A/n: What up? I realized I forgot to tell you whose tribute was up next when I posted Don's chapter. Well, this one is for Danny.
Set: While he and Adam are being held by the Irish mobsters during 'Snow Day.'
I'll refrain from DL as much as possible cause I'm pretty tired of it, but I did have to make a reference in order to do some of this…sorry.
A Tribute to…
The Receiver of Loss and Hardship
Someone had told him that what you lose will be returned ten fold, but, as of late, that philosophy seemed like a load of bull shit to him. It seemed like whatever Danny gained was countered with destruction by ten fold. As far as he knew, fate was making him jump through fiery hoop after fiery hoop after he had been doused in gasoline. It wasn't fun.
Danny thought back to the last five years. How much loss had he been through? How much suffering had he been condemned to? His father had died four years ago, Louie went into a coma, Aiden died, Don almost died, and now he, Adam, and the two police officers were most likely going to die in less than an hour.
His father died in a car accident while returning from getting his wife's anniversary gift. According to the police report, the idiot who hit him had a blood alcohol level of .12, but he had hardly received a bruise here and there while Antonio Messer had suffered severe head trauma. He eventually went into shock from the pain and died on the way to the hospital. Danny closed his eyes and forced himself not to vomit from the memory. That was the day after he'd become a field CSI.
And then, God forbid his family finally put themselves back together, Louie went into a coma, most likely never to return. Danny didn't really remember anything from that night other than a lot of yelling and sirens. The one thing that never failed to make a reappearance was the memory of when the two brothers had been on much better terms. Yet those memories never seemed to help. Even in the past months, these would resurface and words would come to his mind. Pain. Hurt. Suffering. But never good. His newfound friendship with the CSI from Montana didn't seem to make up for another familial loss.
When the feeling of dread stopped gnawing at him, disaster struck again. This time, he felt something stronger, like some part of him died. Although Danny loved him, he and his father had never been close, and since that night in Jersey, the Messer brothers hadn't been on familial terms. But this was his colleague, his partner. This was his best friend. Aiden was every part family but blood. That night, after toasting her life, he had gone home and stared at a picture of them for hours. It was taken after their first case together. His arm was nonchalantly placed around her shoulder, and she was laughing about some stupid joke he had told, but neither were looking at the camera. Mac had taken the picture; he remembered that. Aiden had scolded the head CSI for taking a picture when they weren't ready; she hated it, and he told her he did too, but that was a lie. He loved the photos he had taken with her and all the ones she had taken. He knew she loved photography and got her a leather bound and blank album for her birthday. Not even the album, left to him in her will and filled with pictures, could pull him from this third nightmare.
Almost a month later, a fourth fiery hoop was presented. The bomb. Knowing his emotions were already volatile and unstable, Stella suggested to him that he prepare the techs for what was ahead of them. He wasn't having it. No more friends would die; he would be there to make sure of that. After weeks in the hospital and months out of work, Don had finally returned. To this tragedy, Danny found the silver lining.
Sitting in the truck next to Adam, he struggled to comprehend the never ending turmoil. Surely someone had been through more. But now he would never know that. He was going to die here with Adam. Adam, who was working the field for the first time, who would never work the field again. Danny realized that his relationship with Lindsey, with whom he spent the night, would be classified as nothing more than a one night stand to the world. That upset him; he wanted it to be more. He looked over to Adam who was shaking almost unnoticeably. Danny wondered if it was comedies or tragedies that floated in front of the younger CSI's eyes. Messer leaned forward slightly; the ever present silver lining was beginning to fade.
Someone had told him that what you lose will be returned ten fold, but, as of late, that philosophy seemed like a load of bull shit to him. It seemed like whatever Danny gained was countered with destruction by ten fold.
FINITO!
A/n: So, obviously, we all know that Danny and Adam don't actually die, but, if I was in their situation, I'd definitely fear impending death.
Oh, just another side note, comedy originally meant happy stories in general rather than just funny stories.
Next tribute is Aiden's!