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A/n this contains spoilers for 'Dead Reckoning.'

He slid silently out of bed. His feet stood solid on the carpet. His legs felt a bit strange. It was weird to be able to push the wheel chair from a standing position, but he didn't want Lindsay to see it there empty. He couldn't sleep… No, that wasn't right - he didn't have time for sleeping. He could walk again under his own power. He could stand there at Lucy's crib and watch her sleep, witness every tiny movement she made.

Tomorrow he'd thank Hawkes for pushing him so hard. His friend had been right. Lucy and Lindsay were the price to pay for getting out of his chair and walking. He'd pay it over, again and again, with interest if it meant he could dance and his little girls wedding, or teach her to hit a fastball, or one of a hundred things.

He watched her sleep… She laid there, warm, safe, and more precious then gold. As precious as her beautiful mother and the love, that brought Lucy to them to cherish.

He should have told Lindsay he could walk, but he decided he wanted to surprise her. It didn't matter if he had to stand there for hours waiting for his little girl to wake and summon her mother. If he had to stand and wait, he'd stand and wait. The point was that he could. He could walk, run, jump and he could stand till the sun exploded, or the world collapsed around him.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait for hours. Lucy woke and he picked her warm little body up in his arms. She grew more beautiful every day. His heart felt like it would burst just to have her in his arms and see her smile in recognition.

He sensed Lindsay there before he saw her. He knew that feeling of her eyes on him. She smiled and tears of joy filled her eyes. He hadn't meant to make her cry, but it looked like his surprise was a good one.

Finally, he could let loose the smile that had threatened to break out all day. He could smile and he could walk into her arms.

"Hey…" He said moving carefully to her side.

"Hey…" She said through her tears.

He put an arm around her. She put an arm around him and Lucy. "So this is what you've been hiding all day."

"I should'a know you'd know I had a secret. I only wanted to see ya smile. I'm sorry I made ya cry."

"These are happy tears Messer." She sniffed while Lucy tried to pull on Danny's beard.

"You ain't had much to smile about lately."

"Danny, I love you, so I smile every day."

"Yeah, but it ain't been like what I see on your face right now."

She put a hand on his face. "I haven't seen you smile like that in months."

"I feel like I can fly."

She laughed. "I'll just bet you do."

"Thank you for believin' in me. I couldn't a done it without ya."

She winked at him. "I'm always happy to help kick your butt into gear."

He laughed. "Don' get too cocky Montana."

"Come on… I'm too excited to sleep. Since you can walk you get to heat up that leftover pizza from last night."

"Pizza at three in the morning," He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… From now on, we're living life to the fullest." She declared.

"I'm right behind ya," He promised.

"Always?"

"Always and forever!"