He had put it off for hours, not actually wanting to read it, but eventually Mac read the final 'report'. He was shocked, completely and utterly staggered; he unconsciously echoed her earlier exclamation. How many knocks can one guy take without breaking? And how did he hide it from everyone for so long?
Mac felt physically ill. As Danny's boss he was responsible for him and for his well-being, as his friend he simply felt for him. And it seems he had failed on both counts to really see what was going on in the young man's life. Hell, they had all been through a lot these past months and nobody had seemingly been spared; Danny especially. If he himself had had an abysmal year Danny's must have been a hundred times worse and still, no-one had noticed. Maybe that was why; they had all been too wrapped up in their own miseries, too busy trying to cope themselves to have anything left over for someone else.
Mac sighed and gently closed the folder as if it were fragile, handling it carefully as he locked it away.
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He found Stella in her office with Hawkes and Don, having a conference call – and from what he could hear it could have only been Danny's mother.
Don grunted. "Just try and stop me now I know where the little…"
Stella opened her mouth to interrupt but Hawkes uncharacteristically beat her to it, "I hate to say it but I don't think we should rush this."
Stella looked at him in puzzlement, and then it dawned. "So we don't overwhelm him, you mean?"
Hawkes nodded. "It wouldn't be fair. He clearly needs this time to heal and it would be wrong to jeopardise that just because we need to see him."
Mac chose that point to speak up, startling Stella a little as she hadn't yet noticed him.
"We could take shifts." He ignored Don's frustrated look. "When he's asleep." He broke off at the look Stella gave him and turned to speak to her more directly. "We still need to work during the day as we are two CSIs down and I can't afford to lose anyone else. We could go see him for an hour or so whilst he's asleep, if only to reassure ourselves he's okay. Then when he's a bit sturdier we can see him during the day."
The group all nodded emphatically. To a person, they all desperately wanted to see him but also understood if they wanted him back they needed to give him this time for himself.