You are my comfort

Chapter 2

After Danny talked with the doctor, he went back to Steve, and they left the hospital in Danny's Camaro. Danny slid into the driver's seat and Steve signed, "I'd like to drive."

Danny shook his head. "You are not allowed to drive,you know that."

Steve kept signing, "Can we go to my hotel room? I need to get my stuff."

Danny signed "O-K’’ and started the car’s engine. The rest of the ride was silent. Steve wasn’t a talkative guy and Danny tried to make a small talk, small gestures and expressions while driving but Steve kept silent and looked out of the window, clearly not happy from having to put up with the protection detail.

After a while they arrived at the hotel Steve was staying while he was staying in New Jersey. They got out of the car and went straight to Steve’s room.Steve tossed his stuff in his duffle bag and they left of the room. He left the key to the manager and they went back to the Camaro to go to the safe house.

When they arrived, Steve hung back, looking at the place. It was on the outskirts of the city; a one story house, with a garden and a garage. They entered the house and he saw the living room. It was big, a TV in the corner across from the sofa, an armchair on either side of the sofa, and a coffe table at the middle. The living room was connected to the kitchen, small but fuctional. He moved further inside,a nd saw two identical rooms across from each other. Each had a king sized bed, a closet, and a desk.

He knew he was going to be there for a while. He tossed the duffel bag inside the closet, and headed to the living room. Danny was making coffee. Steve looked at him.

Danny handed him a cup of coffee and they sat at the sofa.’ ’’You can keep your everyday routine and I’m gonna follow you everywhere’’ Danny signed with big gestures.

Steve shrugged and looked at Danny, shooting him an angry face and signed, ’’For how long?’’

"We don't know," Danny answered him, "the investigation is still in the beginning."

"How comes N-C-I-S doesn't handle my protection detail?"

"You don't trust me?" Danny signed back. He knew Steve trusted him, he could see it in Steve's eyes but he wanted to tease him, and as soon as he saw Steve's reaction he knew he succeded.

Steve smiled and he continued his signing and talking thing. "I do, it just seems weird.’’ he signed, his expressions started to soften, as he was feeling more relaxed.

"N-C-I-S handles the investigation," Danny said, "and the F-B-I the protection detail.

Steve signed, "Ok."

==H50==

There were a lot of things Danny didn't knew about the Commander. Tonight, he found one of those things out in the worst way possible. He was sleeping in his room, across from Steve's when he heard screaming, and the sound of things falling down. He got his gun out and ran to Steve's room.

When he got there, he saw only Steve. He was running in circles around his bed, screaming, ''No'' and ''I will kill you''. He was obviously having a nightmare.

Danny touched Steve's shoulder. Steve turned, grabbed Danny's arm, and threw him on the wall. He opened his eyes then, saw Danny. Steve let him go, and went and sat on his bed.

Danny sat down next to him and tried to establish eye contact. Steve was sweating and he was hot, like he had a fever. Steve started signing but he didn't talk, probably because he was still trying to catch his breath. He signed, "Sorry’’ and Danny’s name sign.

Danny signed back, "It's OK, it was a nightmare.’’ His hand still on Steve’s shoulder,keeping him still,grounded Steve was thinking.

Steve looked down,breaking eye contact, his expression sad and he was rubbing his fist in circles on his chest over and over again, the sign for sorry, adding Danny’s name sign after each time.

Danny signed "Stop’’ to get Steve’s attention and when Steve looked at him again,he pointed at Steve and signed "O-K?’’

Steve was looking at him,the sad expression never leaving his face,He signed for Danny "Go to sleep, I don’t want to bother,’’ pointing at Danny and then at his room.

Danny signed, "You don't bother me. I'm here.’’Danny’s expression was calming, his gestures soft, trying to make Steve relax too.

Steve looked at him for a couple of minutes. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk. He started signing without talking, because he felt better expressing himself with his hands.’’ I had a nightmare, where I was being held and tortured back in Afghanistan. They started when I came back.’’

He stopped signing, because now he was thinking, What have I done? I just opened up, to Danny; why did I do that?

"It's okay, you did good telling me this." Danny signed, then stroked Steve's back, like he was trying to calm the SEAL; like Steve was a little kid who just saw a stranger at the door, and he wanted to scream and run to his room and lock the door and never come out.

Danny stopped stroking, "You want a warm cup of milk?’’ he signed and pointed towards the kitchen.

"No, I bothered you enough." Steve replied. "You are here to protect me; not to listen to my problems and make me milk."

"You don’t bother me, I want to help’’ Danny signed and used Steve’s name sign.

Steve nodded yes and dropped his head to look at the floor.

’’You feel OK to stay here by yourself?’’ Danny signed, hoping for an answer, hoping to make Steve feel more comfortable,give him back some sese of control and make him safer.

Steve was almost red from embarassment that he had made Danny listen to everything bothering him, so he didn't say or sign anything. Danny grabbed Steve's hand and dragged him to the kitchen, where he warmed up cup of milk and handed it to him.

Steve drunk it all and they returned to Steve's room. Steve lay down in bed, signed "Thank you", and fell asleep.

Danny stood there watching him. He felt he had to reassure himself that Steve was safe. He didn't knew why. The last time he did anything like this, it was for Grace. Still thinking about Grace, and knowing that Steve was safe, he went back to his room.