Note From The Author—I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. I know, cliffhanger, very annoying, but hey, what can I say. I had to build the tension. I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter too.
Disclaimer—I do not own the characters of CSI: NY
Stella's heart dropped. "What kind of an accident Lindsay?"
Lindsay held back a sob. "Mac called me on his way to the hospital. It's Danny and Flack."
She was out of bed and into a pair of shoes in an instant. "What happened?" she asked.
"I don't know for sure. Danny and Flack were in one car and Mac was following them with the suspect in another. The roads are slick from the rain and I think." She swallowed and when she spoke again her voice was weaker. "I think there was a stray dog. Flack lost control of the car and they…" She broke off, crying.
Stella barely registered the tears falling from her eyes. She was running on autopilot, and was halfway to the door when it occurred to her that she couldn't get behind the wheel of the car. It hit her all of the sudden and for a moment her breathing raged out of control. She leaned her forehead against the wall and tried to reign herself in, if only for long enough to make it to the hospital. "Lindsay. Lindsay listen to me. You know I can't drive right now. Can you make it over here to get me?"
"I can. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Be careful. Lindsay, how bad is it?"
"I don't know Stell."
It seemed like light years had passed since Lindsay had uttered the words that had the potential to shift her world irreparably. She was looking out the window when she saw the car pull up. She moved out of the apartment and down to the street as fast as her condition would allow her. She climbed into the car and belted in.
Lindsay turned to her, her face wet with tears. "Stella, Mac couldn't tell me how bad it was. I don't know if Danny…"
Stella grasped the younger woman's hand for a moment. "I'm just as scared as you are kiddo, but we need to get to the hospital, and we'll find out what's happened."
They made it to the hospital as quickly as they could in the bad weather. They were both soaking wet by the time they made it into the building. They asked at the front desk and were told that Mac was up outside of the OR. They wouldn't tell them anything about Danny and Flack, so they made their way to the OR as fast as they could. When they rounded the corner Stella came to a sharp halt. Danny was standing next to Mac. His arm was in a cast and he was covered in cuts and scrapes, but he looked relatively safe. Lindsay let out a sob and rushed to him, throwing her arms around him. He held her with his good arm, whispering into her ear.
It hit Stella then. If they were outside the OR somebody was in surgery, and Danny was okay… "Oh my God," she whispered."
Mac had seen her and was already making her way across the room to him. "Stella."
"Oh God." Spots danced at the edge of her vision and she made a vain attempt to catch herself before she passed out cold.
When Stella woke she found her surroundings completely alien. For a moment she couldn't remember anything. Then it all came back to her and she sat bolt upright. Mac was there instantly, his hands gentle but insistent on her shoulders. "Stella, try to keep calm."
"Mac, what happened? Is Don okay?" She looked around and realized she was in a hospital bed and dread crept over her. "Oh God, the baby, Mac."
He shook his head. "The baby is fine, so are you. The doctors just wanted to make absolutely sure of that after you passed out. The baby is just fine."
She nodded. "Okay, that's good." She couldn't hold back the tears that stung her eyes. The one question that kept running through her head had to be asked. "Is the baby going to have a father Mac?"
He nodded soberly. "He's alive Stella, but it's bad."
"But he's alive," she said.
Mac took her hand. "He's alive, I promise you that, but he's still in surgery. When he lost control of the car they slid sideways. The car hit a barrier on the driver's side. Don took the brunt of the damage and Danny got away with mild injuries."
"Have they said how bad it is?"
He shook his head. "They wouldn't tell me."
Stella was up and out of the bed before Mac could stop her, moving quicker than he would have anticipated. "I need to know."
"I know Stella, but let me talk to the doctor who looked at you and make sure she's okay with it."
She nodded. "Okay," she said absently. Her eyes met his and she couldn't hold it back any longer. "Mac," she whispered brokenly. Without hesitation he pulled her into his arms and held her until the storm passed.
When they got the okay from the obstetrician, Stella and Mac headed straight for the OR again. They found pretty much the whole team crowded into the waiting room. Adam and Kendall were they along with Angell, Sid and Hawkes, and Danny and Lindsay were sitting together amongst them.
Danny was immediately on his feet when he saw Stella. "Stell, I'm sorry, they won't tell me anything either. I keep asking but…"
"It's okay Danny. I'm sure they'll tell us something as soon as they can. Right now I'm guessing that anyone who can tell us anything is in the operating room. So for now we wait. You guys don't all have to wait, I'll let you know the minute I hear anything."
Several heads around the room shook and she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back to see Hawkes. "We want to be here Stell."
She laid her hand over his for a moment. "Thank you."
It was hours before they heard anything. Pretty much everyone had drifted off, but Stella just couldn't bring herself to fall asleep. Her mind kept playing over their last conversation, and she prayed that she'd be able to see him soon, to be reassured that he would be okay. The clock in the waiting room read three in the morning when a doctor still in scrubs came through the doors. Stella was immediately on her feet.
"Mrs. Flack?" the doctor asked.
She didn't bother to correct her, just nodded. "Yes," she answered as he approached.
"Your husband was in pretty bad shape when he came in. He shattered one of the bones in his left arm, and we had to make extensive repairs. His left leg is also broken and he has a concussion. There was some internal bleeding but we were able to stop it. Overall he should make a full recovery, but it will be some time before he'll be able to work or move about easily. I'd say he's a very lucky man; it could have been much worse."
She nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you," she said when she found her voice. "May I see him?"
The doctor nodded her head. "He's being moved to a room now. If you'd like to tell the rest of your friends what's going on, I'll come and get you when he's settled."
"Thank you." She woke everyone and passed on the news. By the time they were all informed the doctor was back to take her to Flack's room. She walked in and almost lost it again when she saw him lying in the bed surrounded monitors.
"He won't wake up for some time," the doctor told her. "We need to monitor him closely for a few days to make sure there aren't any problems."
Stella nodded. "I'll be here."
"Mrs. Flack, in your condition…"
She shook her head almost violently before turning to the doctor. Some of the hard resolve she showed during cases showed on her face. "If you honestly think that I'm going to leave him, that I won't be here when he wakes up, whenever that is, you're out of your mind."
The doctor sighed. "At least let me get you a cot. You can't sleep in the chair."
"Thanks," she said quietly. When the doctor was gone she turned back to the bed, taking Don's hand in hers. "Hey," she whispered through tears. "You're going to be okay. The baby's just fine, but it's mom is a little rattled." She paused. "I was afraid I was going to lose you for a minute there." She brushed her free hand across his forehead, bringing it to rest against his cheek. She wished with all that she had that he was awake and she could see those big gorgeous blue eyes of his she'd fallen so in love with. "I love you."
Stella slept that night on a cot next to Don's hospital bed. It was only due to sheer exhaustion that she slept at all. She woke late in the morning when the nurses began to actively move about the room. She switched from the cot to a chair and barely left the room. The one time she did get up she left Mac there with Don, so someone would be there in case he woke up. Sometime around two in the afternoon she was holding his hand in hers, focusing intently on it when his fingers squeezed around hers. Hope blossomed in her heart and she looked up to meet electric blue eyes gazing at her from a bruised and battered face. "Hey," she said quietly, tears falling.
"Hey," he said hoarsely. "What happened?"
She shook her head. "There was a stray dog in the rain. You lost control of the car and hit the barrier. You've been out for a while."
He nodded. "I remember now. You and the baby okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
"We're both fine," she told him. "I passed out and they were worried for a bit, but we're fine."
"Danny?" he asked.
Stella smiled. "He's good. He's a little scraped up and he broke his arm but he's okay. He's at home with Lindsay."
He managed a small smile. "Good. I'm glad he's okay." He shook his head. "Stell, I'm sorry."
"Why?" she asked incredulously.
Flack shook his head again. "With the baby due so soon, all the stress, something horrible could have happened."
"Something horrible did happen. You were in a car crash that you were lucky to make it out of alive. The baby's fine, I'm fine. What I'm concerned about now is you," she told him. She shook her head as tears fell freely. "When Lindsay called me, God I was so terrified."
He reached up to wipe the tears from her face. "I'm here."
She bent to kiss him softly, careful of his injuries. "If anything had happened…"
"It didn't, I'm a little banged up but I'm going to be okay." He looked firmly into her eyes. "I'm going to be okay. You and the baby are my whole world, you don't think I'd let a little fender bender change that?" he joked, flashing the boyish grin she'd seen so many times.
Despite herself she let the laugh escape. "Only you. God I love you so much."
"I love you too. Now when can I get out of here?"
He didn't get out for a few days. When they finally cut him loose he was so stir crazy he thought he might well and truly go nuts. Unfortunately he had a long period of inactivity ahead of him. He wouldn't be cleared even for desk work until just before the baby was due, and it would be months before he'd be out in the field again. For the next few weeks he wouldn't be allowed to do a whole lot since he didn't have the use of his left arm or leg. Now he knew exactly how Stella felt about being confined to the lab, only this felt a million times worse to him. Still, everyone promised to keep him informed of the cases that came through the office and Stella assured him he'd get the full rundown from her every night.
With nothing else to do, he turned his attention to a book of baby names, and before long he had a list almost a mile long. Some were good, some were not so good, and debating over the finer and weaker points of potential names for their child became a popular pastime.
"Oh come on, Gideon is a great name," Stella cried one night when they were discussing it while simultaneously attempting to pick a crib.
Flack shook his head. "I just can't see it. I still like Damen for a boy."
Stella shook her head. "It makes me think of the Omen, too close to Damien." She showed him a crib with pale green accents.
He shook his head. "Okay, so what about Erin for a girl?" he asked.
"It's pretty, but does it fit?"
"Well I don't know honey; I haven't met him or her yet."
She whacked him with the catalog. "Smart ass. What about Elle?"
Flack grimaced. "Like the girl from Legally Blonde? She'll be doomed to be a ditz; and why are you smacking me? I'm an invalid remember," he said cheekily.
Stella rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, real invalid. What about this set?" she pointed out a simple white crib with pale yellow bedclothes. "It even has a matching bassinet for when the baby's smaller."
He nodded. "I like that one."
"So that's the one then?" she asked.
"Yup, that's the one."
She smiled. "Yes, finally. I'll call the store tomorrow to see if it's in stock and we can see when we can pick it up." She stood and headed for the kitchen. "I'm getting a drink, do you want anything?"
"Water's fine, thanks." Flack stared down at the baby book for a moment. "Hey, what about Titus?"
Note From the Author—Okay, so I hope this came out okay. Just note that I am a history major and know very little about medicine, so if I screwed something up way bad try not to be too hard on me. We all knew I wasn't going to kill Flack, I love him too much. Plus I'm so much better with happy endings: ). Also, the potential baby names are a clear homage. Gideon is because I was watching Criminal Minds while I was working on this chapter, and Elle because I've been listening to Broadway show tunes non-stop and keep hearing songs from Legally Blonde the musical. I clearly do not own the characters of Criminal Minds or Legally Blonde, or the Omen for that matter. Titus, well honestly that was just the most ludicrous name that popped into my head, and I apologize to anyone who actually has a kid named Titus. I mean no offense. : ) Enjoy.