A/N: I am so glad this story is well liked. I am having so much writing it. I have not forgotten about Once in a Lifetime. Plot bunnies are striking and so I'm appeasing them by writing this one. The timeline is jumping back a bit. Remember in chapter two Lindsay's comment about spending a holiday in the ER? Well here's that story. It's not the kid you're all thinking either!
The Fourth of July Picnic or How I Spent My Fourth of July at the Emergency Room
It was the annual Fourth of July NYPD family picnic in Central Park. Per Mac, everyone in the lab was required to at least be spotted there by at least three other members of the lab or they would be on holiday duty for the next three years. So in other words everyone had to be there.
To bring the entire Messer clan, plus the dog Jack took two mini-vans, three coolers and two very stressed out parents. Five six years was enough for any parent. But Danny and Lindsay's kids brought on a whole slew of other interesting situations. Only having each other, the Messer quints stood up for each other. No one was more protected by her older brothers and sisters than Miracle. Being autistic she wasn't social like her siblings, she rarely spoke and didn't make eye contact with anyone.
This year was the first time that Danny and Lindsay brought the whole family to the picnic. Normally they would go out to Danny's parents' place on Staten Island for a barbeque with the family. Their kids didn't really know anyone in the lab besides the main team of Flack, Stella, Mac, Hawkes, Adam, the Hammerbacks' and Peyton. It was going to be an interesting afternoon indeed.
DJ and Evan were the first out of the van making a run for the playground. "DANIEL JAY AND EVAN TRAVIS MESSER STOP RIGHT THERE!" Lindsay yelled. "TAKE ONE MORE STEP AND WE"LL GO HOME!"
The boys froze in place. They couldn't help it. Uncle Don said he was bringing he motorized sailboat and was going to let DJ and Evan drive it. They turned tail and went back to their mother's car. They teetered back and forth on their heels waiting for their mother to get Miracle out of her booster seat.
"DJ will you hold your sister's hand, please?" Lindsay asked.
She didn't know how she did it but she had gotten ahead of Danny and the girls. She pulled out her phone and beeped him. "Hey baby! Where are you?"
"Caught in traffic," Danny replied. "Go on without us. We'll catch up."
She put her phone back in her bag and took Miracle's other hand. "All right guys, Daddy's stuck and he'll be here with Belle and PJ later."
DJ and Evan ran ahead of Lindsay and Miracle. Miracle seemed to enjoy the bright sun and open air. She always seemed more open when she was outside. But they still couldn't get her to talk. Their doctor couldn't tell them if she ever would talk like her brothers and sisters. All they could do was be hopeful and take what they could get each day. As they apporached the area where everyone was gathered, Miracle ripped out of her mother's grip and took off running. There was only four people that Miracle connected with; Danny, Lindsay, Stella and Bella.
Miracle ran to her aunt. The boys spotted Flack and tackled into him. They began to wrestle in the grass. Lindsay finally caught up with them and stood next to Stella and Miracle.
"Hey Lindsay," Stella said. "Happy Fourth!"
"You too Stella. DJ do not put dirt clods in Uncle Don's hair!"
"It never stops, huh," Stella teased. "Where's Danny and the girls?"
"Stuck in traffic. They should be here soon," Lindsay sighed. "DJ what did I say?"
"Yes Mommy," he sassed, dropping the dirt clod.
"You could use a spa day, Linds," Stella said, picking up Miracle. "We should plan one soon."
"And leave the monsters with who? Flack and Danny? They's have them on such a sugar high that by the time they calm down my couch will be a different color."
"What about Sid's girls? I know they're not doing much this summer. I bet they'd love to help you out. Marie was just telling me how annoyed she was getting with Rachel and Becca just lounging around the house watching Days of Our Lives. It couldn't hurt."
I'll think about it."
A soda can was pressed into Lindsay's hand as she mingled with her other co-workers. Miracle was resting comfortably on Stella's lap looking around. Flack and the boys had taken to throwing water balloons at each other. Lindsay had to laugh about how mad PJ was going to be when she got there and found out she missed the war. She was laughing at something Hawkes was saying when she saw Danny and the girls walk up. Just as she suspected, PJ was unhappy that DJ and Evan had started the water balloon war without her. She ran off after them. Bella sat down next to Stella with her bag of books she took everywhere.
Danny and Lindsay had instilled a love for reading with all of their kids. Be it Lindsay reading to them while she was pregnant or even now, before getting tucked into bed she had some book she was reading to them. Bella would read anywhere she went. It was her means of escape. Miracle lived in her own little world where Bella drew from fictious worlds of princes and faries, biographies of a poor coalminer's son dreaming of working for NASA or just reading Green Eggs and Ham to Miracle for the millionth time.
A shrill scream came from the other side of the group and two little boys in matching Mets jerseys ran full speed away. Lindsay had to stifle a laugh when Peyton appeared soaking wet. Danny didn't have the heart to scold the boys because it was something he would have done.
"DANNY!" Peyton's shrill British accent shouted. "Are you going to do something abut this?"
Danny only laughed harder. Honestly, she should be used to stuff like this by now. His kids were just kids.
"I'm so sorry Peyton," Lindsay said, swalloing her own laugh, jabbing her husband in the side. "I will talk with the boys about who to throw water balloons at and who not to. It won't happy again."
The Messer parents then walked away. Once they were far enough away they let out a monsterous laugh.
"Did you hear that scream? That was pricesless," Danny laughed.
"No, it was the look on her face when she yelled at you," Lindsay replied.
Not too far away Flack was high fiving the boys for a well played hit. PJ came running also being congratulated for a well played diversion. Flack was the mastermind behind the hit. Peyton had chewed Flack out a few weeks back about something that wasn't his fault. So he talked the Deathly Trio into helping him. The three were so enamoured with their Uncle Don that they would do anything for him. They planned the attack and excuected it perfectly. If it came out that the attack was pre-meditated and not random Flack would go down for the Messer kids, that's how cool of an uncle he was.
The day went on with no more water balloons attacks. Stella and Miracle walked by the lake watching the sailboats. Flack was on the bridge with Evan and PJ sailing his boat. Everyone was having a wonderful time. DJ had found Adam and was asking him question after question. Adam looked helplessly over at Danny, who just lauhged and shook his head.
Then everyone got organized for the lab softball game. Everyone was encouraged to play. It took major bribery and a promise to do whatever Bella wanted for a weekend for Danny to get her to play with everyone. They played shortstop together. Mac was pitching with Flack as catcher. Peyton was at third, Sid on first and Marie, Sid's wife on second. Becca, PJ, and Rachel were in the outfield.
"May I be the first to say that these teams are completly unfair?" Lindsay whined from the plate. "Danny, Don and Mac on the same team? That's just mean!"
"You're only saying that because you can't hit," Danny retorted. "Face it Montana, you're not a baseball girl."
"But I make this jersey look damn good!" she shot back.
The banter was just the start of this game. Surprising everyone, Lindsay hit a double. She was rewarded with a kiss from her husband. DJ was up next. Mac threw a soft pitch which he hit and got on first.
"Hey Sid!" Danny yelled. "None of your stories to my kid!"
Stella was up next. Mac struck her out, which she didn't mind at all being that she would rather watch the game with Miracle. The game drug on. At the end of the first inning Lindsay's team was winning three nothing. Hawkes managed to strike out Danny and Flack. Little Bella got a hit but never got all the way around because Uncle Sheldon struck out Daddy.
Finally it was Bella's turn again. Hawkes threw it to her but he had his aim off. The ball hit the dirt and bounced up and hit Bella in the face. She let a cry that would break any parents heart. Needless to say the game was over. Danny and Lindsay rushed to their little girl. On first glance they bet on a broken nose.
Knowing better than to take the entire family to the ER with them, Stella and Flack offered to take the others home and wait for them there. Hawkes couldn't stop apologizing to Bella. He promied to make it up to her. Danny threw his keys to Flack letting him know where his van was parked. Peyton and Sid got an ice pack made and handed it to Lindsay.
"Which hospital are you going to?" Peyton asked. She had connections at every hospital in the city.
"Grace Memorial, it's closer," Danny answered.
"I'll call them to let them know you're coming," Peyton replied, pulling out her phone.
"Mio bella," Danny whispered to his little girl. "Tutto starà bene. Papà, non piange qui."
Lindsay loved it when he spoke Italian to the kids. It had such a calming effect on them. Especially Bella. Danny began to tell her a story. "C'era una volta una bella principessa che ha vissuto con suoi due fratelli e due sorelle. Isabella di principessa aveva un giorno cattivo. Niente non è sembrato andare giustamente per lei. Tutto il ha voluto fare era ha un giorno speciale con suo padre."
Danny soothing voice calmed Bella enough for Lindsay to press the ice pack to her face. Danny continued his story.
"Ma il suo giorno speciale era avariato quando un mago ha messo un sillaba su girare di Isabella di Principessa lei in una rana. Il suo Danny di Re di padre ha tentato il suo meglio di ragionare col mago, lo supplicando per girare Isabella di Principessa di nuovo nella sua bambina. Finalmente il Re ha ingannato il mago in girare di dorso di Isabella di Principessa promettendo il mago un mucchio di denari dorato. Ma non appena Isabella di Principessa era ritornato in una ragazza, Danny di Re ha dato soltanto un dinari al mago e gli ha detto di fare suo proprio. Poi l'Isabella di re e Principessa ha continuato del loro giorno. Sono ritornati alla casa di dire il suo Lindsay di Regina di madre delle loro avventure. I principi Evan e DJ e la Principessa PJ non potrebbe credere che loro sorella pudica e propria fosse stato diventata una rana. Isabella di principessa neanche ha preso sporco! Ma era il Miracolo di Principessa che ha detto Isabella che l'amerebbe anche se era una rana. La famiglia intera ha preso una risata buona. E lei sa che?"
"Che?" Bella asked.
"Loro tutti vissuto felicemente mai dopo." Danny replied.
Danny finished his story just as they pulled up in front of the hospital. True to her word Peyton had called ahead and they were met by the ER peditrican on call. He had been briefed on Bella's condition and promised that they would take good care of her.
Four hours, twenty minutes and forty five seconds later Danny, Lindsay and Isabella were on their way home. The ball had broken her nose and bruised her right cheekbone. She was to take it easy for about six weeks. And Bella planned to do just that. She laid down in the back seat of the van looking out the sunroof watching the fireworks going off all over the city.
Back at the house, Flack had stopped and bought the kids sparklers. DJ and Evan begged for firecrackers but Uncle Don wouldn't budge. He had saved a box for Bella to light when she got home. He saw the headlights in the driveway and beakoned them to join them out back. He lit a sparkler for Bella and showed her how to write her name in the smoke.
"Just so you know Dan," Flack said. "Hawkes feels really bad about what happened. I bet you could milk it for all it's worth."
"That's your thing Flack," Danny retorted. "Payback is mine."
He wrapped his arm around his wife and looked up at the sky watching the brightly colored flashes. He was the luckiest man on earth. He had a beautiful wife, wonderful monsters for kids, a wannabe comedian for a best friend and an ever watchful boss/father. He couldn't ask for more.
A/N B: Translation of Danny's story to Bella.
Once there was a beautiful princess who lived with her two brothers and two sisters. Princess Isabella was having a bad day. Nothing seemed to be going right for her. All she wanted to do was have a special day with her father.
But her special day was spoiled when a wizard put a spell on Princess Isabella turning her into a frog. Her father King Danny tried his best to reason with the wizard, begging him to turn Princess Isabella back into his little girl.
Finally the King tricked the wizard into turning Princess Isabella back by promising the wizard a pile of gold denari. But as soon as Princess Isabella was turned back into a girl, King Danny only gave the wizard one dinari and told him to make his own. Then the king and Princess Isabella went on about their day. They returned home to tell her mother Queen Lindsay about their adventures. Princes Evan and DJ and Princess PJ couldn't believe that their prim and proper sister had been turned into a frog. Princess Isabella didn't even get dirty. But it was Princess Miracle that told Isabella that she would love her even if she was a frog. The whole family got a good laugh. And you know what? They all lived happily ever after.
