Chapter 4: Returns and Revelations

Mindy had been adjusting to living in Haiti with Casey. They had their daily routines, every morning they'd ride to work together. He would go off to the local church, while she would tend to those who lived in the tent city ,created after the disastrous earthquake that had rocked the small Caribbean island. She also worked out of a hospital she'd helped build ,as well as volunteering in one that was already established ,L'Hôpital Trinité, which was located in Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti.

The whole experience made her feel really good, she was making a huge difference helping the people there. It wasn't all work, they were also able to enjoy the island, the delicious food, the fresh fruit, air, and the beaches. Despite that, she still welcomed the care packages her friends and former co-workers sent of her favorite sugary and salty snacks.

Internet access was limited, so she wrote letters to her friends and family. With everyone else it was about once every week or two, but to Danny, she wrote him every week and with the influx of letters from him, it seemed he was doing the same.

Four months had passed and Mindy found herself sitting in a tree with Casey, watching the sun rise. It was early, too early, but she'd found herself awakened by Casey and reluctantly led to this spot to watch the Haitian sunrise.

Casey proceeded to start a speech. He briefly talked about how he had seen their relationship in the beginning, how he saw it now, before pulling out an opened little black box with a diamond ring inside . Mindy realizing what was happening started to freak out, it was not what she imagined, she wanted to be able to capture the moment of her engagement via social media.

Casey quickly regained her attention, finishing his proposal. He asked, she said yes, and after putting the ring on her finger and starting to kiss,they both fell out of the tree. They picked themselves up and headed to their little home. Where they then proceeded to celebrate their engagement physically, an act that was postponed when Mindy began to have severe abdominal pain, before passing out.

New York

After Mindy had left, Danny had reconsidered the speed of his relationship with Christina. They had ended up buying a house in Jersey, but things weren't exactly blissful. He cared about her, but he was subconsciously, and slowly, pushing her away. Their current issues were in the bedroom, specifically the lack of activity on Danny's part.

Christina wanted them to see someone, and Mindy's replacement, a Doctor Paul Leotard, who was not only a OB/GYN but a sex therapist ,had been her choice. It was awkward and humiliating for Danny,but he could hardly say no, not with Christina's insistence. He really was trying, albeit a little half assed, to make it work between him and his ex-wife.

" Hello? Hello?" Danny said walking around the office not seeing anyone around, that's when he bumped into Tamara.

"Hey Tamara, where is everybody, did they go to that ethnic street fair ,cause ,I told them not to go."

"No they all went to visit that Indian doctor who used to work here, shes real sick. What's her name again? I wanna say glob." Tamara said.

"Mindy?" Danny said not wanting to believe it.

'I really think its Glob" Tamara said in all seriousness.

"Shes back? Shes sick.." Danny said, flooded with a myriad of thoughts and emotions.

"I don't know." Tamara said then walked away.

Danny looked around for a second, still in shock ,before snapping out of his daze and making his way to the elevator. Once arriving at the hospital he quickly made his way to her hospital room. Mindy was laying in a hospital bed, she looked like she was sleeping or maybe unconscious. Danny puts his messenger bag down and grabbed her by the arms and shoulders.

"Alright, alright what'd you do, what'd you do get drunk and sass a voodoo princess, try to get your groove back with some street kid! What'd you do, what happened?!" Danny said again struggling with his mix of emotions , anger at her for being hurt, the most apparent. Morgan, tried to pull him away from her, while Mindy was confused by what was going on.

"No, no, no, shes fine." Morgan said trying to calm Danny down.

"I just had some gallstones removed. I'm fine." Mindy said calmly. Danny sighed and smiled in relief, she was alright. Mindy was back in New York, in the hospital, but she was alright.

Mindy smiled back, grabbing his arm affectionately. Danny now worry free and relaxed proceeded to ask Mindy about Haiti. She showed him photo's on her phone , and he couldn't seem to stop smiling. It was the happiest he'd felt in months,it was just like old times as they slipped right back into a light banter.

The moment was interrupted when Casey entered the room carrying a grocery bag. Danny quickly got off the bed and stood. He felt slightly guilty about his little moment with Mindy, as he remembered he was living with his ex-wife and Casey was still very much a factor in Mindy's life. How much of factor, he would soon find out.

" Did you tell them the good news?" Casey asked after showing her the contents of the bag.

" I did not. Guys I lost three pounds of water weight from diarrhea." Mindy said singing out the last word, pride on her face over the lost weight.

"Mindy the other news." Casey said half whispering the words , while gesturing to his ring finger.

Mindy didn't even really think about it at first. She realized that she was kind of hiding the ring. Seeing Danny's face after four long months and slipping so easily back into the banter that was the norm for their friendship, had made her temporarily forget about her engagement to Casey.

Though Morgan was the first person she'd woken up and seen, a part of her wished it had been Danny. Although she was excited to see Morgan and the other members of the staff and even Jeremy. Her heart literally fluttered when Danny burst in. She didn't realize she'd been waiting for him till she felt such relief and excitement at seeing his face turn from full on worry for her, to a seldom seen smile. She was surprised by the joy she felt from being reunited with the grumpy doctor that had somehow gained a tier in her levels of 'best friend' .

"Oh My God, Casey proposed to me!" Mindy said, causing Morgan to sort of squeal covering his mouth with both of his hands, as he barely contained his excitement.

"Isn't that great!" Mindy said in her chipper voice.

Danny though, just smiled awkwardly, and that soon disappeared as he really processed what Mindy had said. Casey had proposed, Mindy was going to marry Casey. He shrugged off his feelings , trying not to let his disappointment show.

Later that night sitting in bed with Christina, despite news of Mindy's engagement , Danny was still all around happy that Mindy was back in New York. However briefly her return turned out to be, he planned on relishing the few moments they might possible share. So when Christina wanted to have sex, thoughts of Mindy were on his mind. Even as Christina tried to seduce him, he made up excuses, including no longer being in the mood due to being too full of their chicken pot pie dinner, before escaping out of their bedroom and into the multipurpose room to send emails.

Danny sighed pulling his hands down across his face before settling in front of his laptop, just in case Christina popped out of their bedroom. He did a Google search, pulling up the websites that had served his frustration over the last month or so, since sex with Christina had slowed to a stop.

While Danny was having his avoidance with Christina. Casey and Mindy discussed their future wedding and what it would entail. The meeting of their extended families, where the wedding would take place. Finally they decided to do a simple ceremony before they both returned to Haiti, as it would be the most cost effective.

The next morning Mindy went into the practices office to visit. Danny immediately perked up as he saw her walk up. After Mindy walked over to stand next to Danny, the practices newest doctor walked in taking everyone's attention, especially Mindy's since he called her by name.

"You must be Mindy Lahiri." Paul said walking in like he owned the place and every woman in it.

"Whoa, who is that?" Mindy said clearly impressed by the male specimen walking towards her.

"Cool your jets, you're engaged." Danny said clearly annoyed.

"A person is walking into the room, I'm just looking at him." Mindy said a matter of factly. Before being pulled back into watching the doctor walk toward her, a dreamy look on her face.

"Stop that!" Danny said nudging her.

He didn't like the way Mindy was looking at Paul. It wasn't as much about the fact that Mindy was indeed engaged. It was more of that she'd never looked at him that way. Yeah he liked to tease her about her checking out his 'hot bod',but when he was around Paul, it made him slightly self conscious and a little intimidated by Paul's model physique. Especially since the man had indeed been a model before becoming a doctor.

Paul and Mindy made their acquaintances. Mindy was even beginning to be impressed by the handsome doctor, but her opinion of him soon changed. She quickly realized that the model doctor had replaced her . He was in charge of all her patients, and even stole her nickname, Dr.L. And she definitely didn't appreciate the suggestions for a new nickname for her, now that her old one had been taking by 'the other Dr. L'.

" So you're really getting married this weekend?" Danny asked later when it was just him and Mindy in his office.

"Yeah, its easy, its chill, its great." Mindy said like it was no big deal.

"Chill and ,ok Tony Hawk. Look I don't think its a good idea for you, but you know.." Danny said knowing he couldn't alright tell her, it would be a mistake to get married so suddenly.

" Just please be supportive ok ,and be a good friend." Mindy said . She was marrying Casey,yes it was sudden, but she'd already made her decision.

Before Danny could respond, Christina burst in and started yelling at him, bringing up his laptop and pornography. When Danny took too long to answer her question of whether or not he really wanted to be with her, she snapped his laptop in two, and stalked off. Effectively ending their relationship.

Danny didn't know how to feel. He knew his heart hadn't really been in it, but that probably had to do with his hope for Mindy's return. Things had changed now that Mindy was engaged and marrying Casey the upcoming weekend. It made him realize that hope was lost, and maybe he should try to make it work with Christina. They had a house now, and Danny realized he didn't want to be alone, he would have to win Christina back, but how?

"Dr. C you need to do what Kobe did when he messed up, get that girl a ten pound ring." Tamara offered in response to him pacing around the break room.

"Great Idea, I need to propose to her, so she knows I'm all in,great."

" Oh God a double doctor wedding, this is every medical secretary's dream." Betsy said excited.

"Ok, good, I'm gonna go take care of this." Danny said, then started to walk away.

" I'm sorry , am I the only person here who thinks this is a really bad idea." Mindy said stepping in his way.

"Ok look , lets not do this , cause nobody asked you." Danny said rudely.

" I mean I'm just saying, ok. This is the women that came in and destroyed your computer. Embarrassed you in front of all your coworkers ,and your solution is to spend the rest of your life with her."

" I'm not gonna take advice from a women who cant even hold on to her nonessential organs , ok. Just focus on your own wedding ."

Danny then walked,away. A part of him knew that what Mindy was saying was right, but who was she to talk, when she was doing something equally impulsive.

Mindy stood in her bathroom, starring into her mirror, and speaking a inner monolog out loud as per usual, when Casey surprised her, leaving her wedding dress riddled with urine. Not to mention the possible bad luck of her husband to be seeing her in her wedding dress , right before the ceremony actually started.

Danny arrived shortly after,looking for Mindy in one of her many closets. He found her out on the fire escape a bed sheet wrapped around her as she sat on the floor.

"Are you wearing a bed sheet?" Danny asked as he climbed through the window and onto the fire escape.

"Hey ,what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be purposing to Christina in a gondola in the middle of the guada canal " Mindy asked surprised to see him.

"That's offensive... I was gonna do it..but, I didn't. I love her, but when it down comes to it, just being with her every day , yeah, I just wasn't happy.

" I think you made the right decision."

" Yeah?"

" Yeah. Can I confess something?

"Sure."

"I don't want to go back to Haiti. I mean I like the work that I was doing there, but, I , I just miss being here

"I knew you were unhappy. "

"Really?

" Yeah."

"How?"

"Well you wrote me like every week." Danny said with a smirk.

"More like you wrote me every week"

"I have a stack of letters from you this high ,what are you talking about." Danny said raising his arms wide and tall.

"You kept them all , you are such a stalker." Mindy said in her playful tone.

" I like the way you write letters, you don't ramble on like you do when you talk." Danny said enjoying their little banter.

" You know, I really thought that I changed , but I didn't, I just got good at pretending to like things that I don't like."

"Well as long as you're not pretending to like the guy you're about to marry?" Danny said , slightly hopeful her answer would be yes.

" I'm not." Mindy said sincerely,not missing a beat. Casey really was a good guy, and even with Danny now single, he probably would never see her as more than a friend. They had a great friendship, one she didn't want to take the chance of ever losing, and she was pretty sure she loved Casey.

"Then go get married, what are doing out here. "Danny said, though he was a little sad at the thought of Mindy getting married, he only ever wanted her to be happy and it seemed Casey made her happy. So he would do as she asked earlier, he would be a supportive friend.

"Yeah, there's actually pee all over my wedding dress."

" I'm gonna blow right past that."

" I surprised Casey, I surprised him and he peed on it." Mindy explained anyway.

"You know what I always thought you looked nice in..."

And that's how Mindy found herself walking down the aisle, or rather, through her living room, in her blue surgical scrubs. Casey though, put a stop to the wedding. This quickly put together wedding wasn't what he wanted. It wasn't the kind of wedding he thought Mindy deserved. So in the end her and Casey decided the best thing to do was for Casey to go back to Haiti, and for Mindy to stay in New York to work and save money for their future wedding, a wedding done right, not right in her living room.