Chapter 10

~*~*~*~

Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
Like a, shoebox of photographs
With sepia tone loving
Love is the answer,
At least for most of the questions in my heart

~ Better Together by Jack Johnson

~*~*~*~

The automated MTA voice announced that it was arriving at the next stop at Whitehall Street as the train lurched to a stop. Danny went rigid, gripping the metal trail bar tightly, doing his best to try and not slam into the teenager standing beside him. He checked his watch and cringed, thinking that each stop just made him later and later.

The subway doors slid open and people pushed their way out of the car, flooding their way onto the platform. After the initial rush of vacating passengers, a new wave of travelers boarded. There were far fewer boarding the car than the amount that got off so several seats opened up. Sensing an opportunity, Danny maneuvered his way to a hard plastic seat at the rear of the car and sat down just as the doors closed with a whooshing air sound.

When he was on call, he would take the bureau car home but he had the weekend off so that meant public transportation. However, considering it was a Friday night, he knew parking would be hard to come by in his neighborhood anyway so this mode was fastest.

As the train pulled out again, he glanced around, surveying the seasoned commuters ready with their books, newspapers, or iPods to first time travelers studying the MTA map posted above the doors indicating by color what line they were riding and what stops would be made along the way. A few rows down, he eyed a young woman with curly brown hair bouncing an anxious toddler on her lap, each with matching hair color. The little boy was holding a small book with an image of a puppy on the cover. He would study each page with wide, curious eyes and occasionally laugh and point something out to his mother, who would grin and whisper something in his tiny ear.

Danny felt his heart swell just thinking about doing something like that with his own child. Reaching into his breast pocket, he pulled out the ultrasound picture for the umpteenth time that day. It was reassuring for him to have this tangible evidence. Everyday Elena would tell him about the changes she could feel inside of her but so far all he could do was take her word for it and study the slow changes to her body. But now, staring at the black and white image with a bundle of emotions lodged in his throat, he could see with his own eyes that this wasn't a dream. He grinned, thinking that it almost looked like baby Taylor was floating inside a jellybean-shaped space. The image was much clearer than he'd anticipated and he could see remarkable details of this being who hadn't even entered the world yet. He could see the profile of the baby's face complete with a small button nose; an arm raised up near where the mouth would be; and a leg that kicked slowly around inside of Elena's belly. Elena had joked that it looked like their child was going to have his or her father's restless spirit. Danny noted that the baby's belly curved up just like Elena's and was promptly rewarded with a playful slap on the arm. Chuckling, Elena told him that since this was her second pregnancy, her body remembered this change and metamorphosed quicker than when she was pregnant with Sofie so she was growing bigger faster. Danny quickly kissed her temple and reminded her that she had never looked more beautiful to him.

The technician had tried to find the heartbeat but the baby was turned away and they couldn't hear it. The technician assured them that it didn't mean anything, getting to hear the heartbeat at three months wasn't always easy. The important thing was that they could see on the screen that the heart was steadily beating and looking strong. Danny was disappointed but Elena consoled him by saying that the same thing happened when she was pregnant with Sofie. She told him to have a little patience, he will be able to hear it soon enough.

Tracing the outline of the image with the tip of his finger, he beamed with pride and wondered whom the child was going to resemble: him or Elena. Or maybe their child would be a perfect blending of them both. Although, he had to admit – if only to himself – that if they had a boy, he hoped his son would look more like him. He knew that he was often in awe of how much Sofie resembled Elena. They both had the same wide brown eyes, heart shaped mouth, long shiny brown hair, and olive skin. He envied Elena seeing so much of herself reflected in her daughter's eyes and wished to someday be able to experience that feeling himself.

After the appointment, he had returned to the bank and it took every ounce of Danny's will power to not pull the black and white image from his pocket and show it to anyone and everyone and proudly declaring that he was going to be a father. Ironically, maybe it was the fact that the other employees continued giving him the cold shoulder that helped him contain himself...

~*~

Danny strolled behind the commercial teller area, idly observing Mina counting a deposit from a local Papaya King. He glanced around, scanning the other employees and few customers in line to see if anything stood out or seemed strange. Deciding it was just another ordinary moment in the bank, he returned his attention to his notebook. All afternoon he pretended to take notes on the goings on in the bank like any efficiency expert would while performing an evaluation. But if anyone were to read what he wrote down they would see his doodles and a list of possible baby names. If they had a son, he toyed with the idea of egging Elena on by saying he wanted to name him Ramon.

A few teller stalls down, he heard some murmured conversation between Ian and Sue. When he looked over, they each lowered their heads and pretended to be busy working. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess that they were talking about him. All morning long he heard snippets of conversation about his presence. Under their breaths he heard them say things like: "First we get a new bank manager and he brings in an efficiency expert who he's all buddy-buddy with… he's here to lay people off" or "I'm going to look for a new job" to "that guy cannot be trusted."

He hated being treated like the enemy but thankfully, he had a small picture in his pocket reassuring him that being disliked by people he didn't know was irrelevant when he was loved and loved by those who really mattered.

Suddenly, the sound of laughter drifted from the far two cages where Amber and Roberta were chatting with Gabe, one of the loan officers. Amber had long blonde hair and dressed just nice enough to be considered professional but still looked like she hoped to maintain her youthful style by accessorizing with lots of jewelry. Roberta had dark brown hair that hung just below her chin line and judging by the buttons on her blouse straining to hold together, recently had a significant weight gain but was still in denial about it. As for Gabe, he stood on the other side of the teller cage like a customer and looked like he'd just stepped out of a page from GQ magazine from his perfectly styled brown hair to his Italian loafers.

Sensing an opportunity to ingratiate himself to the other employees – after all, it wouldn't hurt to at least try and get them to like him – he moved towards where they were chatting mirthfully. He planted his patented Danny smirk on his face when he realized that as he neared, the laughter started to fade. By the time he reached them, they were totally quiet.

"Hey," he greeted, smiling broadly at the three members of the bank staff. "What's up?"

Suddenly the nearby phone rang and Amber hustled to answer it while Roberta began furiously processing her Ins and Outs.

"Roberta is getting me a cashiers check for one of my customer's loan," Gabe instantly replied, his tone cool, crisp and professional before refocusing his gaze intently on Roberta, efficiently cutting Danny off from further inquiry.

Sighing, Danny gave them a tight smile and nodded. "Cool." Deciding to try a different approach, he lingered behind Roberta's station and said, "So, I hear you're really into movies. Me, too." The woman glanced in his general direction and hummed her reply. He hated feeling like he was the new kid back in junior high trying to make friends at a new school. Swallowing, he jokingly continued, "Have you ever seen 'Serpico'?"

With her gaze still fixed on her monitor, Roberta nodded. "Yup. Can't say I cared for it."

Taken aback and more than a little offended, Danny stammered, "Really? Why not?"

"No offense, but I don't care for films about people who snitch about people at work," she flatly replied with a dry and brittle voice as Danny just stared at her in disbelief. Giving him a tense but polite smile, Roberta looked past Danny and waved at someone. "Eli, I need your signature."

Danny just stood there staring dumbly at Roberta, unsure if he was offended at possibly just being called a snitch or her talking badly about one of his favorite Pacino films.

"What do we have?" Eli asked as she neared.

Holding up the check, Roberta explained, "This is for Gabe's customer. It's for twenty-three thousand."

Carefully stepping around Danny, Eli patted his shoulder reassuringly before taking the checking. Reading it over, she looked up at Gabe and asked, "Which customer is this?"

"Paul Cellotta." Jerking his chin to a small, stocky man seated at his desk, Gabe explained, "He's the one who's buying the RV so he can drive the family to Kansas for the holiday." Waving at the gentleman, under his breath, he haughtily added, "Can you think of anything worse?"

"I think that sounds sweet," Eli argued, smiling wistfully at the customer. "The whole family packed together for the holiday."

"Me too," Danny agreed, already wondering what sorts of road trips he could take his family on.

Gabe shot her a pitying look and continued, "Anyway, he's taking his loan in the form of a check so the money goes directly to the seller."

"Okay," Eli replied with a nod as she started to sign the check when they all heard the unmistakable sound of crying. They all shifted their attention towards where Amber stood with the phone clutched tightly in her well-manicured hands, tears beginning to stream down her face.

Danny's eyes flicked over to Eli, sharing a concerned look, before he refocused on Amber whose face was now hot with tears, trembling lips and a runny nose. Whoever she was talking to, she was clearly upset by the conversation.

"But… how can you do this to me?" Amber asked, lowering her chin and wiping tears from her face. "But I can do better… I can change that…"

Sensing this had to do with a relationship, Danny looked over to see Eli, Roberta and Gabe share a look of exasperation when suddenly Amber slammed the phone back onto the receiver and announced, "Excuse me," her breath hitched, "I have to…" and she gasped between the rest of the sentence, "go… to… the… ladies room."

They watched as she made a mad dash to the employee restrooms.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Gabe grumbled, "Great, now we have to listen to another month of break-up drama."

Danny wanted to chastise Gabe for his callous remark but pursed his lips, knowing that he should keep quiet about a situation in which he had very little knowledge of the history.

Sighing heavily, Roberta nodded in agreement. "It's annoying how upset she gets. She hasn't even been dating him that long."

Quickly finishing signing the check, Eli handed it to Roberta and sagely advised, "You know, relationships are like CDs: the value isn't determined so much by the length of time but the amount of the investment."

Chuckling, Gabe quipped. "Ah, another pearl of wisdom from the banker's hand book of love." Eli started walking after Amber but paused long enough to shoot him a dirty look that wasn't offensive -- between two long time friends. Chuckling, Gabe stuck his tongue out at her and she just shook her head and laughed as she continued after Amber. Shifting his attention to Danny, Gabe explained, "Eli loves using banking terminology when dishing out advice. When my ex-boyfriend cheated on me, she said, 'If your man is making deposits at another bank, you need to close his account.'"

Jotting something down in the computer, Roberta tore the check's carbon copy free and put it in her drawer before handing the actual check to Gabe. "She once told me something like, my husband is like a good piece of stock: he just increases in value the longer I hold onto him."

Taking the check and glancing over it to ensure all the information was accurate, Gabe said, "That's one of the things I adore about Eli: she's corny in the most endearing way." Looking up, he smiled and said, "Thanks, Berta."

Gabe turned to walk back to his desk, pausing only to give Danny a scrutinizing look, before continuing on his way. Danny briefly wondered if he was just sized up and what exact measurement was he just given.

"Can I do anything for you, Mr. Serpico?" Berta asked, her curt voice dragging Danny back to reality.

Aware that the air was suddenly growing chilly again, Danny shook his head and decided to go bother Martin for awhile.

~*~

The train slowed again and the automated voice announced that the next stop was Danny's: Union Street.

Tucking the ultrasound photo back into his pocket, he stood up and began pushing his way through the crowd of passengers ambling to the doors. Danny deboarded the train and walked down the corridor towards the exit, passing a local street musician strumming his guitar. He pulled some coins from his pocket and tossed them into the open case before continuing on. He didn't mind supporting anyone willing to earn a living by performing in a hallway where the air was thick with smells that could only be found in a subway station: a combination of train fumes, urine, and body odor. Quickly hurrying down the dingy tiled area, he stepped through the turnstile, and took the steps to the street above two at a time. As soon as he hit the busy street, he was immediately greeted with the sounds of car horns, people talking and other sounds that were uniquely New York.

He turned onto 5th Avenue and made his way to the Blue Ribbon Brasserie.

Breaking from the routine of Friday night pizza and a movie, he and Elena decided to take Sofie to her favorite restaurant to tell her about the pregnancy. Elena had been so happy that Sofie had grown past the age of only eating at restaurants that offered toy prizes with their meals and could enjoy a nice meal in a nice restaurant. With a small smile creeping on his face, Danny realized that this reprieve wouldn't last for long since they would soon have to satiate the needs of a toddler's tastes.

Reaching the restaurant, Danny walked past the line of patrons waiting to be seated and sought out his wife and stepdaughter. Blue Ribbon was a dimly lit restaurant that had a long bar near the entrance and was crowded with people out to enjoy the kick off to their weekend. The décor of the rest of the restaurant was wood: from the hardwood floors to the wooden tables and chairs all the way to the teak crown molding that framed the ceiling. Despite the fact that it made Danny wonder if the owner got kickbacks from the lumber industry, it managed to look hip and edgy rather than an aged log cabin.

In the center of the restaurant, Danny spotted his two favorite brunettes chatting together, each with bright wide smiles on their faces. As he neared, he spotted the hummus appetizer on the table indicating that they had been waiting for a little while.

Sofie spotted him first so he raised his index finger to his lips for her to remain quiet as he carefully and quietly stepped behind Elena. Leaning in close to her ear, he whispered, "Hey pretty lady, is this seat taken?"

Keeping her gaze straight ahead but tilting her head closer, she softly replied, "I was waiting for my husband but since he's running late…" Grinning, she turned to face him. "I guess you can join us."

Bridging the distance, Elena planted a kiss on him. Pulling back with a smile on his face, Danny sat down. "Sorry, not really working is harder than actually working. I couldn't leave until everyone was balanced but Ian was forty dollars off so Eli had to do an audit…" He waved his hand around and said, "Forget it. It just took a long time."

Elena shook her head and laughed. "We ordered some hummus while we waited." She pushed the bowl towards him and returned her attention to her menu. "I'm starving."

Danny dipped a pita slice into the hummus and chewed it happily when a waiter appeared and took his drink order before asking if they were ready to order dinner. Sofie ordered her favorite dish, fried chicken, and to Danny's surprise, Elena ordered the hanger steak – medium well.

"Meat? You're ordering meat?" he asked, incredulous. "Red meat?"

Shutting her menu and handing it back to the waiter, Elena shrugged. "I'm having a craving."

He smiled at her and remembered that the OBGYN had told her earlier that if she was having a craving to not ignore it. Pregnancy is the one time that indulging is completely allowed – within reason, of course. They also got the lecture about avoiding raw fish, soft cheese, deli meat, alcohol, and caffeine. Deciding to embrace Elena's newfound food freedom, he closed his menu and ordered the same.

As soon as the waiter was gone, Sofie shoved her hands under her thighs as if trying to contain her excitement as she anxiously asked, "So can you tell me now?"

"Tell you what?" Danny replied, enjoying drawing out the suspense. "What makes you think we're going to tell you something?"

"C'mon Danny!" she insisted with a wide smile.

"She thinks there's a reason we came here for dinner tonight," Elena explained, taking a sip of her water.

Raising an eyebrow, Danny playfully mocked, "Really, why?"

Sofie leaned forward and argued, "Because the last time we came here you asked me if you could marry my mom so I know you only bring me here to tell me something good."

"Really?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.

"YES!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing out of her seat. "So tell me!"

Looking over at Elena, Danny quietly said, "I think you should do it."

Nodding, Elena reached over and lovingly took both of her daughter's hands in hers. "Sofie, mi mamita," she began, looking directly into her daughter's big brown eyes, "You know I love you so much, right?"

The young girl nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"And nothing will ever change that," she continued, shaking her head.

Again, Sofie gave a slow, wary nod. "What's going on?"

Elena glowed. "We're having a baby. You're going to be a big sister."

"A baby?" Sofie asked, stunned. "Really?"

An awkward silence loomed as they waited for a reply when a slow grin spread over Sofie's face and she exclaimed, "Wow! I'm gonna have a baby brother or sister!"

Jumping off her chair, she stood next to her mom and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. As soon as she was done, she moved around and leapt into Danny's arms.

When Sofie pulled back, she kissed Danny on the cheek and said, "This is awesome!"

Grinning, Danny reached into his coat pocket and said, "You wanna see something really awesome?" He held up the ultrasound picture for Sofie to see. "Meet your baby brother or sister."

Grabbing the image with both hands, Sofie stared at the image. "The baby looks weird."

"Hey, that's your brother or sister you're talking about," Danny playfully chastised.

Realizing that seemed the wrong thing to say, she instantly added, "But still cute!"

Laughing softly, Danny took the picture back from Sofie and tucked it back into his pocket as she returned to her seat.

Ducking a pita chip into the hummus, Sofie giggled and declared, "I can't wait." She took a bite and paused mid-chew to add, "And don't worry. I'm going to help out so much."

The waiter returned and set Danny's club soda with lime on the table. Reaching over, Danny squeezed some lime-juice into the glass and asked, "Really?"

"Yes," Sofie assured him. "I'll baby-sit, play with the baby, and help her get dressed."

"What if we have a boy?" he asked, stirring his drink.

She pondered that for a beat and shrugged. "Hm, I guess that's okay, too. I'll still help."

Smiling, Elena squinted her eyes at the girl and challenged, "Does that mean you'll change poopy diapers"

Sofie twisted up her nose, as if already smelling the stinky diaper. "Oh, um, how about I help by telling you when the baby needs to be changed?"

Danny shook his head and laughed as they enjoyed a leisurely dinner. They talked about where the baby would sleep, Elena claiming that for the first few months they could put the baby in a bureau drawer and be happy. Then they started listing off names they liked and didn't like. Feeling in a happy mood, they decided to order three different desserts and share. After some debate, they decided on the crème brulee, chocolate bruno, and banana split.

As the waiter wandered off to retrieve their desserts, Sofie and Elena started talking about going shopping for baby clothes when Danny's cell phone rang in his pocket. Fishing it out, he glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Samantha. He knew she was doing surveillance tonight so he excused himself from the table and walked to the back of the restaurant where the restrooms were located and it was quieter.

He pressed talk. "Hey, Sam, what's up?"

"I know it's your night off but I just wanted to give you a heads up on something," she replied, her tone sounding gentle but concerned. "Martin and Kim had a pretty ugly fight."

"How ugly?"

"He left to get to a meeting."

"Gotcha." Danny rubbed the back of his neck and looked over to see Elena laughing at something Sofie was saying. He really didn't want to deal with this drama right now. He wanted to enjoy this moment. But he also knew that sometimes being a good friend meant sacrifices. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Sure. Night."

He clicked the phone off and stared at it for a beat, trying to decide if he should call Martin now or later. If he did it now, it might become a drawn out conversation and he'd miss having dessert with Elena and Sofie. If he did it later, he might spend the rest of his evening with the girls thinking about Martin's state of mind and not really enjoy himself.

He was still debating when his cell phone rang again and the screen lit up: M. Fitzgerald.

Looks like the decision was now out of his hands.

"Serpico," he answered. He heard a faint chuckle on the other end of the line. This was a good sign. With forced cheer, he asked, "What's up?"

The line went quiet for a beat but Danny could make out the sounds of traffic indicating that Martin was probably driving.

"Sam called you already," Martin guessed.

Not pretending otherwise, Danny decided to just get to the heart of the matter. "How are you doing?"

"Strong enough to know to get to a meeting but upset enough to not want to go home afterwards," he replied, releasing an audible sigh. "But we both know that's not an option."

With his eyes watching the waiter deposit the desserts on the table, Danny offered, "Why don't you come meet up with us at Blue Ribbon?"

"No, I know Friday is your family night," Martin quickly declined. "I'll be fine. Vent at a meeting and maybe drive around until I cool off. It'll be okay." Danny gnawed on his lip, conflicted. He wasn't sure if he needed to talk to Martin awhile longer but he also really wanted to get back to the celebration with his family. As if sensing Danny's conundrum, Martin added, "Get back to Elena. I'm good. I knew Sam was gonna call you so I figured I'd beat you to the punch."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, man," Martin replied, sounding calmer by the minute. "I'll talk to you on Monday."

"Alright, I'll check in with you at casa Granger tomorrow," Danny said, briefly wondering if he should share his happy news with his best friend. But then he thought better of it; not wanting to flaunt his own joy while Martin was struggling. "Later."

He started to hang up when he heard, "Hey, Danny."

"Yeah?"

Clearing his throat, Martin quickly breathed, "Thanks for not saying, 'I told you so.'"

Grinning, Danny replied, "All that matters is that you know it."

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A/N: Have I gushed enough about Anmodo? Cuz she's totally awesome and I want you all to know how incredibly generous she is with her advice and encouragement. Plus, she's a terrific sounding board. Like I said, AWESOME.

Thanks to all you who are reading and bigger thanks to those of you who review. Thank you so very much!