After Danny and Mary had talked, Mary went off in search of some kind of solitude. Danny on the other hand was on a mission; he was going to get through this day and do what needs to be done. He found Ed standing in the casino and walked up determinedly and told Ed his wish for him to be the executor of his will. Danny realized that this was a hard thing to ask of Ed, but it was the right thing to do. He knew Mary couldn't handle and she was a major beneficiary of the will, his father despite their strained relationship also couldn't handle it, so logically Ed was the answer. Hmph…thought Danny when Ed mentioned his father…..there was a can of worms.
Danny McCoy had a pretty good childhood. It wasn't until the age of 9 that the shit hit the fan. His mother, the love of his fathers life, was diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer. Danny remembered the day he found out something was wrong; it was just a normal Tuesday afternoon. He, Mary, and Greg had just come home from school and were waiting impatiently for their afternoon snack. He remembered his mom was moving a little slower that day and he was being quite a bit of a snot, but then all of a sudden his mother fainted and the next thing he knew it was three months later and he was at a funeral with Mary holding his hand just as confused as he was.
From that moment on the McCoy family had almost fallen apart if it weren't for a little girl who was determined to keep them together for her sake and theirs. Danny and Larry loved each other deeply, but something was missing. It was as if Larry had a chunk of his heart missing that would always make him slightly aloof to the world and his son's emotions. Luckily for Danny, Mary was there, even at the age of 9, forcing them to bond.
The years following Lanie McCoy's death were definitely stormy….reflected Danny…. The only time he and his father ever truly interacted was when they worked at job sites and had what Mary dubbed "Sunday Dinner". His teenage years brought about a whole new level to their relationship, especially when Mary moved in. The relationship reached a boiling point in his senior year second semester when Danny decided to forgo the family business and join the Marines.
There were many reasons promoting him to join the Marines, but the prevailing one had to be the fact that he was getting too….too…..something with Mary and he did not like where it was heading. And second of all he did not want to end up like his father. He went into the Marines to escape and now it has led him to the present predicament.
Now Danny loved being a Marine and truly believed in the Corp. The Corp helped turn him into the man he was today. They gave him an education that will forever prove to be invaluable. He went in a confused high school graduate private and came out a Lt. with a college degree.
He never truly talked about what it was that he did in the Marines, but it was widely known that he was in the counter intelligence, but beyond that it was pretty much don't ask don't tell kind of thing (well…..expect for Ed…who knows about everything). Danny knew, and mostly likely Ed did too , that him being called back was a pretty serious thing and he didn't want to admit that to anyone…especially Mary.
Danny was drawn from his thoughts by running into Sam who proceed to tell him that Mary was looking for him and that her father was there today. And Danny nearly lost it. IF there was anyone in the world who Danny would kill with out a single thought it would be Mark Connell and there had been a couple of times he almost did.
Danny knew he had to find Mary….he had to protect her…..like he always did……..