She knew he was aware that they were turning him onto his back, and how he was grunting, she knew that it was all him letting her know that he was still there.
It was just different, normally; she had to deal with grieving widows, distraught families in ICU. She couldn't stand being the victim. This had been her mess; she shouldn't have stood up to Rikki. She should have listened to him, stayed in the restaurant...
Lindsay heard Hawkes say something about him choking on his own blood, but she didn't hear him properly. She was to busy thinking of how she couldn't handle life without Danny.
The small beat that Lindsay had in her heart had stopped; nothing with the word, emergency, brought something good Emergency treatment?
She heard Hawkes tell her to get a straw, and shesprinted into the pizza place…
"Hey, when can we go?" Customers were beginning to become aggravated with Lindsay, she had after all said she'd be right back, but, now, she had bigger and more important stuff to deal with, like saving her fiancé's life…
Scrambling about the mess and chaos, Lindsay searched for a straw.
"Well, if you didn't realize,"she started, looking up from a table, "I'm covered in blood right now, my fiancés blood, actually. So if I was you, I wouldn't mess with me, unless you want your ass kicking. Pass me that straw"
She got a few strange looks; she really didn't have time for this.
"Pass me the freakin' straw!"
She snatched the straw out of the waitress's hand, and ran to Hawkes, thrusting it in his hand.
Lindsay watched as Hawkes drained the blood from Danny. She couldn't even comprehend how much pain he was in at that moment. Grasping his hand, she figured that if she held onto it tight enough, it may take the pain away from Hawkes stabbing him, draining his blood away. She felt the pain, be it sympathy pain or whatever; she sure as hell felt it. It was like Danny was a part of her. His pain was her pain.
She hadn't even heard the sirens of the ambulance until she looked up and saw Flack pushing people out of the way, to make way for the gurney. As they picked Danny up, she let go for that spilt second he was being transferred from the ground to the gurney, and then re-took his hand…
"I'm coming with you"
"What are you to- sorry what's his name?"
"Danny – Detective Danny Messer"
"What's your relationship with Detective Messer?"
She couldn't understand the 3rd degree she was getting; couldn't they just let her go?
"I'm his partner, his room-mate, his best friend, his fiancé, the love of his life; that good enough relationship for you?!"
"Hop in Ms-?"
"Monroe, Lindsay Monroe"
As she was pulling herself up into the ambulance, she heard him flat-line.
Scrambling to reach his hand, she held onto it tightly, sobbing, and practically shouting "I'm here Danny, Montana's here"
He held his hand up to shield his eyes from the glare of the light that was blinding him. He couldn't tell where it was coming from but it gave him a sense of peace. Looking around all he could see was white, he was standing on white, the air or walls or whatever it was were white. He looked down and was even in white. He realized he wasn't wearing his glasses but he could see clearer than he even could with them on. Where was he? What was going on? Where was Lindsay?
"What the hell you doin here?" he heard a familiar voice ask. But he hadn't heard that voice in over 2 yrs. It can't be, he thought as he finally saw who the voice belonged to.
"Burn?" he said, his throat catching. Then looking past her he saw Louie and little Reuben. He felt the tears fall down his face as he moved to each of them, hugging them. He was so happy to see them; he never thought he would again.
But then a thought hit him, why was he seeing them? He was just with Lindsay.
"Dan, what are you doin, little brother?" Louie asked.
"I uh, I don't know," he said.
"Danny, you have to go back. You have to save people's lives. You have to put the bad guy's away," Reuben begged him.
"I couldn't save you," Danny felt his heart break talking to the little boy, admitting what he had felt. "I should have taken you home first." he sobbed falling to his knees in front of the boy.
"It wasn't your fault Danny," Reuben hugged him. "You were the father I never had. You saved Lindsay, but she needs you."
"I've got to get back to her," Danny agreed.
"I'm sorry about my mother," Rueben said. "Do you think you can help her when you get back?"
"I don't know Reub, but I'll try," Danny assured him.
Then he heard Lindsay crying in the background, "I've got to get to her," he turned to walk away then turned back, "I love all of you." he said.
"Congratulations Messer," Aiden said. Danny looked at her and saw her rubbing her belly smirking, "Congratulate Lindsay for me too," she winked at him. Did she mean what I think she means?
"I gotta go," he said hearing Lindsay crying again.
In the ambulance, Danny could suddenly feel ever bump the ambulance hit. He felt Lindsay's hand in his own, squeezing. He could feel the IV's sticking out of his arm. And he could definently feel the pain.
"Montana," he gasped out, seeing her tear filled face looking up at him he smiled. "Love you."
"Danny, Danny, can you hear me?! Hey, did he just speak?"
"Yeah, appears he's back from the dead"
She grimaced, why the hell he had to say something like that was beyond her… She felt the ambulance jerk, and come to a standstill.
"Hello, why the hell have you stopped?" Lindsay was panicking, sure she had Danny back now, but if they stopped, there was no guarantee that he's stick around. He'd already flat-lined once
"We're here, we took a detour to Trinity, and it was quicker"
She nodded, yeah, gunshot patient, shouldn't you freakin' come this way anyway, jackass.
Shesmiled at Danny who had fear in his eyes.
"It's okay cowboy, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere"
She watched as the hospital wheeled her life away. She rested her head back against the seat rest, letting out a sigh. She wanted to prolong the pain of sitting in a hospital, waiting for him, alone, and yet wanted to be there, taking his pain away.
She knew that there was nothing more that she could do in the ambulance, so she slowly got out, but, legs failing her, she stumbled. Only to be caught by Flack and Mac, who had obviously been stood waiting for her…
"Come on kiddo, let's get you checked out"
She smiled at Flack, who slowly set her down on the floor, and Stella took her side, supporting her
"Stell, I'm fine, the bullet didn't touch me,"
"I meant for shock"
"No – Danny needs me, where is he? Stell, where is he?"
"They're preparing him for surgery, come on, I'll take you to our waiting room they've given us. We called his parents. They're coming Linds."
"Det. Messer we are taking you in for surgery now," the doctor explained.
The pain he felt was excrutiating, but somehow he always kept waking back up. He watched as the anesthioligist inserted a needle with a drug that promised to knock him out through the entire surgery.
But before he could go in he needed to see Lindsay, his Montana. "Montana," heslurred out.
"Detective?" the doctor asked.
"Need my Montana," he forced out, trying to fight the drugs they gave him.
The doctor turned to head to the waiting room, and saw a group of people wearing badges, so he figured they must be waiting for him.
As they were walking through the hospital door, they saw a doctor go into their waiting room, and Mac and Flack took off sprinting down the corridor.
"Who's Montana? Mr. Messer is requesting we get Montana before he goes into surgery."
Mac looked towards flack, and just as he opened his mouth to answer the surgeon Flackheard a whisper.
"Me, I'm Montana" Lindsay said, behind the doctor.
"You had better follow me"
She was walking so fast towards the room where he was in, the doctor called to her, telling her what room. He'd seen this too many times, and could no longer keep up, but this time, he'd managed to catch up, just as she was bursting through the doors...
A few minutes later, the doctor appeared in the doorway again with his life standing next to him.
Upon bursting through the doors, seeing him there, broken, killed her.
"Danny, I'm here Danny, everything's gonna be okay. Montana's here" she said, running to his side.
She leant down and kissed him lightly. She didn't want to hurt him anymore than what he was already going through.
"Montana," Danny drawled out, grinning as widely as he could. He took the hand she offered, and accepted the kiss she laid on his lips.
"I saw Aiden, Louie, and Reuben, Linds. Reuben told me I couldn't leave you," he started then paused and ran his hand across her abdomen, "Aiden told me you're havin my baby. I love you so much, Lindsay. Always remember that."
Then his world went black as the heavy dose of medicine they plied him with took over.
She looked at the grin on his face; it was exactly the same as he'd been grinning at her in the restaurant. What she wouldn't give to be back there now, making that waitress jealous, laughing and joking with Danny.
She looked at him after he said Montana, obviously, he wanted her attention.
Listening to his every word, she felt her legs go funny, when he touched her tummy, but she couldn't let him see.
Pregnant? How, she couldn't be, could she? She cast her mind back, she was late. She was pregnant and she didn't even know.
"Danny, Danny, wait, no. Don't leave me Danny… I love you cowboy." She said with a tear running down her cheek.
"I love you."
Her legs finally gave out. But again, she was caught by Flack. He had run after her, making sure she was okay.
"Linds, lets go get you checked out. No excuses now, you're pregnant, I ain't having Messer's kid in danger..."
And with that, he picked her up, and carried her towards the team.
"Don Flack, put me down now, I am not going anywhere!"
"But, Linds, Danny said-"
"Flack, he's on pain meds right now, and he's just been shot. I'm not taking his word for it right now, and even if I did, I'm waiting for him to come out of surgery. I'm not finding out I'm having his baby without him, ya hear me?!"
"Loud and clear Monroe"
"Don, take me back to his room, I wanna be there when he gets out of surgery, and I don't think I can deal with sitting with the team"
"But Linds, he's gonna be in there for about 4 hours they said"
"I have the time Don, just take me back"
He set her down, and walked with her to Danny's room that they had assigned to him whilst he was in recovery. She pulled up a chair and sat down, smiling at Flack, telling him he could leave now. He nodded, and left the room, slowly shutting the door.
Then she let the tears escape; she had been terrified she was going to lose him, hell; there was still a chance that she could… But she knew she couldn't think like that. She glanced down at her shirt, realizing that it was still covered in his blood. She took off the shirt she had on, leaving on her vest that had been untouched by his blood and she put it out of sight. She couldn't deal with it.
She could feel her eyes, slowly closing, knowing that he wouldn't be out for a while…
Her dreams filled her mind with happier times with Danny, trips they'd taken, meals they'd eaten, and games they'd gone to. She could feel him around her, she gently stirred, and watched him being reeled into the room on a bed.
"Sorry Miss, didn't mean to wake you? Are you Lindsay Messer?"
"No, Monroe, we're not married; yet."
"Ahh, I see, it's just on here it says Messer."
"Well, that was a mistake, who filled it out?"
"A Detective Don Flack JR"
She smiled gently. Jackass
"I guess he wasn't thinking, how – how did the surgery go?"
"Surprisingly well, I'd expect him to make a full recovery; the meds should wear off within 20 minutes, I'll be back around then"
She nodded; this was going to be the longest 20 minutes of her life