General/Romance

Life According To…

A/N: For the purpose of this story, Aiden is still alive. What if Danny had never warmed up to Lindsay? This story is told from the POV of different people (first person), for the most part alternating with the story told from the third person POV. DL, HawkesOC

I hope you enjoy it. Please review.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; this is simply my imagination put to paper.

Summary: Sheldon Hawkes is not only a student of science, but also a student of human nature. He observes his coworkers and takes notes of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Chapter 1: Life according to Hawkes

During my lifetime I have met all kinds of people, though my career had my path crossing with quite a few deceased people. The mask of death that overtook them spoke to their last moments – some saw death coming, and others slipped away peacefully, almost welcoming death.

It's amazing how much of a person's story can be told by sifting through the contents of his stomach. People are such creatures of habit that the last meal is usually indicative of the person's lifestyle. Of course, the meal alone is only one piece of the puzzle. I came across a guy who was obviously homeless, but had caviar among his stomach contents. I should have been content to find the cause of his death – which was unnatural, by the way – but I wasn't. I wanted to know what led a 52 year old engineer to spend his last year roaming the streets of New York, only to end up in a dumpster in an alley covered in the adjoining business' refuse. By the time the CSIs learned that the fatal wound to his heart had gotten there because he was rummaging through the garbage, lost his footing and landed on a long, sharp metal rod, they had investigated his life and put together the pieces that I couldn't provide.

I decided to go into medicine to help others, and I loved figuring out medical mysteries. First, as a surgeon, which in theory was an exact fit, until the enormity of having a life slip away under my fingertips became unbearable. Then, I became a medical examiner. I enjoyed it until I realized that my friends who were CSIs got to play with more pieces of the puzzle. The next logical step was to become one myself.

My curiosity was only satiated when I found not only evidence, but clues into a victim's life. I'd like to think that I'm a student of humanity. The interactions between people have always intrigued me. I try not to judge, but there are some great lessons to be learned by paying attention to the way others live their lives.

For instance, when I first met Danny Messer, I couldn't help but be curious. I must say that I've learned a lot just by paying attention to him: 1) be loyal, 2) have self-confidence, 3) don't defy your boss, 4) pride always comes before a fall, 5) holding a grudge isn't useful, 6) growing up doesn't mean you lose your edge, and 7) love can be found where we least expect it.

While I'm at it, I might as well tell you that I've learned from all of my coworkers, Mac Taylor, Stella Bonasera, Lindsay Monroe, Don Flack, Sid Hammerback, and Adam Ross. From them I have learned: 1) stand up for what you believe in, 2) when you lose someone you love, grieve, but don't give up, 3) survivors should not feel guilty for surviving, 4) life is always worth living, 5) no matter how non-ending the fight is, always try to get the bad guy, 6) sometimes you have to work through the pain, and other times you have to know when to let others help you, 7) humor is beautiful in the face of ugliness, and 8) being a geek isn't a bad thing.

Now, you might wonder why I've concentrated so much on Danny. Well, let me tell you, he is a living paradox. He's as loyal as they come, but he's been known to flagrantly defy Mac's orders. He has a lot of self-confidence, one could even say that he's cocky, but he still longs for approval. His pride has gotten him in quite a lot of trouble, but when he finds something (or someone) he wants, he wears his heart on his sleeve. When it comes to him and Lindsay Monroe…well, let me put it this way…

7/11/07

Next: Meet Hannah