Chapter 7: Rumor Has It…
A/N: Now with Louie out of the way (inconsiderate I know) will Danny finally admit his feelings for Lindsay? What are their parents going to say when it finally comes out that Lindsay is pregnant? Find out in the next chapter of A Tanglewood Girl! New episodes are coming!!! Finally!! I hope that Lindsay says something to Danny. I really, really, really do. I'm so sick of not having any other their playful banter from the second season. Enough ranting on with the show!
School was hard those first few days without Louie. Lindsay had to go back to relying on her brother to give her a ride in the morning. She was starting to take great pains to hide her pregnancy. So far the only ones who knew were Natalie Bridges, the nurse at Trinity, whom Lindsay kept in close contact and Danny.
Lindsay didn't have the courage to tell her parents that she had gotten pregnant at seventeen. She hid the morning sickness as a stomach bug. There were some mornings Danny would find her asleep in Louie's bed, wearing one of his shirts. His heart broke for her. Danny wished everyday that there was something he could do to ease Lindsay's heartache.
Slowly things got back to normal around school. The looks of sympathy faded away and soon people paid little attention to Lindsay. Danny had a slightly harder time. Without Louie, Danny lost his position as consigliere. Sonny decided that they no longer needed a consigliere and Danny was written off. Before Louie had made Danny consigliere, he was just the geek in the back row. Now he was back to that role.
As Lindsay grew over the months the rumors started to flare. Most of them were started because there were still those jealous girls that wanted to be Louie's girl. The most accurate rumor was that Lindsay was pregnant. But the matter of who the father was fueled many lunchtime debates. Some said that the father was Danny others said Sonny. Very few said that it was actually Louie's. If anyone even knew the inner working of the Tanglewood Boys would have known.
Danny was with her every step of the way. He drove her to school, to her doctor's appointments and when she ever decided to tell her parents and his about the baby he would be there as well. It was getting harder to hide her baby bump from her mother. Baggy sweatshirts only hid so much. It was time to come clean.
"I'm going to tell them," Lindsay said, after school. "I'm going to start with Mama. I think she'll take it the best."
"Okay Linds," Danny said. "I'll be right there with you."
They entered the house and located Olivia in the kitchen, making cookies. "Mama?" Lindsay called softly. "I need to talk to you."
Olivia set aside her cookies and sat down with Lindsay and Danny. Lindsay reached out and grasped her hand.
"What is going on you two?" Olivia asked, worried.
Lindsay had thought long and hard about what she was going to tell both sets of parents. Telling the Messers would definitely be easier than telling the Monroes. "I know you're still hurting over the loss of Louie, I am too. But in a way he's still with us," Lindsay began. "I'm pregnant Mama. She's Louie's."
Olivia Messer sat quietly, taking it all in slowly. "Did Louie know?"
"I was going to tell him that night when he and the boys got back from their night out. But then…It was too late."
Danny placed a loving hand on Lindsay's knee, reminding her that he was still there. He felt her hand grasp his, inwardly he smiled.
"Have you told your parents yet?" Olivia asked.
"No Mama," Lindsay answered. "We, Danny and I, thought it best to tell you and Pop first."
Olivia sat back in her chair. She had lost a son but was gaining a daughter and a granddaughter. "You two are planning on being married before the baby arrives, right?" she asked, looking directly at Danny.
"We haven't talked about it Mama," Danny answered.
"You have now," Olivia said. "I will not have this child brought into the world without their parents being married."
"Ma, it's Louie's baby," Danny argued.
"Did you not promise him that Lindsay would be taken care of if something were to happen to him?" Olivia snapped. "I'm not as blind as I pretend to be. I know exactly what went down that night. So as far as anyone is concerned this child belongs to the two of you. And that is the end of this discussion, Daniel."
"Yes ma'am," Danny said quietly.
"Lindsay, you are always welcome here if things do not go as smoothly with your parents. You can stay in Louie's old room like you have been the last few days."
"Mama, I can't," Lindsay began.
"It's no problem Lindsay. I'll be here to help you. So I'm getting a granddaughter?"
"Yes Mama. It's a girl," Lindsay said, smiling.
Danny and Lindsay exited his house and walked down to hers. Lindsay had known exactly what she was going to say to Mama but to her own mother she was at a loss for words. She had no idea how they would take the news or what their reaction would be. She didn't want to disappoint them.
The pair walked into her house, failing to notice the extra set of keys in the key bowl. Lindsay hung up her coat and took off her shoes, noticing that the floors had been freshly cleaned.
"Mom!" Lindsay called into the house. "Mom are you home?"
"Kitchen!" Julie called back. "Be sure to take off your shoes, I just got the floors spotless!"
Lindsay took Danny's hand and led him into the kitchen. They took a chair at the table and looked over at her mother who was behind the counter, a safe seven or so feet away. Lindsay watched her mother sponge off the crumbs from whatever she had been making earlier in the day.
"Mom, I have to tell you something," Lindsay spoke up, gaining her courage. "Actually we have something to tell you."
"What is it Lindsay? I'm listening," Julie said, rising out the sponge.
"I'm pregnant," Lindsay said as her mother turned on the faucet.
"Come again?" Julie responded, shutting off the water. "What did you just say?"
"I'm pregnant, Mom. With Louie's child," Lindsay said again.
Julie stood as stiff and as silent as a person could. She was slowly processing her daughter's words. She just couldn't wrap her mind around the idea. The only thing filling her mind were all the things Lindsay had been dreaming of since she was a little girl.
"What about NYU, Lindsay?" Julie asked. "What about all the things you've had planned? What are you going to do now?"
"Danny and I are going to get married, raise our daughter together," Lindsay answered. "I'll finish school and do the college track in pieces."
"You're throwing your life away!" Julie shouted. "You can't be serious about this Lindsay! You have your whole life in front of you! You're seventeen years old for God's sake! I knew it! I just knew this was going to happen! I never should have allowed you to see that punk Louie!"
James came out of his office wondering what all the shouting was about. He came into the kitchen and saw Danny and Lindsay sitting at the table and Julie yelling at them.
"What is going on in here?" James questioned.
"Ask your daughter," Julie spat.
James looked over at the two teenagers sitting solemnly at the kitchen table. He looked at his daughter, who in the few short months they had been in New York had become a stranger to him. As much as he knew, Lindsay had been in a relationship with a boy and that boy had died.
"What's going on Lindsay?" James asked, calmly.
"I'm pregnant Dad," Lindsay said. "Look, before you say anything, let me get this out. I loved Louie. I really did. I am hurting so much over his death. This child is Louie's way of staying with not only me but his family as well. Danny has graciously offered to be a surrogate father to this baby. We are going to get married and we are going to raise this baby with or without your help."
With that Lindsay stood up and left the kitchen. Danny was on her heels, following her. Her parents stood shocked in the kitchen. Lindsay haphazardly threw on her shoes and coat and left the house. It was only outside in the comfort of Danny's arms that she finally cried.
"You don't have to do this Danny," Lindsay sobbed. "You don't have to be the father to this baby. You don't have to look out for me. You don't have to do any of the things you have been doing. I'm not worth it."
"You are too!" Danny exclaimed. "You are more than either Louie or I could have ever hoped for in our entire lives. And the fact that we both get to have a piece of your heart is more than I could ever have asked for."
Lindsay lifted her head from Danny's shoulder to see two people coming their way. It was Sonny and Sal and they did not look happy. Danny turned to see what Lindsay was looking at and tensed up. Sonny pointed at Danny motioning for him to come over. Danny intertwined his hand with Lindsay and walked to meet Sonny and Sal. Being that Danny was no longer consigliere it was strange that Sonny was seeking him out. Something had to be wrong.
"What's up, Sonny?" Danny questioned.
"We need to talk," Sonny said. He took a look at Lindsay and then added. "Privately."
Danny nodded. "Go back to my house Lindsay," Danny said. "I'm right behind you."
Lindsay, wearily, walked towards Danny's house. She knew nothing good could ever come from a meeting with Sonny and Sal. The last time one of the Messer boys had a meeting with Sonny and Sal he ended up dead. She looked back to Danny once before walking through the front door.
"What do you want Sonny?" Danny asked, again.
"We found the rat that killed your brother. We're going to take him out tonight. You're coming with us," Sonny said. "We're going to let you pull the trigger."
"I can't do it Sonny," Danny said. "I have Lindsay and my mother to think about now. I can't go with you."
"So you're going to let the punk that killed Louie walk?" Sonny questioned. "You're not going to be the one to turn his lights off for doing the same to Louie? Some brother you are."
"It's not that Sonny," Danny said. "I promised Louie that I would take care of Lindsay. I can't go. I can't do it."
Danny turned his back on Sonny and Sal and began to walk the seventeen feet to his front walk.
"I always knew you were a punk ass bitch!" Sonny yelled at Danny's back. "The worst mistake Louie ever made was naming you his consigliere! You are such a waste and disgrace to Louie's legacy. He would want you to avenge his death! You're a disgrace Danny!"
Danny stopped and turned back to the two boys. Danny had lost count of how many times he had knowingly lied to the cops about their whereabouts so they wouldn't get busted. He had lost count of the times he had left school to bail their asses out of jail when they did get caught.
"I'm the bitch?" Danny questioned. "Who the hell made sure you three had goddamn alibis so your asses wouldn't rot in jail? Who the hell came with the bail money to get you out?" Danny walked right up to Sonny and got in his face. "Killing this kid won't bring Louie back. If you and Sal want to go after him, then by all means go right ahead. I will have no part of it. I have more important things to take care of now. I am done baby-sitting you dead beats."
Danny walked away again this time he kept going. Sonny continued to curse him out as he walked but the only thing Danny was concerned about was protecting Lindsay and the baby.
That night Danny heard Sonny's car speed off and he cared not about the trouble he and Sal could get into that night. He had freed himself from his duties. He snuggled up next to Lindsay watching a movie. Finally his dream had come true. He was with Lindsay. The girl he had liked since she moved to Tanglewood. They flipped on the news later that night and watched as Sonny Sassone and Salvador Zabo were arrested for the murder of Jake Dempsey. Danny had not one ounce of sympathy for them. They were no longer his concern.
School was very interesting the next morning. The other Tanglewoods glared at Danny, blaming him for Sonny and Sal's arrest. Lydia wouldn't even speak to him. The gossip turned from Lindsay's pregnancy to Danny's betrayal of Sonny and Sal. Danny took the stares and dirty looks in stride. He knew what his brother would have wanted more than those two. Louie wanted him to get the hell out of Tanglewood and become something.
Since the fight with her parents Lindsay had been staying in Louie's old room in the basement. As the months passed and she grew, so did her feelings for Danny. She tried to hold them away, trying to stay loyal to Louie. But it was the little things that Danny did that slowly started to change her heart. Lindsay didn't want to admit it feeling that it was betraying Louie she was falling in love with Danny.
They were watching a movie one night when she let herself say it. She was lying in Danny's lap, his fingers playing with her hair. She looked up at him, forming the words in her mind.
"Hey Danny?" she called softly.
"What Linds?" Danny replied.
"I love you," she said.
