Friends Kiss
Author: Alexz Recoro
Summary: Sequel to 'Friends Hug', set after Lindsay come back from Montana. She lands in New York to find Flack waiting for her, instead of Danny, like he promised.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from CSI: New York.
Author's Note: Hi! I'm back. 'Friends Hug' was supposed to be a one-shot, but I keep reading books and getting inspired and this was the result. I also think I'm on a Pepsi high. Whee!!!
"Shit." Danny mumbled as their suspect bolted up the stairs as soon as he saw Mac, Flack and Danny coming toward him. Danny was in front and the youngest by a year, and he was also the fittest and the most reckless, so he was in the lead as they all pounded up the stairs after the guy. The guy, a small skinny guy in his early twenties named Stephen Timmons, burst out onto his rooftop and started running full out toward the edge of the roof. For one heart stopping millisecond, as Danny pounded after him, he thought that the guy was going to commit suicide. Then he realized that the roof of the building next door was a little lower and easily accessible from this one. Danny poured on the speed, letting Mac and Flack take care of all the yelling and ordering to freeze. He just ran, his eyes focused on the man in front of him, concentrating only on the pound of his feet and the sight of their suspect trying to escape.
Running forced him to forget the pain in his heart caused by the absence of one Lindsay 'Montana' Monroe, Danny's partner and the only girl he had every meet who could turn him down cold and still have him falling head over heels for her. Usually, if a girl didn't want Danny Messer, then Danny Messer didn't want her. But when he had looked Lindsay in the eye, only to have her rip his heart out, he had seen an incredible amount of pain and fear in her eyes, and also something he didn't recognize. Something Lindsay probably didn't even realize was shining out of her eyes. But whatever it was, it told Danny not to give up, to be just a stubborn as he was on a case when a suspect tried to block them. So Danny had forged ahead with Lindsay, refusing to let her keep him away. He had even pulled her into his arms and hugged her in the break room when she looked exhausted. Of course, he had protested that 'Friends hug' before retreating, but he had seen her smile, that cute smile that he hadn't seen for a while.
He had been hopeful, that maybe Lindsay was going to let him in, only to have her turn around and head back to Montana to testify in an old case. She had been the only survivor and witness to the murder of four of her friends. Danny had literally felt the breath get knocked out of his lungs when she had finally told him. For something like that to happen to his Montana, who was so friendly and warm and open. Who could possibly hate her enough to want to kill her? It didn't make sense, and the fact that Lindsay had only told him just before she left hurt Danny deeply. He had trusted her to watch his back and always listened to her ideas with an open mind, always let her know that he would listen to her without judging, yet she hadn't trusted him enough to open up about her past. However, just before she left the lab for the airport, Danny had let her know it wasn't over between them.
"Lindsay." Danny's voice was cold and angry as he reached out and grabbed Lindsay's arm just above the elbow and whirled her around before she could get in the elevator. Oddly, they were completely alone in the hallway. Danny was gripped her arm almost, but not quite, hard enough to bruise, and Lindsay felt her heart jump into her throat. To be honest, she hated when he called her Lindsay. Over the last year and half, she had gotten used to him calling her 'Montana', with his New York accent so thick it practically dripped off his words and sent tingles down her spine.
"Danny. . ." She tried to protest, but he reached up and covered her mouth with his free hand.
"Shh, Montana." He whispered his voice suddenly gentle and soothing, like it had been in the break room just a week ago. She still blushed when she remembered how right it had felt to be held in his arms, pressed against his chest. She couldn't understand the sudden change in his tone. It was almost like he couldn't stay angry and cold with her, that the effort hurt too much.
"Montana, when you get on that plane to come home, to come back here, I want you to call me, do you understand? I'll pick you up and we're going to talk about this, okay?"
"This?" She mumbled behind his hand. He laughed at her stubbornness and removed his hand to stroke her cheek.
"Yeah. This." Danny released her suddenly and backed off, putting a least a foot between them. He grinned at her, but it wasn't his usual grin. This one had a sadness in it that shone from his bright blue eyes. "See you soon Lindsay Monroe." He said. He turned and walked away. Still in shock, Lindsay watched him go. Just before he would have turned the corner and passed out of her sight, Danny looked over his shoulder at her and mouthed the words 'Bye Montana.'
She had been gone for three weeks now. Three weeks, and not one phone call or e-mail, or even a voice mail on his phone. Was it so hard to pick up a damn phone? To press a few buttons and at least give him a two minute conversation, letting him know she was okay?
With a grunt, Danny pushed that out of his mind and focused on the suspect, who had leapt to the lower roof and stumbled slightly, slowing down. Danny put on a burst of speed and launched himself off the roof at the guy. He'd planned to hit the guy full in the back, but instead hit him on the right side with his left shoulder. Danny brought the guy down, but he felt his right wrist twist and give way with a sickening crack that was all to familiar after that long ago bar fight that had ended his baseball career. He landed hard on his right shoulder, and also felt that give away, which pitched his upper body foreword enough to crack his head hard against the roof. Danny saw a flash of white, and felt a warm, wet substance flow down over his eye turning his world red, and then everything went black and he didn't feel anything.
"Messer, you crazy jackass!" Flack yelled as he jumped down right after Danny. Danny had the guy pinned with his weight, and the suspect was dazed, so Flack quickly slapped the handcuffs on him and yanked him to his feet. "Good work Dan." He said to his best friend. For once, Danny didn't reply. Concerned, Flack turned to check on him, and noticed for the first time that Danny wasn't just lying there, his body was completely limp. "Danny!" Flack shoved the guy down onto his butt and run to Danny's side.
"Flack!" Mac yelled, jumping down, followed by two uniforms. The two patrols ran to secure the suspect, who was stupidly trying to get to his feet.
"Mac, Danny's hurt!" Flack called, kneeling next to the unconscious CSI. Danny's upper body was pitched foreword oddly and Flack swallowed as he realized that Danny's right shoulder was dislocated. He was also bleeding from where he had cracked his head on the roof.
"Call for a bus." Mac ordered one of the patrol officers, running over to his young CSI. "Flack hold his head, we're going to roll him over, gently." Flack obeyed Mac's order, holding Danny's head steady as Mac rolled him over. Flack swore when he saw the full extent of Danny's injuries. Danny's right arm was hanging so loosely that it was nauseatingly obvious that it was dislocated, and his right wrist was so wrong that Flack instantly knew that his wrist was broken.
"Oh man, Danny's gonna be pissed about his wrist being broken again." Flack said, still steadying Danny's head.
"Again?" Mac asked.
"Yeah, he broke it in a bar fight when he was playing minor league baseball. Ended his shortstop career, but that's why he entered the police academy."
"Flack, how long have you known Danny exactly?" Mac asked. He knew Flack and Danny were best friend, but he was surprised at exactly how much the young Detective knew about the young CSI.
"A long time Mac. A very long time." Flack said with half of a grin before focusing back on Danny. He had a large cut above his right eye from where he had slammed into the roof, along with redness that was quickly becoming an ugly bruise and quickly swelling. Danny's glasses were crooked but not broken, and Flack removed them, folding them up and handing them to Mac, who put them in his pocket. Flashing lights and a siren down below indicated that the ambulance had arrived. Mac went to the edge and called down to the paramedics, telling them how to get up there. Danny's phone beeped suddenly, indicating a text message. Flack was Danny's best friend, he knew exactly how hard Danny was taking Lindsay's absence, and how he had been anxiously waiting for any word from Lindsay.
Flack dug out Danny's phone and flipped it open. It was a gate and time at JFK. Flack realized that Danny had promised to pick up Lindsay when she got in. Flack shook his head as he looked at his unconscious friend. Well, Danny wouldn't be picking up anyone. Looked like Flack would have to step up.
"Mac!" Flack called. Mac came over and raised an eyebrow at Flack. "Here, take my place and ride with Danny to the hospital."
"Where are you going?" Mac asked, taking Flack's place near Danny's head.
"Lindsay's plane lands in forty-five minutes. Danny was supposed to pick her up, but he's out like a light, with a busted arm to boot. He ain't gonna make it to pick her up, and it's going to take me at least half and hour to get out to JFK. I'll get Lindsay and bring her to the hospital. You can call Stella, and ride with Danny, in case he wakes up in the ambulance."
Mac nodded. "Okay. Go."
"I'm out." Flack glanced once more at Danny's mangled arm and winced in sympathy, then ran down the stairs two at a time, only stopping to let the paramedics through with a stretcher. Then he was outside and sliding into his car.
Flack barely made it to the airport in time; traffic had been horrible. Even using his siren and blatantly ignoring most traffic laws and common sense, it had taken Flack forty minutes when it should have only taken thirty. He was cursing as he ran into JFK, his badge getting him through all the security hassle free. He finally found Lindsay's gate number and stopped to catch his breath, bent almost double, hands on his knees. As soon as he no longer felt like he needed an oxygen mask, he straightened up to his full height, and used it to his full advantage, scanning the crowd. He had to grin when he saw her, the sassy little country girl who had grabbed a hold of his best friends heart and refused to let go. And the best part was, neither one of them would admit it to save their lives. Both of them were too damn stubborn. Very entertaining for Flack, extremely irritating for everyone else.
"Well, well, Miss Monroe. Couldn't stay away from good old New York, could you?" He called out, teasing her like he always did, grinning. God, it was good to see her again. Especially because it meant Danny would stop avoiding everyone.
"Flack!" She called back. She forced her way through the crowd, glaring at him when he just watched and laughed at her instead of offering his assistance. "Damn you." She muttered when she finally reached him. But then she instantly belayed her words by smiling and giving him a hug.
"What are you doing here? I thought Danny was going to pick me up." She said as they walked toward baggage claim.
"Oh, yeah, I see how it is." Flack teased, pretending to pout. "I may not be as handsome as Messer, Monroe, but jeez. You could at least pretend that you're happy to see me. . ."
"Oh stop it!" Lindsay said with a laugh, giving him a small shove. "Danny promised to pick me up, that's all. It's not like him to break a promise."
"Sorry Monroe. Danny couldn't get away. But I'm here!" Flack gave her a huge grin that made her laugh and shake her head. They collected Lindsay's bags and headed out to Flacks car. They got in quickly, both of them eager to get out of the cold. They had been driving for about half and hour before Lindsay realized something.
"Umm, Flack?"
"Yeah Monroe?"
"We passed the turn to go to the lab."
"We're not going to the lab."
"What? Why not? Where are we going?"
"Angel of Mercy Hospital."
"WHAT?!"
Flack whinced. "Damn Monroe, what do they feed you in Montana to give you a set of lungs like that? Would you just trust me?"
"Fine." Lindsay sat back and crossed her arms with a huff, which only made Flack laugh at her. They pulled into the parking lot of the hospital about ten minutes later, and Lindsay still hadn't said a word or even looked at Flack, which only made him grin. Damn, she was cute when she was pissed off. No wonder Danny was head over heels for her.
They entered the hospital to find Mac and Stella waiting for them just inside the main entrance.
"Lindsay!" Stella squealed, rushing to the younger woman and hugging her so hard Lindsay swore she felt her ribs pop. "You're back! You're finally home!"
"Hi Stella." Lindsay gasped out, finding it difficult to breath. "Uh, honey, Lindsay can't breathe . . ." Stella released her with a laugh and Lindsay took huge gasps of air, ignoring the pops her ribs made as they re-expanded back to their original positions.
"Welcome home." Mac said with a smile, stepping foreword and giving her a small hug. Lindsay smiled as she hugged her mentor.
"Thanks Mac. And thanks for being so understanding about all this."
"Hey, your health, mental and physical, are the most important thing here." He pulled back and looked her over. "How are you?"
"Doing a lot better. Healing." Lindsay said with a smile.
"Good." Mac squeezed her shoulders then dropped his hands and nodded down the hall. "Someone else wants to see you."
Lindsay looked at him in confusion, but Mac just smiled slightly and shook his head as he led the way down the hall. He opened a door and nodded for her to go in first. She did so, and Mac closed the door behind her, giving her privacy.
"Danny!" She gasped. He looked up and smiled at her.
"Hey Montana. Sorry I couldn't pick you up. I was kind of unconscious when you sent me that text."
"Danny! What happened?" She rushed foreword to sit on the side of his hospital bed. His right wrist was encased in a case and in a sling, and he had a large bandage over his right eye. The bandage didn't quite cover the huge bruise he was sporting.
Danny shifted and grinned sheepishly. "We had a suspect try and run from us. I tackled him, but I hit him awkward and broke my wrist. Then I landed hard on my shoulder and dislocated my arm, which sent the rest of me foreword and I banged my head." He reached out and took her hand, his eyes warm and concerned. "How are you Montana? You doing okay?"
Lindsay suddenly felt her eyes fill with tears. Here Danny was, sitting in the hospital with his wrist broken, his whole arm aching because he dislocated it and had to have it popped back it, and one hell of a headache if that bruise was any indication, and he was worried about her. After everything she had done to push him away and keep him at an arms length, every hurtful thing she had said and done to him, and he was still worried more about her then himself. She swallowed.
Danny frowned at the tears. "Montana? Are you okay? Don't cry! Come on, don't cry, please!" He reached out to pull her into a hug, and the last wall that Lindsay had put up around her heart broke and crumbled to dust. She also made a decision. Before Danny knew what was happening, Lindsay had leaned foreword, framed his face with her hands, pulled him close and kissed him soundly. Danny's eyes opened wide in surprise, then closed in satisfaction and pleasure as he wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap with one arm, making her squeak in surprised pleasure.
Lindsay wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to meet Danny's as his tongue started to explore her lips. Danny's moaned, so low that she felt it in his chest more than heard it, and it made Lindsay giddy with pleasure. Burst of color were exploding behind Lindsay's closed eyelids, a different color every time Danny lips moved against hers. She had never been kissed like this before.
They finally pulled back when Lindsay began to feel dizzy from lack of oxygen. Danny rested his forehead on hers as he panted, trying desperately to fill his lungs and regain some control.
"Wow." He finally whispered, his lips brushed hers, his voice hoarse and ragged. "And you accused me of crossing the line." He teased gently.
"What?" Lindsay teased back, pressing her lips against his very briefly. "Friend's kiss." She claimed, using his words from before. Danny laughed deep in his chest and pulled her in for another kiss.
THE END