by Laura Acton
William decided—pride would be the emotion he would display, but care and love would be demonstrated through actions. Daniel didn’t need to see the concern on his face. Daniel needed to see that he was proud of him and he felt Daniel was strong and whole. Yet Daniel needed to be cared for—his health is fragile at the moment.
Hesitant to see his father, Dan covertly tracked his movement around the room. Would his dad view him as damaged goods? Yesterday they tentatively started putting things back together. His dad admired strength.
He recognized now that he unknowingly strove to be what his father expected. After their talk, he realized he only ever showed strength and stubbornness to the general, trying to win his father’s respect and to be loved, valued, and deemed worthy.
That is one of the many reasons he joined the military even though at the time he didn’t recognize it as such. Also, one reason he asked him to intervene so he could go into Special Forces early with Brody. He thought that if he could be a good soldier, maybe, just maybe his dad would want him.
So now Dan was uncertain. After showing such weakness, would his dad want him now? Would he see shame and disgust in his father’s eyes? Would his father care even a little bit or had his weakness destroyed the little progress they made yesterday?
“Daniel. Son. How are you doing? Do you need anything?” William asked in a solid, clear voice letting pride show as he handed him a cup of coffee.
Whoa, coffee from an alien! It was hard for Dan to comprehend that his dad looked at him like he was proud of him. His father’s questions gave him pause. The general was asking about him. He cared? The general cared. Dad cared about him!
Dan was blown away with the thought as he reached out for the coffee. As his eyes focused near the cup, Dan saw the roughed-up knuckles on his dad’s hand. His eyes flicked to the other hand and saw it was in the same shape—like he been punching something. His eyes followed his father as he sat down in a chair.
William took a seat next to the bed. He blew on his coffee, took a sip, and waited for Daniel to reply—not rushing him. William could see Daniel was working through his emotions and trying to come to some decision.
Bram was right. The more William interacted with Daniel, the more he realized just how alike they really are. Steel-hard cores with strong exterior shields which hid and protected their softer caring parts.
They were different, too. William was glad of that—he was happy Daniel got a healthy dose of Yvonne. Daniel had Yvonne’s brightness and ability to laugh and use humor. The mix of those qualities would help him now. Strength wouldn’t be enough. Daniel would need to laugh, too.
Dan brought the coffee to his face and sniffed as he tried to think of what to say and if he should ask about his father’s knuckles. The aroma of coffee flooded his senses—it smelled so good. This was the second time having coffee with his dad—the alien. Dan watched his father sip his coffee in an unhurried fashion. I could get used to this.
But could they accept one another for the men they really were—flaws and all? Could he allow his dad to see the real Dan? Was it time to let the shields go and admit he needed help? Dan hoped he was making the right decision and this wouldn’t blow up in his face. He wasn’t sure he could handle rejection from his father.
“Sir, … Dad, … could be … better … hurts so much … painful … and … hard to … breathe … so very … tired.” Dan consciously relaxed his body, dropped his mask, and allowed the real pain and utter exhaustion he felt to show. He held his breath waiting to see rejection or disgust in his father’s expression.
“Let’s see if we can do something about that, son. I’ll do whatever you need. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll make it happen. You’re so strong, but I need you to know we all need help now and then. There’s no weakness in needing help. Let me help you, please.”
His father’s words were like a cooling salve which calmed and soothed an old burning wound. A peace Dan never felt settled around him and worked its way to the inner reaches of his soul. It showed on Dan’s face and body.
William registered the effect of his words—very much like when Daniel called him dad at the gazebo. He scrutinized his son. Daniel looked so exhausted, thoroughly and utterly spent, and in pain. His son needed rest. Daniel was pushing himself too far, but William held back from saying anything. Daniel needed to be in control of this.
“What … happened?” Dan asked as he pointed to the general’s hands.
William sucked in a breath as he looked at his hands. He looked up with a slightly sheepish expression and said, “A wall got in the way of my temper tantrum. Bram tells me we are alike in that way.”
Dan lifted his brows questioningly.
“We share some good traits like determination and perseverance. Although some people call it stubbornness—but that’s not it. That drive helps us overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.” William chuckled. “We also share some not so good traits—like hitting things when we’re angry.” Then he grinned as he said, “I’m happy you have a lot of your mother in you to balance those out. You have her sense of humor and kindness.” William then sat back and took another sip of coffee.
Dan let those thoughts roll in his mind. He wanted to see his mother. His father’s request came to mind. Can I really go home to recuperate?
Jon and Scott watched the interaction. Both were ready to intervene if necessary. Their bodies were so tense. But the look that crossed Dan’s face relaxed them immensely.
Good! Two down four to go, Jon thought as he sipped his coffee and relaxed in the chair. This was going better than he could hope for.
Hallelujah! Scott thought. Could the Broderick clan finally become whole again? The tension between those two had always been a bone of contention. Their estrangement broke a very long history of strong father-son relationships. They all tried for so long to help them to repair it, but nothing worked. As horrible as all this was, a small part of Scott was glad this happened because it was repairing their relationship.
Dan looked at the coffee he held as he thought about the possibility of going home. His coffee was too hot, and he wanted to blow on it to cool it, but that was too hard—he didn’t have enough air. He needed the caffeine boost coffee would give him, but he needed it to cool first, so he held it. He still needed to talk with Loki, Bram, Lexa, and Nick. Those would be tough for various reasons. Who should he choose next?
William observed Daniel holding his coffee but not drinking. That was odd. He abruptly and walked rapidly to the door.
Dan looked at Scott and Jon with a bit of disappointment. Why did his father up and leave? Did he read his father wrong?
Scott only shrugged. He wondered what cause his uncle to leave.
William returned quickly with a cup in his hand. He approached the bed and took the coffee from Daniel’s hand and poured half into the other cup. He gave him the new cup, placed the old one on the table and sat down in the same chair.
Dan looked into the new cup he held. He grinned. Coffee poured over a cup of ice. He took a small sip of coffee. Tasted okay for hospital coffee, but certainly not as good as an iced capp.
“Thanks,” Dan said as a half-smile graced his face.
“You do prefer iced coffee in summer.” William grinned.
The four sat quietly drinking coffee for several minutes.
Jon could see how tired Dan was and though he didn’t want to rush him, Dan needed to rest soon. He stood and stretched his legs as he went to toss his empty cup in the trash. As he sat back down, Jon asked, “Who’s next, Dano? The Boss, Bram, Loki, or Lexa?”
Dan continued to contemplate who as he sipped his iced coffee. He had narrowed his choice to Bram or Boss. Loki was out for now. His emotions showed too readily. Might be hard to handle the barrage of emotions Loki might display. Lexa was out for now, too. He would die instantly if he saw pity on her face. He wasn’t ready to confront that possibility.
Bram or Boss? Bram might be best. He had al
ready shown acceptance back at the hotel. Actually, Bram had always shown acceptance of him. Dan worried about seeing Boss. Have I lost my job due to my actions? Will Boss see me as too unstable to be part of TRF—a risk to the team? What he knew about Boss gave him a flicker of hope that wouldn’t be the case. But he wasn’t quite ready to find out.
“Bram … next,” Dan finally said.
William stood up. “I’ll go get him. I’ll be right outside if you need anything, Daniel.”
As his dad approached the door, Dan said, “Stay … please.”
General Broderick turned and clarified, “Do you want me to stay in the room when Bram comes in?”
Dan nodded.
Scott sighed.
Hearing Scott, Dan turned and looked at him.
Scott beamed and whispered, “Good choice. He loves you, and he cares. You just made his day.”
Dan leaned his head back and considered Scott’s words.
Sleeping Beast
43
August 4
St. Michael’s Hospital – Room 1030 – 8:05 a.m.
Bram steeled himself as the general beckoned him to enter. I can do this. Just think how I’d handle one of my girls when they have nightmares—well not quite. They’re all soft, gentle, innocent little girls. Dan is a full-grown man who has actually lived the nightmare not just dreamed it. What does Dan need right now?
His thoughts went back to the day Dan called out to him at the hotel. Then he thought about last Christmas when he took Dan to visit Brody’s grave and overheard him speaking to Brody. He took a steadying breath before he stepped into the room as his mind latched on how he would handle this.
Dan experienced a little jolt of the caffeine. Amazing how effective it was when a body hadn’t had any for weeks. As Bram entered Dan felt a little apprehension, but out of all of the team, he believed Bram wouldn’t judge him, and he would accept him—especially given how Bram invited into his home last Christmas and held him when he needed him after waking up in the hotel.
Bram stopped at the foot of the bed, placed his hands on the end rail, and leaned over.
Dan noticed Bram stretching his back. God, they had all been here so long. Kellie and girls must be missing him. Dan spoke first, “Did Allie … like the … movies?”
Bram chuckled. “Yeah. She begged us to buy the DVD of Beauty and the Beast since she got Sleeping Beauty last Christmas. Then said she wanted to watch them with Uncle Danny. I hope you like Disney movies because her list was about ten long when I left yesterday.”
“I’d watch … anything … with her.” His mouth curved into a smile imagining sitting on Bram’s couch with all the girls around him as they munched on popcorn. He would enjoy that. “Tell Kellie … thanks.”
“Tell her thanks for what?” Bram asked as he regarded Dan. This isn’t going in the direction he initially planned, but probably better than what he was going to say. Bram intended to ask Dan what he needed like he did in the hotel room. But this was more in line with normal conversation, so much better.
“Giving … me … your … time.” Dan gave him a look of gratitude.
Bram understood exactly what Dan referred to. Wow, they thought along the same lines. “Always.” Bram then launched into telling Dan about the girls’ reactions to the movies. Wrapping up he told him how Leslie teased Allie, “She said Allie wanted to be Snow White, but only if Uncle Dan was Prince Charming.”
Jon, Scott, William, and Bram burst into laughter.
Dan wanted to laugh so badly, but he held back, clenching his jaw tightly, and holding his arms around his ribs to protect himself if the laughter started.
Instantly feeling like shit when he observed Dan trying hard not to laugh. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Blast it, I caused you more pain.” Worry and regret for his actions showed.
The others promptly stopped laughing after hearing Bram’s apology.
“It’s … ok … no … worries.” Dan got himself under control and grinned seeing an opening to relax Bram by slightly changing his version of a Disney movie. He haltingly told them about his concept of Sleeping Beast, changing up and inserting Allie for the role of Lexa based on how he woke up to Allie holding his hand yesterday. He had the room rolling with laughter. Jon piped in and said the movie should be called Napping Beast. More laughter from them ensued.
This seemed almost normal to Dan. He kept his arms protectively around his ribs in case he laughed, but slipped his hand under the covers once to press the medication pump button. Telling the short story completely wore him out.
Dan noted that the meds were slow to take effect and he was wondering where the little surge of relief was—it didn’t come this time. He thought maybe exhaustion was the reason and he wondered if he had enough energy reserves to talk to the next three. Dan had to get through this so he would find a way.
As the room quieted down, Bram noted the pain lines etched on Dan’s face. He should be going and let him visit with the others. “Ready for Boss, Lexa, or Loki?”
Feeling in a marginally lighter mood even though the pain level increased, Dan thought he could probably handle Loki’s emotions now. “Loki,” he answered.
Bram headed for the door without another word. Jon and Scott shared a look. So far so good. They were making progress. They were still not out of the woods completely, so they remained vigilant.
St. Michael’s Hospital – Outside Room 1030 – 8:20 a.m.
Bram exited the room. Nick, Lexa, and Loki looked at him expectantly. “He’s doing better. He still has humor, but he is still fragile and in lots of pain. Go carefully. Keep things light and positive.”
Ray looked at him and asked, “What was all the laughter about? Great to hear, but curious.”
Bram shared Dan’s idea for a movie, and they all chuckled.
Privately, Lexa thought, nope not Allie, that role is mine, as she remembered the kiss she gave Dan before he woke up.
Nick asked, “So who does he want to visit with now?”
“Loki.”
Loki’s face grew worried.
Lexa reminded him, “Hope and maybe optimism. Focus on those.”
He hugged Lexa again and headed for the door. In his head, Loki repeated hope, hope, hope, trying to make that the only emotion. Then the word Dantastic hit him. That’s right—this is Dantastic—Dantastic can do anything. A genuine huge grin covered his face as he bounded into the room.
St. Michael’s Hospital – Room 1030 – 8:21 a.m.
“Hey, Dantastic, I looooovvvve your idea for a movie, but we gotta get you a hot leading lady. Who should she be?” he said with enthusiasm.
This was totally not what Dan had expected and was taken aback by Loki’s optimism and energy. He sat there with his mouth open like a fly trap for several seconds before recovering and closing it.
Loki continued to rattle on taking the concept to absurd levels and suggesting all kinds of leading ladies. Jon, Scott, and even the general made suggestions. Dan only watched, soaking in the cheerfulness and positive vibes around him. This did wonders for lighting the dark corners which still lingered in his mind—making them gray and not pitch black.
Dan finished his coffee and stared longingly down into the empty cup wishing for more. The old half-full cup appeared next to the empty one. Dan looked up to see his dad holding it out. He exchanged cups and took a drink of the now cooled coffee.
His dad only cocked his head to the side slightly and returned to the conversation offering up another actress to play the part. The gesture wasn’t lost on Dan. His dad took care of unvoiced wants and needs without making it seem like a big deal. How the hell did he do that?
Dan’s attention drew back to Loki as Loki’s whole body got very animated with the track he was on now. Nice to see someone so charged with life and innocence. Loki might be older than him, but he is more kid-like.
He hoped Loki never lost that quality and never experienced the horrors life he had and lose his joyfulness. That would be
a real loss to the world—and to him personally, too. Loki brought a small part of Brody to life for him when Loki joked around and pulled pranks.
Loki noticed Dan appeared very tired and the pain etched around his eyes even though he smiled. Dan still needed to meet with Boss and Lexa, so he decided it was time to cut this short. That way Dan could finish with them and get some much-needed rest. “Dantastic, I think I should stop hogging your time and let you talk with Lexa or Boss. Which one do you want me to send in?”
Which one? Both represented potential doom. Which was worse at this moment? No job or no Lexa? He had been driven to this point by fear of not working. The edge to that had been dulled somewhat by the reactions of his team. If he couldn’t do the job anymore, that would suck big time, but he knew he wouldn’t lose Jon, Bram, Loki, or Ray. It would be hard to find something else to give life purpose. But he did it before, he could probably do it again. They would help if it came to that—of that, he was now certain.
But could he live without Lexa? This was still so new, only a few waking hours’ realization for him. He now knew there was hunger so powerful between them he would starve without her. He couldn’t bear it if she rejected him. His earlier thought of dying without her instantly surged back to his mind.
Yes, that was where the real danger lay. It scared the hell out of him to know her reaction. How much had she listened to? What did she think of him? Had she seen his scar? Would she reject him?
He thought of the banter they shared in the truck. He hadn’t realized the underlying push-pull between them in those conversations, but now it was clear in his mind. Dan now understood his overwhelming need to protect her when they were on a call. The first time this hit him was during the Hayden’s Ironworks call back in August. When the subject got a bead on her, he reacted instinctively and pushed her out of the way and ran after the subject.
