Adelphe, S'agapo (Greek - Dear Sister, I Love You)

Stella spent the night wandering through Catharine's halls, looking at pictures on the walls and restlessly watching her husband and daughter sleep. She couldn't rest her mind, or retire her thoughts long enough to lie down. She kept replaying the last few months over and over. And now she was adding thoughts about the new radiation treatments she would be getting the next day on top of her restlessness.

Sitting at the table she flipped through the TV Guide. She reached for a pen and started the crossword puzzle on the back page. 5 down; three-letter abbr. for question of murder. Easy… COA. She wrote the letters in neatly. That was the only one she could get. Soon she surrendered her pen, practically throwing it across the room. She let her head fall down against the table. How was she going to do this? She had to, but she was more terrified now than she had been at first.

The next morning came after still no sleep for Stella. She fought the fatigue, making sure not to let Don know she hadn't slept for the past few nights. She sat in the passenger seat, watching the countless bars, casinos, shops and hotels pass by. It seemed endless; definitely a tourist town by any and all means.

It wasn't long before Don pulled into the parking garage outside of the medical facility. He sat quiet for a few minutes before willing himself to make eye contact with his wife. "Feeling alright?"

"Feeling great, Don." When had she started lying to him? It scared her to be so dishonest with him, but she had to spare him what was raging inside her head.

Time passed slowly as she was laid out onto a cold table. The nurse and doctor wore protective gear as they focused a radioactive beam on specific areas of her head. Slowly her eyes drifted shut as alarms began to sound.

Something wasn't right and Don was overwhelmed with a sickening ache in his stomach and chest. He pressed his hands against the glass window as the medical technicians ran around sticking needles into Stella and attaching machines.

His fingers curled slightly and he slowly sunk to his knees.

"Detective Taylor." Mac's voice was a welcome sound.

"Mac… It's Don."

"How are things going?"

"Not good. Stella went out during her treatments today. She just went flat line. No movement, no breathing, no brain functions. They hooked her to some stuff and she's still unconscious, but now she's breathing on her own. Good sign I guess, but she… I dunno, Mac." Don was out of breath before he reached the last of his report.

Mac was quiet for a moment. "Don, I'm sending Danny back down. Maybe it'll help with Jordan or whatever you need him for."

"That'd be good." Don answered as though the life had been beaten out of him.

"Hang in there. Just take care of Stella and we'll worry about Jordan and about you." Mac paused and Don heard him flipping pages. "Can your sister take the next two days off? Danny just wrapped a case and has to testify tomorrow."

"I'm sure she could swing that."

"Alright. You know where to find me if you need me, Don. Just hang on."

"Thanks, Mac. Bye."

In New York, Danny was making his way into the lab. He'd just finished his statement to the DA and his testimony in court and now Mac wanted to talk to him. He thought he did well during this case, but guess not.

He peeked into the glass-surrounded office where Mac was staring at a photo of Stella. It was one from her baby shower. She was holding Jordan and curled up on the couch. They'd almost lost her than too.

Danny cleared his throat. "Yo, Mac?"

"Come on in, Danny."

He did and he sat in front of Mac's desk. "What's going on? Mac, I thought it had something to do with the case, but…" He pointed, indicating the picture Mac was holding.

Mac shook his head. "You did amazing. You wrapped that case and took a potential serial rapist off the streets in record time, Danny. I'm proud you are a member of this team. However, I'm going to have to let you go."

"What?" Danny didn't let Mac finish as he ranted on about how much better he could serve the team and so on.

Mac whistled loudly with his two fingers. "Danny. Let me finish."

Danny blushed as he closed his mouth.

"I have to send you to Vegas. Stella's doing worse and Don needs something. I don't know if he just needs a babysitter for Jordan, or if he needs a friend or backup if he falls asleep at the hospital. I don't really know what he wants, but I offered to send you down and he didn't argue it.

Danny was feeling nauseas. "How much worse?"

"She passed out and stopped breathing during the last radiation treatment. She's been monitored since in the ICU, and she's not regained consciousness yet."

"Shit." Danny yanked his glasses off of his face as he rubbed his eyes, just trying to grasp what was going on. "When can I leave?" There were tears visible that he didn't try to fight as he stared at Mac.

"Tonight. Flight departs from JFK at 9:30pm tonight. You have a layover in Chicago for about 3 hours and than your flight will depart for Vegas." Mac slid him the tickets, schedule and layover information as well as gift certificates for McDonalds and a few bucks for anything else he might need along the way. "Give Stella a hug for me."

When Mac said that, Danny new how much he wanted to be there. He never had doubted Mac harbored some sort of resentment for not being there with her back when Frankie had attacked her. Now he had lost her all but as a friend and he couldn't leave the lab to see that friend.

He nodded. "Mac, I'll make sure Don can have 110 time with her no matter what happens."

"Thanks, Danny. Good luck."

Danny stood and walked out. He hurried back to his apartment, throwing clothes into his bag. Cussing and running around, he was finally ready with four hours to spare. He grabbed a cab and headed for the airport.

When he landed in Vegas, a tall man holding a sign saying "Dan Messer" half leaning on a fountain.

"Yo!" Danny's accent sounded thick in his own ears as he waved toward the man. "Hey, I'm Danny." He held his hand out and shook the man's.

"Warrick. I'm Catharine's fiancé. Don asked me to come and pick you up."

Danny paled. "Why? What happened?"

Warrick took Danny's bag as he led him out of the airport. "Stella's gotten worse. A lot worse. Don had to rush back to the hospital this morning to sign papers giving the doctors rights to do whatever they can to keep her alive."

He was practically pulling his hair out of his head as they got into a small LVPD issued Honda. Danny adjusted his glasses before clicking the seat belt into place and turning to look at Warrick. "How worse? Shoot me straight."

Warrick didn't dare look at the smaller New York native as he merged onto a busy highway, switched lanes and than exited at a sign pointing to the nearest emergency medical facility. Finally, he answered. "The tumor's gotten larger and they're not sure if they can operate. If they can, and if she pulls through, there could be some memory loss… permanent brain damage through parts of her brain." He still wasn't looking at him and Danny guessed that he had become close with the couple during their stay at Catharine's.

It wasn't long before they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Danny was out of the car and sprinting for the doors before Warrick could throw the car in park.

Warrick caught up to him as Danny was beginning to harass the emergency room nurse. He put his hands on Danny's shoulders and forced him down the hall and into an elevator.

"What the fuck, man?" Danny hollered.

Warrick keyed the fifth floor and it slowly inched up. "Don's in the ICU waiting room. Securities not so tight in these hospitals, so we have to fend for ourselves and don't need to check in with the front desk."

"Free reign, huh?" His face reddened in slight embarrassment and Warrick returned his hands to Danny's shoulders.

"Hey, listen, she's your friend and you're worried sick about her. Right now, she needs all the friends and family she can get cause she's scared shitless, excuse my language. When she was awake the other day, she made that perfectly clear, as well as informing all of us that she hates hospitals."

"Yeah," Danny closed his eyes. "Her boyfriend awhile back tried to kill her. Landed her in the hospital and she couldn't remember most any of it. She was scared and they had to run a rape exam and the whole nine."

Warrick winced. "That's the worst way to acquaint yourself with the medical system."

The doors opened, revealing a smooth tiled hallway void of any signs of life. Warrick led Danny down the hall and into a small room with vending machines and couches. Don was sprawled out on the couch, asleep with a newspaper on his chest. Jordan was coloring with markers across a large book. A girl, maybe 19 years old, with long blond hair, sat next to her pointing out colors and shapes.

Squatting next to the girls, Warrick asked about Catharine.

The blond answered him with a whisper. "Mom's in with Aunt Stella. Guess she woke up and started screaming or something, they didn't wanna wake Uncle Don cause he passed out last time."

Warrick nodded and got up. "That's Cath's daughter, Lindsay."

The name made Danny's heart ached inside his chest. He hadn't told Montana he was going and he wished she were there if only to kiss him on the cheek and tell him Stella would be fine.

"C'mon… we'll clear our visitation with the nurses." Warrick abruptly spoke before leaving and heading down the hall further. He slipped into a room with pictures hand drawn by a child taped to the door.

Danny followed and saw Catharine sitting on a stool next to Stella. Stella moved her hand to wave to Warrick as he reached her line of site.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like hell and yourself?" Stella answered dryly through the oxygen mask against her face.

He laughed. "Great… cause I brought you a friend."

"A friend?" Stella's face instantly lit up as she saw Danny come around the curtain. "Danny? Danny Messer?"

He couldn't stop the tears that steadily flowed from his eyes. She looked like she was scared and in a lot of pain. "Hey, Detective," He joked somewhat playfully through the tears. "What did you go and do?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, Danny. I … I just want to go home."

He slowly moved towards her. He held his hand to her and she took it, squeezing harder than he thought she'd have the strength to. "Home is where the heart is. You of all people have learned that."

"Yeah, but half the heart is in the City." She answered thinking of Jane, Sheldon, Sid, Mac, Lindsay, Chad and the other techs.

Danny understood without an explanation. "This is necessary, Stel… you know it is."

She nodded and held her other arm up to him and he leaned down to hug her. He held her for a long time before looking her in the eyes. "I'm staying until you come home. Got it?"

"Yes, officer." She smiled a bit for him and wiped his tears.