DISCLAIMER: I do not own CSI New York in any way shape or form.
A/N: If you haven't noticed it yet, I am taking from my back story in the lab without you. Just about all my stories CAN link (but don't have to link) together in some form, I wrote it, I love it, and my simple little mind can't handle too many stories, as it was a Danny/Aiden story I don't think it was as widely reached, so here's a good taste of it.
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: : Run Silent, Run Deep : :
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There was an internal battle going on inside of her the moment she got the results…for the third time. Messer, Daniel. No way. Not Danny Messer, he'd never get involved in this shit, not the Danny she'd come to know. She stood there pacing. All she had texted him was 911, she could easily make up some stupid excuse if she wanted to back out, but she couldn't. She may be putting a serious dent in her career here, but her gut told her he needed to know first.
"Montana, what's up you beeped me 911?"
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"Don." Lindsay called grabbing the tall detective's attention. She had been here once already today, but that was for work, she had to be by the book earlier, just to maybe offset the giving Danny the results first, and you know the boss was there, stuff in front of the boss man is never smart. That had backfired, she was already suspended, what she was about to do here, wasn't going to make any difference. Mac knew, he agreed, Danny should hear it. What Internal Affairs didn't know couldn't hurt them, Hell if she was going to get suspended at least do something worth getting suspended for.
"Lindsay, what are you doing here?" He was surprised to see her here. Sure he could tell Danny had a little crush on the girl, but apparently she must have one on him as well.
"Just checking in. Wy apartment is…"
"…right around the corner." Flack finished for her. He'd been there, he'd met beautiful but completely unavailable Jenna, and the always boisterous Ms. Connie. He smirked, for an older woman she could sure make a young kid like him blush something awful.
"Yea, well, thought I'd check and see how he's doing on my way home."
"You really had those manners and values drilled into you as a kid didn't you?" Flack chuckled. He could see why Danny liked it, even on a day when laughing was the last thing on everyone's mind, the girl from Montana and her impeccable manners could lighten a mood in dirty dingy, this is mine, back off, none of your business New York.
"Is this about the shoes again." She said squinting up at him in a sarcastic way, well almost the fluorescent light in her eyes due to his height. Flack chuckled. "Mind if I go in?"
"Nah, you can try, but he's not the most gracious person at the moment." He warned her. She really had yet to experience one of Messer's off the reservation moments. It was funny, now that he thought about it, had he gone postal since she started….no. Huh.
"Thanks, I'll see what I can do." Lindsay said pushing open the door to Louie Messer's room. Danny stood with his back to the door staring at his badly injured brother. Tubes were cascading from Louie into machines beeping in an unsympathetic rhythm. He had not heard or notice Lindsay slip into the room. She knocked on the doorframe twice to announce herself and give him the chance to turn her away. He did neither. He didn't even turn away from his brother. "Danny." Lindsay whispered moving into the room and placing a small hand on his shoulder and giving him a tender squeeze. "How are you."
"Been better Lindsay." He said dropping his chin to his chest. He had used her given name, his sentiments were true on all levels. Danny Messer was an emotional man, and he did not like to show it, but something about her did him in. He turned around away from his brother for just a moment. It hurt to see him like this, knowing that he may not make it, but it hurt to look away as well. "What can I do for you?"
"Nothing Danny, I'm here for you." She assured him rubbing her hand affectionately up and down his right arm. "We um, found something in his personal possessions. Danny, he was wearing a wire, he confronted Sonny." He had to know why his brother was in this state. She'd been here before, she'd been the one in the hospital bed, it had been her brothers in this position. From experience, she knew someone had to tell him. She reached into her bag and pulled out a tape recorder. "Anyway, here."
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"Flack." Aiden breathed out as she reached him. Flack had reached out and called her as soon as Mac put him on Danny duty, Aiden always had a way of keeping him from doing stupid shit. "How is he?"
"Louie's stable for now, so Danny's as good as he can be given the circumstances." Flack said watching. Aiden followed his gaze looking through the glass windows to see a tiny brunette hand Danny a recording device.
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Danny looked at the device Lindsay had just handed him. It was an old tape player, one they hadn't really used in years, no one really records on these things anymore. "Linds, what is this?"
"Your brother sort of knew what he was doing." Lindsay said looking at the badly beaten form of Louie Messer. "Just listen to it." She went to turn away, but Danny's hand gently caught her wrist and tugged her back to face him. What he saw was a face full concern: A friend looking out for him, helping him. She'd been doing it all day, and he would be eternally grateful for it.
"Stay. Please."
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"She's going to be suspended for that." Don said watching in awe as Danny listened to the tape.
"What? Who is she?" Aiden asked. She assumed it was a girlfriend or doctor
"That would be Lindsay." Don explained running a hand down his tired face. "She has put her job on the line for him today." He continued, this time shaking his head and laughing.
"So that's Montana." Aiden said smiling while she watched with a new interest in the scene-taking place. "She's not what I pictured."
"Montana huh, so he talks about her?" Don laughed this time more genuinely.
"Sometimes, sometimes I ask." Aiden shrugged. "She's pretty, maybe I was wrong, and maybe she is out of his league."
"Oh believe me they are definitely in the same league. They may one up each other from time to time, but it averages out." Flack smirked. "So you see him falling for her too?"
"Now I see, before I just assumed." Aiden said slouching back and watching as Danny handed the recorder back and pulling Lindsay into a tight hug, before kissing her on the cheek and whispering something in her ear. "Yea, I give it 6 more months and they will be that sickening office couple."
"They already are, with the bantering, and the competitions." Don informed stopping when Aiden's phone rang and she had to step away. He watched her walk down the hallway before his attention was called back to the immediate area as the door to Louie's room clicked shut and Lindsay emerged.
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"How is he Linds?" Don asked softly
"Well….the tape seemed to shed some new light on something or other between he and his brother, but, he's only known me for 8 months, I can't really tell ya." She shrugged.
"Ey, he shares more with you than most." Don clarified for her. "I don't get hugs." He said a little bitterly. Lindsay simply laughed and tiptoed up to hug him as well. "Better Don?"
"A little."
"SO who was the girl?'" Lindsay asked nodding in the direction of Aiden. "You get her number?"
"Already have it. That's Aiden."
"So that's Aiden." Lindsay said it all dawning on her. The stories Danny told coming back to her. She was a tad bit jealous. Then again, she wasn't, She had told herself from the beginning, it was just a little crush. Lindsay was gonna say more when she got a call from Mac, and took it.
"Mac needs the tape back, says you're free to sleep Don, they got Sonny."
"Kay, I'm gonna stay put a little longer just in case though."
"Okay, I told him if he needs anything he knows where to find me." Lindsay informed Flack. She was really close. Flack nodded and he watched Lindsay pass Aiden in the hall as she was coming back towards him, they seemed to share a smile.
"She's cute." Aiden smiled. "Even has all her teeth, wasn't expecting that." She joked. Danny had always said she was a real country girl.
"Ha ha." Flack humored her, "Go check on Messer, I need food and a nurse's phone number." Flack said before taking off towards the cafeteria.
Aiden knocked on the door and poked her head in. "Ey, Messer."
"Aiden." Danny said jumping up and making his way over to her. They met in the middle of the room. "What are ya doing here?" he asked.
"Don called me, figured you needed a support group behind ya, but I don't know, after seeing you with Lindsay I think my work here is done." Aiden smiled.
"What a..what do you mean?" Danny asked a little taken back. "No one can replace you babe."
"One, I'm not a babe, well ok I am a babe, but I'm not your babe." Aiden joked. "But Danny, you're in good hands with that one. I don't have ta worry about you guys, Stella has her back up." Danny laughed, yea. Stella team cheerleader, soccer mom, yea, with the lab guys she needed a backup. Batman needed her Robin. "but seriously Danny, how are you holding up?"
"I've been better." Danny admitted, "honestly, we just started talking again a few months ago, and it was…the same."
"Danny I know you were upset after the first 3 months of not hearing from him, then again when he got back in touch, but why, you told me you never got along."
"We used to, high school, when all this shit started, that's when it turned, and he's my brother, I can't help it, I need to look out for him."
"Danny you're the little brother shouldn't it be the other way around?"
"He set an example what not to do." Danny chuckled lightly, "I guess I learned from his mistakes, and I don't know…."
"As a thank you, you bail him out when he gets into trouble."
"Yea." Danny sighed "I guess so." Danny said completely defeated, his head dropping.
There was a knock at the door. Looking up, Danny found a doctor entering the room, a folder in his hands. "Are you the family for Louie Messer?"
"Um, he is." Aiden said "Listen Dan, it's getting late. Take care of Louie, call me if you need me Messer. Understand." She finished with a smile.
"Gotcha Burn. Talk to ya later." Danny said as she turned to leave.
"Mr. Messer, your brother's test results are…."
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"Lindsay, have you heard from Danny?" Don Flack asked out of breath when she answered her phone.
"Not, since I left the hospital, why? What's wrong Flack? What's happened?" It had been 2 days of her suspension, and Danny hadn't shown his face around her apartment, and she hadn't heard any more news, no new is good news right? So this phone call came as a shock.
"I don't know, last I saw, his parents were at the hospital, and Louie's condition isn't much better, Aiden can't get a hold of him, I can't thought you might know."
"Flack, I'm out of the lab, I haven't heard anything in two days, but what do we know? Have you talked to Mac."
"Just that Louie's condition was slipping last night and now no one can get through to him, we've all tried, I've left about 100 messages, and a big case came through and the lab is swamped and I can't get off work cause we're trying to catch a killer and he's my best friend and his brother is dying, his mom is laying on the guilt, and he really really needs me.." Flack gasped out, his hyperventilation slowing.
"Ok Flack!" Lindsay laughed lightly, "You're starting to sound like Adam, I'll find Danny, and give you a call."
"Mac will shorten your suspension." Flack said pleased and in a completely neutral tone, the exact opposite of his girly fast paced voice of seconds ago.
"Oh, that was an act! Don, I thought you had more respect than that." Lindsay laughed.
"Eh, I have my moments."
"Ok Don, his address hasn't changed has it?"
"No he's not moving again anytime soon."
"Alright, will call you when I find him."
"Thanks Monroe."
Quickly Lindsay grabbed her phone and dialed Danny's number…nothing. And the hunt began. She left word with both Jenna and Connie, if Messer was seen in the immediate area call her asap with the whereabouts and keep him there. She crossed town, and banged on his door for 10 minutes before the little boy from down the hall said Danny had gone out early that morning with a duffle bag. Well that narrowed the search.
She started with the gyms closer to his place before moving to the NYPD, still nothing, she dialed his number again nothing. Stopping at the hospital, she found a distraught older woman sitting in the chair in Louie's room. And older gentleman, almost an exact replica of Danny and Louie was standing outside looking in through the glass.
He must have caught sight of Lindsay out the side of his eye, because he turned towards her. "Sweetheart, who are you looking for?" So that's where Danny gets the sweetheart-Lindsay realized.
"Oh….um… Danny." Lindsay replied honestly, turning back towards Mr. Messer.
"He's not here."
"Ok, shoot, do you know where he might be sir?"
"I could think of a few ideas, but first who are you? And why are you looking for my son? And it's Sal."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Messer…uh Sal, I work with him, we're friends I guess, and…. Well no one can seem to get a hold of him."
"So they send the pretty girl to find him, think he'll open up to you?"
"I'm off today, but maybe, but I doubt it. But Danny owes me." Lindsay shrugged, while thinking through a bunch of the scenarios that could go down when she found him.
"Owes you how?" Sal asked skeptical of this girl.
"I a…" Lindsay glanced at Louie then back to Sal.
"You're Montana." He said her identity dawning on him
"Oh god, yea." Lindsay said rolling her eyes.
"Ok, well, where have you checked so far?" Wow, from skeptical to embracing by the mention of Montana, the name packed a punch, that much Lindsay knew for sure.
"His place, the gym(s), every place between his place and here." Lindsay rattled off
"Why the gym?"
"Ruben, the kid from down the hall, said Danny took a gym bag with him this morning."
"Batting cages."
"What?"
"Check out the batting cages two blocks south of his place. He's our baseball star, that's where he'd be, that's where he was after his grandmother died."
"OK thanks, and nice meeting you." Lindsay called back as she ran towards the exit.
Sure enough, there he was hitting ball after ball, taking his anger out on each speeding pitch that came his way. His t-shirt was soaked, a clear indicator that he had been there awhile.
"Put the bat down Messer." Lindsay shouted after a pitch he hit particularly fiercely.
"Lindsay! What are you doing here?" Danny asked turning off the machine, and exiting the cage.
"Looking for you. Danny, why haven't you been answering your phone?" She was concerned, but couldn't help but be a little turned on as he brushed the sweat from his forehead.
"It's in my locker, and how'd you know I'd be here?"
"Well, you have, I'm guessing, about 100 missed calls, and your dad told me to check here." Lindsay told him, she was a little sheepish, about having talked to his father.
"You went by the hospital?"
"For a second."
"How is he?"
"I didn't check, was more concerned about finding you." Lindsay said honestly.
"Why?"
"Why, because, Danny I've been in situations pretty damn close to this, and well, we're all worried about you. You're our friend."
"We're, Our?"
"What, you didn't think I'd leave 100 messages did you?" Lindsay joked. "I don't like you that much." She couldn't keep a straight face as she said it, she couldn't be mean/sarcastic. At least not right now.
"Thanks Linds." Danny blushed ever so slightly one couldn't even tell, he was still flushed from the workout.
"No problem, so how are you?" she asked watching as he hit the start button.
"Well, Louie isn't getting better." *ping* he hit the first pitch that came his way, "…he's in this position to save my ass." *PING* "You got suspended for helping me." *BING* "For believing I had nothing to do with this, for being a good friend." *PING* "My ma is throwing all her grief at me." *PING* "And why I don't settle down and have kids." *BING* "And I've been here for three hours." *PING!*
"Ok, turn off the machine Danny." Lindsay laughed, grabbing a helmet and stepping inside the cage. "First of all, the suspension is nothing. Actually for finding you it's getting cut down." She took the bat away from him and hit start while he backed away. *PING* "Second, your brother knew what he was doing." *BING* "Third, everybody gets that grief." *BING* "Believe me it's worse when you're a girl." *PING* "And last." *BING* "It's only been a day, give Louie time to heal." *BING!* She then shut it down.
"Shit Montana, where'd you learn to hit like that?"
"Softball through college." Lindsay shrugged off, "Forgot how good that feels." She smiled. "Now come on, let's get you home, you stink." She said pushing him out of the cage.
"There's nothing for me to do at home. I can't go home Linds, I'll think too much."
"Bull, there will be a pizza there as soon as I call Flack and tell him I found you, plus a shower, and a bed."
"A bed Montana?" Danny winked.
"Oh, keep dreaming." She laughed. "Come on, it looks like you haven't slept in days."
"Three." He supplied. "And why do you need to call Flack."
"He was hyperventilating when he called to tell me you were M.I.A…the kid can act."
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Lindsay had gotten Danny home. Danny had jumped into the shower, and Lindsay began straightening up. How men could live in such messes was beyond her. She had just seen a glimpse of Danny's naked torso head towards his bedroom when the pizza arrived.
Being a good friend, and currently not having any work to do, Lindsay complied when asked to stick around and watch a movie, keep his mind off his brother. Quarter of the way into the movie Danny fell asleep on her shoulder, half way through she followed suit, only to be woken up at the ending credits by a cell phone.
She answered without looking to see whose phone it was, or who was calling. "Hello." She spoke groggily into the phone while moving out from under Danny's form and to the kitchen where she started making tea.
"Hi, who is this?"
"Shoot, this is Danny's phone!" Lindsay realized. "Sorry this is Lindsay, can I ask who's calling?"
"It's Aiden." Aiden couldn't help but smile, if she's groggily answering his phone things were moving in the right direction. "Is Danny there."
"He is, but he finally fell asleep."
"Ok, well, don't wake him, I know after Minhas, he went 5 days straight the fact that he's sleeping…"
"Yea, I caught him at 3 today."
"Alright well tell him I called, and I'll call back tomorrow."
"Actually Aiden, I was wondering if you could give me some more information on Pratt, I promised Danny, I'd back down from this case, but I just can't let it go. "
"Okay, well first don't plant any evidence. And ….." the conversation went on for a good 20 minutes and Lindsay was well versed on DJ Pratt when they finally hung up. Yea she had a feeling Aiden was still working on the Pratt case herself.
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Thanks to all of my readers and an EXTRA shout out to all those that keep reviewing, you make me want to keep writing, and getting chapters up asap. Love you all Gigi.