GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!

I found Bailey :)

She must have ran off when she saw my enormus pile of homework... *rolls eyes*

I really don't know if a million "i'm sorrys" is going to be enough, but I really am sorry that I haven't update this in forever! :( Thank you to all of you that have stuck with this story; I promise I'm going to try to get better at balancing this story into my hectic schedule. I tried to make this chapter extra sappy to make up for the lack of, well, anything in the past couple months.

enjoy (:

--mtc.

Chapter 23

"But mommy, I don't wanna go back!" Bailey argued as Lindsay half dragged the protesting four year old into the giant doors of the preschool, the bright colors and happy faces that filled the walls completely contrasting the pout on her face.

"Baby, you have to go back. If you miss anymore school they'll fail you out!" Lindsay joked in a half attempt to brighten her daughter's mood. As she had expected, the frown remained on the little girl's face.

"I don't care if I never go back to stupid school again, I wanna stay with daddy."

At the sound of those words, Lindsay's heart both dropped and fluttered. Her little girl had become so attached to her daddy and Lindsay couldn't blame her for one second. She stopped pulling the little girl down the hallway of the complex that the preschool was held in and knelt down in front of Bailey, gently resting her arms on her small shoulders.

"Is that what this is about?" The little girl nodded, biting at her lip and avoiding her mother's gaze.

"Sweetie, I know you want to stay with your daddy, but the doctors are taking good care of him. And besides, he wants you to have fun with your friends; it has been an awfully long time since you've been to school and you haven't seen anybody in a while." Noting that her daughter's expression hadn't changed, she thought of an idea. "Would it make you feel better if we called him before you go in?"

With an eager nod from Bailey, Lindsay smiled and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and hit the speed dial for the ICU, pressing the numbers for his room extension when prompted to do so and then handing the phone over to an enthusiastic Bailey. The little girl's bright blue eyes lit up as did the smile on her face as the man on the other end answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi daddy!" she exclaimed, excitement rolling off her tongue.

"Hi princess," he replied in a warm tone as he realized who he was speaking to. "Ready for your first day back?"

"Not really," she sighed. "I wanna be with you," she trailed off in an almost whisper.

"Aww, baby girl, I wanna be with you too. But you gotta go back to school, you've already missed too much."

His answer wasn't what she had been hoping for, but coming from both her mother and father now, she knew it had to be true.

"The doctors'll take good care o' me, promise."

"Pinky promise?" she squeaked.

"Pinky promise," he chuckled back, mimicking the move in the air as he imagined her tiny finger interlocking with his own. She grinned widely on the other end of the line as she did the same, not knowing that they were both simultaneously completing the action.

"Can I come visit you after school?"

"Absolutely. You gotta check with your ma though; make sure she says it's okay." Lindsay laughed to herself; she could hear him on the other end and she was sure he had intended it that way, knowing that there was absolutely no where else she would be when her shift ended.

"Alright, well have a good day at school baby. I love you."

"I love you too daddy," Bailey replied with a new kick in her voice.

"Can I talk to your mommy for a second?"

"Suuuuure," Bailey replied as she handed the phone over to Lindsay, making kissy faces at her as she did so.

Lindsay simply rolled her eyes and giggled as she wedged the phone between her shoulder and her ear, and walked the little girl into the classroom, kissing her goodbye and watching her happily greet her friends before restarting the conversation with Danny.

"Morning Cowboy," she whispered almost seductively into the receiver, making sure she was out of earshot and almost to her car before she opened her mouth.

"Jesus Montana, calm it down over that, these hospital gowns reveal everything," he laughed back, causing her to giggle as well. "So I see our daughter has taken up your trait of always wantin' to be with me," he replied after their giggles had settled. Lindsay rolled her eyes and smiled as she remembered their earlier conversation similar to the one she and Bailey had just had. Only that time, it had been Lindsay begging Danny not to make her go to work that morning so she could spend the day at the hospital with him.

"Shut it Messer, or I'll make sure the entire hospital staff knows just how 'happy' you are that I'm on the phone with you." She had dropped her voice down so low that to the normal human ear, it would be hard to detect. But in Danny Messer's case, he could hear every word crystal clear, and gulped as he began to picture anything to keep his bed sheets from rising around his waist just as the nurse rounded the corner.

Naked grandma, dead bodies, Flack in a Speedo, he mumbled under his breath, succeeding in his task as he heard Lindsay burst out laughing on the other end of the line.

"You know Danny, you'd be surprised how hot Flack looks in a Speedo," she joked back.

"Watch it Montana," he replied, although he couldn't help but laugh.

"So I'll bring Bailey by after she's done with gymnastics then?" Lindsay said on a more serious note.

"Actually, I've got a surprise for the both o' you," he replied. She could hear the excitement in his voice, only making her want to turn left at the intersection she was currently sitting at to go to the hospital, instead of turning right to go to the crime lab.

"Oh really?" she asked in reply, feeding his intent to hook her in, which had obviously worked.

"Yes really," he smirked back, folding his arms across his chest as though she could see what he was doing.

"Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." She knew that was going to be his response, and as much as she would have loved to flirt the answer out of him, she knew his personality, and she knew she wouldn't know what his "surprise" was until it happened.

"Well, I've gotta go," she sighed as she pulled into the parking garage at the crime lab. "Where do you want us to meet you then?"

"Just come here after your shift."

"What about Bailey?" she asked growing confused.

"Don't worry about it, it'll all make sense once ya get here. I love you Lindsay."

"I love you too Danny." She smiled like a teenager at his words, but they really did make her heart soar as much as she claimed they did. Closing her phone, she scanned her badge at the door and made her way to her empty office, the enormous stack of files ready and waiting to greet her as she opened the door. This was going to be the longest shift of her life.

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"Hey Monroe, you look like you're havin' fun," Don Flack said as he entered her office four hours later, coffee in hand. She offered him a weak smile before dropping her pen and putting her head in her hands. Flack set the coffees down on Danny's vacant desk and pulled his chair in front of Lindsay's, straddling it backwards so that he was facing her.

"What's wrong kiddo?" She looked up from the file she had recently abandoned.

"Paperwork sucks," she replied dryly. Flack laughed, causing her to hang her head and then throw it back in frustration.

"I know the feeling," he chuckled. "I was stuck on desk duty for a month and a half after my accident."

"I guess I can't really talk then, huh?"

Flack chuckled again, reaching his arm out and grabbing the coffees he had set down and handing one to her.

"Thanks Don, I needed this," she said as she nearly chugged the beverage, not even wincing at its heat as it ran down her cool throat. "So, do you have any idea what this so called 'surprise' that Danny has planned for us is?"

Flack put his head down, trying to hide his grin, but knowing that he wouldn't be able to shield his expression from another detective.

"Donald Flack, tell me!" she exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face.

"No can do Lindsay, strict orders from the man himself that I cannot reveal any of his secret plotting." He had turned the chair around the right way and propped his feet up on her desk, the chair leaning on its back two legs, his hands clasped behind his head, smirking. Seeing his compromised position, Lindsay lifted her hand in a threatening gesture to tip him over.

"You wouldn't," Don shot at her, his smirk growing.

"Oh, I would. You don't mess with a country girl," she smiled, a threatening glint in her eye. With that, Flack repositioned the chair so that all four legs were on the ground and he was steady so he was no longer in danger of being flipped.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" she sighed in defeat.

"Nope," he grinned back, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Men," she groaned. He chuckled as he got out of the chair and put it back in its rightful place behind Danny's desk, patting Lindsay on the shoulder as he made his way back towards the door.

"Well I've gotta get back to work, but don't worry, it's a good surprise."

She half smiled up at him as she once again buried herself in her files. Out of the eighteen folders that had started out, she had finished three and a half. Resting her head on the incomplete pile like a pillow, she began to doze off, sleep catching up with her from all those nights she and Bailey had spent at the hospital at the little girl's request. Of course there had been no objections; Bailey got to spend more time with her father and as soon as the little girl had fallen asleep in the cot that had been permanently wheeled into his room, Lindsay would sneak into Danny's hospital bed and they would make out like two teenagers sneaking around their parents. Eventually they would fall asleep in each others arms and for those moments, it was just the two of them lying together in heaven. As she dozed off, her dreams took her back to his arms. Right before her eyes finally closed, she caught the numbers on the clock; 12:07. Only two more hours and her shortened shift (thanks to Mac's rules) would end.

She wanted to fight to keep her eyes open and finish up her work, but the sleep overtook her, sending her back to the familiar scent of Danny's shampoo, the feeling of his hand in hers, his lips crashing down to meet hers in a furious kiss…

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"Now remember, take it easy. No going back to work for at least another two weeks, stick to your medicine schedule, and—Danny, pay attention to this one: No sex, for at least another three weeks."

As he finished filling out the rest of his release forms, Danny chuckled at his nurse's instructions. Of course he would follow them, but he couldn't help but mess with her one last time. Nancy had been such a sweet lady to him and his family, he could at least leave her with a few more laughs.

"Aww, so our date Friday night's off then?" he replied with an exaggerated sad expression. The older lady smacked him with the chart she had in her hand and smiled.

"We're going to miss you around here Danny," she admitted pulling him into a hug. "The interns are going to have nobody to flirt with."

He smiled back and returned her hug, only slightly wincing as his bandage rubbed against her frail body.

"That's okay with me, I've already got the women in my life that I need."

"And they are both precious," Nancy replied. "Hold on to them Danny; you don't want to let your family go."

"You don't have to worry about that, I'm not lettin' them go anywhere," he smiled back, thinking about his girls. Nancy smiled at him once last time and handed him his prescriptions.

"Ready to go Danno?" Flack quipped from behind him, having just arrived, his keys in hand.

"Yes," he replied eagerly. "Let's blow this joint."

Flack laughed as he followed his friend to the elevator to the parking garage where his Avalanche was parked.

"So, Lindsay ask you about what I have planned?" were the first words out of his mouth as soon as they had gotten into the car and began pulling out.

"Yes." Flack laughed at his friend's eagerness; he was like a teenage boy trying to secretly ask a girl to prom.

"And does she have any idea?"

"Not a clue Mess, you're fine," he laughed back, focusing on the road. A couple miles down the road the crime lab was in sight. His heart skipped a beat. It had only been a day since he had seen his girlfriend, but the fact that he had only seen her in the confines of a hospital bed for the past three weeks had almost driven him crazy. He nearly jumped out of the car before Flack had even fully put it in park and took the stairs two at a time, already breaking rules number one of his recovery schedule: no strenuous activity. But what did he care? Danny Messer never followed rules, he laughed to himself. The door to his office was partially open and he could hear the ticking of the small clock on his desk, but no other noise. Straining his ears, he finally picked up what he was trying to find: slow, steady breathing. Automatically, he processed this information in his brain and chuckled under his breath: She was sleeping. He quietly crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her through the back of the chair. He pressed his lips softly to her hair and kissed her, taking in the scent of her vanilla shampoo.

"Montana, wake up," he whispered. He felt her jerk suddenly and when she turned around, her eyes almost bulged out of her head.

"Danny!" she exclaimed, not knowing whether she should be afraid or throw her arms around his neck. She chose the second option before the first and he scooped her up, placing a trail of kisses on her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, the fear now setting in. Why was he out of the hospital, standing in front of her? Had he snuck out? Was he going to have a sudden heart attack and bleed out right in the middle of their office?

"They released me," he replied with a grin, kissing her on the lips this time, feeling the grin spread across her lips as he did so.

"That's fantastic!" she said as soon as they pulled away. She pulled him into a hug and they lingered there for a moment before he gently released her so he could see her face.

"Was this a nice surprise?" he asked in a low, warm voice that sent chills up her spine.

"It was a great surprise," she replied. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the clock and realized for the first time just how late she had overslept.

"Oh my god, Danny, we have to go pick up Bailey!" He laughed, reaching for her arm before she could make a hurried dash out the door.

"Linds, relax, it's Monday, remember? She has gymnastics from 3-5, we've got time." It was only 3:34 from what she read on the clock and she let out a breath as she let him pull her back into a tight embrace.

"Whaddya say we go grab some food and then head over there together?"

She smiled as she grabbed his hand, grabbing her purse with the other and slinging it over her shoulder as she shut the lights off in their office. He closed the door behind them as they walked hand in hand to the parking garage; their arms completely flesh against one another as they tried to be as close as they possibly could.

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Forty-five minutes later, they were walking hand in hand in Central Park, Lindsay holding a vanilla ice cream cone as Danny tried to steal a lick. She teased it in front of his face before finally giving in and tilting the ice cream towards his face. Before he could get his tongue into the cold substance, she shoved it into his nose, giggling like a child as she did so. He gave her the puppy dog look, but that was quickly wiped from his face as she began to kiss the ice cream from his face. He pulled her face from his cheek down to his mouth and kissed her softly, just lingering in her taste of both vanilla and pure passion.

"You'd better be careful Montana," he whispered huskily. "Doctor says no sex for at least three weeks. You keep that behavior up and you might make me go into cardiac arrest right in the middle of the park."

She blushed at his words and kissed him quickly on the lips before glancing at her watch and noting the time.

"We'd better head back, Bailey gets done in a half hour and you know how bad rush hour traffic can get." He nodded in agreement and latched his fingers into hers, the skin burning between them despite the cold ice cream in her hand.

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It had been almost the full two hours that the gymnastics class lasted and Bailey was still standing in the doorway refusing to enter. As soon as she had approached the doors and gazed into the room, her memories caught up with her and the fear of getting hurt again surged through her bones, freezing her Converse-clad feet to the floor before the gym. One of the gymnastics teachers had sat with her, not wanting to leave a four year old unattended in the doorway to the building, and tried to coax her into joining the other children, but she refused, her blank stare permanently fixed on the rings she had previously fallen from. Of course all of the other children looked safe and they appeared to be having fun, but she just couldn't bring her self to enter that room again.

It was nearing the end of class and the teachers that were still inside were ushering all of the other children to line up at the rings as the parents slowly began to arrive. Bailey glanced around wondering where her mother was; maybe if she showed up early they could just get out of that dreadful place. She bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet as her instructor gave one last feeble attempt to get her to participate.

"Bailey honey, are you sure you don't want to come in? Look, all of the other kids are having fun. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, I promise."

She shook her head exaggeratingly and clutched onto the door handle as if the woman was going to attempt dragging her into the line. The woman let out a sigh in defeat and gave Bailey a weak smile before standing up and motioning for her to sit on the bench just inside the door so that the parents could get in. Bailey sat down on the hard plastic, placing her gym bag next to her, and began to swing her feet back and forth, staring at the perfectly knotted laces that her mother had done up that morning. Although she had made a silent promise with herself not to watch the other children participating in the end of class activities, she could still hear the laughter that echoed throughout the complex, the whispers between her friends, and the overall fun that she remembered. She sighed, knowing that there was no way she would be able to bring herself to go out there, and began twiddling her thumbs, when her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of reassurance she had needed so badly.

"Doesn't look like there's much action goin' on at this bench," Danny whispered into her ear. Her little head popped up and her eyes widened as she whipped around and jumped into his arms.

"DADDY!" she exclaimed as he twirled her around in the air. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too monkey." She pulled away from the tight hold she had around his neck and he smiled when he saw the bright look on her face staring back at him. Glancing to the side, he could see Lindsay's equally beaming expression, but he could also see her mouthing words of precaution; her "be careful" making him feel safe and loved. Automatically, he adjusted Bailey so that she wasn't rubbing up against his bandages.

"How are you here?! Aren't you supposedta be in the hopstickle?"

"I broke outta that joint," he joked. "I couldn't stand bein' away from you and your mom any longer." She beamed at his words, looking over at her mom to make sure she heard his words, turning her attention back towards Danny when her mother nodded with a smile.

"So why aren't ya out there kiddo?" Danny questioned. Bailey's face fell as she sheepishly shrugged.

"I dunno," she whispered, avoiding his gaze. "I…I guess I'm just scared I'm gonna get hurt again."

"Hey, hey now, don't think like that," he said in a soft voice. "I'm here now sweetheart, and I promise, nothing is going to hurt you from now on."

She slowly lifted her eyes back up towards his, smiling as she gently hugged him.

"So whaddya say? Wanna get in line?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, a new confidence surging through her. She jumped out of his arms and whipped off her Converse and her sweats, leaving her standing in the most adorable pink leotard Danny had ever seen. She grabbed his hand and clutched on for dear life as Danny led the way towards the line. As they approached her teacher, Bailey spoke through the fingers she was chewing on.

"Welcome back Bailey," Maggie, one of her teachers, said enthusiastically.

"Hi," she whispered, still chewing on her fingernails.

"Bailey would like to try the rings out," Danny said easing some of Bailey's nervousness.

"Well of course she can," Maggie replied, ushering Bailey up to the front of the line.

As soon as she got up to the rings, her head whipped back to Danny standing only a few feet away.

"It's okay sweetheart, I'm right here," he said calmly, taking one stride to reach where his daughter was at. Maggie and the other spotter nodded at him as they moved out of the way, allowing him to be solely in charge of her. Bailey's nerves eased as her father bent down next to her, wrapping his hands around her tiny ear.

"Ready?" he whispered. She nodded one quick nod in response.

"Let's do this," she replied with a new confidence in her voice, determined to defeat the "monster" that was the rings in front of her. Danny lifted her into the air and waited until her hands were firmly clasped onto the rings until he let go, only stepping back enough to leave a tiny space so that she still had a security blanket. She began to swing, her death grip on the rings causing her knuckles to turn white. But she was determined to finish this out, and she wouldn't stop until it was over.

Using her legs, she swung her self back and forth until she had enough momentum to propel herself in a full circle. Danny watched her, holding his breath and extending his arms, ready to catch her if she fell. But she was strong, and as she made it around, hands still clasped to the rings, the terror drained out of his body and was replaced with a smile that began spreading through his cheeks. The entire gym erupted in cheers as she let her swinging settle enough for Danny to pick her up and swing her around in the air.

"I knew you could do it," he told her as he pressed a kiss to her little head. He set her down on the ground and watched as she high fived her friends and gave hugs around the room. Lindsay snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder as best she could, considering their height difference. He leaned into her embrace and they watched together as their daughter gained a new brightness to her cheeks. It had been so long since she had had a real moment of happiness; after her accident, her outburst with Danny, and the incident at the crime lab, she needed this. As the excitement died down, she waved to the last of her friends and then turned around, smiling as she darted for her parents and threw her arms around their legs.

"We're so proud of you Bay," Lindsay beamed, hugging her daughter.

The little girl ran to the bench and put her shoes on her feet, sticking her legs straight out as a signal that she needed them tied. Lindsay took the left foot while Danny took the right, and Bailey found amusement in the fact that they were racing to see could get their shoe tied first, giggling at the looks they shot each other. She hopped off of the bench, threw her sweats back on, and hoister her gym bag over her shoulder before taking one of her mother's hands and one of her father's. As they neared the door of the gym, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, remembering her question that had gone unanswered back at the hospital a week or so before.

"What's wrong Bay?" Danny asked as he became startled with his daughter's sudden stop.

"Daddy, where are you gonna live?" she asked simply. He glanced from Bailey to Lindsay, and back to Bailey again.

"Why don't you come live with us? You already sleep in mommy's bed whenever you come over." Lindsay stifled a giggle as Danny's face turned bright red. He glanced over at his girlfriend and her smile eased him.

"So what do you say cowboy? Come home with us."

He beamed.

It wasn't a question, it was an order. Come home with us.

His daughter's eyes stared up at him, waiting for an answer. Scooping her up with one arm and placing the other around Lindsay's shoulder, he smiled at the both of them.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

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It hadn't taken long for them to gather the couple of boxes he was keeping at Flack's house, and after unpacking his clothes and putting them back in their rightful place in the dresser he and Lindsay once again shared, the family of three had a nice quiet evening enjoying pizza in front of the television while they watched Monster's, Inc. Bailey had fallen asleep halfway through the movie, half of her pizza left on her plate, her head resting in Danny's lap. He gently picked her up not wanting her wake her, and carried her to her room. Laying her down as carefully as possible, he covered her with her Yankees blanket and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight sweetheart, I love you," he whispered into her ear. As he turned out the light he just stood there for a moment, watching his daughter's chest rise and fall. He smiled as he turned around, nearly running over Lindsay.

She pulled him into a hug before pulling his face down to her own and kissing him gently.

"I love you Danny," she whispered, making him smile even more than he already was.

"I love you too Linds."

They walked across the hall to their own bedroom and readied themselves for bed, Danny now adding the tedious task of taking his meds that were neatly laid out across the counter to that list. As he climbed into bed with her, he wrapped his arms around her body and breathed in her scent, kissing the back of her head before she turned around in his arms and kissed him goodnight. She cuddled into his chest, the sound of his heartbeat sending her into a deep sleep.

As he lay in the darkness he watched the moon catch light of her face, making her seem almost angelic. He couldn't hold back his smile. He stared around the room and realized that he had his life back. They were in their bed, in their home, with their daughter sound asleep across the hall. He hugged Lindsay's body closer to his and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

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Next time in Come Back to Me...

"You heard me: I wanna take you on a real first date."