"Let's eat. Then maybe I'll be able to focus." Danny said.
Danny and Flack had run out to get a sandwich and were just walking back into the lab. All day Danny had had problems focusing. He had to admit, that the real reason he couldn't focus wasn't his stomach, it was because he had spent the entire day carefully watching Lindsay. First he watched Lindsay with Tracie. Then he watched Lindsay pace around their office talking to herself. He had finally settled for watching Lindsay go between stealing glances at him and staring out into space lost in thought.
"Hey. This ladder's been up here all day. I've walked underneath it, like, seven times now. I mean, how much bad luck do I need? Plus there's karma to consider." Danny complained
"You know, you can stop with the karma."
"Can't we get someone to move it? It's messing up my luck and my plan." Danny quipped.
"Sure it is." Flack agreed.
"All right, we're gonna go in there and we're gonna eat and then I'm gonna focus." Danny said, walking into the break room and not even waiting to sit down to take a big bite out of his sandwich.
"So…" Flack began.
"Yep." Danny said, indicating that he had heard him.
"Your plan." Flack stated, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"Yep." Danny said, grinning back.
"You know I called Tracie to ask her out." Flack continued between bites of his sandwich.
"Yeah." Danny said. "She have anything interesting to say?"
"She told me about this morning and your plan." Flack stopped and waited for some kind of reaction from Danny. When he didn't get one, Flack decided to jump right in and ask his question. "Is your plan working?"
"Can't focus here, either. Maybe I should get back to work." Danny said, ignoring Flack momentarily. Danny got up and started walking out of the break room. "The vibe's all wrong in here. And, yeah… it's working."
"How do you know?" Flack asked as Danny started to walk out of the break room.
"I just do." Danny said over his shoulder. He turned to grin at Flack. "It's driving her crazy."
Danny laughed as he walked out of the break room. He hadn't gone more than a few steps when he stopped in a shock induced stupor.
"Hey, Danny? Danny Messer! Do you want to go out on a date tonight?" Danny heard from behind him.
Hearing Lindsay's voice and realizing what the question was, Danny turned around suddenly.
"See Montana, I knew you couldn't…" Danny began. At the same moment a workman, carrying the ladder that Danny had just been complaining about turned around – sending the end of the ladder crashing into Danny's forehead. Danny dropped to the ground in a heap.
When Danny could finally focus again, he saw Lindsay leaning over him and Flack standing behind her trying not to laugh.
"Are you all right?" Lindsay asked, handing him an ice pack that Flack had handed her.
"Yeah." Danny said pressing the ice pack to his forehead.
"You sure?" Flack asked between chuckles.
"Yeah."
"You got hit in the head with a ladder." Lindsay said, concern evident in her voice.
"Yeah, I noticed." Danny said dryly, gently bringing his fingers to his forehead and flinching at the contact.
"I guess you didn't notice soon enough." Lindsay shot back.
"I guess not."
"Hey, how you doing Lindsay?" Flack asked, turning his attention purposely away from Danny and focusing on Lindsay.
"I'm fine, thanks." Lindsay said. "How are you doing today?"
"Good. I've got a hot date tonight." Flack said casually. Lindsay rose up from her kneeling position next to Danny to talk to Flack. Danny looked from Flack to Lindsay and from Lindsay to Flack, a bit annoyed that their attention was not on him.
"A date, huh?" Lindsay asked, genuinely interested.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! I'm sitting here with a massive head wound." Danny whined.
"You're fine." Lindsay said, ignoring Danny and giving her attention back to Flack. Lindsay knew that Danny wanted to talk with her and she was doing her best to ignore and annoy him.
"You went to medical school in the year since I've seen you last?" Danny snapped.
"I see that I can't leave you two alone." Flack said laughingly.
"Yes, leave us alone!" Danny said forcefully. He wanted Lindsay all to himself. She had mentioned a date and he wanted to make sure he hadn't been hearing things.
"Okay." Flack said, throwing up his hands. "I'm going back to my desk. Maybe I can focus and get some work done. God knows you two haven't accomplished anything. Well maybe Messer has." Flack added the last part with a chuckle and walked past Danny and Lindsay to get back to work.
"You gonna leave me here all day?" Danny called from the floor.
Lindsay reached down and held out her hand to help him up. Danny sprang up from the floor, throwing a hand up to the bump on his head as he did. His head was pounding, but it wasn't so bad that he wouldn't be able to finish off his plan.
"So, did you hear my question?" Lindsay asked quietly. She looked at Danny and carefully searched to see if he was okay and exactly what he was thinking.
"Oh, I heard you Montana. But I'm wondering just how many blind dates a guy can go on in one week." Danny said. He could see from the frustration flashing in Lindsay's eyes that he had gotten to her. He knew what she had meant, but this was too much fun.
"I didn't mean with other people, you idiot! I meant with me! Do you want to go out with me?" Lindsay said, emphasizing each word in an exasperated tone.
"What about your plan? I still have 5 months and 29 days, and to be honest, I really liked Tracie. I was thinking about taking her out again." Lindsay didn't catch the humored glint in Danny's eyes.
"So, you're going to keep this up?" :Lindsay asked, not believing Danny for a second.
"What can I say, Montana? I am a much beloved person." Danny said with a smile. "Plus it's almost three o'clock, and I haven't gotten much done."
"Why?" Lindsay asked.
"I was having a little focus problem."
"Why?" Lindsay repeated.
"I've been too busy watching an epiphany crumble." Danny said.
"Would you like to take me to dinner?" Lindsay asked, choosing to ignore Danny's previous comment.
"I just got hit in the head with a ladder, I gotta buy you food now?" Danny asked with mock annoyance.
"The prospect of dinner could help you focus. I could help you focus." Lindsay said quietly, letting her fingers gingerly graze the gash and bump on Danny's head.
"Yeah, 'cause you've always had that effect on me." Danny said sarcastically. "I'll pick you up at seven. Don't make me wait."
Lindsay smiled at Danny and let her hand drop. He grabbed her free hand in his, gaze a small squeeze and then walked down the hallway to the lab, hoping to focus and get at least a little work done.