Slipping Into Darkness
Disclaimer: As much as I love the show and its characters, I do not own any part of it. Without A Trace belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Only the characters that I created are mine. So, please don't sue.
Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who read this story and those of you who left reviews. You kept this story alive when I had doubts on continuing it. Anyway, I owe a special thanks to Ukeleleboy and Anmodo for their help and feedback with this fic. I hope all of you have enjoyed this story. This is the final chapter. So, enjoy.
Previously on Slipping Into Darkness: "I know that you guys want the old Danny back. But I don't think I can do it alone." Danny said softly as fresh tears escaped his eyes, causing Martin to hold his hand in a tight, brotherhood grip.
"Who the hell told you that you were alone? We're going to be here with you always to give you a good kick in the pants whenever you need it. Now, promise that you're going to let the evil headshrinker help you and us too. Promise or I'll kick your butt hard right now." Martin said seriously but caringly as he smiled, causing Danny to laugh crying and nod.
"I promise, Fitzy." Danny laughed crying as he sniffled.
"Damn. And we were all ready to give him a good kick in the pants right now." Jeff said crossly as he smiled and ruffled Danny's head, causing Danny to laugh more.
"Thank you." Danny suddenly cried softly but emotionally as he covered his face, causing everyone to hold on to him.
Although they all knew that the coming days, weeks and months were going to be incredibly difficult, they were glad that they would at least face it together as friends, as family—whatever adversity they were to be faced with.
Chapter 21
6 Weeks Later...
A difficult six weeks had passed since Danny entered the hospital. During this time, he had several breakdowns and at some point everyone thought that they were going to lose him once and for all. But they refused to give up on Danny, especially after everything that they had been through. They showed Danny all the love, compassion and patience that he needed. But they were also stern with him when Danny tried turning away from them.
Danny opened up to the psychiatrist, Dr. Gonzalez and through medications and extensive therapy, Danny was finally able to realize and believe that what happened to everyone, hadn't been his fault. After six weeks, he was finally being released from the hospital. But it wasn't as happy a moment as Danny would've hoped for.
Danny's Hospital Room...
Monday Morning, 9 A.M.
Danny was anxiously sitting up in bed awaiting his release when Nurse Vicky entered the room with a smile.
"Good morning, Danny. Are you ready to finally get out of here and go home to your own bed?" Nurse Vicky said smiling kindly and then put on gloves.
"I'm dying to get out of here. You guys have been great to me, but I'm tired of being inside these four walls. I'm starting to feel like a cat climbing the walls." Danny said smiling softly, causing Nurse Vicky to smile warmly at him. "Where's Sean? Is he coming to sign my release papers?" He said a bit nervously as he bit his lower lips.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. But Sean and Dr. Foster are in surgery and they can't be here now. But they both signed off on your chart and told me to come fix you up and let you go." Nurse Vicky said caringly as she gently removed Danny's IV and monitors and bandaged his hand.
"Oh. Okay. I understand." Danny said softly but Nurse Vicky noticed the hurt in his voice as she examined his vitals.
"What about your friends, Danny? Are they coming to pick you up?" Nurse Vicky said caringly as she continued checking his vitals and then wrote in his chart.
"I don't think so. I tried calling them but none of them answer their phones. They're probably busy working on a case." Danny said smiling softly as he tried to hide the pain from his voice.
"Well, you're all ready to go. And unfortunately, I don't know how long your brother's going to be in surgery. But you probably want to get out of here and go home, right?" Nurse Vicky said caringly as she smiled and Danny nodded smiling as his cheeks reddened furiously, causing Nurse Vicky to chuckle softly and gently ruffle his head. "Well then, would you like me to call a cab for you?" She said kindly.
"Sure. Thank you." Danny said smiling softly.
"No problem, sweetie. Get dressed, get your things ready and in the meantime, I'll call you a cab." Nurse Vicky said kindly and then left the room, causing tears to escape Danny's eyes as he got dressed in his blue jeans, white shirt and tennis shoes.
"Keep it together, Danny. Don't let it bother you." He silently told himself as he dried his tears and sniffled, but the fact was that he felt hurt that no one was there for him to see him off.
"Danny, sweetie, the cab is ready for you downstairs." Nurse Vicky said kindly as she smiled warmly and brought in a wheelchair.
"What's that for? I can walk." Danny pouted softly as he smiled, causing Nurse Vicky to softly chuckle amused.
"I don't think so, sweetie. You know hospital policy. We don't want you falling on that pretty face and getting hurt again. Now, come on. You're coming downstairs with me and I'm going to put you in the cab myself. Besides, I want to see those buns of yours finally walking out of here." Nurse Vicky said smiling amused, causing Danny to redden furiously and chuckle amused as he sat on the wheelchair and she led him downstairs to an awaiting cab. "Well, come on. Don't make a girl wait any longer." Nurse Vicky said with a devious smile and Danny stood up, smiling embarrassed, causing Nurse Vicky to whistle. "Mm-mm-mm. Those nice buns were worth the wait, honey." She said smiling, causing Danny to laugh hysterically as his face reddened furiously and he hugged her.
"Thank you for everything, Vicky." Danny said smiling as he hugged and kissed Nurse Vicky, causing her to do the same.
"It was my pleasure, sweetie. I was only doing my job. Take care." Nurse Vicky said smiling and helped Danny into the cab and closed the door.
"Thanks, bye." Danny said smiling and the cabby drove away.
"Where to, boss?" The cabby said with a kind smile, causing Danny to sigh softly but heavily.
"Flower shop and Shady Meadows Cemetery." Danny said with a soft but heavy sigh.
"You got it, boss." The cabby said kindly and then drove away, causing him to arrive at 'Shady Meadows Cemetery' twenty minutes later. "Do you want me to wait?" He said kindly.
"Yeah, thanks." Danny said softly as he got out the car and went to his father's gravesite with two dozen white roses, causing tears to escape his eyes as he put the flowers in the memorial vase and kneeled on the floor.
Danny knelt on the ground for five minutes crying softly as he thought silently and then blessed himself as he stood up.
"Goodbye, dad. You'll always be in my heart and in my mind." Danny cried softly and then left.
"Where to, boss?" The cabby said kindly.
"Home." Danny said softly and then gave the cabby his address, causing the cabby to arrive at Danny's house twenty minutes later. "Here you go. Thanks a lot. Have a good one." Danny said kindly as he handed the cabby one hundred dollars although his fare was only thirty.
"Thanks, boss, you too." The cabby said kindly and drove away and Danny went inside, causing the cabby to suddenly pick up his phone and dial a number. "Yeah. The little bird just flew into the cuckoo's cage. Yeah. All right. Got it, boss." He said seriously and then sneered as he ended the call. "You'll get what's coming to you, pal." The cabby said with a sneer and then drove away.
Back In Danny's Apartment...
Danny set his keys on the coffee table and sighed heavily as tears escaped his eyes.
"Welcome home, Danny. Welcome home." Danny said softly with a heavy sigh as more tears escaped his eyes and he lay on his couch, giving some much needed rest to his aching heart as he gave in to sleep.
Danny had been sleeping for an hour, when there was a knock at the door, causing him to get up and open it—it was Martin.
"What are you doing here, Martin? Shouldn't you be at work finding missing persons?" Danny said tiredly but also somewhat angrily out of hurt, causing Martin to look at him concerned.
"Are you okay, buddy? I've been calling you for an hour but you haven't answered your phone." Martin said kindly but concerned.
"I'm fine. I was just sleeping. You can go back to work now." Danny said seriously out of hurt.
"Come on. Stop being so grumpy, Danny. I came to pick you up so that we can go out. I got tickets to see a movie, the basketball game and then tonight, a music concert. And I want you to come with me. So, get up, take a shower and get dressed. Come on. I won't take no for an answer." Martin said kindly but Danny shook his head.
"What are you even doing here, Martin? Go back to work." Danny pouted grumpily but like a child.
"Am I missing something? Why are you grumpy, brother?" Martin said caringly but concerned.
"I'm not grumpy, just tired." Danny said softly.
"Come on. Jack gave me the day off so that I could take you out as congratulations for finally getting out of the hospital. He was sorry that he couldn't meet you at the hospital but they're all working on a big case at the office." Martin said caringly but also concerned at Danny's reactions.
"What, that? Please, I didn't even notice. That hot Nurse Vicky called me a cab anyway. Besides, it's not like I was actually expecting anyone there today. Remember, it's Monday and everyone always works Mondays. So, it's no big deal." Danny said nonchalantly but Martin could clearly hear the mild bitterness and hurt in his voice.
"Come on, Danny. It's not like that. Everyone wanted to go to the hospital but those pricks in Washington said that the case was 'Top Priority' and that everyone had to work on it. Now, what about Sean? Didn't he talk to you before you left the hospital?" Martin said caringly but Danny shook his head.
"No. Sean and his dad are in surgery and they didn't know how long they're going to be in there, so they signed off on my paperwork and told Nurse Vicky to let me go." Danny said nonchalantly although Martin once again noticed the hurt in his voice.
"Well, come on. Let's find you some decent clothes to wear so that we can get out of here and enjoy the rest of the day." Martin said caringly and then led Danny to his room.
"What are you doing, Martin? I didn't say that I was going with you. I'm tired and staying here to get some rest. So, go back to work." Danny said crossly as Martin searched through his closet.
"Wrong answer, brother. You've been trapped in that stupid hospital long enough and now you're going to face the world again. You don't have a choice. Remember what Dr. Gonzalez told you. You're not allowed to mope around in these walls. So, you can forget about staying here alone." Martin said somewhat sternly but caringly as he carefully laid out an expensive, elegant black suit, white shirt and a blue silk tie on Danny's bed.
"What's with the penguin suit, Martin? I told you that I'm not going." Danny said somewhat angrily and then Martin began looking through his closet again.
"And I already told you that you're getting out of here. Now, stop being so grumpy." Martin said a bit sternly but caringly as he gave Danny a clean pair of black jeans, a white shirt and his black leather jacket. "You can wear this for now and get your own underwear. And the suit's for the concert later tonight. So, get moving" Martin said a bit sternly but caringly as he handed Danny his clothes.
"What am I, a five year old who doesn't know how to get dressed?" Danny said crossly as he tried to keep his anger under control.
"That's what you're acting like. Now, go get in the shower because we have a long drive. The movie theater's almost two hours away, so get moving. I'll be back in ten minutes. I'm going to go grab us some breakfast because you probably haven't eaten. But I expect you in that shower when I get back here. And don't think about locking yourself in here because I have a spare, remember. And it's either going out or I can call Dr. Gonzalez and tell her that you're isolating yourself again from everyone. Now, I know that you don't want that, so get in the shower. I'll be right back." Martin said a bit sternly but caringly and then left the apartment.
"Fucking asshole. Who the hell does Martin think he is? He had the damn day off and didn't bother to at least pick me up at the hospital. And now he comes in here trying to tell me what to do and how to dress and threatening to call that stupid headshrinker." Danny said to himself angrily as he got his underwear and got in the shower. "Asshole." Danny said like an angry child and then began showering.
Once outside Danny's apartment building, Martin got in his car and drove away, causing him to immediately grab his cell phone and start dialing.
"Hey, it's Martin. No, I left him back in the apartment while I get him some breakfast. No, but he's obviously pissed off and hurt that no one bothered to go to the hospital today. Yeah. All right, tonight at seven. No, he doesn't suspect anything. Got it. All right. Bye." Martin said seriously as he wrote an address down on a notepad and then ended the call. "You deserve what's coming to you, brother." Martin said seriously and continued driving towards the bakery, causing him to return to Danny's apartment fifteen minutes later.
Danny had taken a shower and gotten dressed. But now, he sat on his bed, with his back to the door, crying quietly as he held his head in his hands—unaware that there was a silent observer standing at the door and looking as he swallowed softly but hard.
"Danny?" Martin said gently and with a soft, heavy sigh as he gently squeezed Danny's shoulder, causing Danny to immediately stop crying, wipe his face and pretend that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him—but it was too late because his best friend had already heard his cries.
"Let's go, I'm ready." Danny said quickly as if there were nothing wrong with him, causing Martin to gently squeeze his shoulder and shake his head.
"You don't have to hide from me, buddy. You can cry all you want if it'll help you feel better. But, come on. I got breakfast for us and then we can leave after we both eat." Martin said caringly and then led Danny to the kitchen table where they began eating sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches, assorted sweet pastries and drinking plenty of hot coffee. "Are you ready to get out of here, brother?" Martin said kindly as he cleared the table thirty minutes later.
"Do I have a choice?" Danny said crossly but defeated and Martin shook his head.
"No, you don't. Just go grab your suit and we'll change after the game." Martin said kindly and Danny went to the room and came back out with his suit and dress shoes. "First, we're going to head to the movies and then the basketball game." Martin said kindly.
"It's not like I really want to go. But I don't need you calling that stupid headshrinker. So, let's go." Danny said crossly, causing Martin to chuckle softly and they left the apartment.
"Why don't you try to enjoy yourself, Danny, instead of sulking? You've been trapped in that hospital for six weeks—albeit with gorgeous nurses all around tending to your every need." Martin said amused, causing Danny to suddenly redden and giggle very amused and embarrassed.
"Those nurses were hot." Danny chuckled amused, causing Martin to laugh as he started the car and they drove away.
During the two hour car drive, Danny and Martin joked around like the old days and Martin enjoyed teasing Danny about Nurse Vicky's special attentions towards him—the kisses, the special treatment, always tending to him like a child whenever he'd awaken in the middle of the night screaming, crying and becoming physically sick because of his nightmares. But neither man mentioned how hurt, angry and alone Danny felt.
Martin and Danny arrived at the movies and remained there for two and half hours. They watched a comedy and Danny laughed so much that he ended up spitting soda out of his nose and onto his shirt, causing Martin to laugh hysterically as Danny continued laughing anyway and just zipped up his leather jacket and then drove away after they got in the car.
"Don't you think that you should take me back home now? I can't go around with dirty clothes. How do you expect me to woo all the beautiful ladies off of their pretty little feet?" Danny said with a devious smile as he wiggled his eyes, causing Martin to laugh very amused.
"Down, boy, or do you need a cold shower?" Martin teased laughing as he drove. "Besides, you're not getting out of going to the game with me that easily. Or do you really want Jack to kick my ass for letting you go back to your apartment alone?" Martin said with a devious smile and a raised eyebrow, causing Danny to soothe his chin and pretend that he was deeply thinking of a reply to Martin's query.
"Hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think I'd rather let Jack kick your ass." Danny said in a mock serious tone, causing Danny to laugh very amused when Martin mock gasped in shock and then laughed hysterically but then Danny suddenly became serious again and sighed softly but heavily.
"You all right? What's wrong?" Martin said kindly although he knew all too clearly.
"Nothing, I'm fine. So, what is the team working on back at the office?" Danny said calmly as he tried not letting the hurt show in his voice.
"All I know is that it's a high-profile kidnapping and that the pricks in Washington say that it's 'Top Priority' and that everyone has to work on it. But Jack wouldn't tell me anything else. He just told me to take the day off and get you out of that apartment of yours." Martin said kindly.
"But I thought that he gave you the tickets. If you didn't go to work today…" Danny said confused but Martin quickly cut him off.
"I did go to the office this morning. But when I got up there, Jack called me into his office and told me to just take the day off and get you out of the apartment. He said that he had enough manpower at his disposal and that me taking off for the day wouldn't be a problem. So, he gave me the tickets and I took off. Then, I headed to your apartment and here we are." Martin said kindly but Danny looked at him somewhat angrily as he struggled to keep his anger at bay after hearing Martin's words.
If Danny was feeling angry and hurt before, he was feeling worse now. He was so angry and hurt that he just wanted to hit the closest target near him and it was Martin.
"What?" Martin said concerned when he noticed the boiling anger and hurt in Danny's eyes.
"Nothing." Danny said seriously as he hid his hand and fisted it tightly until it hurt. "What a freaking asshole. Knowing him, he probably got to the damn office real early in the morning. Selfish bastard. He didn't have a damn ounce of decency to pick the damn phone up when I called him from the hospital. Well, screw him and the others too. I don't need anyone." Danny silently fumed and he was so heated out of hurt that he couldn't stop his face from turning furiously red and neither could he stop the tears that escaped his eyes—which he angrily wiped away.
"Danny, calm down. What's wrong?" Martin said concerned as he pulled into an empty parking lot and turned off the car.
"I said I'm fine." Danny said seriously through gritted teeth, causing Martin to sigh heavily when he saw the look of betrayal, hurt and anger in Danny's eyes and saw how tightly Danny's hand was fisted beside him. "Look, just take me back home or I'll go back walking. I'm not going to any game." Danny said calmly but through gritted teeth but Martin shook his head.
Martin sighed heavily as he saw Danny's reaction. He knew that Danny was angry and hurt because no one had been there for him when he left the hospital. And although he couldn't tell Danny the real reason for his absence, maybe he could calm him down.
"Danny, I know that you're probably pissed at me and everyone else for not meeting you at the hospital. And you have every right to be. But just because we couldn't be there, that doesn't mean that we forgot about you, brother. That could never happen, especially after everything that's happened. And the others even promised that all of us are going to get together after they're finished with the case. Okay?" Martin said caringly.
"Really? That's fantastic! Thank you so much!" Danny said sarcastically, causing Martin to chuckle softly. "Now, take me home or I'm walking. I'm tired and I want to go home." He said crossly but bitterness was clearly evident in his voice.
"I'm not taking you back home, Danny. Look, I know that you're hurting right now and even angry, but all I'm asking you to do now is to trust me, okay? Trust, that's all I want from you now, brother. Now, are you going to trust me from now on, or are you going to keep pouting like a spoiled little boy? By the way, you're not hitting this pretty face. So, if you still want to hit something, let me know so that I can take you to a boxing ring right now and let you duke it out with somebody there." Martin suddenly said crossly but caringly, causing him to chuckle amused when Danny suddenly chuckled softly but incredulously.
"You're an idiot." Danny softly chuckled incredulously but also amused and then sighed heavily. "You could've at least picked up the phone when I called you this morning from the hospital. All you had to tell me was that you couldn't or didn't want to pick me up." Danny suddenly said softly but Martin looked at him confused.
"What are you talking about? You called me this morning?" Martin said confused but Danny looked at him crossly. "No, I'm serious. If you did, I didn't get your call. I'm really sorry, Danny. This stupid phone's a piece of crap. It's been dropping my calls and it shuts off by itself and then other times, the call won't even come through. See for yourself. I don't have any calls from the hospital. Look." Martin said, hoping to sound sincerely regretful although the truth was that had indeed received Danny's call and deleted it.
"Fine. You didn't get my call. It doesn't matter anymore anyway." Danny said softly as he returned Martin's phone to him. "Look, just forget about the game and the concert tonight. My head's not in the mood for all that noise anyway. And if you're worried about Jack, don't be. You can tell him that I spent the entire day with you at the movies, the game and the concert. So, you're off the hook. Now, please take me back home." Danny said softly as he soothed his pained head but Martin shook his head.
"Here. I thought that you might these. I swiped them from your apartment before we left." Martin said caringly as he handed Danny a bottle of water, a chewy granola bar and his pain medication, causing Danny to gladly eat and drink the items offered. "If you want, you can sleep for a little while, all right. We've still got a forty-five minute drive to the game. Go ahead. I'll wake you up before we get there. By the way, we're sitting in the skybox." Martin suddenly said with a devious grin, causing Danny to suddenly raise an eyebrow.
"Who did Jack have to kill to get those tickets?" Danny said crossly as he smiled and raised an eyebrow, causing Martin to laugh amused and shake his head as he started the car and drove away. "Wake me up." He said yawning and then put his seat to recline a bit, causing Danny to give in to complete darkness five minutes later.
"I'm sorry, kiddo, but you deserve what's coming to you." Martin thought silently as he looked at Danny momentarily and then continued driving towards their second destination. "Hey, Danny, Kiddo, wake up." He said as he parked the car in the basketball game's parking lot but Danny wouldn't wake up, causing Martin to worry. "Danny. Danny, wake up. Come on, we're here." He said a bit panicked when Danny still wouldn't wake up as he shook him a bit roughly, causing Martin to shakily check for a pulse and found a fast one. "Danny. Damn it. Wake up." He said shaken as he shook Danny roughly, causing Danny to gasp fearfully as he awakened.
"What happened?" Danny gasped shaken as his hands shook and he tried to breathe.
"Didn't you hear me calling you? Damn it. You scared the hell out of me, Danny. I couldn't wake you up. Don't do that again." Martin said very shaken, causing Martin's phone to suddenly ring and he answered it. "Hello?" He said shaken. "No, I'm fine. It's just that Danny just gave me a hell of a scare because I couldn't wake him up. No, he's all right now, awake. Yeah, we just got here. I understand. Okay, bye." Martin said still a bit shaken.
"Who was that?" Danny said confused as he finally managed to calm down and breathe normally.
"That was Jack. He wanted to find out if I had taken you away from your apartment. But he bit my head off because I let you go to sleep. Now, what the hell happened? I couldn't wake you. You scared the crap out of me." Martin said crossly but caringly.
"I'm sorry. I guess I was just tired. It's probably just the meds anyway." Danny said with a yawn.
"Well, come on. We're here already." Martin said a bit concerned as they got out of the car. "Are you sure that you're okay?" He said caringly but concerned but Danny nodded.
"I'm okay, Fitzy. I just fell asleep. Relax, all right." He said caringly and they continued.
"That's easy for you to say. Jack just chewed my ass off for not taking better care of you. Come on." Martin said crossly but caringly and they went inside to the game.
Martin led Danny through the crowd and got him upstairs to the skybox. Although Danny figured that he wouldn't enjoy himself, Danny actually had a great time cheering on his team along with Martin as they ate free food and non-alcoholic beverages although there was plenty of booze. After three hours, the game finally finished and Danny and Martin left, finally getting to the car after fifteen minutes.
"Now, are you taking me back home, Fitzy? Come on. I'm completely exhausted." Danny said yawning.
"What? Didn't you enjoy your day, being out of your apartment all day?" Martin said chuckling amused when Danny yawned again.
"Honestly, yeah. I enjoyed today more than I thought I would. It's been a long while since I enjoyed anything." Danny said with a yawn. "Now, will you take me home?" He said with a very loud yawn, causing Martin to softly laugh amused.
"Sorry, buddy, but I'm not taking you home yet. Right now, we have to go to my house so that we can change for the concert. But we have to change quickly because the concert's at eight and it's already six forty-five." Martin said a bit nervously as he looked at his watch, causing them to arrive at Martin's apartment thirty minutes later.
"Where exactly are we going, Martin?" Danny said confused as they made it up to Martin's apartment.
"We're going to the Performing Arts Center. You can take a quick shower if you want, to get that soda off. There are clean towels in the bathroom cabinet or anything else you might need." Martin chuckled, causing Danny to chuckle amused as he left to take a quick shower.
Fifteen minutes later, both men were dressed in elegant black suits and heading out the door.
"Come on. Damn it." Martin said frustrated as they sat stuck in traffic fifteen minutes later, causing Danny to laugh amused. "It's not funny, you little twerp. We have to be at the Performing Arts Center before seven." Martin said crossly but his attitude only made Danny laugh more.
"You're so anal. Who cares if we get there a few minutes late? It's not like…" Danny laughed very amused but stopped talking and laughed hysterically when Martin gave him a dirty look and growled at him a bit.
All of a sudden, Martin's phone shrilled loudly and he swore when he saw who was calling, before he answered it.
"Hello?" Martin said somewhat cowardly as he made a face and held the phone away from ear when someone was yelling loudly. "Damn it. I know. But it's not my fault. We're stuck in traffic fifteen minutes away. What, are you nuts? All right. All right, fine." He said frustrated and then ended the call.
"Who was that?" Danny chuckled amused.
"That was Jack. He's at the concert already and is about ready to kick my ass if I don't get there in five minutes." Martin said crossly, causing Danny to laugh hysterically.
"Well, get ready to have your ass kicked because there's no way in hell that we're going to make it over there in five minutes." Danny laughed amused but Martin raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a devious look as he put on his seatbelt.
"Really, you think so? Get real. Put your seatbelt on. Jack told me to use the lights and siren and get my ass over there now. Let's go." Martin said with a devious grin and then immediately turned on the lights and sirens, causing him to drive through the traffic as the other cars scattered to move.
Martin continued driving wildly through the streets with the lights and sirens until he reached their destination. The center was completely packed. There were so many people that Danny felt a bit panicked although on the outside, he laughed at Martin's expense. But the truth was, that after everything that had happened, Danny was actually anxious of the large crowds.
"Are you okay?" Martin said kindly as he smiled but Danny just smiled from ear to ear and nodded without saying a word, causing Martin to notice how tightly Danny was clenching his teeth. "All right, what's wrong? Talk to me, brother." Martin said caringly as he turned off the car in the parking space, but Danny shook his head.
"What? I'm fine." Danny said smiling as he smiled shakily, causing him to flinch and gasp as someone banged loudly on his window—it was Jack, causing him to open the door. "Hey, Jack, what are you doing here? I thought you were a grumpy old workaholic with a bad knee who didn't like to have a good time?" Danny said amused as his cheeks reddened, causing Jack to look at him sternly but then he and Martin both burst into hysterical laughter.
"I may be a grumpy workaholic with a bad knee, but I can still kick your butt any day of the week, junior." Jack said laughing, causing Danny to laugh amused and redden furiously to hide how shaken he was. "Now, are you okay? I saw your reaction when I knocked on your window. Danny, you're okay. You're safe now, all right. No one's ever going to hurt you again while we're around. You know that, don't you?" Jack said caringly as he fixed Danny's tie and crumpled suit.
"Sorry, Jack. I know that, really. But it's not easy being here after everything that's happened, especially with all these people. And speaking of people, what kind of freaking concert is this? Look at this, it's ridiculous. We're jam-packed here like a can of sardines. Why don't we just ditch this place and go somewhere else?" Danny said crossly as he tried to open the car door but Martin quickly locked it electronically, causing Jack and Martin to laugh loudly and very amused as they led him away from the car.
"Come on, Sparky. We're not going anywhere, except inside to that concert." Jack laughed amused as they led Danny inside, causing everyone to talk amongst themselves as they looked at Danny, Jack and Martin. "Come on. Just keep walking. You're fine." Jack said smiling when Danny became a bit stiff and felt like he couldn't move.
"What the hell's going on here? Why is everyone looking at us like that?" Danny said untrustingly as he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Damn, Danny, relax before you get sick or pass out. Look at you." Martin said smiling but also concerned as Danny went a bit pale and began sweating as he grabbed his stomach. "Whoa. Take it easy." Martin said nervously as he and Jack grabbed a hold of a now completely pale Danny.
"Jack, help me get him to the bathroom fast before he pukes on everyone here." Martin said very concerned and they quickly led Danny to the bathroom, just in time, causing Danny to immediately begin vomiting three times until his nerves finally calmed down.
"Are you okay? Try to relax and have fun today, Sparky. And stop being so damn paranoid. There's nothing going on. It's just a concert." Jack said crossly as they helped a shaking Danny clean up.
All of a sudden, the bathroom door opened and in came Sean, Danny's brother, causing Danny to shake his head.
"No, that's enough. Now, you're here too? What the hell is going on here?" Danny said frustrated.
"Calm down, kiddo. Jack got tickets for everyone to come to the concert tonight. Everyone's out there—Sam, Viv, Jeff, my dad and even my hot-looking girlfriend whom I want you to meet. Now, tell me. Are you okay, or do I need to send for an ambulance to get you out of here? Hmm?" Sean said caringly but concerned as he checked Danny's vitals, causing Danny to fearfully shake his head.
"No, I'm fine. I promise. I've just been holding that back all day. But I'm fine now. I swear." Danny said quickly.
"Okay. But I'm going to be keeping my eye on you, kiddo. Come on. Let's get you out of here and take you to see the others." Sean said smiling softly as he fixed Danny's rumpled clothing and they led him away from the bathroom.
"Good evening, gorgeous." Nurse Vicky said smiling foolishly as she hugged and kissed Danny and he did the same.
"Vicky? What are you doing here?" Danny said kindly but confused as he hugged and kissed her, causing everyone to laugh amused.
"Danny, this is my girlfriend and soon to be wife, Vicky." Sean said amused, causing everyone to laugh very amused at Danny's shocked look. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend. We've been together for two years but I couldn't tell you that before because it's against policy to fraternize on the job." Sean chuckled amused, causing Danny to softly gasp shocked and smiled.
"No wonder you were so nice to me and took care of me even on your days off. You were trying to suck up to me because you're taking my little brother away from me." Danny teased smiling but his smile made him look like a little boy, causing everyone to laugh very amused and ruffle his head.
"The show will commence in ten minutes, ladies and gentlemen." A voice said over the speakers.
"Well, we better get inside and sit down. Come on. We've all got front row seats." Sam said caringly but Danny looked at her strangely as he looked at her still braced hands, causing her to hug and kiss Danny repeatedly when he looked down. "Stop that. I'm okay, hot stuff. My therapy's going well and the doctor says that in a few months, I'll be as good as new. And best of all, I convinced Jack to let me get back to work on desk duty. So, stop feeling bad for me. We want to see you smiling, happy and being that same fresh Danny who's always trying to get every girl at the office." Sam said smiling, causing Danny to redden furiously and start laughing very amused.
"You heard the lady, kiddo. Let's get in there." Jeff said smiling as he held and gently shook Danny's neck, causing Danny to redden more.
"Come on. We better get inside and away from this crowd." Martin said smiling as they led Danny inside the concert hall, causing everyone to laugh amused when he saw how huge the concert hall was and his eyes bugged out because there were hundreds of people already inside, including the band that was already sitting on stage. "Come on, brother." He laughed amused as they all sat in the front row—Sean and Nurse Vicky in between Danny.
"Uh…so…who's playing…tonight?" Danny said uncertain but everyone just laughed amused and talked to other people as they ignored Danny's query.
Ten minutes went by and the lights in the concert hall became dim and then bright again, meaning that the concert was going to start, causing everyone in the concert hall to immediately quiet and sit down.
Once everyone quieted down, the band began playing their musical piece. In all honesty, however, Danny was a bit bored. He figured that Martin meant that they were going to another kind of concert with upbeat music, not an orchestra. But nevertheless, he remained paying attention to the band and trying to make the best out of the rest of the evening.
When the band stopped playing music thirty minutes later, everyone stood up and began applauding nonstop as the Deputy Attorney General made his way to the center of the stage, causing Danny to suddenly get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked toward Martin and Jack but they just smiled at him in amusement.
"What the hell is this?" Danny said very quietly and somewhat frightened but Martin and Jack just smiled and turned their attention back to the stage.
Five minutes later, everyone took their seats again and the Deputy Attorney General began speaking. Once finished with his speech, the armed forces and the band presented the colors and the National Anthem. Several minutes later, another gentleman was introduced and once again there was a standing ovation—it was the U.S. Attorney General.
That's when all of a sudden, it hit Danny like a bucket of freezing ice water. This concert wasn't a concert at all. There was only one reason why the Attorney General would be there as well as the armed forces—a ceremony of some kind.
Sure enough, Martin and Jack had swindled him into coming to an award ceremony, under false pretenses. The Attorney General presented awards to private citizens, police officers, attorneys and even FBI agents, including the team and a special citizen's public service award to Sean. But everyone except Danny, that is, had been given an award.
"Ladies and gentleman, tonight we have awarded a diverse group of very special individuals, among them ordinary citizens, police officers and agents alike. But there is still one person here who has yet to be honored." The Attorney General said with pride as he pointed to a very large monitor above and behind him."There is a special reason we are all here tonight. We are here to honor a very special young man sitting with us here tonight. This young man was willing to sacrifice his life to ensure the safety of his colleagues, hundreds of our citizens and even our very own distinguished Deputy Director Victor Fitzgerald and his son Martin whom we have also honored here today. This young man endured months of physical and emotional torture to the point of death rather than giving up his colleagues and betraying his country. Our best doctors were certain that this young man would not survive the injuries inflicted upon him by his savage captors." The Attorney General said with conviction as everyone looked at the monitor.
Danny was in a complete state of shock as he sat there silently crying and shaking violently as he slumped forward and covered his face with violently shaking hands. He couldn't conceive what he and everyone in that concert hall were looking at. There on the huge monitor, so everyone could see, was a video of Danny when he was first brought to the emergency room and his entire process of recovery.
"This young man honored today has worked quietly, with no expectations of honor, fanfare or reward. And his task, as we have all seen, has been filled with many obstacles. But those obstacles did not stop him from doing what he had to, to save so many precious lives." The Attorney General said with conviction. "Without further ado, tonight, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me immense pleasure and honor to present to you the recipient of this year's ATTORNEY GENERAL'S AWARD FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE and a $6000 monetary award. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for FBI Special Agent Danny Taylor of the New York City FBI." The U.S. Attorney General said proudly, causing Danny to continue crying silently and shaking violently when the entire concert hall erupted in cheers and music as everyone in the concert hall stood up from their seats.
Danny sat at his seat shaking and crying, causing the team, Sean and Nurse Vicky to cry smiling as they hugged, kissed and soothed him repeatedly and they stood him up.
"Come on, kiddo. Did you actually think that we forgot about you today? Hell, no. We were just busy trying to distract you and get you over here tonight. By the way, say hi to your cabby from this afternoon." Martin cried laughing as another agent from the office, a good friend of Danny's, appeared before Danny laughing as he shook Danny's hand and embraced him.
"Thanks for the one hundred dollar tip, boss. Here's your money back." Agent Cody Frazier said, laughing very amused as he gave Danny his one hundred dollars back.
"It was you? Cody, you prick. I didn't even recognize you." Danny finally managed to laugh crying.
"You can thank our friends." Cody said laughing as he ruffled Danny's head.
"Agent Taylor, will you and your team, please join us on stage?" The Attorney said proudly as the Deputy Attorney stood next to him, causing Danny and to go up to the stage with the others.
"Congratulations, Agent Taylor. You're a credit to your government and the citizens of this fair city." The Attorney General said proudly as he shook Danny's hand and presented him with his award and a large, cardboard check for $6000. "The real one's in the mail." He whispered laughing, causing Danny and the others to laugh.
"Congratulations, Son, you deserve it." The Deputy Attorney said proudly as he shook Danny's hand.
"Thank you. Thank you very much, Sirs. I really wasn't expecting this at all." Danny said smiling as tears stained his face.
"Ladies and gentlemen, once again, your EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE Award Honoree, Special Agent Danny Taylor!" The Attorney General said with great pride, causing the entire hall to erupt in celebration again as they stood, cheered and applauded Danny continuously for nearly ten minutes.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our award ceremony this year. Thank you for joining us this evening and once again, congratulations goes out to all of our very distinguished honorees here tonight. Good night." The Attorney General said with a smile, causing everyone to continue cheering loudly as the band played a closing song.
Once the ceremony concluded, everyone went outside and congratulated and bid Danny their farewells as they shook his hands and some even embraced him. Finally, after two and half hours of everyone bidding Danny their farewells, the team, Sean, his father and Nurse Vicky all decided to retrieve to Danny's apartment.
Danny prepared champagne glasses for everyone and a glass of water for himself, causing tears to escape Danny's eyes as he smiled and they toasted their glasses.
"We're sorry that he had to lie to you, kiddo. But we couldn't let you figure out what was really going on." Sean said smiling amused as he ruffled Danny's head.
"You jerks. I was actually mad and hurt that none of you at least bothered picking me up or picking up the phone when I called you. Then, I wanted to deck Martin when he told me that Jack had given him the day off but he didn't pick me up either." Danny laughed crying as he sniffled and drank some water, causing everyone to laugh loudly and very amused.
All of sudden, Jack chuckled amused and gave Danny a gift-wrapped box.
"What's this?" Danny smiled crying amused as he sniffled.
"Open it." Jack said smiling, causing everyone to smile from ear to ear when Danny opened the box and began sniffling and crying softly like a child when he saw his FBI badge, ID and gun staring back at him from inside the box.
"You start tomorrow, Danny. I want you there bright and early tomorrow morning—all of you, my team." Jack said smiling proudly.
"That's why we're going to get going. You heard the boss. We've got to be at work real early." Martin said chuckling amused.
"So, no more excuses, Babe. We want to see that cute, tight little butt in the office tomorrow." Sam teased amused with a devious smile and a raised eyebrow, causing everyone to laugh and hug and kiss Danny goodnight.
The Following Morning
Six AM…
Danny showered, got dressed had breakfast and then headed out the door. Truth be told, he felt apprehensive about returning to work, but he was also excited—even though he was only on temporary desk duty. He was tired of being cooped up inside his apartment and the hospital. At least at the office, he was around people who cared for him.
After half an hour, Danny finally arrived at FBI Headquarters. He parked his car and got out, causing him to take a shaky breath to calm himself down. He headed inside and everyone began applauding and greeting him as he stepped inside.
"Welcome home, Danny. Welcome home." Jack said with a smile as he and the rest of the team stood at the elevator, causing Danny to chuckle smiling like the old Danny, when the others hugged and kissed him and then led him upstairs to where Danny would begin his life once again with the family who's been through the best and worst times of his life.
Yes, it had been a very arduous, long and uncertain journey for everyone, especially him. But Danny knew that he was finally home with those who loved him and that come hell or high water, they would all get through anything together.
The End.