"Slow down
What's on your mind?
It's alright
I'm on your side
I hate to see your injury
I wish that you could transfer all
Your pain to me
Stay here
It's ok to cry
Let me
Help you make it right"
- Karmina ("Walk You Home")
She leans over and lightly touches his knee. It will all work out, she assures him. She will eventually come around. She cannot stay mad forever. They work together. They're partners. They're friends. She can't throw that all away. She'd be a fool to do so. They are going to make it. Have a little faith. In her. In him. In them.
He smiles softly at her. He hopes she's right, he sighs as he leans back into the couch. He is tired, he says as he rubs his eyes with the heel of his hands.
She winces. She wishes that she had a magic wand and could fix everything. She cannot stand to see him in so much pain and anguish. She wants to help him out of his black hole of agony and blame he has slipped into. He is on the brink of despair and she is determined to bring him back. She is his friend. She wants to be there for him. And she will. She will not abandon him.
There is no hatred in her heart. She feels no anger or fury at him. For what he has confessed to her. For what he has done. Instead, she feels immense sadness. But not for herself. No, never for herself. She would never allow herself that. No, she feels sadness for the inebriated young detective sitting next to her in his darkened apartment on a rainy New York night.
She sighs. She knows that she should feel shame. She knows that she should feel guilt. Or at least regret for what she has done with him. But she does not. Because for one night, that fateful night, Rikki Sandoval knew what it felt to be loved, even if it as only lust.
Go to bed, she urges him, taking his hand into hers. Sleep. Rest. Tomorrow will be a new day she promises as she kisses him on the cheek.
---
A/N - For those who are confused, the "she" with Danny is Rikki Sandoval. Why? Because the muse thinks that everyone deserves to have their side of the story told.