The next day
Linda looked around her room and still couldn't find her shoes. She checked under the bed, in the closet, in the bathroom but no shoes were in sight. She walked downstairs and there they were, by the front door. Jamie would be picking her up in fifteen minutes. Frank had requested she come down to 1PP to hear something Danny had recorded on his phone. She hoped that once she heard what he had to say she could find a way to bring him home again. The news from his doctor wasn't good; Danny seemed to have given up and she could pray that with time, he would remember the good times and want to come back to the family.
Maria was dressed in her formal uniform for her appearance at 1PP. The commissioner hadn't said why she needed to be there other than she needed to hear something on Danny's phone. She checked her image in the mirror in her office and was satisfied. Her pregnancy wasn't too obvious yet; she hoped she wouldn't have any more visits to 1PP except for the task force as she really couldn't afford to buy a new maternity formal uniform. She left her office and spoke to the captain giving an update of current assignments of her squad and walked out to the waiting RMP.
Jamie escorted Linda up to the fourteenth floor and stood at Detective Baker's desk. He introduced his sister-in-law while waiting for permission to enter the office. Frank came out to meet them and showed Linda into the conference room. Maria was already there sitting at the table. The ladies greeted each other before sitting on opposite sides of the table.
"Linda, thanks for coming. As I told you, Danny recorded a message for you, Maria, and Linda. I have not listened to anything except the message he recorded for me with his instructions. I'll play the message for you. He's also recorded a second message for each of you which you can listen to by yourselves. There are messages for the kids and a general one for Jamie, Erin, Pops, and me. I've asked one of our technical resources if he can copy the audio files to your phones and he will do that after everyone has been able to listen to the messages. I've had an update from Doctor Dawson. Danny is still refusing to eat or drink. He's being moved into a hospice room that will allow all the family to be there if they wish to sit with him, hold his hand, and be with each other." Frank picked up the phone that was sitting on the table and pressed the appropriate button to play the message.
"Hi, this is Danny, and this message is for Linda and Maria. I'm sorry I can't be with you but right now I'm not doing so well. Linda, I fell in love with you the first time I saw you and decided at that moment that I would do whatever I had to do to convince you to marry me. And you did; it was my dream come true. Life wasn't always easy for us, but we managed. You gave birth to two beautiful sons, and you can be so proud of the men they have become. When I was told about the helicopter crash, I knew my world had just ended. But I had two sons to raise, and life had to go on. It wasn't easy for me; you had always done most of the care for the boys. You knew how to help them with homework or girls, you handled the bills and even tackled things in the house that broke. I could not have had a better mate than you.
"Maria, you were my friend for more years than either of us want to admit and you were my partner for more than eight years. You helped me become the best detective I could be, and you helped me grow as a person and as a police officer. You stood by me when I identified what I thought was the body of my wife and helped me get through those painful days of the wake, funeral, and burial. You never complained when every month I would take some time and go to the cemetery and talk to Linda and you were with me most of those days. You had a way of stopping me before things went too far if I was trying to get the truth from some of the people we've interrogated over the years. Dad says he hasn't seen a complaint with my name on it in three years and that's a record for me. You helped me learn how to cook, balance my checkbook, and convince me to let the boys show me how to set up paying bills online and how to help my sons grow into men that I would be proud of. And even though we've only been together a few months they have been wonderful. I'm so sorry I won't be around to help you raise our child. Please be sure to tell him or her about me. But just the two or three good things, not all bad qualities. And I know you've probably already told my family to leave you to raise our child but please let him or her know about my family. We're not perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination but they are loyal and will do whatever you ask of them. Maybe not exactly what you ask but it will be close.
"I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you at the church and tell you what was going on with Linda. This is probably my biggest regret as it probably caused everything that has happened since then. I'm not Solomon. I'm not wise and I cannot figure out a way that all three of us can be happy. If I choose to stay with Linda, I'm deserting my unborn child. If I choose to stay with Maria, I would be deserting the first woman I ever loved, the first woman I brought to family dinner and the mother of my sons. What is the right choice? How can I make both women I love and have children with, happy? The answer is I can't. I've failed and I don't know what else to do besides this. Please don't follow my example and wait so long to find someone to share your lives.
Frank pushed the stop button. "The next message is for Linda. Sergeant Baez, will you join me in my office, please?"
"I'm sorry, Commissioner but right now I need to use the Ladies Room. I'm sure Detective Baker can help me." Maria stood up and left the conference room.
"Linda, after I've left the room just push the play button," he showed her the correct button on the screen. "When your message is finished, push the stop button and come into my office, please." Frank left the room to allow Linda to be alone.
"Babe, I've made a mess of things as I usually do. I'm sorry I can't be there for you and the boys. I've spoken to Jack and have made changes to my will. You will receive part of my pension. I'm selling the house and the profits will be deposited in an account for you to purchase a new place. It's up to you how big you want, if you want the boys to come home during school breaks. The boys could always stay with Dad and Pops. If you need anything just ask the family, they have promised to be there for you for as long as you live. If you find someone to be with, go for it, don't be the fool I was to not see what was right in front of me. Be happy and know that I have always loved you and been faithful to you."
Linda pressed the button to stop the recording. She wiped her tears away and went into Frank's office. "Maria, I guess it's your turn. Frank is there someone who can take me to the facility where Danny is. I've got a lot of thinking to do. And I need to see him; I don't care if he agrees or not." Frank picked up his phone and arranged for a car for Linda. She said her goodbyes and left the room. Frank opened the door for Maria to listen to her message from Danny. She sat there for a moment before pressing the button to start the last message from Danny.
"Mi amor, too late I realized what we could have together. Please forgive my stupidity. I would like you to find someone you can love and who will do a better job of loving you than I did. You are a wonderful, kind, caring person and you deserve so much more than what we had. I will go to my grave remembering how it felt to have you in my arms after making love. When you look at our child, remember that our love created this life. I know you will raise our child to go into service as Reagans tend to do. Let Dad and Jamie help you and never think that you weren't good enough to be part of the family. While I hope to meet with you again, I doubt that my place will be with the angels."
Maria pressed the button to stop the recording and sat there for a moment. This could not and would not be how Danny's life would end. But, how to go about making him change his mind? She picked up the phone and walked into Frank's office.
"Thank you, sir, for permitting me to listen to Danny's messages. Here's the phone," she placed it on his desk, "would it be possible to get an RMP to take me back to my precinct? I didn't get a chance to take care of any of my normal tasks yet today."
"I thought you were working second shift. Why were you working so early? Is there something I need to know about your precinct?"
"Sir, I've never been in a position of leadership so I'm learning as I go. My officers need a little refreshing sometimes about procedure. There are some leaders who could use a refresher course but that's just my opinion. But I really do need to get back up there, I have an appointment this afternoon."
Frank picked up his phone. "Jim, get an officer to drive Sergeant Baez back to her precinct, please. She'll be right out. Maria saluted and left the office. Frank had decided that he needed to try once more to convince Danny to abandon his present course in life and take care of his responsibilities. He picked up the phone again, "Jim, I need to go out. Get the vehicle ready, I'll be out in five."
Maria was delivered to her precinct. She walked inside and told her captain that she was going to need the rest of the day off. The captain had been called by the commissioner and approved her request. She walked outside to her car and drove to a certain care facility where she was determined to be sure a certain someone would see the error of his ways and begin to live again.
