"What happens to the bad guy now? The, uh, the one who shot the reporter?" Sean wondered, very curious.
"Without a witness I.D., he gets released." Danny explained, focusing on his food.
"Wait, so he's just out of jail right now?"
"That's right." Henry sighed, looking to his left.
"Is somebody watching him?" Sean asked.
"That would be harassment," Nicky explained, "The police can't do that."
"But he shot someone." The young Reagan argued.
"Allegedly." Erin pointed out, looking to her nephew.
"Someone he thought was a cop. And now he's just free to go wherever?" Jack said, getting more appalled by the minute.
"I'm afraid so."
"But what if he tries to shoot someone else?"
"Exactly." Danny mumbled, interrupting Jack's rant.
"What if he tries to shoot another cop?"
"Okay, that's enough, okay? Can we just stop?" Linda interrupted, her voice shaky. She felt all the surprised eyes looking at her.
"Something wrong, Linda?" Henry looked to her.
"There is something wrong. There is something very wrong with the fact that every time that this family sits down for dinner, we have to talk about crime and criminals. I mean, couldn't we, just for once, just, you know, sit together, and have a normal family dinner?" She looked down at her plate, holding back the tears. She felt Danny's hand on her back, rubbing it gently.
"Lorenzo Colt is dead." Frank announced, sitting back down.
"Are you okay, Linda?" Henry asked as he helped her wash the dishes.
"No, I'm not okay!" The blonde looked at him, "cause all I see is the gun, and- and the flash. And I can't sleep, and because I can't sleep, Danny can't sleep. Because Danny can't sleep, he's irritated. And because he's irritated, I'm irritated. And because we're irritated, we're fighting all the time. And because we're fighting, the boys think we're getting a divorce. And I don't want a divorce, but I- I think it's headed that way... and- and it's just-" Linda bit her lip as the tears started to fall, "I don't want a divorce" she mouthed, shaking her head.
Danny sighed as he did the nightly lockdown. He was starting to worry so much more about Linda. She was declining, crying all the time; he wondered if she'd ever be the same again. He checked on Jack and Sean, who were both asleep. He then went to his room, and hesitated at the door when he heard a loud sob. His heart broke as another sob filtered through the door.
Linda was crying so hard, she didn't hear the door open or close. She didn't hear Danny's footsteps cross the room to the bed. She felt the bed dip, then a hand on her shoulder. Quickly, she sat up and clung to Danny, as if he was the only life line she had. "Don't l-leave." She gasped between shaky sobs.
"I'm not going anywhere." He hugged her tighter, feeling how much she shook with fear. "Pops, uh... Pops said you wanted a d- divorce?"
Linda pulled away and looked at her husband. "I never said that."
Danny sighed with silent relief. "What did you say then?"
"I- I said... that... I thought divorce was- was co-coming."
"What? Why the hell would you think that?!"
"Because, Danny! Because!" She got out of bed and walked to the closet. Turning around, and using big hand gestures, she continued. "Because you never touch me. You don't ever talk to me, and when you do, it's to yell at me or tell me I can't carry on like this. Don't you know that I know you know I know I have to get better?! I want to get better, but I have no idea how. You're no help, no offense, but you're not. The family thinks it's wrong for me to see doctors and to take pills. Who the hell do they think they are? Christian Scientists?! We're Catholic, for Pete's sake! We're not against doctors or- or medicine. Hell, I make a living dealing in medicine!"
At this point, Danny had crossed the room. He put his hands on her arms, stopping her from rambling. "I love you. With my entire being I love you. Don't listen to what the family says, because you do whatever helps you... I never mean to yell at you, Linda. I guess I'm just too emotional, huh?"
She sniffed, "I'm the one with the hormonal imbalance. You're just a fat head."
"Fat head? Don't you mean thick headed?"
"That too... I want us to work, Danny."
"And we're going to, I promise. But first thing's first. Let's establish communication. If I start yelling, you can stop me. If I start being a jerk, you can yell 'he's being a jerk'."
"Really?" Linda smiled a little bit.
"Don't be so happy about it. That sound alright?"
She nodded, "and if I'm doing something wrong, nicely tell me to fix it. And if I'm starting to fly off the wagon, tell me gently. Now, being hormonal, I may call you a cheese head..."
Danny laughed, and hugged her to him. "Whatever happens, we do this together."
She wrapped her arms around him, "in sickness or in health."
They finished, "as long as we both shall live."
Linda still didn't feel one hundred percent like her old self, but with Danny by her side, she knew she could accomplish anything.
