AN: Thanks to all who reviewed or put this story on their Alerts. I really appreciate it.
Here's chapter two. The italics are thoughts or memories.
Hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review, it helps me improve.
Chapter 2: Knocking On Death's Door
"Clear!" the paramedic shouted before applying the defibrillator pads to Lindsay's bare chest. Her body jerked about like a fish stranded on a beach struggling to take its last dying gasp of air. Holding his breath, the paramedic glanced up at the monitor, hoping to see the currently flat, green line magically jump into life. However, the gods seemed to be taunting him, as the line stayed the same, and the monotonous beep echoed in his ears, leaving them ringing. He let out the breath in an audible sigh of frustration.
"No response. Charging at 300." The paramedic turned to the machine the pads were attached to and pressed some buttons, increasing the charge.
"C'mon kiddo," Stella whispered, squeezing Lindsay's cold, clammy hand. Danny's head hung dejectedly down, his sea blue eyes drowning in a river of tears, muttering a silent prayer. He closed his eyes as memories flooded his mind.
"Danny's got that covered," Mac said as he pried the tiger's jaws open. Danny walked up behind Lindsay.
"That'd be me, Danny Messer, how ya doin'?" Lindsay turned round, and taking a good look at her new colleague, shyly replied, sporting a grin the Cheshire cat would be proud of.
"Hi." She looked into Danny's sky blue eyes, feeling herself getting lost in them. Mac's voice broke their piercing gaze.
"I need you to hold the tiger's jaws so I can get the dental impression." Lindsay was just about to join Mac in the tiger cage, when Danny's low drawl stopped her in her tracks. He leaned in, his mouth inches from her ear and said in a low whisper, "Just take a deep breath, and don't let him know you're afraid coz he can sense when you're nervous." His breath tickled her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Lindsay racked her brain for a response, to show this obviously cocky investigator that she can hold her own.
"Tiger's tranquilized; I think I can handle it." She turned and said the words straight to his face, trying vainly to not drown in the blue pools that were his eyes.
"I'm talking about Mac. And make sure you call him 'Sir'." With that, Danny wandered off. Lindsay let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and proceeded into the tiger's cage.
...
"Maybe this isn't about the doll at all. Maybe he just used it to defend himself." Lindsay said as she watched their only viable suspect drive away. She turned to Danny, who shook his head.
"Nah, the grip was way too tight. You ever been to a shooting where the victim's hand is actually frozen in place? You can actually take the gun and slide it right into the palm." Danny said, taking Lindsay's hand in his own to demonstrate. Lindsay's breath hitched in her throat as she felt Danny take her hand. Danny felt a shiver go down his spine as he felt the velvety softness of her skin. "Perfect fit." Danny's voice was low and husky. "That means he was struggling with his attacker." Lindsay looked up and locked eyes with him for a second. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Danny let go of her hand, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. He decided to take the plunge. "You hungry?"
"I've gotta get back to the lab," Lindsay said, walking to Danny's truck. Danny's eyes showed his disappointment, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Yeah, me too," he replied, trying to keep the feeling of defeat out of his voice. He followed her to his truck, repeating his words, more to himself. "Me too."
...
"I need you in Dr Zimmer's shoes because the plaster casts I got from the suspect's footprints are about half an inch deeper in the heel than they were in the toe, which is odd." Lindsay explained to Danny, who was tying the laces on the suspect's shoes. He stood up and walked over to where Lindsay was waiting for him. She wrapped one arm round his neck, as he put his arm under her knees, lifting her up bridal-style. He suppressed a groan as he felt his back twinge from the weight. "I weigh about the same as the vic; you weigh about the same as Dr Zimmer." She turned her head as a lab tech placed a dumbbell in her lap. "Thanks. The extra weight makes it exact." Danny stared at the tech, who nervously backed away. "Why do I have to do this when he's right there? Not that I'm complaining." Danny thought to himself.
"Look, you promised me drinks for this, but I think I'm gonna need some dinner too," Danny said, adjusting Lindsay in his arms. Lindsay looked at him. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smirk.
"I'm not gonna give you anything if you don't get going. Make tracks Cowboy." Lindsay gestured with her head towards the flower bed. Danny stepped over the border and crossed the bed. He let her down.
...
"Tyrell Mann. They called him Superman." Danny said as he set his kit down and opened it, putting on his latex gloves.
"And with good reason," Lindsay replied, looking up from the body. "45 college touchdowns, over 3000 career rushing yards and an average of 7.2 yards a carry." She looked and saw Danny's shocked face, and had to stifle a laugh.
"Don't tell me you know a little something about football, please." Danny said.
"Why, is that so hard to believe?"
"No, it's just dangerous; I might ask you to marry me." Lindsay looked up in surprise at his words. He just looked at her, showing he meant it. She just smiled and returned to her work, her mind still in shock that a guy like Danny might be interested in her. Danny was also shocked that he said something so intimate out loud, but he shook it off, joining Lindsay alongside the body.
...
Danny ran into the apartment, making his way through the thick smoke, his heart pounding. "Lindsay!" he shouted frantically, looking around for his colleague. "Lindsay!" Suddenly, he heard a small voice penetrating through the smoke.
"Danny!" He ran over to her, and helped her up.
"Alright?" he asked.
"Yeah." He pulled her to him, holding her close, whispering soothing words to calm her pounding heart. She pulls away briefly. He placed his hands on her shoulders, searching her eyes. He saw fear, terror, and a need to feel secure. He pulls her back against his chest, his chin resting on her head, thankful nothing happened to her, silently vowing to always keep her safeā¦
"Clear!" The sharp voice of the paramedic pierced through Danny's thoughts. A wave of guilt washed over him, as he realized he had broken his silent promise to protect his one true love. A fresh set of tears poured from his eyes, as Stella hugged him, reassuring that Lindsay's strong and will pull through, oblivious to the true reason for this fresh outbreak. The paramedic replaced the pads, sending volts of electricity coursing through Lindsay's lifeless body. Not a sound could be heard, bar the humming drone of the engine, as everyone stared intently at the dark screen. After what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality, mere minutes, the green line sprung to life, dancing into spikes in time with the rhythmic beep that echoed through the ambulance. An audible sigh escaped from everyone's mouths. The paramedic gingerly placed two shaking fingers to the side of Lindsay's neck. He felt a slight beat under his fingertips.
"We've got a pulse, but it's weak. We need to get her there fast." He banged on the wall that separated the cabin from the back, and called to the driver.
"Pick it up, Stan, we can't afford to lose her again." The driver slammed his foot on the accelerator, making the wheels screech on the wet, slick road as the ambulance weaved its way through the morning rush-hour traffic.
The ambulance doors flew open as the paramedics pulled Lindsay's stretcher out and started pushing it towards the hospital entrance. Danny ran alongside them, clutching Lindsay's hand. Stella ran behind, struggling to keep up in her high heels. Within seconds, they burst through the automatic doors into the ER entrance. Doctors and nurses swarmed around them all asking questions and barking orders, deafening Danny. As they pulled Lindsay away, Danny's grip on her hand lessened, but he refused to let go.
"You're going to have to let go, sir, Miss Monroe needs to be treated." A nurse explained, pulling Danny away. He watched as they whisked Lindsay away down the crowded corridor, tears flooding his eyes once more. He was guided into the waiting area where he sunk into a cold, plastic chair, his head falling into his hands. "A doctor will be out with an update shortly." With that, the nurse disappeared into the melee of hospital staff that filled the vast emergency room. Stella wrapped her arm round Danny's broad shoulders, which were shaking from the violent sobs that racked his body, and guided his head onto her shoulder, his tears soaking through her blouse wetting her silky skin.
After a few minutes, the others arrived in the ER. They saw Danny and Stella sitting in the waiting area and rushed over to them.
"How is she?" Flack asked, his voice dripping with concern. Danny looked up, his eyes red and puffy from crying.
"She's being treated right now." He said weakly.
"I'll go and speak to the doctors, see if I can find out more." Hawkes said and wandered off in search of a doctor.
"You guys hungry?" Mac asked and after receiving some vague nods, wandered off to the canteen.
"How you holding up, Danno?" Flack asked, taking a seat next to his best friend. Danny looked over at him, but offered no response; his eyes said it all - his normally bright blue eyes were a dull, haunting grey that showed his inner turmoil.
"It's my fault," Danny said, his voice barely a whisper, but Flack must have heard it as he sternly replied.
"You can't blame yourself. It's not your fault. Without you there, Lindsay wouldn't have survived. Lindsay needs you to be strong; you can't let her see you like this." Hawkes took a seat next to Stella.
"She's in surgery, but they're hopeful." He squeezed Danny's knee in support.
A few hours later, a doctor dressed in scrubs strode up to the team. They all held their breath and waited for the doctor to give them the verdict. "Miss Monroe is out of surgery and recovering in the ICU. We managed to clamp the artery, repair the damage and replace the lost blood. She's in a medically-induced coma, but as soon as we're sure she's stable, we'll bring her round." The doctor explained. A sigh of relief escaped from all the CSIs' mouths.
"Can we see her?"Danny asked a look of pleading in his eyes. The doctor shook his head. "Please! I have to see her!" Danny begged, his eyes filling with tears again. The doctor conceded.
"Ok, but only you and one other, there isn't room for all of you." The doctor then walked off. Danny turned to the others.
"You go, Stell, you're the two she'll want to see." Flack said. "We'll go and find Mac and meet you outside ICU, okay?" They nodded, and then headed in the direction the doctor had gone, whilst the others went to find Mac.
The clacking sound of Stella's Gucci high heels was the only noise to be heard in the empty hallway, as Stella and Danny approached Lindsay's room. Danny's sweaty hand reached out towards the handle, but quickly recoiled. "I don't think I can go in there, Stell." Danny croaked his voice thick with emotion.
"Danny," Stella said, placing her hand on his shoulder, "She needs you right now; she was there for you when your brother was comatose, it's time to return the favor." Danny nodded, then slowly turned the door handle and pushed the door open. He saw Lindsay's lifeless body lying there on the stark white bed, hooked to every machine imaginable, and almost started crying once again, had there been any tears left to cry. He took a seat next to her, taking her small hand in his, massaging the back with the pad of his thumb. Stella sat opposite him, watching Lindsay's eyelids twitch as if a brutal battle was raging inside her head. A few minutes later, the door creaked open and a nurse entered. She walked over to the side of the bed. "Excuse me; I need to check her vitals." The nurse said to Stella. Stella politely moved from her seat. "I'm reducing her meds now, so she should be awake in the next few hours." The nurse said, before checking some vitals on the machines.
"Dan," Stella said. Danny looked up. "I'm gonna go see where the others are, I'm starved. Can I bring you anything?"
"I'm fine thanks, Stell." Stella nodded, and left the room. The nurse left soon after, leaving Danny alone. Danny listened as the sound of Stella's heels got gradually quieter until the only sound that reached his ears was the rhythmic beeps of the many machines surrounding him and the soothing sound of Lindsay's gentle breathing. A strand of hair fell across Lindsay's face, and Danny reached up and brushed it away, his hand lingering for a moment, stroking the soft skin of her cheek.
"I'm so sorry, Linds. I should have protected you." Danny said his voice barely above a whisper. He reached for her hand again, squeezing it lightly. "I can't lose you, Montana. You're my life." He felt his eyes droop as the stress of the day finally caught up with him. He brought Lindsay's hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back. "I love you, baby girl." He whispered, before succumbing to sleep, his head resting on the edge of her bed, his hand still clutching hers.
Over the next few hours, Danny stayed vigilantly by Lindsay's side, drifting in and out of sleep. The other members of the team had all popped in to check on Lindsay's progress, even Peyton, Sid and Adam, before heading back to the lab to start processing.
Whilst Danny was resting, he felt slight pressure on the hand still holding Lindsay's mitt tightly. This roused him from his light slumber. Looking up, he saw no change on Lindsay's face; her chest was still rising and falling at a constant rate. Concluding that he had just imagined it, he rested his head back on the edge of the bed. As he drifted back to sleep, his muscles relaxed, causing his hand to slip off Lindsay's and come to rest on the soft mattress. A few minutes passed, until Danny felt the familiar sensation of a small hand gently running through his spiky, matted hair. Looking up, he saw Lindsay's eyelids slowly flutter open. A smile appeared on her face as his eyes met hers.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, Montana," Danny said with a smirk. He leaned in and placed a loving kiss on her lips. "I love you," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.
"I love you, too." she replied weakly, pulling him closer. He laid on the bed next to her, her head resting on his chest, listening to the soothing drumming of his heartbeat. And that's how the team found them an hour later, snuggled up to each other, sleeping peacefully.
That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review. :) Thanks x
