Chapter 21

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Thanks again to all of you that left reviews. They are what makes me want to work and finish this story. ---Peace

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Don and Logan hurried to the hospital after receiving the call that Danny had finally regained consciousness and found the rest of the team standing outside Danny's room.

"What's going on?" Don asked.

"His doctors are checking him over." Mac said sounding happy, but concerned.

"How is he?" Logan asked

Mac shrugged his shoulders.

"Where's Mom Messer?" Don asked.

"She went home to rest. I'm holding off calling her right now, but I'll call her as soon as we found out how he's doing."

Doctor's Hartney, Hall, Neal and Sheldon was checking Danny's vitals, going over his chart, and talking to Nola. They were trying to explain to Danny what had happened.

'Mac, Mac, Mac, Mac' Danny keeping thinking to himself not hearing what was being said.

"I think we need to get Detective Taylor in here." Dr. Hartney suggested.

"Makes sense, Danny's not listening to anything we're saying." Dr. Neal agreed.

"I'll get him." Sheldon said walking over to the door.

"Mac." He indicated that he would like Mac to come into the room.

Mac stepped inside and as the door closed behind them Sheldon said. "He's very upset and needs to calm down. We don't want to medicated him, but he needs to know what's going on."

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

"He needs to know about his injuries and how they are being treated."

Mac nodded that he understood.

"He also needs to understand why he can't speak or move his left arm."

"Anything else?"

"I'm sure you know what to do and say. Just try to keep it as simple as possible."

"Is that because of the brain trauma?"

Sheldon nodded. "As you know the EGG's show that Danny's mind seems to be functioning within normal ranges, but that will most likely change now and since we don't know exactly how much long-term damage may have been done, it's important that we keep things simple until we get that chance to find out what his mental competency is." Sheldon saw tears begin to form in Mac's eyes. "He's probably fine, Mac. We just need to be cautious so that we don't overwhelm him with too much information."

Mac nodded that he understood.

"He's alive Mac and he's awake this is a big step on his road to recovery. He needs to know that you're here for him and that everything is going to be all right."

"Sure thing, Sheldon." Mac said walking over to left side of Danny's bed. "Hey." he smiled down on Danny.

Danny again gave an audible sigh.

"I know kid. You're confused and scared."

'Mac talk to me.' Danny thought.

"Now listen Danny." Mac bent over so the he was looking at eye level with Danny. "We're going to try to explain things to you OK." Mac said staying bent over he looked up at the Dr. Hartney standing on the other side of the bed. "Communication?"

Dr. Hartney nodded.

"Ok, buddy listen to what I'm going to say. Your jaw was broken in a couple of places as was your nose and because of those injures you couldn't breath so they had to do a tracheotomy, so that is why you can't talk."

Danny's right hand moved towards his throat.

"Shh." Mac whispered taking reaching over and grabbing Danny's wrist. "It's going to be all right. Your doctors have all agreed that as soon as you're awake enough to be able to work on breathing on your own, they'll take the tube out."

'But Mac I don't get it. Why do I have to work on breathing.'

Mac stood up straight. "I don't think he understands."

"What makes you say that?" Dr. Neal asked.

"The look in his eyes." Mac explained.

"You can barely see his eyes." Dr. Hall said.

"I can see enough to know." Mac smiled leaning back down so that Danny could see him again. "Right Danny?"

'Right Mac.' Danny thought trying hard to smile, but not sure what he looked like.

"He's in pain." Dr. Hall said.

"No he isn't." Sheldon said smiling.

"He's grimacing."

"No he's smiling."

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Stella, Lindsey, Adam, Sid, Don and Logan watched as Mac and Sheldon talked.

"I wonder what they're talking about?" Lindsey asked.

"More than likely Danny's upset and they need Mac to try to calm him down." Sid said.

"Can he do it?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, Mac and Danny are tight." Adam said smiling. "Almost like father and son."

Logan noticed Don stiffen.

"Don what's wrong." she asked.

"Danny?"

"What about Danny?" Stella asked.

"Danny?" Don said again moving toward the door.

"Easy Don." Sid stopped him from going any further.

"He needs…"

"He has everything he needs right now." Sid said.

"He's, He's…"Don stuttered.

"Don." Lindsey stepped up beside him. "He's all right."

Don shook his head. "No he's not." He took another step toward the door.

Adam stepped up beside Sid in order to try to prevent Don from going into the room.

"Adam, please he needs me." Don said with a single tear running down his right cheek.

"I know you want to try to help." Adam said quietly reaching up and putting a hand and the taller man. "But the best way to help him is to stay here."

Don looked from Adam to Sid and back again, before turning to look in the window to Danny's room.

"He needs me." Don whispered.

"We know, Don we know." Stella said stepping up beside Don. "But like Adam said the best way to do that is to stay put. You know Mac will let you see Danny as soon as he can."

Don nodded slowly. "I know" he whispered. "I know."

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'You tell them Sheldon.' Danny thought.

"It's OK Danny." Mac said still leaning over so that Danny could see him. "There's more you need to know. "Because of the injuries to your face and with the surgeries you're face is swollen. That is why you can't open your eyes the whole way.

Danny grunted. 'Yeah, Mac I figured that out already.'

"Don't get smart with me young man." Mac laughed slightly.

"What do you mean by that Detective Taylor?" Dr. Neal asked.

"That was his patented grunt." Mac said looking over at the doctors. "He does that whenever he wants to get a point across without having to say a word."

'Ah, come on Mac I don't do it that often.' 'DO I?'

"Tell him about his hands." Dr. Hall snorted.

"All right. Danny both your hands suffered numerous breaks, but they too have been fixed. Now I know you can't figure out why you can't move your left arm and that is because your shoulder was dislocated. That has been put back into place, but they have to keep it still, so they have it propped up on a pillow with a sheet tucked under you, over the pillow and then under the mattress. Do you understand?"

'Yeah Mac I understand.' Danny thought, but then released maybe Mac didn't understand. 'How can I let you know I understand you Mac? Mac I need to make you understand.'

"Easy, Danny." Mac tried hard to keep Danny calm. "If you understand close your eyes then open them again."

'All right Mac I'll try.' Danny tried to do as he was told.

"That's it Danny, that's it." Mac smiled.

"Detective Taylor?" Dr. Hartney interrupted the moment.

Mac looked up at the neurologist. "Yes."

"His head trauma."

Mac closed his eyes and sighed.

'Who is that?' Danny thought 'What does he mean head trauma?' Danny tried to lift his right hand to his head.

"No Daniel Jay." Mac said still holding on to Danny's wrist.

Danny slowly turned his head to look at the three men on his right.

"They're your doctors Danny." Mac explained.

Danny shook his head and turns his head to try to find Sheldon. 'No Sheldon's my doctor.'

"Easy Danny." Sheldon jumped in almost knowing what his friend was thinking.

'Sheldon.' Danny sighed.

"Ok, Danny listen to me." Mac tried to get Danny's attention. "You were bleeding in your head. Dr. Hartney here, had to go in and stop that."

Danny once again tried to reach up and touch his head. 'You, you opened up my skull?'

This time Mac let him touch the bandages on his head. "Understand Danny, you're doing really good, waking up proves that."

'Mac, I'm scared.' Danny thought touching his head. 'Am I going to be normal again?'

"You're going to be fine Danny. All the test your doctor's have run; point to that fact."

"Mac's right Danny your improving by leaps and bounds." Sheldon added.

Danny turns his head to look at the other doctors.

"Danny, I'm Dr. Hartney, I'm your neurologist."

Danny turned to look at Mac, who just nodded. Danny looked back over at Dr. Hartney.

"We thought you were bleeding in on one place, but once we got in we found out that your were bleeding in three different places, but the blood was pooling in one place. We were able to locate all the bleed sites and cauterized each place. Since the surgery you haven't been bleeding anymore."

Danny sighed to let Dr. Hartney know he understood.

"Your EGG is normal. So we have no reason to believe that there will be any lasting side effects." Dr. Hartney.

'So your saying I'm normal.' Danny laughed to himself. 'I'm sure Mac and the rest of my friends will tell you, I'm far from normal.'

"What's so funny Messer?" Mac asked while thinking to himself. 'You've never been normal, have you Messer.'

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Shortly after Mac, Sheldon and the rest of the doctors finished telling Danny about his injuries and he fell asleep, Mac decided it was time to call Nan.

"I know I should have called you earlier, but I knew you need to rest and it was going to take some time for his doctors to check him over. We told him about his injuries. Yes, ma'am I think he understood what was being said. Yes, ma'am his resting now. Right, right. Well if he wakes up before you get back, I'll let him know that you're on your way. All right we'll see you in a little bit. Yes ma'am we do love Danny very much. All right, all right, Good-bye." Mac pushed the end button on his phone.

"She wasn't angry was she?" Stella asked.

"No, she understood that she needed to rest and that she would't get that rest here. She was also glad that all of us were here for him."

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Don had gone into Danny's room after Mac came out.

"Please Danny wake up, look at me." Don cried. "I know you're awful tired, but I need to see you open your eyes."

Danny was in a very peaceful place for the first time since his attack. Adam and he were building a sandcastle, well trying to build a sandcastle as the waves kept coming up and washing it away. "If you two ding-a-ling's would move a little further up on the beach you might get somewhere." Don was telling the other two young men. "Yeah like you're the sand castle expert." Danny laughed. "At least I would do better then you two." Don replied. "Let's see it, Flack." Adam challenged the dark hair detective. "Are you challenging me, Ross?" "Hmm, yeah I am." Adam smirked. "You're on. You two against me." Don retorted. Stella, Mac, Sheldon, Lindsey and Sid just sat and laughed at the three. "Will they ever grow up." Stella commented. "I hope never." Mac sighed.

"Just like Peter Pan, huh Mac?" Sid asked. "No, not exactly. I just want Danny to keep that small part of him that believes that there is still good in this world." Mac said.

"You mean to tell me with everything we see that human kind can do to one another, plus the kind of childhood he had, he still believes that there is good in people?" Sid asked unbelieving. "Yeah, he does." "Wow." Sid seemed amazed.

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