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"Flack!" Lindsay called as she ran into the waiting room and saw the tall mostly grey head of their best friend. He turned around, and cringed at the gasp Lindsay let out as she saw the dried blood on Flack's shirt.
"Shit, Linds I'm sorry I shoulda changed."
"No, no Flack it's fine, just tell me what happened." Lindsay said as she moved and hugged Flack. "He wouldn't listen to me." Flack whispered into her hair.
"What else is new?" Lindsay laughed slightly as she brushed a tear out of her face.
"He was in pursuit of an armed suspect, he rounded a corner and then I heard a shot, he was wearing a vest, but the prep shot lower."
"Did they get the guy?"
"He's in custody now, I told him Linds, I told him Back up was around the corner. To lay off, he wouldn't listen." Don said as he dipped his head in guilt.
"Don, It wasn't your fault. This case has been getting to him." Lindsay shook her head. "How long has he been in surgery?"
"About 2 hours." Flack said as he sank down into a chair. Lindsay sat down next to him. And sighed as she rolled her temple with her fingers. "You seem to be handling this well." Don noted half an hour later as he observed Lindsay just sitting there sipping tea.
"I have too, it's the only way I can keep my sanity."
"Linds it's okay to let it go, you don't have to be so tough."
"Being tough is the reason Danny fell in love with me." Lindsay laughed as a tear ran down her cheek.
"No I don't think so, being tough is the reason he chased you half way across the country, so he could be there when you finally fell."
"I didn't fall." Lindsay shook her head. Flack shot her a look of disbelief, of knowing. "I stumbled." Lindsay said as she held her head up a little, and started to laugh. Those laughs turned into sobs. She was racked with sobs, falling into Flack's lap sobbing. She couldn't hold up the front. She could try, but what the hell was the point. This man had been her entire life since she moved here. 13 years, Danny Messer had been her New York.
"It's okay Linds, it's okay. I know." He soothed as he ran his hand threw her hair, trying to soothe her; it always seemed to work when Danny did it. Stella, Mac, Hawkes, and Adam walked in a little while after Lindsay's sobs had exhausted her to the point of gentle hiccups.
"How you doing Kiddo?" Stella asked as she squatted down to be at Lindsay's level.
"I'd be better if I had some information on how he was doing." Lindsay sniffled.
"We'll know soon enough." Stella said as she pushed a strand of hair behind Lindsay's ear.
"I hope so, it's been four hours." She sighed sitting up. "I just need to know if he's going to be okay."
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"Ms. Messer?" A young doctor called out as she entered the crowded waiting room.
"Yes." Lindsay said as she jumped up handing her cup of coffee to Stella in the process. "Is he okay, how is he?"
"Det. Messer, is doing fine, we got the bullet, and no vital organs were hit, the doctor just wanted to take extra precautions. His father died on the force, ever since, he's been pretty adamant about not letting cops die on his table. He is stable, and should wake up from the anesthesia in a few hours. I'll have a nurse come and find you when we've got everything situated."
"So he's going to be okay?" Lindsay asked her eyes pleading.
"Dr. Wells will be able to tell you more, but from what I know, he should be fine, may have to stay in the hospital for a week or so, but after that he should be fine." He said with gentle eyes.
"Thank you." Lindsay said as she let out a long deep breath, one she felt like she had been holding in for hours.
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Lindsay was led into Danny's light minty green hospital room; the beeps of his heart monitor were steady. He looked so peaceful just lying there. He also looked vulnerable, the most vulnerable she'd seen him look in a long time. Maybe since Ruben had died. She pulled a chair over from the corner of the room to the side of his bed and sat down in it, tucking her legs under her for a little more height as she leaned over, took his hand, and kissed it.
"Well, you know it's me, that's good." She laughed as she watched the beat of the heart monitor speed up as she kissed his hand again then lowered his hand to the bed, not letting it go. "Olivia knew, I don't know how she knew, but she did." Lindsay said shaking her head.
"And here I thought she had you wrapped around her little finger, guess it goes both ways. She just started crying, and crying saying you were hurt. Clung onto Buggy like there was no tomorrow, like it was all she had left of you. Just that nubby, teddy bear with one eye and a very green bow." Lindsay laughed. "Joey is too much like you too. He reminded me of you; just the way you were when Louie was in the hospital way back in the day, or when your dad got cancer. He's got the yawn to rub out tears down pretty well." She paused, their lives revolved around their children now, she never would have thought of that back in the tiger cage. Back when this man was a terror, a nightmare, a complete pain in the ass.
"Iris is watching them right now. Your mom and Dad will be here tomorrow, and Louie is stuck in Boston because of the snow. Figures, every time the words snow day come around you end up in a hospital. You give me a snow day, you get held hostage and beaten to a pulp." Lindsay sighed as she ran her finger along the scar that still graced his hand from that day 10 ½ years ago. "And here the kids get a snow day and don't have to go to school, and you are chasing after a suspect in the ice and snow, and again are found in a hospital bed."
"So basically, I'm taking off every snow day from here on out." Danny wheezed.
"Oh god Danny, you're up!"
"Yea." He said as he tried to sit up, but fell back in pain.
"Don't try to sit up Dan."
"I'm sorry." He croaked. Lindsay turned around and grabbed a glass of water to rub the tears out of her eyes, and then handed the water to Danny as she turned back to him. Help him get the frog out of his throat.
"What…What are you sorry for?"
"For almost breaking my promise."
"What promise?"
"That I'd never leave you."
"Ha, Messer, get this straight and get it now." Lindsay laughed at her husband. "You being shot and you leaving are two entirely different things." She smiled warmly. "You scared me, but you have too much to live for to let yourself die."
"Is that so?" Danny smirked as pain racked hi body.
"Yea, ya do." Lindsay said as she noticed the grimace at the pain. She leaned over him, and pressed the nurses' button, then placed a tender kiss to his lips.
"Yes what can I do for you Det. Messer?" a young nurse asked as she waddled into the room. "Are you in any pain?"
"Some." Danny concurred; he had learned long ago that Lindsay wouldn't stand for his tough guy attitude when it came to his health, safety, and pain. Really since after the last snow day when she practically sat on him to keep him from falling behind in the pain. He will always credit her to his quick recovery. Had she not forced pills down his throat like a dog some days, he wouldn't have made it through the rehab nearly as fast.
"Okay, that's to be expected, I'll get you another dose of morphine, although this may put you out for the night Det. Messer."
"Please, it's Danny." He said as he held up a hand. "and this'll give my wife a reason to go home and sleep."
"Danny I want to stay and make sure you're…."
"I'll be fine. Nurse…."
"April." The nurse smiled.
"Nurse April will make sure I'm alright. Take care of those kids." He said as he kissed her hand.
"Alright Dan, I'll bring them by in the morning with a change of clothes for you, cause really that blue gown does nothing for ya hun."
"Thanks Montana. Thanks a lot, kick a man when he's down."
"I'm sorry, bruised your ego did I?"
"Just a little, but that's why I love ya."
"Love you too Dan, now get some sleep." She said kissing him before stepping back and watching the nurse inject the medicine. She watched as he talked to the nurse for a second before succumbing to the inevitable sleep.
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"Hey Iris." Lindsay whispered as she walked into a dully lit living room where Iris had Olivia and Buggy tucked under her now crocheting hands. Joey was asleep in the couch next to them, his Yankees blanket pulled over him as he hugged a pillow.
"They wanted to wait until you got back, this was the only way I could get them to sleep." Iris explained as she adjusted a pillow under Olivia's head so she could stand. "How is he?"
"They expect a full recovery, some hospital time, and some recovery and rehab and he should be fine." Lindsay smiled as she took a bite of a cookie from the batch that she and the kids had made earlier on their snow day.
"Good, that's good Linds." Iris said as she offered her much younger friend a hug. "You're handling this well." Iris mentioned as she watched Lindsay grab a glass of milk and another cookie.
"I can't, we can't dwell on the ifs. If, is not a good thing. It doesn't work for us." Lindsay said, "We learned that back when we first met. The ifs with my friends tore us apart, the ifs with Ruben tore us apart, the ifs with telling Danny about Joey, almost drove me insane. If is not good, I can't dwell on if. It's all about is. Danny is okay, he will be fine. That's all that matters."
"That's a good attitude to have." She nodded as she watched Lindsay grab another cookie.
"PUT the COOKIE DOWN." A sleepy Joey said as he walked into the kitchen and sat in the stool next to his mom.
"Yea, I'm dealing well, I'm just eating my feelings." Lindsay laughed as she put the cookie back into the jar.
"Well that's what you have the cookie police for." Iris laughed as Joey took his mom's milk and finished it.
"Yea I guess so." Lindsay laughed as she rubbed circles into Joey's back, watching him finish the milk.
"Is Dad going to be okay?" He asked after he wiped the milk mustache off his face with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Yea, he will be. He just has to stay in the hospital for a few more days, Then a lot of time here with you guys." Lindsay smiled.
"Cool." Joey said threw a yawn. "I like when he can't get called into work."
"Yea well you just might get tired of him." Lindsay laughed, now lets get you and your sister to bed, we're going to go see Daddy tomorrow morning."
"You mean no school!?"
"Yea, I want to keep you guys with me tomorrow."
"Oh Awesome!" Joey exclaimed as he hobbled off to bed. Lindsay laughed as she bent down to scoop up a sleeping Olivia, as Iris headed out the door.
"Night Lindsay, and remember if you need anything I'm right next door." She winked as she shut the door behind her as Lindsay nodded. As Lindsay set a sleeping Olivia down she awoke slightly.
"Daddy?" she asked sleepily.
"No sweetie, it's Mommy, but Daddy's okay now, we're going to see him in the morning so go back to sleep." Lindsay whispered in a peaceful voice lulling Olivia back to sleep.
Lindsay crawled into her bed not two minutes later, but she couldn't sleep not without Danny, he had always been slightly there, ever since she found out she was pregnant with Joey Danny was always in her bed in one way or another. She settled for curling up on his side of the bed in the t-shirt he wore the night before, There he was. Some form of Danny to get her through the night. Tears may have been falling but his scent was there to calm her into sleep.
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