The passage of day into night felt like an eternity as Lindsay paced the hospital room yet again, her nerves on edge. 'When is he going to wake up?' she kept asking herself, hoping that it would be soon. She was on her last ounces of sanity. If something didn't happen soon, Lindsay feared that she'd lose it again. The pacing had become tiring, and her feet were soon throbbing in her three inch high thick soled black leather boots. She sat down in her seat at Danny's bedside and kicked them off, feeling instant relief. After wiggling her toes to get all the kinks out, she curled her feet under her body and sat back.
Breathing in a deep sigh, Lindsay reached over and took his hand again, fingers interlocking as they always did. With her free hand, she gently caressed his cheek as she said, "I'm here, Danny. I'm not leaving you." Lindsay was tempted to bend over and place a soft kiss against his warm skin, but she held back. 'You've read too many fairy tales,' she chided herself. But then something unexpected happened; his hand twitched against hers.
The doctor had warned Lindsay that patients in a coma made involuntary moments, but this one felt different. She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Danny, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Sure enough, she felt that gentle twitch again.
Lindsay's heart began to race. "Oh, my God," she breathed, bringing her free hand to her mouth to keep it from dropping. It started to shake violently as tears clouded her vision. She blinked and several went spilling down her cheeks. Finally getting over the initial shock, a smile crept onto her lips as more tears flowed from her eyes.
"I'm here, Danny. I'm right here. Oh, God. Thank you, God. Thank you," Lindsay babbled before bursting into tears of utter joy. With her still shaking hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She could barely keep it in her grasp long enough to call the lab, but somehow managed to press the send button. Lindsay didn't even wait for Stella to say anything before she yelled, "He's awake! Danny's awake! Get here quick! He's waking up!"
"What?!" came Stella's shocked reply. "When did this happen?"
"Just now!" Lindsay answered excitedly. "He squeezed my hand and then I asked him to do it again and he did! He's waking up, Stella! Tell the others! Come down here now!"
"Lindsay, calm down! I know you're excited, but you're overdoing it," Stella couldn't help but laugh at her friend's obvious joy. Hell, if she was in her shoes, she'd probably be doing the same thing, but Stella managed to show some restraint even though her own feelings were telling her to bolt out of her seat and tell everyone.
"I can't help it, Stella, I'm just so happy," Lindsay replied, finally taking a deep breath when she realized just how much of a racket she was making by being obnoxiously loud. There was nothing in the world that could wipe the grin off her face now. Life had just granted her the wish she'd made and gave back to her the one person she loved the most; Danny.
"And you have every reason to be," Stella said. "Now can you do me a favor and stop bouncing off the walls until we get there?"
"Yeah, of course!" Lindsay answered as she sat back down in her chair, taking Danny's hand again and gently squeezing.
"Good, we'll see you in ten." With that, Stella hung up.
Lindsay put her phone back into her pocket and turned to Danny. Her heart continued to flutter as she gazed at her friend, happy to see him regaining consciousness. "Oh, God, how I've missed you," she whispered, placing her head on the pillow beside his. In a moment of unexpected spontaneity, Lindsay leaned in and placed a feather soft kiss on his cheek then quickly pulled back, ashamed of what she'd done. She sat back in her chair, her heart beating rapidly as every possible thought of the repercussions this might have crossed her mind.
Suddenly, that overwhelming fear that had come over her the day Danny asked her to lunch came back as did all her preconceived notions about not being compatible with him. Lindsay was pushing him away yet again, her fears overpowering her love. As much as she wanted to acknowledge it, she was still too afraid of all the consequences it might bring. After all, her life hadn't been a forgiving one, and things could easily go from good to bad. It was better if she kept him at an arms length.
Lindsay's mind began to wander back to the dark ages in her life. Her grandparents had been the first in a chain of events that would lead to her inability to get close to people. At the tender age of eleven, she'd witnessed them get hit by a car as they pulled out of the driveway of her home. She'd been waving her goodbyes with her mother and her sister, Emma, when out of nowhere, a car came speeding down the country road they lived on and rammed into their old, rusty yellow Chevy truck, flipping it over and killing them instantly. The mental scars were still present all over Lindsay's heart and mind, which had brought about part of her reaction to Danny's accident. Although the two incidents were quite different, they held the same horrifying quality that instantly put her in a state of panic and distress.
The second event would come three years later, when Lindsay was fourteen and Emma was twelve. They had been walking down the country back roads on their way home from school one sunny fall afternoon playing I spy when they came across an old, unused rail bridge and Emma saw a butterfly on one of the metal girders towards its center. She'd raced towards it to see if she could catch it when one of the old wooden planks gave way under her weight and she fell through, hitting the ground twenty feet below. From then on, Emma would forever be confined to a wheelchair, having broken her back and suffered brain damage. Lindsay never forgave herself for being unable to stop her. It wreaked havoc for years to come, being known as the girl with the retarded sister.
Lindsay's mother was next in line, but for reasons that were totally out of her control. A few months after her 18th birthday, her mother had been diagnosed with lung cancer after having worked in the restaurant industry most of her life and being around second hand smoke. The bigger blow came when Lindsay found out her mother only had a few months to live. She spent as much time with her as possible, even leaving school to take care of her during her last few days. It was a time that Lindsay refused to talk about, watching her mother slowly die in front of her. The scars from this incident ran deeper than any other, leaving her already broken heart in little shards that had only recently begun to fall back into place.
But the final nail in the coffin came with Lindsay's last boyfriend, a man by the name of Gabriel Thompson, who she had worked with in the field. He'd been a sweet guy, with beautiful hazel eyes and sandy blonde hair she loved running her fingers through. After a year of flirting, he'd finally asked her out on a date, which turned into six months of pure bliss. Lindsay thought she'd found the man she'd marry, but fate would deal her another awful blow that would forever change her perspective on life and love.
It was the day before Valentine's Day three years earlier. Plans had been made to spend the following day at Gabriel's apartment, lazily discovering each other's like and dislikes when he and Lindsay were called to a crime scene in the late evening hours, forcing them to postpone their plans. A man had been found shot to death in an old, abandoned building off highway 90. The case seemed routine, but what followed would be far from it.
Lindsay and Gabriel arrived just before midnight and split up to examine the crime scene. Lindsay had taken the body while Gabriel took the rest of the building where more blood had been found in a room a few feet away from the dead man. As she examined the area around the body, Lindsay became engrossed in her work collecting evidence until the local medical examiner arrived. But what caught her attention as she was photographing the blood spatter against the wall was the sound of a struggle going on in the other room where Gabriel had begun his own investigation.
Slowly standing up with her gun drawn, Lindsay made her way into the other room, hoping that what she'd heard really wasn't much to worry about. But intuition told her otherwise. Dread slowly crept up her spine the closer she got to the door until a shot rang out from the room. Lindsay quickly kicked the door open to find Gabriel hunched over on the floor with another man standing above him, smoking gun in hand. The man pointed the gun at her, but Lindsay fired first, hitting him in the chest and killing him instantly.
She ran over to where Gabriel laid, blood seeping from a wound in his lower abdomen. Throwing off her coat, Lindsay pressed the garment against the hole, her eyes overflowing with tears as he desperately gazed up at her. His breathing became shallow as blood dripped from the corner his mouth. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. Lindsay struggled to keep him conscious and alert as several officers entered the small room, but Gabriel was going fast. "Please," she'd begged. "Please, don't die!"
Fate had been cruel that night, and a few minutes later, Gabriel took his last breath. When Lindsay realized what had happened, the scream that escaped her small body could be heard for miles. She had to be forcibly removed by several officers so the medical examiner could get to the body. No amount of time could erase the image of Gabriel dying in her arms, and seeing Danny in that same position the previous afternoon had catapulted Lindsay's already fragile mind into freak out mode.
What finally brought her back to her senses and out of her mindset was Stella's arrival with Mac and Hawkes. Lindsay still had her legs curled under her body as she stared down at Danny when she heard Stella softly whisper, "Hey," as she stepped into the room, startling the young woman out of her dark thoughts. Lindsay's eyes shot up and she plastered a fake smile on her face to hide the turmoil.
"Hey!" her voice also came across as a little too chipper when she stood up to greet her colleagues.
Stella noticed the change in Lindsay's demeanor, but didn't mention it. There was another time for that. Right now, the spotlight belonged to Danny. He was their whole reason for being here in the first place. "So, how's Danny doing?" she asked.
"He's coming around," Lindsay answered, that fake smile beginning to bother Stella. "He can hear you and respond. Go ahead, take his hand and talk to him." She left go and moved to the side so Stella could see for herself.
With some hesitancy, Stella took Lindsay's place at Danny's bedside and slipped her hand into his. She leaned down, gently whispering, "Hey, Danny… It's me, Stella." That's all it took for him to squeeze her hand, and instantly her eyes began to fill with tears. She turned to the others and said, "Oh, my God, he really is waking up!" Moving over, Stella let Mac take her place.
"You know what, guys. I think I'm gonna go home now. I've been here for the last 36 hours, and now that I know that Danny will be okay, I think it's time I got some rest," Lindsay said as she started to put her shoes back on.
"Good idea," Mac agreed. "You want someone to take you home?"
"Nah, I'll just take the subway," she replied.
"I'll take you home," Stella volunteered. She grabbed Lindsay's arm once her shoes were on and led her out of the room. "No need for you to be walking around by yourself at this hour when I've got my car parked outside." But there was another reason she wanted to take Lindsay home. She'd seen the fake expressions on her face and was becoming worried that something else had happened while they'd been at work.
"Alright," Lindsay shrugged as she followed Stella out of the hospital. For the most part, their ride to her apartment had been a quite one, giving Lindsay time to think about everything that had just happened in the last day and a half. With so much on her mind, she let her focus wane, her eyes becoming wide and distant.
"Talk to me," Stella said when she noticed the expression on the young woman's face go completely blank. "What happened today?"
Lindsay snapped out of her daze and stared at Stella for over a minute, trying to figure out what was going on. "Nothing," she finally replied, unable to guess what Stella meant.
"It can't be nothing. What's wrong?" she gently tried to coax it out of Lindsay. It earned her a long, drawn out breath followed by fidgeting, but she continued to keep her mouth shut.
"It's nothing, Stella, really," Lindsay answered.
"Lindsay, you can talk to me."
"Please, just drop it. I don't wanna talk about it," she begged as Stella pulled up to her building. Lindsay quickly got out, digging into her pockets for her keys.
Stella sighed, wishing she could do something to reach out to the young woman. Before Lindsay closed the door, she added, "Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm here." She nodded and turned, slowly walking up the steps to the main door. Stella knew there was nothing she could do, but at least she could remind Lindsay that she was there for her.
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FINALLY! And update! Sorry to keep you guys waiting. I know you've been wondering what the hell was going to happen after that cliffhanger. I really didn't mean for it to take this long to update. It was a depressing week for me, yet again. Very long hours at work, sometimes up to 14hr shifts that felt neverending. Inspiration didn't come easy, but last night, it came so hard and so fast that I just couldn't stop myself. (Hehe, that sounded REAL dirty. I guess you know where my frame of mind's at right now, LOL!) I guess all I needed was a little R&R after the week from hell to recharge my batteries and come up with this little gem. I told you Lindsay wasn't getting off easy, so for those of you who get pissy with me about that, you'll see where this is going in the end, and trust me, you'll be very happy when you see it. She's still got a few monsters in her closet that scare her to death and make her unable to persue a relationship even if she wanted to. Anyway, onto the review responses:
mercy4vr: Hello and welcome! Yay! Another newcomer! Thanks for reading the story and reviewing! Glad you're enjoying it! Hope to hear from you again. :)
peanut2lb: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, that darkness equals hell thing really punched up that feeling of desperation, especially after all that's happened to Danny. Of course he's thinking this might be hell, but at least he found his salvation. :) Thanks for another wonderful review! I really appreciate it!
MeliBeckie: Another newcomer! Welcome and hello! Thanks for stopping by! No, I'm not trying to kill you! The chapter just seemed to end itself there. After all, look where it got us in this update. Even more drama than you could possibly imagine. Hehe. I'm such a horrible person, right? Letting Lindsay do what she just did? Don't worry, in due time, you'll see the reasoning behind the tangled web I weave in this story. And I think you'll enjoy it too! Thanks again for coming out of hiding and sending me a review! I really do appreciate it!
Tiantian Wang: Hello again! LOL, you're so right, the show is ripping us off! But then again, Anna is about to have a baby, so I can see their reasoning behind it. I'm hoping that after she has her kid, maybe then they'll finally punch up the storyline between the two of them! Cuz right now, it's driving me NUTS! And thank you for that wonderful comment! I'm glad you noticed the dream-like quality of this chapter. It was the best way to give everyone an idea of what Danny's going through and just how big of a struggle it really is to wake up from a coma. Thanks again for your review! I really do appreciate it!
PRTFCSI: Hello!! You're the third person that's come out of hiding and reviewed this past chapter! Wow, that's amazing! LOL! I get amazed by the littlest things, hehehe. Thank you for your wonderful comments! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Sorry about that nasty little cliffhanger, but it was appropriate, especially seeing where this chapter took everyone. I know, I'm evil, not letting Lindsay experience as much joy as she should, but there's a reason to what I write, and you'll see soon enough what it is. Thanks again for coming out of hiding and reviewing. It means so much to me! Hope to hear from you again!
JenTWCSINYFAN: Hi! OMG! You're the forth person to come out of the woodwork and post a review! Thank you so much! I'm really glad you found my story. And I really appreciate that you're enjoying it enough to review! I can't tell you how much that means to me! Thank you sooo much! I hope to hear from you again!
chili-peppers: Of course Danny's gotta hear Lindsay's voice! And of course it's gotta be what keeps him going! After all, they make the CUTEST couple! I just wish they'd play it up on the show a little more, maybe get down to this whole business why Lindsay's too afraid to start a relationship with him! Hehe. Maybe after Anna has her baby. At least I hope so! Thanks for sticking with me and reviewing. I really appreciate it so much! Can't wait to read about what you think of this chapter!
prplerayne: And now it's stuffed cannoli... Damn you, Erin. You know exactly how to throw my mind in the gutter. I'm glad you're having so much fun with your fic! From what I've read so far, I seriously can't wait to see where all this is going, and I know you've told me, but seriously, I wanna see it play out!! It's soooo GOOD! And it's funny as hell! I love all the smart ass comments. They really fit the characters well! Hehehe. Awww... REALLY?! Name the baby after ME?! Honey, you're too kind! Really, you are! And I'd be honored if you did, but only if it turne out to be a girl. But I really do hope that it's a boy, cuz I absolutely ADORE the name you picked out for him. Darren, awww! You know how much I love that name!! Hehehe. And now it's my turn to give you a little dirty thought after you read this... Kumquat. Thanks for the review and thanks for being my beta!! Luv ya, chica!
simbagirl: I know I'm mean. I thought you already knew that too, lol! I mean, I put you through enough with Sub Zero! Hehe. I hope you got my email. Thanks again for the review! I appreciate it more every time I update! I hope you liked this chapter. Enough drama? Hehe. NO! It's never enough! LoL! Can't wait for your next review!
Melting: To answer your question: A week. LOL! Sorry about the wait. Life got in the way. But I updated, finally! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was an evil bitch last chapter with that cliffhanger, but at least you're seeing where this is going now. ;) And don't get mad at me for putting Lindsay though hell again. I've got my reasons and they'll play out soon enough! Thanks for the review! I can't wait to see what you think after this chapter.
The Lurkers: I hope you come out of hiding soon. I really would like to hear from you. :) But thank you for just reading. I can't believe how popular this story has become! I mean, it's got more hits than my Fastlane story could ever get! Thank you so much for reading! I'm so glad your enjoying it! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
And finally, my parting message... As always, thank you for all your love and support! You have no idea how much it means to me! You guys are awesome! More story coming soon!
-DK