Just relax... I'm going to take good care of you."
Natalie frowns. "What about the show?"
"Casey can carry it for tonight," Dan shrugs. "And tomorrow if need be." Her eyes widen in shock and he shakes his head. "Nat, I'm here for as long as you need me. I'm not going anywhere." His tone, he hopes, makes it clear that it's not up for debate and for once, Natalie just nods, closing her eyes.
"I love you, Danny," she murmurs, and he smiles, squeezes her hand.
"I love you too."
