Slipping Into Darkness
Disclaimer: As much as I love the show and its characters, I do not own any part of it. Without A Trace belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Only the characters that I created are mine. So, please don't sue.
Previously on Slipping Into Darkness: Shadow Meadows Cemetery…
Danny arrived crying distraught and bloodied to his father's grave as he held his gun in his hand. He fell to his knees as he cried uncontrollably.
"I'm so sorry, dad! I killed you! You're dead because of me and I didn't do a damn thing to stop it! Ritchie killed you because I killed Sebastian and I let him get away with it! Ritchie was right! I'm just a murderer and I never deserved to have been given a badge! But I'm going to pay for what I did to you and the others! No one's ever going to die again because of me!" Danny cried completely distraught and violently but like a child as he put the gun to his head.
"Danny! Noooooo!" Sean screamed crying as he ran toward Danny, causing Danny to shake his head at Sean as he cocked his gun and put his finger on the trigger.
Chapter 18
"Danny, no! Stop! Please don't do this!" Sean cried horrified as he tried to get near Danny.
"Stay the hell away from me! Leave me alone!" Danny cried angrily out of desperation—he couldn't believe that he'd let Ritchie kill his father. "I killed him! He's dead because I'm a fucking murderer!" Danny cried frantically as he shook violently.
"Danny, please don't do this! Please! You didn't kill your dad and you're not a murderer! Ritchie was the fucking murder, not you! You didn't kill anyone! Please, just give me the gun, Danny! Please don't leave me here alone because of that bastard, Danny! Please!" Sean cried pleading fearfully as he took a step closer to Danny.
"Get the hell away from me! Get out here! You don't need to see this!" Danny cried angrily but distraught but Sean shook his head as he continued crying and moved a little closer to Danny. "Don't take another fucking step, Sean! I mean it!" He cried furiously, causing Sean to fall to his knees as he cried.
"Danny, please, you can't do this. Think about your friends and family. We need and love you so much, kiddo. Think about your dad, Danny. He loves you so much and he knows how much you still love him. But he doesn't want you to blame yourself for what Ritchie did. You didn't kill him, Ritchie did." Sean cried soothingly but fearfully.
"That's not fucking true and you know it! Ritchie killed him because I killed Sebastian!" Danny cried distraught.
"Damn it, Danny! Sebastian made his choice and so did you! You chose to stop hanging with the wrong crowd and chose to let Andrew help you! He took you into his home, made you his son and gave you all the love and guidance that you needed so much! You made him so happy, kiddo! But unlike you, Sebastian continued his life of crime! He was so angry and envious that you left with Andrew that he went after you and your family, Danny! And what you don't know is that Ritchie knew his plan all along!" Sean cried terribly upset as he crawled on his knees toward Danny.
"What the hell are you talking about?! Ritchie didn't even know that he'd come after me until after I killed Sebastian!" Danny cried angrily but distraught, causing Sean to shake his head.
"That's not true, munchkin. Remember when Ritchie nearly beat me to death and then shot me trying to get to you? Well, when he was beating me in that warehouse, he confessed to me that he was the one who gave Sebastian the gun. And he's the one who told Sebastian to kill you and your family. He did it to get even with you for leaving the gang. And Sebastian agreed. Sebastian breaking into your father's house was just a ruse to kill all of you. He was going to kill you anyway. But you shot him first and Sebastian couldn't kill you, your dad and the rest of your family. Don't you see, Danny? You're not responsible for anything that's happened. The only ones at fault are Ritchie and Sebastian, not you. You're the greatest victim here, Danny. You can't do this, kiddo. Please, just give me the gun and we'll take care of you. You're not alone, Danny. You've got me, your friends, your family and wherever he's at, you've also got Andrew and the rest of your family looking out for you because we love you so much and don't want anything to happen to you." Sean cried emotionally as he continued crawling another few steps towards Danny.
"That's not true! I killed him!" Danny cried distraught as the gun remained on his head and his hand shook violently.
"No. you didn't kill anyone, Danny. Please don't think that, Danny. We need you so much. Don't let your dad down now, Danny." Sean pled crying, causing Danny to cry more but look at him. "You heard me, kiddo. Don't let your dad Andrew down now. He doesn't want you to kill yourself, munchkin. Andrew doesn't want you to quit your job either, munchkin. Andrew wants you to keep living and helping so many people like you have until now." Sean cried soothingly but with conviction as he got a bit closer to Danny but Danny moved back.
"No, no, no! Stay back! I have to pay for killing him!" Danny cried distraught but like a child, all of a sudden.
"The only one who's paying for what he did, is Ritchie. You didn't kill anyone. You saved all of our lives, Danny. And now it's time for you to let us take care of you. Let me and the rest of your family and friends take care of you just like you've taken care of all of us, munchkin. Please." Sean cried soothingly but with conviction but Danny shook his head.
"No, no, no. I can't do this anymore." Danny cried distraught as he shook and then suddenly screamed and cried in agonizing pain as he held his head. "Aaaaagh!" He screamed and cried in agony.
"Danny, Danny, calm down and let me help you, please. You're in pain because of your head injuries." Sean cried fearfully.
"No! Stay the hell away…from…me! I'm ending this now!" Danny cried and screamed in agony and was going to pull the trigger, when he saw something that caused him to cry more frantically.
"Shhh. You're going to be okay, Danny. I know you are. I promise. But I want you to give Sean the gun, munchkin." Andrew, Danny's dad, said peacefully to him as he soothed Danny's face but Danny shook his head.
"No, I can't do that. I killed you and Sebastian and now I have to pay for that." Danny cried like a child but distraught, causing Jack, Jeff, Viv and Martin to cautiously approach Sean.
"Sean, what the hell is wrong with him?" Jack said angrily.
"Damn it. I need to get him back to the hospital right away. He's hallucinating because of his head injury. He thinks he's seeing and talking to his dad. Don't get near him or you'll scare him and he'll pull the trigger." Sean cried fearfully but sternly out of concern.
"Shhh. You didn't kill me, sweetie. Ritchie killed me and he's the one who hurt you so much. But you didn't do anything wrong." Andrew said peacefully.
"Yes, I did. I killed you. I let Ritchie kill you that night and let him get away." Danny cried distraught and in agonizing pain like a child as he was ready to pull the trigger.
"Those are his lies, sweetie. None of what Ritchie told you is true. You didn't kill me. Danny, you brought me and my family—our family—so much happiness since we took you in. Don't let Ritchie ruin all of that now. You're stronger than that. Besides, it's not time for you to come with me yet. You've got a lot of people that you still have to help here." Andrew said smiling peacefully but Danny cried fearfully and shook his head.
"No. I can't help anyone anymore after what happened." Danny cried pained and emotionally like a child.
"That's nonsense, sweetie. Your brother Sean and your friends are going to help you through this. They're going to take care of you just like I'm still watching over you. And you're going to continue doing your job and helping so many people. But right now, I want you to give Sean your gun and let him take care of you at the hospital. Come on." Andrew said peacefully.
"No, I can't do that." Danny cried pained as he shook violently.
"Shhh. Yes you can, sweetie. Do it for me, your friends and your family. I'm proud of you for everything you've accomplished. But make me more proud now by giving up your gun to Sean. Come on. You can do it, baby." Andrew said peacefully as he soothed Danny's face softly.
"Danny, please, give me the gun. We'll get you through this, little brother. Please. Please don't leave me here alone, Danny. I need you. We all need you, kiddo." Sean cried upset and very emotionally but he wouldn't dare get near Danny.
"Look at me, sweetie. Don't let Sean suffer like that. He needs you so much. You both need each other so much. I promise that everything is going to be okay and that all these caring people are going to help you feel better again." Andrew said peacefully as he softly soothed Danny's face.
"But, I'm scared." Danny cried pained as he shook violently and a welcoming darkness threatened to take over.
"Shhh. Danny, listen to me. Please. Please, look at me." Sean pled crying, causing Danny to look at him very fearfully. "Please don't be scared. Let me help you, munchkin. Let us take care of you. Please, we need you so much, Danny. I know how desolate you feel now, but I swear on my life that you're going to be okay. We'll get you through this if you'll let us help you. But you have to give the gun, Danny. Please, I know you can." Sean pled crying soothingly but very emotionally as he held a hand out to Danny, causing Danny to look at him more fearfully and then look to his father.
"Shhh. You can do this, sweetie. Make me proud and give Sean the gun right now. Sean and your friends are going to help you feel better. They'll always be here taking care of you, just like I still look over you. So, don't be scared anymore and give him the gun, sweetie. It's okay. I promise." Andrew said peacefully as he soothed Danny's face.
"Danny, please, give me the gun. Let us help you." Sean cried soothingly but fearfully, causing Danny to cry more emotionally as he looked between Sean and his dad. "Please make your dad proud, munchkin. Give me the gun and I'll take care of you. I won't ever let anything happen to you again. But please don't let Ritchie take you away from me like before. I need you so much, little brother." Sean cried emotionally as held out a second hand for Danny.
"Go ahead, little bear. Give Sean your gun and let your little brother and your friends take care of you." Andrew said peacefully as he soothed Danny's face, causing Danny to cry very emotionally.
"But…" Danny cried emotionally to Andrew and then looked at Sean and couldn't continue.
For the first since he'd arrived, Danny realized that Sean was really there and not part of his imagination. And seeing Sean suffering like he was, caused Danny's heart to hurt worse.
"Sean?" Danny cried pained, confused and very emotionally like a child as his hand and gun wavered but his finger remained on the trigger.
"Shhh. I'm right here, munchkin. Please, let me help you. Let us take care of you and make you better again. Please? We still have too much that we need to do together, little brother. Give me your gun, Danny. Please." Sean cried emotionally as he sat kneeled beside Danny and held his hands out.
"Do it, munchkin. Give him the gun, little bear." Andrew said peacefully as he softly soothed Danny's head and face, causing Danny to give up his gun to Sean and cry frantically when Sean held him protectively tight and cried extremely emotionally as they both shook. "Shhh. You did great, little bear. I'm very proud of you, Danny. I love you." He said peacefully as he soothed and kissed Danny's head and then disappeared.
"Shhh. I'm going to take care of you. I'm never going to let anyone ever hurt you again, munchkin. I swear on my life." Sean cried emotionally as he held a frantically crying Danny protectively tight as he held the gun, causing Jack to take a hold of the gun as tears stained his, Jeff's, Viv's and Martin's face.
"It was fully loaded." Jack whispered quietly as his voice broke and fresh tears escaped his eyes. "Sean, the ambulance is here already." He said sniffling, causing Danny to cry more frantically.
"No, I don't want to go back to the hospital!" Danny cried frantically and very pained as he tried to get away from Sean, causing Sean to hold him tighter.
"Shhh. I'm going to take care of you, I promise. And I'm going to call my psychologist friend, Dr. Jamie Gonzalez to come see you at the hospital. But right now, I need you to let me help you take that pain away and help you sleep for a little while." Sean cried soothingly but Danny shook his head as he cried frantically.
"Jack, I need you, Jeff and Martin to hold him tight because I have to inject him but he's going to fight me." Sean cried with conviction and they took a hold of a hold a frantic Danny and he removed two syringes and vials from his waist pack and began preparing them, causing Danny to scream and cry more frantically and struggle against and kicked the guys.
"Jack, we have to cuff him now before he hurts himself." Martin said fearfully as he cuffed Danny's hands behind his back, causing Jack and Jeff to cuff his feet when he continued kicking them and crying frantically.
"Shhh. Calm down, munchkin. I'm going to take you back to the hospital to make sure that you didn't hurt yourself. And then we're all going to take care of you." Sean cried soothingly but urgently as he lowered Danny's jeans to this his thighs, causing Danny to scream and cry frantically in agonizing pain when Sean injected him twice in the thigh and then took a protective hold of him.
"Shhh. That's it, it's over. It's over, munchkin. You're going to be okay, I promise." Sean cried emotionally but soothingly as he held Danny protectively and gently rocked him back and forth.
"What the hell did you do to me?! I hate you! I…hate…you!" Danny cried angrily until complete darkness took over.
"What's going to happen to him now?" Martin said gruffly as tears stained his face—but that anger was directed at Ritchie for the video that he'd left Danny.
"Calm down, Martin. We're not going to lose Danny. We'll get him through this. The first thing we need to do is get him to the hospital so that I can run some tests and make sure that he didn't hurt himself further. Afterwards, I'll have the psychologist evaluate him and then we'll move on from there. But, no matter what, I'm not going to lose him." Sean cried with conviction as the paramedics arrived and put Danny on a gurney.
"Take him to St. Luke's." Sean said seriously.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but his vitals are unstable. So, he has to go to County General. Besides, St. Luke's isn't taking anymore patients." The male paramedic said somewhat sternly and concerned as they loaded Danny into the ambulance.
"Like hell you're taking him to County General. I'm his doctor and I'm also the administrator of St. Luke's. So, you're not going to have a problem. Now, get him to St. Luke's." Sean said harshly out of concern.
"Fine, Sir. But he has to ride alone." The male paramedic said sternly.
"Think again, hotshot. He's a federal agent and he's not going anywhere alone." Jack said gruffly and with conviction and then turned to Martin. "Martin, you go with Danny and we'll follow behind. But don't let him out of your sight for a second." Jack said a bit gruffly but with compassionate undertones.
"And Martin, don't let the nurses or anyone else kick you out of the room. I'm going to call my dad and have him prepare everything for Danny. So, don't let anyone else near him, except for my dad and Nurse Vicky. Now, go on. Get out of here." Sean said seriously but compassionately, causing the ambulance to speed off after Martin got inside.
Jack, Jeff, Viv and Sean left the cemetery. Just like he said, Sean called his father and explained the situation, causing Dr. Foster to immediately prepare everything for Danny's arrival.
The paramedics arrived five minutes later. But Martin was terrified because Danny's vitals had gone through the roof and were now dangerously high.
"What's wrong with him?" Martin asked very fearfully when Danny began vomiting as he remained unconscious, causing Dr. Foster to suction him.
"Calm down, Agent Fitzgerald. Sean called me and explained that he had to sedate Daniel. The vomiting is just one of the side effects of the sedatives that Sean gave him. He's also going to be asleep the next several hours." Dr. Foster explained as gently as possible as tears stained Martin's face.
Martin was going to say something when Sean showed up in Danny's treatment room.
"How's he doing, dad?" Sean said concerned as he washed and gloved up and began examining Danny.
"Daniel's vitals were dangerously high when he arrived and I also had to suction him because the sedative caused him to vomit. But Daniel is stable now." Dr. Foster said kindly.
"Either way, I'm ordering an MRI. I have to make sure that he didn't hurt himself further. He also began having visual and auditory hallucinations. I already spoke to Dr. Gonzalez and she'll be down here later to evaluate him once he's awake. But in the meantime, I'm going to take him down to Radiology." Sean said concerned and then noticed Martin's fearful look, causing Sean to gently squeeze his shoulder.
"Calm down, kiddo. I know how difficult things may be, but I know that my little brother's going to pull through. Now, you can come with me but only if you calm down. So, here, drink this." Sean said caringly as he handed Martin two cups—one filled with cold water and another with medication.
"No. I'm not drinking that. I'm fine." Martin cried softly but angrily.
"You're not fine, Martin. Your nerves are shot to hell, especially after seeing Danny in that state. Besides, if you want to stay with Danny, you don't have a choice. Look, if you're worried about falling asleep, don't be, because this is to keep you relaxed but awake. Come on." Sean said kindly, causing Martin to growl angrily at him but then drink the water and medication offered.
"That's good, Martin. Now, come with me. I have to get him to Radiology." Sean said caringly and then they took Danny to Radiology for his MRI.
After Radiology, Danny was moved to a private room and the others were allowed to see him. Everyone stayed in the room looking out for Danny and discussing how they were going to help him. It was six that evening, when Danny finally began waking up after four hours, causing him to groan and stir weakly but pained as he weakly held his throat.
"Shhh. Look at me, Danny. Wake up." Sean said caringly and Danny opened his eyes and looked at him. "Drink some water, munchkin. I know that your throat hurts, but that's because we had to suction you twice." Sean explained gently but caringly, causing tears to escape Danny's eyes as he slowly drank the water offered.
"Shhh. Everything's going to be okay, munchkin. I promise. We're going to get you through this and get you back to your old self again." Sean said caringly but Danny didn't say anything as tears ran freely down his face, causing him to weakly but tightly squeeze Martin's hand when Martin gently squeezed his hand in a brotherhood grip.
"I'm not going anywhere, brother. None of us are. But you have to let us help you and you can't run away from us like you did, okay?" Martin said caringly but with conviction as fresh tears escaped his eyes, but Danny only squeezed his hand tightly as he began shaking a bit.
"Shhh. Calm down and breathe, munchkin. You're going to be okay." Sean said soothingly but Danny's vitals began destabilizing. "Calm down, Danny. You're panicking and that's going to make you feel worse." Sean said sternly out of concern and then shined a light in Danny's eyes. "Damn it. Shhh. Calm down, kiddo. I know that you're dizzy but you have to focus. Focus on me. Come on, kiddo. Focus on me and control your breathing and the dizziness will stop." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he took a hold of Danny's face and gently forced Danny to look at him.
"What's wrong with him?" Jack asked gruffly out of concern.
"He's dizzy from the medications that I gave him. But he's also scared and panicking." Sean said a bit sternly but concerned, causing Danny to suddenly give in to complete darkness. "Damn it." He said frustrated.
"What the hell is wrong with him and why the hell does he keep passing out?" Jeff said angrily out of fear, causing Viv to gently squeeze his hand.
"Sweetie, calm down. Sean already said that he's like that because of the medications that he gave him. Look, I know that we're all scared but we have to stay strong for Danny. How are we supposed to help him if we all lose control? So, all of you need to calm down so that we can help Danny—because he's all that matters right now, not our fears." Viv said a bit sternly but caringly, causing the guys to sigh heavily.
"You're right, Viv. I'm sorry. I just can't see Danny suffering like this. He's already been through enough hell and doesn't need anything else bad to happen to him." Jeff said with a heavy sigh, causing Danny to cough and gag violently when Sean put smelling salts under his nose.
"That's it, kiddo. Just breathe. Breathe nice and slow because I don't want to do that to you again." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he soothed Danny's head like a child, causing Danny to take slow breaths but look at Sean crossly as tears escaped his eyes.
"Asshole." Danny said crossly, causing everyone to softly chuckle amused and causing Danny to hold Martin's hand tightly when Martin took a hold of his hand once again.
All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door and a female doctor entered Danny's room, causing Danny to fearfully hold Martin's hand very tightly.
"Hey, what's wrong, brother? Calm down." Martin said calmly but fearfully as he squeezed Danny's hand.
"Kiddo, calm down. This is the friend that I was telling you about—the psychologist who's going to help you. This is Dr. Jamie Gonzalez." Sean said caringly but Danny shook his head fearfully.
"Hello, Danny. My name is Dr. Jamie Gonzalez. I'd like to speak with you for a few minutes." The doctor said with a kind smile after she shook everyone's hands, causing fresh tears to escape Danny's eyes as he shook a bit again. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask all of you to leave me alone with him—even you, Sean." She said kindly but concerned but Danny held Martin's hand freakishly strongly and shook his head.
"Calm down, brother. We'll be back soon. I promise. It's all right." Martin said caringly but concerned when fresh tears escaped Danny's eyes as he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Danny, but I have to speak with you alone. Now, let go of him, because the sooner we get started, the sooner you'll see your friends again." Dr. Gonzalez said somewhat sternly but caringly, causing Danny to look at her harshly. "Get angry all you want, Danny, but he has to leave the room. Now, let him go. I won't ask you again." She said sternly but with compassionate undertones, causing Danny to quietly shriek furiously after he released Martin and everyone left the room.
"Who the hell does she think she is? She doesn't have any fucking right to kick us out of there—just like she doesn't have any damn business treating him like that." Martin quietly said angrily as he fisted his hands and tears escaped his eyes.
"Martin, calm down. I know that she seems harsh but she's not. She did the same thing when she first saw me after Ritchie's last attack on me. She had to be stern with me because I wanted to lose myself in my own world, the hell away from everyone. That's the same thing that Danny's doing now. But she's not going to let him do that. Don't worry. He's going to be okay. She's going to help him like she helped me. We're all going to help Danny. You'll see." Sean said compassionately but with conviction.
Back in Danny's Room…
Danny continued quietly shrieking angrily and shaking violently for several minutes until he became breathless, causing Dr. Gonzalez to fill a cup with ice-water.
"Here, drink this water." Dr. Gonzalez said kindly as she gently fed Danny all the water and began checking his vitals. "You need to calm down and take slow breaths. I know that you're upset about your friends leaving. But I have to talk to you alone first and then I'll let them come back in." She said kindly as Danny continued sobbing quietly but angrily.
"I don't need a damn thing from anyone." Danny quietly sobbed angrily as he sniffled very emotionally, causing Dr. Gonzalez to smile sympathetically and sit down on a rolling chair next to Danny's bed.
"So, is that why you didn't want your friend to leave and why you held on to him so tightly?" Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but caringly as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a small smile and began writing in Danny's chart. "So, Danny, what kind of job do you do?" She asked kindly.
"I used to be an FBI agent but I quit." Danny quietly cried bitterly.
"Hmm. Do you like being an agent?" Dr. Gonzalez said kindly.
"I told you that I quit. Are you deaf?" Danny quietly cried angrily, causing Dr. Gonzalez to write in Danny's chart and then look at him sternly. "What the hell do you keep writing in that stupid thing?" He quietly cried angrily but emotionally.
"First of all, Danny, if you want me to treat you harshly, like I would a petulant child, then I will. Otherwise, stop with the attitude and show me the respect that I deserve and that I've shown you as well. And secondly, you haven't answered my question. Now, I'll ask you again. I didn't ask you whether you quit or not because I already know that your boss wouldn't accept your resignation. Now, answer my questions from now on, sincerely. Do you like being an agent?" Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but caringly as she smiled sympathetically, causing Danny to let his body sag in defeat as he quietly cried very emotionally.
"That doesn't matter anymore." Danny quietly cried defeated but very emotionally.
"Why doesn't it matter anymore, Danny?" Dr. Gonzalez asked gently but caringly as she wrote in Danny's chart.
"Because a murderer like me never should've been given a badge." Danny quietly cried extremely emotionally as he covered his face, causing the doctor to become concerned because Sean had already explained the situation and she knew that it wasn't Danny's fault what had happened with Ritchie.
"Why would you believe that, Danny? I know what happened here at the hospital and also with…Sebastian..." Dr. Gonzalez said concerned as she looked through his chart and then back at Danny. "…and that wasn't your fault. That's not true. You're not a murderer. Now, we'll get back to that, but right now I want you to tell me about what it's been like for you to be an agent. Has it been rewarding—spiritually, I mean, not financially. How has it felt to save so many lives?" She said caringly.
"I haven't saved anyone." Danny quietly cried despondently.
"That's not what your work file says. I know because I read it. You've saved countless lives, Danny—including some that have hit close to home. Now, you said before that you consider yourself a murderer because of Sebastian. Now, have you considered yourself a murder all these years or just because that's what Ritchie told you before he was killed?" Dr. Gonzalez said caringly, causing Danny to cover his face and quietly cry emotionally.
"He opened my eyes to the truth." Danny quietly cried despondently, causing Dr. Gonzalez to sigh softly and look at him concerned.
"No he didn't, Danny. Ritchie said that to you because he was angry at you and the world. He was a sick individual who came after you, your family and your friends for something that your weren't even responsible for. Ritchie was the sadistic sociopath and murder, not you. Sociopaths don't care whether they ruin your life or not. They pretend to care about you but they have other motives, which include, hurting you and those closest to you. They only see other human beings as easy marks and not people at all. And one of the aspects they enjoy most is creating a sense of hopelessness in their victims—making their victims believe that death is the only way they'll find peace." Dr. Gonzalez explained gently but caringly, causing her to remove Danny's hands from his face when he covered it and quietly cried extremely disturbed.
"Danny, you're giving Ritchie the exact thing that gave him the most pleasure. You're turning away from your family, your friends, your job and most importantly, you felt so desperate by the cold-blooded message he left you, that you nearly ended your life. Danny, don't kill yourself for Ritchie. I know that finding out about your dad was horrifying, but take comfort in knowing that wherever he is, he's not suffering anymore. Danny, I want you to be honest with me and truthfully answer my next question. Do you honestly believe that your family, your friends and your coworkers, would be glad if you were dead? Please answer me truthfully, Danny." Dr. Gonzalez asked gently and caringly but there was a hint of concern in her voice, causing Danny to quietly cry very emotionally and try to cover his face but she wouldn't let him.
"No. Don't hide from me, Danny, and answer me truthfully. Would they be glad to see you dead? Would they greatly celebrate your death or would they mourn it greatly?" Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but compassionately.
"No!" Danny quietly cried extremely emotionally as he shook somewhat violently.
"That's right, Danny. No one wants anything thing bad to happen to you. Everyone loves and cares about you so much. They're just so worried about you." Dr. Gonzalez said kindly as she took a hold of Danny's violently shaking hands in her own.
"How the hell can I face anyone after what happened? Ritchie said that he went after the others because I got away from him when he tried to kill me." Danny quietly cried despondently as he shook violently.
"No, that's not true, Danny. Like I told you before, sociopaths like Ritchie don't see their victims as people at all. So, stop blaming yourself for his actions. Remember, he's the sociopath, not you." Dr. Gonzalez said compassionately.
"I can't! I can't get Ritchie's damn voice and face out of my head! And I can't sleep! All I keep seeing is Ritchie killing the entire team in front of me!" Danny quietly cried terribly upset.
"Shhh. I'm going to help you but I need you to breathe slowly and calm down a bit. Come on." Dr. Gonzalez said concerned as she fed him some water, causing him to calm down several minutes later. "Okay, Danny, I need you to listen to me. Now, I'm going to help you by starting you on a treatment today. But I'm going to need you to work with me. I'm going to go talk to Sean about your treatment and then I'll be back to talk to you and your friends because they're going they're going to be involved in it. But in the meantime, I'm going to let your friends come back in, okay?" Dr. Gonzalez said caringly as she smiled sympathetically and covered Danny with a blanket after she checked his vitals.
"Okay." Danny softly said sniffling as tears escaped his eyes.
"Okay, Danny. I'll be right back." Dr. Gonzalez said caringly and then left the room.
"Jamie, how is he?" Sean asked kindly but concerned.
"Sean, his teammates can go in and see him now. I'll be in there to speak with all of you in a few minutes. But in the meantime, go ahead. He needs your company now, more than anything else." Dr. Gonzalez said caringly, causing Jack, Jeff, Martin and Viv to enter the room.
"Jamie, what's going on? Why did you ask me to stay behind?" Sean asked concerned.
"Sean, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm very concerned about Danny right now and I think it'll be best if he stays under observation these next several days. What Ritchie did to him, destroyed his will to live. Now, I talked with him and I believe that he finally understands that it wasn't his fault what happened to any of you. But he's far from 'cured'." Dr. Gonzalez explained very concerned.
"What is that supposed to mean? I thought you said that he understood that it was Ritchie's fault and not his." Sean said a bit gruffly but concerned.
"Look, Danny's emotional state is very dangerous right now. He's so lost in his despair that he can still try to end his life again. And I'm afraid that he will be successful if he attempts it again. That's why I want your help in keeping here under observation for several days. I'm also going to start him on extensive psychotherapy and medication. Then, we'll take it from there. But, Sean, what he needs most right now is to spend time with you and his friends. Otherwise, I find it very difficult that he'll make it through this." Dr. Gonzalez explained truthfully and concerned but compassionately.
"I'm not going to lose him, Jamie. I'll do whatever I have to, to help him, we all will." Sean said with conviction.
"I know you will, Sean. But I also know that Danny is a much difficult patient to get through to than you were. That's why I'm going to have to ask all of you to show him compassion but you also have to be stern with him when you deem it necessary. Now, let's go in to talk to him." Dr. Gonzalez explained truthfully but caringly.
"Okay, but we're going to have to be very careful because he hates hospital and when he finds out that he has to stay here again, he might lose control. And I'm telling you right now. I'm not sending him to any psych ward, Jamie. I'm monitoring him with me here. Let's go." Sean said with conviction.
"Fine. But he will have to follow a strict treatment." Dr. Gonzalez explained a bit sternly as they entered Danny's room once again, causing them to find Danny tightly holding on to Martin's hand as tears stained his face.
"How are you feeling, munchkin?" Sean said soothingly as he soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child.
"I'm fine." Danny said softly but he wouldn't look at Sean, causing Sean to gently force Danny to look at him.
"Stop hiding from me, all right. You're not okay. Now, there are some things that we have to talk to you about." Sean said sternly but caringly.
"What do you want, Sean?" Danny said softly but angrily as tears escaped his eyes—he was angry and feeling guilty so he just wanted to push away from everyone.
"Danny, stop the attitude right now or you're just going to be treated like a petulant child. Now, there are some things that we have to discuss." Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but caringly.
"There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine. I don't need a damn thing from anyone and I'm leaving this stupid place anyway." Danny quietly cried angrily but he wouldn't move because he still felt lightheaded.
"Shhh. Calm down, munchkin. You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay here in the hospital for a few days." Sean said a bit sternly as he took a hold of Danny.
"You're also going to start extensive psychotherapy, medications and you'll have a strict schedule that you're going to follow. Aside from therapy, you're also going to have time to spend with all your friends—including…Agent Spade who's downstairs. And just in case you're wondering, Danny, you don't have a choice. This is all part of your therapy. I know that you may be upset now but this is all going to be to help you." Dr. Gonzalez said sternly but caringly, causing Danny to suddenly but quietly shriek violently furiously.
"Go to hell! I don't need shit from you or anyone else here! And I'm not staying in this miserable rat hole! I'm leaving!" Danny quietly shrieked violently furious and he reddened furiously as tried to remove all of the medical equipment and get out of bed, causing all of the guys and Dr. Gonzalez to take a hold of him. "Let me go!" He shrieked furiously, causing Sean and Dr. Gonzalez to put hard restraints on his wrists and feet as he continued crying violently.
"Danny, calm down! You're not going anywhere! Come on, damn it!" Martin cried angrily and fearfully.
"Damn it! Let me go! I don't need shit from any of you! I'm not staying here! I hate you! I…hate…you!" Danny cried violently until Sean injected him with a syringe-full of sedative and caused complete darkness to take over.
"Sean, I'm really sorry. But after this breakdown, I'm not sure not that we'll ever be able to get Danny back. He's become too violent and irrational, too quickly. And he's a danger to me, himself and everyone around him. You're going to have to make the extremely difficult decision of having to institutionalize him. Either that or having private home care take care of him. I'm sorry, Sean." Dr. Gonzalez said truthfully as she sighed very heavily and frustrated and then momentarily left Danny's room.
--
Could this be the end for Danny Taylor or is there still one person who can bring him out of that deep despair that he is in? We will soon find out.