Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except Beth.
Author's note: I know I'm dragging this out, but I have a plan. Thanks for all the support. The next chapter will be coming VERY soon.
Chapter 16
"Hey. Any of those old guys gettin' fresh with you?"
Beth Monroe laughed. "Oh always, that's what makes my job kind of fun - they're all young people trapped in aging bodies. I get to help peel back a few years," she said. Beth was currently completing a physical therapy internship at a nursing home. "What's up, Messer?"
"Oh, you know, just checkin' on ya, seein' as you're gonna be my sister-in-law."
His statement was met by dead silence, then an ear-splitting scream. Danny held the phone away from his ear until she thankfully stopped.
"Omigod! Have you done it yet? How did you do it? What did she say? When is the wedding? Is Flack going to be your best man?"
"Whoa there, Montana number two. I haven't asked yet. That's why I'm calling."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I called your uncle - he's a good guy - and he gave me his blessing, but he said I really needed to ask you, since you guys are so close."
"Danny … that is so sweet. You totally and completely have my blessing. I haven't seen Lindsay this happy in years - Wait! I have never seen Lindsay this happy."
Danny grinned. He and Beth had developed a nice friendship, especially after he and Lindsay met her in Chicago when she traveled there for a physical therapy conference. "That's good t' know. Actually, I have another question. Any ideas? I was thinkin' candlelight dinner? Putting the ring in her dessert? Or maybe takin' her to the Empire State Building?" He eagerly awaited her answer since he had been puzzling about it for days.
Beth was silent for a minute, then: "Do any of those ideas sound right to you, Danny?"
He paused. "Not really. They all seem kind of, I don't know, overdone, but I really want to give her somethin' special."
"See, Danny? You don't need my help. Just do what feels right. My sister's a simple girl in a lot of ways. She just wants sincerity - do whatever comes from your heart."
"You're right, Beth. Hey, I gotta go. Thanks for the help. I'm sure your sister will call once it's said and done."
"Hey! Don't hang up! You didn't answer my question … Is Flack going to be your best man?"
Danny chuckled. He knew the pair kept in touch via email, and had a feeling Flack would want to know Lindsay's maid of honor choice as well. "Yeah, Beth, he'll be the one." He clicked off , shaking his head at the sound of another one of Beth's squeals.
Later that day Danny headed over to meet Lindsay at a construction site in Manhattan. They were investigating the brutal murder of a young woman, and her ex-boyfriend worked there as a laborer. When he arrived, he was approaching the site when a large man came running out, shoving him out of the way.
"Danny! That's him! Get him!" Lindsay shouted. Once Danny noticed she was standing upright, he ran in pursuit. A couple blocks away Danny managed to tackled the guy, wrenching his hands behind him. Right around that time, a squad car pulled up - Lindsay must of called them - and the suspect was taken away.
"You got him! Great job, Danny," Lindsay huffed, patting him on the shoulder. He turned to look at her, noticing she was limping slightly.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine - just twisted my ankle a little when the guy shoved me down."
"Lindsay, what were you thinkin' going in there without me? He could have really hurt you! That's not procedure, and you know it."
Her temper flared. "Look, Messer, just because we have sex doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do."
"Have sex? That's all it is to you? A little horizontal bop then back to work?" Danny knew he was overreacting, but seeing her get hurt at the same time he was trying to think of a way to propose just pushed him over the edge. Plus, she shouldn't have gone in there alone.
"This is going nowhere. I'm going back to the station to question our suspect. Is that OK with you, sir?" Without waiting for an answer, she hobbled away. Danny thought about continuing the discussion but wisely let her go. It could wait.
A couple of hours later, Mac stopped by Lindsay's desk. "Got a minute?" She nodded, and Mac perched on the edge of the desk.
"Hey, Officer Randolph told me the suspect - the one who just confessed to bashing his girlfriend's head in with a poker - roughed you up a bit."
"It's no big deal, Mac. I'm not some little girl - I can handle myself."
"It has nothing to do with you being little or a girl, Monroe. You don't approach potentially dangerous suspects without your partner. You don't need to prove how tough you are, you've demonstrated that. You don't need to take stupid chances."
Lindsay knew he was right, and knew she should probably apologize to Danny. She went looking for him, and he was nowhere to be found. "Hey Stella? You seen Danny?"
"No," the older woman answered, shaking her curls. "He tore out of here a few minutes ago, said he had to get home."
Lindsay was disappointed. She had hoped they could have had their differences settled before they went home. Well, I guess I'll just have to head over there, she thought. I'm not letting this fester.
About an hour later, Lindsay knocked on Danny's door. She had a key, but figured she should wait to see if he actually wanted to see her, especially after how she'd acted. The door opened, and Danny greeted her with a small smile.
"Hey you."
"Hey yourself," she said softly. "Can I come in or should I just leave you alone?"
"Well, if that's lasagna from Nucio's, you'd better get your cute little Montana butt in here."
Lindsay smiled. I guess the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, she thought. After they settled had finished most of the meal, she decided to get the hard part out of the way. "You know, Mac read me a little riot act for going it alone today, Danny, and he was right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."
Danny paused. "Okay, so from now on you wait. But I still shouldn't have gone off on you."
She smiled tentatively at him. "So we're okay?"
"Yeah, we're okay, Montana, I was just worried. I guess it's the perils of workin' together." They were okay, but Danny couldn't help but think that tonight was not the night to propose. Too much happened today, he thought. He couldn't help but worry that working together long term was going to be a tough road. The right time will come soon enough.
The next morning, Lindsay rushed into her apartment early to change clothes before she went to work. She hadn't intended to stay at Danny's, but after dessert, they talked further about what happened that day.
"I didn't mean to freak out, Linds, it's just that I don't know what I would do if somethin' happened."
"Point taken, Danny. And the good thing is, nothing happened." As if to prove her point, Lindsay had taken his face into her hands and kissed him deeply. It ignited a fire, and the two made love with more intensity than ever before. When it was over, Danny held her in his arms.
"I love you, Montana, so much that it scares me."
After that, she stayed the night in his arms, and had to rush back home- their relationship was still hush-hush, and it would seem suspicious to show up the next day in the same clothes. As she changed, Lindsay found herself thinking about Danny. Where were things going? She didn't know exactly, but she was sure of one thing: He was part of her now, and losing him wasn't an option.
TBC
