The Recovery Period: Chapter Seventeen

A/n: Annnd here's a short second update. I briefly wanted to mention that I'm trying to characterize Danny as the show does. As the series has progressed, Danny has really turned into quite the worrier, and I think a prime example of this is 4x19, which in many ways was just a fantastic Danny episode. What I'm trying to say is that the writers have made Danny a lot more neurotic than he was in season one, and I'm trying to honor that by psychoanalyzing him at any given opportunity.

As always, I so deeply appreciate your reviews!

Danny laid on the couch in front of flickering television, a small quilt draped over his chest. Eric, who finally felt guilty about all the eavesdropping he was doing, followed Rachel into the living room.

"He's insisted on sleeping here." Rachel said with an exasperated shrug. "Ever since Steve arrived. I'm worried about Danny's ribs with him sleeping on his side."

"Gee, Auntie Rach, don't you have a ton of guest rooms?" Eric asked quietly, so as not to wake Danny.

Rachel glanced sideways at her former nephew. "You've only been on the first floor of this house, haven't you?"

Eric shrugged. "I mean, a man can guess, right?"

"You're not a man." Danny grumbled, rolling onto his back with some difficulty. He sighed and opened his eyes. "You're an entitled kid, and you woke me up. What's the matter with you, huh? What are you doing here?" Danny's words were accusatory but his tone was lifeless. He was exhausted.

"Daniel," Rachel started, taking a seat at the coffeetable across from the couch. "Eric heard what happened tonight and-"

"W-What does that mean?" Danny rubbed his temple, his other hand clutching his side. "How could he possibly know, huh? Who told him?"

"Uh, your daughter." Eric cut in, but Danny did not seem to be interested in his nephew, and swatted his words away.

"So, what, he's checking up on me?" Danny asked Rachel. He pushed himself into a sitting position and ran a tired hand along his face and over the stubble on his chin.

"He wants to take you home, Daniel." Rachel put in, quietly. "He only just told me. I would have told you sooner if I had known."

"Yeah, okay, but if I could just redeem myself, here, Grace didn't text me until like two hours ago. I got here as fast as I could."

"Grace set this up?" Finally, Danny turned to Eric. "Where is she? Is she up? is she-?" Danny started to stand but stopped, grabbing his chest suddenly. It wasn't good for his ribs to sleep on the couch, but Danny hadn't been able to sleep thinking that Steve might be uncomfortable on the couch, so he had forced them to switch. It was that or share the bed, as Stan had snarkily suggested as he helped Steve up the stairs. Both Steve and Danny vehemently opposed this idea.

"Your ribs, Danny…" Rachel sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I got that." Danny sighed, shaking his head as if to rid away the pain. "Would you continue, please? Would someone tell me the whole story, here?"

"You want a change of scenery, Uncle D?" Eric asked bluntly. "You wanna get out of here?"

Danny was silent. He glanced at Rachel, who held his gaze. She wanted to know exactly what he was thinking.

"I, uh, I'm not sure what to say. Danny admitted, still looking at his ex-wife. "I-"

"Let me tell you what I think." Rachel cut in, sensing Danny's trepidation.

For once, Danny bit back a sarcastic comment and was silent. He sat back against the cushions and folded his arms against his chest, listening.

"You're still in pain, so I think it's best for you to be under someone's supervision. The reason you were here is because you're alone-"

"Uh-uh, I reject that phrasin-"

"You're alone." Rachel ignored Danny. "So, you're staying here, with me, with your children, it was a good idea. It was. I don't regret this."

"But."

"But, here, now, with Steve, Chin, and little Sara, things are different. I'm not convinced this is the best environment for you. Charlie doesn't fully understand what's going on, as we've both witnessed. His pestering you isn't helping you-"

"My child could never pester me-"

"Daniel. Listen to me. To mention the obvious, Stan's having trouble with this as well. He's always had his…conflicts with you and your job, but with the constant discussion of this new case Chin is working on, he's worried. He's worried about the kids and he's-"

"He's incredibly angry, that's what he is." Danny put in, unable to resist.

"Danny." Rachel hit him softly on the shoulder. "He really hurt his hand tonight. I'm taking him to the emergency room tomorrow morning."

"So it's not that much of an emergency?"

"He wanted to tuck in Charlie, and he was tired. He needs to rest." Rachel responded.

Danny looked down. "All right. Point taken, there. You want me to leave?"

"I'd like to reintroduce that this was Grace's idea, not Auntie Rach's." Eric put in for good measure.

"Yeah, but both of you are in agreement." Danny was quick to respond. "Right?"

Eric glanced at Rachel before responding. "Right."

"Because this environment is no longer-"

"Healthy, right." Eric nodded empathetically, not even trying to stifle a yawn. "Right, right, right."

"Great." Danny nodded back. "Well, then. If this whole damn fiasco has taught me one thing, it's that I know when I'm not wanted."

"Danny!" Eric and Rachel both protested to this but Danny waved them off, slowly standing up.

"No, no, I get it." Danny said. "Grace is clearly on to something. She's as smart as her mother." He took the quilt and folded it carefully before handing it to Rachel. "It'll be just like I was never here, trust me. I'm getting pretty good at leaving places quietly in the middle of the night."

Honestly, Danny knew he was being an asshole, but he thought he deserved a few moments of unfiltered sarcasm. He also knew Grace was right. His fight with Stan pretty much confirmed what Danny had been thinking since he had arrived at the Edwards household. He wasn't welcome, he was a guest, and he wouldn't be staying long. Still, Danny truly appreciated how much Rachel had cared for him. She had shown a surprising amount of affection. Stan had, too, when he wasn't hurling accusations at him or throwing china against the wall. They had put up with a lot, too, with Steve and Chin and Sara and Danny's incessant ramblings – yes, he knew he rambled – as well as Grace's tantrum the other night and Charlie's obliviousness.

Rachel was right, though. Danny was alone, and the prospect of returning to the home he bought specifically so his children wouldn't think he was as single as he really was in his tiny apartment did not really appeal to Danny. Eric was an oaf. Danny secretly loved his nephew, he had since he had been born, but Eric was an oaf, and quite honestly the last the last of the Williamses that Danny wanted to see at the moment.

Danny was an extrovert at heart in that he constantly yearend for the company of others. He had grown up surrounded by siblings, cousins, teammates, and friends. When he wasn't worrying himself sick – really, physically sick – about protecting every single one of them, Danny did relish in their company.

Despite the circumstances and obvious unresolved tension from nearly everyone in the house, the last few days had been at times enjoyable for Danny. He forgot about the incessant dull pain of his healing ribs when he focused on his children, or on little Sara and Chin, or on Steve playing guitar against Danny's wishes. He loved to watch Rachel bustle throughout the house, making sure everyone was okay – they were similar, that way – and the constant noises: the jingle of car keys, and clinking of dishes being set on the table, Steve strumming that damn guitar…really, Steve had been cornering Danny with his rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" for the past twenty-four hours as an attempt at repentance. The noises reminded Danny of the hustle of the city he had left seven years ago.

So, really, the idea of moving back to his silent home with a nephew who might not speak for six hours straight if he was engrossed in a video game on any given Sunday wasn't the best option.

But Rachel was tired. Stan was practically neurotic. Danny himself wasn't doing too well anymore.

"You know what, forget I said that last part." Danny muttered, breaking the awkward silence that had descended over the three. "Just let me pack up my things, yeah? Give me a few minutes."

"Danny?" Rachel called as Danny began to ascend the stairs. He turned to look at her. Once again, she held his gaze.

"Tell Steve." She said. "Don't leave without telling him again."