A/N Thanks so much for all of the reviews! You all are too nice! Glad you like the story. I hope it doesn't get boring. Finally some D/L in this chapter! I told you it was coming! Please keep reviewing if you want more!
Chapter 3 Not Promised Tomorrow
Dr. Collins comes back in after about 30 minutes and tells the crew they can go in one at a time to see Mac. He tells them that he is still unconscious, but encourages them to talk to him and touch him. The team all looked at Stella to go first.
Stella walks in the room and tries to be strong. She wants to laugh at how weak she feels right now. Everyone thinks she is so strong, but boy has she shown them different today, she thinks to herself. Little did they know the fear that was in her heart right now. She'd done a good job of hiding her heart, even with Mac. She feels that now it must be all out in the open. She can't imagine that they can't see the love she has in her heart and the fear of losing it before it has even been given a chance to bloom. She has been so afraid that Mac would never return the love that she's just tried to let him have his time to get over Claire and notice her. She knows there are times when he notices her. She reaches down now and takes his hand. She swallows the bile that is rising up in her throat. Never in her life has she seen Mac Taylor so pale and lifeless. The very sight makes her want to fall down in the floor and weep. She rubs a finger over Mac's hand. She leans down close to him.
"Mac. Can you hear me? It's Stella. (she rolls her eyes) I know you know that. You scared the hell out of me, Mac. (she fights to control her voice and keeps rubbing his hand.) I need you to fight with everything you have. I need you, Mac Taylor. There is so much I need to say to you. I need the chance to say so many things. Come back to me. Let me tell you all the things I should have a long time ago. (Tears start sliding down her cheeks again.) This isn't about just work anymore. You are a dynamic co-worker and an excellent boss, but Mac, you are so much more to me. I think you know that. I think we have danced around it for quite a while. I thought I was going to lose you today, Mac, and I'm through dancing around this. Wake up! I want to tell you everything that is in my heart. I need you to hear me."
Stella fights back the sobs when he doesn't move or even flinch. She realizes that her tears are wetting his hospital gown and she absently reaches down and wipes his chest where the gown is wet. She leans down and kisses his cheek. "Come back to me Mac."
She slowly walks out of the room and back down the hall.
Stella walks back in and sits down as Sheldon goes in to see Mac. Flack, Danny and Lindsay watch Stella sit down. "You OK, Stell?" Danny says. Stella nods her head. Flack tells her he is going to get everyone coffee. Stella smiles up at him. "Don, you always have to be DOING something." He shrugs and grins. "Do ya want coffee or not?" Stella laughs through her tears and says, "I'd love some." Lindsay gets up and sits down next to Stella. "Is there anything I can do?" Stella wiped her nose and says, "We are all scared and worried. This isn't all about me. We're all in this together." Lindsay looks over to Danny who has a "Yeah, right" smirk on his face. "You really care about him, don't you?" Lindsay asks Stella. Stella starts to so her usual denial about how she feels about Mac and immediately remembers her plea with God earlier. "Yes. Lindsay. I care about Mac more than I even realized and as soon as he wakes up, I plan to tell him that. If there is anyone you haven't told how much they mean to you, I'd suggest you do it. We certainly aren't promised tomorrow and that was brought home to me in a hard way today." Lindsay looks over at Danny to find he is looking right at her. She finds that she can't look away from him. Danny gives her a small smile and gets up as he sees Sheldon coming out. Each took their turn going in to see Mac. After Flack comes back out, Dr. Collins comes out and tells them they will be moving Mac up to the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU). They won't be able to visit with him again until morning. He tells them there is a family waiting room but suggests they go home and rest.
Stella tells the group to go home and she will stay. She knows she can't leave in case something happens. Sheldon tells her he will stay with her because he is off tomorrow and he knows that Mac isn't out of the woods yet and doesn't want her there alone. Flack hugs her and takes his leave to go back by the station and be sure they got Ashley into the teen shelter they'd gotten her in for the night. Danny and Lindsay hug Stella and Danny tells Lindsay he will take her home.
Danny and Lindsay are really quiet on the drive to her apartment. Each are thinking of the million things they want to say to each other. Danny pulls in the driveway and feels physically sick that he hasn't opened his mouth. Lindsay looks at him quickly before she can chicken out and says, "You want to come up for coffee? I don't think I am ready to go to sleep yet?" Danny breathes a sigh of relief. "I'd love too. I'm not quite ready to go home yet. I'm afraid when I close my eyes all I am gonna see is Mac fallin'. " Lindsay nods as they walk upstairs. "I know. Me too."
They make coffee and sit down on the sofa. Lindsay kicks her feet up and Danny absently reaches over and pulls them in his lap and starts rubbing her feet. She grins in spite of herself because Danny is still in another world and doesn't even realize he's done it. "Nice touch, Messer," She says. Danny's face reddens as he realizes what he's done. "Well, Montana, you made the coffee. I can at least earn my keep," He says grinning at her. Lindsay decides to start talking. "You know…………I hated it so bad when you called me Montana when I first got here." Danny bit his bottom lip. "I know. That's why I did. I wanted to get a rise out of ya." Lindsay laughs, "And then you had me calling Mac "sir" for crying out loud." Danny laughs out loud. "Yeah, that was pretty damned funny." He looks at her. "Does it still bother you when I call you Montana?" She thinks about it for a minute. "No. I kinda like it now. I don't think you say it in the same tone of voice." She peers over her coffee cup at him. He stops rubbing her feet and looks at her. "I miss you when you're not around, Montana." Lindsay feels her heart skip a beat. "That's good to know, Messer. I miss you when you're not around too. I even miss that silly assed smirk." Danny tries to look offended, "I don't smirk." Lindsay howls with laughter. They sit there and smile at each other for what seems like a very long time. Lindsay figures since she is out on that limb, she'll step out a little further. "Danny, can I ask you something?" He nods and says, "Shoot…………." Lindsay bites her bottom lip and says quietly, " I'm not making a sexual advance at you or anything, but I am really afraid that I am going to dream about Mac falling tonight and I really don't want to be alone. Would you stay here tonight?" Danny grins, shrugs his shoulders trying to look cool and says, "I'd be OK with the sexual advance." Lindsay laughed and smacked him. "Danny…………..I'm serious." Danny laughed. "So am I! But yeah…………I'll stay. I'll even sleep on the couch. I'll even be a good boy. Can I at least have a raincheck on the sexual advance though?" he whines. Lindsay grins and raises an eyebrow. "We'll see."
She goes to put her pajamas on and comes back with blankets and a pillow. Danny tries not to lick his lips when he sees her in the pink cotton pants and pale pink tank top that said PRINCESS on it. He raises an eyebrow and grins, "Princess huh?" Lindsay throws the pillow at him.
Lindsay is laying in her bed wondering why she can't sleep. She's dozed once but saw Mac falling as soon as her eyes closed. She had caught herself from yelling out because she didn't want to wake Danny up. She heard Danny get up and go into the bathroom. So much for waking him up she thought………….
She hears the toilet flush and when he opens the door she says, "You can't sleep either?" Danny comes to the door and pushes it open. "Nah. Not really." Lindsay can see his plaid boxers and firm chest in the moonlight. She tries to control what her body is feeling. "You OK?" she says to him. "Yeah, I'm OK. Ya know, Monroe, you really do look like a princess laying there like that." Lindsay blushed in the dark. "You look pretty hot yourself in the moonlight Danny." Danny walks in and sits on the side of the bed. "We really need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day. Stella is gonna be exhausted." Lindsay pulls up the covers. "Maybe if you just lay close to me, I'll feel more relaxed." Danny looks at her, "You sure?" She tries to slow her heart down, "Yeah." Danny slides in and then turns to her. "Can I hold you?" Lindsay scoots over into his arms and says, "I thought you'd never ask." She loves the feel of his chest when he gives a low gravelly laugh. He kisses her forehead and says, "Goodnight, Princess.".
They were both asleep within minutes.
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