On The Road With Danny Concannon: Washington: Back in D.C: (For the moment.)

Title: "Maisy"

Companion Piece: (Takes Place: The day after) Talking Points 5.19

A sweet young girl, about late twenties, entered Danny's apartment loaded with groceries. She pushed the door closed with her back and made her way to the kitchen with a smile on her face. She was a beautiful young girl who probably looked younger then her years due to her amazing genes and the remarkable alabaster skin she got from her Japanese mother. Half Japanese, half Korean she was a pixy of a girl and five times as smart as her size. She was a spitfire to say the least.

"You're back?" She spoke with surprise as Danny, covered with a blanket he held from either side around his back, entered the room like a weighed down elephant.

"Yeah." He said wearily. "I..." He yawned. "I got back last night." Danny walked to the kitchen and the girl followed dropping the groceries on the table. "I mean this morning. Yeah, this morning."

"Have you slept?"

"I was sleeping until someone entered my apartment." He groaned as Danny's head disappeared into the refrigerator.

"I thought you-"

"-Maisy, I'm on three hours of sleep in the last two days, so I just want to say-even through right know I may act like I don't like you. I do…" Danny closed the refrigerator holding an orange juice container. "So don't be offended by anything I say or do." Danny starched himself.

"I was getting you groceries?"

"You don't have to do that Maisy." Danny shook the carton to make sure it still had juice.

"I figured you'd need them after being gone almost a year." Danny stopped as he raised the carton to his mouth.

"I've been away for a year?" He looked at Maisy who nodded yes. "Take this from me."

Maisy took the carton from Danny knowing she had proved herself right Maisy threw the carton out as Danny pecked into the bag, leaning his head to the side pretty happy with what he saw, before sitting himself, along with his blanket, down at the kitchen table. With his half awake look, the blanket, and his sleepy eyes, Danny almost looked like he was five years old in his mother's kitchen.

Maisy started to recover things from the bags putting them away. Danny laid his head on his hands.

"When are we leaving for New York?" Maisy asked reaching for things to place in the cabinet.

"We?" Danny lifted his head.

'Come on-"

"-Maisy." His voice spurted with sleep depravation.

"Danny, I helped with that story. I called all those flight schools, I…"

"I know, I know." He said sincerely. "And I'd love you to be there, but you're my assistant. You have to be here in case I need you."

"You're never here. Your never in the office when you are-.".

"'Cause when I'm here I'm at The White House."

"I know. I just wanted to be there for you."

"I'll be fine."

"But, you're not going to have anyone at the ceremony with you. That's not right." Maisy opened the refrigerator and placed the milk, the last of her purchases, away.

"I'll be fine." He stood up. "I'm going back to sleep. " Maisy took an apple out of the bag and handed it Danny who looked at it. "I'll take this with me." Maisy smiled and nodded her head as Danny shuffled away.

Maisy closed the refrigerator door, and grabbed her bag, following Danny as he hit the living room.

"You're getting the damn Pulitzer Prize you should have someone there with you."

"My family can't make it. And you know what, I'm okay with that. Been there, done that."

"There must be someone you want there with you?" She still chased after him.

"Sure." Danny said, running his hand over his face as it hit the archway of his bedroom.

"Then ask them?" Maisy adjusted her purse strap in the foyer which was pretty much still the living room, just near the door.

"I can't." Danny said with most sincerity he had through their entire conversation.

"Danny?" She shifted her hand at him.

"I just can't." Danny was flush with his bedroom doorway.

"Ask her?"

"Maisy?"

"Don't think I don't know. I may have only been working for you for a little over a year, but-"

'Maisy!" He warned her.

"I'm not saying anything. We'll just say I know and you know I know."

"Yeah, whatever." Danny groaned and turned into his bedroom.

"You sent her a chicken! You don't send a woman a chicken unless!" She yelled to him and Danny turned back only wanting to sleep.

"MAISY!" Danny framed himself in her doorway and yelled her name.

"Sorry." She silenced herself. "I'm just saying I know you know I know and I know." She paused and Danny gave her a look. "You should know, you say it yourself, the assistants know everything…Maybe I should have a little talk with Carol."

"Maisy! I want to sleep! I'm flying to Texas in less than twenty hours-and be back on a plane to New York and before all that I have a story to file. I'm going to New York alone, not with you, and not with anyone. I'm going to sleep and I'm again…" Danny voice lowered. " Apologizing now for my attitude. " He trailed off.

"Apologize accepted."

"Good." He said softly.

"It's really too bad she's in Brussels..." She saw Danny's face heating up, in that bulldog look, as if he was about to explode. "…I'm leaving." She turned for the door,

"Thank god." He said under his breath.

"I heard that." Maisy yelled as she closed the door.

Danny groaned and made his way into his bedroom throwing himself, along with the blanket onto the comforter of his bed. No time to pull down the sheets again. Danny snuggled himself in a half ball and prayed for sleep to take him.

"Yeah right." Danny said to himself in a sleep-induced haze. "Like she'd come to New York. Yeah right, come to New York CJ and help me celebrate my award - the award I'm getting 'cause you almost sacrificed your job for me. Yeah, that's just what I'll do."

Danny slowly fell asleep as if he had taken a sleeping pill. He could feel his consciousness leaving him. As he did he thought to himself how he really would want her to come.