Sammy & Ilna - thank you for the TREMENDOUS support since my mom's increased health issues. Your listening means the world to me.
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Stories with Danno
Danny walked onto the deck and Steve chuckled at his partner's t-shirt.
"Laugh it up, your day will come," the detective, whose grey shirt read You Can't Scare Me, I Have a Teenager, in red letters, snorted before he bent to catch the whirlwind that was Angie catapulting into his arms.
"That had to be from Angela." Steve grinned knowingly at the teasing relationship his best friend had with his youngest sibling.
Danny lifted Angie above his head as she giggled, "Fwy, Danno!" and responded, "Got it in one." Smiling broadly, he nodded to Steve. "What did I tell you people? She's gonna do a HALO jump at ten." He placed the toddler on her feet and she dashed towards Catherine, who was sitting on one of the lounge chairs.
"Mama, Dannnno he'we!" She pointed.
"I see him. Can you tell Uncle Danno what you had for dinner?" Catherine pointed to two sweet potato fries that were left on the otherwise clean plate.
Grabbing them in her hand, Angie held them to Steve, whose face split into a huge grin at her question, "Daddy wha' dat?"
"Those are sweet potatoes, baby girl. Say, 'I ate all my hamburger and sweet potatoes.' "
"Et all see tato!"
Danny clapped and the toddler followed suit. "Good job. And look at you saying 'Daddy.' " He took the water Steve passed him before sitting down. "It's all your daddy talked about Monday, you know. He may have even told a bad guy or two," he teased, but his expression was one of delight for his best friend over Angie's saying it for the first time.
"She had a long playtime and she's all ready for some stories," Catherine said, as she stood. "Thanks again, Danny."
He waved them off. "We have things to discuss. My birthday buddy and I have to make adventure plans." He took one of Angie's remaining fries and fed it to Cammie when she came up to nuzzle a second greeting. "We'll hang out on the deck a little while and then do some story time. You two go show your faces at the fundraiser and Uncle Danno will hold the fort."
When each parent kissed her and said, "Bye bye, we'll be back soon," Angie waved back and the couple exchanged a look when the last utterance they heard between Danny and their almost two year old as they slid the deck door closed was, "Angie ha' cookie?"
Angie's room
Danny sat in the rocker with Angie on his lap. The little girl was holding her stuffed aardvark and pointing to the illustrations in every story. Standing to place her in bed, he tucked the light sheet over her and pulled the chair closer after kissing the head full of curls.
When she said, "Mo 'tory?" asking for another tale, even while sleepy, he chuckled.
"You're tenacious, kiddo - wonder who you get that from?"
Settling in the rocker with Cammie at his feet, Danny began to speak softly. "How about Uncle Danno tells you a story instead of reading one?"
A nod and the word, " 'tory" made him grin.
"I used to tell Grace stories every night, and she still loves hearing family ones." He adjusted the blanket where a little foot had popped out. "I can't believe my baby is seventeen, you know. And how pretty soon you're going to have your birthday party because you're a big girl.
"I think I'll tell your daddy you asked for a pony …" He grinned. "That's funny because you still don't realize exactly what lengths he would go to to make you happy. And make no mistake, if anyone ever hurts his baby girl your daddy will unleash the maniac side that Uncle Danno's tried to keep under control on the job since day one." The grin became a smile. "And sometimes not on the job, but that's a story for another day."
Angie sighed and rolled to face him. Without fully understanding his words her return smile that started as a tiny smirk was one hundred percent her father's and the detective shook his head. He'd seen that expression on his best friend a thousand times.
"You know you are an awful lot like your mommy. Beautiful, smart, and very, very kind, but there's a whole lot of my leap-then-look, never say die, partner in you, Miss Angeline Elizabeth McGarrett." He leaned forward and tapped the tiny nose. "You are going to be a force to be reckoned with and I, for one, cannot wait 'til you drive him a little bit crazy because you do something straight out of his playbook." He chuckled at his own humor. "Luckily your mommy will be the voice of reason, even if she teases the hell out of him for it."
Angie stretched and sighed causing Danny's smile to broaden. "You know, I knew the second I met her your daddy was lucky. She gave as good as she got and never took any of his …" He caught himself. "Garbage. And she grounded him. She got stationed here and bam, the next thing Grace and I knew, she was family. And now look how big the family's gotten." His eyes drifted to the various photos in Angie's room of everyone from the Rollinses to the Allens to Nonna and his own relatives back east. "So, your daddy who used to think he had no family, has this great big one. And every single person in it loves you, sweetheart."
He glanced at the clock and saw his goddaughter's eyes watching him sleepily. "I know, I know, enough babbling, Danno, on with the story." Running a hand over the little girl's cheek he leaned back and got comfortable.
"So, let's start where all good stories begin…" He grinned to himself and began, "Once upon a time, in the very coolest place in the land, was a spot called New Jersey…"
End thanks for reading
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