Author's Notes: I was going to try to get this chapter up last night but sleepiness won out over creativity. Hope you enjoy it.

Got a curious question for other writers out there. The main reason I rated this story as M is because of the use of the F-word. Am I being too cautious? The ratings guide for T says mild coarse language but I'm not sure where certain words fit on the scale of mild to major. What do others use as their guide? Just curious. I'd much rather rate higher and avoid trouble than put it too low and offend someone but I'd really like others opinions on this.

Disclaimer: CBS, Anthony E. Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn, and Ann Donahue own all rights to the characters and premise of the show. I am making no money off this story and it is for entertainment purposes only. However, this particular story is my creation and should not be used without my express written permission.

Attack

Chapter 5

It was barely even a strangled cry; the sound almost lost in the busy hustle and bustle of the emergency department of the hospital. However, at its initial start just minutes after Mac had led Danny out of the room, Flack was on his feet in an instant rushing into the cubicle that held the should-still-be-sleeping injured crime scene investigator. Jess followed behind him, unsure how he'd recognized the origin of the sound so quickly but trusting that he knew what he was doing. He must have seen something as he'd watched from the chairs they had been sitting in.

Lindsay was struggling to sit up and obviously having great difficulty in doing so both from the pain and the haze of the drug induced sleep. Flack gathered her gently in his arms, trying to remember where the worst of her injuries were so that he wouldn't accidentally jar them and make her pain worse. Jess wasn't so sure the other woman was even completely awake but Lindsay's left fingers dug into Flack's shirt and the tips of her right fingers made a valiant but fruitless grab as well.

Flack could feel her heart hammering against his chest and could only imagine the terrors her mind was haunting her with. He rubbed her back comfortingly and whispered reassurances in her ear, hoping to calm her down. She wasn't stiff in his arms, willingly taking the comfort he was offering, but at the same time she wasn't completely relaxed either. It was as if there was someone else's arms she'd rather be engulfed in. As inexplicable as it was, Flack was sure that it was Danny's arms she was longing for. He'd seen how relaxed and at ease she'd been while sleeping in the other man's arms, as if she belonged there. He knew from his talks with Danny the last couple of weeks that Lindsay had protested that she wasn't ready for any kind of relationship but Flack had still be hoping that she would change her mind and give his friend a chance. He only hoped that today hadn't killed that hope for good.

Jess raised an eyebrow at him and he knew she was asking if everything was okay or if she needed to call a doctor or nurse. He shrugged ever so slightly. Lindsay's heart wasn't beating quite as fast as it had been at first and he thought she was calming down from whatever had frightened her. "Bad dream?"

Lindsay took in a ragged breath and then groaned as the movement tugged on her injured ribs. She shrugged ever so slightly. "I don't know. I don't even remember falling asleep. The painkiller must have knocked me out. I was sleeping hard and then something startled me; I don't know what. I jumped in my sleep and that just made everything hurt all the more."

Her words held a slight slur that concerned Flack. He tried to search her eyes without releasing his hold on her, checking to see if something there would tell him if she was in need of the doctor Jess seemed so willing to call.. "Need me or Jess to get the doctor? See about something more for pain?"

She shook her head, still resting against his body. Her own felt heavy and cumbersome and she knew it was the effects of the painkiller she'd been given. She couldn't help but think with all she'd been given that she shouldn't even be able to feel anything. "Don't think there's enough painkiller in the hospital to completely get rid of the pain. But no, I think if I take much more I'm going to OD."

She pulled away awkwardly and he helped her settle back on the bed raising it so that she was comfortable. She looked down at the empty straps and chewed on her bottom lip a moment before asking, "Where's Danny?"

"Call of nature. Mac's with him."

At the mention of her boss's name, Lindsay grimaced just a little. "I guess he wasn't too happy to see me here."

"None of us are happy to see you here." Before she could react to his statement, he winked at her. "Oh, you mean here in Danny's room not here in the hospital in general?" Flack shrugged. "He had what Jess called his scary side on but I think Dr. Peterson deflected Mac's wrath more on himself than on either of us. Don't worry about it. You think you could answer a question for me?"

A little fear crept into Lindsay's eyes and Flack knew she was worried he was about to question her either about the attack itself or the mysterious older bruises. She knew she would have to eventually but deep inside she knew her statement alone, like those of the witnesses they had already heard from, would only incriminate Danny further. She knew deep inside without any hesitation or doubt that Danny hadn't been in control of his actions when he attacked her but without any evidence that confirmed that theory, it wouldn't hold any weight. Still, as much as she might want to, she couldn't put it off forever. With almost a feeling that she was betraying her friend and partner by doing so, she nodded reluctantly. He pulled the stool closer, reaching out to take her left hand snuggly in his own instead of reaching into his pocket for his notebook like she would have figured. Flack didn't care how the affectionate gesture looked to anyone else, she was Danny's girl whether they wanted to admit it or not but it didn't stop Flack from considering her a friend or sister. He hoped the contact would help her feel more relaxed and safe. "Before you came in earlier, Danno was trying to remember as much as he could about what happened at the diner. He could remember you two arguing about something playfully. That's when you came in and said it was over which was better Chicago or New York style pizza."

Lindsay nodded again, a little relieved that the questioning seemed benign. At least he was going to ease her into the difficult questions. To her surprise, Flack frowned, his expression a little confused. "I don't get it. I know Danny; he believes that anything that comes from New York is the best in the world. I think he'd even argue that our garbage is better than everyone else's. So I know he would say New York pizza is the best. In fact, having seen him scarf down a whole pie all on his own and go back for seconds, I know he loves New York style pizza."

Jess gave him an odd look, wondering where this questioning was going. What did pizza and who made the best matter considering everything that was going on? But it did look like Lindsay was relaxing and she couldn't fault him for that. Flack continued. "I seem to remember one day about a month ago you and I stopped for a slice while going to interview a suspect. Didn't you tell me then that you couldn't stand what people called Chicago style pizza? Something about it being too doughy for your tastes? That you'd rather have frozen pizza straight from the package than eat another slice of deep dish pizza?"

Now there was a smile flirting with Lindsay's swollen mouth. It was small and definitely one sided but it was there. "Yeah, I did."

Flack shook his head, thoroughly confused. "I don't get it. If neither of you likes Chicago style pizza, how was there an argument?"

The half smile got a little broader. "He was winding me up at the lab earlier so I figured it was payback time. I was yanking his chain trying to get him riled up. I was pretty sure attacking the value of anything New York had to offer would do the trick. Worked too. Had him about ready blow a gasket defending his New York sensibilities."

"Enough to cause him to flip out like he did?" Jess interjected. Lindsay frowned, almost taken aback to have the conversation wrenched from a lighthearted moment back to the seriousness of the attack.

"No, he'd realized what I was doing before that. We were getting ready to leave—"

"HOW CAN YOU EVEN FUCKING ASK ME THAT?" Danny's highly agitated voice floated down the hall followed by the unmistakable sound of glass breaking.

Even though Mac was with him and could handle whatever was going on, Flack knew he had to find out what was going on. He released Lindsay's hand after giving it a squeeze. He stood up and was halfway to the hallway when he glanced back to see Lindsay trying to get out of the bed. He stopped and pointed to her.

"Stay put." Seeing she was about to protest, he shook his head. "That's not open to debate. Put both those feet on the floor before the doctor releases you and I swear to you I'll see to it that you are wearing those restraints next. Jess?" His voice was sharp and brooked no argument.

"I'll stay with her." Jess promised and then Flack was out of the room. Lindsay slumped dejectedly back against the bed. The homicide detective took Flack's spot on the stool, looking at Lindsay in sympathy. "He's worried about you."

Lindsay gave a half-hearted shrug, more concerned about what was going on with Danny than anything else. Then it almost seem to hit her the way Flack's interaction with her and his concern might have looked to the newcomer. Lindsay-hell, everyone who worked with the two homicide detectives- had seen the flicker of attraction between the two, and Lindsay didn't want Jess to get the wrong idea. "He's just a friend, you know."

A soft smile teased Jess's lips. "Which one? Don or Danny?"

"Don." Lindsay answered without hesitation and then blushed slightly. "Well, both really but just in case you were thinking there might be something else between Flack and –"

Jess laughed, the sound a welcome change to the stress of the afternoon. Here Lindsay was lying in a hospital bed after a vicious assault and she was worried that Jess might be jealous of her and Flack. "No, I know. Actually when I first started with at the department, I thought there might be. After what was probably my second shift at the 12, we were headed to Sullivan's after work one night. I got there a little after most everyone else. The only one from the lab I'd worked with at that point was Hawkes and Danny, more of the latter than the former. Whenever we weren't talking about the case, Danny kept talking about Montana and I couldn't help but think the guy needed to change states if he was so caught up with Montana for some reason. But that's off the point. So I walk in to Sullivan's and see Don with his arms wrapped around the waist of this beautiful woman trying to mess up her shot at the pool table. He and she both seemed to be having a great time and I thought, 'Figures, a great looking guy like him would already have a girlfriend.' Then Danny came in behind me and it didn't take me long to realize that Montana wasn't the state but the girl at the pool table and that Don didn't have a chance with her even if he had wanted to."

Seeing that the other woman still looked worried, Jess realized Lindsay was worried about more than just whether or not she was jealous of the camaraderie that existed between her and Flack. She continued. "I'm sure Danny is okay. Don and Mac can handle it. As for this afternoon, whatever happened, we'll get to the bottom of it before it goes too far."

Lindsay shook his head. "I wish I believed it was going to be that easy."

The two fell silent for a moment; Jess hadn't worked with Lindsay enough to know much about the transplant from Montana. They had talked a few times and she knew enough to know that they both had been only girls in a family full of boys. It was an instant connection that made working together on crime scenes almost seamless but didn't help much in the current situation. Then Jess spied the gym bag where it had been dropped outside of the cubicle, and figured out a way to bridge the silence. She quickly retrieved it. "I think I've understood that you are going to be released shortly. While it's just the two of us in here, I could help you get dressed if you'd like. I can imagine it'll be a little difficult one handed."

"Thanks."

Jess opened the bag and pulled out a t-shirt, sweatpants and a change of underwear. Having sprained her own wrist once as a teenager, Jess knew it that while the other woman might could manage the rest of the things on her own, it would be almost impossible for Lindsay to fasten the bra without assistance. She closed the curtain securely and then returned to the bed as Lindsay eased the gown that was being used as a robe off her shoulders. They managed to get the sweatpants on without any difficulty but then Lindsay needed help pulling the other gown off. Jess gave her a hand and winced at the fresh injuries prominently making their presence known. "Looks painful."

"Feels painful." Lindsay agreed. Then she saw Jess's eyes lingering on the old bruises on her left shoulder. Almost irrationally since Jess hadn't said a word about them, she felt herself get irritated and wished she'd turned down the kind offer to help her get dressed. "Don't ask about them. Nothing happened."

Jess nodded and helped Lindsay fasten her bra before handing her the t-shirt. As she had told Don earlier, they didn't know their story until Lindsay was ready to tell it and they shouldn't jump to conclusions. However, the defensive posture, Lindsay had immediately taken suggested there was more to the story. "The thing is bruises like that don't just appear. So no matter how much you want to convince people that nothing happened; it's obvious something did. People are going to be concerned, especially after what happened today. And when people are concerned, they almost naturally assume the worse."

"They don't need to. One has nothing to do with the other; other than the fact that the universe seems to be sending me one crapstorm after another. It's not like I asked for any of this."

Jess smiled slightly. "That's the thing about crapstorms though. They seldom come because we ask for them. Today has got to be the crapstorms of all crapstorms too. Tell me those old bruises didn't happen as the result of a crapstorm that deserves to rot under a jail somewhere and I'll let it go at that. But just remember, you aren't alone. You've got a whole lab of friends who care about you enough to want to help. You've got to be willing to let them though."

Too tired and sore to pull on the socks and tennis shoes she kept in her gym bag, Lindsay didn't protest as Jess moved to the end of the stretcher to do it for her. Lindsay closed her eyes, also too tired and sore to discuss the bruises any more. Fortunately, Jess didn't press her.

"Everybody decent in there?" Dr. Terry's voice filtered through the curtain. Jess stepped over and pulled the curtain open to let him in. "Trying to hide from me, Lindsay?"

She shook her head, not bothering to open her eyes to look at him. She didn't really want to explain her presence in Danny's cubicle once again. It was beginning to make her feel like she'd done something wrong when she knew she hadn't. "Are you letting me go home?"

"No." Her eyes flew open at his negative response. He smiled. "I'm letting you go to Detective Taylor's spare bedroom, remember? I don't want you to try staying by yourself until the pain subsides enough that you aren't needing the strong painkillers, a few days at the least. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

"Most of the time about a five but if I try to move it jumps up to about twenty." Lindsay couldn't see anything to gain by lying.

The doctor nodded. "Sounds about right. Unfortunately, the painkillers I'm giving you here and the one that I'm leaving you a prescription for won't fully alleviate the pain but it should make it bearable. You still have to do your part by taking it easy; if moving around causes worse pain, try to avoid moving around too much. Can I trust you to do that?"

She nodded. "You've met Mac; do you see him letting me do anything else?"

The doctor laughed out loud. "Point taken. Follow up with your primary physician in a about a couple of weeks; sooner if the pain gets too much."

"Did I hear my name being taken in vain?" Mac stepped around Dr. Terry to enter the cubicle. He regarded Lindsay carefully, trying to gauge how she was really feeling both emotionally and physically. Once of the first things he'd learned about the newest member of his lab was that she could skillfully mask pain, fatigue, and sometimes even her emotions almost to the point of collapsing before anyone noticed something was wrong.

She'd only been at the lab a few weeks the first time he'd discovered the need to keep an extra eye on her and to not just take her word on how she was feeling. He'd known she was pulling over time working on a big case; they all had been breaking their necks trying to solve the case before a serial killer found his next victim. He'd seen her at what he'd thought was her sixteenth hour at work and asked her if she was okay. She's smiled that sweet smile that always seemed to draw him in as her guinea pig for reconstructions and promised that the mug of coffee she was drinking was giving her a second wind and that she was fine. She had seemed so convincing that he'd believed her and continued with what he was doing. It was about four hours later when Stella had returned from a much needed nap for herself that he discovered that Lindsay had been working nonstop for almost twenty six hours without anything more substantial than a brief coffee break. He'd gone looking for her to insist that she go home for some sleep. He'd found her in the reconstruction lab almost drunkenly swinging different weapons at a pig to check for tool markings. Even though she'd been half asleep on her feet, he'd still had to fight her to take a break and even then the best he could do short of having her personally escorted to her house and handcuffed to her bed was getting her to take a brief nap on his couch.

After that, he'd started paying more attention to her physical limits since she was willing to prove she didn't know them herself. It was the same reason why he'd assigned her to the lab processing evidence in the Darius case the year before despite the fact that he'd known it had infuriated her. Though they had never had a conversation about it, he knew from her personnel file about the tragedy that had occurred ten years earlier. She would have never admitted that the bloodbath of dead teenagers the apartment had been left in would be too much for her but he'd been unwilling to put her through that trauma if he could help it.

He could see that currently she was at the end of her rope and needed to get settled soon before she crashed completely. He frowned at her. 'I seem to recall telling you to stay put and follow doctor's orders."

"I did." Lindsay argued grumpily, forced once more to defend her actions. "Dr. Peterson ordered me to come see Danny. I didn't protest but it's not like I sneaked out of my room or anything. Speaking of, where is he? Flack said you took him to the bathroom. We heard him shout and then something broke. What happened?"

"Flack is escorting him to his room upstairs." Mac explained evasively. "Dr. Peterson arranged for the transfer. Let's get you to my place so you can follow doctor's orders to take it easy."

"I wanted to say goodbye to him. Make sure he realizes I don't blame him." Lindsay knew she sounded petulant but didn't really care. She'd blame the pain and the painkiller if questioned about it.

"It wouldn't have been good timing. If Dr. Peterson okays it, I'll bring you to see him later." Mac promised patiently. Her almost childish reactions were further convincing him that she needed a comfortable bed and several hours of uninterrupted sleep.

"But what happened? Why was he upset again? Did you discover what happened?" Lindsay pressed. Mac sighed. He knew the truth would only upset her more and he didn't want to add to her distress, not to mention he was still bothered by Danny's reaction in the break room upon learning about the steroids in his blood.

"We'll talk about it later. Is she ready to go, Dr. Terry?" Dr. Terry promised to get the nurse in for the final pain shot and, after leaving the paperwork and prescription with Mac, left to get her. Lindsay frowned. Mac was keeping something from her and it scared her to think what it could be.

"Mac, tell me now. Is he really okay. Did something else happen?"

"Lindsay, please." His tone was exceedingly sharp and he cursed inwardly when he saw her flinch and almost physically cringe away. He carefully modulated his tone, having forgotten that she had a very real reason to feel skittish. "I'm sorry. Please, I promise I'll fill you in later but here is not a good place. Angell, will you wait with Lindsay while I bring the truck around?"

Jess nodded. She too was curious about what had happened but after he had snapped at Lindsay, she wasn't about to dare to ask. He left to pull the truck around just as the nurse came in with the shot and a wheelchair. The homicide detective looked away as the nurse administered the injection; she'd never been fond of needles whether they were intended for her or someone else. She glanced back as she realized the nurse had finished and was helping Lindsay into the wheelchair. It was only after the nurse left the cubicle that Jess noticed that Lindsay's lower lip was trembling and that tears had filled her eyes. She muttered a few choice words under her breath at Mac for speaking so harshly. She knew today had been just as hard on Mac as it had anyone else but he should have realized the last thing Lindsay needed after what happened were harsh words or raised voices.

"Don't take it personally, Lindsay. He didn't mean to sound so angry."

Lindsay nodded but her trembling lip became a full quiver and the tears started cascading down her cheeks as if she couldn't get control of them. "I know." Her shaky voice didn't match the certainty of her words. She took a deep breath, cringing at the pull on her ribs. "I'm okay." She tried again, but her emotional state was anything but.

Jess nodded. She was sure the Lindsay was anything but okay but didn't press her. If Lindsay was anything like she was - and from the few times they'd had for sharing in their personal lives, she knew they had similar upbringings- stemming the tide of tears was easier said than done. It took a lot to make Jess cry but once she did it took a lot more to get her to stop. The tears insisted on continuing until they had run their course. It was a character trait that drove her father and brothers crazy because they wanted to fix whatever was wrong and sometimes there was simply nothing that could be fixed. Instead of questioning her further, she pulled a few tissues from a box and pressed them into Lindsay's hand. The other woman didn't say anything but the look in her eyes showed the gratitude she felt that Jess wasn't pressing her for an explanation.

Lindsay kept her head bowed so as not to draw the stares of anyone else as Jess pushed the wheelchair toward the exit. Mac was just pulling up to the entrance as they arrived. He got out and ran around to the passenger side to open the door. He turned back to help Lindsay into the Avalanche and saw that she was crying. His eyes widened and he looked at Jess. "What happened?"

"You happened." Understanding that he was stressed was one thing, letting him off the hook for upsetting Lindsay was another.

"Shit." Mac muttered almost under his breath. In his attempt to avoid distressing her further, it seemed that he had done just the opposite. He knelt down so that he could look Lindsay in the eye. It wasn't easy because the woman kept trying to avoid his gaze. Finally he reached up and gently cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. This time, he made sure his tone was soft and gentle, much like he would use to talk to a traumatized victim at a crime scene. "Lindsay, I shouldn't have snapped like I did. I didn't mean to upset you. I really am sorry."

"Just .. worried… 'bout….Danny." Lindsay's words were broken up by her sobs. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her gently toward him for a hug.

"I know." Mac assured her, thinking she was explaining her earlier questions. For a moment she looked up at him expectantly, a painful hiccup stopping her tears. He kissed her forehead and then pulled back. "For now, though, let's worry more about you. Let's get you in the truck."

Her face fell once again as she stood up from the wheelchair. She swayed and Mac made sure he had a secure arm around her waist as he practically lifted her into the passenger seat. He fastened her seatbelt around her and then closed the door. Before going around to the driver's side, he turned to Jess.

"Flack wanted me to tell you that he would be down as soon as Danny is settled in his room."

She nodded, wanting to ask if everything was okay but not wanting to upset him further. Instead, she handed him Lindsay's gym bag. "Take it easy with her tonight. I don't know how much more she can handle."

Mac promised and went around to the driver's side. He pulled away from the hospital without another word, thinking Lindsay would drift off to sleep once more. Her tears hadn't subsided after his apology but he didn't press the issue; if anyone was entitled to a crying jab after the events of the day, it was Lindsay. Besides, he'd learned the hard way with Claire that an apology didn't immediately absolve a hurt no matter how much he wanted it to. About halfway to his apartment, he glanced over to see that she was asleep; either having cried herself into exhaustion or giving in to the sedation properties of the painkiller. Either way, Mac wasn't going to complain. He made one stop along the way, swinging into a drive-thru pharmacy in order to get her pain pills filled. Once that had been taken care of, he continued to his apartment.

Now that that chore was taken care of, he could concentrate on the next problem he could foresee. Even if Lindsay woke up once he parked, she was too drugged out on the painkiller to be expected to walk up to his apartment. She was so light that carrying her was no problem but that would still be tricky if he was forced to park down the street in the parking garage his apartment shared with two other neighborhood buildings. But fate decided to smile on him as he turned onto the street for his apartment building. There was a rare parking spot open on the street right in front of the building. He parked before someone else could snatch the spot out from under him.

Going around to her side of the truck, he gathered her gently into his arms, happy that he was able to do so without waking her. In another stroke of fortune, another resident, an elderly woman who lived down the hall from him was going in at the same time. Normally, he'd be the one to hold the door open for her but didn't protest her opening the door for him just this one. She expressed concern when she saw Lindsay's injuries and Mac gave her a brief explanation. The elderly neighbor shook her head in sympathy and took his keys from him so he wouldn't have to juggle with the door while holding Lindsay. He thanked her for her help and she elicited a promise from him to call on her if he or the poor dear needed anything while she was recovering.

Once inside the apartment, Mac carried Lindsay to the spare bedroom, glad that he always kept clean sheets on the bed in case of an emergency. He laid her down and was about to cover her up when her eyes fluttered opened. She looked up at him dazedly.

"Please just tell me how bad?" She mumbled almost incoherently.

"How bad is what?" Mac whispered back, hoping she'd fall right back to sleep.

"What happened to Danny earlier. Must have been bad if you didn't want to talk about it."

That's when Mac realized what she'd been trying to tell him earlier and he just hadn't paid attention. She knew him just as well as he knew her. She'd wisely taken his silence and bad mood over the situation to realize the news wasn't good. It hadn't been his sharp tone that had upset her but worry over what else had happened to Danny. He sat down next to her on the bed and gently brushed a strand of honey curl out of her face. "We got the blood tests back."

One eye was almost completely swollen shut and the other was losing a battle with sleep, but Lindsay tried hard to force it to stay open. As soon as she tried to sit up, Mac gently pressed her back down. "Rest, remember? Yes, Danny was under the influence of drugs when he attacked you, but until we can determined how the drugs got in his system, he's not completely in the clear."

"Want to help." Lindsay insisted but her fight against the drugged exhaustion was almost a lost battle.

"I know you do but you also know you can't work this case even if the doctor had cleared you for duty. Now, get some sleep. That's an order." Mac really didn't have to issue the command because she had already drifted back to sleep. Making sure the covers were comfortably tucked around her, he eased off the bed and left the bedroom.

He pulled out his phone and hit one of the speed dial numbers. It only took a moment for the other party to answer. "Sheldon, It's Mac." The former ME immediately asked about Lindsay. "She's okay, sleeping for now. I need you to do something for me without asking too many questions. Go to Danny's apartment; Flack will meet you there to let you in. Go through the place with a fine tooth comb. Collect every pill bottle you can find. I don't care if it's an aspirin bottle; if it has pills in it, bag and tag it."

"I take it the tox report showed something."

"Yeah, Steroids. Sheldon, I need this kept quiet for now. This doesn't look good for Danny but we don't know the full story. If the steroids are in his apartment, I need to know about it."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Jess was absently flipping through a magazine when Flack finally emerged into the waiting room at the ER. She stood, meeting him halfway. Without a thought to how it might look, she gave him a comforting hug. If anything, he looked even more upset than when he left to go check on Danny and Mac.

"Ready for that Porterhouse?" She offered gently. His own arms closed around her, grateful for her presence and her compassion.

"Just about. I gotta meet Sheldon at Danny's to let him in first."

Jess nodded. "Tox screen came back positive for drugs didn't it? Steroids?"

Flack looked surprised. Mac had wanted the information kept quiet and only had told him because he needed to know why Hawkes was being sent to Danny's apartment. Had Mac filled Lindsay and Jess in as well? Seeing his surprise, Jess explained.

"No, Mac didn't say anything. He was obviously unhappy about something; enough so that he was pretty snappish toward Lindsay. Whatever the tox results showed couldn't have completely exonerated Danny. Besides, I've worked a few cases where someone flipped out in a 'roid rage. It's not pretty but explains the sudden transformation of Danny's normal personality. The only part of it that doesn't make sense is that Messer doesn't strike me as the type to use performance enhancers. Usually that's a problem for athletes."

"Danny used to play minor league baseball." Don explained. The two walked out of the ER toward the parking garage. "Plus, the decision was made that since the CSIs are put in field situations, they have to pass the new physical fitness requirements the department implemented. I wouldn't think Danny would be stressed about it but who knows. Maybe he knew nothing about the drugs and somebody slipped them to him without him knowing about it.. Hell, I don't know. I do know from the levels in his bloodstream that it wasn't an one off occurrence."

"Makes sense to check his apartment and other obvious places of ingestion first." Jess agreed as they made their way to the level she'd parked on. They stopped at Jess's car. She regarded him seriously. "Danny is your best friend so I know this is getting to you but I get the idea there's something more. Something else is bothering you. What was the glass we heard breaking earlier?"

"Coffee pot vs. wall collision. Wall won. Mac was questioning Danny about possible ways he could have gotten the steroids and Danny wasn't happy about it. Jess, Mac said Danny looked ready to punch him but threw the coffee post instead. Hot coffee splashed all over his hand- had to have hurt like hell, but Mac said Danny didn't even react to it. I swear to you, Jess, when I got there he didn't even look like himself. I got a bad feeling this isn't going to go well for him at all."