We Have a Situation
Word Count: 2,580
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Nico/Dani (eventually)
Spoilers: up to 1x07, goes AU in the middle of 1x06, though.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just break things.
Summary: She thinks he thinks everything is a situation. Trouble is, he's right. She just doesn't know it yet.
Author's Note: So... I debated with myself over this section because I am a bit concerned that certain choices will come off in the wrong light. I guess we'll see what happens when people read it.
A Conversation
"TK, we need to talk."
"You know, if you're feeling like sharing some of those juicy details about you and my man Nico, I'm willing to listen. I bet he's got some super freak going on underneath all that dark and dangerous, am I right? You know I'm right."
"No, I don't know, and I would not know," Dani began, taking a deep breath. This was going to be a long conversation. She was already sick of it and it had barely started. Why did Nico have to be the focus of every single conversation lately? It should be TK because of the wreck and Devin, but it seemed like everything got turned back to her and Nico. Or just Nico.
She hoped he'd been telling the truth about going with someone to Chicago. One thing that she had absolutely no doubts about was that he should not be alone right now. She couldn't help thinking that Nico was maybe spoiling for a fight. The thing with Ray, and then being stabbed—Nico was not in a good place. She'd tried to convince him to stay—not that she couldn't use help with TK. Still, she would just rather have Nico somewhere where she could keep an eye on him.
"Oh, I get it. You're together, but you haven't done the deed," TK said loudly, clapping his hands. "Okay. Well, we gotta get you a night alone, right? It's your kids holding you back? Then take the night, let them stay with me and the big D, and you can go to Chicago with Nico."
Dani found herself actually tempted by that idea. She didn't really like the idea of leaving her kids or Devin with TK, but she did kind of like the idea of going to Chicago—to keep an eye on Nico. That was all. It wasn't what TK thought. She shook her head. That wasn't going to happen.
"No," she said firmly. "I am not going to Chicago. I am staying here. But before anything happens tonight, I want to talk to you about this party. And this decision you've made. Have you thought this through, TK? Do you realize what you are signing up for?"
"I'm going to be a dad. What's so wrong with that?"
"Being a dad is a wonderful thing. It truly is. I am not saying that you shouldn't have that. I love being a mother," Dani agreed, trying to reach him, to create that rapport that they needed to work through this. She needed him to understand, really understand the commitment that he was making to this child. The one thing that Dani was certain of, above all else, was that TK had no idea what he was getting himself into, and she didn't want him to hurt Devin because of that. She would back off, she would even relax if he would just give her some sign that he understood, that he was giving this more thought than he appeared to be.
"I really and truly do love being a mother," Dani continued. It might have been unexpected, but being a mother was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Sometimes it didn't feel that way, but she knew it as. "But there are times when I don't get to sleep. When I can't stop worrying about my kids or how I'm going to take care of them. When my kids are sick or when they're in trouble or when they're pissing me off—there are times when I find myself asking why I ever had kids. Everyone does. This is not a small thing that you're doing, TK. It's huge. It's so big, and I just want you to be sure that you're ready for it."
"Why you gotta do this, Doctor D? Why you always gotta be doubting me?" TK demanded. She didn't like the wounded look on his face, wanted to make it go away, but it was a lot like one from a pouting child., another example of how he was not ready for this. "I know what I want, and I know what I'm doing. You can either be happy for me, or you can get the hell out of my way."
"I am not going to get out of your way, and you already know that," she told him, moving to physically block him as well. She was too small to be an effective barricade, but she had to try. "Look at me. I am not going away. That little voice inside your head that is wondering if you can do this? I'm speaking for it, too. You need to know what you're doing, and you need to be willing to stick with it. Devin is not some girl you pick up at a party, have fun with for a few hours or days or even weeks. You can dump a woman, you can break her heart—but a little boy is different. You're not going in as an equal in this relationship. You would be the parent. You are the responsible one. He is a child. You have to be the one to enforce bed time. You have to make rules. And those rules are not just for Devin. They are for you. You have to be an example."
"I can be an example," TK insisted. He shook his head, running a hand over his mouth. He started to pace a little. She'd noticed that he tended to release his tension in physical activity. That was typical of all athletes. TK, though, he was almost always moving. His personality was larger than life, and the constant movement was a big part of it. "I don't know why you can't just accept this."
"I would like to accept it. I would," she told him honestly. She really wished that she could be more supportive of this choice. "I can't. It would be irresponsible of me and go against my principles. I am your therapist. And I know you see me as a friend. I am trying to help you. I am trying to help Devin. If I am going to do that, you have to listen to me. You have to accept that I am here to help, and you have to ask yourself the tough questions that I am asking you."
TK shook his head. "You are trying to hold me back, and I'm sick of it. You know what? Don't come to the party. You're not invited. We'll celebrate without you."
"TK—"
He pushed her out of the way, and she hit the wall harder than she expected. Damn, that hurt. "And don't send Nico after me, either."
She rubbed her sore shoulder. "And if you don't want me to file assault charges, then you stop and think about this. Think about the choices you're making and the way you're behaving. You're so hell bent on proving yourself right that you've developed tunnel vision. Look at me. Look at what you're doing. Is this really something you want to celebrate?"
He stopped, shaking his head. "Why you gotta do this? You keep pushing and pushing, and you know I'm going to push back."
"I do. And I wish there was some other way, but I don't see how," she said gently. She took a deep breath. "This is not you. You don't want to fight me."
"No, I want to party. You can come if you want. I'm not changing my mind. I am adopting Devin," he told her. "See you there, Doctor D."
"Tell me you haven't left yet."
Nico frowned, not liking the tone of Santino's voice. She'd sounded worried earlier, when she tried to convince him to stay, but this was different, sharper. Something had changed. He could tell that with only a few words. This was not a good sign. "What is it?"
"TK, of course," she began, though there was little of course about what he now knew of the other situation they found themselves in. She apparently remained ignorant of that angle, though, and he was torn about keeping it from her. First he had to know how the situation with TK had changed, and then he would make that judgment. She might need to be kept in the dark, an attempt to keep her focused on TK. She would not like Nico's decision one way or another.
He leaned against the wall, adjusting his shirt. Though he had rid himself of the one Donnally had given him earlier, he had not given enough consideration for the material of the one he'd replaced it with. The fabric was irritating the stitches, and the stitches were irritating him.
"What now?" Nico asked when she failed to elaborate. Her silence was another sign, adding up to more trouble. If he didn't already have his hands full here, he might have gone to her right then. "I assume it's serious if you're trying again to cancel my trip."
"Talking to him... Went badly, to say the least," Santino explained, choosing her words carefully. Nico stopped, waiting for her to continue. "I set him off. I did what I didn't want to do, again. I blocked him, unintentionally forcing him into a position where his fight or flight response kicked in. He panicked, and he tried to get past me. I chose the wrong tactic, and it backfired."
Nico could read between the lines. He didn't like this. Again, his instincts were telling him to go to her. That was not an option now. He had to finish this first. "Did he hurt you?"
"Not intentionally. I bumped the wall when he tried to get past me. I think he was thinking like a wide receiver, trying to get past the defense. It didn't do any damage. It shocked me, and underneath everything, I think it scared him," Santino said. She took a deep breath, and he could picture her running her hands through hair. "The situation, as you like to call it, is deteriorating fast. This all happened within a matter of hours. TK got released from the hospital. He came to my house. He had Devin. He left and set the adoption into motion. You got stabbed. We dealt with lawyers, and it feels like this day will not end."
Nico decided not to mention to her that he had been up for far longer than she had. She would only try to lecture him again. He settled on another tactic, a distraction. "Sounds like it might be time for you to prescribe yourself some sedatives and call it a night."
"Are you kidding me? Laura might be able to spin this if TK makes the announcement, but there is no spinning away that boy. He is stuck in the middle of TK and—" Santino stopped herself from repeating what Nico already knew. She let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't believe I'm asking this, but maybe we could just... sedate TK for a day or two and let this blow over?"
"Amusing idea, and one that has tempted me before, though Donnally's method of letting the man drink himself into a stupor generally works better," Nico informed her. "He doesn't like to use it often since he is the team's trainer and has to be discouraging the excess drinking and partying all the time. Still, it is effective."
"Are you suggesting that we get TK drunk at this party?"
Nico frowned. He hadn't exactly meant that, but it could work. It would, at the very least, buy Nico some time to handle this part before he joined the others. "It would prevent him not only from making the announcement but also buy time for us to figure out the next step. What you're describing reminds me of dealing with... a certain addict I used to know. I'm not saying TK's an addict—that problem is an entirely different one, requiring a different approach. This one... It's time for everyone to take a step back and think. Sleep it off, as it were."
"So now you're suggesting that we drug everyone?"
As far-fetched as the idea might seem, it was almost a logical approach for handling it. Everyone needed to take a step back. "TK is not the only one who needs sleep."
"Yeah, says the man who probably hasn't slept in a full month. Come on, Nico. Give me something better than this. Drugging everyone is not an option."
She was usually full of opinions and ideas and not the least bit shy about telling anyone about them. He frowned. "Since when did I become your idea man?"
"Some time this morning, probably around when you showed up at my house, I guess. I don't know. We are all functioning on too little sleep, and it is clearly taking its toll," she sighed. The frustration was all too clear in her voice. "Can I go back to my reunion now? I should be at the bar with Jeanette, drinking and bitching about the way that the night wasn't what we planned. The test will say TK isn't the father, and everything will go back to normal. Or almost. Devin probably won't be the same."
Nico almost laughed. He could picture that, too, and probably as clearly as she did. It was almost ideal, the circumstances she'd described. They rarely worked with ideal circumstances. "It is not all that unlikely. However, that is not the situation we face. This one is the one we have to focus on. I think your friend Jeanette would be capable of spiking the punch and running interference. Recruit Donnally. He knows how to get TK drunk without compromising his own sobriety. Use your son to run interference with Devin and your friend to do the rest. Ms. Radcliffe may prove useful as well."
Santino was quiet. She probably did not like his suggestions. Nico did not have anything else to offer her, not now. His ideas of handling things and hers had never been the same. She would hate it if she knew where he was and what he was doing now.
"And what about you? You never did answer me. Where are you?"
Nico looked down at the man in the chair. He was starting to come around again. It was time to end his conversation with Santino. "I am handling a different situation at the moment. Keep me updated on the situation with TK."
"Do you have to do that now?"
"You sound almost desperate," Nico observed, the slight edge to her voice betraying her agitation. "Is the situation there completely out of control?"
"Not yet. I have a feeling it will be. Are you in Chicago?"
"Not yet," he answered. He had to speed this along or she would hear something that she would not like, something she should not hear. "Let me know if anything changes there. If nothing else, I will be there as soon as I am done here."
"All right, deal, but don't be surprised if I call you every five minutes."
"I wouldn't recommend that."