Brining Sexy Back

Strike 1

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"Hey Danno, where's the fire?" Don called after his friend. He and Hawkes were waiting outside of Mac's office so they could discuss getting search warrant for the case they were currently working on when they saw their coworker fly by.

Danny Messer was practically running out of the New York City Crime Lab.

"Nothin' special," Danny said barely stopping long enough to acknowledge his friend's question.

"Yeah right," Hawkes goaded, "I haven't seen you move this fast since the day Lindsay went into labor."

"Yeah, Yeah," Danny grumbled.

"You know," Hawkes continued, "Come to think of it that was what? About 6 weeks ago?" The knowing grin Hawkes threw Danny only served to fuel the other man's desire to get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Yes Dr. Hawkes," Danny shot back emphasizing Sheldon's medical title, "And everybody and everything is in tip top shape. So if you will excuse me I want to get home to my healthy girls and celebrate our good fortune." With that Danny headed straight for the elevators and chose not to comment when he heard Don asking the good doctor what was so significant about the six weeks. Danny didn't hear the answer but he did hear Don's bark of laughter.

'Great,' Danny thought, 'I am going to hear about this later.' He pushed the down arrow several times in an effort to hurry the elevator along.

He wasn't going to worry about that right now though he was supposed to have been done 2 hours ago but in a city that never sleeps it is hard to get crime to fit to a certain time table. That however was not a problem for him any more tonight. He was going home and spending the evening with his wife. Lately he had been really missing her. She was in absolute baby mode. Danny wasn't angry or jealous. He was so happy to see her with Lucy and he couldn't be more proud knowing that Lucy had the best mom possible. He just missed her. The time they did get to spend together inevitably turned to Lucy. She was such a huge part of their lives now and to say it was an adjustment didn't seem quite adequate. It was a challenge Danny was more than happy to face because he loved his girls so much but he was really looking forward to some time that would just be the two of them.

Danny couldn't help the wry chuckle that escaped. He was once the office player, the bad boy in town, but now he was the devoted husband and adoring father. He had eyes for one woman and one woman only. Danny was surprised that he really didn't mourn the loss of his bachelor title. He had a much better title now.

The subway ride home seemed to take a little longer than normal. Danny felt like a walking cliché: 'more excited than a kid in a candy store' or 'like a starved man coming home to a filet mignon.' Danny cringed at the second thought. Lindsay probably would not appreciate being compared to a slab of meat. Danny just hoped his excitement didn't lead to an early curtain call—although right now he couldn't guarantee that wasn't going to happen. His eagerness was apparent by the ridiculous grin on his face.

Finally he reached their apartment. He glanced at his watch and winced. He was really late getting home. He just hoped that Lindsay wouldn't be too tired or hadn't just given up on him and gone to bed. He had called her to let her know he was running late and even told her to not stay up for him. Although he secretly hoped she had ignored his advice and chose to stay up; he really hoped she had stayed up.

As Danny entered the apartment he couldn't help but notice how quiet it was. He was desperately fighting his disappointment when he saw her on the couch. The light from the TV was flickering and casting shadows around the room.

Danny made his way over to her and realized that Lindsay was fast asleep. With a pitiable sigh Danny placed his bag on the floor and hung his head. He could tell by the fact that she was sitting up that she had tried to stay awake. His heart was warmed by her effort but he couldn't help the feeling of disappointment.

He turned the TV off and then carefully picked her up. The sudden movement caused Lindsay to jerk awake.

"Hey," she croaked.

"Shh," Danny quieted her, "just go back to sleep."

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his neck.

Danny didn't even bother to reply since Lindsay had immediately fallen back to sleep. He carried her to their bedroom and gently laid her down. He smiled at her as she snuggled in her pillow.

Danny took a quick peek at Lucy to calm his own anxiety and once he knew she was safe and still asleep he allowed his mind to wander back to Lindsay; her beautiful brown eyes, silky hair, soft skin…

"Damn." He grumbled.

He decided a cold shower was in order before he climbed into bed.

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Poor Danny…I'm sure things will improve for him in the next chapter.