Chapter 25

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Before he left Mac told the remaining team members at the hospital that he had to go to a meeting and he would return as soon as he was able.

Shortly after he left Danny's doctors had talked to Dr. Carlos Perez a pulmonary specialist and along with Sheldon decided to try to remove his breathing tube to see how well he could breath on his own.

"Now understand Danny you may have difficulty breathing, but try to remain calm and take nice slow deep breaths, okay?" Sheldon explained.

Danny moved his right leg that he understood.

"Okay Danny lean back, close your eyes and just relax." Dr. Perez said as he began to unhook the breathing tube. Almost immediately Danny struggled to breath. "Easy Danny. I'm going to listen to your lungs for just a second. Keep trying to breath."

Danny slowed down his breathing. As Dr. Perez took his stethoscope from around his neck and listened to Danny's lungs. After a few seconds Dr. Perez frowned as he listened and then quickly reconnected the breath tube. "Let me explain something Danny." He stated as he readjusted the flow of oxygen. "You need just a little more time."

Danny moved his right leg as he looked up at Sheldon.

Sheldon smiled "All right Danny, all right."

Everyone looked at Sheldon.

"He wants to know how long is a 'little more'?" Sheldon said with a giggle.

"How do you know that?" Dr. Perez asked.

"Because I know Danny Messer, that's how."

Danny smiled at Sheldon.

"Why do I have the feeling that if you could you would be sticking your tongue out at me?"

Danny just shrugged the best he could, causing everyone to laugh.

"It's good to have you back my friend." Sheldon said reaching over and lightly rubbing Danny's left arm.

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Mac and Logan had made it to the lab and had stopped to talk to a group of lab employees how wanted to know how Danny was doing. Finally being able to break away from the group, they walked toward Mac's office.

"I'm going to call and check on Danny." Mac said as they walked toward the elevator.

"It's only been about thirty minutes, Mac?"

"Thirty minutes is a long time when you're in a situation that can change by the minute."

"You know that nothings happened to Danny or you would have gotten a call."

"My head knows that." Mac sighed. "But my heart isn't listening."

Logan smiled at he new friend. "Okay, Mac. I'll go and do what I need to do and be back here in a few."

Mac stood and watched Logan walk away before going into his office. There was something about that young lady, but he would wait until after this was settled before he would find out what was bugging him about her.

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Don had seen Logan get in Mac's car and say something to him that had caused him to smack his steering wheel and to say the least he wasn't happy about that. He knew Logan was hiding something from him and he wanted, no needed to know what it was. 'I will find out what your hiding Logan that I can promise you.'

"Yo, Don." Adam yelled punching Don in the arm.

"W-what?" Don snapped back to the real world.

"We're getting ready to head back to the hospital." Reed said as he stood up.

"Yeah, yeah let's go." Don said getting up a offering his arm to Nola

"What do you suppose that was all about?" Reed whispered to Adam as they followed the other two out of the restaurant.

"He has the hot's for Detective Daniels." Adam told Reed a little to loud as Don turned around and glared at Adam.

"Well you do!" Adam said.

"Humph" Don snorted holding the door open for everyone to walk thought.

"Sorry." Adam said softly walking past the dark haired detective.

"Mind your own business." Don said to the two young men as he walked by them to once again offer his arm to Nola.

"Behave boys." Nola said patting Don on the arm.

"Aunt Nola you know I always behave." Adam whined causing Don to once again turn to look at the young lab tech. "All right, Flack maybe not a-l-l-l-ways."

"Let me warn you Reed, don't get mixed up with that one and Messer, they'll get you into so-o-o-o-o much trouble with Mac."

"Hmm, really?" Reed said his face lighting up. "That sounds like it might be fun."

"Hey we'll not long be the dastardly duo, we'll become the three musketeers." Adam laughed.

"Oh, no." Don and Nola both moaned and then laughed when they saw the look on Adam's face.

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Logan hurried to the lab the Joey and his team was using for the case.

"Officer Steiner." Logan said showing the guard sitting at the desk her ID.

"I really don't need to see you ID, Detective Daniels." Officer Steiner grinned turning around the clipboard for Logan to sign.

"Always follow the rules." She grinned back, but her grin faded as she saw Eric's name of the list. "Why is his name here?"

"He tried to get 'his personal belongings'." Officer Steiner said using air quotes.

"Tried?"

"As Eric signed his name the officer who was here at the time, check over the approved list and found out he was a person non-gratis. And prevented him from going in. Needless to say Eric blew a fuse."

"What personal items did he want?"

"Don't know, Joey told him that it wasn't a life and death need, so he would have to wait until after the case was closed."

"What did Eric do then?"

"From what I was told he just left, but you'll have to speak to Joey about the whole deal." Officer Steiner said as he swiped his security card and pulled the door open to allow Logan to go inside.

"I'll do that." She said as she stepped in the room.

The first thing Logan noticed was the soft music playing in the background and how quickly and quietly the team was processing the evidence.

"Boy this is what I call efficient." She said walking up behind Joey.

"You know it's a good thing we're alerted when a security card is swiped." He said still studying a piece of glass.

"You know when a card is swiped?"

"Hell we know as soon as someone pass though the double doors at the end of the hall."

"What?"

"There is a laser just inside the doors as soon as you break the beam we hear a bell that lets us know someone is approaching."

"Good to know." Logan said nodding. "I heard that Eric tried to get in here?"

"Yeah, thank goodness the officers that Flack setup is the best of the best. It prevented a big mistake from happening."

"Have you talked to Eric since then?"

"Hey I explained that he knew that this is a 'closed lab' and that since he had been removed from the case, he could no longer come in."

"What kind of 'personal things' did he want."

"He didn't say. I knew it wasn't anything that could or would affect his health, you know like asthma medication or something like that. So I told him that once the case was closed he would be allowed to come in and pick up his stuff."

"What did he say about that?"

"He just shrugged his shoulders and say [Hey whatever, just let me know, when I can do that]."

"Is there somewhere else we can talk privately?"

"Sure, my office is right over here."

Joey and Logan walked over to a connecting room.

"I don't recall seeing this here." Logan stated walking into the room and sitting down.

"I was thinking about using it for storage, but it wasn't needed so I made it into a office for this very reason."

"You CSI's think of everything don't you."

"We try." Joey smiled offering Logan a cup of coffee. "Now what do we need to discuss?"

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Mac walked over to his desk and picking up the phone he dialed Stella's cell number. As her phone began to ring, he sunk down into his soft chair.

"Bonasera?"

"Hey Stella, how's Danny?"

"Hi, Mac. Well not to good right now."

"What?" Mac stood up quickly, getting a little dizzy.

"Easy Mac." Stella tried to smooth her boss' oblivious frazzled nerves. "His doctors tried to take him of the ventilator."

"When?" Mac asked sitting down again.

"They just finished." She said sadly. "I don't think it went as well as they hoped."

"Is Sheldon there?"

"Sure, hang on."

"Mac?"

"Sheldon, what's going on there?"

"It's all right Mac. Joe, Peter, Jerry and I brought in Dr. Carlos Perez, his a pulmonary specialist to check out Danny's lung capacity."

"And." Mac growled not happy with the fact that this was done without his knowledge.

"And Danny's lungs still need a little more time to recover. He's all right Mac." Sheldon told his boss.

"He better be."

"Whoa Mac, do you really think I or anyone here would allow something to be done to Danny that would hurt him."

Mac shook his head. "No of course not, Sheldon."

"You've always said that when it came to Danny and his health you trusted me. What happened to that trust?"

"Nothing." Mac sighed. "I'm just tired Sheldon."

"I know Mac, we all are."

"So he's doing okay?"

"Yeah he's fine, but I happened to know he's anxious to see you."

"Just let him know that I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Will do."

"Let me speak to Stella, again."

"What do you need Mac?" Stella's voice came through the phone once again.

"Is Don, Reed, Nola and Adam back yet?"

"Yeah they're here, why?"

"I just need to know that the rest of the team is all right."

"We're all fine Mac and we're going to be fine. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks Stella."

"Not a problem Mac. Just hurry back."

"I will. I promise."

"Bye Mac."

"Bye Stella." Mac said hanging up his phone.

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"All right Logan, I know you're here for a reason. What is it?" Joey asked.

"Danny's DNA test results have been leaked." Logan sighed.

"What, by whom?"

"I'm hoping you can tell me that?"

"Let me see." Joey said using his computer. "Hmm, well the only ones that have access to that info is you, me, Bev and of course Eric."

"Can you tell who that last person was that logged on to the info?"

Joey blew out his breath. "Eric."

"Why am I not surprised."

"You think he's the one who leaked the info."

"I know there's a mole involved with this case and being that you, me and Mac Taylor where the only ones that knew about Danny. We have to presume that Eric is the one to have leaked it."

"I just can't believe it. Eric has never given an indication that he would do something like that."

"That is why I wanted him off the case. I'm going to plant some info and see if it gets out."

"And if it doesn't, Eric is the mole?"

"And if it does, then we look at others." Logan said.

"So what are you going to plant?" Joey asked rubbing his hands together.

"I-I…" Logan began but was cut short by a knocking on the glass.

"Colleen?" Joey said waving her in.

"Hey, Logan I have copies of those tapes you requested." Colleen said.

"Great." Logan said taking the tapes from Colleen.

"I'll let you know what I decide on that thing we where talking about." Logan said turning to once again to Joey.

Joey nodded. "Do that."

Logan rushed from the lab on her way to Mac's office. 'Damn, he's going to kill me, it's been over fifteen minutes.'

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Lindsey stayed with Danny, talking to him. "Everyone is working hard on this."

'Yeah, I'm sure they are, but not fast enough.' Danny thought. 'I bet I could have solve this by now.'

"I wish I knew what you where thinking right, now." Lindsey said.

'I don't get it Montana. You seem to be the only one that doesn't get me.' Danny sighed. 'You have all people should get me.'

Lindsey reached over and wiped a bead of sweat that was running down Danny's face.

"Everything is going to be all right."

'Why does everyone keep telling me that. I know I'm going to be all right.'

"Danny what's wrong?"

'Leave.' Danny thought closing his eyes.

"Danny?"

'Montana please, just leave.'

Lindsey rubbed her neck. "I think I'm going to go get a cup of tea. I'll see you in a little bit." She said leaning down and kissing Danny gently on his right cheek.

'Yeah, whatever.'

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