Ok, thanks to all of you who reviewed, firstly. Second: it's still me, I promise!i
Chapter Two- Messer Family Welcome
"Why is it you never talk about your family, Danny?" Lindsay asked later that night.
It was late. I was sleepy. It had been a long day, and I didn't realize that I was answering until it was too late. "They're all liars and crooks, Linds; all of 'em. Tiny's the only exception to the rule. She's innocent as far as I'm concerned. She's never really done anything bad. So she married the wrong guy. That doesn't mean anything. She thought she loved him," I murmured.
And then, I bolted upright. I had just revealed what I thought of my family. Lindsay stared at me, her eyes widened in surprise. I don't think she was expecting an answer.
"I... Lindsay, I didn't mean-"
"You meant it, Danny. Don't take it back. It's the truth and if she can't handle it she married into the wrong family," I heard from the doorway. There, Tiny stood with Flack behind her. "Maybe it's time you told her what she married into."
I heaved a sigh and swung my legs out of the bed. I had hoped that maybe she wouldn't ask any more questions about my family, but Tiny was right. Lindsay had a right to know what she'd married into. I held out my hand for her; the ultimate test of her trust. She looked at me for a moment, then at my outstretched hand, and then she took it. I pulled her up off the bed and into my arms. I practically carried her into the kitchen.
"Shouldn't you be back at the hospital, Tiny?" I asked as I pulled up a couple more stools. Lindsay was seated at the island with her head resting on her arms. I could tell she was tired, but I needed to tell her while I still had the balls.
"Nah; they kicked me out about a half an hour ago. I only had Flack's number since you changed yours, so I had to call him," she explained, taking the stool I offered her.
"Didn't want you hangin' around the intensive unit, huh?" Flack chuckled, taking the other stool and sitting down beside Tiny.
"Are you ready for a story, Lindsay?" Danny asked softly, and Lindsay lifted her head off her arms. She nodded in the affirmative. "A long time ago, in a city called New York, there lived a little boy named Danny Messer. He had an older brother named Louis and a younger sister named Constantine. His father was never around much, but he didn't know why. As the years went by, he found that he had an excellent arm, and he became a pitcher for his high school baseball team. One day, on the college team he played for, he tore the muscles in his wrist. The doctors told him that he'd never play baseball again, and he was heartbroken. But Danny had an alternative. He enrolled in the Police Academy. But, suddenly, his father and mother were cold toward him. They wouldn't speak to him in public anymore, and in private they tried to talk him out of becoming a police officer. It was then that Danny discovered what his father did that gave them so much money. His father was a mobster, and a powerful one at that. Danny's dad didn't want there to be any conflicts publicly with his son. He knew that it was a bad idea for Danny to become a cop, but Danny would not be swayed, especially when he found out that most of his family was involved in crime. Even his own brother had had problems with the law. He didn't love them any less because of it, but he couldn't stand for what they did. When they expected him to, he left."
I stopped. Lindsay's eyes filled with tears, and her hand tightened on mine. Until then, I hadn't even realized that she was holding it.
"When Danny first entered the Police Academy, he had been living with his mom and dad. When he found out that his parents and family were involved in organized crime, he moved in with his best friend, Don Flack. His sister came with him, and even convinced their brother Louis to come with her. Constantine was a great help to Danny; a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold. The little family grew close to support each other. Even Don was included. But, Danny was so caught up in his own problems that he didn't see what was going on with Constantine until it was too late. Three days after she graduated from high school, she announced that she was engaged to a man named Jacob Manderly. Jacob Manderly was a mean, mean man, and both Danny and his dad knew that he beat Constantine. They suspected that he did other things to her too, like taking advantage of her. Danny's dad was downright enraged at his daughter's engagement to the man. Constantine was scared, and she went to Danny for help. Danny was mad too; mad that, despite what he did to her, Constantine loved Jacob. Danny turned his sister away when he should have helped her. Their support system broke down. Constantine left, and Louis was right behind her shortly. Danny only had Don left, and for a time, Don was too disgusted with him to help. He graduated from the Police Academy, but it was a bittersweet victory. Constantine and Louis should have been there. Their argument was stupid, and it had broken the small family apart. Eventually, Don forgave Danny, and they were still the best of friends. Danny got a job in the precinct and he threw himself into his work. He started to date around, but he never stayed with anyone for long. And then, a woman named Lindsay Monroe came to the precinct from Montana. So, Danny called her that. And he fell in love."
"When Constantine left," Tiny started in, "She married Jacob Manderly. Slowly but surely began to realize that Danny, Flack, Louis and her father had been right; Jacob was a bad, bad man. She became scared for her life. And then, two years ago, she got some bittersweet news of her own; she was pregnant. Twins; a boy and a girl were what she carried in her belly. Six months into the pregnancy, Jacob got mad at her. She said that she was leaving him; she didn't love him anymore. He came in from the garage with a pipe wrench. He beat her until she could barely breathe. She knew why she had to leave him; the babies weren't his. They were... another man's," Tiny stuttered. "But, it didn't look like she would have to worry about that anymore. She managed to get to a phone and call her old friend, Don Flack. Don came and picked her up after Jacob left and rushed her to the hospital. She went into an early labor halfway to the hospital. She gave birth to her daughter and her son. Her daughter was still-born, but her son survived. There was minimal trauma to him; she had managed to shield him from most of the blows with her hands. The doctors told her that the girl was already dead when the attack occurred. She filed abuse and rape charges against Jacob Manderly, and he was thrown in prison. Since then, she's been living on her own in New York. Recently, she started a job that she hasn't quite finished. She set out to find her older brother. When she finally found out where he worked, though, a man tried to rob her. She managed to throw the attacker off, but not before her son was hurt. She managed to get them both inside the precinct, where a man named Mac Taylor helped to get her son and her some help."
Lindsay looked at her with an expression of adoration on her face. "I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must have been for you to live like that. But... who is the father of your son?" she asked. "If I may."
"Um... maybe... if Danny'll leave the room," she whispered.
"Anything you can tell her you can tell me. I won't be mad or anything, Tiny. You know that."
She mumbled something incoherent into her hands.
"What was that?"
"I said Don's the father."
When Lindsay finally got me calmed down enough to see light and reason, Tiny and Don had left, I had woken the baby, and Lindsay was crying along with me. I couldn't see past the betrayal; the thought that Don had known for all those years where Tiny was and what was going on, yet he hadn't bothered to tell me anything.
"He knew the whole time," I whispered finally, sitting down on my bed.
"You stay right there. Don't move a muscle while I put the baby to bed," Lindsay commanded.
I heard her bustling around in the kitchen, cooing to the baby quietly as she calmed her down. As she did so, I recalled the incident after Tiny's admission.
"YOU KNEW! ALL ALONG, YOU KNEW! AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME A THING!" I screamed across the room, Lindsay holding me back.
"Danny, please, calm down," Tiny pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.
"YOU SLEPT WITH OUR BEST FRIEND AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN? YOU WERE MARRIED, TINY! MARRIED! IT WAS A SHITTY MARRIAGE, YEAH, BUT YOU WERE FUCKING MARRIED!" I screamed again.
"Daniel Messer! Will you shut up and listen to reason for once in your damn life?" Flack snarled. "Don't make me pull my badge and take you in for disorderly conduct.
"Get out," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Get the hell out and don't come back, Flack!"
"Guys, I think it'd be better if you left," Lindsay said from behind me, still trying to hold me back. Slowly, I was inching closer to Flack's throat.
"I shouldn't have done that, Linds. I shouldn't have said that," I whispered to what I thought was air.
"No, you shouldn't have. You've done a lot of things you shouldn't have, both tonight and in your past. You shouldn't have turned her away, you shouldn't have shouted, you shouldn't have tried to kill your best friend, and you shouldn't have told him never to come back. But, we all do things we shouldn't. We have to do things we should afterwards," Lindsay said softly, walking into the room and sitting down on the bed beside me.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a few numbers. Without a word, she handed me the phone. I put it to my ear.
"Hello, Linds. Has he calmed down yet?" Flack asked.
"Yeah, Flack. I've calmed down. I... I shouldn't have reacted like that. You guys were always close; it shouldn't have surprised me that she turned to you," I told him gently.
"I knew you'd calm down. I just wish Lindsay would have had you call while I was still at her apartment. She practically kicked me out; told me to go home to my wife for the night. I've been circling the block for a half an hour now. I don't know that I can get back in," Flack replied darkly.
"You
think she's up to something?"
"Danny; she has a nice set
of straight razors that your father got her for her birthday. I'm
scared to think of what she could do to herself with those. She
didn't tell you at the apartment, but after our girl died, she
was... she was heavy into the self mutilation. She'd drop Devon off
at my place and come back five, six hours later with her arms all
wrapped up. She said that she'd tripped onto some glass, or burned
herself at the stove. I swallowed it because I didn't think there
was anything in the apartment she'd do it with. But then I realized
that she had a whole bunch of silver scissors sitting on the counter
in the bathroom, and she had a professional knife block in the
kitchen. I'd watched her sharpening knives too many times to
count." Flack told me quietly. By the time he finished his
speech I had already whispered a good-bye to Lindsay and was down the
stairs and next to my cycle.
"What's her address?"
