Danny sat, the shock of Lindsay's words rendering him speechless.
"I've fallen in love with you and now I have to figure out a way to let go," she'd said, after realising that Danny had not been alone in his apartment that morning.
Thoughts raced through his mind, tripping and falling over each other as his brain tried to process the information. He'd begun sleeping with Rickki after her son Reuben was shot while on the way home from a Blessing of the Bikes at the Catholic church. It had been something both Danny and Rickki had needed at the time, but now Danny could see that, in assauging his own guilt, he'd hurt Lindsay in the process.
"How could you be so stupid," he asked himself, rising from his seat to secure the evidence Lindsay had left in her haste to get away.
"Who's stupid," Flack asked, having come up behind Danny and hearing his whispered words.
"Yours truly," Danny said, grinning half-heartedly.
Flack frowned, obvioulsy feeling like he'd come in on something that he shouldn't have.
"Care to talk about it?" He asked, and Danny ran his hands over his short brown hair.
"I just made the biggest mistake of my love life," he said, grinning ruefully at his friend.
"It happens," Flack said, watching Danny log Lindsay's evidence.
"Isn't that Monroe's case?" He asked, and Danny nodded.
"Yeah, she got to feeling sick, so she went to the ladies' room," Danny said, covering for Lindsay.
Flack sighed. He knew Lindsay was smitten with Danny, and for a while, the feeling had been mutal, or so he thought. He had a feeling Lindsay's upset was over Danny, and not any true illness.
"You seeing two women, Messer?" Flack joked, hoping to lighten Danny's mood.
Danny's jaw hardened, and his eyes snapped with anger and determination. Anger at himself for getting involved with Rickki when he'd been involved with Lindsay to begin with. It was stupid, what he and Rickki had done, and somehow, when she'd left his apartment that morning, Danny knew it was over betweent them. But then, "it" had never been there to begin with. It had been pure animal lust, not true affection, not like it had been with Lindsay.
Flack was watching the young cop's reaction, and he knew he'd hit the nail on the head.
"I've got this, Messer," he said, stepping forward to take care of securing the evidence.
"You have some damage control to do." He didn't look at Danny, but concentrated on logging everything in.
"I owe you," Danny said, and left the room, on his way to find Lindsay.
He was determined to set things right with Lindsay, and, if she'd allow it, start over.