hey all :)
ok ok, i know its been over 10 days since ive updated, get the yelling with out of your systems now. hahah. im sorry !
but here's the next chapter, i PROMISE the chapter you've been waiting for will be up within the next two! you're going to kill me for what happens, but trust me, it'll all turn out okay in the end :)
for now, here's chapter 9.
enjoy (:
Chapter 9
Monday morning couldn't seem to come fast enough.
After moping around for the majority of Saturday and Sunday, Danny was excited--to say the least, that he would be able to see Lindsay again. Sure, arriving two and a half hours early to his shift wouldn't get her there any faster, but it gave him something to keep him busy; something to try to keep his mind off of her until she arrived. Lucky for him, the case load that morning had been more than the current staff could handle, and Mac was more than willing to let Danny help out. He was so caught up in his analysis of a blood-stained glass fragment, he didn't even notice when she walked in and stood right next to him, staring intently as he carefully swabbed the evidence.
"Havin' fun Messer?"
He was startled for a moment, but his face began to brighten as he realized who the voice belonged to.
"Hey Montana, I see you're feelin' better."
"Yeah, I guess I just needed a couple days to sleep it off."
"And that medicine had absolutely nothing to do with your oh-so-speedy recovery?" he said with a smirk.
"Okay, I'll give you credit for that one, but it's been three days and I still have that nasty taste in my mouth."
"Better than coughin' every two seconds, am I right?"
They shared a laugh at their own playful banter. "I guess so. Oh hey, before I forget, here's the money I owe you for the pizza," she said holding out a twenty dollar bill.
"No no no," he said, waving his arms up in protest. "That was my treat, keep your money. I got no use for it."
"But Danny--"
"No buts Montana. Keep your cash, you're hurtin' my pride here."
"Thank you," she replied. "And thanks for such a great night. Bailey hasn't stopped talking about you all weekend."
A huge grin spread onto his face. "Really?"
"Yes really," she said with a laugh. "And she hasn't put down those comic books either. She was already halfway through the stack by Saturday afternoon."
By then, Danny had put his evidence on hold and had completely immersed himself in Lindsay's words. He couldn't believe that after only one night, Bailey was just as attached as he was.
It was déjà vu.
He was falling hard for another Monroe.
"She's a smart kid," Danny said.
"I know, I'm so proud of her. She learned how to read when she was three."
"She gets that from you, ya know."
Lindsay turned bright red. If he only knew how much of her intelligence she got from her father.
"So where's she at now?"
"She had school today. I drop her off before my shift, and she goes with one of the other mothers to a gymnastics class at the community center until I can pick her up."
He was somewhat disappointed at the absence of the child, but his mood was brightened when Lindsay informed him that she only had school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and that Tuesdays and Thursdays she came to the lab.
"She's quite the little dynamo, ain't she?" He laughed as he imagined the little girl running around doing cartwheels and back flips. As the same thoughts ran through Lindsay's mind, she couldn't help but giggle as well.
"It tires her out a good deal, helps me out some."
"You know, if you ever need a babysitter, I'm only a phone call away."
"I might have to take you up on that offer," she replied with a smile that made Danny melt.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Danny's phone ringing.
"Hold on a sec," he said, pressing the answer key. "Messer. Really? You sure? Thanks Mac, I'll be there right away." This day just kept getting better and better.
"Sorry to cut this short Montana, but Hawkes called in sick, and Mac needs another pair of hands out in the field."
It would be his first time at an actual crime scene since he had rejoined the lab. To say he was giddy with anticipation was an understatement.
"Well what are you waiting for? Go!" She laughed, noticing the excitement in his step as he nearly skipped out of the lab station. She shook her head and continued giggling. She hadn't seen his this excited since, well, since Friday night. She made her way over to his evidence, realizing that he's taken off without putting it away, and she figured she would do him a favor and finish it up. She wasn't doing anything anyway, and besides, he would owe her later…
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He had spent the past four and a half hours processing a double homicide, and it was the greatest feeling in the world. It had been so long since he had really gotten his hands dirty and sifted through the piles and piles of evidence, like an open box of puzzle pieces. Oh how he had missed this. Bagging up the last of the evidence, he was ready to reload the truck, return everything back to the lab and end his shift for the day, when his plans were interrupted by his phone. He couldn't contain the smile that crept onto his face as he looked at the screen.
Call from Lindsay
"Hey Montana, what's up?"
"Hey Danny, listen, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"
"Sure, anything, what do ya need?"
"Look, I know it's on short notice but I know your shift is almost over and I just got called out to work a triple and--"
"Whoa, take it easy there Linds, just say the word and it's done."
"I was wondering if you could go to the gym and pick Bailey up for me. I'll only be a couple of hours but her class is over in thirty and there's no way I can get her to a sitter before then. You can just take her back to Flack's place and I'll come pick her up as soon as I can."
BOOM!
If he hadn't been grinning like an idiot before, he sure as hell was now.
"Not a problem, not a problem at all. You want me to feed her dinner or anything?"
"That would be great. Danny, you're a lifesaver."
"You know I'd do anything for you and that little girl."
Lucky for Lindsay, their conversation was over the phone. She didn't want Danny to see her like this, blushing and obnoxiously grinning.
"I've gotta go, but thank you so much."
"No worries Montana, I'll take care of her like she was my own. Have fun."
Before he had even ended the call, he was already in the car headed for the gym. He couldn't wait to see that little girl again.
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He had arrived to the gym at warp speed, and when he stepped foot inside, there was still twenty minutes left of the class. Scoping out the large room, his eyes finally landed on Bailey, wearing a pink leotard and bouncing around the mats, her pigtails bobbing up and down with every jump. He laughed as she did cartwheel after cartwheel around the room; what a little ball of energy she was. As he watched her tumble around the mats, she suddenly looked up and caught his stare, a giant grin present on her face.
"Danny!" she yelled excitedly, bounding over the equipment as fast as her little legs would carry her. "What are you doing here?!" she said as she jumped into his widespread arms.
"Hey kiddo. Your mommy had to work late so she sent me to pick you up. As soon as you get done here, you can come back to the apartment and hang out with me and your Uncle Flack."
"Really?!" she exclaimed.
"Yup. As soon as you're done with class we can go."
As they were discussing their plans for the evening, a tall, blonde woman in work out clothes approached Danny and Bailey.
"Hey Bailey, who's your friend?"
"Miss Christie, this is Danny! Remember, I told you about him earlier?"
"Ahh, the infamous Danny with the comic books. You're all she's been talking about."
"That would be me," he said with a chuckle. "I'm Danny Messer," he said extending a hand.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Christie."
"I assume you're the teacher here?"
"Yes, that would be me. I assume you're here to pick up Bailey then?"
"Yeah, her mom had to work late; I'm just tryin' to help her out."
"Alright, well there's still fifteen minutes of class left. You're welcome to participate."
Danny almost laughed out loud at the suggestion. He was too old to climb around and do somersaults with a bunch of preschoolers.
"That's alright, I'll just watch--"
"No, come play with us Danny! It'll be so much fun." He was cut off by the protesting voice of Bailey who was currently straddled on his right hip. Her face was forming into a pout as he attempted to decline the invitation. What was he supposed to do?
"Do I gotta wear tights?" he replied hesitantly.
"Yay!" Bailey exclaimed jumping out of his arms and grabbing his fingers with her tiny fist, pulling him out into the middle of the floor. He waved embarrassingly at the moms who were giggling at him from the side lines. This was going to be the longest fifteen minutes of his life.
He found himself surrounded by a pack of tiny children, all ooing and ahhing at his height, his badge, the size of his Converse, wanting to know if he was a monster and impossible things like this. Before he knew it he was being dragged towards a foam ramp no more than two feet tall. All of the little kids began to line up behind it, and one by one they each somersaulted down the ramp. Danny's eyes began to bulge out of his head.
"There is no way in hell I'm doing this," he whispered to Christie as he stepped out of line, Bailey's fingers still clutching his own.
Laughing, she replied, "Aww come on Danny, don't be such a downer. Kids, we all want Danny to play too, right?" she said, purposely egging on the already riled up pack of preschoolers.
"Come on Danny, please?" Bailey asked him innocently, tugging on his arm.
He shot Christie a look that said "I'll get you for this later" as the screaming kids shoved him towards the front of the line.
"Well, here goes nothin'." Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and leaned onto the ramp, rolling himself forward. When he landed, he was a little winded, but he managed to stand upright and give the kids an enthusiastic "ta-dah" before he collapsed onto the floor, the mothers applauding from the sides. Bailey ran over to him and promptly sat in the middle of his chest.
"Let's go again, let's go again!"
"Aww Bay, Danny needs a break…" Seeing the look on her face begin to form another pout, he said, "Alright, one more time. But only one." He slowly got up and headed back towards the ramp, earning more applause, this time from the children as well.
"One more time" quickly turned into six, and by then, his back was about ready to snap in two.
"Alright everyone, it's time to wrap up. Let's all thank Danny for coming to play."
He held his hands up in a mock protest as a loud "Thank you Danny" erupted from the crowd of kids. After Bailey had collected her things, they made their way out the door, earning stares and giggles from passerby.
As they made their way to the car, Bailey, holding Danny's hand the entire way, looked up at him with a smile on her face and began to speak.
"That was so much fun Danny! Are you gonna come pick me up everyday?"
The pain in his back twitched as thoughts of swinging from ropes and jumping off balance beams swam through his head.
"I think this was a one time deal kiddo. Your mommy couldn't get out of work and she couldn't find a sitter, so I volunteered."
"Well you should volunteer more, I like playing with you," she said smiling up at him sweetly.
"I like hangin' out with you too bud. I'll talk to your mom, she what we can do."
This made Bailey even more excited as Danny helped her buckle into the car seat in the backseat of the car.
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When they arrived back at the apartment, happy meals in tow, Danny collapsed onto the couch, the ache in his back setting in. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and settle into a nice, long nap. He rested his eyes while Bailey ate her chicken nuggets. Just as he began to doze off, he heard the pitter patter of little feet scamper across the tile and stop in front of him. After about a minute, he felt a tiny finger push into his nose.
"Psst…Danny. Are you awake?" the little voice whispered.
He blinked his eyes open, almost jumping when he realized that Bailey was mere centimeters away from his face. "Yeah, yeah I'm up kiddo, I was just restin' my eyes. You all done with your dinner?"
"Yup, I need help on my homework."
Sitting up, he furrowed his brow. "Homework? You're in preschool, what kind of homework could they possibly be givin' you?"
"We're making an all about me book for graduation," she replied matter of factly. "I'm trying to figure out where to put all the pictures. Wanna help?"
"Well sure, why not?" he said getting up from the couch.
Sprawled across the kitchen table were a dozen or so pictures, as well as a pre made book with the words "All About Me" written across the cover. Bailey sat down, and as Danny followed suit, she began to show him the book.
"See? All About Me. Bailey Louise Monroe," she read him the title page, pointing to each word as she spoke it.
"Aww, very cute--wait." As he scanned over the book, he was caught off guard. "Bailey Louise Monroe?
"Yeah, that's my name silly."
"But…you're last name is Monroe?"
"Yeah, what did you think it was?"
"Well, I kind of assumed it would be the same as your daddy's."
"I don't know my---"
There was a knock at the door, interrupting Bailey's confession.
"Hold on a sec kiddo, I gotta get that," he mumbled. As he got up, the pain in his back that he thought had subsided suddenly seemed to be growing worse.
"Hey Messer," a cheerful Lindsay said as the door was opened to Flack's apartment, revealing an obviously pained Danny, one hand on the door frame while the other rested on his lower back.
"Hey Montana," he croaked. "Back so soon?"
"Yeah, Mac let me go early. He said they'd be fine with who was there. Are you okay? You look like you got hit by a truck," she replied as he let her into the apartment.
"Eh, I'll be fine. I think I threw out my back playing in the munchkin circus."
Lindsay tried to stifle a laugh. "You what?"
"Hey, 's not funny. They beg me to play with them and this is the thanks I get? What a load of bull crap."
She saw the pain he was enduring as he slumped into the couch with a groan. She looked into the kitchen, and seeing that Bailey was completely occupied with her crayons and such, she decided to take a bold move forward.
"You know, if you wanted, I could get those kinks out for you," she whispered into his ear in a husky voice, dropping her hands to his shoulders and gently rubbing. He surrendered to her touch, his muscles relaxing instantly at the pulse of her fingers as she continued gently up and down the length of his back. As she began kneading at the small of his back, he let out a low moan. It took all of her strength not to give in to her knees that were quickly turning into a pool of jelly beneath her.
"What'd ya stop for Montana? That feels so good," he groaned.
She hadn't realized that she had stopped, but found a quick excuse as she glanced up to see Bailey getting up from the table and begin to make her way over towards the living room.
"Danny? Where'd you go? Who was at the door?"
"Looks like we've got company Messer," she whispered to him, patting his shoulders before making her way towards Bailey. "Hey baby girl."
"Mommy!" she shouted excitedly, running towards her mother.
"How was school?"
"It was good. We got ice cream for snack today. Tommy gave me his."
"Oh really? And what did you say?"
"I didn't say anything. I shoved it in his face," she declared proudly, a grin on her face that reminded Lindsay of the one Danny often gave her when he knew he did something wrong, but didn't seem to care.
"Bailey Louise!" She was trying as hard as she could to hide her grin, while Danny on the other hand had erupted into a fit of laughter.
"What? He deserved it. He calls me names and spits on my crackers."
"Bailey, that's not a nice thing to do and you know better."
"Well neither is having to eat spitty crackers!"
By this point, Danny was on the floor crying. He couldn't contain himself, her witty comebacks were just too smart for a four year old to be conjuring.
"See? He thinks it's funny," she said pointing a finger at Danny who was now wiping the tears from his eyes, trying to compose himself.
"Way to go Messer, nice example you're setting for my kid here."
"Linds, I'm sorry but this is just too funny. At least she's standin' up for herself."
"Well I'd like her to learn how to do it in a less violent way." She tried arguing with him, but she was quickly short sided when Bailey cut in.
"Mom, don't be mad at Danny. He's on my side here." She went and stood in front of Danny, crossing her arms defensively in front of her.
"Ha, your own kid is siding against you Montana. What now?" he said resting both of his hands on Bailey's small shoulders.
She began to get a mischievous grin on her face. "Well, I still think that Bailey should be punished. It wasn't a very polite thing to do. And we all know what that means, don't we?"
He caught her look and gripped a little tighter onto Bailey as Lindsay edged toward them.
"You know who I'm going to leave the punishment up to Bay?"
The look on the little girl's face grew more scared by the second. "W-who?"
Lindsay gave her a couple more moments of torture before shouting, "The tickle monster!"
In seconds, they had her pinned, both Danny and Lindsay harmlessly tickling the little girl until they were all erupting in fits of laughter. At some point in the game, the target had been switched to Danny. Both girls began attacking, until Danny suddenly yelped out in pain, his back once again becoming inflamed.
"Mommy, we broke Danny!" Bailey was on the brink of tears as she jumped off of Danny's leg, hoping to prevent further injury.
"He's okay baby, Danny's just being a wuss," she laughed as he sat up slowly, pulling the little girl onto his lap.
"Are you really okay Danny?"
"Don't worry about me kiddo, I'm tough, see?" he said knocking his fist against his head.
"I think Danny's had a little too much fun for one day Bay. We'd better get going."
Both Bailey and Danny's faces dropped at this news, but Bailey's eyes suddenly perked up as she jumped out of Danny's lap and dashed over to the kitchen, yelling "Wait!" over her shoulder.
Danny and Lindsay stared at each other, exchanging confused glances as they waited for Bailey to return. As she did, they noticed a kid-proof disposable camera clutched in her hands.
"Danny, you have to take a picture with me for my book!" She had an eager look in her eyes as she sat down next to him.
"Well sure kiddo, I'd be glad to."
"Here mommy, will you take it?"
"Wait, I've got an idea," Danny interrupted, taking the camera himself. "Linds, you be in the picture too," he said beckoning her over.
"You sure? Do you want one of just the two of you?"
"How bout we do both?" he replied turning towards Bailey.
"Okay, I like that idea."
Danny handed Lindsay the camera, pulling Bailey into his lap, the both of them smiling sweetly as the photo was snapped. Lindsay went and sat down next to Danny, Bailey shifting so that she was now sitting on both of their laps. Danny took the camera, and with an outstretched arm, snapped another picture as Bailey yelled "Cheese!" They laughed as they gathered Bailey's things, and Danny walked them to the front door.
"If you want, I can get copies of those for you," Lindsay said, turning to face Danny.
"That would be great," he replied with a smile.
"It's the least I could do. You really helped me out today, and you became an injured acrobat in the process," she said with a laugh. "You sure you'll be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. And it was my pleasure. Anytime you need me, just say the word."
"Thanks Danny. I'd better get Bailey home. Have a good night."
"You too Linds. Drive safe."
"Bye Danny!" Bailey chimed in.
"See ya later kiddo." He chuckled as he stepped out to watch the down the hallway, staring until they were nothing more than two small dots in the distance, and then made his way to the couch, plopping down with a smile on his face.
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When they arrived back at the Monroe apartment, both Bailey and Lindsay were exhausted. Bailey tossed her gym bag and tiny pink Converse into the hall closet and sat down in front of the television, turning on a random show and snuggling into Lindsay as she joined the little girl on the couch.
"So did you have a good time with Danny baby?"
"Yeah, I love hanging out with him. Can he pick me up every time you can't come?"
"We'll see."
The continued watching tv in silence for a while when Bailey began to speak again.
"Mommy, what's my last name?"
"Your last name is Monroe hun, just like it's always been. Why do you ask?"
"Cause Danny said it should be the same as my daddy's. I tried to tell him I didn't know my daddy but I don't think he heard me." At this, Lindsay let out a huge sigh of relief. "But Danny's nice. Maybe one day, he could be my daddy."
She let out another sigh, this time a hopeful one.
"Maybe one day baby, maybe one day."