Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of "CSI:NY"-they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS.

Author's Note: Witness my (not so) triumphant conclusion. I'll answer all reviews posted for these last two chapters-thanks so much for bearing with the world's WORST case of writer's block and for reading :)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Silence.

After the action of the day, it seemed so much more invasive, so much more profound.

Something he was going to have to get used to.

Lucy slept in a hospital-provided bassinet in the corner. Every few seconds his gaze would flicker to the bassinet, just to make sure she was still there. He didn't want to lose her again today.

Eyes fighting back tears, he kept a deathgrip on Lindsay's hand. He glanced around the tiny room, the blips entering the back of his consciousness, breaking the silence he'd wrapped himself in.

I'm sorry Mr. Messer….your wife is in a coma. Her injuries today were very severe. We've patched her up as well as we can but…she needs time to heal.

"How long?" he'd whispered, struggling to stay on his feet. Lucy whimpered in his arms, as if she understood the bad news.

"It's too early to tell."

He looked at his wife through blurry eyes. "H-h-hey baby," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I love you," he said. He moved a piece of Lindsay's hair from her eyes. "I love you, Montana." He flicked away tears. "I-I want you to know that…that me and Lucy, we're…we're gonna be fine, okay, baby?" He glanced quickly into the corner. "So you won't need to worry about us, okay?" He coughed, and absently rubbed the back of Lindsay's hand with his thumb. "And I want you to know…" He couldn't take being brave anymore, and his voice broke out into loud sobbing. He couldn't say anymore. All he could say, over and over, was, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry…"

All that answered him were the beep, beep, beeps of the hospital equipment.

When Flack and Angell got back into the city later, Flack had Jess drop him off at the hospital. Flack rode the elevator up to fifth floor by himself, leaning against the back wall. God, he was tired. Lindsay had been in surgery when he and Angell had left. Neither of them had wanted to stay. Flack couldn't help but picture Jess lying there instead of Lindsay. And Jess, though she'd worked with Lindsay on several occasions, didn't feel comfortable waiting with everyone else. Lindsay had a great support group around her, and someone had to go stick it Sonny Sassone.

She had happily volunteered. And Flack wouldn't let her go alone.

The elevator dinged and he stepped off the elevator and made his way down the hall. He cornered a doctor and asked about the condition of Lindsay Messer. He tried to stay calm as the doctor delivered the bad news. When the doctor told him he couldn't release the information to anybody but family, Flack collared him and informed him coldly that that was his sister in there, damn it, so what the hell was wrong?

And then when he thanked the doctor, and shook his hand and walked away, he proceeded to punch the nearest wall. He didn't even feel it. He hoped fucking Nurse Ratched wasn't around. He'd pay for the patch job out of his next paycheck.

He made his way down the hall and stopped outside the room. He had no idea what condition Danny would be in right now. He gently opened the door.

What he saw would remain frozen in his memory as long as he lived

Danny lay curled up next to Lindsay on his side, in the fetal position, one hand thrown over her stomach, the other gripping her hand in a visegrip. His face was red; Flack could tell he'd been crying. He looked over and saw Lucy sleeping soundly.

He could have woken Danny up, sent him and Lucy home.

But he couldn't do it. So instead, he parked himself in a chair for the night and shot Angell a text that that was where he would be.

And he kept one eye on Danny, and one eye on Lucy, all night.

Two floors below, Kelly Darwin entered room 304 for a routine vitals check. "Hey there, Louie," she greeted him. She adjusted the thermostat in the room. "Just me," she said. She had been working at the hospital for a year and had been working the 3rd floor for two months. She'd heard the rumors, heard the stories about Louie Messer in room 304. How some gangbanger had put him in a coma, and how his brother came to visit him once a week, and had been ever since it happened, years ago. Kelly had never met Louie's brother Danny but the nurses at the front desk all said he was super cute. She'd just never been lucky enough to run into him.

But tonight, all fifteen floors of the hospital from triage to pediatrics to ICU were buzzing about the events of the day. Kelly felt her heart break for Danny Messer though she'd never met him. To have your brother and your wife both here… "Dunno if you've heard the news," she told Louie as she checked his pulse. She proceeded to fill him in on the days' events. "The whole situation sucks," she said. "Now he's got nobody but his baby girl." She wrote some notes down on the clipboard. "If he ever needed you to wake up, Louie, tonight would be the night," she told him quietly. "He could really use something happy after today."

Then she set the clipboard back in its pocket at the edge of the bed and headed for the door.

She paused. She thought she'd heard something. She turned around.

Louie Messer's green eyes were looking back at her.

END OF PART ONE