A/N - Thank you for reviewing. Sorry thisplotiskind of slow-going. The pace should pick up in the next few chapters. Thanks to Mariel for your help.
Walking into her apartment a couple of hours after Danny left for work, Katie instantly felt empty. This wasn't home. Home was wherever Danny was. She had half a mind to tell her new roommate that she was going to have to bail on her, but she knew she needed to talk to Danny first. She also knew she needed to give it time. She'd spent thousands of dollars on therapists who told her that she shouldn't rush into a new relationship – no matter how happy she was when she was with him.
Quickly immersing herself in preparation for her summer classes, she spent the day trying to focus on something other than Danny. It wasn't an easy task, but by late afternoon, she'd actually gotten quite a bit done. Satisfied with her productivity, she reached for the phone to see how Danny's day was going.
"Taylor," he answered in a rushed tone.
"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Katie asked hesitantly.
"Uh, yeah, actually. It's not a good time," he said in a distracted tone.
"I won't keep you then. I just wanted to remind you to call—"
"I called her. I called Sylvia."
"Oh. Good. Is everything okay?" she asked hopefully.
Katie listened, but Danny didn't answer right away. All she heard was a deep sigh in the background. Finally, she heard his voice again.
"He's…he's is some kind of trouble. Raffi hasn't been home in two days. That's why Sylvia called."
Looking at clock, Katie noticed that Danny had left for work over twelve hours ago. She silently wondered why he hadn't called her, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she asked, "Is there anything I can do? Can I help? Does Sylvia need anything?"
"No. There's nothing you can do. Sylvia has family helping her."
"What about you?" she asked quietly.
"I'm just trying to find him, baby, but it doesn't look good," he said in a broken tone.
"I'm sorr—"
"Listen, I have to go," he interrupted abruptly. "We're about to interview someone. I'll call you later."
"Okay. I love—, "but she didn't finish because Danny had already hung up on his end.
Pacing around her apartment, Katie wondered what she should do next. She knew most of Danny and Rafael's history. Danny had opened up to her about almost everything when they were kids. For a long time, Katie hated Rafael for not being there for Danny after their parents died. So much of Danny's childhood trauma was caused by Rafael's drug use and abandonment. But now, Katie realized how powerful forgiveness could be. She'd hoped that Danny and Rafael could patch things up so that Danny could find some closure to that part of his life and learn to trust more easily.
Rubbing her eyes, she sank into the sofa. She felt completely helpless and didn't really know what to do next. Her indecision was interrupted by a knock at the door. Looking through the peep hole, Katie sighed when she saw her father, Tom Mason, standing outside.
Opening the door, she greeted him warily. "Hey, Dad. I wasn't expecting you."
"I really wasn't expecting you, either. I, uh, I just wanted to drop this off. Thought you might need these," he said as he handed her a small box.
Taking the box, Katie stepped aside to let her father in the apartment. "What is this?" she asked still distracted by her thoughts of Danny.
"I was going through some of your old things and found all of the writing you did in high school. There are papers and journals that you kept on all your reading. Since you are headed back to school—"
"I wrote this stuff in high school, Dad. It's not going to be much help now," she interrupted in an unintentional agitated tone. Sensing that she'd been rude by the hurt look on her father's face, she said, "I'm sorry. That was incredibly rude. Thank you for bringing this. It will be interesting to read. I've just…I just heard some bad news so you caught me at a tough time."
"Is there anything I can do? I noticed that you look upset."
"I, um, it's nothing," she replied quietly not wanting to discuss Danny with her father.
"Are things moving forward with school? If you're having any trouble getting in or coming up with the money, then I can—"
"Everything is fine with that, Dad. Don't worry."
"Then it must be Danny. Is that why you're here? Is there a problem with him?"
"No. No problem. I can't—"
"You can tell me, sweetheart. I want to be here for you. You can trust me."
Biting her lip, Katie suddenly had the urge to tell her father what was going on if for no other reason, than to just pass the time until she heard from Danny again. "Danny has a brother, and his brother may be in some kind of trouble."
"I know he has a brother. Is he still in prison?"
Surprised by her father's response, Katie frowned. "How did you know that?"
After taking a deep breath, her father explained. "I got a complete history on Danny when you were involved with him at Brentland. And then I did another check on him when you saw him before you married Eric."
"Jesus, Dad, you did a background check on an eighteen-year-old kid? What did you think you'd find? And why on earth would you check up on him again?"
"I don't necessarily think it's productive to rehash all of this now, but at the time, I was only concerned for your safety. Imagine if his brother wasn't in prison at the time, then you could have been in danger."
Shaking her head, Katie sat down on the sofa. "You're right. We shouldn't rehash it. It will only make me more upset."
Taking a seat in the chair across from her, her father asked," What's going with his brother?"
Katie looked up at her father and was surprised to see genuine interest and concern. "I don't know. He didn't say much on the phone—just that Rafael was in trouble and that he was looking for him," she said with a hint of desperation. "Dad, Danny sounded so distraught on the phone, and there is nothing I can do about it."
"I know some people. I could make some calls—"
"No! Absolutely not," she stated emphatically. "I'm not even sure Danny would want me to tell you about this."
"Like I told you the other day at brunch, I want to get to know Danny. I want to put the past behind us. Clearly, he makes you happy and he's supported your dreams. For that, I am grateful to him."
"I want that, too, but now isn't the time – especially now. I appreciate the offer, though, and thank you again for bringing my things," Katie said as she stood up. She was afraid that if she talked to her father any more that she would fall a part, and she didn't want him to see that.
Standing up hesitantly, her father followed her to the door. "Call me if you…or Danny need anything?"
"I will. Thanks, Dad," she said as she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before he walked out the door.
After her father left, Katie desperately wanted to call Danny again, but she didn't want to bother him. She decided the best thing she could do was go back to his apartment and wait for him.
Going back to his apartment didn't make her feel any more useful. She just nervously paced around until she finally settled onto the sofa. It was very late in the evening and he still hadn't called. Finally, she pulled a blanket over herself and stretched out on the sofa. Despite the barrage of thoughts going through her head, she fell into a restless sleep.
At 2 am, her eyes opened wide at the sound of baby Madison's high-pitched cries. Katie had to take a moment to remember why she was on the couch. Then she jumped slightly when she noticed the bedroom light on and heard the shower being turned off. Slowly, she stood up and wrapped the blanket around her body as she made her way into the bedroom. Stopping in front of the bathroom door, she watched as Danny leaned against the sink - his hands bearing down as if supporting his entire body. His head bent, he inhaled and exhaled deeply, in an obvious attempt to stop himself from breaking down. Katie felt her own eyes fill with tears. As much as she wanted to go to him and hold him, she knew this was a private moment for him and didn't want to interrupt it, so she quietly walked out of the bedroom and sat back down on the sofa.
About ten minutes later, Danny walked out of the bedroom and stopped in surprise when he noticed she was awake.
"Hey," he said in a hoarse, wary tone.
"Hi," Katie said as she stood up and walked toward him. "Did you find him?"
Danny nodded as he lifted his hand to her cheek. "I was going to call you, but there was never a good time."
"It's okay. Don't worry. Just tell me what happened," she said taking his hand and leading him to the couch.
"He started using again. He got denied on a loan to start this auto shop business so he just fell a part."
"Where is he now? Is he okay?"
Shaking his head, Danny ran his hand through his hair. "He's in jail. He tried to get the money for the auto shop by packing some meth into a car, and the deal went bad. He's in a lot of trouble, Katie."
"Oh my God. How's Sylvia…Nicky?"
"Nicky doesn't know anything yet. Sylvia is a wreck. She didn't see this coming at all. I tried to warn her, but she really believed in him," he said as his eyes drifted away from her gaze. "Maybe if I'd believed in him too…" he whispered but didn't finish.
"This isn't your fault, Danny," she said taking his hand.
Meeting her eyes again, he shook his head. "I, um, I'm really beat. I need to get some sleep. Jack gave me the day off tomorrow, but I have to find Raffi a lawyer and see if I can get him out on bail. I promised Sylvia I'd get her in to see him so I should probably see if I can sleep for a little while," he said as he stood up and then helped her to her feet.
Realizing that Danny didn't want to talk anymore, Katie just followed him into the bedroom and laid down next him. She knew he was still awake as she started to drift off to sleep. She could tell by his breathing and the tension in his shoulders. It didn't surprise Katie at all when she woke up the next morning and he was already gone.
