{Author's note: Oi! Writer's block can be a pain in the you-know-what!}
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Chapter Seventeen: Knots and Threads
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"Danny! Mary!" Luis called as he jumped out of the barely parked jeep.
The Latino cop sprinted to his friends' side as Mary was blocking the upper portion of Danny's body from view. All Perez could tell from his vantage point was that McCoy was on the ground. Reaching the pair, Luis knelt down and stared at Danny, who looked right back at him. Besides wincing every time he took a breath, the ex-Marine had a lot of new bumps and bruises, and had traces of dried blood on the corners of his mouth. Luis simply shook his head before turning to Mary, who he was relieved to see just looked a little shaken up.
"I think he may have worsened his injuries." Mary commented, nodding at Danny as the rest of the Montecito team joined the trio. Upon getting sight of Danny, looks of sympathy and anger filled their various faces.
"Poor baby." Sam commented as she knelt down near him.
"Don't worry about me." Danny said, trying to sit up, "I'm just fine." He knew that he wasn't really, but he didn't feel like being coddled at the moment. Especially not when Ed had just gone off on his own after Keller. As he sat up, his head and stomach both erupted with pain, reminding him not so subtly that they couldn't be magically cured. Crying out in pain, Danny layed down again quickly and held his stomach with both of his arms. Mary rubbed his arms in an attempt to soothe him.
"Fine, my ass." Mike muttered, shaking his head at Danny's injuries.
"Somebody needs to go after Ed." Nessa said, looking at Luis as one of the ambulance crews arrived to tend to Danny.
"Taking care of it." Luis nodded, motioning to the nearby federal agents. With his hand, he gestured to the section of jungle that Ed and Keller had just run into.
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An arm feeling like it was going to fall off and the amount of blood he had lost so far would be enough to keep another man down, even in these dire circumstances. However, Jack Keller tried to ignore his pain and fatigue the best he could, because it was either keep going or meet up with an angry and armed Ed Deline. As the forest in front of him started to blur together, Keller stopped to catch his breath. Putting his uninjured hand against a tree to brace himself, Keller realized that he was definitely going to have to check himself into a hospital…wherever he went after this.
Not hearing footsteps approaching him, Keller glanced behind him to see where exactly Ed was. Only still trees and brush met his eyes. He turned around physically in order to better scour the scenery. It wouldn't be unlike Ed to lie in wait behind a shrub or something. A smile crossed Keller's face as the thought of Ed having a heart attack or something while in pursuit of him entered his mind. Suddenly, the dark haired man could feel the barrel of a gun resting against the back of his skull.
"Those shortcuts can be a bitch, can't they, Jack?" Ed asked from behind him.
"Let's not be too hasty here, Ed." Jack begged, putting his hands up innocently.
"Shut up!" Ed ordered, cocking the gun. "I was dumb enough to let you get away once, Jack." He shook his head. "I don't make the same mistake twice."
"Ed!" Luis suddenly called as he appeared in front of Keller. A quintet of federal agents followed in his wake. Knowing Ed's rage all too well, Luis simply looked at Deline. "We'll take it from here, Ed."
For a brief moment, Luis could tell that Deline was still considering pulling the trigger. Perez couldn't blame him as the man had put Ed, his family and his employees through absolute hell. If anyone deserved it, Keller certainly did. However, after a sigh, Ed shoved Keller into the waiting arms of the federal agents.
"Have fun in the clink." Ed said, looking victoriously at Keller.
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"This sucks." Danny groaned as he put his head back against the pillow of his hospital bed. Even though the tall, brown-haired man's injuries had been light (an aggravated concussion, broken and bruised ribs, and a slightly sprained wrist), the doctors at the hospital in Panama City wanted to keep him overnight for observation. Smiling, Mary sat down at her best friend's bedside and ran a hand gently through his hair.
"We'll be home tomorrow or the day after." Mary comforted with a smile. "Just try to relax."
"Relax?" Danny scoffed, "I'm in a freaking hospital!" He looked to the floor as a nurse came in. "You know that I haven't cared for them since my mother died."
"I know." Mary nodded as she smiled at the leaving nurse, who had dropped off an extra pillow and blankets on a nearby couch. "Which is why I'm staying with you tonight."
"You don't have to…" Danny said, a bit surprised.
"I want to." Mary replied as a light knocking was heard on the door. After waiting a few seconds, Ed Deline, who was clad in street clothes, walked in. Mary got up and walked over to the older man.
"Well?" she asked, looking at him.
"The docs just want me to take it easy for a few days." Ed replied with a shrug. "Other than that, I'm a free man." He looked earnestly at Mary. "Would you mind if I talked to Danny alone for a few minutes?"
"Not at all." Mary replied before turning back to Danny. "You want anything from the cafeteria?"
"Nothing that wouldn't conflict with my pain meds." Danny replied as he tried to pull himself into a sitting position with both hands using some sort of object dangling above his bed, made just for that purpose. It was slow going as his ribcage ached if he dared even move his midsection.
As Mary smiled and left the room, Ed walked over to Danny's bedside. McCoy had finally managed to pull himself into a sitting position when Deline arrived. With a slight smile, Ed pressed the button and raised the back of Danny's bed for him.
"Thanks." McCoy said gratefully as he leaned back again.
"You're welcome." Ed nodded. A slight grin came over his face as he looked at his protégé. "You've looked better, kid."
"I've felt better." Danny sighed, hoping that his pain medication would kick in. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling all right."
"I'm not feeling all right." Ed replied in an eerie, calm tone as he shook his head. "I'm feeling pretty angry actually."
"Angry?" Danny asked, even though he suspected what was coming.
"What in the hell were you thinking?" Ed snapped, "Do you realize that you could have gotten yourself killed? Not to mention Mike, Sam and Nessa!"
"I was just doing what you would have done." Danny retorted, shrugging his shoulders. As a scarlet hue began to appear on Ed's face, the ex-Marine regretted saying anything at all.
"What I would have done?" Ed repeated in disbelief. He began pacing like a caged animal around the room. "What I would have done? There's no way in hell I would have done what you did!"
"Oh, that's bull and you know it." Danny replied. He didn't believe for one second that Deline wouldn't have attempted some sort of rescue mission.
"It's true." Ed assured before a grin appeared on his face. "I wouldn't have waited so long before taking matters into my own hands." He clapped Danny on the back as he walked back over. "Other than that, I don't see how it would have been different."
"Keller would have actually died." Danny replied with a shrug.
"Possibly." Ed agreed with a slight nod.
"You know," Danny said, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm never leaving Vegas after this. Bad things happen when I leave Vegas." He gestured with his fingers. "If it's not friends developing gambling problems, it's crazy chicks in New Orleans shoving me into alligator-infested waters. If it's not that, it's ex-CIA whackos trying their damndest to blow my brains out..."
"Is that you or the morphine talking?" Ed wondered with a chuckle.
"Probably both." Danny laughed honestly. Suddenly, the thought of his mother's engagement ring entered his mind and a jolt of panic surged through him. McCoy had been carrying the ring box in his pants pocket during the entire adventure with Keller, and had forgotten to check if it had been damaged at all. He looked at Ed. "Could you do me a favor? Could you go into the closet and grab the bag with my street clothes in it?"
"Sure." Ed nodded, slightly puzzled by his protégé's request. However, he silently walked over to the closet and pulled out the plastic bag containing the clothes Danny had arrived in. Walking back over to the bed, he tossed onto Danny's lap. "I don't know why you want it, but here you go."
"Thanks." Danny said as he reached around for his pants. Upon finding them, the tall, brown-haired man stuffed his hand into the front, left pocket of his pants and pulled the ring box out. He was relieved to see that it didn't appear to be damaged, but he checked the ring inside to make sure. Sure enough, it was just fine. Forgetting that Ed Deline was watching him, McCoy stared happily at the undamaged ring.
"That's a beautiful ring you got there." Ed remarked, reminding Danny that he was there.
"It was my mom's engagement ring." Danny informed, keeping his eyes on the piece of jewelry. "My dad gave it to me before I left on this little adventure."
"I see." Ed nodded with a smile. "So, who's the lucky lady?"
"Pardon?" Danny asked, turning his eyes towards Ed. Realizing what he meant, Danny sighed and looked at the ring. "I know who I want to give it to, but I'm not sure that either one of us is ready to take that step."
"You got to take chances sometimes." Ed shrugged.
"We work in a casino, Ed." Danny reminded, "We both know how dangerous taking a chance can be." He paused and played with the ring in his hands. "You can lose it all in one go."
"Or you can win big." Ed pointed out as Mary walked into the room. With a smile, Deline clapped the younger man on the shoulder as he headed out of the room. He paused and turned back to face Danny. "You think about that."
"What was that all about?" Mary asked, sitting down next to Danny.
"Um, nothing." Danny blushed, trying to conceal the ring in his fist.
"Nice try." Mary smiled as she slowly pulled his fingers back, revealing the ring. "Your mother's engagement ring."
"How did you…" Danny wondered, looking at her.
"I caught your father looking at it once or twice before." Mary replied quietly, "He told me what it was."
"Yeah," Danny nodded, "he gave it to me before I left." He chuckled slightly. "I think that he wanted me to put it to good use, but I'm not sure that I'm ready for that sort of commitment yet." A sad and disappointed look suddenly appeared on Mary's face. Danny instantly noticed the shift from the cheerful smile that she had been giving him, and turned his head away. At least, if he stared at the wall, it wouldn't break his heart.
Rubbing his bandaged forehead, Danny sighed in disbelief of his own selfishness. His heart? Why the hell was he worried about his own heart when Mary's was again breaking right in front of him? He could only imagine how much she had probably built her hopes up upon seeing him with the ring, only to be let down once again by Danny. Feeling her wrap her hand around his own, he frowned slightly.
"I'm sorry." Danny apologized.
"For what?" Mary inquired curious.
"For putting you through a lot." Danny replied, looking earnestly at her.
"Hmm." Mary smiled, caressing his cheek with her hand. "I'd say that you're forgiven for the whole Keller mess, but I'm pretty sure that that's not what you're talking about." She shrugged slightly. "Although, I forgive you for that too."
"You shouldn't." Danny yawned as he shook his head.
"Well, that's your opinion." Mary replied before noticing the sleepy look in Danny's eyes. "You should get some rest now."
"Rest sounds good." Danny agreed, closing his eyes.
To be continued....
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Chapter Seventeen: Knots and Threads
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"Danny! Mary!" Luis called as he jumped out of the barely parked jeep.
The Latino cop sprinted to his friends' side as Mary was blocking the upper portion of Danny's body from view. All Perez could tell from his vantage point was that McCoy was on the ground. Reaching the pair, Luis knelt down and stared at Danny, who looked right back at him. Besides wincing every time he took a breath, the ex-Marine had a lot of new bumps and bruises, and had traces of dried blood on the corners of his mouth. Luis simply shook his head before turning to Mary, who he was relieved to see just looked a little shaken up.
"I think he may have worsened his injuries." Mary commented, nodding at Danny as the rest of the Montecito team joined the trio. Upon getting sight of Danny, looks of sympathy and anger filled their various faces.
"Poor baby." Sam commented as she knelt down near him.
"Don't worry about me." Danny said, trying to sit up, "I'm just fine." He knew that he wasn't really, but he didn't feel like being coddled at the moment. Especially not when Ed had just gone off on his own after Keller. As he sat up, his head and stomach both erupted with pain, reminding him not so subtly that they couldn't be magically cured. Crying out in pain, Danny layed down again quickly and held his stomach with both of his arms. Mary rubbed his arms in an attempt to soothe him.
"Fine, my ass." Mike muttered, shaking his head at Danny's injuries.
"Somebody needs to go after Ed." Nessa said, looking at Luis as one of the ambulance crews arrived to tend to Danny.
"Taking care of it." Luis nodded, motioning to the nearby federal agents. With his hand, he gestured to the section of jungle that Ed and Keller had just run into.
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An arm feeling like it was going to fall off and the amount of blood he had lost so far would be enough to keep another man down, even in these dire circumstances. However, Jack Keller tried to ignore his pain and fatigue the best he could, because it was either keep going or meet up with an angry and armed Ed Deline. As the forest in front of him started to blur together, Keller stopped to catch his breath. Putting his uninjured hand against a tree to brace himself, Keller realized that he was definitely going to have to check himself into a hospital…wherever he went after this.
Not hearing footsteps approaching him, Keller glanced behind him to see where exactly Ed was. Only still trees and brush met his eyes. He turned around physically in order to better scour the scenery. It wouldn't be unlike Ed to lie in wait behind a shrub or something. A smile crossed Keller's face as the thought of Ed having a heart attack or something while in pursuit of him entered his mind. Suddenly, the dark haired man could feel the barrel of a gun resting against the back of his skull.
"Those shortcuts can be a bitch, can't they, Jack?" Ed asked from behind him.
"Let's not be too hasty here, Ed." Jack begged, putting his hands up innocently.
"Shut up!" Ed ordered, cocking the gun. "I was dumb enough to let you get away once, Jack." He shook his head. "I don't make the same mistake twice."
"Ed!" Luis suddenly called as he appeared in front of Keller. A quintet of federal agents followed in his wake. Knowing Ed's rage all too well, Luis simply looked at Deline. "We'll take it from here, Ed."
For a brief moment, Luis could tell that Deline was still considering pulling the trigger. Perez couldn't blame him as the man had put Ed, his family and his employees through absolute hell. If anyone deserved it, Keller certainly did. However, after a sigh, Ed shoved Keller into the waiting arms of the federal agents.
"Have fun in the clink." Ed said, looking victoriously at Keller.
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"This sucks." Danny groaned as he put his head back against the pillow of his hospital bed. Even though the tall, brown-haired man's injuries had been light (an aggravated concussion, broken and bruised ribs, and a slightly sprained wrist), the doctors at the hospital in Panama City wanted to keep him overnight for observation. Smiling, Mary sat down at her best friend's bedside and ran a hand gently through his hair.
"We'll be home tomorrow or the day after." Mary comforted with a smile. "Just try to relax."
"Relax?" Danny scoffed, "I'm in a freaking hospital!" He looked to the floor as a nurse came in. "You know that I haven't cared for them since my mother died."
"I know." Mary nodded as she smiled at the leaving nurse, who had dropped off an extra pillow and blankets on a nearby couch. "Which is why I'm staying with you tonight."
"You don't have to…" Danny said, a bit surprised.
"I want to." Mary replied as a light knocking was heard on the door. After waiting a few seconds, Ed Deline, who was clad in street clothes, walked in. Mary got up and walked over to the older man.
"Well?" she asked, looking at him.
"The docs just want me to take it easy for a few days." Ed replied with a shrug. "Other than that, I'm a free man." He looked earnestly at Mary. "Would you mind if I talked to Danny alone for a few minutes?"
"Not at all." Mary replied before turning back to Danny. "You want anything from the cafeteria?"
"Nothing that wouldn't conflict with my pain meds." Danny replied as he tried to pull himself into a sitting position with both hands using some sort of object dangling above his bed, made just for that purpose. It was slow going as his ribcage ached if he dared even move his midsection.
As Mary smiled and left the room, Ed walked over to Danny's bedside. McCoy had finally managed to pull himself into a sitting position when Deline arrived. With a slight smile, Ed pressed the button and raised the back of Danny's bed for him.
"Thanks." McCoy said gratefully as he leaned back again.
"You're welcome." Ed nodded. A slight grin came over his face as he looked at his protégé. "You've looked better, kid."
"I've felt better." Danny sighed, hoping that his pain medication would kick in. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling all right."
"I'm not feeling all right." Ed replied in an eerie, calm tone as he shook his head. "I'm feeling pretty angry actually."
"Angry?" Danny asked, even though he suspected what was coming.
"What in the hell were you thinking?" Ed snapped, "Do you realize that you could have gotten yourself killed? Not to mention Mike, Sam and Nessa!"
"I was just doing what you would have done." Danny retorted, shrugging his shoulders. As a scarlet hue began to appear on Ed's face, the ex-Marine regretted saying anything at all.
"What I would have done?" Ed repeated in disbelief. He began pacing like a caged animal around the room. "What I would have done? There's no way in hell I would have done what you did!"
"Oh, that's bull and you know it." Danny replied. He didn't believe for one second that Deline wouldn't have attempted some sort of rescue mission.
"It's true." Ed assured before a grin appeared on his face. "I wouldn't have waited so long before taking matters into my own hands." He clapped Danny on the back as he walked back over. "Other than that, I don't see how it would have been different."
"Keller would have actually died." Danny replied with a shrug.
"Possibly." Ed agreed with a slight nod.
"You know," Danny said, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm never leaving Vegas after this. Bad things happen when I leave Vegas." He gestured with his fingers. "If it's not friends developing gambling problems, it's crazy chicks in New Orleans shoving me into alligator-infested waters. If it's not that, it's ex-CIA whackos trying their damndest to blow my brains out..."
"Is that you or the morphine talking?" Ed wondered with a chuckle.
"Probably both." Danny laughed honestly. Suddenly, the thought of his mother's engagement ring entered his mind and a jolt of panic surged through him. McCoy had been carrying the ring box in his pants pocket during the entire adventure with Keller, and had forgotten to check if it had been damaged at all. He looked at Ed. "Could you do me a favor? Could you go into the closet and grab the bag with my street clothes in it?"
"Sure." Ed nodded, slightly puzzled by his protégé's request. However, he silently walked over to the closet and pulled out the plastic bag containing the clothes Danny had arrived in. Walking back over to the bed, he tossed onto Danny's lap. "I don't know why you want it, but here you go."
"Thanks." Danny said as he reached around for his pants. Upon finding them, the tall, brown-haired man stuffed his hand into the front, left pocket of his pants and pulled the ring box out. He was relieved to see that it didn't appear to be damaged, but he checked the ring inside to make sure. Sure enough, it was just fine. Forgetting that Ed Deline was watching him, McCoy stared happily at the undamaged ring.
"That's a beautiful ring you got there." Ed remarked, reminding Danny that he was there.
"It was my mom's engagement ring." Danny informed, keeping his eyes on the piece of jewelry. "My dad gave it to me before I left on this little adventure."
"I see." Ed nodded with a smile. "So, who's the lucky lady?"
"Pardon?" Danny asked, turning his eyes towards Ed. Realizing what he meant, Danny sighed and looked at the ring. "I know who I want to give it to, but I'm not sure that either one of us is ready to take that step."
"You got to take chances sometimes." Ed shrugged.
"We work in a casino, Ed." Danny reminded, "We both know how dangerous taking a chance can be." He paused and played with the ring in his hands. "You can lose it all in one go."
"Or you can win big." Ed pointed out as Mary walked into the room. With a smile, Deline clapped the younger man on the shoulder as he headed out of the room. He paused and turned back to face Danny. "You think about that."
"What was that all about?" Mary asked, sitting down next to Danny.
"Um, nothing." Danny blushed, trying to conceal the ring in his fist.
"Nice try." Mary smiled as she slowly pulled his fingers back, revealing the ring. "Your mother's engagement ring."
"How did you…" Danny wondered, looking at her.
"I caught your father looking at it once or twice before." Mary replied quietly, "He told me what it was."
"Yeah," Danny nodded, "he gave it to me before I left." He chuckled slightly. "I think that he wanted me to put it to good use, but I'm not sure that I'm ready for that sort of commitment yet." A sad and disappointed look suddenly appeared on Mary's face. Danny instantly noticed the shift from the cheerful smile that she had been giving him, and turned his head away. At least, if he stared at the wall, it wouldn't break his heart.
Rubbing his bandaged forehead, Danny sighed in disbelief of his own selfishness. His heart? Why the hell was he worried about his own heart when Mary's was again breaking right in front of him? He could only imagine how much she had probably built her hopes up upon seeing him with the ring, only to be let down once again by Danny. Feeling her wrap her hand around his own, he frowned slightly.
"I'm sorry." Danny apologized.
"For what?" Mary inquired curious.
"For putting you through a lot." Danny replied, looking earnestly at her.
"Hmm." Mary smiled, caressing his cheek with her hand. "I'd say that you're forgiven for the whole Keller mess, but I'm pretty sure that that's not what you're talking about." She shrugged slightly. "Although, I forgive you for that too."
"You shouldn't." Danny yawned as he shook his head.
"Well, that's your opinion." Mary replied before noticing the sleepy look in Danny's eyes. "You should get some rest now."
"Rest sounds good." Danny agreed, closing his eyes.
To be continued....