"Damn it, it's not your fault, Lindsay. You couldn't have known."

"Danny…"

He pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, yet silencing kiss, but when he removed his mouth, her protests recommenced. Lindsay wouldn't stop insisting that Danny's getting hurt was, in some way, her fault and no matter how he tried to convince her otherwise, she wouldn't be persuaded. The day he'd been released from the hospital, he'd brought her home and made love to her, this time on his bed, telling her he needed her more than he needed the doctor recommended rest. She'd chuckled and tried to get him to lay down, but she had been no match for his insistent lips and the caress of his hand on her chest. They had practically fallen into bed together and didn't surface for days except to eat.

"Oh, for God's sake!" he muttered jumping up to pace the room as Lindsay sat on the couch, caught up in her own self-doubt. "Lindsay, I'm fine now! My hand's healed; I feel great! The only one still caught on this ordeal is you. I've made my peace with it already. I made my peace with it while I was in the middle of it, realizing it could've been you… I wish you would make peace with it, too, because I don't plan on continuing to argue about this."

"Danny, I'm not sure I can do it."

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled, punching at a wall and turning back to her with soft tears glistening in his eyes. "I knew it…" he muttered softly. "I knew this would happen; I knew… I knew that we were either going back married or separated and I… I really, really don't want it to be the latter."

Lindsay sat in partial paralysis as the words he had just spoken sank deeper into her mind and she was finally able to understand his declaration. She couldn't move an inch as his gaze pinned her in place. Tears came to her own eyes and she gasped at his instantaneous approach. The pads of his thumbs wiped away the salty droplets and she felt a heat spread through her extremities. She opened her mouth and it hung there for a few seconds before sound was capable of coming out.

"You think we're either going to be married or separated?" she whispered, double checking what he'd just said. Danny stared at her with his lips set in a straight line and nodded silently. Her head bobbed up and down a couple times, acknowledging that she finally understood what he'd said. A tear trickled down her cheeks and she took deep breaths and prepared to ask her question. "Did you just propose?" she breathed out.

Danny eyes shifted to the floor before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet-covered box. He held it in front of her and opened it slowly to show her to narrow gold band with a diamond the size of a kernel of corn set in the center, fine detailed carved into the circle. When he looked back up, his blue eyes were glistening with moisture while their natural color sparkled like sapphires. He smiled up at her and watched another wet drop streak her cheek as it tumbled down to hang from her chin. He gave her a half smile and brushed it away before pulling the ring out of the box and taking her left hand in his.

"Lindsay Monroe… I don't know what I'd do without you in my life and I don't ever want to find out what that would be like. I want you… by my side for the rest of our lives. I love you way too much to let you continue beating yourself up like this and I want to spend the rest of my days loving you and filling in for you. It was a one shot deal and the chances in infinitesimal, alright? Now, be a good little country girl… and say 'yes'," he said softly, choking on his words as his chest heaved.

"Yes…" she breathed out, nodding her head s a slow smile spread across her face. "Yes… I will. I will marry you," she sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him close to her, prepared to never let go of him ever again.

-Fin-