A/N: Thanks to those of you that reviewed for the input on the third installment in the series! Although I feel like I'm begging for reviews, I'm gonna ask you to keep the opinions coming, on this story and the possible third one. There are only 2 chapters left after this one here, so ask yourself what life will be like in a week or so with no Maddie and Danny, and see how you react :-P
Anyway, some drama for you today. And when you read the description of Maddie's classroom when she returns from maternity leave, substitute spaghetti-noodle-and-marshmallow geometry projects for the glassware, and you have my classroom after I was out sick a few days last year. Ouch!
Enjoy!
"Hey beautiful," Sheldon smiled, sliding his arm around Sarah's waist as he bent down and kissed her neck.
She stopped mid-task and grinned. "Hey yourself, handsome," she replied leaning back against him. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company at work?"
He turned her in his arms and pulled her closer, his lips brushing softly over hers. "I wanted to see you," he said, his smile taking on a dopey, love-struck quality.
Sarah laughed. "You are so cute," she told him, running her fingers along the back of his neck.
Sheldon's expression changed, becoming one of regret at her intimate touch. "I have some bad news, too…"
"You have to cancel our plans for tonight," she frowned. "Again?"
He nodded apologetically. "I got a new case today…"
"…on top of the other forty million cases you're already working…" she interjected bitterly.
His frown deepened, but he continued without responding to the remark. "…and I need to be at the lab working on it tonight."
"It can't wait until tomorrow?" Sarah wondered.
Sheldon shook his head. "Unfortunately no. I gotta do this tonight." He gazed down into her eyes, running a thumb gently over the soft skin of her cheek. "Come on, you know I'd rather be with you."
"But this is part of the job," she finished, echoing the explanation she'd heard many times before. "All right," she sighed. "Go catch some bad guys."
He kissed her again, hoping to express his love for her with the simple act, hoping she really did understand.
Maddie plopped down at her desk, heaving a tired sigh as she surveyed her empty classroom.
"What a mess," she said aloud. "I guess that's what happens when you go on maternity leave for six weeks."
Papers had been thrown on the back table haphazardly, unlabeled and unchecked by the substitute teacher, the books on her shelves had been badly vandalized, glassware from the lab stations had been broken and strewn all over the back of the room, items had been stolen from her desk and cabinets, and posters had been ripped from the walls and bulletin boards, replaced with profane graffiti.
"It looks like a tornado went through here."
Maddie swiveled in her chair and smiled wearily at the biology teacher from the room next door. "Yeah it does," she agreed, sighing again.
"You should have seen that sub," the biology teacher chuckled ruefully. "She did okay with your physics class, and the Chemistry kids weren't too horrible, but those Basic Science classes of yours…"
"They're awful," she agreed. "Even to me, and most of them claim to like me."
"Well, I came in a few times and tried to put the fear of God in 'em," he grinned. "Settled 'em down for a few minutes anyway, but they won't be looking forward to having Mr. Logan in class any time soon."
"Thanks, Mike," she smiled, having heard his "fear of God" speeches through their adjoining wall many times in the past.
An hour later, the glass had been cleaned up, the torn posters stacked, and the books re-shelved.
"The rest can wait 'til tomorrow," Maddie declared. "Thanks for the help, Mike."
The biology teacher flashed her a smile. "Anytime."
She gathered her things together and headed out to the car, tossing her bag in the back and driving slowly home. Traffic was miserable, but mercifully she didn't have any stops to make or errands to run. Shayla and Dantrell had picked little Carrie up from daycare, and Danny was going to swing by the store on his way home from the lab.
"Hey Miss Parrish," Dantrell called cheerfully from the living room when Maddie pushed open her apartment door.
She smiled back. "Hey Dantrell. How're my girls doing today?"
"Carrie's been smiling all day," he replied grinning, "and Shayla got an…"
"…A on my English paper," Shayla finished, cutting off her friend with a laugh. "Danny called, though…"
"He's working a double again, isn't he?" Maddie answered flatly.
Shayla nodded. "He said he'd try to be home before we're asleep, but dinner's definitely out."
Maddie sighed for what seemed like the zillionth time that day. "Okay."
Dantrell and Shayla fixed dinner while Maddie spent some time with her youngest daughter, holding her as they rocked gently in the rocking chair, gazing into her deep blue eyes. Carrie's tongue poked out of her mouth, a trait she hadn't yet grown out of in her six weeks on earth, one that was so reminiscent of her father, and Maddie smiled. I wonder if he's thinking about you right now, she thought, kissing the baby's forehead.
I wonder how my girls are doin', Danny thought wistfully, his mind wandering away from the microscope he was currently peering into. How did Shayla do on her English paper? Does Carrie still do that thing with her tongue? How was Maddie's first day back at school? I bet it was brutal…I wish I was there to hold her…
"Danny!"
Mac's voice cut through his daydream and he snapped back to reality, jerking his face away from the microscope. "Yeah Mac?"
"What's the matter with you? I called your name three times," the older detective asked, his voice stern. "If you can't concentrate on your job then you're useless to me."
Danny shook his head, clearing the remains of his reverie from his brain. "No, I'm good. Everything's fine…except these fibers. The one we recovered from the body doesn't match the one we got from the suspect's clothes."
He stepped aside and Mac leaned down to look for himself. When he straightened up, he glanced at Danny again and saw an emotion playing across his face that had nothing to do with the unmatched fibers, one that he had been quite familiar with in the past. "You were thinking about your family, weren't you?"
The younger CSI lowered his gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yeah."
"You've been working so much you haven't really seen them," Mac continued knowingly.
Danny nodded again. "Yeah."
"How long has it been since you and Maddie had a real conversation?" Mac asked gently.
Danny blew out a breath as he tried to recall the last time he talked to—really talked to—his wife. "About a week, I guess."
Mac shook his head. "That's no way to live, Danny, and you know it. Why don't you take a few minutes and call home. It'll clear your head and you'll be able to concentrate again."
"Thanks Mac."
The older CSI nodded and slipped out of the lab, leaving Danny alone with his cell phone which he pulled out of his pocket and flipped open. Mashing the speed dial button for home, he stripped his lab coat off and wandered down the hallway in search of some privacy.
"Hello?"
Maddie's voice was clear and crisp, and he smiled at the sound. "Hey babe, it's me."
"Danny…" Her tone changed in a way he couldn't quite place. She almost sounded disappointed.
Was her day that bad? he wondered, feeling guilty for not being there. "Yeah. I was just callin' to check up on my girls."
She smiled softly at that, knowing that "girls", when Danny used the term, included her. "We're good," she told him. "Shayla got an A on her English paper…"
"That's great!"
Maddie's smile grew. "Yeah, she's pretty excited about it. And Carrie's been smiling and cooing all day…"
"Has she been doin' that thing with her tongue?"
She laughed. "A couple of times since I've been home. Oh, Danny, you should see her…" Her voice caught and she stopped momentarily to collect herself.
Danny knew what she was doing and the feeling of guilt began to swell inside him. He decided to try changing the subject. "How was your first day back at school?"
Wrong move.
"Errrr," she growled through gritted teeth. "It was bad."
He winced. "I'm sorry, Maddie…"
"They destroyed my room, Danny," she told him, and he could hear the tears in her voice. "They were horrendous the whole time I was gone…the sub swears she'll never teach here again…and they didn't see a single thing wrong with any of the things they did…"
His fingers tightened around the phone and he fought the urge to punch the wall he was leaning against. "I'm sorry," he repeated, not knowing what else to say.
"Come home," Maddie pleaded. "Come home early tonight, Danny, and see your family…see me. Shayla misses you, little Carrie knows Dantrell better than her own father…and I need you so much…"
He cleared his throat gruffly. "You know I can't do that," he whispered.
"You can," she insisted. "Tell Mac it's an emergency, tell him it's a mental health day…hell, tell him to take his overtime and shove it. You know I'm not the kind of woman that's clingy and whiny and makes a big deal out of every late night you work I know that's part of the job, but just tonight—just this once—I'm making a big deal out of it."
Her voice was growing hard, and Danny knew she was near the breaking point. But he also knew there was a murder walking around free, and that any second he could kill again. Maybe it would be a woman from Harlem, or a man from Queens, or maybe it would be Maddie or Shayla or Carrie. And he knew he couldn't leave.
"Please don't," he croaked, trying desperately not to get angry with her. "I miss you, too—you have no idea how much—but I can't leave early. We'll sit down when I get home tonight and you can tell me everything…we'll put in a movie and cuddle up together on the couch like we used to…"
"No!" Maddie almost shouted into the phone. "You've always been very understanding and patient with my job, and I've been very understanding and patient with yours, but I'm tired of it. I can't be understanding and patient anymore. You've been gone too much…"
"I need to solve this case," he snarled. "And we need the extra money…Shayla's going to college, Carrie's already outgrown half of her clothes… I'm trying to provide for my family!"
They were both upset now, emotionally overwrought and on the verge of screaming which they knew wouldn't do anyone any good. Without realizing it, they took a deep breath together and came to the same conclusion.
"Fine Danny," Maddie decided with a note of acrimony in her voice. "Stay at work. Do what you have to do."
He flipped his phone shut forcefully and stalked back to the lab, ripping his lab coat from its hanger and slamming his fist against the counter.
So much for clearing his mind.
On the other side of the building, another couple was involved in a very similar conversation.
"Again Sheldon?" Sarah asked, exasperated that they were having the same discussion for the third time that week. She stood with him in the lobby of the Crime Lab playing with the visitor's tag that was clipped to her blouse, unable to look him in the eye for fear of letting out all her frustration in front of everyone.
"It's not like I'm the only one staying," Sheldon explained, trying to defend himself. "We're all working on this one…Mac hasn't slept in over a day, Stella's been in the lab for two straight shifts, Danny hasn't seen his family…"
"I don't care about anyone else," she interrupted. "It's you I want to see, Sheldon. It's you that I love…can't you understand that?"
He took her hands in his and squeezed them tenderly. "Of course I understand that. I love you, too, Sarah. But you knew how intense this job was when we met…and you knew what kind of work ethic I had, too. This shouldn't be a surprise to you."
"It isn't," she agreed. "But you know how many times in the past you've blown me off and I didn't say anything. Tonight is different…remember?"
"It's our anniversary, I know," he nodded. "But I can't…"
She pulled her hands away from him and frowned deeply. "Sheldon, if you can't even make time for our anniversary, for plans we've had for weeks, there isn't going to be another anniversary to plan for."
His eyes widened. "What are you saying?"
"I think you know what I'm saying," she replied, attempting to keep herself calm and not cause a scene. "There are just some things in life that are more important than work."
"My work is who I am," he retorted defensively. "If you can't handle my job, then maybe you can't handle me."
Sarah shook her head sadly, pulling her key ring from her purse and removing one of the keys. "I guess I can't."
She turned and walked away, leaving Sheldon standing in the lobby holding the key he had given her to his apartment, staring at it as though it had magical powers.
Danny strode through the lobby, still replaying the argument with Maddie over and over in his head, and nearly knocked Sheldon down. "Sorry, Doc," he apologized. "I didn't see you there."
"'Sokay," Sheldon replied absently.
"You all right?" Danny asked.
The young doctor shook his head. "Sarah and I just broke up…"
"What?"
He couldn't take his eyes off the key in his hand. "She gave me back my key…said I spent too much time here and not with her…"
Danny's eyes widened. Maddie…
Danny crept quietly into the apartment and slunk down the dark hallway. He poked his head into the girls' bedroom, smiling contentedly at his two sleeping daughters, then continued on to the master bedroom where Maddie lay curled up in their bed. Sliding off his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt, he crawled onto the bed and wrapped an arm around his wife.
"I'm sorry about today," he whispered to her sleeping form. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for the kids, and I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you needed me…" He buried his face in her neck and squeezed his eyes shut, holding her close against him. "I love you so much…"
She withdrew her hand from under the blankets and laid it over his, a sleepy smile forming on her lips in the darkness. Danny knew they would talk tomorrow, would sit down and sort out all of the things that had been bothering the both of them for the past few weeks. But at that moment, all he cared about were the four little words that Maddie whispered back to him.
"I love you, too."