Author's Note & Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Bloods or any of its characters. All rights belong to CBS.
Chapter 8
Previously:
"So what's in that envelope?" Danny asks, drawing Maria's attention to the box again.
"Oh that. That's something that I've never told anyone about. I guess you'll be the first one I tell."
She reaches for the last envelope she had in her memoir box and hands it over to Danny.
"Here you go. I don't think I can look at them right now." Maria says, her voice cracking.
Danny takes the envelope from Maria and gives her a concerning look. As he opens the envelope he's surprised to see sonogram pictures.
"Maria, you were-"Danny starts but can't seem to finish the sentence.
"Yes, I was pregnant. I didn't know until two weeks after the funeral. I was seven weeks pregnant when I found out. I didn't tell anyone because I had asked for some time off; I took a brief leave of absence. Of course, I was determined to keep my baby and tell his family when the time was right. We were all still grieving, hurting. I thought it was best to give them time, you know? Anyways, I'm kind of glad I kept it to myself because I ended up having a miscarriage two weeks later." Maria is sobbing now; she's got both hands covering her face. She tried to be strong but this was the part of her story that always broke her to pieces.
Danny quickly puts the pictures back in the envelope and goes to where Maria is at and pulls her towards him.
"Shhhhh…hey, hey. Oh my God, Maria I'm so sorry. I am so sorry this all happened. I'm sorry that you're having to relive and recall this painful part of your life all over again. I'm so sorry, Maria."
He hugs her tighter, wishing he could take away all the pain and hurt she's been carrying this whole time. They stay like that for a few minutes before Maria calms down a bit.
"I wanted to tell you so many times but I just couldn't. It just hurts so much." Maria tells him.
"I know. Believe me, I get it." He tells her pulling away so he can look her in the eyes.
"And I know it sounds crazy, impossible really, but I swear to you Danny. I saw him tonight. I saw Marco across the street from where I live. And he was the only one who would call me Chica. I know it's him, it has to be. Please believe me." Maria cries to Danny, she's starting to hyperventilate.
"Hey, hey Maria you have to calm down, ok? Of course I believe you. If you say you saw him, I believe you. We're going to get to the bottom of this, ok? Trust me." Danny says wiping away the tears from her cheeks. She nods her head, taking in deep breaths to steady her breathing.
"You're the only one I can trust now, Danny" she manages to say to which he smiles back at her.
He can't recall if there was ever a time when he was this close to her. He likes how soft and warm she feels in his arms. He feels a tightness in his chest again which confuses him because it's making him want to do something that for sure would compromise his partnership with her. He wants to kiss her but immediately feels guilty for having such a thought. His facial expressions are probably giving away his conflicting thoughts because now she's staring back at him with a look of concern. He needs a distraction and since he's closer now, Danny can see the swelling to the sides of her face and busted lip more clearly.
"Ok. So can we talk about what happened here, now?" Danny asks, while carefully tucking her hair behind her ears.
But before Maria can respond there's another knock at the door causing them to separate from each other. It was the officer again.
"Sorry, detectives. You're both wanted in the Captain's office."
"Ok, thank you officer." Danny tells him and gestures for Maria to follow him.
When they reach the Captain's office, they notice some of the Commissioner's security detail waiting out in the hallway. "Heads up Baez, my dad is here." Maria just nods, she noticed the security detail as well. Danny is the first to step in, holding the door open for Maria.
"Detectives, evening. Please take a seat" Frank says, he's sitting behind the Captain's desk.
"Sir," both Danny and Maria say as they take their respective seats.
"Your Lieutenant has informed me of the events that have taken place for the past 24 hours regarding the notes sent to Detective Baez. We have also been notified of the reports and analysis done by both crime lab and TARU and right now we are dusting for prints and searching for any possible bugs at your residence, Detective Baez. I hope you understand why we are doing that."
"Yes, sir" Maria says.
"Have you noticed anything else out of the ordinary? Anything at all that maybe you both missed that could help us identify who this person is?" Franks asks, glancing back and forth between his son and his partner.
"No sir, not at the moment" Maria says.
"What do we have so far from the person who was tailing her? What have our guys been able to get from them?" Danny asks.
Frank lets out a sigh, "Unfortunately, our units lost track of the black SUV that was tailing Detective Baez. Minutes later NYPD & FDNY responded to call concerning a vehicle on fire in a nearby parking garage. Turns out it was the exact SUV that our guys lost in the pursuit. No persons inside, and it's unlikely that we'll find anything that will help with what's left of the vehicle" Franks responds.
"You've got to be kidding me! Well, did they question any witness? What about checking traffic or security cameras nearby?! Anything on that?" Danny asks, he's pissed again. Maria feels her heart racing again. She's not getting a good feeling about this at all.
"We are working on that, Detective," Frank responds, giving Danny a stern look letting him know to calm down. "I'm also reaching out to Director Collins, FBI. You might remember him Detective Baez, he was one of the FBI superiors from the Sanfino case."
"Yes, I remember him. You think FBI is behind all this?" Maria asks.
"I don't know what to think but I know how they work. They're notorious for keeping us out of the loop. I was there when we laid Detective Ortiz to rest. If it turns out that we were mistaken, this had to have been a cover up from their end" Frank says and taps his hands on the desk, a habit he had when something clearly bothered him. "Detective Baez, I was not made aware of your relationship to Detective Ortiz back then. If I had known, I promise you I would've given you my condolences as well. I am very sorry."
"Thank you, Commissioner" Maria says, nodding her head with tears in her eyes. For a few seconds there is a silent pause.
"Ok so we question this Collins guy. And then what?" Danny asks, evident that his patience was running thin.
"Well you continue to work on your other cases. No field work for the time being."
"So desk duty. Just great" Danny
"Yes and in the meantime I am ordering security detail for both of you. Unfortunately, Detective Baez you will not be able to go back to your residence. Do you think you could perhaps stay with your family? I see that she lives in Queens, not the safest neighborhood but we can accommodate you all for the time being."
"No, I can figure something out. I don't want to inconvenience my mom or my sister, Ana. Any hotel is fine with me."
"What are you talking about? You can't stay at any hotel by yourself. It's not safe" Danny says, giving her a questionable look. He knew things between Maria and her family had been strained for some time, but something wasn't right.
"I said I'm fine, Danny. Just drop it" Maria responds.
"I'm sorry Det. Baez but Danny has a point." Frank says to Maria.
"Look, what if she stays at my house?" Danny asks and then turns to face Maria "I have a spare bedroom, it has a bed, a dresser and you'll have your own bathroom. The only people there at the house are just me and Sean. We'll stay out of your hair, I promise. This is just until it's safe for you to go back home. What do you say partner?"
"I don't know, Danny." Maria says. Before she can say anything else, Frank interrupts.
"That's an excellent suggestion Danny. Tell you what. I will give you two options for now Det. Baez. Option one, you stay with Danny for the time being. Or option two, you stay with your family and I'll go over there personally to discuss this with your mom if you want. Address any concerns she might have with all this. And if it doesn't work out, then we can discuss and come up with an alternative plan that best fits your needs. How does that sound?"
"I think that sounds great," Danny says.
"I was asking your partner, Danny." Frank says, giving his son another stern look.
Maria rolls her eyes at Danny's response. She knows the only real option she has is staying with Danny. But she's afraid that Marco, or whoever is stalking her, would get to Danny or his boys. She doesn't want anything bad to happen to Danny. He was all she had. The only one who had her back. Besides, would she be able to explain to her partner and their boss the current situation she was dealing with her mom and Ana at this time. Knowing Danny, he'd want to press charges on Ana and her mother.
"Fine. I'll stay with Danny" Maria says looking at Frank.
She then turns to face Danny, "However, the moment things go wrong, or you and your boys are threatened because of this, I'm staying somewhere else. I don't want any danger coming to you or the boys because of me. You go that, Danny?" Danny nods his head.
"We will discuss that if or when the time comes," Frank responds closing the file folders in front of him and handing it over to his detail. "Are we all clear on that?" Frank asks looking first and Danny and then his partner.
"Yes, sir," both detectives respond.
"Good. Now, go gather your things. Your security detail will be waiting for you out front to escort you home in ten minutes. Baez, you will need to leave your car here for tonight. A team will be checking for any possible tracking devices. Oh and be sure that you both take your laptops with you. You are hereby ordered to stay and work from home for the next week, or until further notice. Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me, Lt. Gee or Lt. Gormley" Frank stands and is making his way to the door.
"Yes, sir" both detectives respond, again.
"One more thing," Frank stops and pulls out his card and hands it over to Maria. "If Det. Reagan has worked on your very last nerve during your stay, please call this number. Either his father, grandfather will come to save you" Frank smiles, hoping to break some of the tension in the room. It works as Maria smiles back at him and takes the card.
"Thank you, Sir. I will be sure to call if Danny needs a time out," Maria says, earning a chuckle from Frank.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Danny says rolling his eyes at both Maria and his father.
Danny and Maria begin gathering their laptops and any case files they can. Maria tells Danny that she left a couple of personal items in her locker. While Danny is waiting, his phone rings. It's his dad.
"Hello."
"Danny, I didn't ask about the apparent bruising and busted lip because your Lieutenant warned me that she was very defensive about it earlier. I need you to get to the bottom of it and report it back to me ASAP. We need to make sure that it was unrelated to this case. Also, plan on having her stay longer than a week. Watch your six and hers as well."
"Yes, sir."
"If you need anything, or need me to call Dr. Dawson, let me know and I'll arrange it somehow."
"Yes, sir. I'll let you know."
"Danny, please be careful. She needs to know her partner has her back. She needs a friend and from the looks of it, that's you at the moment. It would seem like you're all she has right now."
"Yes, sir. I've always got her back, Commissioner."
"Goodnight, son."
"Goodnight, Dad."
"You ready?" Danny asks as soon as Maria exits the women's locker room.
"Yeah, I was just getting some extra clothes I left behind. I might need to go back home for more clothes. I didn't pack enough for a week" Maria says, walking along side Danny.
"If you want, I could ask Eddie if she could go to your place to pack some clothes for you."
"You think that would be possible. I don't want to inconvenience anyone else, Danny."
"Nonsense. I'll ask as a favor. No worries."
"Ok, if you say so." They were already outside and walking towards Danny's car.
"Here let me get those from you" Danny says, getting Maria's bags and placing them in the back seat. Meanwhile, Maria gets situated into the passenger seat. Danny starts the car and signals the security detail that he was ready to go. Seconds later they are off and heading towards Danny's house.
'Well, this is going to be an interesting week,' Maria says to herself.
To be continued…
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