Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Dan…do you think you should be playing?" Lindsay asked quietly as she and Danny were walking out of the back garage with old bases, baseballs, and a few bats towards the park behind the Messer's Staten Island home
"I'm fine Linds, don't worry."
"With you Danny, I can't help but." Lindsay half laughed
"What's that suppose to mean Sweets?"
"Means, sometimes you're too proud or too stubborn to listen to me or your body."
"Okay…." Danny smirked as he lay down home plate in its place.
"Okay. Dan, if your shoulder twinges even just a little bit I want you to sit out with Lucy, or you may not have that arm to teach her how to play herself in a few years." Lindsay said
"Little dramatic there Lindsay." Danny said standing up from placing first. "Look, I'll play behind, AND I'll catch single handed as much as possible. Look Uncle Vinny won't let me live this down if I back out."
"Dan, he's your uncle, I'm sure a gunshot wound to the shoulder is more than enough to get you out of a game."
"Hah, Linds, these guys loved the fact that I made it to the minors. The fact that an injury pulled me out of the game and threw me into the service of the 'enemy' pissed em off," He shrugged. Lindsay stood a little still. Danny really didn't talk all that much about what had happened in the minors, just that he got injured and after some soul searching he joined the police force. He never mentioned how he felt or how his family took it. Grabbing his hand and tugging him back to face her she stopped him to speak her mind.
"Dan. You may have made it to the minors when you were 20, but at 35 you're a CSI, you take key on most the cases you work, you are SOOO incredibly respected, even more so now because well, look at you. Look at the way you stepped up, Dan you no longer are that stubborn, arrogant, jerk that works for CSI, now you're the stubborn, arrogant, father and husband that works for CSI." Danny chuckled slightly at that. "Seriousy, Honey, you taking that bullet for me, was the bravest most incredible thing you've ever done for me. If anybody can't see that, they aren't worth the effort." She finished cupping his cheek and caressing it with her thumb.
"So what you're saying…" Danny trailed off with a smile "…Is that we're even for you giving me Lucy."
"God Danny, way to turn the mood." Lindsay laughed slapping Danny in the arm.
"Ouch, It's a good thing I'm medicated, that woulda hurt."
"Medicated you took 3 Advil and had two beers." Lindsay laughed shaking her head. "seriously, if you need something stronger its…."
"I know in your bag. I got it Linds." He smirked before placing third popping back up and pulling Lindsay close for a kiss.
"EY! Danny-boy!" Came an old gentleman's cackle. "You know that kissing on third base is different than actually GETTING to THIRD."
"Yea Uncle Art. Been there done that." Danny threw back as he and Lindsay made their way back to the back yard. Uncle Art was another one of Sal Messer's brothers, he had three in total. Tony, Art, and Vinny. All were somewhat connected, all were big in baseball, and Maria's brothers weren't much better when it came to baseball, however all of her brothers wore a badge. Nick, Frank, and John. It was a big family, a big family feud, baseball was a way to bridge the gap between wise guy and good guy.
"Oh ho! Danny boy finally has some bite." He announced to the group
"There was a time he wasn't a smart ass? No." Lindsay said in mock disbelief.
"Ha, smart ass, him. Wow. Girlie, do you even know this boy?" Art asked
"I'd hope so." Lindsay laughed,
"Oh really, Danny boy who is this." Art nodded his head towards Lindsay. In truth he wasn't that close to his father's side of the family. They were the connected side, the side he didn't get along with, granted his ma's side was always busy. The fact that they didn't know about Lindsay or Lucy for that matter was not a big surprise.
"In a sec Uncle Art." Danny called grabbing Lindsay's hand and helping her up the hill to the back yard.
It was busy now that's for sure, there wasn't an empty seat, a lot more drinking , not to mention talking. They made their way up to the deck and found a spare place against the side banister. Looking around Lindsay didn't see Lucy in anyone's hands. Glancing at Kate, who seemed as overwhelmed as Lindsay, for some idea as to where the baby was. Kate smiled and mouthed Maria inside.
Just then Maria came out of the kitchen with Lucy on one hip and a beer in the other. Lindsay smiled at her little girl that was gurgling away. Maria handed her over quickly. And headed to hand the beer over to Sal. "Aw, like mother like son." Lindsay giggled.
"What's that babe?" Danny asked
"Nothing Dan." Lindsay laughed.
"Whoa, who's kid? Karen, you have another one?"
"Not yet Uncle Art."
"So who's kid?"
"Danny's." Karen laughed
"Danny's? You can't be serious" Vinny's wife said in disbelief.
"Well, she's serious Aunt Carla." Danny said taking Lucy from Lindsay. "This would be my daughter, Lucy."
"And with a daughter too."
"Yea, well, that's on her mamma." Danny smirked. "This is my wife Lindsay by the way." Danny said off handedly although Lindsay could see the smirk forming, he knew it would annoy her.
"On her mother, real nice Messer, You can sleep on the couch tonight ya know." Lindsay snickered giving Danny an elbow to the side.
"Well, what fun would that be." Danny bit back.
"Whoa, Whoa, WHOA, wait just a sec." Louie said waving his hands. "Are you telling me you finally popped that bed's cherry?" Louie asked. "bout freakin time."
"What Lou, your be got so much action in high school I didn't want to steal its thunder." Danny laughed
"What, no please, little brother, you may the first one to reproduce, but I still remember you being scared that ma was gonna cut it off if she saw you touching it, or putting it anywhere you weren't suppose to."
"WHAT! Please. Just because you…"
"Lucy, I'm so glad you're a girl." Lindsay said to her little girl that was looking at her mommy from her location on Danny's shoulder.
"Aright, Aright, enough of this pick on Danny thing, thought we were gonna play some ball." Danny said redirecting the subject.
Everyone who was in for a game of baseball headed out of the yard and into the park across the way. Maria sat with Lucy on her lap with a few of the other older women and Karen with Kyle, overlooking the park and watching.
Teams were divided up Danny, Lindsay, Louie, Kate, Steven, and Sal Vs Tony, Vinny, Art, Nick, and Frank. Basically the yuppies vs the geezers. Uncle John limped forward. "Okay, I'll be the ump for the game, you will address me as sir, we're gonna be playing some 1890's ball today folks. That is no balls, no stirkes, pick your pitch, catch on the first bounce and they're out. Ladies you are free to catch with your skirts. Watch the swearing, if your fined it's a days wages, that would be a quarter."
"SIR you do know we aren't at a VBBC game right? Sir?"
"Daniel that will be a Day's wages. Now nicknames to Reda our tally keeper for the match."
"Nicknames?" Kate asked Lindsay
"Uncle John, although injured is big in the whole vintage baseball clubs, he umps now that he can't play. 1880's-90's rules we need nicknames."
"Okay, so…." Lindsay started.
"So Pops, you're still handiman?"
"Haven't changed it in 25 years aint changing it now." Sal said proudly.
"Lou is…."
"Sweet Cheeks." Kate jumped in making Louie grumble "Sweet Cheeks? Really Katey? Sweet Cheeks."
"Well if you don't take it you could be Ole blue for the color your balls are gonna turn." She threw back.
"Yea Sweet Cheeks will do it for me." Louie nodded enthusiastically while Danny and Lindsay laughed
"Well Kate, you're a…. Lou you know her best." Danny trailed off.
"How bout mouth." Lindsay said.
"mouth?" Louie asked.
"You know the goonies, plus she's got one on her."
"You have no idea…" Louie smirked (massive turn to the gutter)
"Ooo he's the cute one isn't he."
"Yea." Lindsay nodded
"Oh I'll take it." she said laughing.
"Linds, what shall we call you now Montana?"
"That'll do." Lindsay laughed.
"You're always Montana, that's no fun." Danny protested.
"Buggy?"
"Buggy? What's that suppose to mean."
"Means this woman ate a deep fried spider." Danny smirked "and lost me $5"
"Danny give it up and know not to bet against me." Lindsay said in an annoyed voice, he really needed to stop bringing up that incident.
"I think Danny's gonna be Ole Blue." Louie whispered not so quietly to Kate and Sal.
"ey it works for the boy, he's the copper."
"So's she." Kate pointed out.
"Ozzie, Harriet, we good yet?" Sal called over to where his son and daughter-in-law stood bickering.
"You know Pops that works." Louie said jumping up and handing in their nicknames.
The game began. And boy was it an eventful one. As the geezers struck first they took an immediate lead as the girls got comfortable playing by the new old rules. Come the third inning though it was all tied up, what with Danny's grand slam into the lake that had him dropping a quarter into the umpires cup (lost ball fee and all, cause you know this was a gentleman's game).
Come the 4th inning the yuppies were winning 10 to 6. The sun was beating down on them, and they all were ready to call it quits. But they couldn't they got into this game and now it wasn't just family sitting around and watching as the cranks. However Maria was getting fidgety, her appetizers were pretty much gone, and well the food needed to be grilled.
Luckily, at the beginning of the 6th it looked like the game was coming to an end. As Bricklayer stepped up to bat he ticked it back to which Danny as behind dove and caught after one bounce landing on his injured arm. He assured Lindsay, and everyone that knew about the injury he was fine, but as he stepped up to bat at the end of the inning it was obvious he was still in a bit of pain. He hit the ball, but he kept ticking it for he had a bad grip, and well, one bound off the ground and he was out.
About to change sides, Maria called out. "I don't care if you have 3 innings left, the food needs to be cooked, Lucy needs to be fed, and well, you're wives are annoying me, get back in here."
Yuppies win 13 to 7. Now it was time for dinner.