As they made their way through the casino Danny heard screaming and then saw a crowd of people running in his direction. This time it wasn't a bunch of his friends coming at him with joy. These people's faces were filled with horror. Danny looked at Ed and they both ran in the direction that the people were coming from. There were five men in the cage all dressed in black. They were armed with semi-automatic weapons and weren't backing down. Two of the men were in the cage clearing it out while the other three were out side guarding them in case some idiot decided to be a hero.
Danny decided that he was going to be that idiot. He stepped forward to the man closest to him.
"One more step and you're dead." He stated with the gun pointed at Danny. Danny, still in his marine uniform put his hands up and stepped back.
"Smart choice. Can you believe this guy?" the cocky man chuckled looking back at his associate.
"What are you doing?" Ed whispered to Danny. Danny never even looked at him and then reached behind his back while the man was still chuckling looking towards his friend. He whipped out his Desert Eagle pistol firing two shots into each of the three men outside of the cage. The men fell to the ground and the other two went for their guns.
"DON'T DO IT!!!" Danny screamed. One of the men stood still and the other one went for his gun on the counter. He shot one round off before Danny got him in the head. There were loud screams and Danny gave Ed his gun and went in the direction of the screams. There was a crowd of people surrounding someone. As Danny pushed his way through a wave of horror fell over him as he saw who it was. He immediately fell to his knees short of breath. He crawled over to her and grabbed her and held her in his arms. She was still conscious and was staring into Danny's eyes. It was Mary.
"SOMEONE HELP US!" Danny screamed. Ed pushed his way through the crowd and saw Mary lying on the floor in Danny's arms with tears streaming down Danny's face. He then whipped out his cell phone and dialed 911.
"We need an ambulance at the Montecito right away. Yes someone has been shot."
Ed knelt down next to Danny and Mary and took of his dress shirt leaving him in just his undershirt. He took his shirt and pressed it against Mary's wound in her stomach. Her face scrunched up out of pain.
"Just hold this here Mary." The older man stated. He then got up and backed away. Their crowd of friends came rushing through the casino pushing their way through the mass of people surrounding them. Mike, along with the other security guards that had been fallowing him started to usher the crowd of people back.
"Danny?" Mary said raising her head looking for Danny's hand.
"Yeah, yeah I'm here Mare." He said grabbing her bloody hand. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
"Danny, I love you and I don't want you to sit around talking to my picture when I'm gone." She said half-smiling
"I want you to go out and find yourself a wife and have a bunch of kids."
"I will Mary. You and I are going to get married, move into the house with the white picked fence, and have a bunch of kids just like you always wanted". Mary again smiled tightening her grip on his hand.
"Danny I am not going to make it. Now promise me you are not going to sit around curled up in a ball for the rest of your life. Mourning for me isn't wrong, but you can't go on your whole life doing that. Promise me." She said looking into his eyes intently.
Tears were streaming down both of their faces. She looked away from Danny and looked towards her friends. Delinda stepped forward and knelt down to grab her other free hand.
"Everything's gonna be alright Mare." She said smiling while a tear ran down her face.
"You know for being a spy's daughter you're not very good at lying." Mary laughed then grabbed her wound and scrunched her face in pain again. "Delinda do me a favor."
"Of course Mary anything." Mary started to cry hysterically. "Mary it's ok, what do you need?"
"Take care of Danny when I'm gone." She said tightening her grip on both Danny and Delinda's hands.
Nessa and Sam came up after her and knelt down next to Mary.
"Mary I think the paramedics are in the parking lot. We're gonna get you to the hospital and you are gonna be fine and we'll all look back on this as just a bad memory." Nessa smiled shedding a tear.
"Yeah you have to think positively Mare." Sam said looking into Mary's eyes.
"That's priceless coming from you." Mary again laughed then wrinkled her face in pain. The three girls got up and moved back behind Danny while Mike came and sat by Mary.
"Mike don't you ever change. You are such a sweet guy and any woman would be lucky to have you." Mary said grabbing his hand. Mike lowered his head trying to hide his blushing face.
"Thanks Mare." He said getting up.
"Where the hell are the paramedics?!" Ed yelled. Mary smiled and tried to move her head to look at him but moaned out of pain. "No, no, no don't try to move Mary." Ed said rushing towards her and kneeling at her side.
"Ed I love you so much. You are the closest thing to a dad that I have ever had. Please…" she started to cry hysterically again, "please take care of Danny! He's not going to take this well." She let go of Danny's hand for the first time and extended her arms as best she could and wrapped them tightly around Ed's neck as he leaned down to hug her. She then pulled away from him and took both of her hands and wrapped them back around Danny's.
"Danny I love you so much." She said. Danny leaned down and kissed her. Suddenly Mary's grip on Danny's hand loosened.
"Mary!?" Danny yelled. "MARY!" she wasn't responding. He pulled her higher up into his arms and started to rock her back and forth. "Mary." He whispered into her ear kissing the hair on her head.
"She's gone Danny." Mike said clapping Danny on the shoulder.
"No, no she's not." He said still rocking her back and forth in his arms. "Mary, Mary sweetie I need you to wake now."
"Paramedics coming through, please move"
"Where the hell have you been?" Ed yelled at them.
"Excuse me sir we are going to need you to move." The men stated.
"No just let him be." Ed whispered to the men. Ed then walked over behind Danny and knelt down putting a hand on his shoulder "Danny, buddy they are going to need you to let her go. They have to take her to the hospital. She's gone buddy."
"No, no I told you she's just tired." He said still rocking her back and forth.
"Danny come on." He said lifting Danny's arm for him. Danny lifted Mary up and laid her down on the stretcher. They walked through the casino, Danny still never letting go of Mary's hand. He got into the ambulance with her and just put his head into his free hand. It seemed like a decade to get to the hospital. As they pulled in and the men opened the door Ed and Delinda stood outside waiting. Danny stepped out of the ambulance and started to walk alongside the stretcher still holding Mary's hand.
"Excuse me sir you can't continue on after this point." The paramedic said.
"Come on Danny." Ed said pulling him back by his shoulder. Danny turned around and fell into Ed's arms.
"I can't believe she's gone." He cried
"I know kid." He said placing a hand on the back of Danny's neck. Danny winced out of pain when Ed touched the sensitive stitching on the back of his neck. Then Danny spotted Delinda and moved from Ed to her. He threw his arms around her and collapsed into her arms.
"Delinda!" Danny cried "Why did this happen? I should have just let them take the money. What was I thinking?" Delinda just ran her hand up and down Danny's back and through his hair reassuring him.
"Danny you did everything right. Do you know how many lives you saved today?" She said again reassuring him
"Yeah, but I didn't save the one the mattered the most!" He yelled.
"it's gonna be ok" she said pulling him back in for a hug. He laid his head on her shoulder and just stood there for several minutes. Ed stood back and watched his daughter comfort this man that was like a son to him. He then turned around and walked into the hospital to get some information and to give them some as well.