Chapter Twenty-Six: Comfort Comes In Different Forms

Cind an I had gone to bed that night, and just fallen asleep. Well actually she had. I'd watched her for a while, and when I heard the faint whimper emit from her lips; I stroked her hair softly, as she rolled over into me, and laid her hand against my bare chest, while my thumb began to trace small circles on her skin, and then I gently began to rake my nails over her naked back – don't worry, I wasn't looking for sex or trying to hurt her or anything, she liked her back to be scratched, found it "soothing" or something like that. A small smile graced my features as I watched her lips tug upwards slightly in the softest act, content with my actions, before I joined her in the lands of slumber. And, to think, I'm the one who hates cuddling.

When I woke up, Cind – somehow, not being one to suffer from hangovers, or if she did she didn't show it – was sitting on top of my stomach, straddling me, with a grin on her face and that mischievous twinkle shining in her eyes.

Needless to say, I was late for work that morning – but I think it's understandable given the nature of my delay, don't you?

x

"I liked Flack's suit," I commented to her 'bout a week later, when I came in to find her playing around with her work on the living room floor; sheets, images and random objects scattered all around her.

Very mature and professional of her, don't you think?

"Oh really?" she replied amusedly, and raised an eyebrow, as she looked up at me.

"Yeah, was nice," I answered. "Expensive, but nice."

And she grinned at me, while I dropped my blazer over the arm of the sofa, and took a seat across from her on the floor.

"So think Nan'll ever buy me a suit like that?" I asked her then, smirking.

"Maybe… if you actually wore them once in a while," she responded, looking up at me with a smile.

"What can I say? You've changed me, Cindy MacIntrye," I told her, holding a hand to my chest in fake seriousness.

She just laughed, and I moved forwards, crawling across the tiny distance between us and kissing her.

"Danny, trying to work here," she told me when we broke apart.

"I can see that," I responded, clearly entertained by this, as she mock glared at me.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave you to your precious work," I conceded after a moment, pulling away, and standing up.

"You will if you want that suit of yours – who d'you think foots the bill for Nana when she shops over here?" she said with a smile.

I smirked at her, "Point made – I'll get the take-away in."

"You do that, babe," Cindy replied, and I rolled my eyes at her, as she smiled, before going back to work, while I went for the phone.

x

And that was life again for a while. At least, that was, until Tanglewood and their boys decided to rear their ugly heads again. Or should I say, that was until Sonny Sassone decided to rear his butt-ugly, fat and balding head again. As if I hadn't had enough of it all when I was a kid.

Cindy'd been away on business for the past few days, but was due back that day. Meaning she wasn't there when Mac found the connections to Tanglewood in the case, and despite Flack telling me to tell her what had happened, she didn't know about me handing in my badge and gun and being assigned to desk duty either.

Her phone had just been ringing out every time I tried to call her. And presumably when Flack called her too, 'cos she had absolutely no idea what had happened, not to mention the fact she wasn't currently standing by my side, which she no doubt would be if she'd known – that was just what she was like. But then, maybe lots of other people were too, an I just never realized before. I'd never been with a girl when something like this had happened, though, so my ignorance on the matter could be excused for the time being. Then again, I'd never been around myself when something like this had happened, not really anyway… and not like this.

Finally, just as I was about to hang up, she answered.

"Hello," her cheery voice came through, though, I noted somewhat breathlessly.

"Cind," I said simply.

"Danny," she replied, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"You haven't been answerin' your phone," I told her then.

"Oh yeah, I know, sorry. I was in a meeting, an it ran on later than it was meant to – Bloody Caroline an her questions – but yeah, out now, finally, so what's up?" she asked, her upbeat voice throwing me slightly given my current state, but somehow it was also exactly what I needed just then.

A change of scene. A break. Anything to take my mind off my brother and the fact he was lying in a hospital bed along the hall fighting for his life – if only for a moment.

"It's Louie," I said then. "He's… he's in the hospital."

I heard Cindy take an intake of breath then – she knew what I really meant there, heard the underlying meaning in it all, and the unspoken words that hung in the air afterwards.

'And he might not make it'

"How is he?" she asked after a moment.

"He's… " I felt myself begin to crack up again, much like I'd done not long ago with Mac. "… they beat him pretty bad, Cind, they beat him pretty bad."

And my fist slammed hard into the phone box beside the receiver.

"You want me to come down?" Cindy asked, trying to take my mind away from the anger.

I sniffed a little, saying what we both knew I would, "No, I, eh… I'll be ok, I just… I'll call you again soon, ok?"

And because she cared for me, and because she knew me too well, she agreed, "Ok."

She lied then, but I didn't mind; she was returning the favour. She lied, gave me the answer I wanted to correspond with mine. She did it because that was what we did for each other.

And not long after I'd called, I looked up from my brother's bedside to see her standing in the doorway.

She'd asked me if she wanted her to come down, though we both knew she would anyway. And I'd told her I was ok by myself, though we both knew I was anything but. We lied to each other, played a game we constantly do, because we can never get away from them. But it didn't mater, because we knew each other well enough to know what the other really meant. Knew each other well enough to read between the lines, cut away all the bullshit and get what they actually wanted from us, what they wanted us to do. And at the end of the day, that was all that really mattered.

"Thought I told you, you didn't need to come down," I said to her when our eyes met.

Cindy half-smiled at me, and gave me something else she knew I needed – a sense of normalcy – as she replied, "An since when have I ever listened to any of the crap that comes out of your mouth?"

And she took the seat next to me then, took my hand in hers and held it firmly as it rested on her lap.

"You need me, Danny, I'm here," she told me sincerely, and I nodded a little in response before our eyes both shifted across to watch over my brother.

TBC…

Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think – means a lot!
Steph
xxx