A/N: You guys rock. You really and truly do. Thank you all so much for your encouragement for the last chapter. I really appreciate the time you each take to let me know your thoughts and feelings on this story.

I won't blather on here in an Author's Note, I'll just let you get on with the important business of reading... so please sit back and enjoy Chapter 21. :)

"An dis?"

"That's blue."

"Bwoo. An dis?"

"That one's green."

"Dween. An dis?"

"Pink."

"Peenk," Lucy parroted, returning the crayon to the pile on the floor before carefully selecting another and holding it up for Adam to examine. "An dis?"

"Oh, that's a tough one, Lucy," Adam said, pretending to think hard. "Jeez. I don't know... I think its... um..."

"Blurple!" Lucy cried, smiling up at Adam.

"That's right! Good girl, Lucy," Adam said, beaming down at the little girl on his lap.

"Pwetty?" she asked, holding up the picture she and Adam had been working on for the past twenty minutes.

"It's beautiful," Adam replied. "Very colourful."

"Tank yoo," Lucy replied.

"Is that for your Mommy?" he asked.

Lucy shook her head vigorously, her blond curls bouncing around her face. "Nope."

"No? Then who is it for?"

"Daddy," Lucy replied, placing her work of art back down on the floor and admiring it. Adam's felt a lump forming in his throat at Lucy's innocence. She turned on his lap and looked up at him with wide blue eyes.

"Div Daddy," she said, holding up the picture. "P'ease?"

"Um..." Adam looked around the waiting room, his eyes searching for anyone who might be able to help him out of this situation. He cursed himself for volunteering to stay with Lucy while the rest of the team went off to see Danny in intensive care. He had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to tell her about why she couldn't giver her daddy his picture right now. "Uh... sorry, Lucy. But, um... your daddy is sleeping right now. Maybe you can see him later."

Lucy looked up at Adam, her face set determinedly as she pointed to her picture. "Now p'ease. Daddy."

Adam 's mind was racing as he tried to think of something he could use to distract Lucy.

"Hey, why don't we make a picture for your mommy too?" he said, smiling hopefully down at Lucy. His heart sank as he saw her bottom lip begin to quiver and her eyes fill with tears.

"P'ease. Daddy!" she whimpered.

Adam loved kids, and he especially loved Lucy. But there had always been someone else around to take her when she started to cry, and he felt helpless as he watched the tears begin to fall down her cheeks, her mouth opening to release a loud wail.

"Daddeeeee!"

Oh crap. Shit. What do I do? Adam asked himself. He took a deep breath and tried to remember what he'd seen Danny do when Lucy started crying. He wrapped his arms around Lucy, standing up and cuddling her into his chest, rubbing her back gently as he whispered what he hoped were soothing words.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay, Lucy," he said, bouncing up and down lightly on the balls of his feet. "You're okay." He looked down as Lucy's wails for her daddy seemed to increase in volume, her face red as huge tears streamed down her face. "Shh. Shh. We can go see your daddy soon, okay. But he's sleeping, and we need to be quiet, Luce. Shh. Shh."

As he started pacing around the room with Lucy still in his arms, his eyes fell upon her battered and worn teddy bear sitting on the top of her diaper bag. Thank God, he thought as he reached down and picked the bear up, holding it up for Lucy to see, making the bear dance in midair.

"Don't cry, Lucy," he said in what he hoped was a funny and completely non-threatening voice. "I'm your bear. Be happy!"

Lucy looked up at Adam before turning her attention to her bear, reaching out and taking him in her arms. Clutching the bear to her chest and stroking his matted fur with one hand, she began sucking on the thumb of her other hand, her cries trailing off into soft whimpers.

Adam breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to sit down when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Hey, Adam," Flack said as he rounded the doorway. "That you making all that noise? What, you lose your blankey again?"

Adam glared at Flack, jiggling Lucy gently in his arms. "It wasn't me, Flack," he said. "It was Lucy. She wants to see her D-A-D-D-Y."

He watched Flack's expression soften as he gazed down at Lucy who was now snuggled cosily into Adam's chest, resting contentedly as she cuddled her bear.

"Poor kid," Flack said, gently stroking her hair. He let out a sigh as he moved to sit down.

"How, um, how's he doing?" Adam asked as he took a seat beside Flack, adjusting Lucy on his lap.

Flack scrubbed his hands over his face. "He's... alive," he said. "But he's pretty rough, Adam. He looks like hell, and Linds says that the doctor told her that he's in for one hell of a long and painful recovery if -" Flack shook his head, correcting himself, "- no, when he wakes up."

Adam looked sadly down at Lucy, who was starting to doze off in his arms.

"Its just so unfair," he said. "I mean, it feels like it was only a little while ago when we were all sitting in this same room, waiting to hear whether he was going to make it after the bar shooting."

"I know," Flack said quietly. "Him and Linds, they've been through so much. But it seems like whenever things are going good, something bad's gotta happen to 'em. And not just regular bad, like what happens to other people, but horrible, awful, life-altering, traumatizing bad. It isn't fair. And it really sucks. But I know Danny, Adam. He'll be back on his feet in no time, pestering you in the lab and pissing you off, just like old times."

Adam smiled. "I really hope so."

The two men sat in contemplative silence, both of them lost in their thoughts, the only sound in the room the soft whisper of Lucy breathing as she slept.

Lindsay sat at Danny's bedside, her hand gently laid over his, mindful of the IV that was carrying the much-needed medication to her husband's battered body. She gently traced her fingers over the bandage that was carefully wrapped around his wrist to help in the healing of the dislocated joint. She looked across his body at his other hand, encased in a protective cast that had been in place since the surgery he'd undergone to mend the bones that had been broken by Shorewood.

She sighed, looking up at Danny's face. No change. He had been laying in this bed, day after day, with no change for almost two weeks. She had come to sit by his side everyday, arriving long before visiting hours officially began, and leaving long after the nurses usually allowed visitors to stay. She knew them all by name, knew their schedules, knew which ones were the most sympathetic to her plight. She knew that she was taking advantage of their kindness, but she didn't care. She needed to be here when he woke up. She needed hers to be the first face he saw.

She rested her forehead on the mattress beside Danny's hand. She didn't know how much longer she could carry on like this. She was exhausted and anxious. She felt that if she looked up the word stress in the dictionary, she would find her own face staring back at her from the page.

She missed her husband. Over the past few days, she had come to realize exactly how much Danny meant to her, and how much she needed him in her life. She had been afraid of losing him in the past, but actually having to face the realities of day-to-day life without him by her side had been infinitely more difficult than she had ever imagined.

She missed his smile, his voice, and how he always knew exactly what to do when she got herself all worked up over the little things. When she would start stressing out, she could always rely on him to take her in his arms and hold her, letting her vent her frustrations, helping her to relax. She missed his laugh, how it would start out in a deep rumble in his chest before any sound came out of his mouth. She loved listening to him laugh when they lay in bed together at night, her head resting on his chest.

She missed his affectionate teasing, the way he would flash her a cheeky wink and a boyish, lopsided grin when he was caught was something that never failed to make her heart do little flip flops in her chest. She missed the way he still made her blush, made her feel desired, even after two years of marriage and having a child together. She missed his warm body beside hers in bed, his arms wrapped protectively around her, chasing away her bad dreams and making her feel safe and secure and loved. She felt a deep sense of shame at the memory of their last night together at home before Danny had been taken. She was overwhelmed with guilt as she recalled how he had spent the night sleeping on the livingroom floor before moving to the armchair, unwilling to let her sleep alone when she had refused to sleep in their bed.

She cast her mind back to the locker room, moments before she had found the note Shorewood had stuffed in her locker. He had jokingly said that she couldn't live without him. She made a mental note to make sure she never let herself forget how right he was.

And she knew that Lucy missed him too. She had brought Lucy in to see Danny a few times since he had been moved out of intensive care and into his own room, but it was hard. Lindsay couldn't bear the looks of confusion on her little girl's face as she tried to understand why Daddy wasn't waking up, and why he wouldn't play with her. Danny was such an attentive father, always making time for Lucy. No matter how tired he was, or how many other demands there were for his time, he would never hesitate to drop what he was doing when he knew that his Lucy needed him. With a heavy heart, Lindsay had patiently explained to her daughter that Daddy was sleeping because he had a big ouchie. A soft smile spread across her face as she remembered how Lucy had volunteered to kiss him better. Lindsay had held Lucy aloft over Danny's sleeping form, watching as the little girl leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Danny's forehead.

"All better. Daddy up!"

Lindsay had fought to hold back her tears when Lucy looked up at her expectantly, hoping for an instant reaction from Danny. When he hadn't responded, Lucy had started to fuss, demanding to know why Daddy wasn't waking up. She had squirmed in Lindsay's grasp, kicking and screaming, and Lindsay had broken down, sobbing into Flack's arms as Mac had stepped in, offering to take Lucy to the park across the street to play on the swings.

She felt like a terrible mother, like she had failed Lucy. But seeing her little girl so upset, and being unable to give her a satisfactory explanation that her two-year-old brain could comprehend, was killing her. Seeing the toll that everything was taking on Lindsay, the team had rallied around the Messer family, pitching in when and where they could. Lucy always had plenty of people around her to play with her and keep her entertained, and someone always came in at some point during the day to check on Lindsay, bringing her a warm meal and a cup of coffee. Stella had brought her a stack of magazines and books to read, while Adam had brought Lindsay's iPod for her, after loading it up with songs that he thought might cheer her up.

She smiled, grateful for her friends, for their unwavering support. But she knew that she couldn't carry on this way much longer. She couldn't shirk her responsibilities as a mother or her responsibilities at work any more. Although Mac was being more than lenient regarding the time she was taking out of the office, she knew that eventually she would have to go back to work, regardless of whether Danny ever woke up or not.

She held back her tears as yet another wave of sadness rolled over her. She closed her eyes and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Danny's hand before resting her head down on the bedding once more.

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...

Danny had never been one for irrational fears, but the innocuous sound of the heart monitor was driving him crazy, causing wild panic to surge up inside of him. He knew what that sound meant... Shorewood was nearby. And he had something sinister planned for him. He tried to move, but his limbs felt like lead weights and he couldn't seem to bend them to his will. He hurt everywhere.

It's okay, Danny, he told himself. He hasn't killed you yet. If he was going to do it, he would have done it already, right? Or... no, that wasn't right. Danny thought hard, trying to remember. He had vague and foggy recollections, but they were hazy, and he was unsure if they had really happened. He hoped not. He hoped that seeing his wife in the arms of David Shorewood had all been part of a horrible delirium, some nightmare from which he just couldn't seem to wake.

And Hawkes. He had been there too, hadn't he? Yes, Danny was pretty sure he'd seen his friend. But... no, wait. Something about a scalpel. And there was a lot of blood... there was blood on his hands. And a searing pain in his chest. He remembered the blood and Shorewood. Lindsay was on the floor... her head, oh God, her head was bleeding! Was that where all the blood had come from?

He tried to take a deep breath to calm his nerves, but he found, to his horror, that he had no control over that aspect of his body either. His lungs seemed to fill with oxygen of their own accord, disregarding the overwhelming need he felt to gasp for air. He tried to cry out for help, but there was something in his mouth, stuck down his throat. What the fuck was happening to him?

He tried to call out for help, but he found that whatever it was that was in his throat made it impossible for him to speak, and all that he could manage to get out was a soft moan.

Lindsay's head shot up off the bed. She could have sworn she had heard something. She was sure of it. She leaned forward, gently caressing Danny's face as she peered down at his features, searching for any sign of change.

"Danny? Honey?" she asked, her voice shaking with anticipation. "Baby, can you hear me?"

Her words were greeted by another moan from Danny, and she watched with baited breath as he squeezed his eyes shut more tightly, tossing restlessly on the bed and moaning softly.

Her heart fluttered in her chest as Danny slowly, hesitantly, opened his eyes. As he squinted up at her through half-opened lids, she could see the confusion and fear in his eyes. She smiled down at him, running her fingers gently over his stubbled cheek.

"Hey, baby," she whispered, her tears flowing freely as she watched the fear in his eyes fade away into relief as he recognized the face gazing down on him. "It's okay, Danny. You're fine, baby. I'm here for you," she said soothingly. "You're safe. He... he's gone, honey. He can't hurt you any more."

Danny visibly relaxed at her words, and Lindsay suddenly realized that she needed to alert the hospital staff to the fact that Danny was awake, but she couldn't bear to tear herself away from him. So she reached out and pressed the call button hanging from the railing on his bed. She kept her eyes locked with his, one hand tightly clutching his as she tried to calm him, to reassure him that everything was going to be fine.

She listened to the sound of footsteps running toward his room, and before she knew it, a team of nurses had descended upon them, checking Danny's vitals, monitoring his breathing, and ensuring that his painkillers were at the right dosage. Lindsay kept hold of Danny's hand through it all, elated that she could feel the faint pressure as Danny squeezed her fingers in response.

Lindsay looked up, realizing that one of the nurses was speaking to her. Lindsay recognized her as being one of the friendlier nurses, Nora was her name. She frequently turned a blind eye to Lindsay's early morning and late night visits, even bringing in a blanket or pillow for her if she fell asleep at his bedside.

"Mrs. Messer?" Nora said, catching Lindsay's attention. "He looks like he's doing well. His heart rate was a little fast there for a moment, but that's not uncommon for someone coming out of a coma. It's a bit disorienting and some patients tend to panic a bit. Other than that, he's stable for now. I'll let Dr. Howard know he' awake. He'll probably drop by in a little while to check on Danny."

"Thank you, Nora," Lindsay whispered in response, smiling through her tears at the young woman who gave her a quick nod and a smile before turning and leaving the room, giving the couple a moment of privacy.

"Hey, baby," Lindsay whispered to Danny, leaning down and pressing a soft and loving kiss to his forehead. She pulled back, gazing down at him once again, a smile creeping across her face. "I love you so much, Danny. I was so worried about you. Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"

He looked up at her for a moment, his blue eyes boring into hers before he winked at her. She knew that if he could, he would be flashing her his patented Messer grin right now, and the thought of it made her heart melt. She stroked his face, gently wiping away the tears that had begun to trickle down his cheeks with the tips of her fingers.

"You flirting with me, Messer?" she asked softly.

Unable to speak, he responded with another cheeky wink as he squeezed her fingers gently. Lindsay couldn't help but laugh lightly, relieved to find that after everything he had been through, he hadn't lost that spark that was so uniquely Danny. Her Danny.

Nora looked up at the sound coming from Danny's hospital room. She smiled as the sound of laughter, of Lindsay's tinkling giggle, echoed out into the hallway. It was a sound she hadn't heard since the day he had been brought up from the intensive care unit, and she couldn't help but feel happy for the young couple. With a smile firmly plastered on her face, she picked up the phone, dialling in a familiar number.

"Dr. Howard?" she said into the receiver. "He's awake."

Yay! Danny's awake! *does a little dance*

My goal for this chapter was to see Danny's progression from coming out of surgery to waking up... but trying to do it mainly from Lindsay's POV - seeing how she is dealing with this whole situation, and exploring the toll it is taking, not only on her, but also on Lucy. I hope you enjoyed it, and that it didn't come across as too sappy or corny, because that certainly wasn't my intention.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so as always, you are invited to leave a review!