There were two bottles of whiskey on the table, Jack Daniels and Black Label. Both very good whiskeys and Flack wanted to drink, oh yes, he really wanted to drink, but he didn't want to drink alone.
But Don didn't want to disturb his friends. They had their own lives and he didn't want to bother them with his problems. They already had their own.
When he was thinking about his misery, the doorbell rang; Flack frowned, who could be at the door. He guessed it could have been Mrs Mercedes, who wanted to offer him some of the cookies she always made. Every time when Flack came home the fourth floor corridor smelled like a bakery. He never had enough of those cookies. He didn't even look through the peephole, still thinking about the taste of his favourite cookies, but he had been wrong. On the other side of the door didn't stand Mrs Mercedes but Mac.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Mac felt a little uncomfortable, "I just walked by, and saw that you had lights on and I decided to come up and see how you are doing. If this is ok with you..."
"That's bullshit Mac, you know really well that it's the oldest excuse."
"Okay you are right, I thought that I couldn't let you drink alone."
"Thanks, I actually just wished that I had some company."
He led Mac to the living room and started to say something, when the doorbell rang again, they exchanged looks. When Flack opened the door, he saw Danny with a pizza.
"Hey, I thought that I should come over and help you drink. I also brought you some food."
"Food is always great, thanks, come in."
Danny was walking to the living room and Flack was already closing the door, when he saw Hawkes climbing up the stairs with a six-pack.
"Hey Flack, I was going by and I thought to come and help you drink." Flack had smiled on his face, the same old excuse…
"Come in join the others."
"The others?"
"Yeah, Mac and Danny are already here to help me drink. Come in." Hawkes walked past Flack. Don followed him, "Hey guys, I guess one pizza isn't enough for us."
He couldn't even enter the living room, when the doorbell rang again, "I think I'll just leave the door open, so everybody could walk in, even those who I don't know." Behind the door were standing Stella and Lindsay with two pizzas. They saw how a little sparkle came to Flack's sad eyes, before they could say anything, "Hey, guys, who ordered the girls?"
"Girls? What girls?" Danny asked in the living room, and then Flack heard his steps, Sheldon was walking behind him, slightly slower and then came Mac with his typical long strides. "These are only Montana and Stella," Danny sounded bit disappointed.
Girls exchanged looks, "To you want the honor?" Lindsay asked from Stella, "Oh, thank you very much," she turned to Danny, "Only Us, Messer?"
"When you think so little of us, we go away, and take these pepperoni pizzas with us." Lindsay smiled.
"Pepperoni pizzas?" asked Mac and Sheldon at the same time.
"Yes," Stella smiled.
"Danny, get down on your knees, and say you're sorry," Mac said with a calm voice.
"Knees? Isn't it bit too … dramatic," Danny looked at him with horror in his eyes.
"We just want hear him apologize, not embarrass him," Lindsay exchanged smiles with Stella, "But, if you think it is necessary, Mac, who are we to disagree with you and it would be quite fun." Danny scratched his forehead, looked at Flack, who looked away, and sighed deeply, "I'm sorry."
"Ok, that will do," Stella said.
"I know what you are doing," Flack said, when guys stepped away from the door so girls could come in. He had started to feel uncomfortable; he didn't want to bother them all with his problems. All of them looked at him as he was crazy, "And what are we doing?" Hawkes raised his eyebrow.
"You are trying to raise my spirit."
"Oh, Sherlock, you are quick," Lindsay said, with a little sarcasm and concern.
Girls stopped, when they saw two whiskey bottles on the table. They understood now, what Flack had meant, when he left Mac's office. Those two bottles meant that if they hadn't come, Flack would have drunk all that whiskey alone and there could have been more serious consequences than just hangover.
"Hey, come on, let's eat!" Danny broke the awkward silence. Lindsay and Stella started to fuss. Stella cleaned the table and put all three-pizza boxes there, Monroe looked around then asked Flack, "Hey, Don, where do you keep the napkins and glasses?"
Flack came out of the haze, where he had fallen, although there were many sad thoughts surrounding him, he tried to focus on reality. "Oh, what? Oh yes… they are in the kitchen, but Lindsay, I can get them myself." Lindsay smiled and took Flack's hand and guided him to the chair, "Now sit here and help Stella, I use the little CSI in me, and try to find them by myself. Believe in me." She winked, but didn't wait for the answer.
Flack's kitchen was cozy and made her immediately feel like she was at home. Flack might appear like a tough New York cop, but his kitchen betrayed that his mother had somehow managed to teach him the secrets of cooking.
"Now, when I were Flack, where would I put the glasses?" She looked around, and walked to the stove, she opened the second cupboard from left. And there they were, she opened the third drawer and found the napkins. "I am so good."
When they had eaten the pizzas and drunk all the beers, Mac took Black Label and poured everyone a glass. "Now, Flack, it is time to talk, tell use all the things, what you have in your mind, don't worry about what we think. You are a good friend and we will be there for you, as you can see. Do you want it or not. Talk about everything. When you are finished, you feel better, believe."
Flack took the glass; he looked at the amber-like liquid. He had always hated that colour, but whiskey was one of his favorite drinks after beer and wine.
"OK, Mac, I get it. When I was six, her family moved into the house next to us, we immediately became friends," he talked and talked for two hours, no-one even tried to interrupt. They were in the middle of the second bottle of whiskey, when Flack finished his tale. He felt better, like Mac had said. Then he frowned, he had had too much alcohol and he started to figure about different things. "I don't understand why it is so hard. We hadn't spoken properly for like ten years. We exchanged some quick words, when we both were visiting our parents, but that was it."
"But what happened ten years ago, why did you two break up?" asked Lindsay who was already feeling bit dizzy.
"She left me," everyone exchanged looks; they had never seen that someone would have dumped Flack. Usually he had left them or it was mutual agreement, "She had the same problem that many other women have had. When we were nineteen, she finally understood that I hadn't joked about becoming a cop, but what she didn't understand was, why anyone would want to risk their lives for someone else. Melody saw police work as a way of getting hurt, and being killed. She didn't understand that I could save lives and make the world a better place. God, it sounds stupid. Now I know that she wasn't as strong as my mother, who stood beside my father all those years, and now stands behind me."
Another glass of whiskey went down his throat. Stella had stopped drinking two rounds ago and now was just observing others. Danny and Lindsay were still drinking, so was Hawkes, and Mac was taking slow, he knew already too much about drinking, when you mourn for someone. And they all were mourning, even though most of them had never known Melody. Beside the mourner there always had to be one or two of those who drank as much as the mourner, one, who drank more, this time it was Hawkes, one person was observing others, so they wouldn't do anything stupid, and one, who listened and told the mourner the truth. He knew that the right moment would come soon; he was just waiting for it. When Flack stopped talking with Danny and Hawkes didn't giggle anymore, Mac spoke, "Don, how do you feel now, any better?"
"I hate when people ask that kind of a question." Flack was strangely sober after drinking that much whiskey. "How can I feel any better?"
"I know, sorry" Mac refilled the glasses, "But I must say something, to you want to listen or just drink." Flack gave a sad smile and pulled his hand through the hair, "Ok, talk, I'm willing to listen, anything that you think could help."
"I'm not saying that you should stop mourning, put see the brighter side of death…"
"Oh, someone has watched Van Helsing too much," Hawkes interrupted him. Stella and Lindsay gave him an angry look
"She might be happier there, where she is now. Try to remember good things, not sad ones, I think she would have wanted that you remember her as she was then, when you two were young and in love. She would have wanted you to go on with your life, not drink here and drown your sorrow into these glasses."
Flack tried to ignore him for a while, but then he suddenly smiled a little, "I think you are right, Mac, she wouldn't have wanted that. Mom said the same thing" Mac started to laugh - he did it rarely, so it surprised other, "It's good to know that you have been compared with someone's mother."
An hour later Lindsay fell asleep on Flack's couch and everyone else understood what the time was, "I think it's time to go home," said Stella and stood up. Danny and Sheldon, who were both drunk, agreed. Danny looked at Lindsay, "What about her?"
"Let her sleep here, we both have a free day tomorrow, so we don't disturb one another, and she is better here. It is really late, or should I say early, and it would be difficult to drag her home."
Others agreed. Mac stood up and put his hand on Flack's shoulder, "Don, I promise you that we will catch the person who did it, tomorrow we will go through it again. There has to be something. There always is."
Flack nodded, he showed his friends to door and then went back to the living room and looked at sleeping Lindsay, she looked beautiful. Flack didn't know where that thought had come from. He decided to push it to the dark corner of his mind. He put a blanket over Lindsay, "Good night, Monroe."
His bed felt so good, and pillows were really soft. He soon fell asleep.
Here you are the third chapter, fourth one is coming up soon, I hope you guys like it, if you did pleas review.
