Spoiler Alert: Spoilers for Seasons 2 & 3, up to and including "Silent Night".
A/N: Thanks as always to the reviewers and people sending me messages – I appreciate all the comments and responses. There will be more of the Monroe family, more of the team, more of Don/Stella, and more of the mystery!
Oh, and more D/L (naturally)!
Disclaimer: No infringement of copyright is intended. All characters originated with CSI:NY; all song lyrics are from The Beatles.
It's A Long Journey Home
Chapter 31: Look Into These Eyes Now
Big and black the clouds may be, time will pass away
If you put your trust in me I'll make bright your day
Look into these eyes now, tell me what you see
Don't you realise now, what you see is me
Tell me what you see
Danny and Chris went into a huddle, working out what Lindsay would need medically for the next few days. Other than pain relief and antibiotics, she didn't need other medication; Danny's instincts had kept the overdose from damaging her too badly. Danny bagged the IV apparatus to check for prints, hoping to score a kit from somewhere.
Damn, he thought. It was going to kill them both to be kept out of the case for any time at all. But he was going to have to trust that John Monroe could ride the Bozeman cops, and that not all of them were dirty. If he was looking at a conspiracy here, his only option was going to be to get Lindsay out of Dodge for good.
The Monroes were talking to Lindsay quietly, trying to figure out a safe place for them to go. After a few minutes' discussion, Ted left the room quietly; they must have come to a decision.
Diane came over to talk to the two men. "Danny, we've thought of a place; it's one no one would associate with us. Whoever this person is, he knows enough about us to figure out where to get onto the property and where Lindsay may be vulnerable. So we can't just send you to our summer cabin," Diane glanced over at Lindsay, who had fallen asleep once more; even doped and in pain, her daughter had been thinking pretty clearly.
Chris was nodding, "If the person who's attacked Lindsay is the same person as the second shooter, he would have gone to high school with us. He'd be sure to know about the cabin on the lake – major party place in the summer," he explained to Danny.
Diane nodded in return, "So, Ted has gone to make other arrangements. The place we've thought of is pretty rural, but there is running water and electricity, I promise," she almost laughed at the look on Danny's face at the unthinkable prospect of no water or electricity. "Even more important, there is a phone line."
"We'll try not to use that more than we have to; it'll be traceable. Communication is going to be a problem. People can't come out to us; or they could be followed. Chris, we're going to need a fool-proof plan to get Lindsay out of the hospital as well."
Danny could feel his brain sparking in a thousand directions at once. He knew he had to hold it together and make logical plans, but all he wanted to do was pick Lindsay up and run as far as he could.
"Let me work on that. For now, I have this room secured; no one goes in or out without supervision; no fewer than two people in the room with her at all times."
Diane was standing with her arms folded across her chest in a stance Danny recognized well; Lindsay stood like that when she was worrying or thinking things through. She was watching the door as if she could magically wish up reinforcements. Self-consciously, she glanced at Danny and saw him watching her.
"I hate this."
"I'm sorry, Diane. I wish we could make this easier for everyone," Danny didn't know what to say.
"Ted's gone to phone John and make arrangements for the place you'll stay. He's going to call Jamie and Mick too – they can come and sit with her to give you a break. I just hate sitting here waiting for something worse to happen."
Danny reached out a hand, and tentatively put it on her shoulder, "Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll take care of her, I promise."
Diane sniffed inelegantly and wiped her eyes. "I know. It's just been a crappy few months, you know?"
Danny couldn't disagree with that sentiment. He gave Diane a gentle hug, then turned back to look at Lindsay in the hospital bed.
She was awake again, and staring at him, an unfathomable look in her eyes. When he smiled at her over her mother's shoulder, she smiled back in confused delight. "Danny?"
He couldn't keep the laughter in, "Excuse me, Diane. I have to go justify my existence to Lindsay again. She keeps forgetting I'm here."
Diane and Chris moved away to give them some privacy, although Diane couldn't help but listen to the murmured words as Danny explained once again why he was in Bozeman.
Lindsay put out a hand to touch Danny's face, and he kissed her palm. "Have you talked to Mac?" she asked. She had finally believed his story, again.
"No, I have to do that. They'll be worried." Danny hadn't even checked for messages; the hospital had strict policies against cell phones being used on the wards. "I don't want to leave you yet. I'll wait until your dad comes back."
"You met my dad?" Lindsay's face went a little red.
"He picked me up at the airport. I like your parents, Lindsay."
"I'm kind of fond of them, too. Did Mom say anything to you?" Her eyes didn't quite meet Danny's.
"We've talked a lot, but mostly about how to keep you safe. Why?"
Lindsay shot a quick look at her mother, deep in conversation with Chris. "Nothing. It's okay."
Danny decided not to press the issue. "Lindsay, do you have any ideas about what happened to you? Do you want to talk about it?"
She closed her eyes for a minute, and he quickly said, "Don't worry about it. We can talk later, when you are feeling better." His hand brushed her forehead, then cradled her cheek. She had gone pale and he felt like a shit for upsetting her.
She reached up and covered his hand with hers, turning her face into it and returning his kiss. Then she opened her eyes to look into his. "I will, I promise. Just, not now, okay? Give me a little time." Her eyes drooped again, sleepily.
Danny could only nod.
He sat by her bed, holding her hand, while nurses came and went, while Chris made arrangements for Lindsay's medical needs, while Ted returned and spoke to Diane. He watched her sleep and ignored everything else going on around him, until finally, his eyes closed and he dozed, leaning against her bed.
When he opened his eyes, he groaned. Everything hurt; that had been as awkward a way as he could think of to catch a few winks.
"Feeling sore?" It was a new voice, although it sounded a little familiar. Danny turned to squint into the light just hitting the window, and saw a big figure standing on the other side of Lindsay's bed.
He leapt to his feet, ready to protect her, but the other man stuck out a hand with a bit of a chuckle, and said, "Special Agent John Monroe, FBI, and this one's older brother. Well, one of them, anyway. The other two are on their way in."
Danny rubbed his eyes, and shook the offered hand. "Detective Danny Messer, NYPD Crime Lab. Good ta meet ya." As always, under stress, his accent thickened.
The two men took each other's measure; John noticed that Danny had not let go of Lindsay's hand, even when he stood up, and Danny recognized Ted's lanky, muscular build, dark colouring, and deep voice in his son.
"So, we got a problem here?" John motioned towards Danny's hand, still locked in Lindsay's.
"If she don't got a problem, I don't see why you would," Danny answered a little slowly. Brothers with younger sisters. He sighed; sometimes he thought he had spent his life dealing with older brothers.
The agent's eyes were cool as he measured Danny's deceptively slight frame, recognizing his obvious muscle. Danny looked exhausted and stressed, but fully capable of taking down anyone who got in his way. With a crisp nod, John Monroe stood down, "We'll see. Until she says different, you're okay."
"Same goes," Danny said. He kept Lindsay's hand in his and sat down in the uncomfortable chair with a sigh.
"So, pissing all done? Have you both marked your turf and shown off your big red bottoms?" The voice was rough and scratchy, but it was undeniably his Montana's. He turned to look at her, and John Monroe grimaced at the blaze of joy on the other man's face when he looked into her eyes.
He sighed when he caught the answering glow in his sister's eyes.
Damn. An older brother's worst nightmare.