Danny excused himself from the scene as his phone rang for the third time in five minutes. He looked at the display, the same number, and answered it. "Messer."

"Danny?" Flack's voice sounded panicked.

"Yeah, Flack, what's up?"

"Danny, can you come over here?"

"Flack, I'm workin', man. Besides, you know I can't come in there. Family only."

"Stella did. Jess did. You're more family than they are. Or at least I thought you were." His words came quick, his breath in short gasps.

"Whoa, slow down." Danny walked to his vehicle where it was quiet and leaned against the side. "What's going on?"

"I need you to come get me," he said in a low voice.

"I told ya, I can't come in there. You're being moved to your new room in two days. I'll come see you then. I promise."

"No, Danny. You gotta get me outta here. They're never gonna let me leave and go back to my real life. They're just gonna keep me here forever."

Danny didn't like the way his friend sounded. This wasn't like him at all. "What makes you think that? Mac talked to the doctor yesterday; he said you were doing well and were just about ready to be transferred."

Flack sighed on the other end. "That's just what they want you to believe. I was ready to get outta here days ago."

Danny cut him off. "I watched you go into cardiac arrest days ago." He tried to reason with him, remind him why he was there, but nothing seemed to help.

"Please don't argue with me about this. Just get me out of here so we can talk. I need to get out of here before they do anything else to me."
With a sigh, Danny nodded, though he knew his friend couldn't see the gesture. "Okay. I'll be there."

"Thanks Danny. And hurry."

Lindsay walked up as Danny was hanging up the phone. "Hey, I was wondering where you took off to." But when she saw the crestfallen look on his face as he began to dial the phone again, she put a hand on his arm. "What is it?"

He put the phone to his ear and shook his head. "Flack. He just called me." His face changed again as someone answered on the other end. "Yes, this is Danny Messer. I'm calling about Detective Don Flack." Pause. "He just called me a few minutes ago and I'm worried about him." Pause. "Well, he kept sayin' things about how you're never gonna let him out and how he wanted me to come get him. He sounded panicked and worried and…paranoid. He just didn't sound good. I'm a little worried he might try to do something crazy like gettin' out of bed and end up hurting himself more." He rubbed his hand across his forehead. "Thanks, I appreciate that." He hung up and sighed, leaning his head back against the truck. After standing silently for a moment, he shook his head. "I don't know what happened." He opened his eyes to look at Lindsay, who had been trying to wait patiently for information. "He just called and started freakin' out on me. Said I needed to come get him." He stuffed his phone into his pocket as he pushed himself away from the truck. "They said they'd go check on him, make sure he was safe."

"Being in a place like that for so long is probably starting to stress him out." She took his hand. "I'm sure he's fine, Danny. Call him back after work and remind him that we're all still here for him and that we miss him."

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When Danny hung up, I sank into the bed for a moment. I knew he wasn't coming; he only said that to please me. Deciding I had to do something, I sat up again and pushed the table away. Sitting up to push the blankets back, my chest ached terribly. And when I saw the cast on my leg with several pins sticking out the sides, I was certain something was wrong. I was about to call out, to find out what was going on. I wanted to know who had done all of this to me. But I saw someone coming toward me just as I sat up.

"Don, what are you doing? You need to stay in bed."

"No, I need to get out of here before you make me any worse." As I tried swinging my feet around the side of the bed, if felt like more work than it should have been. My whole upper body groaned in protest at the motion and I was anchored everywhere by wires and tubes. I began pulling, trying to free myself of everything that held me in place. The oxygen tubing was easy, as were the EKG leads attached to my chest. The woman by my bed tried to stop me, holding my hands away from my body, but I struggled against her. When she saw it was no use, she let go of me and called for help. As I finished pulling the EKG leads from my skin, somebody ran up. The woman told her to get something, it sounded like a medication, but I decided I would be long gone before I found out what it was. I grabbed the IV on the back of my hand and gave a quick pull, causing the bandage to tear and blood to run down my fingers. Free of my restraints, I started to slide forward again, holding on to the rail for support. Then I felt something else pulling against me in the most uncomfortable way ever. This didn't hurt like the rest of my body did, but it certainly wasn't right. When I tried to move again, I felt the pulling sensation in my groin and began to struggle to find whatever was causing it. I pulled the hospital gown up to find the tube that was intruding my body and untangled it from my leg, holding it straight out in front of me. I frowned as I grabbed it tightly and got ready to remove it like the rest.

But then the woman who had been standing nearby stepped forward just a few inches. "If you plan to have sex again in the next decade, I would advise against that." I glared up at her, still holding the tube in my hand. "You'll regret it."

I gave the tube a light pull; she was right. I was not about to do that to myself. "Take it out."

She took a step back. "Detective, you need to leave the foley in."

I stood quickly from the bed, bearing my weight on my uninjured leg, but every inch of my body still crying out in pain. "I said take it out."

She straightened her shoulders and planted her feet, but I could tell she was nervous. Good, if that's what it took for me to get out of here. "I should probably get you a local anesthetic. It'll be uncomfortable."

"I don't care. Just take the damn tube out."

"Fine." She reached into a container on the wall and took out a syringe, holding it out to show it to me. "I have to deflate the balloon that's holding it in."

I nodded and she knelt in front of me. Just then, the woman from before came back with a syringe and needle. I assumed it was that drug they were talking about before. I tried to step back a little, but as the nurse held the tube anchored inside my body, I stood motionless. "Take that away, whatever it is."

"It'll help with your pain," she said, looking up at me.

"I don't believe you. Nobody has told me the truth since I got here. Why should I believe you?"

"Detective Flack, I promise you this medicine will help you with your pain." She stood, not having finished what she had started before. She held out her hand and the medicine was passed to her.

For just a moment, I felt like I recognized this woman. She had a comforting face that I felt like I had seen so many times before. But all these doctors and nurses looked the same, and they all wanted the same thing; they just wanted to keep me here. "I don't want the drugs. I just want to leave."

But before I could say anything more, the needle was in my thigh. I lashed out, grabbing her arm and pulling her violently toward me. "I said no…" And then the room began to spin out of control.