A/N: Aw, thank you all so much for your supportive comments for the last chapter. I'm not sure what came over me in the second half of the chapter, but I'm really glad that I left it in!

So, what now? Well, Danny's having a tough time coming to grips with his grandmother's failing health, and Lindsay offers him some support.

Enjoy, my lovelies!

"Danny, honey?" Lindsay asked as she knocked softly on the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled from behind the door of his childhood bedroom.

"Sweetie, can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Lindsay pushed open the door, peering into the room lit only by the soft light of the desk lamp. Danny was lying on the bed, staring at a picture held in his hands. She walked over to him and gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching her hand out and gently stroking his cheek.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lindsay asked, moving to sit down beside him on the narrow twin bed, resting her back against the headboard. Danny curled up on his side, resting his head on her chest while still gazing down at the picture in his hand. She put her arm around his shoulders and rubbed small soft circles on his back, offering him some comfort.

Lindsay looked down at the picture. A seven-year old version of Danny was staring back at her with his familiar blue eyes and cheeky grin on his face as his grandmother pinched his cheek. Danny was holding a baseball bat in his hands, and his grandmother was wearing his child-size baseball hat on her head. When she had first seen this picture, Danny had told her that it was taken only a few moments after he hit his first home run in little league, and that his grandmother had been so proud of him she had run out onto the field after the game to congratulate him. The picture had been taken by his coach, who had sent two copies home with Danny after the next practice. Nonnie had put them in matching frames and placed hers on top of her mantelpiece in her living room. She had told all of her friends that her Daniel was going to grow up to be a baseball superstar.

"I just feel like I've missed so much, Linds," Danny said. "I mean, in the last year I've been so busy that I've only seen her maybe three or four times. I just, I always figured that she'd be around forever, and that I would always have more time. I never knew how bad she'd gotten in the last few months. Linds she..." Danny's voice broke, and she could tell that he was desperately trying not to break down. She listened as he took a deep and trembling breath, blowing all the air out before continuing.

"When my mom and dad were at work, I'd spend every afternoon after school at Nonnie's. Some of my very best memories as a kid were the times I spent with her. She'd help me with my homework, she taught me how to cook, and she even used to play catch with me in the backyard. And when Louie started getting into trouble at school, when him and his friends would pick on me, she was always there. And I just... I can't even think about what my life would have been like without her."

"Oh, Danny," Lindsay said, gazing down at the picture once again.

"I should have spent more time with her," he continued, his voice shaking. "I should have made myself make time. She... she helped raise me, Linds. And this is how I repay her? By... by neglecting her? By forgetting about her? She was always there for me, Linds. Always. And now that she needs me, where have I been?"

"You were with your family, sweetheart," Lindsay said, running her hand through his hair. "You were learning how to walk again, babe. You were trying to recover from a life-changing injury. You were working to support your family, and helping to raise your daughter. There's nothing wrong with that, Danny."

"Yeah, I know Linds," Danny said. "But..."

"No buts, baby," she said putting her finger under his chin and lifting his head so he was looking right at her. "She wants you to be happy. She loves you so much. I can see it when I watch the two of you together. She's so proud of you and the person you've become."

"Hmph."

"Don't you hmph at me, Daniel Messer," Lindsay scolded him, smacking him lightly on the arm. "You should be proud of yourself. I know that your Nonnie is. How could she not be?" Lindsay said, and she began ticking things off on her fingers. "You have a job that you love, you have friends who would do anything for you, a daughter who absolutely and completely worships the ground you walk on, and a wife who couldn't live a day without you. You are a sensitive, passionate, intelligent, funny, brave and loving man. In fact, I'm certain that you are exactly the man that your Nonnie wanted you to grow up to be, baby."

Lindsay listened as Danny sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder. "I just wish I had more time with her," he whispered.

"I know, honey," Lindsay said, gently rubbing his arm that was resting over her belly. "But you've got time now. She's still here, Danny. You can make sure that when the day comes for her to go, that neither of you have any regrets."

Danny sat up, looking over at his wife. He wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, and she... she could get to know Lucy and you better too. I think she'd really like that."

Lindsay smiled at him. "I know she would, Danny. And so would we."

Danny placed the picture back on the bedside table before he turned to Lindsay and placed a soft and loving kiss to her lips. She slid her hands up into his hair, gently caressing the short strands on the back of his neck. "Thank you, Linds," Danny said as he broke their kiss, his forehead still resting against hers. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Danny," she said. She leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his once more before pulling away and standing beside the bed. She held her hand out for him to take, which he did, pulling himself up off the bed.

"What would I do without you?" he asked her as he walked over to the door, holding it open for her.

Danny and Lindsay rejoined the party still going on downstairs. As they re-entered the living room hand-in-hand, Lindsay saw Maria giving her a questioning look. She squeezed Danny's hand and kissed his cheek. "I'll be back in a minute, Danny. Why don't you go talk to Nonnie?"

He smiled at her. "I will. Thanks, Linds."

She watched him make his way through the crowded living room toward his father, who was once again bouncing Lucy on his lap. She smiled as Lucy held out her arms to Danny, wanting him to pick her up, which he did, blowing a raspberry on her tummy and making her giggle. Holding Lucy in his arms, Danny then walked over to where his grandmother was sitting in her chair by the fireplace.

Turning, Lindsay walked into the kitchen, where she found Maria leaning against the counter sipping a glass of red wine.

"Is he alright?" Maria asked, a worried expression on her face.

Lindsay smiled warmly and nodded her head. "I think he'll be fine. It was just a shock for him to see her suddenly so frail. He feels badly that he hasn't been spending more time with her."

Maria let out a deep sigh. "It's been very difficult, you know? Everything that this family has been through these past few years, and my mother has always been so strong. When Louie died, she was heartbroken, but she kept it together because she knew how devastated Danny was. And when I told her about Danny being... about how he got hurt, she really hurt for him. But she never doubted for a single second that he would get out of that chair and walk right back into her life.""Why didn't anyone tell him?" Lindsay asked. "He would have dropped everything to help her, to be by her side and make sure that she was okay."

"Oh, Joe and I wanted to, we really did," Maria said, taking another sip of wine. "But my mother, she's so stubborn." Maria smiled. "That's where Danny gets it from, you know. From my side of the family." Lindsay grinned back at her mother-in-law.

"Anyway, she didn't want him to be worried. She knew that he had been through so many hard times, and that he finally had so much good in his life. She told us that if he knew, he would be spending too much time with her, time that he should be spending watching his own bambina grow up with you."

Lindsay's eyes filled with tears as she watched Maria set her wine glass down on the counter with a shaking hand. "Are you alright, Mom?" she asked.

Maria smiled wearily back at Lindsay. "Ah, I will be fine, cara mia," she said. "We're all worried now, but my mother is so stubborn. You watch. She'll live to be one hundred and five years old!"

Lindsay let out a soft laugh. "I hope that she does," she said, walking forward and timidly holding her arms out to Maria, who gave her a wide smile before stepping into Lindsay's embrace.

"I'm so glad he met you, Lindsay," she said, stepping back and gently cupping Lindsay's face in her hands. "You are so good for him. And I think maybe he's good for you too, no?"

Lindsay smiled shyly. "Oh, I know he's good for me," she said. "But don't tell him I told you that!"

Maria grinned at Lindsay, stepping away and quickly wiping at her eyes. "Ah, your secret is safe with me. That boy's ego does not need to get any bigger," she laughed, winking at Lindsay.

Lindsay smiled as she looked around the kitchen. It was a disaster area - dirty dishes, cutlery, serving platters and pots and pans littered every available surface. "Do you need any help in here, Mom?" she asked.

Maria shook her head, moving back to the counter and picking up a wash cloth.

"Oh. Do you have a dishwasher?" Lindsay asked, looking around the kitchen, but not seeing one anywhere.

"Yeah... his name's Joe!" Maria laughed, picking up her wine glass once more and taking a sip. "You don't worry about anything here, bellissima. Go. Get out. Go find my Daniel and tell him that you love him, and that he shouldn't worry so much." She smiled as she gently shooed Lindsay from the kitchen.

"She's so beautiful, Daniel," Nonnie said, holding Lucy on her lap. Danny sat on the floor, his hands resting on Lucy's legs so that she didn't fall. When he'd sat down with her, placing Lucy on her lap, he had watched as his grandmother had gently trailed her fingers over Lucy's little face, taking in her features.

"Thank you, Nonnie," he said. "Lindsay and I think so too."

"Ah, our family always makes beautiful babies," she said, reaching down and pinching Danny's cheek. "You should have more. It's a shame to waste such good genes, Daniel."

"We don't have any plans to just yet, but Lindsay's mom wants to have another grandbaby to spoil as soon as possible," Danny said as he stuck his tongue out at Lucy, who giggled at her silly daddy.

"She sounds like a very smart woman," Nonnie said smiling down at him as she jiggled Lucy gently on her knee.

"Hey guys," Lindsay said as she walked up to the little group. "Mind if I join you?"

"Hey baby," Danny said kissing her cheek. "Where'd you go?"

"Just talking to your mom," she said. She turned and smiled up at Nonnie who was beaming down at Lucy. "Hi Nonnie. I see you and Lucy are getting to know each other better!"

"Yes. She was telling me all about... now Daniel, I can't remember his name."

Danny sighed. "Well, I used to just call him Ted, but Lucy calls him Tee-Bah," he said, shaking his head.

"Tee-Bah!" Lucy giggled, clapping her hands and looking around for her bear. "Yoo-see Tee-Bah, p'ease Dada?"

"Only because you asked so nicely, Sweetpea," Danny said, standing up to get Lucy's bear from her diaper bag. Lindsay moved so that she took Danny's place holding onto Lucy's little legs as she fidgeted and squirmed impatiently.

"Tee-Bah," Lucy said again, a pout forming on her face. "Want Tee-Bah now!"

"Lucy, Daddy's gone to get him. Be patient please," Lindsay said. "And don't pout. You know what your Daddy will do if you pout."

"Uh oh," Danny said, walking back up to them with his hands behind his back. "Is someone pouting?" He looked sternly down at his daughter.

"No, Dada. Yoo-see no powt," Lucy said, shaking her head and sticking her bottom lip out further.

"I don't know, Mommy," Danny said, crouching down in front of his daughter. "That looks like a pout to me."

"Me too, Daddy," she said. She looked up and could see the corners of Lucy's mouth twitching as she tried to stop herself from smiling, knowing what was coming. "What are we going to do about it?"

"Well, I have no choice," Danny sighed. "I'm going to have to tickle her until she stops pouting and starts smiling."

Danny quickly handed Lindsay the bear he had been holding behind his back, and she put it down beside the armchair, out of Lucy's sight as Danny lunged forward, grabbing his daughter and tickling her. She writhed and giggled, kicking her little legs and squealing as Danny wiggled his fingers on her belly and under her chin.

"No more powt! All done!" Lucy said between giggles.

"Are you sure you're all done?" Danny asked, continuing to tickle her gently. "No more pouting?"

"No more," Lucy said, nodding her head seriously.

"That's my good girl," Danny said, standing Lucy on his lap and pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Now, what were you asking for so nicely before the tickle monster interrupted us?" he asked.

"Tee-Bah! P'ease Dada?"

"What do you say, Daddy. Can Tee-Bah come out and play?" Lindsay asked.

Danny smiled at his wife, who handed the bear over to him. He moved as if he was going to hand Lucy her bear, but at the last second, he stopped, pulling the bear away.

"Oh, just a minute, Lucy," he said. "He wants to tell me something." Lindsay had to bite her lip at the pair of them. Danny holding the bear up to his ear, nodding seriously as he listened, and Lucy sitting and staring at her father, waiting patiently to see what Tee-Bah had to tell him.

"Uh huh... Uh huh... No, that's a good point... Yup, I'll tell her," he said. He turned to Lucy. "He told me to tell you that he loves you and thinks that you're the nicest little girl he's ever met." Lucy's eyes went wide with wonder at Danny's words. "But, he also said that he thinks you have a funny face when you pout, and he wants you to only be happy, okay?"

Lucy nodded her head, a wide smile on her face. "See? Yoo-see 'mile now!" she said. "All better. No more powt."

"Did you hear that, Tee-Bah?" Danny asked the bear. "She says no more pouting!" Lucy erupted in a fit of giggles as her bear lunged toward her, peppering her face with kisses, with Danny making loud smooching noises.

Lindsay laughed at the scene in front of her. She turned to look up and saw that Nonnie was laughing along with them, a wide smile spread across her wrinkled face, and her eyes shining with tears of joy for the happiness in her grandson's life.

Oh, Tee-Bah. I have such fond memories of that bear. Just so you know, Tee-Bah is a real bear. He's kind of goofy looking and very thread-bare by now. And he was my dad's before he was mine. So... yeah. I'm kind of attached to him, and I like for him to make an appearance every once in a while. Just thought you might like to know that - little something from behind the story!

Oh, and my dad's name for Tee-Bah? Ted E. Bear. :)

I'd love to know what you thought... I tried to make this chapter poignant, give some insight into the Messer's lives, but without getting too sappy. I hope that I managed to capture that balance. Please let me know!