Beth sat next to Percell and Ruiz, laughing at Taylor's latest joke.
"Percell, man lighten up!" exclaimed Ruiz, glancing at Taylor and Doc.
"Stand by Me" came on the jukebox. Ruiz looked at Beth, "You wanna dance?"
Beth took a glimpse at Danny, he was staring at the beer bottle he cradled. "Sure..?" They got up and he led her onto the dance floor. She took his hand and put her other on his shoulder. "Beth?" "Yeah, Ruiz?" "You're prolly not going to like this, and I don't know if Danny's ever told you." Beth glanced at Ruiz with questioning eyes. " A while ago, oh, about 5 months now, Danny got into.some trouble." "What kinda trouble, Alberto, you're sounding as though somethin's wrong?"
He danced them further away from the table and so Danny couldn't see them talking. "He had a.a.drug problem. Pills.Dope..Heroin. He's been clean ever since, but me and Taylor have noticed that he's starting to go down hill again."
"Oh, my God, no he never told me. What do we do? Do I talk to him? Do I just leave it? Do I talk to Goldman? What do I do?"
"Whoa, here, wait a minute. Last time, he started not caring about anything, or he cared too much, either way. He couldn't sleep, hardly ate, and couldn't get going in the morning. Maybe you'd better say something, just not come right out? Just mention it? I don't know anymore. Maybe he's just not feeling good. I just want him to get better."
The song ended and whispered, "Thanks for the insight. I'm going to talk to him."
They walked back to the table and Beth went over to Percell and bent down and kissed him on the neck. "You wanna go for a walk?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever." He set his beer down swiped his hand under his nose, looked around and got up.
"Don't stray to far!" Taylor yelped in hopes of raising Percell's spirit.
"Yeah." Percell murmured.
Beth took his hand and held it tight. "Come on, Danny." *** Down the street from the bar Beth and Danny kept walking, an eery silence falling over them. Beth wanted to say something, but didn't want to upset him anymore than he already seemed to be. "Danny?" Beth said, breaking the silence. Danny looked at her. "I'm just going to say this and if you think that I'm out of line, just tell me and I'll never say another word." She held his hand even tighter, scared of his reaction. "Ok, Ruiz told me that awhile ago you had some problems. He said that you're startin' to act the same now. Taylor and him are worried about you and now that I know something happened, I'm worried too. Danny, you know that I'm here for you. I wasn't here when that happened, but I'll listen if anything's wrong. I don't want you to hurt. You're so special." Danny stopped walking, turned and faced her. "I figured that this would happen sooner or later. God." He looked at her. "What is it? I swear I will never say anything, Sweetie." She looked straight at him. "Alright, listen. Back then, so many things happened. I accidently killed a boy, thought he was VC. The Phu An massacre, lotsa stuff. I went down hill did everything that I was brought up to believe was wrong. I got better, then you came along." She jerked at what he said. He chuckled. "That come out wrong. I mean I felt so good when you came. I just don't want that to end. I beginning to fall in love with you." Beth smiled and put her arms around him and hugged him, he drew her closer and hugged her so tight. She kissed him. "Then everything's alright with you?" "Yeah, I've just had a lot of things on my mind lately." "Let's go back, show the guys you're alright." He took her hand and they walked back. "You go by the guys, and I have to ask Goldman a question." He kissed her lightly and went back to the guys, a huge smile on his face. Beth shook her head. A small little talk changes the whole attitude oh him. Go figure. She walked over to Anderson and Goldman. "Sir?" They both looked, "Umm.Myron. I have to ask you a question." He nodded. "Is there anyway, that Danny won't be AWOL, but yet not be on the base for roll call?" Anderson raised his eyebrows at Goldman and smiled. "Why?" "Well, see he's been down in the dumps a little bit and I was wondering, if maybe, since you guys don't have a mission tomorrow, that maybe I could get a hotel room and me and him stay tonight and we'd be back for morning roll call?" Goldman smiled, "Is someone going to get lucky?"
Beth turned a deep red, "No, we're.going to.talk...I'm.not.that.way"
"Sorry, I was just kidding, It's none of my business what you and Percell do in your off time. I guess it'd be ok, he has been down a little lately. Go ahead."
She walked over to the table where the guys sat, Taylor and Ru laughing over some joke, Doc talking about the peace rally's over in the "Real World." "Danny, come with me."
"Where are we going, we gotta leave in an hour."
"A hour? Go PERCELL!" Ruiz and Taylor yelled.
"I talked to Goldman, you guys can go on ahead of us." She took Percell's hand and waved goodbye to everyone, Goldman still smirking. As they walked, Danny pulled her closer, and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Now, where might we be going?"
"Somewhere." She muttered as she kept walking. They reached the outside of the fanciest hotel in the city. "Come on."
"I'm not going to pay 100 U.S. dollars for an hour."
"It's not an hour, and I know someone here, it won't be that much." Danny looked down at her. "I talked to Goldman, we can stay the whole night, and no funny business, I really want to get to know you better. Did I ever tell you that I like to cuddle?" She said laughing lightly.
"But, I can't miss roll call, I'll miss two, and knowing Goldman, three."
"Baby, I talked to him, he's fine with it and so is Anderson, we just have to make it back before morning roll call."
Beth took a glimpse at Danny, he was staring at the beer bottle he cradled. "Sure..?" They got up and he led her onto the dance floor. She took his hand and put her other on his shoulder. "Beth?" "Yeah, Ruiz?" "You're prolly not going to like this, and I don't know if Danny's ever told you." Beth glanced at Ruiz with questioning eyes. " A while ago, oh, about 5 months now, Danny got into.some trouble." "What kinda trouble, Alberto, you're sounding as though somethin's wrong?"
He danced them further away from the table and so Danny couldn't see them talking. "He had a.a.drug problem. Pills.Dope..Heroin. He's been clean ever since, but me and Taylor have noticed that he's starting to go down hill again."
"Oh, my God, no he never told me. What do we do? Do I talk to him? Do I just leave it? Do I talk to Goldman? What do I do?"
"Whoa, here, wait a minute. Last time, he started not caring about anything, or he cared too much, either way. He couldn't sleep, hardly ate, and couldn't get going in the morning. Maybe you'd better say something, just not come right out? Just mention it? I don't know anymore. Maybe he's just not feeling good. I just want him to get better."
The song ended and whispered, "Thanks for the insight. I'm going to talk to him."
They walked back to the table and Beth went over to Percell and bent down and kissed him on the neck. "You wanna go for a walk?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever." He set his beer down swiped his hand under his nose, looked around and got up.
"Don't stray to far!" Taylor yelped in hopes of raising Percell's spirit.
"Yeah." Percell murmured.
Beth took his hand and held it tight. "Come on, Danny." *** Down the street from the bar Beth and Danny kept walking, an eery silence falling over them. Beth wanted to say something, but didn't want to upset him anymore than he already seemed to be. "Danny?" Beth said, breaking the silence. Danny looked at her. "I'm just going to say this and if you think that I'm out of line, just tell me and I'll never say another word." She held his hand even tighter, scared of his reaction. "Ok, Ruiz told me that awhile ago you had some problems. He said that you're startin' to act the same now. Taylor and him are worried about you and now that I know something happened, I'm worried too. Danny, you know that I'm here for you. I wasn't here when that happened, but I'll listen if anything's wrong. I don't want you to hurt. You're so special." Danny stopped walking, turned and faced her. "I figured that this would happen sooner or later. God." He looked at her. "What is it? I swear I will never say anything, Sweetie." She looked straight at him. "Alright, listen. Back then, so many things happened. I accidently killed a boy, thought he was VC. The Phu An massacre, lotsa stuff. I went down hill did everything that I was brought up to believe was wrong. I got better, then you came along." She jerked at what he said. He chuckled. "That come out wrong. I mean I felt so good when you came. I just don't want that to end. I beginning to fall in love with you." Beth smiled and put her arms around him and hugged him, he drew her closer and hugged her so tight. She kissed him. "Then everything's alright with you?" "Yeah, I've just had a lot of things on my mind lately." "Let's go back, show the guys you're alright." He took her hand and they walked back. "You go by the guys, and I have to ask Goldman a question." He kissed her lightly and went back to the guys, a huge smile on his face. Beth shook her head. A small little talk changes the whole attitude oh him. Go figure. She walked over to Anderson and Goldman. "Sir?" They both looked, "Umm.Myron. I have to ask you a question." He nodded. "Is there anyway, that Danny won't be AWOL, but yet not be on the base for roll call?" Anderson raised his eyebrows at Goldman and smiled. "Why?" "Well, see he's been down in the dumps a little bit and I was wondering, if maybe, since you guys don't have a mission tomorrow, that maybe I could get a hotel room and me and him stay tonight and we'd be back for morning roll call?" Goldman smiled, "Is someone going to get lucky?"
Beth turned a deep red, "No, we're.going to.talk...I'm.not.that.way"
"Sorry, I was just kidding, It's none of my business what you and Percell do in your off time. I guess it'd be ok, he has been down a little lately. Go ahead."
She walked over to the table where the guys sat, Taylor and Ru laughing over some joke, Doc talking about the peace rally's over in the "Real World." "Danny, come with me."
"Where are we going, we gotta leave in an hour."
"A hour? Go PERCELL!" Ruiz and Taylor yelled.
"I talked to Goldman, you guys can go on ahead of us." She took Percell's hand and waved goodbye to everyone, Goldman still smirking. As they walked, Danny pulled her closer, and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Now, where might we be going?"
"Somewhere." She muttered as she kept walking. They reached the outside of the fanciest hotel in the city. "Come on."
"I'm not going to pay 100 U.S. dollars for an hour."
"It's not an hour, and I know someone here, it won't be that much." Danny looked down at her. "I talked to Goldman, we can stay the whole night, and no funny business, I really want to get to know you better. Did I ever tell you that I like to cuddle?" She said laughing lightly.
"But, I can't miss roll call, I'll miss two, and knowing Goldman, three."
"Baby, I talked to him, he's fine with it and so is Anderson, we just have to make it back before morning roll call."