A/N -- Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Pushing open the door to the men's room, Danny wanted to hit something. The last few days had been a roller coaster of ups and downs, and currently, he was in another valley. He'd spent almost ten years working for Jack. Through all the years, he'd always been loyal to him even when they'd disagreed. And really, up until a couple of years ago, he hadn't even had that many disagreements with Jack. Whether Danny meant to or not, he'd often found himself looking up to Jack as almost a father figure. It's what made it hard when Jack's faults would surface, and lately, they were surfacing more often than not.
Underneath the anger and frustration, Danny felt hurt more than anything. In the last ten years, he'd done almost anything and everything that Jack had asked him to do without question. The FBI and Missing Persons had become his life, his priority. He was proud of the work he'd done and had thought that Jack valued his commitment. But after the conversation he'd just had with Jack, Danny wondered if Jack valued him at all. .
"Hey," Danny said as he entered Jack's office. "Sam said you were looking for me. I had an appointment—"
Not even bothering to look up from a file he'd been reading, Jack interrupted. "What? Now are you job hunting on my time?" he asked in an annoyed tone.
For a moment, Danny wasn't sure he'd heard him right. "Ex..excuse me?"
"You heard me. When exactly did you plan on telling me that you were leaving? And why the hell did I have to hear about it from a third party?" he barked.
Sighing heavily, Danny sat down in the chair across from Jack. "Who told you?" The only person he'd told was Martin and he couldn't imagine that Martin would tell Jack.
"Oh it was purely by accident. Had I not heard it from Lance Reynolds in the US attorney's office, then I probably wouldn't have known until you decided to grace me with your notice. I think you owe me a little more than that, Danny. Or are you still acting like a pouty kid and punishing me for the whole Carlos thing?"
Frowning, Danny shook his head as he tried to contain his anger. "Punishing you? Are you kidding me? Jack, I haven't told you because I haven't made up my mind yet. I've had one conversation with US Attorney Reynolds. He had no right—"
"I called him about the warrants we needed in the Wentworth case. It's looking likely that he's been taken across state lines. In passing, he happened to mention how lucky they were to be getting someone with your experience…yada, yada, yada. I guess he assumed you'd have the courtesy to tell me what you'd been considering."
Completely stunned by Jack's tone, Danny responded, "The courtesy? You're lecturing me on being courteous? Like I said, I'm still trying to figure things out. This all has been happening fast, and I don't know—"
"What the hell's your hurry anyway?" Jack cut him off. "Don't tell me you're ready to propose to Elena? Do you care at all about what the fallout from that would be? I honestly can't figure you out anymore. You—"
Hearing Jack's comments, Danny rose from his chair quickly, "It's not your job to figure me out. I have every right to explore opportunities. And maybe you don't remember, but a couple of years ago I did tell you that this was something I wanted to pursue. You were one of the only people that I ever told that to, but clearly you were too absorbed in your own problems to really hear me. That's nothing new. For the record, I had every intention of giving you plenty of notice. I'd never just leave…I care too much about this team to do that. If you knew me at all, you'd know that," Turning abruptly, Danny started to walk out.
"Danny, Danny," Jack called out
But Danny kept walking.
After splashing cold water on his face, Danny looked at himself in the mirror as he dried off. Being at odds with Jack always made Danny feel bad. He hated to think he'd disappointed him, but at the same time, it seemed like lately, there was nothing he could do to please Jack. Truthfully, their relationship had deteriorated after the fallout of the ambush and Dornvald. They'd never really gotten back on track and Jack had had to deal with so many issues in his personal life, that Danny had just let a lot of things go. So now that he was ready to leave, Jack was misreading the whole situation. To top it off, Jack's assumptions about him and Elena sent him over the edge. Jack's personal life had been a mess for years, and yet he thinks he knows what's best for Elena and Sophie? Danny shook his head, realizing that Jack will probably be happy to hear that Elena had dumped him.
Danny walked back to his desk, intent on refocusing his energy on find their missing person. Checking his computer, he ran Wentworth's credit cards again hoping to see some kind of activity, but there was nothing. Sighing, he opened a couple of file folders that contained financial statements for Wentworth and his wife. Danny had been over them earlier, but maybe he'd missed something.
"Got a minute?" Vivian asked as she approached his desk.
"Seems so. I can't find any solid lead on Wentworth."
"Well we might have something. One of Wentworth's colleague's, Randy Wilson, is also no where to be found. Martin did some checking up at Currington. Apparently, Wilson used to date Wentworth's wife and still has a torch."
"So he took our guy out of jealousy?"
"Or to eliminate the competition. Sam's on her way to meet Martin. Based on some maps Martin found at Wilson's apartment, it looks like he may be heading to the border. While they track Wilson, Jack and I are heading back to the Wentworth house. Maybe Wilson will call in a ransom."
"I'll track the APBs and any sightings from here," Danny said as finished taking notes from Vivian's update.
"Great," Vivian said as she continued to stand in front of him with a strange look on her face.
"Is there something else?" Danny asked.
Vivian nodded, "I saw you storm out of Jack's office, so I asked him what happened. Danny, you know Jack. He's not always the most tactful—"
"Oh, I know. But this time, not only wasn't he tactful, but he was a jackass as well."
Smiling sadly, Vivian sighed. "He didn't mean the things he said. He was just taken by surprise, as was I."
Closing his eyes for a moment, he breathed deeply. "I planned on telling you. Things have been…things have been a mess lately, Viv. I've just been trying to keep my head above water, you know?"
"I understand and I support any decision you need to make to be happy and healthy," she said, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "Despite what Jack said to you, so does he."
"What was that all about?" Vivian asked as she entered Jack's office after she'd just watched Danny storm out.
Jack shrugged as he sighed heavily. "I pissed him off. I've been doing that a lot lately."
"What do you mean 'pissed him off'? What did you say?" Viv asked as she leaned forward, folding her arms in front of her chest.
Jack relayed his intense argument with Danny. When he mentioned the part about Danny leaving, he saw sadness flash in Vivian's eyes. He and Vivian had worked with Danny since he'd first joined the team. He knew that Danny had a special place in Vivian's heart.
Shaking her head, Vivian took a seat in front him. "What's wrong with you, Jack? If Danny is seriously considering leaving, it can't be easy for him. This has been his home for a very long time."
"I overreacted when I got the news from someone other than Danny. It was a mistake. I thought he was doing all this because he was still angry about the whole Carlos debacle."
"Well I can assure you, if this has anything to do with that, it's because he needs space from the whole Elena/Carlos thing. He and Elena aren't together anymore. She broke up with him."
"Oh," Jack mumbled, remembering the insensitive remark he'd made to Danny about Elena. "Look, I screwed up. I'll talk to him after we get a handle on this Wentworth case."
"You better. He's been nothing but loyal to you and this team. He deserves a lot more than you scolding him for leaving him out of the loop. He needs our support, Jack."
Danny couldn't help but smile as Vivian explained Jack's behavior. Some things would never change, even after all this time.
"What's so funny?"
Danny shook his head. "Nothing. You just…I'll miss you, Vivalina. That's all."
Returning his smile, Vivian was about to respond when her phone rang. "Johnson," she answered. "Yeah, I'll be down in a minute," she said as she closed her phone and looked at Danny. "Jack's ready to head out. We'll talk more later. I want to hear all about this new opportunity."
"Count on it," Danny replied as he rose from his desk. "Listen, I'll call you guys if anything pops on the APBs."
"Great," she said as she walked out of the bullpen.
Thirty minutes later, Danny was still at his desk monitoring the APBs and coordinating the efforts to track Wilson's car. So far, they hadn't had much luck, but he still tried to look busy with what he was doing. Shortly after Vivian left, Elena had entered the bullpen and went to her desk. If it had been a week ago, they would have been working together at the center table. But now, he just wanted to avoid her as much as possible. Being close to her was just too hard. Thankfully, she seemed to want the same thing because she hadn't even asked him for an update on what was happening with the case.
Glancing over in her direction, he saw her running her hand through her long, black hair as she spoke on the phone. Just looking at the back of her head still made his heart beat faster and his palms sweat.
The ringing of his cell phone refocused his attention. "Taylor, " he answered. "You're kidding? South?...Okay, wait a second."
Taking the phone from his ear, Danny looked at the display. The officer that called him had just sent a picture of the suspect that had been spotted at a gas station. When the picture showed up on the phone, he compared it to the photo on the whiteboard. It was definitely Wilson. He'd obviously ditched the car they'd been tracking.
Putting the phone back to his ear, he continued. "Okay. Just, um, stay on him and try to set up a road block, but use caution. Wentworth may still be in the car with him. I'm going to update my boss and then I'll head down there. I'll call you when I'm on my way," Danny said as he stood up and ended the call
Elena, who must have heard him, walked over to his desk as he speed-dialed Jack. Knowing she needed to be updated as well, he clicked the speaker button on the phone, so she would hear the whole conversation.
"Malone," Jack answered.
"Wilson is headed south, Jack," Danny said as he looked at Elena. "Highway Patrol just sent me a picture. It's definitely Wilson," he said as he turned the phone toward Elena so she could see the picture.
"Where south?" Jack asked.
"Heading down the Beltway, about to enter Virginia. They're in the midst of a low-speed chase right now. Wilson won't pull over."
"Have them set up a road block—"
"Already done," Danny interrupted. "I told them to use caution. I'll head down there, but it'll take me a few hours."
"No, that will take too long. I'll call and get a chopper approved so you can get there sooner. We can't lose jurisdiction over this. Take Elena with you for back-up."
Hearing this, they both looked at each other with slight dread in their eyes. "That's not necessary, Jack. I can handle—"
"Is Elena on the line?" Jack asked, knowing he was on speaker phone.
"Yes," she answered. "I can go, No problem, Jack. There should be two of us down there if things get out of hand."
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Danny said. "We're headed out now. I'll keep you posted."
Within minutes, they were on the roof of the building waiting for the helicopter to land. Elena was on the phone with highway patrol getting an update on the road block.
Closing her phone, she glanced at him. "They've set up the road block about twenty minutes across the state line. They are trying to divert traffic from the road now. Will they be able to land this thing on the highway?" Elena asked, excited because she'd never ridden in one before.
"They can land it anywhere," Danny replied as he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. He'd ridden in them plenty of times before, and they still made him nervous as hell. However, he had no intention of letting Elena in on that.
From his clipped tone, Elena could tell that he was agitated. "Look, Danny, we have to work together. You can't cut me out of cases because you don't want to work with me. "
Frowning, he turned to her. "I didn't cut you out. When the lead came in, I showed you Wilson's picture. I involved you in the conversation with Jack—"
"But you didn't want me to come with you as backup. That was crystal clear."
"That wasn't about cutting you out. That was just about knowing that Sophie has rehearsal tonight and she'll be upset that you aren't there. I was just trying to give you an out so you could be with her tonight. Trust me; I would have done the same thing a week ago."
Closing her eyes, Elena felt her chest tighten after hearing his considerate words. This was going to be much harder than she thought. "I'm sorry. That was very thoughtful. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that."
Shrugging, Danny just mumbled, "Whatever," as he focused his attention on the tarmac in front of him.
"She's not going to be in the play, so I won't be missing it," Elena responded in a disappointed tone.
"Why not?" Danny asked, and then immediately regretted that he was still so invested in their lives.
Elena shook her head. "I don't know. She hasn't been herself. I'm trying to give her a little space right now while she tries to process everything that has happened."
Danny's first instinct was to ask Elena if she wanted him to talk to Sophie, but he knew he couldn't be there like that for Sophie anymore. Still, he felt bad that he was a part of why Sophie was sad right now, so he wanted to say something. "She'll be okay. Just give her a little time," he said as he looked at her with concerned eyes.
Elena returned the look and was immediately lost in his stare. "Thanks," she replied quietly.
Above them a loud noise caught their attention. Both thankful for the diversion, they looked up to see the helicopter landing.
By the time the helicopter landed in Virginia, Randy Wilson had already met the road block. Instead of stopping, he sped up to try and break through. In doing so, he crashed and spun his car out until it flipped numerous times.
As Danny and Elena approached the scene from above, they took in the remnants of the car crash. There wasn't much left of the car as the rescue workers worked to get into the heap of metal. After the helicopter landed, Danny hopped out and then held his hand out to help Elena down. Once they were clear of the helicopter, they could finally speak.
"This does not look good," Danny started.
Elena agreed. "If Wentworth is in the car, I don't know how he would survive.
Holding up their badges up, they approached a highway patrolmen. "Who's in charge here?" Danny asked.
The patrolmen pointed to a portly man with a Sheriff's uniform. Approaching the man, Danny flashed his badge again. "Excuse me, sir. I'm Special Agent Taylor. This is Special Agent Delgado. Have you been able to see if our missing person is in the car yet?
The sheriff held out his hand to shake both Danny and Elena's, then he spoke. "I'm Sheriff Waller. This turned out to be a real mess. We pulled Randy Wilson from the car. They're working to stabilize him over there," he said motioned to the ambulance.
"What about Wentworth?" Elena asked.
"We're trying to get the trunk open, but we don't want to force it in case he's in there. So far, there's no signs of life, so if he's in there he's not likely alive."
Nodding, Danny responded, "You mind if we talk to Wilson?" Technically, Wilson was their suspect, but Danny had learned to be diplomatic with these small town sheriffs.
"You can try, but I doubt he's conscience. They're going to transport him to an Emergency clinic in Paris, right up the road. They have a very good emergency doctor who lives in the area. He'll work on this guy and your missing person if we find him."
"Thank you," Elena said as she and Danny turned to find Wilson.
As he approached the wreck and then caught sight of the paramedics working on Wilson, Danny's stomach tightened. He did everything he could to hide his nervousness about flying from Elena, but just coming from that coupled with witnessing the all too familiar car crash scene made Danny queasy. Stopping suddenly, he couldn't help but see flashes of Martin after the ambush and further back, his bloody parents being pulled from their mangled car.
Realizing that Danny wasn't in step with her anymore, Elena turned around to find that he looked white as a ghost. She could see he was trying to take a few deep breaths as he leaned against a police car. Walking towards him, she called out, "Danny? You okay?"
Suddenly feeling stupid, Danny shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm fine," he said, waving her off. "Just, um, can you check with the paramedics to see if Wilson is conscious?"
Feeling a strong pull to comfort him, Elena hesitated as she looked at him with concern. Taking another step towards him, she flinched as he raised his hand.
"Can you please just do your damn job and talk to Wilson. I'm fine!" he yelled in a harsh tone.
Feeling like he'd just punched her, Elena turned back quickly and headed over to the ambulance.
Continuing to take deep breaths, Danny tried to get his anxiety under control.
Their missing person wasn't in the trunk, which was good and bad. It was good because there was a possibility he was still alive. It was bad because it was more likely that Wilson had already killed him and had been trying to make a getaway.
Randy Wilson still hadn't regained consciousness. Danny and Elena were sitting in the small emergency clinic in Paris, Virginia. They hadn't spoken again about Danny's reaction to the accident scene, instead just focusing on the case. As they sat in silence, Danny knew he had to say something.
"I'm sorry," he said as he glanced over at her. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you like that."
Looking at him, she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I was just worried. You changed from being in control to…I don't know what…in the blink of an eye."
Rubbing his eyes, he looked straight ahead. "It's difficult to explain, Elena. I don't want to get into it, but I'm fine now."
"You can talk to me," she said as she reached out to touch his arm.
Pulling his arm away, he replied, "No, I can't. Not with you."
Feeling hurt by the honesty of his words, she looked down at her hands not sure what else to say.
"Agents?" a doctor called out as he walked towards them.
Rising from their chairs, Danny didn't waste time with pleasantries, "Is Wilson conscious?"
"I'm sorry, no, but we have stabilized him. He's currently in a coma, due to swelling on his brain. If it doesn't go down by morning, we'll have to medivac him so he can get surgery."
"Can't you medivac him now? If we can get him to New York, then we can just question him there," Danny suggested.
"No, I'm sorry. Moving him now is a very bad idea. We need to have him stabilized for at least twelve hours after the injuries he's received."
Rolling his eyes, Danny was about to make a flippant remark about Wentworth not having twelve hours, but Elena spoke first. "Is it possible he could come out of the coma prior to the twelve hours?"
"It's definitely possible. The swelling could go down quickly. We just don't know, but we can't move him now," the doctor reiterated. "I'll be monitoring him tonight, so if you need anything the nurse's station can page me," he said as he walked away.
"Thank you, doctor," Elena responded.
Pulling out his phone, Danny hit the button in frustration. "Unbelievable," he mumbled.
"Malone," Jack answered.
"Wilson's in a coma. The doctor won't sign off on transporting him to New York for twelve hours."
"Great, just great," Jack replied in a frustrated tone. "Was there any evidence in the car?"
"There was very little left to the car at all and definitely no sign of our guy."
Jack signed as he thought for a few moments. "You up for staying there for the night, just in case Wilson wakes up?"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Danny shrugged. "I might have to just hijack a bed here because I honestly don't think Paris, Virginia has a motel. But yeah, I'll stay. Only one of us needs to, though. Elena can take the chopper back."
"The helicopter was diverted to DC for some bigwig. If she needs to get home, then we can get her a car. Let me talk to her."
Handing the phone to Elena, Danny sat back down in the chair.
"Jack?" Elena answered.
"If you need to get home—"
"It's fine, Jack. Sophie's covered. Maybe Wilson will wake up soon and we can head back after we talk to him."
"You sure? I can get a car there for you in no time."
"I'm sure. Thanks, Jack. We'll call you if something happens," she said before ending the call.
Handing the phone back to Danny, Elena took a seat next to him.
"You could have gone home. I don't need backup to watch out for a guy in a coma," Danny deadpanned.
"You just had some kind of attack less than an hour ago. You don't have to tell me what happened, but I'm not going to leave you here alone," Elena responded, her voice still laced with concern.
Rolling his eyes, Danny just tilted his head back and closed his eyes.