If I get one review on this, the pattern will be complete! It goes 16,8,4,2 ... what comes next?? Sorry, my OCD picked that up :)
Stella walked into the break room to find Danny sleeping, for the first time in nearly three days, on the couch, with Dominic pillowed on his chest. Danny's arms were wrapped around the baby, his recently worried face eased with sleep. She smiled at the two of them. Even though Dominic was barely three weeks old, she could find traces of his parents in him. The little nose was Lindsay's, the lips Danny's.
"He's been out for the past couple of hours," Hawkes said softly, walking into the room. "It's good," he said, pouring himself and Stella cups of coffee, "He hasn't slept in too long."
"He beat up two suspects," Stella frowned.
Sheldon shrugged. "If I was in that situation, I would, too."
"It's not right," Stella said, "He broke protocol."
"Honestly, Stell, can you blame him? Really?"
She thought for a moment. "I don't know… I guess not."
They watched Danny sleep briefly before walking out of the break room together.
"I'm worried about her," Stella said, "I mean, we all are, I know," she said quickly, "but it's all I can think about, Sheldon, I really can't focus."
"She's strong," Sheldon assured her, "For God's sakes, it's Lindsay. She can pull through anything." He was aware of how cliché and ridiculous he sounded, but, in truth, it was all that he was relying on himself.
"YES!" Adam screamed. "YES, thank you!" He jogged happily around the little trace lab, dancing and shouting.
"Adam? What is it?" A young lab tech named Petra asked. Adam gave no response. He kissed her loudly on the cheek and raced over to Mac's office.
"Cow shit," Adam said proudly as he stepped into Mac's office.
Mac gave a blank stare to the harried lab tech standing triumphantly in front of him.
"It's – I'm a genius."
"How?" Mac asked slowly.
Adam flashed him a grin. "There were traces of it in the blue clay I collected from the door lock. Someone was making a copy of the key using the blue clay, and whatever they were wearing – gloves, probably – transferred cow manure to the clay."
"And?" Mac asked, standing up and walking out of the office with Adam.
"I analyzed the cow manure. There was evidence of a disease in the manure – Coccidiosis, if you really want to know. It's kind of interesting. It's a one celled parasite that can cause calves to –"
"Adam," Mac said firmly, "I don't care."
"Right. Well it was in the manure. There are three cattle farms within a hundred mile radius of New York who have reported cases of it."
"Three?"
"Well, yes," Adam said, suddenly realizing that he may have kissed a basic stranger on the cheek for nothing.
Mac sighed. "It's good, Adam, it is. It's just … close, but not enough. We have to narrow it down. Can you get me the names of the owners?"
Adam nodded and started rifling through the papers he was holding.
"Mac!" Stella called from down the hallway.
Mac looked up. She raced over to him, grinning wildly.
"I have something," she said, "Do you remember the Ryan case?"
Mac frowned pensively. "The fifteen year old kid with a bomb?"
Stella nodded. "Lindsay left a message on the baby."
"I know," Mac said, "it said bomb, right?"
Stella nodded. "The husband, Kevin, left his wife about two weeks ago. I called around, and she's been missing for the past few days – no one has seen or heard from her since a day before Lindsay went missing."
Mac's eyes widened.
"Not to mention," Stella continued, "The trace Danny found on Dominic came back as a dairy based substance – either dried milk or cheese. That, coupled with the hay we found on his blanket, makes me think that they're at some kind of –"
"Dairy farm," Adam interrupted.
"Are there any farms owned by someone Ryan?" Mac asked hopefully.
Adam glanced over the papers, then shook his head.
"What about Pike? That's Calista's maiden name. Maybe it's a family member's farm."
"'Thurmond Pike.' Brother maybe?" Adam said jubilantly.
"No time to find out. Let's get out there," Mac said quickly.
Lindsay was burning hot. Sweat dripped down her cheek. Her body burned slowly. All she could do was lie on her back in the stifling barn and remember to breathe. In and out. In and out. Slow and even. She pretended she was back home, matching her breathing with Danny's on the nights before the pregnancy, when she'd come home late from work to find him sleeping already. She wished the baby was still with her. At least then she'd had someone to be brave for. Now all she could do was wonder what else there was.
She knew the baby was safe, at least. The shaggy man had sworn that he'd placed the baby within eyeshot of a nurse. Danny would manage taking care of Dominic; he knew Lsudden she was wishing he'd come back so she wouldn't be so worthless anymore. Before, she was a mother. Now I'm just hay, she thought dreamily, just one more straw of hay. She worked on lying straight and thin as she could, becoming one with the padding below her.
"I have to go."
Mac shook his head as he Velcro-ed his vest on. "It's not deba-"
"Don't tell me it's non-debatable, Mac, or I will hurt you," Danny said dangerously.
Mac watched him with dark eyes for a moment before nodding. "If I tell you to back off, you do it. Flack's told me how you've been with suspects. I can't have that happen, Danny."
"It won't, if we find her. I swear – if she's there, I'll back off. I just gotta be the one to see her first, Mac, the one she sees, OK? I don't want her to be alone. That's all." His voice trembled with emotion.
Mac sighed and nodded. Danny flashed him a quick grin and ran off to get a vest and his gun.
The shaggy man had a shaggy stomach, Lindsay thought sleepily. The pain between her legs would slip away if she slipped into her own mind. Shaggy, shaggy man, all over.
Voices drifted from behind the barn door. One angry voice, one shaggy, dopey voice. Lindsay couldn't make out more than bits and pieces of words. They became clearer with the rough sliding of the door as someone shoved it open.
"You stupid, horny man. The baby was the whole point."
"Well, how was I 'sposed to know that, Calista? You told me to watch the girl, not the baby."
"Well did I tell you to get rid of the baby? Better yet, did I tell you to fuck the girl?"
"How do you know that's what I did?"
"Oh, don't be stupid. I can smell it. And for god's sake, look at her. She's bleeding. And you've got … cum on your pants."
"You never said to keep the baby," the man grumbled, repeating himself.
While they talked, Lindsay gathered strength like growing fire in her limbs. She let it spread through her, tensed, and, when she heard them move away from her, stood and ran. She ran towards the crunch of an arriving car that she'd just barely heard moments earlier, towards the sound of feet on gravel. Her legs were jelly – uncoordinated and bendy, but she made it to the small door, shoved it open, and ran straight into Danny. He stopped her from falling and looked at her as she lay limp, supported by his forearms.
As the yelling became louder and harsher, hurried and desperate, Danny holstered his gun and lifted her up. He let the group of armed cops run by him, then hurried off to the ambulance parked in the corner of the property. He laid her down on the gurney and climbed inside.
"Go," he cried to the paramedics. As he reached out to hold her hand he saw blood just below his elbow, where he'd been cradling her legs.
"Blood," he said quickly, "she's got … she's bleeding. Do something." He found her hand and squeezed it.
The paramedic quickly checked her body, tracing the blood back to the source.
"Ma'am, are you menstruating?" she asked Lindsay, cupping the woman's cheek to focus her attention.
"No," Lindsay whispered.
Danny saw the quick flash of panic in the paramedic's eyes.
"What?" he asked hoarsely, "What is it? What does that mean?"
The woman's eyes flashed from Lindsay to Danny, as if deciding whether or not to worry them. "She might …" she paused and lowered her voice, "be bleeding internally. We have to get to the hospital to make sure –"
"I'm not," Lindsay murmured from the gurney.
"Just relax, baby, OK? Just close your eyes. Don't worry. Just hold my hand and relax, it's –"
"I had sex. That's why I'm bleeding. I was still sore from the birth," Lindsay explained.
Danny blinked. He fought the pain building inside him at her choice of words, then wrestled his own feelings down and focused on her. She couldn't look at him until he forced her to, turning her head gently towards him. He kissed her softly, felt her face grow wet with tears.