Author: Melissa55
Spoilers: "Always Faithful," 1.23.
Summery: When Danny is finally ready to face his feelings for Mary, an enemy from the past might prevent him from telling her.
Date: Thursday, January 05, 2006 – all in a day!
Disclaimers: I don't Las Vegas and its characters, but "The Danny and Mary Show" is back!
Pairing: Danny/Mary.
Author's notes: I am no doctor and I never watched ER or hospital shows in my whole life, so forgive any mistakes. Again, English is not my natal language. This has not been beta-read as I don't have a beta-reader…
Muse-ic: The lyrics I put in this fic are from "Give You Back" by Vertical Horizon, "Lay Your Weary Body Down" by Gigolo Aunts and "I Like The Way" from Bodyrockers.
She had met his gaze head on for the first time. Mary Connell wouldn't let her father have the control on her again. Ever again. All her emotions were kept in check, she wouldn't cry this time, she wouldn't let the emotions take over her. "Come on, I'm taking you home," Danny gently said, his hand resting on the small of her back.
They walked toward the parking and Mary couldn't still believe she had threatened her father. It was his turn to be the victim, now. Mary wouldn't let anyone control or hurt her anymore. She looked up when she felt Danny's hand in her hair. They stopped near his car and he sat on the hood, his hands resting on her waist. "You know that I'm proud of you?" he asked.
Mary took his face in her hands and lost herself in his mesmerizing eyes. Though she had hard time concentrating, she eventually spoke up, "thank you." It was maybe simple, but it sounded sincere to Danny's ear. "I mean, for everything, for supporting me and for not letting me down."
Danny's hand move from her waist to her face and he stroked her cheek. Her forehead rested against his and it had never been so wonderful to feel her close like this, so Danny closed his eyes, savoring the feeling. "You know that I'd do anything for you, Mare." Suddenly, being recalled by the Marines came into his mind and he couldn't just tell her everything he had on his mind. Things could happen and he didn't want her to hope for something that could never happen. But maybe if he asked Ed to make that call, then he would be free to tell her everything he had on his heart.
I can't remember how it went
You looked like everything I wanted
And as you came along
Slowly everything began to change
I got you now
He couldn't prevent his lips from brushing against hers. Just slightly, at first. When he pulled back, he stared at Mary who had opened her eyes and was staring back at him. As if there was an irresistible magnetism, their lips met again, harder this time. Tangling his fingers into her long soft hair, Danny tilted his head to the side so he could deepen the kiss.
When she felt his tongue across her lips, Mary opened her mouth to let him in and she knew she was right when she always thought that Danny was a very good kisser. She waved her fingers through his hair, her other hand gripping tightly on his forearm as their tongues danced softly around each other.
But as soon as it had begun, the kiss ended abruptly, Danny pulling back from her. He sighed and shook his head. "Mary, I…" Danny began to say and she looked up to meet his eyes.
"Yeah?" she asked, clearly expecting him to apologize. It was always like that; a kiss, every now and then and nothing further. Not that she didn't want to go further down the road, but she was afraid he'd do like the first time. Forget everything.
But it was time for Danny McCoy. It was now or never. "I…" The rest of the sentence was stopped as a shot rung out, chilling Danny's blood in his veins. Mary's eyes widened in surprise and she lost her balance, Danny catching her as she began falling. His own scream sounded so unfamiliar to him when he realized that his hands were soaked with Mary's blood.
He looked up to see where the shooter was, but there wasn't anyone in sight. In fact, there were only the two of them in the parking. "Danny…" Mary said breathlessly.
"Hang on," he told her, supporting her with only one arm while he was searching his cell phone in his breast pocket. He then plunged his hand in the pockets of his pants, but he couldn't find it. Panic was taking over him as he realized he had to go all the way back to the surveillance room where he had forgotten his cell phone. He remembered exactly where it stood, next to his computer keyboard and how he didn't think about taking it with him when he saw Mary talking to her father.
It was like dancing in front of his eyes, laughing at him for his stupidity, and it was almost killing him.
"Danny…" she repeated, more weakly this time.
"NO!" he shouted when he saw the thin line of blood coming out of her mouth and he didn't think twice. He had to call the paramedics in the hotel because he knew she wouldn't make it if he took her himself to the hospital. "You're gonna be fine," he promised. Lifting her up in his arms, he ran toward the Employees Only entrance. Her arm around his neck was sliding as he ran, but when he heard grunt when he tried to keep his balance, he sent a thank you to whatever higher power that was above.
She was still alive and that was all that mattered.
It sure made quite a sight to see Danny bursting in, Mary in his arms and covered in blood. Greg, one of the security employees, immediately pulled out his cell phone. "I'm calling the paramedics, Danny!" he shouted as the younger man rushed past him.
"We'll be up in the surveillance room!" Danny cried as he rounded a corner. Glancing down at Mary's pale face, he said, "hang on, Mare. Don't leave me now I need you." He was sure she didn't hear but it didn't matter.
He saw Ed and Mike coming in their direction. "What the hell happened?" the older man shouted. He was a little taken aback when he noticed the tears pooling out of Danny's eyes and how he was violently sobbing.
"We were talking and she had been shot!" he hysterically said. "I thought she would never leave me, and now… I…"
Ed checked Mary's pulse and pressed his hands on her wound and Mary coughed violently. "But why did you move her anyway? Have you lost your mind!"
"I forgot my phone on my desk!" Danny replied, crying out loud.
Greg appeared in Ed's line of sight. "They're here!" he said to the paramedics following behind.
One of the EMTs talked into her talkie. "Woman, about 25, shot in the back…" They immediately ran off, Danny on their tails. "Who are you?" the EMT asked.
Danny didn't hesitate. "I'm her boyfriend, please let me go with her," he pleaded.
"I'm following behind you, kid," Ed told him but he wasn't sure if Danny had heard when the doors of the ambulance closed.
Ed was just entering the ER corridor when he saw that Danny was running next to the gurney, holding Mary's hand until a nurse stopped him. Danny watched as Mary disappeared from his sight and he tried to follow, but again, the nurse told him to stay there. "I don't want to wait!" he shouted. "I want to be with her!"
"Excuse us, I'm taking care of him, now," Ed simply said as he put a hand on Danny's shoulder. He then grabbed his protégé by the arm and led him into the waiting room.
Though he had somewhat calmed down, Danny's voice was still trembling as he spoke. "Make that call, Ed. I have to stay by her side. I need to stay."
The older man patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, I'll do that. But promise me you won't do anything stupid if the worst happens." He wasn't likely to let him alone until they had news. He had seen how he had reacted at the casino.
"She has to make it, Ed. She still has to hear me say that I love her," Danny said, more tears running down his cheek. Ed knew he meant it; by the way he let himself sank on the floor and how he took his head in his hands. Ed always wondered how Danny could have dated Delinda when he had someone who was really loving him. "Mary told me once I was afraid to commit because I didn't want to lose the ones in my life."
"Was she right?" Ed asked, sitting on the chair next to Danny.
Danny nodded, his chin trembling. "Almost. She told me I was afraid to commit with any woman who passed in my life. But it was only her. She had always been a huge part of my life and I didn't know if I could handle it if she ever…"
Ed didn't say anything. He knew how much Danny and Mary were close and, at first, when he was dating Delinda, Ed was often wondering why he didn't seem so upset at seeing Danny kissing Mary, or just holding their hands. It was something natural for them, something they had done all of their lives and Ed knew even Delinda couldn't change that.
Not that Delinda wasn't a nice girl, but he knew that her daughter wasn't the one meant to belong to Danny. At first, he thought Danny had interests and dated Delinda for that. And though he didn't really love her, he still liked her, even after they broke up. He ran to her rescue when she had asked for help without a second thought. Not a lover, but a fellow friend nonetheless.
"I feel like if I was my father waiting until a doctor came up to tell that I'm going to spend the rest of my life without the one I love," Danny said out of nowhere, the tears rising up to his eyes again.
Ed looked sympathetically at the young man. "She'll do it, kid. She's gonna be fine."
Danny ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes and resting his head against the white concrete wall. He swallowed hard. "That's what I told her. That she was gonna be fine. But I… I don't know anymore if it's safe to trust me. That night when I took her from her father, I looked at her in the eye and promised that she would never get hurt again. She trusted me. I didn't stop hurting her with no paying attention to her feelings ever since and she still trusted me."
Ed sighed. "Love is a strange and complicated thing, you know. It's not always rational or logical."
"And she still loves me despite all this."
"No, Danny." Ed shook his head. "She loves you because of this." When Danny looked up with disbelief, Ed knew he needed to explain. "She loves you for who you are and not in spite of. You've always wanted the best for her because you always cared for her. And maybe you didn't know that at the time, but I think you were already in love with her and that's why she never gave hope up to hear the words from you."
Tears ran down Danny's cheek as the last words hit him right in the face. "I didn't have time to tell her. I've kissed her and was about to tell her when she had been shot. I know this is her father. I didn't see him but I swear that's him."
Ed frowned. "Why her father would do such a thing?" he asked.
"Don't tell anyone, Ed. Only my father and I know about this. She didn't want anyone to know because she didn't want people to pity her." He paused and Ed nodded. It was the first time he ever talked about it. "Her father was abusing her. When I learnt about it, I was fifteen. I was so upset about it that I first refused to acknowledge it. I couldn't understand why such a thing was happening to Mary. She was so sweet, so innocent that I almost lost my mind but she told me not to go. I had her hidden twenty-one days in my bedroom until my dad found out.
"She came back to her father's though I argued. The next day, I was in the living room, I don't remember what time it was, but it was late. I was watching TV or something else when I've received a frantic call; she was screaming and I could hear his father yelling. I ran as fast as I could. I just got there in time and I beat him so much that I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. We packed all the things we could and I told her father that if he'd ever try to touch her again, I'd kill him." Danny paused.
Ed still didn't say anything. "She was such a wreck that night and I've feared she would never trust my father and me because we were men, but she did. She trusted me," Danny said.
"Because you've saved her. You've been there for her when she needed you the most," Ed responded.
"Danny," someone called out and Larry appeared in the waiting room. Danny jumped on his feet and went straight into his dad's waiting arms. "I've received a call from Mike, telling me that Mary has been shot." When he noticed the way his son was sobbing, he sighed, "no, don't tell me she's dead."
"We don't know for the moment," Ed told him.
Danny pulled back from his father's embrace. "I'm sure it's Frank. He came back. He wanted to apologize but Mary lost it when he told her to come meet his wife and kids. She told him he'd better tell his wife what he had done to her or she would."
Larry's eyes widened at the mention of Mary's father. "That bastard came back?"
Danny didn't have time to answer as Luis entered the ER, running. "Is she…?" he asked.
The three men turned. Danny met his gaze. "We don't know yet. If you have questions, I'd like to get on with it as soon as possible."
Luis nodded. "Come with me."
Larry and Ed watched the two younger men exit the waiting room. Danny suddenly turned and started to speak but Ed waved at him. "You'll be the first to know, Danny," he said. Danny nodded before walking away. Ed sighed. "He loves her so much."
"I know," Larry said, tears in his eyes. "She's like a daughter for me. I can't stand to imagine her, trying to fight for life. I remember the night Danny came back with her, I couldn't understand why a father was able to do that to this wonderful and beautiful little girl. Danny had stayed with her all night long. He wouldn't let her alone. He wanted her to feel safe."
"She did. Still does," Ed replied. "It's a shame that Danny was ready to let go and that this happened."
Larry suddenly looked up. "What?"
"Danny told me he was going to tell her he loved her when she has been shot," Ed answered. "Now, he's scared to death."
Larry suddenly looked sad. "Yeah, I know the feeling. It's hard to admit you have lost the woman you loved more than anything." They remained silent for a couple of minutes.
"Hey," a tired voice said. Larry and Ed turned and saw that Danny was coming in their direction. Both men smiled sympathetically at the younger man and they both sat down on the nearest chairs and remained silent, waiting.
There was nothing to do now other than wait. Danny was dreading the news and was getting less eager as minutes slowly turned into hours. He just wanted to get over with it. He just wanted to know, to see her alive and well, to forget all of this had ever happened.
"Mr McCoy?" a doctor asked as he approached the three men. Larry was about to respond and stand, but he stopped when he realized the doctor was talking to Danny who had slowly stood up. He only nodded, unable to say something. "Miss Connell is alive. Though we almost lost her, but she fought hard to stay alive. The bullet was located three inches from her heart, we can say that she's very lucky. The nurses are taking her to her room. She's likely to wake up in a few hours. She's out of danger though she'll feel groggy for a good week."
Danny took a while to let the news sink in. He exhaled loudly, rubbed his face with his hands and let the tears fall. He laughed through sobs, all the tension coming out his body. "Can I see her?" he asked hopefully.
The doctor nodded. "Yeah, but I'll allow closest family for now. One person at a time."
Both Larry and Ed motioned at Danny to go. As they watched the young man almost running to Mary's room, they both realized that there was something new in the way he stood. Ed suddenly shook his head and pulled out his cell. "Will you excuse me, Larry? I have a few calls to make."
When Danny entered the room, he would have sworn he had never seen something so beautiful. Mary, alive. A petite brunette turned and smiled. "Are you her husband?" she asked, her voice friendly and cheerful.
Danny was caught off guard. "Boyfriend," he corrected. Technically, there was some things to talk about, but it sounded so good, so right when he said that. But something in his heart also told him that he could have been Mary's husband for a long time now if things had gone differently and that he had stayed instead of joining the Marines.
"She will wake soon, don't worry. She has been lucky that you were there," the nurse smiled before exiting the room.
Danny pulled a chair near the bed and sat down. He took Mary's pale hand and brought it to his cheek. "Mary, you scared me to death, you know?" Danny whispered. "But now you're safe, I'll never let you go." When he got no response, he added, "we'll talk about this later, okay?"
There had been something different about him for quite a moment, but it suddenly hit him in the face. How much he loved her and how much he had wanted her to be in his life more than being just his best friend. He wasn't afraid anymore.
Four hours later, he was still sitting there, holding her hand in his. "Mmm," she moaned, frowning and rolling her head to the side.
Danny jumped in his seat and reached out to stroke her face, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear in the process. "Mare, it's me, Danny. Baby, wake up," he gently said, standing up and leaning in to drop a kiss on her forehead.
"Danny?" she said, opening her eyes.
"I'm here."
"Where are we?"
"At the hospital. You're safe, it's okay." Danny bent down and kissed her gently on the lips and a sudden rush of joy went through his veins when he felt her lips respond to him. "You're so beautiful," he whispered smiling.
"The Marines?" she asked.
Danny shook his head. "I'm not leaving. I love you too much to be away from you again." He knew he shouldn't rush her, but it had been burning his lips for the entire day and he needed to tell her otherwise he would have exploded from containing all of this inside of him.
She took her time to process the words he had just said, everything seeming blurred to her; her surroundings, Danny and his words. "You love me?" she asked in a weak voice, tears threatening to fall. She closed her eyes, feeling extremely difficult to keep them open as all she wanted was to fall asleep again. "I'm so tired…" she whispered.
Danny nodded, hiding his disappointment but he knew how much she needed that sleep. He grabbed her hand in his, kissing her smooth skin before bringing it to his cheek. "It's okay, baby. I'm here, just rest." He wasn't even sure she had heard as she had already fallen asleep.
"You should catch some sleep," someone said behind him and he turned to see his father standing at the doorway.
Danny shook his head. "I can't. I don't want to leave her. Ever again." He paused and looked at his dad. "She's my whole world, dad."
Larry rested a hand on his son's shoulder and squeezed it, nodding. "I understand. I know how you feel." With that, he left the room, leaving Danny staring at a sleeping Mary.
He brought her palm to his lips, closing his eyes and sighing deeply. "I've almost lost you, today, Mare." His voice was low and gentle as he spoke, but had she been awake, Mary could have heard the emotion evident in his voice. "I can't live without you and I love you, Mary Connell. I was just afraid." Danny stared at her sleeping form and shook his head, sighing and perfectly knowing she didn't hear a single word.
Delinda quietly closed the door she was starting to open when she heard Danny's voice. She stood a couple of seconds, staring at the door in front of her and slowly, a smile spread on her face. "I knew you weren't such an idiot, McCoy," she said before joining their friends in the waiting room.
When Mary opened her eyes again, everything was clearer. The kiss with Danny, the shooting, the ambulance… and Danny telling her he loved her. She looked down and noticed that Danny was sitting in a plastic chair next to her bed, his head resting on the narrow space of the mattress as he slept soundly. His fingers were loosely wrapped around hers and she felt an overwhelming sensation racing through her body and heart. Still, she didn't know how to feel at his words. "Danny…" she called out softly, squeezing his hand.
He slowly groaned and frowned before she called him again. "Danny," she said, louder this time and he sat fully on his chair, still a little bit disoriented to his surroundings before reality came down crashing into his mind.
"Mary," he only said, leaning him to kiss her. Again, her lips responded to his, though he immediately sensed it wasn't like when she first woke up. Nevertheless, he repeated what he had told her hours earlier, "I love you."
And again, she asked the question, "you love me?"
Danny only nodded. "Yeah. I want to be with you, I want you to let me love you," he smiled.
Mary smiled too, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I want it too, but it's because I've almost died. You don't want to be alone, so I'm the only one you're willing to be hanging up to."
"No, baby. NO." Danny stood still, not releasing his grasp on her hand. "I love you. I was gonna tell you just before you… when we kissed, I felt so elated, I can't even describe it. I felt like I was coming back home, where I've always belonged. I love you so much that I lost it when I saw all that blood. I didn't know what to do anymore. But I know now. I know what I have to do. I have to be with you. I need to be with you, don't you see?"
She wasn't in condition to argue but she couldn't help it. "It just seems to come out of nowhere. All of a sudden. I don't know what to think about this. I love you, Danny, that's for sure, but what about you? You've never been able to settle down. I've seen all the girls you dated, Danny. It has never lasted more than two months. And now you're telling that, us, it's gonna be forever? I want to believe you, but I don't want to be hurt anymore. I won't stand it if you wake up one day and realize that it's not what you want."
Danny was quiet for a moment. "Mary, I love you. I know that sometimes I don't deserve your trust, but I want you to believe me when I tell you that I'd be lost without you. I need you and I love you more than anything."
Mary carefully wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "I need time, Danny. To see things clearer. But not now." She looked away and Danny stood there, disbelieving.
Everything that was once right is wrong
And every little ray of hope is gone
And you feel a little bit more lost than you feel found
Lay your weary body down
"Okay," he said, turning toward the door. He looked down, still turning his back on her as he softly declared, "I love you, Mary Connell. Always and forever. Remember that." With that, he was gone. Mary would have liked to pull her knees up against her chest to cry quietly, but her body hurt so much.
And her heart even more.
Ed was waiting in the corridor when Danny exited Mary's room, sighing. "Where is my dad?" he asked.
"Getting something to drink, the others are there, but I told them to wait," Ed responded. "She's awake?"
Danny slowly nodded. "She doesn't want to see me right now."
"Why?" Ed was surprised.
Danny shrugged. "I told her I love her but she thinks it's because she's almost died and that I don't want to be alone in my life," he answered. "She wants to be able to see things clearer. To think about it." He paused and shook his head. "I don't understand."
Ed patted his young protégé. "Love's not that simple, son. I've already told you that." He nodded toward the end of the corridor. "Go grab a drink or something, you need to eat. And that's not an advice," he said.
Danny just nodded. "Okay."
Ed opened the door and walked in the room. Mary turned her head and he immediately saw the fresh tears on her face. "I'm so glad to say you did it." He paused, unsure to where to begin. "I talked with Danny," Ed said as an explanation. Mary remained silent and looked away. "He doesn't understand. Neither do I. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame you, honey, but it's just that—"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Ed sat down on the chair and sighed. "But soon, you'll have to explain yourself to Danny."
"It's complicated," Mary said, louder this time, though it wasn't as loud as she wanted.
Ed stood up, resigned. "You know, this kid is willing to give up the Marines for you," he stated as he walked to the door.
The sound of her voice caused him to turn. "So why did he leave me the first time? Why didn't he give up joining the Marines for me?" She sighed.
"Maybe he was afraid," Ed replied.
Mary looked at him, sobbing. "Afraid of what? That we would go into a comfortable routine, that we'd get a house, a white picket fence and two kids? That we would become the standard family? He lives for the thrill and I'm not the right woman for that."
"You have changed him, Mary. He was just the way he is now around you before, only around you, but you have changed him completely those last hours." Ed opened the door. "Believe me or not, but he would have died for you today. He was running crazy when they got you through this door. He was like a lost child while you were in that operating room. When he's been able to come and see you, it was like he could breathe again and he hasn't left your side until you wake up."
The door slowly closed behind him. Minutes later, the gang was walking in, all looking concerned. Larry approached her and kissed on the cheek. "You gave us quite a scare, you know that?" he smiled, slowly stroking her cheek with his thumb.
Sam squeezed her hand. "Don't do this again, okay?" she asked, looking very serious and relieved.
Mary tried to smile. "I promise."
Mike approached and kissed her hand in an old fashion. "You have nothing to worry about, Mary. Everyone's going to cover for you. Just rest, okay?"
But Mary wasn't feeling all that up for everyone to be present. They were all great friends, but one person was missing, the one she needed the most. The one she told to go when he wanted to be present for her.
The door opened and Mary's face lit up, hoping to see Danny, but it was Luis. She tried to hide her disappointment, though she knew she couldn't. "Hey, Luis," she said.
"Mary," he acknowledged. "We arrested your father. He had the gun with him and he confessed everything. You don't have to worry, he'll never be able to approach you again."
Does Danny know this? she thought to herself. She wanted to know where he was. Nessa touched her hand and smiled, "we better leave you alone. You must need to rest." Everybody walked to the door, except Delinda. Nessa turned, "you're coming?"
"I'll be right there," she waved at her to go. When the door closed behind them, Delinda sat down on the chair next to the bed and held Mary's hand. "You know, Danny was pretty shaken by all this. He said that you asked him to leave."
Mary nodded. "He told me he loved me."
Delinda frowned at the lack of enthusiast of her friend. "And that's not a good thing?"
"I said I wanted to believe him, but I can't," Mary replied.
"Why is that?"
Mary sighed, praying for the tears not to fall again, but she already felt them about to pool out of her eyes. She was so tired of crying. "Because he has always been with girls who were like you."
"What do you mean?"
"Girls who like to party every night, to do some incredible things. This is not me. He has never been the kind of guy who settles down," she explained.
Delinda looked at her friend. "I thought you've dated him."
"No. We never really dated," Mary quietly said. "You know, like most teenagers, we had our sessions of make-out, but that was all. Until we had our first time together."
Delinda's eyes widened and she smiled. "Really? That's so sweet… How old were you?"
"Seventeen. It was the night he left for the Marines," Mary responded quietly. "We never really talked about that, after. Years had passed, he was 22 when he came back and he never mentioned that night. I think it was just for being able to say, 'yeah, I've done it.'"
"I don't think so, Mary," Delinda told her. When Mary raised questioningly an eyebrow, she went on, "I don't think it was just for that. Knowing him, he must have been a heartbreaker in high school, so he could have done it with some random girl. But he didn't."
Mary seemed to think about it for a moment and Delinda added, "maybe you didn't notice, but I've seen the way he has been looking at you those few last weeks. He loves you. He has finally decided that going from girl to girl isn't what he wants anymore. He's ready. Don't let him walk out of your life because you're just afraid that you're not what he wants. Look, I just happened to open the door when he was talking to you. He was just afraid, that's all. You are what he wants. If I see it, then you should be able to see it in his eyes, too." With that, she stood and kissed her friend on the cheek. "Rest, you really need it."
Mary's voice made her turn. "Thank you."
"No problem, Mary. Now, get some sleep, would ya?" And she disappeared. Mary would have never known that Delinda could be like that, attentive, listening and capable of making you admit your fears.
Delinda ran down the stairs leading to the parking lot, where Danny was supposed to be, according to her dad. She scanned the area, looking around and spotted his yellow car. "I've finally found you," she said as she approached Danny. He was sitting on the hood of his car. "Go see her, Danny. She needs you more than you imagine."
Danny crossed his arms in front of his chest. "She doesn't want to see me, Dee. She thinks I don't really love her."
She tilted her head to the side. "I talked to her. She's just afraid. As afraid as you are. She has lived her entire life waiting for you to fall at her feet and now that's here, she doesn't know what to do anymore."
"But—"
"There's no buts, Danny. Now go." Danny slowly stood up, but hesitated. "Go!" she ordered and Danny run off. She chuckled, shook her head and rolled her eyes skywards.
Danny didn't know what to do, so he knocked on the door and heard a faint "Enter" before walking in. She was beautiful, he first thought when he caught sight of her. Still a little pale and looking exhausted, but yet, beautiful. "Hey."
"Hey," Mary smiled slightly.
Danny sat next to her on the bed and slowly stroked her cheek, his thumb moving up and down in a steady motion. "I still love you," he said humorlessly. "I'll love you for the rest of my life. I want to stick with you and I won't let go of you any soon. I could tell you a million things that I love about you, how you make me feel when you're close to me. The truth is, when I'm with you, I feel like I'm home. I want to be with you more than anything in the world and that's not because I've thought you'd die. I already told you this, just after our kiss, I was gonna say that I loved you. And I really mean it. Please, don't shut me out. Not now." He stopped and stared at her intently. "You okay with all I said?"
Mary bit her lower lip and Danny wiped away her tears. When she looked back at him, she saw everything she needed to see. Love, fear of being rejected, hope. "Yeah, I'm okay with that. I love you, Danny, but please, don't break my heart again," she whispered as he bent down to kiss her.
The kiss was gentle and when Danny pulled apart, he rested his forehead against hers. He took her hand in his and put it over his heart that was pounding wildly inside his chest. "I won't. Trust me, Mary. Please."
He could feel her smile even though he had closed his eyes. "I trust you."
"Where are we going?" Mary asked as she had Danny's hands covering her eyes. By the noise, she could tell they were in the Montecito. She tried to get his hands away from her face but he wouldn't let go so easily.
Danny rolled his eyes at her eagerness. "Just wait a minute, you impatient one." He opened the door to Mystique and smiled at seeing everyone present. "Now," he said, swiftly removing his hands.
"Surprise!" everyone said.
Mary gasped at seeing that everyone had organized a welcoming party. For her. Turning to Danny, she asked, "was this your idea?" Danny nodded, grinning. Mary put her hand on the back of his neck so she could kiss him. "Thank you. It's beautiful."
"Anytime," he said, sliding his arms around her waist. "I love you."
She slowly smiled and put her uninjured arm around his neck. "I love you, too, Danny."
"Can we get this started?" Sam asked. "Because my whales can't live without me." She winked at Mary and hugged her. "Good to see you back."
There are something many things that I like about you
I just don't know where to begin
Okay, well
Mary laughed out loud at hearing this song. Danny tightened his grasp on her, careful not to hurt her bandaged shoulder and back. "Did you pick this one?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. It was a rock song, not really of the pop-rock romantic kind she was used to listening.
"Yeah," he said, nodding. "Wasn't sure you would remember it."
Mary laughed even more. "Are you kidding me? Three years ago, the wildest party we ever had." Sam just smiled at the two.
I like the way you look at me with those beautiful eyes
I like the way you act all surprised
I like the way you sing along
I like the way you always get it wrong
I like the way you clap your hands
I like the way you love to dance
Danny laughed out loud. "We danced together on this song and we had too much drink so we completely lost it." He remembered when they got to the car, they were so wasted that they just fell asleep and didn't wake up until morning had come. "What a headache we got the next morning…" He sighed, shaking his head, a sly smile crossing his face.
"It was one of the craziest night we had," Mary stated. "It was barely months after you finally came home, and it felt so good to be with you again." They didn't even noticed Sam quietly walking away with a knowing grin.
Danny fingered her cheekbone and stared at her with so much love that she could have stayed like that forever. "I'm home now."
The End.