Hope this has all been fairly good thusfar! Thanks for the beta-work, Jess!
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Characters still belong to CBS and CSI: NY, we just role-play them. No telling how many chapters this might be, so be prepared.
In "Confrontation", Flack actually does live. But what if everything went wrong, and he didn't?
Rating/Content Warning: 14A – Swearing, mentions of death and actual character death.
Fandom: CSI: NY
Spoilers: A few months after the S2 finale – "Charge of this Post".
Summary: Flack is released from the hospital, but everything goes downhill, something completely unexpected.
Author: Lauren, Jess, Mel (Joint Fic)
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Chapter 2
Danny's face contorted when Flack said bull's testicles. Flack just killed himself laughing. "You're the one who ate the bugs!" Flack said between laughs, clutching his sides.
Danny stood and grabbed a pillow, whacking Flack over the head a few times. "You lug nut!"
Flack took a moment to calm down, now sprawled out on the couch from laughing and trying to stop Danny from hitting him. He was grinning away, one hand resting on his stomach as the other wiped his eyes. "I loved that expression," he said. It was soon he had a hard time figuring out if his side was really hurting, or if it was hurting from laughing too hard.
Lindsay burst out laughing too. She had seen Danny's face. She thought that it was the funniest thing in the world, but if he came over to her and whacked her with the pillow, she was ready to tackle him to the ground. Back in Montana, if you hit your girlfriend, even with a pillow, the woman had the right to hogtie the guy if she wanted to.
Danny tossed the pillow towards Lindsay, though not to hard, grinning away. "Yeah, well... You're both nuts."
Flack grinned a bit, looking to Lindsay before up to Danny. "Dan, can you help me back up, at least?"
Danny nodded, taking Flack's hand and starting to pull the man up, ceasing when Flack clamped a free hand to his mouth and bit back a cry of pain. Needless to say, Danny was startled, immediately letting go of Flack's hand and seeing it go to the man's side, clutching.
Lindsay was about to attack Danny when she saw Flack go down like that. She practically shoved Danny out of the way and then went to Flack's side. "Don, baby? Are you okay? What hurts?" she asked him worriedly. She didn't mean to use the pet name, but she was really worried. "Danny, call the doctor," she told him. "And be prepared to call 911."
Danny went around to the other side of the couch, looking at Flack closely before pulling out his cell.
"Danny, don't," Flack said sharply, his voice evidently strained. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, feet back on the floor as he doubled over, eyes clamped shut. "I'm fine..."
"Can we at least get Hawkes-"
"Danny, I'm fine," Flack cut Danny off harshly, waving off Lindsay's questions as he suppressed the groans the pains in his side and stomach created.
Lindsay shook her head. "No you're not Flack." she told him firmly. She looked back at Danny and nonverbally told him to call 911. She looked back at Flack and grabbed his hand. "Come on Flack, who are you being a hero for? Huh? Just tell me what hurts, please Don, we want to help." She knew that calling him Don might help, since she only called him that when she was being deathly serious.
Danny did what Lindsay asked, going into the kitchen and calling for an ambulance.
"What do you think hurts?" Flack shot, his hand holding hers almost like a vice grip. He was extremely harsh when he was in this much pain. Flack was still clutching his side with his free hand, bringing himself to more of a forty-five degree angle than doubled-over, his breathing becoming laboured.
Lindsay gasped a little when he snapped at her. She quickly went around the back of him and kneeled behind him. She never let go of his hand, since it seemed like he needed it. "Lean back against me, and let out a deep breath Don," she instructed. She needed to get him to relax.
Flack had a hard time leaning back without fully collapsing, resting back against Lindsay as his breaths became shorter rather than deeper. "I... I'm sorry," he choked out. It was soon that he looked like he was about to go into shock.
Danny soon emerged from the kitchen. "They're on their way," he told Lindsay before going over to kneel next to the two on the floor. "Christ... Flack, breathe you moron!" he said forcefully, lifting Flack's shirt up a bit and checking over the man's side for anything visible.
Lindsay shook her head. "You don't have to apologize to me Flack, all you have to do is stay awake for me, okay? Try to take longer breaths," she told him as she reached her other arm around him to hold his other hand. "Stay with me Flack, please," she begged as she let him squeeze both of her hands as hard as he wanted.
Flack gripped Lindsay's hands just about till his knuckles turned white. It was soon that his eyes rolled back into his head, his whole body falling limp as he passed out. Flack's grip, too, released itself of their hold on Lindsay's hands.
Danny looked more and more stressed and panic-stricken when Flack passed out, brow creasing. "The hell happened to him? I didn't even go anywhere near his side, and I wasn't hitting him that hard," Danny began. "This is my fault..." Danny sat back when he couldn't find anything wrong, looking at his friend's unconscious form before up to Lindsay. "The hell happened?"
"Damn it!" Lindsay cursed when he fell limp in her arms. She looked to Danny and then down at Flack. "This wasn't your fault Danny, please don't go blaming yourself, I can't deal with that right now," she said as she continued to try to wake the detective. It was then that the paramedics came rushing through the door pushing Lindsay out of the way. They placed Flack on a gurney and carried him out of the apartment.
As soon as Flack was gone, Lindsay crawled over to Danny and threw herself into his arms. She'd never seen anything like that in her life and she was scared to death. She just hoped that Flack would be okay, and that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with him.
Danny stared after the paramedics and Flack before looking to Lindsay, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Flack wasn't even a day out and he was back in the damn hospital again. Danny gently kissed the side of Lindsay's head, mumbling a few things to her and saying it'd be all right soon. Truth be told, Danny was just as freaked out as Lindsay was, not knowing what happened. It was soon he pulled back a bit and looked to Lindsay more fully. "We gotta call Mac, and then see what hospital Don was admitted to," he said weakly.
Lindsay held onto Danny tightly, finding comfort in his words. She didn't know what to say, or do, or even think. She had tried her hardest to help Flack and it didn't work. She'd never had to try to help someone like that before; she'd always dealt with the dead, the people who couldn't be helped anymore. When she was faced with that problem, she did the best with what she knew, but her best just wasn't good enough. They were supposed to be here celebrating Flack's return home, not be readmitting him to the hospital. Lindsay pulled back with a sigh and then nodded in agreement. One second they were laughing and having a good time, the next they were trying desperately to keep Flack awake and out of danger. It was a lot to handle, and Lindsay was always touchy about her friends getting hurt.
Danny looked to Lindsay, studying her features for a moment, knowing what she was thinking about. "It should be okay," he told her softly, wanting to believe his own words for the most part. Danny couldn't even begin to believe what happened, confused about it all. He didn't even go near Flack's side and the man was doubled over in pain. Danny soon reached for the phone, then noticing his hands were shaking with renewed fright for his friend's life. He dialed Mac's cell number, waiting for the supervisor to answer. Danny just hoped he wasn't doing anything too important.
"Yeah, Danny?" Mac answered, recognizing the number on the ID as he picked up his cell. He was a little curious since Danny wasn't working a case right at the moment and he remembered both Danny and Lindsay were supposed to be with Flack.
"Mac, you know how Don was released today? Well just a few minutes ago, Lindsay and I don't know what happened, but he doubled over. It was soon that he passed out. Linds tried to revive him but it didn't work and we have no idea what happened. He's been transported to the hospital," Danny said hurriedly, sounding extremely worried. "I think he's gone to Bellevue, it's closest to here. He was fine and then all hell broke loose, Mac."
Mac mentally cursed the bad turn. Flack had just gotten out of the hospital, he didn't need to be going right back in. Flack had a hard road lately and it had seemed to be getting better until this. "I'll meet you there. And I'll let Stella know too," Mac replied, getting started on getting there even while he was talking.
"Not even twenty four hours," Danny soon said, standing and pulling Lindsay up with him. "We'll see you at the hospital. I just hope he'll be okay." He soon flipped his cell phone closed and slipped it into his pocket. "Let's hurry, Linds."
Mac was pushing it fast, using his siren to cut through the heavy NYC traffic. Unfortunately not everyone was paying close attention. Mac looked to the side just in time to see someone come toward him and feel the impact. The blow was cushioned on his side by a side airbag, and most of it was on the passenger side anyway, but he still was knocked for the proverbial loop and his memory was a little hazy until he was on his way to the hospital. He didn't think he was all that badly hurt but it'd be a while before he'd convince them of that so he could get to Flack.
As soon as Danny and Lindsay the apartment, he turned and locked Flack's door. Danny reached over and grabbed Lindsay's hand, dragging her along at almost a run. Time barely even registered in his mind, or the car ride to the hospital. One minute they were outside Flack's apartment building, the next they were rushing into the hospital. Danny couldn't even remember if Lindsay had said anything to him or not. Something poked and prodded him in the back of his mind, saying something had happened to Mac, but he couldn't tell if it was true or not. Were two of his friends really hurt?
Stella was sitting at home, enjoying her day off by sitting next to the police scanner and listening to all he bogus calls. She listened as the scanner spit out an 11350. "An illegal chinchilla farm?" Stella said, with a laugh. She then heard a call she never wanted to hear.
"We have a car wreck police officer involved NY hospital bound. NY crime lab supervisor we need all units avail-" Stella shut the scanner off, grabbed her keys and headed for the hospital.
Mac wished he could call Stella and the others to let them know, but the phone would potentially interfere with their machines so they wouldn't allow it. He wasn't having any difficulty breathing or unless he was missing anything, he couldn't feel it. Mac's arm and ribs were hurting and he did have a nasty cut on his forehead. He likely would have to be cat-scanned, which further annoyed him; he wanted to find out what was wrong with Flack.
Stella stepped into her car, and turned on her siren. She raced down the streets of NY, honking her horn more than she usually did. Within about ten minutes, which was pretty good since it usually took her over twenty minutes to get there, Stella was at the hospital doors. A doctor tried to stop her, but all she did was shove her badge in his face and told him to "back off". She entered Mac's room and then stood by his side. "Mac?" she asked, wincing at the cut on his face.
"I'm okay, well, almost...think I got a broken arm and a couple cracked ribs. I was trying to get up here to see what's going on with Flack and I had the siren on but someone t-boned me. A combination of the airbag and the impact being on the passenger side is why I'm not hurt any worse."
"Flack… I don't know what's wrong with him. Danny said they had to rush him back up here. After him going through so much already, he doesn't deserve this," Mac sighed.
Stella leaned down over him, listening intently. She was a woman of instinct, and right now her instincts told her that Mac needed her. "Flack will be all right," she said as she ran a hand through Mac's hair, and took his hand with her other. "And Danny and Lindsay will be with him, so I'll be here for you," Stella then said with a small smile.
"Thanks. I appreciate it. I'm probably lucky I'm not dead or critical... the other guy really wasn't going all that fast, or it probably would have been worse." He shifted a little. "Gonna need some painkillers, I'm really gonna feel this in the morning."
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Danny rushed into the hospital and found out where Flack and Mac were. Flack had been taken to the ER and a doctor was soon sent out to question Danny. The young CSI answered all he could but soon was thrown for a loop when the doctor asked when Flack had last eaten.
"An hour ago; Why?" Danny asked checking his watch.
"Detective Flack was just released earlier today, and just under two months ago he had suffered a bomb accident?" the doctor questioned.
"Yes, that's right..."
"It sounds like an aortic aneurysm. The paramedics said he was suffering from sharp pains, faintness, shortness of breath, and his skin was damp. Those are some of the symptoms, and that's what it's leaning towards. Detective Flack was administered a few painkillers but heavy stress and pain continued so we were forced to give a sedative," the doctor explained. "Is there any of his family in New York or the surrounding areas?"
"No.. Closest relative is in Michigan, his parents moved to Washington six months back."
"Close friend or boss?"
"Flack is a colleague of mine, and our boss was admitted to this hospital just recently? A... Car accident?" Danny questioned more than stated. "If there's anyone closest enough to a father figure right now, it's our supervisor."
"Good. We'll need to speak with him quickly," the doctor had heard about Mac and knew which room number he was in, briskly walking down the hall to Mac's room, Danny close on his heels.
Danny didn't like the sound of urgency in the doctor's voice. When they reached Mac's room, he knocked twice before pushing into the room. Danny looked at Stella momentarily before looking to Mac. The doctor took one look at Mac and began speaking. "Detective Taylor? Has someone tended to you yet?"
All this talk of Flack being hurt badly was making Lindsay sick. She felt like she had just witnessed Flack practically dying. She had a whole mix of emotions right now; she was scared, devastated, nervous and anxious. She stayed close to Danny, but it was hard to keep up with him at the pace he was going. Finally they made it to Mac's room. When she got there, she was a little restless. She couldn't stop moving. Finally she shook her head and walked out of the room, and sat on a bench. She folded her hands, bowed her head and prayed to the Lord that everyone would be all right.
"Most of the critical stuff is out of the way, I think all that's left is the cast," he nodded at his bad arm. "Hey, Danny, sorry I had to add to the stress. I was using the siren to get here as quickly as possible and someone else wasn't paying attention, rammed me in the side. The passenger side, fortunately; that and the airbag made it a lot better than it might've been otherwise."
Mac noticed Lindsay leave and was curious. "Flack...is he okay?" he asked, hoping someone had an answer.
Danny shook his head and raised a hand at Mac's apology as if to say it's not needed. He was just glad that Mac was okay. Danny looked out the door momentarily to Lindsay, his expression showing worry and concern.
The doctor sighed a bit. "From what Mr. Messer has told me, Detective Flack seems to have an aortic aneurysm. It's usually caused by a traumatic injury or blunt force to the chest or stomach. It builds up over time, which would explain why it's appeared after Don was released from the hospital. There are two types to the aneurysms: A and B. If he has type A, surgery will be needed to correct the matter because it's located near the heart. If it's type B, it's located in the stomach area, and may only require medication," the doctor paused for a moment. "The quickest procedure to find out is a little risky. He won't be able to eat for at least another five hours and it requires some papers to be signed. He's been out on sedatives and if we wake him after the sedatives wear off the stress on his body could cause something else to occur.
"Usually we'd ask a family member to give their signature on the papers, but in this case there's no relatives in New York as I've been informed. So I'm going to ask if you can sign the papers," the doctor seemed uneasy as he came to the last part. "I'll explain to you the procedure in a minute, but the reason for the rush is because less than half the patients with these aneurysms survive after forty-eight hours. Detective Flack may not have that, given what he's been through."
Stella noticed Lindsay walk out the door, and looked to Danny. She then listened to the doctor, when he told them Flack's condition; she sighed and squeezed Mac's hand hard. She felt hot tears roll down her cheeks for her friend. She knew that since Mac had gotten the call, Danny and Lindsay must have been there with him when he had the aneurysm.
Mac nodded. "Yes, yes, of course." He basically forgot about his own problems; his situation was mild compared to Flack's. He squeezed Stella's hand back, waiting anxiously for the papers, wanting Flack's treatment to start as soon as possible.
The doctor nodded and flipped open the brown folder in his hands, pulling out two papers and setting them on the rolling table in front of Mac along with a pen. "Even with this next procedure - aortic angiography - there's certain risks to take into account, but the worst symptom we've gotten from it thus far is low blood pressure. The worst symptom one could receive is a cardiac tamponade, but it's highly unlikely." He sighed a bit. "Everything comes with a slight risk. After you've given us the go, we'll have to wait about five more hours till we inject him with the fluid needed for the angiography."
"I understand," Mac replied. He looked to Stella. "I hate to have to do this but could you give me a little help? If I try to hold the paper with this hand, I'd probably scream a lot," he sighed. "I guess I should be glad it's not my writing hand, that would be really annoying. And possibly career ending since it's also my gun hand."
"That, or you'd be forbidden to go out into the field on your own and to take lead," the doctor said to Mac with a frown. "It's happened once or twice before. Arrests gone badly. But most officers return to firing guns, though their wrists lets the gun kick back more." He reached over and pressed his fingers to the top of the papers to hold them down, even though he wasn't asked to.
Danny had been deathly silent as he let everything sink in. This was all hard to comprehend for some strange reason. He soon looked up to Stella and Mac with a wide-eyed yet blank expression. Danny hoped that it was type B rather than A. At least Flack wouldn't need to go through another surgery.
Mac didn't speak about it, but his eyes reflected Danny's thoughts, hoping Flack wouldn't need another surgery.
"If it's the stomach type...will he still require surgery?" Mac then asked, curious as he started to sign. He knew the first type could be deadly if not caught in time; the aorta was one of the biggest arteries in the body and bleeding from it was never a good thing. So even the type B didn't sound all that good to him.
"Hopefully, no. If it's caught early enough it can be treated with medication. In this case, I think Detective Flack has good chances," the doctor replied.
Danny sighed lightly, resting back against the wall and letting his head tilt back to rest against it. That was at least one bit of good news.
Stella nodded and helped Mac hold the papers down. She looked to Mac sadly and then to Danny. She wondered if Lindsay was okay too, but she would leave Danny to that when he was ready.
Mac was at least glad for that. "Is there a way...after I get this arm set...that any of us could see him briefly? I mean, I know not everyone can, and that he might not be able to hear us, but...?" He let the question trail off.
Mac could also see the doctor who'd been treating him waiting for the paper signing to finish; it was time to get his arm casted, not that he was particularly happy about it. At least then, though, he'd get some aspirin or morphine or something and stop hurting as much.
Danny didn't want to hear any more so he slipped from the room and went to Lindsay, eyes downcast. He sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.
The doctor glanced at Danny's retreating form once before looking to Mac again. "There's no problem with seeing him, just it's unlikely he'll be awake due to the sedatives and painkillers going through him. If he was to respond to a touch or question, it'd be an unconscious answer," he said before picking up the papers and slipping them into the file in his hands before stepping aside to let the other doctor through. "Is there any other questions?"
"No, I don't think so. Thanks for bringing me up to speed, though," the supervisor replied.
"I think it's my turn now," Mac commented as Flack's doctor left. "Oh, these are a couple of colleagues, Detectives Messer...well, that was him leaving, and Bonesera."
Stella smiled to the doctor when she was introduced. She quickly said a 'hello' and then looked down at Mac. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked him
"Please.."
"Well, fortunately your break isn't severe enough to require surgical setting; we'll just give you a sedative while we cast it. As far as your head, I'd like you to stay here overnight for monitoring, but aside from a couple of tiny cracks, there doesn't appear to be anything seriously wrong," the doctor spoke soon.
"That's good. And after the sedative wears off, Detective Flack's doctor told me that I could visit him briefly..."
"Yes, I'll see what we can do after your treatment is finished, all right?"
"Fine." Mac sighed a little. "I'll oblige one night but I'm not fond of hospital stays, so I'm hoping to get out of here tomorrow."
"Depending on how you are, it might be possible, we'll see."
"All right," Mac finally agreed.
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Lindsay had calmed down. She looked up at Danny as he came and sat next to her, and wrapped her arms around him when he hugged her. "What did the doctor say?" Lindsay asked, almost as if she was afraid to ask.
"He's going to get treatment, and hopefully it'll be with medication and not surgery. What the doctor did say though, if this isn't dealt with before forty-eight hours, Don has over a fifty percent chance of dying," Danny muttered quietly, hugging Lindsay tighter for a moment before slowly pulling away. "It's a good thing we were there when this happened." Danny soon went on to explain what the doctors had to do and so forth.
Lindsay winced when he told her that if they didn't deal with it soon, he had a high chance of dying. She buried her head into his chest when he had finished and then let a few tears go. "If we hadn't been there…" Lindsay trailed off. She didn't even want to think about it.
"If we hadn't, he'd have a higher chance of dying," Danny said weakly, wrapping his arms around Lindsay. "Everything should be okay now, though..." He said that even though he didn't know the real answer. It was just something to reassure her and himself.
Lindsay clung to him like he was a lifeline. "He can't die Danny, he can't. We were just with him, he was fine, he was laughing..." Lindsay tried to convince herself it was a dream, but she wouldn't wake up. "This can't be real," she said in a whisper.
Danny gently took hold of Lindsay's shoulders, pushing her back far enough to look her in the eyes. "Shit happens, Lindsay. He'll be okay, he'll be fine," he said softly.
"Detective Messer, Monroe? I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but you can go see Detective Flack now. He's still under sedation so I don't know if you'll get much... But he's free for visitors," Flack's doctor from earlier informed them before giving them the room number and returning back to work.
Lindsay swallowed and then looked into Danny's eyes. "So...should we go see him?" she asked, taking a deep breath as well. She was almost afraid to see him. He just got out of the hospital, and now it was like they were back to square one.
Danny was silent for a few seconds before he nodded. "Yeah, we probably should," he said gently, standing and offering his hand to her.
Lindsay took a big breath and nodded. She took his hand, and held it tightly all the way there. When they got to his room, Lindsay gripped his hand tightly, and walked in with him.
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That's a bit of a cliffhanger, eh? Reviews, feedback and constructive criticism are appreciated and encouraged.
