Author's Note & Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Bloods or any of its characters. All rights belong to CBS.

Chapter 10

Danny is first to wake up; he felt and heard the soft buzzing from his phone. Before going to sleep he made sure to silence his phone so that it wouldn't startle Maria. He checks his phone and sees that he'd received a message from his father.

F: Roger. Not the news I was expecting. I will have Baker look into any calls or reports in that area. I'll send Lt. Gee to you so he can get a statement from her sometime this morning. Should I also send for Dr. Dawson?

D: Ok, I'll let her know to be ready for Lt. Gee. Hold off on the Doc. I'll call him, if necessary.

He checks the time, usually at this time he and Sean are scrambling to get ready for the day all while eating a quick breakfast. Danny looks back at Maria and carefully pulls himself away from her. She begins to stir which causes him to pause for a moment, but then proceeds to carefully get up from the bed. He pulls the blanket up to cover her and reaches up to her face, tucking some loose strands away from her face. He stands there just mesmerized by her natural beauty and smiles down at her. After a few moments he leaves her bedroom and makes his way towards Sean's room.

To Danny's surprise, Sean was not in his room. He heard movement downstairs which let him know that it was more than likely Sean fixing himself some breakfast.

"Morning," Danny says as he enters the kitchen.

"Morning, Dad. I hope I didn't make too much noise as I was getting ready," Sean says as he's preparing a bowl of his favorite cereal.

"No you didn't. I was hoping to talk to you for a bit before you take off to school," Danny says prepping the coffeemaker.

"Sure Dad, what's up?" Sean asks, looking up to where his father was at.

"Listen, I can't get into specifics but Maria might be here for more than just a few days. I told her that she is more than welcome to stay here but she just wants me to run it by you too. She says she doesn't want you to be uncomfortable having her here. So now I'm asking you, are you ok with this? I want you to be honest with me."

"Dad, I don't mind Maria being here. Tell her it's fine. In fact, I'll tell her myself if you all need me to. She's been your partner since I was kid plus she's always been cool with me and Jack. Honestly, I'm ok with however long she needs to stay here. If we run into some problems along the way, which I highly doubt, I'll let you know." Sean says.

"Ok, good." Danny says, as he starts the coffeemaker and heads to the fridge to start on some breakfast.

"Dad, is she going to be ok? She's clearly in danger but does that mean you're in danger as well?" Sean asks, looking up at Danny.

"She's going to be ok, but it'll probably take some time. I'm not quite sure on the danger part but we're taking some precautions. Again, I can't really discuss everything with you-" Danny starts.

"I know that and I overheard her tell you how she got those bruises on her face, sorry. But there's something else right? Another threat, maybe?" Sean says.

"Yes, which is why you'll have an escort to and from school for the time being. Look, between me and you I'm not the one being targeted but still I need you to be vigilant of your surroundings when you're out, ok? You see anything, and I mean anything out of the ordinary you call me, Maria, your grandfather, Uncle Jaime, your Aunt Erin or Eddie, or whoever immediately. You got that?" Danny says.

"Yes, sir," Sean replies, nodding his head. "So what's going to happen to her mom and sister?"

Danny sighs, "I don't know, son. But let's try not to mention them in front of her for a while. She needs all the support she can get at this time."

"Most definitely," Sean says and continues with the remainder of his breakfast.

Danny smiles back at his son. It's times and conversations like this that he sometimes forgets how much Sean has grown and matured. "You've got about another 15 minutes before your ride gets here. Remember what I said about being vigilant but also, try not to worry too much. Leave the worrying to us adults, alright?"

"Ok, I will." Sean finishes up his breakfast, cleans up his area and goes upstairs to get his backpack. Moments later Sean's ride to school has arrived and is waiting. He says his goodbye to Danny, and is out the door.


As soon as Sean leaves, Danny calls Frank to give him the details of what Maria had told him. Frank tells Danny that Lt. Gee would be by soon along with another detective to take Maria's statement as wells as a few photos of her injuries.

"I feel like I might already know the answer to this but I'll ask anyway. How's your partner?"

"Honestly Dad, not good. Last time I saw her like this was when her brother, Javi died. Only this time it's so much worse. I planned on asking her about who had hurt her until this morning but after her episode during the middle of the night….she just broke down and told me everything."

"She had an episode? Like a night terror?"

"Yeah, something like that," Danny sighs heavily. "Scared the crap out of me and Sean. After she told me everything she just cried herself to sleep. She's still sleeping right now. I'm going to let her sleep in a bit. After I finish making breakfast I'll go and wake her up."

"Ok. I can't imagine what she must be feeling at this moment. Let us know if you all need anything."

"Of course, Dad."

"Alright, I'll let you get back to breakfast. Pop said he would drop by with lunch."

"Sounds good, thanks. Talk to you soon."


Danny finished preparing breakfast and heads upstairs to wake up Maria. Danny's grateful that she was still sleeping; God knows how little sleep she's gotten lately.

'She looks so peaceful,' Danny says to himself. He feels guilty that he has to wake her, but Lt. Gee would be here soon. He needed to give her time to prepare herself for their questioning. He gently nudges her, hoping not to startle her too much. Thankfully she doesn't startle, but she's a bit confused when she's looking around and taking in her surroundings.

"Hey good morning, I'm so sorry to wake you."

"Morning Danny and it's fine. Did I oversleep?" Maria says, sitting up.

"No you didn't. Trust me, I would let you sleep in a little bit longer but we're gonna have some visitors soon. Thought you'd want to get ready for that."

"Visitors?"

"Yeah um-….Lt. Gee and another detective are gonna come by and take your statement and also a few photos."

"Danny...I don't know if I can….I…" Maria starts; she's beginning to panic.

"Hey. I'm going to be right there with you. I meant what I said that I'll always be by your side. You're not alone," Danny says.

Maria sighs and nods her head. "Are they here yet? I just want to get it over and done with already."

"No, not yet. They'll be on their way soon. I'll let you get ready. I made us some breakfast."

"Danny, you didn't have to do that."

Nah it's nothing. We got to eat, right?"

Maria hums and nods her head again.

"Come on. I'll meet you downstairs in few," Danny says and leaves the bedroom.


Maria and Danny have a quiet breakfast. Maria took a few small bites at first and continued staring down at her cup of coffee. It became obvious that Maria was lost in her thoughts. Seeing how nervous she was getting, Danny wished he had told her about Lt Gee coming over after breakfast.

"Is my cooking that bad?" Danny says jokingly, hoping it would ease the tension she was feeling. However, Maria is still too distracted in her own thoughts to respond.

"Hey," Danny says again this time reaching over and setting his hand on the table near her. Maria finally snaps out of it, looks up and meets his gaze.

"You need to eat something. Please? You're going to need some energy for today. I can make something else if you don't like this.."

"No, Danny this is great, really…I just…" Maria says setting down her cup, she doesn't know what else to say. She's still trying to process everything that's happened since yesterday.

"Maria I know it's easier said than done but try to relax. I can tell that you're nervous. You're worried about what will happen next. Look, just tell them everything you told me….and let me worry about the rest."

"Danny, you've done so much already. This isn't your burden to bear…"

"Hey, we're partners, aren't we? We do this together" Danny says.

"Ok," Maria says, nodding her head.

"Ok. Now, eat."


Lt. Gee arrives along with a detective from the Queens precinct, who was assigned to Maria's case concerning the assault.

"Good morning. Detectives Baez and Reagan, this is Detective Ray Sanchez from the 104th Precinct. He'll be taking in your statements and leading the investigation from here on out."

"Good morning, detectives. Detective Baez, shall we begin?" Det. Sanchez says. Maria just nods in response and begins to give her statement.

Maria goes through the events of what took place at her mother's apartment with the three men; only this time with more detail than she had given Danny. Her voice is monotone but they could sense her pain as she described how her sister kept swinging and hitting her; repeated every word Ana and Carmen told her. Lt. Gee would occasionally look up from writing in his notepad and could see Danny clench is jaw as she was giving her statement. When she was done, Det. Sanchez then proceeded to take photos of Maria's injuries.

"Ok, well I think that's all the questions I have for now. Lieutenant-"

"So what happens next?" Maria interrupts.

"Baez…" Danny starts.

"Hold on Danny," Lt. Gee interrupts. "Det. Baez, I know you know what will more than likely happen next. This is Det. Sanchez' case now and you need to let him do his job with interfering. That means no contact with your mom and your sister…"

"But Lieutenant…" Maria starts again.

"No buts, Maria. We are going to do this by the book, ok? You will be notified at the appropriate time. You can't be on this case; and before you ask, neither can Reagan. Look Maria, I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that I know what you're going through because I don't. One can only imagine what you're feeling right now. So let us do this for you, let us do our job." Lt Gee says.

Maria is staring at her hands with tears welling up in her eyes. They were asking her to trust them, to trust the process. She looks over to where her partner was sitting. Danny looks back at her with a concerning look and gives her a nod, letting her know that she could trust them.

"Okay," Maria says softly, turning her gaze back to her hands.

"If you think of or remember anything else, please let me know as soon as you can. I'll leave you with my contact info. I'll be in touch soon. I'll show my way out," Det. Sanchez says placing his card on the table and then leaves.

"One more thing I need to mention before we talk about the other pressing matter, you will need to have a doctor give an official evaluation of your injuries. An appointment has been made with at the medical center nearby after lunch" Lt Gee says to Maria.

"Are you serious?" Maria says, letting out a deep sigh.

"Yes and this is an order Maria and it's not just coming from me. This is an order from 1PP. Reagan, you've been assigned to make sure she goes. The hospital has been made aware that they are to provide you with copies of any reports or lab results." Lt. Gee says.

"Yes, sir." Danny says, looking over to Maria who's now leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"Baez?" Lt. Gee now staring at Maria, silently asking for confirmation.

"Yes, sir."

"Ok, good. Now onto the next item on the agenda" Lt. Gee states, clapping his hands together. "TARU did a thorough sweep of your apartment and did not find any surveillance bugs, or any other kind of tampering there. However, the surveillance footage from the entrance as well as in the building were offline yesterday. The building supervisor was unaware they were down until we went by to check. Cameras are online now, and TARU has placed a few in your apartment which they'll be monitoring until this is all over."

"Ok. Still doesn't sound safe enough to go back. At least not anytime soon" Danny states, glancing over to Maria. She didn't respond but looked back over to Danny.

"Yeah well we will have to wait until we get clearance from 1PP. Now about your car, Maria…"

"What? What did they find?" Maria asks.

"Well, our techs were able to find a tracking device. It was found behind the rear passenger tire. We don't know how long it's been there but TARU has been working since last night on figuring out where the tracking signal has been linked to."

"Did they find anything else?" Danny asks, Maria still trying to process everything Lt. Gee is saying.

"There's been more intel about Marco, but I don't have clearance for that kind of info. I'm not sure who they'll put on the case but we'll find out soon later on today. I'm afraid that's all I have for you at this time."

"Ok, thanks. Anything else we need to do or work on until then?" Danny asks.

"Not that I'm aware of. You both seemed to be caught up on all your paper work, except for the few open cases you each have so do what you can these next few days. Other than that, just sit tight and wait on further instruction."

"Yes, sir" both Danny and Maria respond.

"Ok. Well, I'll be heading out now. Don't forget about the appointment after lunch." Lt. Gee says as he stands up from the table, collecting his files and notepad.

"Thanks for coming, Mike." Danny says, about to stand up from the table as well.

"Wait, I need to say something to the both of you," Maria starts, both men stop what they're doing and look towards Maria. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not coming to you all sooner. I thought I could handle this on my own. I know I screwed up and you all probably don't trust me anymore...I promise that I'll…t-that-" she says as her voice is breaking and tears are welling up again.

"Listen to me Baez," Lt Gee says. "I'm not gonna lie, I was upset that you didn't come to us sooner and I'm so glad that you did before you were in too deep. But knowing what I know now about what you've been going through alone, I can understand why you didn't trust us enough at first. So if you really want to make it up to us, let us help you with this. We got this, you focus on healing. Accept the help you need to get through this. Let us be your support group, the family you need."

Maria nods, tears streaming down her face. "Yes, sir. I can do that."

"I know you can. You'll get through this. Listen, if you can put up with Danny Reagan for as long as you have, you can do anything." Lt. Gee says, looking over to Danny who is smiling and shaking his head.

Maria just smiles at Lt. Gee's last remark, while wiping tears from her face.

"Ok, well I need to get going. I'll be checking in with you two very soon."

"I'll walk you out, Mike" Danny says.

Danny locks up as soon as Mike is out the door. When he comes back to the kitchen, Maria has her head resting on her hands. He sees her shoulders shaking, letting him know that she's crying. He walks over and sits next to her, pulling her in to a hug. She rests her head on his shoulder, and they stay like that for a while until she's stopped crying.

"You know, Mike brought up a good point before he left. I think you need to talk to someone. The guy I talk to, Dr. Dawson, does home visits and stuff like that. He's pretty good, I mean he's the only one who's tolerated me this long. But it's your decision who you want to talk to," Danny tells her.

"Yeah I was seeing someone when Javi died. I really like talking to her. I don't know if she does home visits though. If not, then Dr. Dawson will do; he seems like a cool guy."

"Ok, I'll call and see if yours is available for a home visit. If not, then we'll call Dawson."

"Ok."


Henry comes by with lunch, Deli sandwiches and soup from a local diner that was a family favorite. Although Maria didn't make much conversation, Danny was grateful that she was eating. Also, grateful that his grandfather was here keeping them company for a while. Henry is making small talk with them, well mostly with Maria. He begins sharing some stories from back when he was a detective; Danny noticing how Maria smiles back at Henry and seems to be interested with his stories. Lunch goes by quickly and now it's time for Danny and Maria to head over to the hospital. Henry says his goodbyes, promises to be by for a visit with them soon.

When they arrive to the hospital Maria is called on within minutes. Danny follows her in but waits for her outside the door to give her privacy for when the doctor and nurse examine her. They do a thorough examination of her injuries; the doctor then orders a CT Scan or her head just as a precaution. As they wait for the results, Maria tells Danny to come take a seat next to her.

"Do want anything? I think I saw a vending machine down the hall." Danny says, trying to break the awkward silence between them.

"No, I'm fine thanks." Maria says, not looking up from the magazine she was reading.

Danny just nods.

"It was so nice of Henry to stop by with lunch," Maria says, this time glancing up from the magazine with a soft smile.

"Yeah, he's the best," Danny smiles back. "Sorry if he talked your ears off, but Pop sure does have some pretty amazing stories."

"Oh, please don't apologize for that. I really enjoyed hearing his stories. I'm serious. The next time he wants to do story time, just call me and I'll be more than happy to join. You don't even have to feed me." Maria tells him before returning her attention to the magazine article she was reading.

Danny smiles back at Maria. It's clear to him that Maria never really had that this type of relationship with her family. He knew that her relationship with her family had been strained but not to this extent. How much more had she been deprived of her family's love and support? Danny thinks to himself. He's distracted from his thought when he feels his phone vibrate. He's received a message from his father.

F: Your detail has been instructed to bring you and Baez down to 1PP, as soon as you are cleared from the hospital. Text or call Baker when you're on your way.

D: Ok.

Danny and Maria wait another half hour before the doctor comes in with her CT scan results.

"Ok Miss Baez, your scans came back negative so you are cleared to go home now. Continue to use and ice-pack for the swelling. Headaches are normal considering your injuries so take aspirin, hydrate and most importantly rest. I am clearing you to return back to work in two days, however only light-duty for the first week. After a week, you can go back to your regular duty. Any questions?" the doctor says looking to both Danny and Maria.

"No doc, thanks." Maria says.

"Ok wait a few minutes for a nurse to come in with a copy of your results. Have a good day, detectives."

Soon the nurse comes in with all the paperwork they had requested. As they are making their way towards the car Danny gently taps on her arm, getting Maria's attention.

"So I got a text a few minutes ago. We've got a meeting at 1PP," Danny says.

"Ok," Maria responds. Danny can see that she's starting to tense up again. He then reaches for her hand, giving it a gently squeeze.

"Hey. It's going to be ok. It may not seem like it is at first, but you're gonna get through this. I promise." Danny says.

Maria just nods back at Danny. Soon they're in the car and on their way to 1PP. She's so nervous, feels like if her heart might burst out of her chest. She needs to calm down so she closes her eyes and does her best to focus on her breathing. Danny can see that she's what she's doing and moves to hold her hand, hoping that it would bring her some comfort. Maria takes his hand and continues her deep breathing exercises, all while mentally giving herself a pep talk.

Come on focus Maria, you need to focus! You can do this. Don't freak out, stay calm. Focus….focus…focus on the good….focus on the good…

To be continued...


I hope you're enjoying the story so far!

FYI I will be out of town for a few days for a work thing so I will post the next chapter when I get back. :)