Maria stepped into Danny's room. Today was discharge day and they were both anxious for him to be released. During their visits Danny told her everything that had happened in his dream. Maria was impressed with how much detail he remembered. They had an appointment with Doctor Dawson this afternoon and they hoped that he might have some insight into why his dream was so vivid, why it seemed so long and included everyone close to him including his dead wife.
"Danny, do you mind if I ask you something? And if you feel it's not the right time, just say so."
"And if I don't have the answer you want? I'm gonna be home for two weeks and house-mouse for two weeks after that. I don't want to lose my partner, I promise I'll be back as soon as I'm cleared."
"I'm glad to hear that. I've only been house-mouse for a week and I'm going out of my mind. The lieutenant dumps everything on my desk that he doesn't want to deal with. But that's not what I wanted to ask. When you were telling me about everything that happened in your dream you seemed to be so happy when you talked about us having a baby. Is that where you see us?"
"Remember when we talked and I wasn't ready to move yet? The day of the shooting I was going to ask you if we could move on. Once I'm back on my feet, could we go out for dinner? Like a first date?" asked Danny.
"I'd like that." She smiled at him and reached for his hand. "We'll just have to keep that part of our lives out of the house for now."
A nurse came in followed by a volunteer with a wheelchair. "Mr. Reagan, I have your discharge orders here. I think Doctor Brockway told you how long you need before going back to work as well as what you can do and what you can't do just yet. Here is a written list of instructions, when you need to see Doctor Brockway and when you should get clearance from the police surgeon to return to work. If you'll sign here and here… She indicated two places for him to sign. After he completed his task, she gave him a copy and pronounced him ready to leave. They helped him get into the wheelchair and Maria gathered the few items that remained in his room. The police guard that had been stationed outside his room pushed the wheelchair outside while Maria brought Danny's car where he was waiting.
Maria drove Danny home and helped him into the house. Even though he had been doing physical therapy while in the hospital the trip home really tired him out. He sat on the sofa and felt exhausted. "Danny, you have an appointment with Doctor Dawson for this afternoon, should I call and put it off till tomorrow? You look really tired."
"I want to talk to him as soon as possible but yeah, I'm about to fall asleep. Call him and see if maybe he could come here late afternoon or in the evening? You have my phone, just find him in my contacts. I'm just gonna lay here…" Maria covered him with the blanket that was on the sofa and went into the kitchen to make her calls to the family and Doctor Dawson. Alex agreed to come to the house and would be there about 730 in the evening. Jamie would be dropping off dinners for Maria and Danny about 630 and this would give her time to get them fed and be ready for their visitor.
That night
"Jamie said that Pops cooked dinner for us. I'll have to call him later to thank them. Did Alex say what time he would get here?"
"In about an hour, so take your time and enjoy your food," said Maria as she tried the food on her plate. "This is great." They chatted about what appointments Danny had coming up and who would be taking him to those appointments. Maria cleared the table when they were finished eating and made coffee in case Alex wanted something.
Doctor Dawson arrived and sat in the living area with Danny while Maria finished working in the kitchen. When she finished she stood off to the side to be available if needed. Alex waved her over and had her sit on the sofa beside Danny. He was having trouble relaxing so Alex had Danny lay down with his head in her lap. She was instructed to run her fingers through his hair from forehead to neck. She began doing as instructed and Danny continued with recounting his dream. Alex took notes but also knew that a transcript of what Danny had verbalized while in the hospital was being prepared. Danny started to fall asleep so he asked Maria to stop for a few minutes. Meanwhile, Danny was enjoying what Maria was doing.
"I'm so glad you're having fun but don't expect this on a regular basis," said Maria. Danny was now sound asleep. Maria slipped out from under his head and stood up. She and Alex moved over towards the dining table. "Does anything he said make sense to you? Is it wishful thinking? Danny has never told me that he dreams about Linda."
"I don't interpret dreams per se but they can help us to understand where there might be damage from the shooting. You know that we get together at least once a week and just talk. He does mention you from time to time. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"As long as I can say no if I think the question is too personal…"
"Granted. Now, you've known each other for a long time and have been partners since 2013, correct?"
"Yes. Before I was teamed with Danny I was assigned to a task force that worked with the FBI. The commissioner disbanded the team and I was partnered with Danny and have been since then. We work pretty well together but we do have occasional differences of opinions and he won't let me drive unless he's on foot chasing a perp."
"Tell me about your life, where you were born, grew up, that sort of information. Family still around?"
Maria told him about her life, growing up in the city, taking care of herself since she graduated from high school, putting herself through college, the relationships in her past and how her brother came back into her life for a short time before he died. "Danny offered to come with me to tell my mother and sister that Javi had been killed, something they blamed on me. I told him that of everyone I knew, he was the only person I knew I could depend on to never disappoint me and he told me he never would. And, to this day he hasn't let me down, not once."
"Again, I don't interpret dreams but I think for Danny, the dream was his way of acknowledging everyone that came to see him and to show that they cared for him. Why had Linda showed up? My first guess would be that the trauma included some bit of brain that had a stored memory of her."
"Danny and I have been getting closer of late. He took me out to a great restaurant for my birthday earlier this year and that's the first time we ever did that. He told me that he had planned to talk about us after we finished our work with the Texas Ranger. And he asked if we could go out on our first date when he feels up to it."
"That could also have triggered those memories since it seems like he may be ready to move past the death of his wife. In the past, when we've worked together Danny would often feel a tremendous amount of rage not directed at anyone in particular but he could be very loud. The last few times I don't see that rage anymore. And, I think that's because of you. Linda was his first real love but the year or so before she died they seemed to be having issues."
"Danny never talked about things between them other than over the last few years she became more and more fearful about his job and him getting hurt. Also, she was shot defending a patient and had PTSD afterwards. She sought help but couldn't understand how Danny could keep his job as a detective. At times, I could feel that anxiety coming from him but he never let that interfere with his job."
"I think we've done enough for tonight. Maybe wake him up in an hour and get him to sleep in his bed. You have my number, if anything happens and you need me, call any hour, day or night. I'll check back in a few days. Thank you for helping him, you seem to be just what he needs." Alex stood up and showed himself out. Maria poured another cup of coffee and found her book. She set an alarm on her phone to wake Danny.
