Chapter 10

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Don got to his car and has he started the engine he turned on the lights as he speed from the hospital parking lot, but he waited until he got onto the street before he turned on the siren.

"What you can't hear my siren and see my lights?" Don yelled at the traffic in front of him. "Come on, come on. Move it." He slammed on his brakes to prevent hitting a car the was pulling out of a parking space. "That's it." He put the car into park, got out walked up to the car that had cut him off and rapped on the driver side window. "NYPD, didn't you hear my siren and see my emergency lights." He yelled.

The window rolled down slowly. "I'm sorry officer I wasn't paying close enough attention I just got back into town from one family emergency and found out that I have another family emergency." The woman in the car said as she took her license out of her wallet not looking up at the man standing beside her window. Don's jaw dropped when he realized who the woman was.

"Mom Messer?"

"Donnie, is that you?"

Don nodded. "Listen I need to get to a crime scene. Do you think you…"

"Oh of course Donnie, let me get out of your way."

"Mom Messer?"

"Yes."

"Danny's going to be all right. He is in room 443 and his boss Mac Taylor's there."

"Oh good, he's not alone."

"No ma'am he's not alone." Don sighed.

"Will I see you there later?"

"Yes ma'am. I, ah, I've got to go." Don said rushing back to his car. He would have loved to be able to talk to Danny's Mom, but he need to find out what happened and he prayed that this scene would answer all the questions that everyone had. By the time he got back in his car and buckled up Mrs. Messer had back her car out of his way enough that he was able to squeeze around her. With a wave of his hand he was once again on his way.

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Logan and the CSI's had converge on the scene with one thought in mind. Found out what happened to Danny Messer.

"I don't care how small a potential piece of evidence is collect it all. I want pictures of every square inch of this crime scene. And you." She pointed to a young man about Danny's height and weight. "You're about the same size as Messer, I want you to walk from here to the restaurant down the street, three times." The young man looked at her with 'say what' written all over his face. "The first time, walk it as if you had just been attacked. You're hurt bad and bleeding profusely. Then I want you to walk it as if you were fine, but still in a hurry to get there, then the final time walk it at a leisurely pace." She turned and began to walk away. "Oh one last thing. Video tape it and be sure the time stamp shows. I need to know how long it took Messer to get from here to there." The young man nodded and jogged off to do his job.

Logan looked around and spotted a CSI looking over Danny's bike. "Hey, don't touch that." She snapped.

"Sure no problem. I just noticed this scratch on the gas tank. Man - Danny's going to blow a casket over that."

"How do you know that this scratch wasn't there before?"

"Danny and I ride together often and as of last weekend this scratch was not on this bike."

"OK it's been about 48 hours since Messer was found beaten outside the restaurant. So we can assume that the bike as been here for that long. Now I'm not up on my forensics, but can you tell if that scratch is older then that?"

"Yes ma'am. But I won't touch the bike until we get it back to the garage. I was just giving it the quick once over before I began to take pictures and also to locate any evidence that could possible be lost in transport, before wrapping it in plastic and letting the tow-truck driver take it away."

"Very good, huh, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?" Logan asked.

"I didn't throw it." The man smiled at her.

"Funny." She grinned.

"Sorry Detective Daniels. I'm just trying to keep from getting angry over what happened to Danny, and my name is Joey Wright."

"It's all right Joey. It's hard enough to work any crime scene, but it is double hard when you know the victim and consider that victim a friend."

"Oh boy. Speaking of friends." Joey pointed to the end of the alley where a police car had just pulled up. "That's Don Flack, he thinks of Danny as a brother."

Logan nodded "Yeah I know. If you'll excuse me."

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Stella had seen Don rushing off so she went to talk to Mac and found him with his forehead against the window to Danny's room, it was clear he was crying.

Stella cleared her throat and looked at her watch to give Mac time to collect himself before she approached.

Mac glanced over in her direction. "I'm fine Stella."

"Good, because I'm not." She said running up to Mac threw her arms around his neck she broke down and began to sob.

"It's going to be alright, Stella." Mac whispered in her ear. "Here look." He pulled her arms from around his neck and pointed into Danny's room. They saw Nola holding up her right hand which had Danny's right hand firmly attached.

Mac winced knowing that by the way Danny was holding on that he had to be in pain.

"Oh God Mac, he's fighting." Stella moaned.

"He's a born fighter."

Stella looked over at Mac. "But you said he was tired of fighting."

"He is. He just needs to pick and choose his fights more carefully."

Stella nodded in agreement. "And I guess we're going to try to teach him once again..."

"…When to fight and when to walk away." Mac finished with a slight smile.

"Do you really think he'll ever learn that?"

"I hope so. He's not Superman, he can't protect all the innocents of the world and still fight the problems from his own hidden past."

"But that's the problem Mac. He's past isn't hidden. It's common knowledge and that's the main problem is."

"I try to understand him, I really do. I'm not saying that my childhood was all peaches and cream, but I still didn't grow up in his house with his family."

"You know more then I do. Was it really THAT bad."

"From what I've been told, by Danny and others, yeah it was bad. So bad in fact that there where times that he was afraid to go to sleep."

"That must have been horrible being that afraid of your own dad."

"It wasn't just his dad, it was his brother also."

"Louie?"

Mac nodded "Danny grew up afraid to go home, because he didn't know what he would find when he got there."

"Then there's the 'Tanglewood Boys'?" Stella remarked.

"That is one subject that is not to be brought up again, EVER."

"Mac, please?"

"NO. Danny is not now and never has been a 'Tanglewood Boy'. That I know for sure."

Stella just shook her head. "OK, Mac OK. But can I ask one question?"

Mac took in a deep breath, then slowly released it. "Go on."

"Knowing what kind of crap Danny dealt with on a daily basis growing up. How in the hell did he turn out the fine upstanding young man he is?"

A gasp came from behind Mac and Stella.

"You – you think Danny's a find upstanding man?"

"Mrs. Messer, I see you made it back into town." Mac said walking over and giving her a hug.

"So do you really think Danny's a fine upstanding man?" She asked again.

"Yes I do and I think he is one of the finest officers this city has to offer." Stella said.

"Thank you Detective Bonasera I really needed to hear that." Mrs. Messer smiled sadly as she walked over and looked in at her son. "Oh that's Nola Ritter."

"Yes ma'am she's been with Danny almost the entire time."

"And your team?"

"We've been taking turns visiting him, when possible."

"That's good Donnie Flack said he wasn't alone."

"When did you speak to Don?" Mac questioned.

"Well." Mrs. Messer smiled. "After he almost hit me."

"What do you mean almost hit you?" Stella asked shocked.

"Oh, no, no I mean I was pulling out of a parking spot, Donnie was rushing to some crime scene and he almost hit me. I was at fault, I was trying to get here to check on Danny."

Stella nodded her head. "I sorry Mrs. Messer but I really need to talk to Mac about some police business. "

"I understand. I know that visitors are only suppose to go in for 5 minutes at time on the hour, but I really need to.."

"Go on in Mrs. Messer, the staff here knows that you have been out of town. So I don't think there will be a problem." Mac said walking over and holding open the door for her.

"Hi Nola."

"Hi, Nan, I'm so glad your back in town." Nola said looking back toward Danny. "He's resting comfortably."

"Oh, my poor baby boy." Nan whispered as she reached out and touched the bandage that was wrapped around Danny's head. "What kind of injuries does he have?"

"He had a couple of bleeders in his brain, but that has been gotten under control. As you can see he had to have corrective surgery on his hands. The hairline fracture in his left cheek is just going to be left to heal on its own."

"What else?"

"OK now the list of things that need to be fixed yet." Nola stopped and took a breath. "His jaw and nose are both broken which will require surgery and his left shoulder is dislocated and still needs to be put back in place and he has several broken ribs that need to be wrapped."

"Why haven't any of those things been done, yet?"

"The bleeding in his brain was the biggest thing that need to be stopped first. So while they had him under sedation for that Dr. Neal went ahead and fixed his hands so that he'll only have to under go one more operation."

"Whatever the doctors think is best." Nan said.

"He's going to be alright Nan ."

Nan leaned over and lightly kissed Danny on the cheek. "I love you." And was rewarded with a slight sigh. "My sweet baby boy. I'm here and so is your friends. Come back to us, please."

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