+I don't own any CSI: NY characters. But the rest is mine. I really hope you enjoy reading this.+
Hannah was sitting at the dining room table in her apartment with food spread out in front of her when he walked in the door. She had her head in her hand. As she looked up at him he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Hannah," he explained.
"I've been sitting here for an hour. Where have you been?"
He went over to the table and took a seat next to her. He rubbed a hand through his hair and sighed. "Listen, what I'm gonna tell you might sound pretty crazy, but I want you to remember that I love you, ok?"
"You're freaking me out, what the hell is going on?"
He looked at her. "That call I got this morning wasn't from work. It was a woman from the Department of Child Services. She was calling about a child…my child." Hannah's eyes widened. "I dated a woman named Mary Chissem about three years ago. We dated for almost a year. We broke up because she was moving to D.C. and we just agreed to not try a long distance relationship." He swallowed. "The little girl was her daughter…and my, my daughter."
Hannah put her hand on his. "Are you ok?"
"I don't know. I went to see her when I left here this morning. She's adorable, Hannah. She has my eyes."
"What's her name?"
"Katie."
"So, what happened to her mom?"
"They were in a car accident the other night and Mary was killed. So, now if I want, I can have custody of Katie."
"If you don't then who will take care of her?"
"I guess Mary's parents."
She sighed. "So, what are you gonna do?"
Don shook his head. "I have no idea." He stared at the table for a moment then got up. "I need to go see my parents. This is one of those times in my adult life that the only good advice can come from them." He headed toward the bedroom to change his clothes.
"Can I come with you?" she called after him.
He looked out at her from the doorway to the bedroom. "I don't know, Hannah. Are you sure you wanna be involved in all this?"
She got up from the table and went over to him. "Listen, I love you. And if bringing a little girl into the mix is what needs to be done then so be it; I'm not going anywhere."
He stared into her green eyes. "Why are you so good to me? I'm not sure I deserve it."
She stood up on her toes to kiss him. "You do, I promise."
They both changed and put away the food that was on the table. They left the apartment and Don drove them to Queens. As they drove Hannah held onto his hand; she knew this was a time in his life when he needed support most. To have a child he had never even known existed just thrown into his lap was a big deal, especially for a hard brute of a detective like him. When they pulled in front of the house, Don took a deep breath and opened the door. Hannah followed him up the walk and to the front door. His dad answered, and was genuinely surprised to see the both of them. He could, of course, tell there was something wrong with his son and asked multiple times if he was ok. Don told him he wanted to talk about it with his mom as well.
His mom, Karen, came into the living room from the kitchen and hugged her son and Hannah. "Well, this is a nice surprise. You should've called, Donny I would've told you to come for dinner," she told them then noticed the sullen look on Don's face. "Is everything ok?"
Hannah looked at Don then his parents. "Why don't we sit down?" she offered and they all took a seat.
"Do you guys remember Mary?"
"That nice young girl you dated a few years ago?" his mom responded.
"Yeah, well she died the other night."
"Oh, honey."
"She had her daughter with her in the car, who's ok. A lady called from Child Services and told me that the little girl is my daughter." He sighed and squeezed Hannah's hand. "She's all alone now. I could, uh, get custody of her. The woman from Child Services told me their first priority is to reunite the child with the surviving parent, but Mary's parents are also willing to take her if I decide not to."
Hannah looked at Karen who had her hand on her mouth, and Don, Sr. was staring at the floor. "You didn't know?" he asked.
"No, Pop, if I would've known you know I would've stepped up and been there for them both."
"So, what are you going to do, Donny?" his mom inquired.
Hannah looked at Don. "I don't know, Ma. That's why I came over; I need your help on this one."
"What do you think Hannah?" his mom's words broke her from her gaze at the side of Don's head.
"Uh, I think he should do what his heart's telling him. I told him I'd stick around no matter what. And, honestly, I think he'd be a great dad." She met Don's eyes and they smiled at each other.
"Donny, you have a responsibility to this little girl," his dad started. "I think you should step up and take care of her. You never got the chance to do it from the beginning, but now's your chance."
Don nodded. "I guess I know what I need to do then." He looked up at his parents then at Hannah. "We'll bring her over tomorrow after we pick her up from the hospital, ok?"
Hannah smiled and squeezed his hand again. His parents were smiling too. Don stood and Hannah did as well. Don, Sr. went to his son and pulled him into a hug.
"I'm proud of you, son. I don't tell you that enough," he told him quietly in his ear.
"Thanks, Pop. I love you."
"I love you, too, son."