Part 17 of CSI:NY fic
see previous entry
"Hello? Don speaking."
"Donny, its Mama. Is Danny in?"
"No, Mama, he has his last shift before finals tonight. What's wrong?"
"His father's dead. Heart attack."
"Are you going to be all right? I mean, the house and things aren't in your name."
"But he left it in Louie's. He's back home, and manager of the garage now that he's almost done with his associate's. His girl's a good one, she's here now."
"Do you need us to do anything? Do you want me to arrange for a dispensation from the committee so he can come to the funeral?"
"Could you? Just for the funeral. I won't make him come to the wake. Maybe be there at the grave, then you two can take all the children to a movie."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll have Danny call you early tomorrow morning, as he won't be back until 11."
"OK. You're a good boy. Ciao."
"Bye, Mama."
When Danny got home from work, he was exhausted, and didn't even notice Don's presence in front of him until he ran into him. Looking up at his lover, eyes half-lidded with sleep, he smiled.
"Hey, Don," When Don didn't smile back, he asked, "What's wrong, baby? Did your dad come by again?"
"Danny, Mama called. Your dad's dead, heart attack"
After a few seconds of shock, Danny relaxed, saying, "Oh. Is Mama going to be OK, financially, at least?"
"Louie's been willed the house and stuff. He's living at home, has a steady girl, a good job...I think she's just relieved. I said you'd call her back tomorrow morning."
"OK...I hate that I feel this way, but I'm kinda glad he's dead," Danny sighed, falling against Don's chest.
Pulling Danny into a hug, Don said, "Given what you and Mama have said about him, I'm not surprised. Come on, it's late. Sleep."
Don took a few minutes at the end of his shift to call Mr Jenkins about Danny's dispensation.
"Chief Jenkins. Speak."
"Sir, This is Don Flack. I'm calling on behalf of Danny Messer."
"What's the problem? Why aren't you speaking to your father about this?"
"I...Gregory Messer died yesterday. Bella Messer has asked if Danny can come to the graveyard, since she knows the wake would be asking too much, for Danny and for the committee."
"I don't see what would be wrong with that. He will have to promise to avoid interacting with most of the family members, but if he's just there to hold his mother at the service, that’d be doable. I assume you're going also?"
"Yes, sir. And that sounds like an agreeable arrangement. Danny and I have been assigned to take all of his younger cousins to a movie during the wake."
"Right. I'll sign off on it. I don't want to pry into family matters, but has the old man pulled his head out of his ass yet?"
"Nah. He's still all up in arms about it. Ma took pity on him, now that it’s cold, so he's not exiled to the couch anymore..."
"Has he at least stopped screaming every time he sees you? I heard from your Lute that he came by during shift to yell at you."
"Yeah. Sorry to cut this off, but the Lute's trying to get my attention. Mail Danny about the dispensation getting approved? He'll want his own copy."
"Sure. Take care, Don."
The funeral was a huge affair at the church near the house. This would be Gregory Messer's first time inside a church since Danny's christening, so it was all Danny could do to keep from laughing. As Danny, Don, Bella, and Louie got in the car together to go to the graveyard, Don pulled Danny into a hug, pressing a kiss to his temple.
"So, where are we taking the munchkins?"
"They range in age from 4 to 13, so we should probably take them to something tame Maybe Nightmare Before Christmas? It's PG.
They turned their attention to Mama, as she seemed to be struggling between being happy that her abuser was dead, and mourning the kind man Greg was when they got married.
Louie said, "Mama, you can cry if you want, or you can giggle hysterically, or whatever. I know he wasn’t the best guy in the world."
Don added, "I'd go for the giggling. It can be interpreted as the observer wants. Hysterical grief, or extreme relief."
Danny laughed, "Don's a poet, and didn't know it!"
This earned him a soft smack in the head and chuckles all around. By the time they all calmed down, they were turning into the graveyard. The graveside service was pretty short, just laying flowers and a benediction. They stopped at the house, where one of Gregory's sisters had brought her minivan, and one of the cousins had a station wagon, which they promptly loaded the kids into, heading toward the nearest multiplex. Thankfully for their sanity, all the parents had brought play clothes for the kids to change into after they left the graveyard, so no worries about fruit punch on velvet, or a comparable cleaning disaster.
"Hello? Don speaking."
"Donny, its Mama. Is Danny in?"
"No, Mama, he has his last shift before finals tonight. What's wrong?"
"His father's dead. Heart attack."
"Are you going to be all right? I mean, the house and things aren't in your name."
"But he left it in Louie's. He's back home, and manager of the garage now that he's almost done with his associate's. His girl's a good one, she's here now."
"Do you need us to do anything? Do you want me to arrange for a dispensation from the committee so he can come to the funeral?"
"Could you? Just for the funeral. I won't make him come to the wake. Maybe be there at the grave, then you two can take all the children to a movie."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll have Danny call you early tomorrow morning, as he won't be back until 11."
"OK. You're a good boy. Ciao."
"Bye, Mama."
When Danny got home from work, he was exhausted, and didn't even notice Don's presence in front of him until he ran into him. Looking up at his lover, eyes half-lidded with sleep, he smiled.
"Hey, Don," When Don didn't smile back, he asked, "What's wrong, baby? Did your dad come by again?"
"Danny, Mama called. Your dad's dead, heart attack"
After a few seconds of shock, Danny relaxed, saying, "Oh. Is Mama going to be OK, financially, at least?"
"Louie's been willed the house and stuff. He's living at home, has a steady girl, a good job...I think she's just relieved. I said you'd call her back tomorrow morning."
"OK...I hate that I feel this way, but I'm kinda glad he's dead," Danny sighed, falling against Don's chest.
Pulling Danny into a hug, Don said, "Given what you and Mama have said about him, I'm not surprised. Come on, it's late. Sleep."
Don took a few minutes at the end of his shift to call Mr Jenkins about Danny's dispensation.
"Chief Jenkins. Speak."
"Sir, This is Don Flack. I'm calling on behalf of Danny Messer."
"What's the problem? Why aren't you speaking to your father about this?"
"I...Gregory Messer died yesterday. Bella Messer has asked if Danny can come to the graveyard, since she knows the wake would be asking too much, for Danny and for the committee."
"I don't see what would be wrong with that. He will have to promise to avoid interacting with most of the family members, but if he's just there to hold his mother at the service, that’d be doable. I assume you're going also?"
"Yes, sir. And that sounds like an agreeable arrangement. Danny and I have been assigned to take all of his younger cousins to a movie during the wake."
"Right. I'll sign off on it. I don't want to pry into family matters, but has the old man pulled his head out of his ass yet?"
"Nah. He's still all up in arms about it. Ma took pity on him, now that it’s cold, so he's not exiled to the couch anymore..."
"Has he at least stopped screaming every time he sees you? I heard from your Lute that he came by during shift to yell at you."
"Yeah. Sorry to cut this off, but the Lute's trying to get my attention. Mail Danny about the dispensation getting approved? He'll want his own copy."
"Sure. Take care, Don."
The funeral was a huge affair at the church near the house. This would be Gregory Messer's first time inside a church since Danny's christening, so it was all Danny could do to keep from laughing. As Danny, Don, Bella, and Louie got in the car together to go to the graveyard, Don pulled Danny into a hug, pressing a kiss to his temple.
"So, where are we taking the munchkins?"
"They range in age from 4 to 13, so we should probably take them to something tame Maybe Nightmare Before Christmas? It's PG.
They turned their attention to Mama, as she seemed to be struggling between being happy that her abuser was dead, and mourning the kind man Greg was when they got married.
Louie said, "Mama, you can cry if you want, or you can giggle hysterically, or whatever. I know he wasn’t the best guy in the world."
Don added, "I'd go for the giggling. It can be interpreted as the observer wants. Hysterical grief, or extreme relief."
Danny laughed, "Don's a poet, and didn't know it!"
This earned him a soft smack in the head and chuckles all around. By the time they all calmed down, they were turning into the graveyard. The graveside service was pretty short, just laying flowers and a benediction. They stopped at the house, where one of Gregory's sisters had brought her minivan, and one of the cousins had a station wagon, which they promptly loaded the kids into, heading toward the nearest multiplex. Thankfully for their sanity, all the parents had brought play clothes for the kids to change into after they left the graveyard, so no worries about fruit punch on velvet, or a comparable cleaning disaster.