A/N: ok another disclaimer for this chapter. I don't own Mindy Smith, who is a country singer, BONES (cause I'm using Zack Addy), or any Faith Hill, Mindy Smith, Allison Kruass, Billy Ray Cyrus, or Dolly Parton songs. I wish I did though. Oh, or Patty Loveless, I'm just using their names. Also, I modeled Lily after my own orchestra teacher, and whatever Lily does, most likely my Mrs. Donovan has done.
Danny and the team walked silently through the graveyard. It amazed him how the whole town showed up to honor Mrs. Monroe. You couldn't even get the first floor of an apartment building to file out if Mrs. Messer died. But that's what happens in a small town.
Ahead of him was the Monroe family. They all wore the same looks of depression, grief. All except Lindsay, she almost looked happy, content maybe. He wondered why. They reached the casket and a teenaged boy walked up to Lily with an older man. The man gave her a kiss on the lips, and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. The boy gave her a lily (the flower of grief) and he faintly heard…
"The whole orchestra showed up, we all wanted to be here for you Mrs. Donovan." He said.
"Thank you Jason." She looked at the group of teens standing at the edge of the seats. Danny guessed they were her students. She had mentioned that she was an orchestra teacher at the local high school, and he assumed that the man was her husband, the band teacher at the same local high school. Fancy that.
The ceremony passed with many tears and sobs, though it went fairly quick. Danny paid more attention to Lindsay than he did the minister. She shed few tears, until Carter stood to speak…
"Uh, Mama wrote a letter, well actually she wrote many, but this one is to the town. About today. Uh, it mentions a lot of things, what she wants people to do for her." He cleared his throat and began to read…
"Dear Bozeman,
I'm gonna miss ya'll. So much. Ill be watchin' every one of ya' up here in heaven. But I want a few things done today, n my behalf. A few people and event I want to happen. Firstly…Zachary Addy would you just kiss Mindy Smith and get on with it already…seesh!"
He paused to laugh with the others as they complied from the back row of seats…
"But that's beside the point. What I want is this, my favorite songs, and stories told and sang. For those of you who may not know what they are…well here it is…
Lenore I want you to sing these, Breathe and I Think I Will,
Lily, I want to hear that orchestra of yours play! God they are good! Any song, it doesn't matter.
Im sorry Cody, but I just have to ask, I want to be sent off with a laugh, I want you to sing Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achey Breaky Heart"."
This earned a roar of laughter from the crowd as Cody turned red.
" Allison, I want you to play with the band on your violin again, I still don't understand why you ever left. You were so good.
I want to hear 'Jolene', with Zack and Lindsay. Oh and 'Come to Jesus', and 'Train Song', and I know that song is about Zack.
Patty, you need to sing 'I Try to Think About Elvis' god that song makes me laugh, and 'Here I am', only you and I know the true meaning.
And my Lindsay, darling. I want to hear your voice up here in the Heavens singing my favorite songs…"
Lindsay's eyes filled with tears, and they threatened to fall.
"'Ghost in this House', 'Every time We Say Goodbye', 'Stay', 'The Lucky One' and Eddie…Zack…if you two call out I will beat your heads in…well when you get up here at least, and I want to hear 'Let me Touch You For a While'.
Thank you everybody. Everybody knows my favorite stories, like why our horses Whiskey, Vodka, Tequila, and Shot got their names. When Lenore broke her ankle. Why I don't want Eddie and Zack calling out in the middle of a concert, you know, the classics of Bozeman.
Yours Dearly Truly,
Mrs. Anita Melissa Monroe."
Danny looked at Lindsay to find tears rolling down her cheeks. Everyone stood to leave, and head to the town square for performances. Danny walked over and whipped away her tears. She looked up at him and let him lead her into town.
When they arrived, there were already performances happening. Mindy was singing. Danny paused to listen to the words of 'Come to Jesus'
Worry not my daughters
Worry not my sons
Child when life don't seem worth livin'
Come to Jesus
And let 'em hold you
In his arms
They walked through the town square, hand in hand, and Lindsay just smiled at him whenever someone would point to them and smile. As the party, I guess you could say, went on and they got closer and closer. Until Lindsay was singing that is. (A/N: I'm not re-typing 'Ghost in this House', just refer yourself a chapter back if you want the words.).
When she finished her first song she moved on to the second.
Look
at the sky baby Take a look around now
What do you see?
Looks like the tears that I
cry
Fallin' down like rain on the ground
Every time you say
goodbye
Why don't you feel
The
way that cold wind stings and bites
And your words just are like
arrows through my heart
Every time you say goodbye
Danny fell in love with her voice; it was so light and sensual that he had to ignore his feelings of desire as she sang each word.
The songs moved on, and then Lily and her orchestra got up and played some light music. There were a few points where she had stopped them to work on the music, because she felt it was just like any other rehearsal, or so her husband Robby said.
Before they knew it, it was getting late and they were going through all types of stories. Danny and the team learned that four horses had broken a few caskets of alcohol so each horse was named after what it got drunk. There is Whiskey Monroe, Vodka Addy, and Tequila and Shot Cahill, they both drank the Tequila.
They learned that Lenore is a dancer, a very good one, and wants to be a professional, for she is still in school. They also learned that she broke her foot trying to tango and her partner dropped her during a lift.
And they learned that during one concert, Zack and Eddie had gotten drunk and where being really loud. During Lindsay's song 'The Lucky One' Eddie had called out "I love you Lindsay', and from the other side of the square Zack had called, "I love you more" (A/N: this really happened on an Allison Krauss CD).
Danny met all of her friends. Like Patty and Bob Loveless. Patty was apparently the towns crazy-crazy, or so they called her. She was also a country singer, who just signed a record deal. He was introduced to Zack Addy, boy genius as everyone called him. He worked with a friend of Sid's, Dr. Temperance Brennan; in fact he was her personal assistant. He met Mindy, and learned that she was just a shy, sweet little thing. She clung to Zack's side all night, for the possible fear that he would leave her.
When it was late in the evening, people decided to wrap up the party. Zack and his team went back to the Addy ranch, with Mindy by his side. Eddie went home to his apartment with his girlfriend Melissa French, and Patty and her husband went home to their house. The team had to go back home, because they only had two days that the night shift could cover for them.
They all said their goodbyes, and Danny and the Monroe's headed back to the Bed and Breakfast. The three girls headed upstairs while Danny and the men stayed downstairs to talk.
"So I hear from Lenore that you kissed my sister?" Chris said.
"Uh, um…well…ok, yea I did. Don't hurt me, man." Danny said, raising his arms in surrender.
"What, and risk getting his ass beat by Lindsay…no way. But we're glad for you. We really just want to see her happy again. Although she did looked a little better today." Carter said.
"Thanks man. Does she really throw the best punch in town?" Danny asked.
"Yes." The men said in unison.
"No wonder." Danny mused.
"No wonder what?" Cody asked.
"Well, I kinda jumped off a building a while back to catch a suspect, and when I got back to the lab, she started hitting me. I thought it wouldn't hurt at all, but she really bruised my chest." He said, remembering the time.
"Well, I guess you know not to jump off buildings then." Chris laughed.
"Yea."
The men walked up stairs together, chatting, but they came to a stop when chris pointed into their moms bedroom. Lying on the bed was their father, with Lily, Lenore, and Lindsay laying haphazardly across him. Lindsay opened her eyes, and motioned for them to join. So they did. Danny picked her head up, and placed it back down on his torso, and removed his glasses. The other men lay down as well, as Chris' wife and two kids ran in. some how they managed to fit all 12 of them on a king sized bed. Soon they were all just smiling, and one by one, they drifted off into sleeo.