Chapter Seven

Danny fished his car keys out just before reaching the car, wanting to escape as quickly as possible. Once inside he revved the engine backing out of the driveway and heading towards Brooklyn. He stared at the road ahead eyes narrowed angry and hurt that his wife wasn't supporting him or even trying to help him over the pain and anger at his brother's death.

Banging a hand against the steering wheel Danny struggled to fight back tears. "I miss you kid, wish you were still here! I need you and that cool head of yours," Danny admitted sadly. "You would know what to do, you would know what to say. You always knew…"

The fact was that he had been working hard to keep his promise to help Eddie while still mourning himself. Why couldn't Linda see that? Why couldn't she offer a little more support?

The car seemed to drive itself to Frank's house and before Danny knew it, he was sitting on the sofa next to his father, drinking three fingers of single malt. Even before Danny started talking to his father, his phone chimed five times. Danny put the device on the table and ignored them.

"What's going on Danny?" Frank asked. "You look…you look worse than when we got the news about…"

"Yeah, well I feel worse," Danny replied. "I had a huge fight with Linda. She really resents the time that spend with Eddie and the baby. Now she's making all kinds of innuendos and comments about it.' Danny dropped back his whiskey. "I can't do that, I can't break my promise to Jamie. My little brother laid on his death bed, barely able to handle the pain, and asked me, Dad. He asked me, not you or Pop, to look after his wife and baby. How do I tell Eddie now that I can't help her anymore? What do I say to her? What about Maggie? She's learning to trust me, she's bonding with me. I'm her godfather!" Three more chimes.

"Yes, you are Maggie's godfather and in this family that is a very important role," Frank advised. "But you are also a husband and father."

"I know that, Dad," Danny replied. "And I have been there for Linda and the kids. I answer her 100 phone calls a day to make sure I'm still alive. I put up with all of her crazy rhetoric about being on the job…it's insane how she's vilifying our family, the job, me…"

"I hear you're frustrated Danny," Frank replied. "Have you shared this frustration with Linda?"

Danny nodded, "I tried to Dad but she does not want to hear it! Now, this is why I left, she's accusing me of having romantic feelings for Eddie."

"Do you?" Frank asked raising an eyebrow.

"No," Danny replied a little too quickly. Two more chimes.

Frank sighed, "Okay, then where are you with your wife son? Do you feel like it's over?"

"Well, I know this much," Danny replied getting up to pace. "One of the key parts of it is. The door has been locked up since before Jamie died, that was one of the key ways that we communicated. Taking that away…then using it as an excuse because I see Eddie. She's using our intimacy like a weapon or worse even a bribe," Danny sighed. Three more chimes.

"I understand," Frank replied listening carefully to Danny's upset and frustration while finding the constant chiming distracting. When it happened again, Frank glanced at the screen, Linda's name appeared with a 25 in the parenthesis.

Danny stirred the top of his glass with his finger sighing. "I know that Dad, I know you understand, but I lost my little brother, Eddie lost her husband and Maggie her father..."

Danny's cell phone rang with even more incoming messages from Linda. Ignoring it he looked up at his father, eyes watering, "I miss Jamie, Dad.."

"I know you do Danny, we all do," Frank sighed, looking up as Danny's cell went off again. He watched Danny check the ID then discard the phone.

"All I'm saying is that Linda and the boys need you too Danny," Frank reasoned.

"Oh, I know they do," Danny replied. "Especially Jack right now. All of this with Linda is really affecting him. Whether I'm home or whether I'm not…"

Danny's phone began to ring this time and Jack's number flashed on the screen. "I have to get this Dad," Danny said and picked up the phone. "Hey, Jack, what's wrong son?"

Danny listened to the amped up and nervous teenager, "Okay son, calm down. I'm over at Grandpa's just having a talk. It's all okay…All right sure…"

Danny waited until Linda got on the phone. "Cause I'm trying to talk to my Dad, Linda." Danny waited a beep. "Well, carrying on like that in front of the Jack…"

Frank watched Danny try to talk Linda down but her voice and Danny's agitation on escalated. Frank sighed and stood up motioning for the phone. Danny gratefully handed the phone to Frank.

Danny sat down and put his head in his hands. It was all getting to be too much. Then his father suggesting Linda's rants might have truth! Right now, he'd rather be hashing this out with Eddie. Perhaps she was just a substitute for Jamie, he would talk with her about things like he might if Jami was alive. Perhaps, too, Eddie was becoming his new best friend, taking that place from Linda. Either way it was damn mess.

"He's here with me," Frank told Linda calmly. "I think you both need to cool off, you need to take the time tonight to get some air. Danny's had a couple drinks, I don't want him driving home in the dark when he's feeling so down about Jamie. We're going to sit down here and remember Jamie, I think Danny needs me tonight, I know I need him. Please give us this time tonight."

Linda couldn't counter that, and it was Jamie's birthday. "Tell him to come home before going to work?"

"I will, sleep well and just calm down," Frank told Linda gently. "Danny needs support and we have to give it to him all of us."

A few more words were exchanged before Frank hung up and put the phone down. "I understand a bit better now what you were saying, Son." Frank sat next to Danny and rubbed his arm. "Before you do something rash, talk to Father McMurry, see if he can help you sort this out, you and Linda. Set things right with Linda and she won't resent your helping Eddie."

Danny looked up, eye red rimmed, tears on his face, "I don't know if I can save it anymore, Dad. I don't know if it's worth saving."

A/N: Poor Frank…lost two sons and now another one is going off the beaten path. Danny is in need of a little Irish grandpa counseling which I'm going to try to tackle in the next few chapters. Thanks for reading!