hey all ! (:
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i cant really say anything about this chapter except keep reading, the outcome is going to be fine, i promise ! i like this way better than "everything is automatically picture perfect" sooo bring on the drama :)
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i love you all, you deserve virtual m&m's :D
enjoy (:
--mtc.
Chapter 19
He walked through a clearing and stumbled upon a scene that had tears brimming in his eyes. His daughter and her mother were sitting atop a red and white checkered blanket, a picnic basket seated next to them, the child in her mother's lap, both girls smiling sweetly at the man who was now walking toward them. The little girl giggled softly as her mother whispered something in her ear, and then beckoned the blonde man over, patting the blanket next to them as an indication that he should sit down. As he took a seat next to the two most important women in his life, the older of the two intertwined her left hand with his right. As she did this, he felt metal, and glancing down, he noticed the silver wedding band around her third finger. The touch of the ring to his skin warmed his soul; she was eternally his, and that was all he ever needed in life. The little girl threw her tiny arms around his neck.
Bringing her small face close to his ear, she whispered, "I love you daddy."
Those words alone were the only words he needed to survive. The love of his daughter and wife were more essential to him than the air he was breathing; if everything else in his life was taken away, it wouldn't matter. The fact that they were here in his life was all he needed to go on living. He gazed into his daughter's deep blue eyes as she batted her eyelashes at him. If anything in the world was perfect, it was the little girl in front of him. Out of the blue, she began to giggle. At what exactly, he was not sure. But he didn't mind, her giggles were like music to his ears. She reached out her finger and poked his nose, and as she did this, she began to fade away. The entire scene before him; the picnic blanket, the basket, the food, his wife, and his daughter. All images before him began to fade away. He reached out to grasp onto them before they were completely out of his reach, but he had no such luck. All of a sudden, he was sitting completely alone in a vast sea of white nothingness.
But he could still hear his daughter's voice.
"Shh. Don't wake him up, he looks funny. We have to take a picture first."
Don't wake him up? He was a bit confused at first, but then he realized what was going on. Danny Messer had been dreaming this entire time. As he reluctantly batted his eyelashes--hoping that if he stayed asleep a little bit longer, his dream would become a reality--he saw two fuzzy figures standing in front of him. As they became clearer, he was finally able to make them out. His daughter was standing in front him clutching a digital camera, and her mother was crouched next to her, giggling at the image displayed on the screen, which he could not see. He turned his eyes into slits, trying to make it appear as though he were still asleep. He peered down at Lindsay's left hand, his heart dropping when he realized that she was, in fact, only his girlfriend. He saw his daughter's tiny finger edging towards his nose once again, only this time it was her actual finger, not a pretend finger from his dreams. She poked his nose and in return, he jumped up and grabbed her, pulling her on top of him and tickling her until she was laughing so hard, tears were forming.
"We thought you were sleeping!" she exclaimed as he ceased the tickling.
"I was, but girls talk too loud; you two woke me up," he replied with a snicker.
"Well, we might talk too loud, but at least we don't drool in our sleep," Bailey shot back, flashing the camera in his direction. His own image was staring back at him, one arm and one leg hanging off the edge of the couch he was currently laying on, his mouth hanging wide open, and as Bailey had informed him, drool was seeping out of his mouth. He made a grab for the camera but his little girl was too quick for him, running behind her mother so he couldn't get to her. She peered out from behind her legs and stuck her tongue out at Danny, who oh so kindly returned the favor.
"Why are you sleeping here anyway?" she asked, still hiding.
He had to think for a moment. Why was he sleeping on Lindsay's couch? He thought back to the previous night. He remembered putting his daughter to bed, he remembered Lindsay telling him that they should tell Bailey who her real daddy was, he remembered a hot make out session on the same couch he was laying on, and then he remembered Lindsay asking him to stay the night. After much deliberation, and much protesting done by Lindsay, they had both agreed that he would sleep on the couch. The last time they had shared a bed, Bailey had almost walked in on them, and Danny didn't want anything to ruin this day. It was going to change his life forever.
"I wanted to be here when you woke up," he replied, the little girl coming out from her hiding place to sit on the couch with Danny. Hearing this news, she cuddled next to him for a moment before jumping off the couch, wrapping her hand around his, and dragged him to the kitchen, beckoning for Lindsay to follow. She paused in front of the pantry, her hand on her chin, trying to decide what she wanted for breakfast. Before she could come to a conclusion, Danny had lifted her up and put her on his hip.
"How's about we go somewhere special for breakfast?"
"Like out to a restaurant?" she asked, her eyes widened already.
"Of course. I don't know if your mommy told you already, but this is your special day."
"Really?!" Danny looked from his daughter to Lindsay, meeting Lindsay's gaze and returning the warm smile she had given him.
"Yep it is," Lindsay replied. "Why don't you go get dressed and brush your teeth; the faster you're ready, the faster we can get out of here."
With that, the little girl jumped out of Danny's arms and sped down the hallway, laughter erupting from her parents as she left them in the dust. As soon as they were alone, Danny pulled Lindsay into a good morning kiss.
"Morning Montana," he smiled against her lips.
"Good morning to you too," she laughed as he moved his kisses from her lips to her neck. "Danny, child in the next room."
He giggled against her skin and pulled away, meeting her eyes once more. "You do realize she's the only reason I'm stopping, right?"
Lindsay blushed at his words as she heard their daughter's tiny feet charging back towards them, a Finding Nemo purse in her hands, dressed and ready to go.
"Alright people, I'm starving! Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Grabbing a hand of each parent in her own, little Bailey skipped down the hall, ready to start the day with her two favorite people in the world, never once guessing what the day would actually hold for her.
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As the quaint family of three sat at a side booth in Denny's, Bailey questioned how exactly she was going to finish all of her breakfast. An enormous stack of waffles was sitting in front of her, almost passing up her own height. Syrup was dripping down the plate and onto the table. Danny, who was seated across from her, laughed as the little girl tried to cut a small piece, only resulting in an entire waffle ending up on the fork.
"I told you that you should've gotten the Mickey Mouse pancakes off the kiddie menu," Lindsay laughed, trying to help her daughter along before breakfast hours were over.
"I can do this myself, I'm a big girl," she responded with a frustrated, yet determined look on her face. An entire waffle still drooping off of her fork, she brought it up to her mouth and ripped a corner off with her teeth, sending syrup flying everywhere, including Danny's face. With a satisfied grin, she chewed the giant chunk of waffle that overflowed her tiny mouth. Although covered in syrup and bits of waffle, Danny couldn't help but laugh at his daughter. He took his glasses off and attempted to clean the syrupy goo off of them, failing when he realized that it was only spreading, making it worse than it had been before. Reaching across the table, Lindsay took the glasses out of his hands, stifling a laugh at the look of utter disgust on his face as he saw that there was more breakfast on his glasses than in his daughter's mouth. She pulled a bag of wipes out of her purse and gently cleaned the lenses, making sure there was not even a trace amount of waffle left before handing them back to him.
"That better cowboy?" she asked him with a laugh, watching him inspect the glasses before putting them back on his face.
"Yeah, thanks," he laughed back, still hesitant to put the metal frames back on his face. "Hurry up and finish kiddo, or we won't be able to do all the fun things I have planned for today."
Bailey started at him for a moment before diving into her plate of waffles face first, not even bothering to use a fork. Both Danny and Lindsay exchanged similar glances, their mouths dropped, eyes wide, as their daughter continued to eat her breakfast like an animal, neither knowing whether to laugh or throw her in a cage. Finally, Lindsay pulled her away from the now half eaten plate of waffles and ushered her towards the bathroom. As she left the table, she bent down to Danny's ear.
"Congratulations, she inherited your eating habits," she whispered, half humored, half annoyed as she whisked the little girl off to the back of the restaurant. Smiling, he whipped his wallet out and readied his Master Card so that as soon as the waitress returned with the check, they could get out of there as soon as possible. He couldn't wait for the rest of the day. He got lost in his thoughts while his girls were away, thinking about what kind of reaction his daughter would have when she found out he was her father. Would she jump into his arms, thrown her own around his neck and hug him into next week? The possibilities he dreamed about were endless and he couldn't quite decide which was his favorite. He probably looked like an idiot, sitting in a booth at Denny's with a giant grin on his face, staring off into space, but he didn't care. The rest of his life began today, there was absolutely nothing that could bring him down.
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"How many times have I told you: God invented forks for a reason, let's try and use them to our advantage," Lindsay told her daughter, trying to be serious and not erupt in laughter as she attempted to clean the syrup and bits of waffle out of the little girl's hair.
"Danny said hurry up, I thought if I ate it like that it would go faster," she replied with a shrug. Lindsay could only laugh in response. She had managed to make Bailey look somewhat presentable again. Washing her own hands once more, she picked the little girl up off the counter in the bathroom and placed her on the floor, taking her hand as they made their way back to the table.
When they arrived, Danny was standing in front of them, both of the girl's purses in his hand, ready to leave the restaurant.
"Is it okay to touch you again? All the syrup gone?" he joked with the little girl as she reached for her purse. She smirked at him before thrusting her arms upward, indicating that she wanted to be picked up. Without hesitation, he gathered her in his arms, only to be showered by sticky kisses, the scent of sugary syrup still lingering after her previous wash down. Had it been any other person, he would have been angry for the rest of the day, but when it came to Bailey, she could do no wrong. He kissed her on the cheek before moving her from his hip to his shoulder. She gripped onto his shoulders for support, resting her head on his, warming his heart. He took Lindsay's hand in his own and they made their way back out to the parking lot, envious eyes from everyone in the little restaurant following them, wishing they too could have such a happy family.
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"Can I open my eyes yet?" Bailey half screamed into Danny's ears as she had one hand clutched to his shoulders and one clamped over her eyes.
"Hey monkey, calm down, we're almost there," he laughed, squeezing her leg in reassurance.
Although she wanted to peek and open her eyes, she relied on her other senses to give her a hint. She could smell the hot dogs and the salt water from the beach, could hear the sounds of children laughing and having fun, splashing around in the water. She heard as carts whizzed by, people laughing at the thrill of whatever they were riding on. She felt the wind whip past her face, a nice breeze considering the warm temperature. It was a beautiful day, and she was all too excited to be outside. Now, if she could only figure out where she was.
"Danny, please can I open my eyes now?!" she exclaimed, now growing impatient. She felt his body stop beneath her, a smile creeping onto her face as she realized she was about to find out what her curious mind had been wondering for the past fifteen minutes.
Danny glanced over at Lindsay, squeezing her hand and smiling as she smiled up at their daughter who was wiggling around on his shoulders, trying to figure out where they were. He wrapped his hands around her tiny waist and positioned her on his hip, taking her hand from where it had been resting on her eyes, laughing as he saw that her eyes were still pinched shut.
"You can open your eyes Bay," he laughed. Both Lindsay and Danny watched as she reluctantly opened one eye first, then the other, both eyes seeming to pop out of her head as she realized where they were currently standing.
"CONEY ISLAND!" she exclaimed, almost jumping out of his grasp in excitement. Her reaction only brought smiles to both of her parents faces, Lindsay leaning into Danny's side for a hug as she enjoyed their daughter's excitement.
"I can't believe we're actually here!" she said excitedly.
"Is this a nice surprise?" Danny asked, already knowing the answer before she opened her mouth again.
"Are you KIDDING?! I LOVE this surprise! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She threw her arms around Danny's neck before leaning over to hug Lindsay. Both Danny and Lindsay basked in the warmth, not from the sun that was beating down on them overhead, but from their daughter's love as she jumped out of Danny's arms to grab their hands. They made their way down the boardwalk to the beach, Bailey kicking off her shoes to wiggle her toes in the sand.
"Can I go swimming?" she asked, a hopeful glint in her eyes as she stared up at her mother, waiting for an answer.
"What would a trip to Coney Island be if I didn't let you go swimming?" she laughed back as she pulled a tiny Finding Nemo swim suit out of her bag. The sparkle in her daughter's eyes was brighter than the sun itself.
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After they changed into their swimsuits, Danny and Lindsay included, they made their way down to the beach, setting up their towels in the perfect spot right along the shore. Lindsay pulled out the sun screen and blobbed some on her hand, motioning Bailey over to apply it to her tan skin before she ran off into the water.
"Aww, mom!" she protested.
"Yeah, mom!" Danny mimicked, whining as Lindsay rubbed some in to both of their shoulders, causing Bailey to giggle.
"Hey, no fighting you two. I don't want to hear whining all day because you're sun burnt."
"Fine," Bailey replied, crossing her arms and thumping to the ground as she allowed Lindsay to cover her in sunscreen.
"Yeah, fine," Danny mimicked, pouting his lip out as far as it would go. Lindsay chuckled as she squirted him with sunscreen, rubbing it in on his back as she watched Bailey rub in her own, the little girl protesting that if she had to wear sunscreen, she could at least do it herself. As soon as they were completely covered in sunscreen, she shooed them away.
"Go have fun!"
"Mommy, aren't you gonna come swimming too?" Bailey asked, stopping in her tracks.
"Nah, it's okay. I don't like the water, go have fun with Danny."
Danny bent down and whispered something in the little girl's ear, and as she giggled, Lindsay grew skeptical of their plans. They edged back towards her, mischievous grins plastered across both of their faces. She tried to edge away, but they were too quick for her own good. Danny picked her up in one swift motion, carrying her to the water and running in with her, dunking the both of them under water as Bailey watched and laughed from the shore, the water splashing against her feet.
"We got you mommy!" she laughed as she pointed at her now soaking wet mother. Lindsay grinned back at her, sloshing out of the water as she edged towards her daughter, her arms outstretched.
"Don't think we were gonna leave you out of all the fun," she laughed as she picked the little girl up and dragged her into the water, fighting between protests and giggles the whole way. Lindsay eventually got her in the water, making sure they were in shallow enough water so that the tiny girl could stand all the way up. The three splashed around for a while before Bailey grew bored of the water, deciding instead that she wanted to dig around in the sand. Neither Danny or Lindsay protested as they laid out on their beach towels watching the little girl make sandcastles and dig random holes in the golden sand. Danny draped his arm casually across Lindsay's back, placing a soft kiss to her cheek.
"You know Montana, you look pretty hot in that bikini," he whispered, staring at the tiny black bikini that barely covered her body. "If we weren't in public, I may just have to unto this tie here," he said, fingering the knot that was loosely tied around her back. Her face reddened as she reached her hand back to stop him from exposing her on the beach.
"Calm down, I was only kidding," he laughed, lacing their fingers together. She playfully slapped his toned chest, admiring the fact that he was only wearing his black and blue swim trunks.
"Danny, wanna help me with my sand castle?" Bailey yelled from a couple feet away, attempting to pile sand into a structured form.
"Sure kiddo," he replied, getting up from his comfortable position in Lindsay's arms. "Duty calls," he chuckled, kissing her once on the cheek before padding across the sand to where his daughter was frustratedly trying to create a sand castle.
"The sand won't stay up!" she told him, putting her face in her hands as she stared at her drooping castle.
"Here, I can fix that," he replied, picking up a nearby bucket and filling it with water. "The sand you're using is too dry, wet it a little so it's stickier, and not even a bullet will take that thing down."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you say, you're the master."
He chuckled as he carefully poured water over the sand, helping her mold the hardened substance into the shape of a castle.
After twenty minutes of building, their castle was towering over the majority of the other castles that other children were trying to build. They gazed at Bailey in jealousy, trying to apply Danny's methods to their own failing structures.
"Look Danny, our castle is the best one on the beach! Everyone else is totally jealous!" Bailey exclaimed excitedly.
"Well of course it's the best," Danny boasted. "You're an amazing castle builder. Now, for the finishing touch." He bent down and picked up a nearby twig and leaf, fastening the leaf to the wood by poking a hole through it, and handed the little girl the makeshift flag. He lifted her up, allowing her to place the twig in the top of the castle. He put her back down on the ground, and she smiled proudly at the castle, admiring it's beauty among the rest of the beach. Lindsay pulled out her camera and motioned for them to pose by the castle. Danny hoisted Bailey up onto his shoulders once more, and the grin on the little girl's face was the biggest either of them had ever seen it. Once the photo was snapped, they decided to leave the beach and explore the rest of the park. They packed up the towels and such, took one last look at the sand castle, and left to change out of their half dried swimsuits.
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An ice cream cone in her hand, Bailey skipped down the boardwalk, just enjoying the fact that she could be outside and enjoy the fresh air. Danny and Lindsay walked behind her, holding hands and enjoying spending the day with their daughter. The little girl stopped near the end and stared out at the blue water bobbing below her. She sat on the edge, Danny and Lindsay joining her on either side as they stared out, admiring the beauty of the sun setting beyond the ocean. It was the perfect moment.
"So why is it my special day today?" Bailey questioned, wiggling her toes above the water.
"I don't really think we need a reason," Lindsay told her, rubbing her leg. "You're an amazing little girl, you deserve it."
The little girl smiled back at her mother, then to Danny, then back out at the setting sun. They enjoyed the stillness of the water, how calm it was and how serene it made them feel. As the sun met the horizon, Lindsay turned to look at Danny. He smiled as he realized what she was saying with her eyes. It was time.
"Bailey, Danny and I have something to tell you."
"Okay," the little girl replied nonchalantly.
Taking a deep breath, Lindsay began to speak. "Do you remember a couple months ago, when you started asking me about who your daddy was?"
"Yeah, I remember. Why?" Her interest was perked, and she stopped staring at the water, moving her attention to stare up at her mother and Danny.
"I told you if there was ever a way to get ahold of him that I would find him for you, remember?"
"Yeah, but why are you telling me this?" she asked, now growing confused.
"Bailey, I found him."
Her eyes grew wide as she searched her mother's eyes for more answers.
"Really? Who is he? Where?"
Lindsay laughed as she tried to calm her daughter down before she plummeted into the water.
She took another deep breath before answering her daughter's impending question. "Bailey, it's Danny. Danny is your daddy."
Danny smiled as his daughter slowly turned her head to look at him. The reaction she gave him was not what he was expecting.
"You're…my daddy?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
"I'm your daddy," he replied, placing a gentle hand on her own.
"You're the one…who left my mommy, and made her sad for all that time. You left us?"
He was shocked. He didn't know how to respond. Tears were welling up in his baby girl's eyes, but he had caused them. He wanted to wipe them away, but he didn't know if that would just make everything worse.
"You hurt my mommy…You didn't love me enough to stay for me."
Her words cut him like a knife. The fact that his daughter was relaying his own actions to him made it that much more real.
"Bailey, sweetie, I swear--"
"I don't wanna talk to you, I hate you!" she replied, tears streaming down her face. Danny glanced over at Lindsay, tears matching her daughters as she, too, tried to figure out what to do.
Without hesitation, the little girl jumped up from where she was sitting and took off down the boardwalk.
"Bailey!" Lindsay exclaimed, getting up to chase after the little girl.
Danny couldn't move. His insides were frozen; his body was completely shutting down.
His daughter hated him.
What was there left to live for?
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After the awkwardly silent car ride home, Danny had returned to Flack's apartment, leaving Lindsay and Bailey at their own. The little girl refused to talk, a blank expression on her face for the remainder of the day. It pained Lindsay to see her this way. She didn't know what to do. As she combed the little girl's wet hair after her bath, she tried to talk to her daughter, tried to find out what was going on in that little head of hers.
"Bailey, you've gotta talk to me sweetie. Tell me what you're thinking."
She got no response. The blank stare came back to her in the mirror, making her want to cry.
"Come on baby, you can't stay silent forever."
"Yes I can," the little girl uttered back, crossing her arms.
Lindsay sighed. "Sweetie, it's not that he didn't love you. You know he does, with all his heart. Please talk to me. What's got you so upset?"
The little girl let out a sigh of her own. "He made you sad mommy. He left you, and he made you sad, and he didn't come back for me and you." She paused for a long moment and then resumed. "I hate him. I hope he never comes back again."
She stepped off the kiddie stool in front of the mirror and sulked down the hallway to her bedroom, closing the door, signaling that she wanted to be left alone. Lindsay leaned against the door frame, silently crying to herself. How were they going to fix this?
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He opened another beer, his fourth once since he had walked in the door. What was he going to do? He sighed as he wiped a falling tear from his cheek. He honestly didn't know where to go from there. His daughter refused to talk to him, and she had pegged him for everything he had done in the past. He saw his life as useless as he reminisced on the day he had left. He could never forgive himself for what he had done, and now that it had impacted his daughter, it killed him that much more. Taking another sip of his beer, he slunk into the couch and pondered where to go from there.
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dont kill me :D
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Next Week in Come Back to Me...
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Hearing the shots fired, the only though that passed in his mind was Bailey. He dove in front of his little girl, her shrill screams being the last thing he heard before the world went dark.