Here we go- the final chapter! I hope that you all liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Disclaimer: Duh...I don't own anything.

Hope you like it!

Once again, the doctor came out, looking wearily around for Mac. "Mr. Taylor," he nodded toward Mac, "We managed to fix the problem with Danny's heart. When we were in the surgery before, we didn't see the problem. Apparently, when one of his ribs broke, it poked a small hole in his left ventricle that was bleeding out. We managed to control the bleeding, and he's back in his room." Noting the questioning looks on the faces, he continued with a wry smile. "And yes, you can see him now."

With that, Dr. Ricks walked away and the whole team proceeded into Danny's room; they all wanted to be there when he woke up.

Finally, his eyes started to open and he cautiously put a hand to his bandaged chest. "What…?" He was so confused- confused as to where he was, confused as to why he was there, and confused as to why there was a heavy bandage around his chest that constricted his breathing.

"Danny, they had to do more surgery on you heart. You gave us quite a scare!" Hawkes joked nervously with Danny.

"We were all so worried. We thought that you'd died." Stella added in a quiet voice.

Mac, always one for the science, questioned Danny about what happened. "How did they take you, Danny? I would have thought you'd put up a fight."

Danny nodded, relieved to be talking about something other than how his health was. "After I got off my shift, I stopped by a local bar and watched the game that was on. I caught the subway home and was at my apartment in a matter of minutes." He paused, rubbed his head, and then looked around the room, eyes finally landing on Lindsay. "As soon as I opened my door, I knew that someone was there and so I drew my gun. A guy approached me, the man with the hair. He had a gun with him, and he told me to put my gun down, or he'd shoot me. I told him no, and he started pressing me toward my bedroom. Once we were there, someone hit on the head from behind. That's all I remember until I woke up in a car."

Mac nodded. "And after that?"

"They took me somewhere and tied me up to a bar in the wall." Danny's face showed his emotion, and his voice grew husky, his accent more pronounced as well. "First they beat me with a baseball bat," He closed his eyes, remembering the pain. "After they grew tired of that, they had a weird whip type of thing. They put the whip away and pulled a gun out and beat me with the butt of it."

Lindsay's heart ached, finally knowing what Danny had been through. Just when she thought that he had finished his harrowing tale, he took a deep breath and continued.

"Then they had something that was like a pipe and proceeded to use that against me. All during the beatings, they kept talking about their brother and how I deserved to go through the same pain that he has had to in prison. Just before you showed up, they were going to shoot me, saying that they were going to make me look like Swiss cheese." He stopped again and shuddered. The pain renewed itself and he felt each hit a second time. His anger bubbled up inside of him, and tears of rage threatened to well up in his eyes. "Did you get them Mac? Did you get those SOBS?"

Lindsay was not amazed at the animosity that dripped off of Danny's voice. "They're dead." Her voice was not above a whisper, but it gave Danny the answer that he needed.

"How?" Danny's voice matched Lindsay's: hoarse and quiet.

"After they shot you, Lindsay shot Craig- the bald one, and I shot Ian- the one with the hair." Mac answered.

They talked about the case for a bit longer, but when Danny couldn't hide his yawns anymore, everyone but Lindsay left. And even after he had fallen asleep, she sat on his bed with her hand in his.

Two weeks later, Danny was released from the hospital. The doctors had wanted to keep him for observations and because of the previous complications. Of course, the whole time, Danny was itching to get out and the fact that the doctors didn't let him walk around at all, for fear that either the stitches would rip open or the internal bleeding would start again.

But finally, the day came and Danny was almost all healed. Except for scars and bruises that remained, he was almost completely better. His collarbone was healed; there was no longer a chance of the internal bleeding starting again, and his ribs were healing quickly.

Danny was sure that he could make it home on his own, but Mac insisted that someone had to make sure he got home safely. Since both he and Stella were working on a case, as was Hawkes, Lindsay was the only person that could escort him. Secretly, that pleased him to no end- he might finally get the chance to tell her how he felt.

"Hey Danny. You ready?" Lindsay's soft voice was sounded just as eager as Danny felt.

"More than ever!" Lindsay was glad that she was the one taking him home- she wanted to tell him how she felt.

The ride was torture for Danny. Each time he wanted to say something, he chickened out. He kept telling himself that she didn't reciprocate his feelings, that he was being foolish. But then he would catch the looks, the shy glances that she gave when he thought that he wasn't looking.

When they reached Danny's apartment, Lindsay insisted that she stayed and helped him get settled. Danny wasn't sure if she was stalling for time, or if she genuinely wanted him to get comfortable.

Danny unlocked his door, stepped inside and then turned to face her. "Lindsay, I need to tell you something." The puzzled look on her face suddenly changed to joy as he cupped her face in his hands and captured her lips with his own. As he deepened the kiss, Lindsay's tongue gained entry into his mouth, and Danny realized that he had never felt like this before.

It felt like fireworks were going off, like magic as she kissed him. He never wanted the kiss to end, but when the need for oxygen overpowered their lust for each other, they pulled back.

"Wow." The word escaped Lindsay's mouth before she could even think about it.

Danny- breathing heavily- nodded his head in agreement, and then winced in pain as Lindsay hugged him tightly. "Ribs."

"Sorry!" She gave him another kiss and they both yearned for more. Danny's hands found their way under Lindsay's shirt and Lindsay's hands fumbled with the buttons of Danny's. "Montana…" He moaned into her mouth, and when she didn't stop, "Lindsay!"

She broke away, suddenly worried that he didn't want this. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"Montana! It's not that- I can't do this right now. I mean, I can hardly even hug you let alone…Well, you know." He gave a small, embarrassed grin.

"Sorry." It was Lindsay's turn to give a shy smile.

"No, Lindsay, I want you to know that I want this." He gave her a sincere look, letting her know what he said was true. "The whole time that I was in the warehouse- through everything that was happening- all I could think about was how I would never get to see you again. I didn't care that I wouldn't ever see the Yankee's play another game or the Giants..." He paused, trying to fight away tears. "All that ran through my mind was that—" His voice cracked, and Lindsay could tell that Danny was dead serious. "I knew that if I died, I would never get to tell you…I wouldn't be able to tell you that I love you."

Lindsay stared at him for a second, not really sure that she heard him correctly. Danny was wearing his emotions on his face, and Lindsay could see the hurt because she hadn't replied right away. Seeing this, she snapped out of her shock and answered. "You do?" Her voice was hopeful and excited.

"I know that it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I really do. You stand up to me, you keep me guessing, and you are simply stunning. Every time I think that I've got you figured out, you come out of nowhere and surprise me. You're brave and courageous, but kind and gentle. You're everything I've ever been looking for in a woman, and I can't let you get away." He pulled her in for another long kiss, and when they broke away, Lindsay drank in his cerulean eyes.

"Danny, I want you to know something too. When we were looking for you, I kept getting so frustrated- I thought that when we found you, you'd either be dead or…" Tears pooled up in her eyes, falling down her cheeks. Danny leaned in and kissed them away. She laughed, and continued. "Or that when we found you, you'd be different- maybe emotionally scarred or something. But Stella took me aside and talked to me, telling me that we'd find you, because you were a fighter. And then…then she told me that you loved me…and that I loved you." She paused and looked up into his eyes. "And I really do love you Danny." They kissed each other for another long minute, and only broke apart when Lindsay's cell phone rang.

Sighing, she answered with a annoyed, "Monroe."

"Lindsay, its Mac. I've got a body on 5th that I need you to take care of." She smiled and nodded.

"Looks like I've got another body to take care of." She smiled and kissed him. "Life goes on."

"Sure it does." He kissed her gently again, whispering in her ear. "Sure it does."

Well, that's the end. Sorry if it was shorter than you like it to be, but oh well!

Read and review please, and tell me what you think! And if you demand a sequel, I might just be able to provide it:)

Charlotte