Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, form, or fashion own Without a Trace. If I did the show would be over because Sam and Martin would already be married.

A/N: Hello all! Not much to say except that I hope you like this one. It is again pretty short so I'm sorry!

POV: Danny Taylor
Spoilers: Safe

Chapter Six: Danny Taylor and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I visited Martin every single day the first week after we got Dornvald. Granted, each time he was completely knocked out because of all of the drugs. Then the second week, we all went as a team. Mr. Johnson wheeled Viv in and she brought him flowers. Jack brought with him a get well card that the whole 12th floor had signed. Samantha didn't bring anything but she didn't have to. Martin was happy enough with the fact that she wasn't giving him the cold shoulder anymore. And as it turns out, Samantha had already seen him awake twice.

He wasn't cruel to me or anything. He smiled and greeted me just like the others. But then he said,

"So you're okay? You didn't get hurt?" I know he didn't mean anything by it, he was just making sure that what he remembered was right. I even know that he was probably relieved by the fact that I hadn't been hurt as badly as he was.

But I still couldn't help feeling guilty that I was standing there completely healthy and he was stuck in a hospital bed. While I am running around doing the job that I love, Martin is stuck in bed with nothing to do but sleep and eat. And the worst of it was that I knew that he wouldn't be out any time soon. He would eventually be able to go home but then there was physical therapy.

That's why I stopped going by. I couldn't sleep that night. I guess it was selfish of me to stay away, but I couldn't face the guilt I was feeling.

And then when he showed up at work…I could barely stand it.

Jack told us he would be back that morning during the debrief and I was so excited. I knew I would have to own up to not visiting him, but he would be back where he belonged. Things would be back to normal.

I had expected the old Martin. The happy-go-lucky, crack a few jokes and then get down to business Martin. But what I got was a very pale, thinner, limping with a cane Martin. All I could do when I saw him get out of the elevator was stare. My stomach knotted up and I couldn't force myself to get his attention.

So instead, I ran.

I jumped into that elevator and hoped that he wouldn't catch a glimpse of me.

Then later, when he was coming out of the interview with Ryan's mother, there was no where for me to go without Martin seeing me, so I stood there and waited for the inevitable confrontation.

"Hey!" I said trying to sound enthusiastic when really my stomach was plummeting.

"How have you been?" I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from the cane he was using to support himself. It was a stupid question to ask for two reasons: he was using a cane and if I had been visiting him I would know the answer. He answered in an almost automatic "Yeah, I'm okay." I'm sure he said that to everyone, Martin was never one to enjoy a pity party.

I was afraid of the uncomfortable silence so I quickly changed the subject.

"Tough case to come back to, huh?" Work, how more impersonal could I be? I felt like such an idiot standing there with nothing to say to my best friend, the guy I'd been working next to for three years.

I couldn't stand the guilt anymore, I had to say something, if only to clear the air.

"Look Martin, I'm…I'm sorry that I haven't come to see you in a while." I couldn't explain to him why I hadn't been to see him, I would sound like an idiot…or a girl. And of course Martin shrugged it off, telling me not to worry about it and trying to take away my guilt by saying that he was knocked out anyway, but it didn't work. I still felt guilty, I still felt like a chump, and now I had to run again.

We could deal with it another time.

I guess when I saw Ryan sitting there with the detonator in his hand I felt the chance to make something go right that day. When he opened up to me, for some reason I just felt that maybe if I could make him put it down then everything would be right in the world again.

Instead it backfired. I practically talked the kid into blowing himself up.

And as I realized that he was going to do it I just knew that my life was about to end. I jumped behind the table, covered my head and waited for the blast. Instead I heard the frustrated noises as he tried to set it off over and over and the rushed footsteps of Samantha and Jack as they rushed towards us.

I didn't need Jack to tell me I'd screwed up. I'd been standing there staring at Ryan for a half hour as the paramedics had checked him out and then as the police came to arrest him.

All in all, it was one of the worst days of my adult life.

A/N-Okay I know, another short one, but I have two very fluffy ones coming up next: Sam and Martin on the hug. Of course Martin's will entail the confrontation with Danny, being stuck in the office, the hard times of his first day back, and the horror of needing a new agent.

Life is about to get busy for me again so updates may not be as frequent but I will try to get caught up by a week from Thursday. Also, sometimes my internet connection decides to be annoying and not let me upload so that may also cause a delay.

I hope you enjoyed!