I'm really really really really really REALLY sorry about the long wait everyone...i had some issues going on...hockey, track, homework...crazyness : ) Anyway, i've finally hammered out the third chapter...the story will get better, i promise...and i hope it wont take as long as this chapter did.
Those of you still reading this story, even after the long wait...thanks : )
now, on to the story...
Crawling in the Dark
Chapter Three
"Believe me, Detective, you wont regret this."
Dr. Michaels gave Danny a warm smile as he signed his name on the last form that she had given him, and handed it back to her. His hand ached; he must have filled out thirty forms and signed his name a dozen times, each time he signed further sealing his fate.
Mac's going to kill you, he thought for the eighth time, rubbing his stiff hand. But it didn't seem to make him as nervous as it had the first time he had thought about it.
There was something about that little boy, something that Danny couldn't brush aside, as he had in so many cases before. He wasn't sure exactly what is was, or when he had realized it, but it was a strong enough feeling that it kept him from leaving the five-year-old boy in the hospital bed behind him.
While Dr. Michaels collected the papers, Danny glanced at the boy sitting on the plastic chairs of the hospital waiting room, his feet not even reaching down to the floor. The hospital had somehow managed to find him small enough hospital scrubs, but his feet were bare except for a pair of white socks. The rest of Trevor's clothes; his shirt, pants, and size four shoes; were in a bag in Danny's hand. All of the clothes, save for his socks, were covered in blood, and had to be tested at the lab to confirm that it belonged to the Roberts' family.
Trevor, for the moment, didn't seem to mind that he was wearing the oversized hospital garments. Instead he was focused on the piece of paper a nurse had given him, scribbling furiously with a red crayon. Every minute or so, he would quickly glance up to find Danny, as if to asure himself that he was still there.
Don't worry about that, kid, Danny thought ruefully. I'm in way too deep now to leave you here.
Dr. Michaels leafed through the forms briefly, then handed them to the woman sitting behind the hospital desk.
"Molly, can you make sure these go in a safe place?"
The nurse behind the desk nodded, and carefully slid the forms into a folder waiting on her desk, then into a drawer. Dr. Michaels turned back to Danny, and the smile on her face seemed to have doubled, if possible.
"Well, that's it, Detective. Trevor Roberts is officially in the custodity of the New York City Police Department."
"Uh, good. That's...good." Danny shifted uncomfortably under the doctor's intense smile. "So..that's it then."
Doctor Michaels nodded. "That's it. He'll have to come back in a week or so to have the stitches removed and be re-evaluated, but until then, he's good to go. Physically, anyways," she added. Danny nodded, thinking back on the past hour, when she had explained Trevor's condition to him. Survivor's guilt, at five years old. From what Danny knew about it, it was a heavy enough burden...but for a five year old? He couldn't even imagine what it was like, thinking it was your own fault that your parents had been killed.
Well...maybe not parents... The image of Minhas, sprawled out on the subway's cement floor flashed through his mind briefly, and he shook his head quickly to clear it.
Stop it, he thought. That is the last thing you need right now. Focus.
"Detective?" the doctor asked. She must have noticed his attention wandering.
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to give you my personal cell number, in case you have any problems," she said, scribbling some numbers down on a Post It note. "I have it on me at all times, and I check my voicemail as often as I can between shifts." She handed Danny the number, and he carefully stuck it into his pocket. When he looked up again, he was surprised to see her holding out a 50 dollar bill.
"Take it," she said, shaking it at him. "I know you can't take anything from the crime scene. This should pay for a few sets of clothing, so he doesn't have to wear those scrubs for two weeks."
"You don't need to do that," Danny said quickly. "I can handle it, I--"
"No," Doctor Michaels interuppted. "You didn't ask for this, and seeing as its partially my doing, I'm going to do my part." Seeing Danny's hesitance to take the money, the doctor grabbed his hand and placed the bill into his palm, closing his fingers over it. "Don't worry about it," she said with a smile.
Danny returned her smile. "Thanks," he said, carefully folding the bill and placing it in his pocket next to her phone number.
"No problem, Detective. Be sure to call me and let me know how Trevor's doing, alright?"
"Will do." Danny picked up the plastic bag containing Trevor's bloodstained clothes, and made his way towards the plastic waiting chairs. Trevor had already gathered the small box of crayons and paper that a nurse had given him while he was waiting, and scampered quickly to meet Danny on his way over.
"Are we going now?"
Danny nodded, carefully moving the bag with Trevor's clothes behind him so the boy wouldn't have to see them. "Yeah. You ready to get out of here?"
Trevor nodded enthusiastically, and reached out a hand to grasp Danny's, tighter than he had expected. Danny glanced down at the boy's white socks, already begining to darken from walking without shoes. Even the shiny hospital floors couldn't keep out the dirt.
"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you...or something?"
Trevor glanced down at his feet and wiggled his toes. "No. My socks are always dirty," he said matter-of-factly. Danny shrugged.
"Alright, if you say so."
The two of them made their way through the ER lobby, and out the ambulance bay doors that they had originally came in through. Danny breathed deeply, happy to be out of the hospital. He had never liked them, and he didn't make it a hobby to visit.
"So...where are we going?"
Danny paused outside the hospital's sliding doors. In the all the commotion, he had completely forgotten that he had left his car at the crime scene...6 blocks away.
"Damn," he swore.Pulling out his cell phone, he checked the time. It was nearly 10 am, almost four hours since he had gotten to the crime scene...meaning that he was four hours late on getting back to the lab. He supposed going to the hospital would buy him an hour or two, seeing as how he had to process Trevor...but the extra hours he knew he would have to explain to Mac.
"Dammit..." he muttered. How am I ever going to explain this? Glancing down at Trevor, Danny quickly bit his tongue. Smooth, Messer...
"Sorry," he said quickly. "Pretend you didn't hear that."
Trevor looked up at him innocently. Danny found a smile creeping to his own face. When Trevor smiled, he was begining to learn, it was nearly impossible not to smile back.
Smiling's not going to help you get out of here, the little pessimistic voice in the back of his head hissed. Danny's smile quickly faded, and he reached into his pockets, feeling past the money and telephone number the doctor had given him, and was surprised to find them empty.
Great, he thought sourly. He must have left his wallet in his car, and without it, there was no way to pay for a cab. He bit his lip, thinking for a moment, then pulled out his cell phone once again. He was going to have to call for a ride, whether he liked it or not.
He glanced down at Trevor. How am i going to explain him?
He couldn't call Stella for a ride; she would ask too many questions, and she'd definately tell Mac about Trevor. He briefly considered calling Aiden, knowing that she would be able to back him up until he could figure out just how to explain the situation. But she was already at the lab...and he didn't want to pull her into this yet, if he had to. Besides, he still knew one more person that he knew he could count on...
Wondering why he hadn't thought of it earlier, Danny began dialing Flack's cell phone number.
Don Flack's cell phone began to ring just as he was pulling out of his parking space in front of the NYC police department. It didn't ring at a very convienient time, either; a driver in the road was moving to cut him off. Using one hand to turn the wheel sharply into traffic, he pulled out his cell phone with the other, flipping it open on the fourth ring.
"Flack."
"Hey Flack, it's Stella," the voice on the other line said. It was interupted by the loud honking from the driver in the car behind him, who was not happy that he was being cut off. In the rear view mirror, Flack could make out the driver's choice finger sticking up at him.
"Hold on, Stella," Flack said, and putting the phone down for the moment, used his free hand to flip some fingers of his own at the driver behind him. "Jackass," he muttered, pulling his car ahead and ignoring the continuing honks behind him. He picked up the phone from the seat beside him.
"You're making loads of friends today, aren't you?" Stella said dryly. Apparently the honking had made it through the phone lines.
"New York traffic," Flack shrugged, smiling. "Sorry about that...what's up?"
"Not much, we're just getting started on examining the evidence from the Roberts' apartment."
"Find anything yet?"
"Not much," Stella said ruefully. "But it would help if we had the witness here. Have you seen Danny?"
"No," Flack said, surprised. "Isn't he processing that kid in the hospital?"
Flack heard Stella sigh on the other end of the phone. "Yes, but he went there over 4 hours ago. It shouldn't have taken him that long to finish."
"Do you want me to look for him?"
Stella paused. "No," she said finally. "We've got enough evidence here to start-we can wait it out until he gets here."
"You sure?" Flack asked. "I don't mind looking-"
"No, no. Just, if you talk to him, tell him to get back here."
"Alright. I'll call you if I see anything."
"Thanks, Flack. Bye."
Flack snapped his cell phone shut, pondering what Stella had said. It wasn't like Danny to be late, escpecially when he was on the job.
Before Flack could think about it any longer, his cell phone rang again. Reading the caller id this time, Flack was relieved to see that it read DANNY MESSER. Flipping it open again, he put it to his ear.
"Danny?"
"Hey, Flack." The voice on the other end sounded exhausted.
"Danny, are you okay? Everyone's been lookin for you, ya know."
"I was inside the hospital, I couldn't have my cell phone on." There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. "I bet Mac's pissed."
Flack shrugged. "Dunno, I've only talked to Stella. Didn't sound pissed to me."
"Yeah, she wouldn't..." The line went silent for a second.
"Danny?"
"Uh, yeah...listen, d'you think you could pick me up from the hospital? I left my car at the crime scene."
"Yeah, sure, no problem," Flack replied. "I'll be there in about ten minutes, okay?"
"Alright...thanks Flack. 'Bye."
Flack snapped his cell phone shut, and started the engine of his police cruiser. What is up with Messer today? he thought. Danny had looked about ready to fall asleep that morning, and it seemed like he hadn't gotten any better. He could tell that his friend probably wasn't getting much sleep, and although Danny hadn't said anything, he could guess the reason. This Minhas thing had stung him, much deeper than he was letting on to anyone else. Enough to lose sleep over, at least.
But even Flack knew that even if it was bothering him, he wouldn't say anything. He never had; Danny Messer was one of his best friends, and the most stubborn. Probably why we get along so well, Flack thought wryly. The police chief had often commented on his own bull-headedness, so it was no surprise that his friends would be the same.
The driver behind him began to honk his horn once again as Flack pulled his car in front of him and into the turning lane that would take him to the hospital. Several other cars already in the turning lane began honking too as he cut into their line, and he waved cheerfully at them as he passed.
New York traffic, Flack thought. Gotta love it.
Flack pulled up to the ambulance bay doors at the front of the hospital, and it didn't take him long to see Danny, pacing anxiously at the hospital doors, swinging a sealed hospital bag absently in his hand. Flack smiled slightly, knowing that every moment of inaction, to Danny, was torture. He always had to be doing something, solving a case, processing a crime scene, something to keep him occupied.
As he expected, it didn't take Danny long to notice that he was there. He waved, but instead of coming out to the car, he went back inside the hospital.
Where is he going? Flack wondered. He waited a few moments, and Danny reemerged. But this time he wasn't alone. Trailing behind him, in a small hospital uniform and white socks, was the boy from the crime scene. Confused, Flack waited a few seconds, expecting someone from Social Services to be coming out to take him, but no one did. Instead, the boy, whose name he couldn't remember, followed Danny to Flack's police cruiser.
"Hey," Danny said, leaning in the police cruiser's window. "Thanks for swinging by...I left my wallet in my car, or else I'd have called a cab..."
"That's alright," Flack shrugged nonchalantly. "You can pay me when I drop you off." Looking around Danny, Flack could see the boy, shuffling slightly behind Danny as Flack tried to see him.
"He coming with us?" Flack asked, gesturing towards the boy. Danny turned to see what Flack was looking at.
"Oh...yeah." Danny beckoned the boy closer. "Trevor, this is my friend Don Flack. You remember Detective Flack, right?" Danny asked. Trevor nodded, glancing shyly up at Flack.
"Hi," he said. "I remember you. You're one of the good guys."
Flack chuckled at that. "Yeah, that's me. How ya doin'?" He didn't voice the question he really wanted to ask: Why are you coming with us?
Trevor shrugged. "My socks are dirty," he said, looking down at his feet. "But that's okay, 'cause my socks are always dirty."
"Yeah, mine too, kid," Flack laughed. "Well, doors are open, don't know what you boys are waiting for."
Danny opened the back seat door for Trevor, and slid the bag he had been carrying under the seat. Flack assumed it probably held the boy's clothes for the CSIs to test back at the lab.
After making sure Trevor was secure in the backseat, Danny climbed in the front seat next to Flack.
"Thanks again for the ride, Flack," Danny said, shaking his head. "Leaving my wallet in my car, it's like asking to be robbed, huh?"
"Yeah," Flack agreed, only half focused on the conversation. Danny was definately dodging the unasked question of why this boy was accompanying them. After years of interrogating suspects on the force, Flack wasn't easily side tracked by that tactic. Shifting his car into drive, he pulled out into the street and proceeded to find the fastest route back to the crime scene.
It was probably something simple, like looking at mugshots or a lineup, nothing really interesting, Flack thought. What more could Danny need the boy for, after all the time he had spent in the hospital with him?
But why not just come out and say it? Flack wondered. Danny hadn't said a word about the boy in the backseat, except to introduce him, and it was a little odd for him not to have. Flack was giving him a ride...why shouldn't he know why? Finally, Flack's own curiousity took over.
"So.." he asked, breaking the silence. "He's going with you?" He gestured at the boy in the backseat.
"Uh, yeah..." Danny shifted his gaze from Flack, to his shoes, then at Trevor in the backseat. "I'm bringing him to the lab to question him...get his story, and everything."
"You haven't done that yet?" Flack glanced away from the road to look at Danny. "What have you been doing at the hospital this whole time?"
"He was asleep," Danny said defensively. "And I wanted him to calm down first." He shrugged. "Besides, we still have to run some tests and process him. I didn't have my kit with me when I got to the hospital."
Flack nodded, still a little puzzled. If he hadn't been questioning Trevor, or processing him, what had Danny been doing all that time?
"So, social services doesn't mind you just taking off with him like this? Don't they have some kind of restriction on that or something?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Flack could see Danny shifting nervously in the passenger seat.
"Actually, uh...Trevor's not staying with Social Services," he said.
"Oh," Flack said. Well, that explains it, he thought. The hospital found a relative. "I didn't know he had other family members around here."
Danny shook his head. "He doesn't. His grandfather lives on the west coast and can't be here for a couple of weeks."
Flack looked at his friend, confused.
"Alright, so if he's not staying with social services, and not with a family member, where's he going?"
Danny paused, shooting Flack a glance out of the corner of his eye, but didn't answer right away.
"Danny?"
"He's...he's gonna...stay with me."
Flack's head snapped around to look at Danny, certain he hadn't heard correctly.
"What do you mean, 'he's staying with you'?"
"It's just for a couple of weeks," Danny said quickly. "Just until his grandfather comes, you know, so he won't--"
Flack stopped at the red light he had just pulled up to, stepping on the brake pedal a little harder than necessary, then turned to Danny.
"Danny, are you insane? You're a cop, you can't take care of a kid and work at the same time! You--" Flack stopped short when he saw Trevor look up from the backseat. He didn't want to do this in front of the kid.
Flack drove the next few minutes to the crime scene in silence, his friend a stoic statue beside him. Pulling up beside Danny's parked car, Flack shut off his engine and opened his door.
"Trevor, can you wait in here for a minute?" Danny said, opening his own door.
"Mmm'kay," Trevor mumbled absently, glancing up only briefly from the picture he was coloring. Danny nodded, and stepped out of the police car, shutting the door behind him.
Flack didn't wait for Danny to speak.
"Danny, do you have ANY idea what you are doing?"
"Yes," Danny said scathingly. "He needed somewhere to go. What, did you expect me to leave him there?"
"Yes!" Flack said, exasperated. "That's what you are supposed to do. Social services, foster care-any of that ringing a bell, Messer?"
"Don, you don't get it," he said, shaking his head. "You wouldn't get it--
"Oh yeah?" Flack challenged. "Then explain it to me, because i'm obviously not catching on."
"Flack, I have to do this. I can't explain it, I just..." Danny sighed, and slumped down on the hood of his car, head in his hands. "...I couldn't leave him there, Don."
Flack stared at his friend, worried by his sudden change in attitude. Danny Messer was one of the toughest, most stubborn guys he knew, and very rarely did he ever show even the slightest hints of weakness. Or let his defenses down. But that was exactly what he was doing now.
"Well, what about social services? They take in a million kids like him, everyday. He'll be fine there."
Danny shook his head stubbornly. "It would kill him," he said flatly. "He'd be living in a house full of strangers...he's seen his parents get murdered, Don. He needs someone he can trust, not people he doesn't even know."
"Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed. "But Danny, there are a million kids in Trevor's situation. You know we've seen them before, and you've never wanted them to come live with you. What makes him so special? Huh? Why this kid?"
Danny was silent for a moment.
"I...I don't know, Flack. I..." Danny shook his head, and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "He needs me, Don. You weren't in that hospital, you didn't see him...he'll fall apart." He smiled ruefully. "I'm his hero."
Flack sighed, then joined his friend leaning on the hood of the car.
"Have you talked to Mac about it?"
Danny snorted. "Mac would fire me in a heart beat if he knew." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "He doesn't need another reason do that," he mumbled. "I've already pissed him off enough for one lifetime."
"Wait, so you mean Mac doesn't know?" Flack's mind whirled. This is all way too much drama for one day, he thought. "Danny, do realize what you're doing?"
Danny's eyes grew cloudy. "Yes," he said defensively, standing and putting his glasses back on.
"Danny, you can't hide this forever. You know you're already on thin ice to begin with, and I think Mac's going to notice a little kid following you around in the lab."
"Mac doesn't need to know," Danny muttered. "He'd send Trevor back, and fire me in a second... and that's all the reason for him NOT to find out..." Danny glanced over at Flack, his eyes pleading.
It took Flack half a second to realize just what Danny was asking.
"You want me to lie to Mac Taylor," Flack said increduolously. "Are you kidding me, Messer?"
"Come on, Flack," he pleaded. "Two weeks. That's it. Then he's gone."
"Danny, I'm not going to lie to Mac! You know how much shit the both of us would be in?"
Danny scowled.
"Fine," he muttered. "So much for having my back."
Oh he is NOT playing that card on me, Flack thought angriliy. Danny turned to walk back to the car, but Flack grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"Hey, don't start that crap again, Messer," Flack said. Danny tried to shake off Flack's hand, but Flack only increased his grip.
"Nuh uh, you're going to listen up, Messer. You know that I've got your back, didn't we already have this conversation once?"
Danny didn't answer, but he stopped trying to pull away.
"Danny, think about it. You're a cop. You work almost everyday, in the crime lab or in the field. What are you going to do when you get called out to cover a murder? What's going to happen to him?"
Danny stared at his shoes, refusing to answer.
"And I know you're still messed about about this Minhas thing," Flack went on. Danny's head snapped around at the mention of the undercover cop's name. He opened his mouth, to deny it, Flack was sure, but Flack cut him off.
"Danny, don't lie to me. You look like you haven't gotten a decent night's sleep the whole time you've been off-I can tell you're not all together yet."
Danny shot him a dirty look. "What are you, my mother?"
"I have eyes, Messer."
Danny's mouth became a thin line, and he jerked his arm out of Flack's grasp, pulling out his keys from his jacket pocket.
"Thanks for the ride, Flack," he muttered, unlocking his car with the pager attached to his key ring.
"Danny," Flack sighed, shaking his head. "Get your ass back here."
"Why?" Danny snapped. "To hear more of your brilliant psychological advice?"
Flack rasied an eyebrow at his friend. "What, because you're offended, or because you know i'm right?"
Danny snorted, but didn't say a word, and didn't move any closer to his car.
"Danny, think about it for more than two seconds. Taking care of a kid is a full time job, even if only for two weeks. How do you expect to take care of a kid, when you can't manage to do it for yourself?"
Seeing the scathing look in Danny's eyes, Flack back tracked.
"What I mean is, you work almost 24/7. Guys like me and you, we can run on a few hours sleep. What about the kid? How's he going to handle that?"
"Trevor."
"What?"
"His name," Danny muttered. "It's Trevor. Not kid."
Flack shook his head. "Fine, Trevor. Same question."
Danny turned back to Flack, still holding his keys in his hand.
"Flack, I have to do this, alright? You weren't there in that room. You didn't see the look on that little boy's face when I tried to walk away." Danny's voice broke, and he quickly coughed into his hand. When he spoke again, his voice was strong and steady.
"If you want me to tell you what is so different about Trevor, I can't," he said. "Up until today, he was just a regular little kid, living his life. Next minute, his parents are dead, and boom, everything changed. And that still didn't make him any different from the hundreds of victims we've seen. But the minute I walked into that closet everything changed, Flack."
Flack stared at Danny, surprised to hear the emotion in his friend's voice. Danny continued in a softer tone.
"This kid saw his parents murdered, saw everything his life was fall apart...and he still trusted me, Flack. Do you know how hard it is to trust someone, after something like that?"
"No," Flack said truthfully. "I don't." He paused. "But you do," he said, remembering the conversation he had had, no more than a week ago, with Danny in the coffee shop. About how he felt no one had trusted him...and how he thought no one had his back.
Danny blinked, surprised. "Yeah," he said softly, as if he was realizing it for the first time. "Yeah, I do..."
A banging noise from the back of Flack's police cruiser interupted him. The two of them turned to see Trevor, pounding frantically on the window of the door.
"Danny!"
Danny was off the hood of the car in a flash, opening the door of the police cruiser to let Trevor out. As soon as the door opened, the boy leaped out, catching Danny around the knees and grasping him tightly. His little body shook convulsively, and he buried his face into Danny's jacket. It didn't take a genius to realize that the boy was terrified.
"What's the matter?" Flack asked. Danny looked up from the child attached to his leg, bewildered. "I...I dont know."
"Trevor, what's wrong?" Danny asked anxiously, trying to pry the boy away from him so he could see his face. "Trevor, what--" Danny glanced into the back of the police car, and his eyes grew wide. "Oh..."
Flack hurried over to Danny's side, following his gaze and peering into the back of the police cruiser. There, sitting on the seat where Trevor had been sitting, was a single bloody sneaker. The bag that Danny had so carefully tucked underneath the seat lay open next to it, and Flack could see the rest of the blood spattered clothes and the other shoe resting inside. Trevor's clothes, covered in his parent's blood.
On the floor where the bag should have been was a single red crayon. Trevor must have dropped it, and attempted to pick it up, grabbing the bag instead. The boy must have wondered what was in the bag, but probably never expected that. Flack could understand Trevor's reaction. That would freak anyone out, especially a kid...
Danny knelt down beside Trevor and hugged the boy, trying to calm him. "I'm sorry, Trevor, I'm so sorry..." he whispered, his eyes locked on the bag in the cruiser. Trevor didn't respond, only clutched Danny tighter as he trembled.
Flack took the oppurtunity to pick up the shoe and place it back into the bag, making sure it was sealed before taking it over to Danny's car and slipping it in the backseat, out of Trevor's view.
Trevor's shaking seemed to have calmed somewhat, but Flack could tell he was no where near alright. Gathering the boy in his arms, Danny stood facing Flack guiltly.
"I shouldn't have left it where he could find it," he muttered, gently rubbing Trevor's back. "I should have been more careful..."
Flack shrugged. "Kids get into things, Danny, even if you try to hide them. How many times when you were a kid did you find your Christmas presents before Santa brought them?"
Danny shook his head, and held Trevor closer. "Hell of a present to find," he mumbled. "Dammit..."
Flack sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.
"I know it sucks, Danny. He's going through hell, and you've been through it. You want to be there for him, I get that. But don't you understand, Danny? Things like that-" Flack gestured towards Danny's car-"-are going to happen everyday. You work in a crime lab, stuff like that is part of the job. How is he-how are you-going to handle it?"
Danny lowered his eyes, then shook his head again.
"I know, Flack...I know. But I can't leave him." He raised his eyes. "He's going to wake up every morning, knowing that his parents are gone, knowing that he's alone...and I can't let that happen to him. How i'm going to handle it? I...I don't know. But i'm taking the risk." Danny shook his head, and began walking towards his car.
"I shouldn't have dragged you into this, Don," he sighed. "Go ahead and tell Mac, do whatever you want...I don't care. I'm not taking him back."
Flack watched Danny fumble for the passenger side door, trying to balance Trevor and open the door at the same time. After watching him struggle for a moment or two, Flack made up his mind, and followed Danny to his car.
Danny avoided his gaze, ignoring him, and shifted the boy's weight in his arms to try and get a better grip on the door handle. Flack shook his head, and let out a small chuckle.
"You're not going to ask for help, are you?"
Danny narrowed his eyes. "I can open doors, Flack," he muttered, reaching again for the door handle. Flack beat him to it, opening the passenger door himself, and holding it open.
"I'm not talking about the door, Messer."
Danny looked at him for a moment, then carefully pried Trevor's arms from his neck, and placed him inside the car.
"Trevor, I'm going to be right outside, okay? It'll be alright," he whispered to the boy. Trevor curled into a ball, sinking down into the passenger seat. His eyes were red rimmed and glistening with tears, but he hadn't let them fall. Tough kid, Flack thought. Tough kid...
"Here, I'll leave the door open, alright?" Danny shut the passenger door half way, and Trevor nodded, rubbing his eyes with his hand.
Danny looked at him worriedly, then looked back to Flack, who shrugged.
"You've got a long road ahead of you. I hope ya know what you're doing."
Danny managed a weak smile, but couldn't hide the worry in his eyes. "Trust me...I have no idea."
"Yeah..." Flack said. "Ya know, Danny...I can't lie to Mac Taylor." Danny dropped his eyes to study his shoes.
"Yeah, I know..." he sighed wearily, defeated. Flack shook his head, unbelieving. He really doesn't trust anyone to have his back, does he?
"But..." Flack continued, "I won't volunteer any information."
Danny lifted his head, a somewhat surprised look on his face.
Flack sighed, and placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Don't get me wrong, I still think you're crazy for doin' this."
Danny shrugged, a half a smile creeping onto his face. "Maybe I am," he admitted. "I really don't know anymore..."
"Trust me, Messer," Flack said, patting him on the shoulder. "You're insane."
Checking his watch, Flack withdrew his hand from Danny's shoulder. "You better get back to the lab. Call Mac, too, let him know you're on your way."
Danny's face fell at the mention of his boss's name. "Yeah..." he mumbled under his breath, glancing at Trevor. "He'll be thrilled..."
"I'd better be heading back, too...donut breaks aren't as long as they used to be," Flack quipped, heading back toward his car. "You need anything Danny, you know the number."
"Alright...hey, Don?"
Flack turned. "Yeah?"
"Thanks," Danny said, giving Flack an awkward smile. "Really. Ya know, not many people woulda understood, so...thanks."
Flack smiled wanly. "Don't worry about it, Messer. Just don't make me regret it, okay?"
"I won't..."
Flack climbed into his car, but didn't start the engine. He waited, watching Danny kneel down next to the passenger seat to talk to Trevor, and then climb into the driver's side himself and start the car. Waving, Danny pulled out into the street, and his car dissappeared among the masses of New York traffic.
Only then did Flack allow himself to drop his head onto the steering wheel, unable to believe what he had done. He had agreed to help Danny hide a five year old boy from social services, his only living relative, and the New York City Crime Lab...
If anyone ever found out about this, he was so fired...
Sighing, Flack massaged his temples with his hands. He did level on Danny on a some things, though. The boy had attached to him in a way Flack had never seen before...and he had never seen his friend so attached to the subject of any of his cases. Attached enough, it seemed, to risk losing his job to keep him safe, and to keep him from being afraid...
Trevor's a lucky kid, Flack realized. Danny might been erratic at some times, but he was loyal, and Flack had no doubts that Danny would defend his decision with his life...or his job, if it ever came to it. That didn't surprise Flack, though...and it wasn't what he was worried about. Truthfully, he didn't believe Danny could handle it, ecspecially now...
Sighing, Flack started his car and pulled out into the street, feeling for his cell phone as he went. He hadn't forgotten his promise to Stella. He quickly dialed her number, and the phone had barely rung twice when she picked up the phone.
"Flack, what's up? You find Danny?"
"Hey Stella," he said, ignoring her lack of greeting. "Yeah, I talked to Danny. He's on his way right now, he got himself tied up at the hospital. With the kid, and everything."
"How is he?"
"Kid's fine...he's with Danny."
"With Danny?" Stella sounded confused. "What happened to social services?"
"Danny needed him at the lab for something," Flack lied. "Some kind of test he needed to do."
"Oh. What did he say he needed him for? Didn't he process him in the hospital?"
Flack paused. He didn't know enough CSI-babble to worm his way out of this one.
"...he didn't say, you'll have to ask him when he gets there," Flack winced. Sorry, Danny, couldn't avoid it... He took a breath, hoping Stella hadn't noticed his hesitation. The line was silent for a moment.
"Alright," she said finally. "I guess we'll see him in a few minutes. Thanks, Flack."
"No problem."
As soon as the phone went dead, Flack sighed in relief. Danny, you really owe me one...
Good news was, Stella didn't seem to have noticed his hesitance. Flack was a little unerved about how easy it was to lie to her, though...
All Danny had to do now was keep up the story...or land them both in hot water. All right, Messer, he thought. I did my part. Now its your turn...
Then again, Flack thought, if it wasn't for Danny doing what he thought was his part, they wouldn't all be in this situation, would they?
And Danny, Flack knew, had drawn the hardest part of all.
sorry if thats not the knock your socks off chapter you were expecting after that long break...dont worry though, i'm not gonna let that much time go by again!
thanks for reading: )