Danny watched his partner walk away with the tall, handsome man who had been partners with Maria before she began working with Danny. They looked very comfortable together and now he was sure he had lost his chance at having someone to share the ups and downs of his life. He had told them he would finish the paperwork for their case and then he would head out. As he worked, he regretted turning down the offer to go with them. Danny had looked at the information in the NYPD database and Wes' record was clean, a few minor dings but most were in his first year of service. His clearance rate rivaled his own along with the conviction rate on his cases.
Maria and Wes were seated at a table in the back of a nearby diner. The Hostess took her order for white wine, he had coffee, black.
"So, how have you been, Wes? It's been a long time since we've talked," said Maria.
"Doing okay, moved over to SVU about ten years ago." Wes paused and took a sip of his coffee. "And that's where I met the woman who became my wife." He opened his phone and pulled up their wedding picture. He gave the phone to Maria so she could see the image. "Obviously that's me with my wife at our wedding. Her name is Jennifer, but she prefers to be called Jen. We met when a friend of hers was assaulted. The victim was hysterical and nothing my partner and I did helped her to calm down. Then I asked her if she had a friend who might help her, and she called someone. This woman came to the hospital and spoke to the victim for a few minutes, and we were able to get the whole story, victim even had a picture of the perp on her phone. Solved the case in under twenty-four hours. When the case finally went to court, the friend was with the victim keeping her calm while she waited outside the courtroom to testify. DA got the perp to admit, on the stand, that he raped the woman, and got the maximum sentence. The victim was grateful to me, and my partner and I thought I'd never see the victim's friend again but two weeks later, she came to my precinct to thank us. She told us that the victim was still seeing a therapist but was doing well. Asked if she could treat us to a drink but my partner declined. The friend and I left the building, and we haven't been apart since." Maria handed the phone back to Wes. "I never thought I would find someone like her to marry. We had some things in common, but we disagreed on sports teams, favorite meals, places to go on vacation. I knew she would be the perfect mate and I finally convinced her to marry me after being together for eighteen months." Wes found another picture and showed it to Maria. "The oldest is our son, James, he's seven now, then we had the twins, Marisa and Madeline, they're five going on thirty and in about a month we'll have another son. We have a few ideas for his name, but she wants to see him first." He put the phone down. "So, how have you been?"
Maria told him about her daughter and showed Wes pictures of the toddler. "I still don't understand why I asked to adopt her; I never even wished for a kid, but it seemed to be something I needed to do. I would never have survived if Danny had not helped me. I never babysat or played with babies; I basically had no idea what to do. He's been a Godsend." She took her phone back and flipped through a few pictures. "Here he is trying to feed her baby carrots. She hated them and I had baby food all over my kitchen. Danny was covered from head to toe. Good thing he had some clothes in his car; he had to take a shower to get all the food out of his hair. Now, she eats everything and much neater as well."
"Seems like your partner might be more than just a work partner?"
Maria told him about the house fire and then Danny's wife being murdered while she was working, leaving him with their two sons. "He struggled for some time but gradually he adapted to being the parent for the boys. I spent many nights with him talking and crying. Sometimes he would call me, and we'd leave the phones connected so I could hear that he was okay. Lots of nightmares, lack of sleep but he's doing better now. Both boys are in college, one will graduate this year, I think."
"Sounds like you spend time together that's not job related. I thought I saw something on his face when I asked if you would like to get a drink with me. I think he wasn't sure if you should be alone with me."
"Wes, to be honest, I love him, and not just as a partner. But it's been almost seven years since his wife died. He's close to his family; they have dinner together every Sunday and have from the time Danny and his siblings were little children. But his grandmother died some time ago and his mother died before I became a detective. His father and grandfather are still widowers. I don't know that either has a woman in their lives that aren't relatives. Not my business; I don't need to know. Danny and I have known each other for more than twenty years but have been partners here at the 5 4 for more than ten years. A few years ago, we were trapped in a basement by a perp we were trying to catch. Danny was in the basement while I looked around in the house. I leaned down the stairs to the basement to tell him something when I was pushed from behind and tumbled down the stairs. Someone locked the door, and we were trapped. The only way out was the door at the top of the stairs. I had a concussion and wrenched my knee. The radio was left in the car, our big mistake, and neither of our phones could get a signal. We spent the night in that place, me whining that I was going to die down there. He never lost it, just held me all night. I don't want another partner but if we were to get together, I'm afraid the boss would split us up. So, do I keep my partner who always has my back, or do I have a life with the man I love but have to find a partner who I know I won't trust as much as I trust Danny? A couple of years ago, I found a man, dead, on my front lawn. He was a trainer at the gym I was using, and we had dinner a couple of times. It was hell, having Danny prep me for when IAB would call me in, really an uncomfortable situation. I had a doorbell camera installed a few weeks before this all happened, and it caught the killer. Turns out, she was his fiancée and thought he was cheating on her with me. I didn't know she existed. She came into our house and was questioned, then saw me and somehow found out where I lived. She broke into my house and tried to kill me, but I had shown Danny how the app for the camera worked. He had left the page active on his laptop and when the blonde came around the camera got her breaking in. Danny saw what was going on and came to my rescue. He distracted her until I hit her with a frying pan. I had to go to the ER for some bruises and scrapes and Danny waited for me. Before we left the hospital, we both admitted to having feelings for each other, but he said he wasn't ready. Since Elena came into my life, yes, we spend more time together but more like cousins than…"
"What does Danny want?"
"I think he's afraid to love again. We've kind of gotten close but then he backs away." Just then, her phone buzzed. There was a new message on her phone. Maria opened the message app and read what had been sent. "Well, our perp has been remanded, no bail for the death of a child." She looked up at Wes, "We couldn't have solved this without your help, thank you."
"Well, I was glad to help. Now, what are you going to do?" asked Wes.
"First, I'll head back to the house, make sure Danny isn't still sitting there, then head home to kiss my daughter good night and try to get some sleep. Thank you for listening but please, don't say anything to anyone." Maria stared at her former partner.
"If you're sure that's what you really want…"
"If something is going to happen, it has to be his idea and only his."
"If that's what you really want, I will try to honor your wishes. But if he calls you one night 'cause somebody beat him up you'll know it was done because he can't see what's right in front of him." Wes stood up and offered his hand to Maria and helped her out of her seat. He grabbed the bill off the table and slipped his coat on then helped Maria into her coat. They headed for the cashier where Wes paid the bill then said, "I would love to introduce you to my wife and family. Let me know when you might be free for dinner and by all means, bring your daughter." Wes kissed her cheek, and they walked out the door. As they were approaching the precinct, her phone buzzed. There was a text from Danny asking her to call him back. She hit a few buttons on her phone but the voice that answered wasn't Danny.