Disclaimer: ABC own the characters; no profit is being made.

(following "You Deserve A Break Today")

*

It took Harry a full five minutes to make the trip up the stairs. He sat, wheezing, on the bench across from the reception desk and leaned forward with his head down.

"Is that you under there, Denby?" Andy asked more out of curiosity than concern.

Still holding his head low to keep from fainting, Harry managed to raise one hand to acknowledge Andy's question. Then he let his hand drop, and concentrated on breathing.

"You got a lotta nerve walkin' in here in that condition." Andy strutted over to lecture him at a closer proximity. "You know, I thought your adventure last month would have put you off the stuff for good, Denby, but I can see now that you have an uncanny ability to rebound right back to the gutter."

Harry coughed a little, and tried sitting up. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm and managed to croak out, "Diane?"

"I guess it's your lucky day. She's not here."

"Right. Marvelous."

Andy was hovering over him on the verge of letting loose with a shower insults when he noticed the hospital band on Harry's arm. He could see the pulse pounding in Harry's neck and it finally dawned on him that he was having trouble breathing.

"So, uh, you been back in the hospital recently?" he offered cautiously.

"Yes." Harry's breath was coming a little slower now. He gave Andy a brief rundown of the last week, "Helped Diane move. Rain. Pneumonia. Early discharge. Stairs."

"Oh." Andy looked around sheepishly. "Well, geez you need some water or something?"

"Please." Harry rose awkwardly to follow Andy, but Andy turned back and made him sit back down with a firm push.

"Just stay there while I get it. Don't pass out or nothin'."

Harry was beginning to regain his color and normal breathing by the time Andy returned.

After Harry finished his water, he wadded up the cup and made a perfect shot into the garbage can at the other end of the room.

"Nice one."

"Thanks, Sipowitz."

Harry took a depth breath and let it out slowly. "May be another week before I can hold my own on the court again."

"You can't be too careful with these respiratory infections this time of year. Nasty stuff."

"No argument here."

There was a long pause and both men struggled to fill the lapse in conversation.  Andy finally jumped in.

"So, you goin' back on the job down at Narcotics?"

"Maybe some desk work for a while, but yeah." Harry scratched his brow. "Thanks, by the way, for your help on the Monroe case. Diane said your interview with Wilde was one for the books. Turned the whole thing over. Wish I could of seen it."

Andy chuckled, "Yeah, I thought he was gonna wet himself right there in the hospital bed, but then I realized he had on one of them catheter things hooked up. Danny and I had a pretty good laugh about it afterwards."

They both smiled for a moment, and Harry asked about her one more time, "So, is Diane out on a call?"

"Yeah, she's helping Sorenson track down a lead on a guy who got whacked two days ago in a car jacking. They were out following the suspect's gang cronies most of last night. The perp still hasn't come out of hiding yet."

"Sorenson, huh."  Harry cleared his throat. "Isn't he YOUR partner?"

Andy noted the tone of Harry's voice. "Yeah, he's MY partner. I got a sick kid at home and I don't mind takin' Diane up on her offer to pull a night shift."

Harry just stared at him.

"You got a problem with Sorenson, now, Denby?"

Before the two of them had a chance to make any more exchanges they heard Danny's voice, "Yeah, I'm real touched by your willingness to cooperate. Maybe I'd be more convinced of your sudden sincerity if I didn't have to spend the last two days turning over every rock to find you."

He shoved a rough looking young man in handcuffs over to the desk.

Danny then took notice of Denby sitting on the bench next to Andy cocked one eyebrow before emptying the suspect's pockets.

Harry looked out the doorway expectantly for Diane.

When she didn't appear, he stood and said, "Sipowitz said you got a new partner on this one. Will she, uh, be coming along soon?"

Danny looked over at Andy, who just shrugged, and then replied, "I don't think so. After we caught this guy, she said she had something to take care of. Couldn't wait."

*

After stopping by her apartment to pick up the bag of bird food she had bought on her shopping spree, Diane hurried over to Harry's place. She hadn't had a chance to feed Miguel the day before and wondered what kind of greeting she was about to receive.

She felt bad enough for not having the nerve to explain her sudden exit at the hospital to Harry. Now she was going to have to find some way to apologize to a hungry parrot who had been known to hold a grudge.

As she opened the door quietly, she could see Miguel sitting in the corner of the room with his back to her. Thinking he might be sleeping, she tip -toed over to the table and put her things down.  He moved side ways a few steps, still keeping his back to her.

"I don't believe it. You’re actually sulking!" Diane said in exasperation.

"Harry? Is that you?" came a familiar female voice from the bedroom.

Diane flinched in surprise and held her breath for a minute.

The voice came again, "Harry?"

"No, uh, hello. I'm just here to feed Miguel. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Who are you?"

"Who are YOU?" Diane called back.

"Well, I'm not gettin' up, so you might as well come on back."

*

She bit her lip and rounded the corner into Harry's bedroom.

There, surrounded by six pillows was the pretty young woman Diane had seen leave the hospital. She was lying on her side fully dressed, and her lovely black hair spilled out over one arm. Her stomach and back were propped up by pillows and she looked as if she had been crying.

"Are you all right?" Diane said as she stood in the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she sighed. "I'm just really tired. The couch is awful. It's hard to get comfortable these days."

"Not too much longer, huh?"

"You'd think by the look of me. But I got another month to go. My arches fell last week, I gotta pee every hour, and I'm hungry all the time. I told em' at work today that I just can't do a whole shift anymore. They were pretty pissed."  She groaned as she rolled up into a sitting position.

"Still, I've made it this far. I'm beginning to feel like Wonder Woman."

Diane started to melt in sympathy. She couldn't help but like her, and her determination to make it through. She couldn't more than 20 or 22 years old. Looking at her face, she thought she saw something very familiar.

The eyes.

"I'm Diane, Diane Russell," she came near the bed and held out her hand.

"Diane? You're the one...I mean he's just... Wow."

She smiled fully and shook Diane's hand. "Very delighted to meet you. I'm Grace Romani, Harry's niece."

*

Harry sat dejectedly in the back of the cab.  He thought about heading over to Diane's place after leaving the precinct. For about five seconds, anyway. Now he was heading home and feeling more than a little sorry for himself. And when self pity began to descend, Harry's infamous sarcasm had the fuel it needed.

"Your navigational skills seem to be somewhat lacking for this profession," he grumbled from the back seat.

The driver turned back and gestured for emphasis. "I already told you. Either the wise cracks stop... or I do."

"No snappy repartee? No philosophical street wisdom to impart upon your curmudgeonly passenger with good will toward men, or women for that matter?"

"I'm tryin' to drive here. We've got eight more blocks. You think you could do me a favor and hold your breath that long?"

"If I could, I'd make a killing diving for pearls. As it is, I can't even climb a set of stairs."

"Then you don't want me tossing you out on your ass this far from home."

Harry crossed his arms and sat back, "Point taken," and remained quiet for the rest of the trip.

After paying his fare and watching the cab pull away a little too fast, he made his way to his door and shoved in the key.

*

To his surprise, Miguel did not greet him when he walked in. "Now my bird gives me the cold shoulder. Marvelous," he said to himself. Harry drop kicked his duffle bag onto the couch and began looking for his mail.

Just then he heard his parrot's unmistakable voice coming from the back bedroom, "Just the facts Ma'am," followed by howls of laughter. 

Women's laughter.

Harry put his hands on his hips, striding back to his room expecting to find Grace and one of her insipid girlfriends teasing Miguel again.  She was always letting herself in and using his place like some sort of flophouse and he was in no mood to  entertain.

"Ladies, I told you..." Harry began in loud, authoritative tones, and then trailed off. There sitting on the edge of the bed giggling like best friends were Gracie and Diane. He was dumbstruck.

Miguel broke the silence with a perfect rendition of Kojack saying,"Who loves ya baby?" sending the two women into a new fit of laughter. Harry simply turned and walked out into the hall as the two women fell back on the bed snorting and holding their sides.

He busied himself in the kitchen fixing some coffee, and trying to gather his composure. The fact that Diane was there thrilled him, but his fatigue kept him from being able to snap out of his foul mood. He felt his blood rising as he thought of her and listened to her melodic voice.

Finally they came out, sighing and gasping as if they'd jogged a mile.  Harry leaned back against the kitchen counter and stirred his coffee.

"I see you've met my niece," he said cooly with his eyes lowered.

Diane studied his posture and replied, "You should have told me you had family near by."

"Yes, well, we've had a bit of an arrangement. I play the benevolent banker. Has Gracie told you about it?"

"Uncle Harry," Grace jumped in. "Don't go trying to spoil our fun just cause you're in one of your  moods. Diane knows all about it." She grabbed her coat and headed for the door. "Now, make sure he eats. He forgets sometimes and he gets even more Shakespearean."

Harry looked menacingly over his cup at his niece.

Diane smiled and said,"You sure you're okay walking home. It's starting to get dark."

"Yeah, it's only three blocks and I always call, don't I Harry?"

"Yep," he replied and sipped his coffee, staring hard in Diane's direction.

The temperature of the room was clearly starting to rise, and Grace looked knowingly at both of them. She knew her cue and said, "G'nite Diane. Thanks for everything."

And the door quietly shut.

End