Chapter 19: Danny III--A Slinking Dog

Chapter 19: Danny III—A Slinking Dog

Danny was suffocating, he knew it, and he was going to die. He couldn’t breathe anymore and he was actually feeling scared, Cecile was right, these kids were deadly!

With one last mighty heave, one last ditch effort to preserve his life as he knew it, Dan stood up and three wiry kids were scattered in three different directions. The sheer effort of it sucked the blood out of his dizzy, concussed head and Dan’s eyes fluttered. With a moan, Danny crumpled to his butt onto the carpet and lay back, staring at the ceiling.

Damn, he thought, bless Pat Karns. If I were in a real game right now....I’d be dead! I ain’t healthy.

"Jonathen! Dan is injured, you should know better!"

Danny sighed, as he heard Michele’s voice. She really sounded mad. She proceeded to berate the kids in French, the only words he could recognize were...well his own name. Jonathen replied in French, and he could hear some small peeps from the other two kids.

"Now, apologize!" Michele finished in English.

Dan opened his eyes slowly when he felt tiny hands on his cheek. He was looking straight into Jana Roy’s huge, blue eyes. "I’m sorry Danny," she peeped and she gave him a tiny kiss on the chin.

"Ooooh," Danny moaned as he sat up and squinted at the people around him.

"Yeah," Jonathen said, "We’re real sorry, that was stupid of us, I forgot about your coconut."

Freddy, quiet as always, simply gave Dan a hug. "Eh, that’s alright kids," he said, "I shouldn’t have scored that goal on Jonny, aye?"

The kids laughed. Danny had been playing carpet hockey, being a one-man team against the triumvirate of Roy kids. When he had shot the foam puck in on Jonathen, the irate youngsters had promptly mobbed him.

"Well," Michele said through angry, slitted eyes, "Be careful!"

She whirled around, and stalked back into the kitchen where Danny could smell something else gorgeous cooking. Oh he knew that he was gaining weight in this house. How could Tangers ever have left? Lavish meals and then working the calories off wrestling with these three hooligans. Great trade there.

Danny leaned his head forward a bit and worked his mouth open and closed, he really felt rung up. He glanced at Jonathen as the boy sat down next to him on the carpet and placed his rather large hand on Danny’s knee. "I’m really sorry," Jonathen said again, "Look we don’t have to play anymore, you won. We can just sit here, no?"

"Yeah," Freddy piped in, "we can just sit here...."

"Orrrrrrrrrr!" Jonathen said, getting a suddenly frightening gleam in his eyes, "Danny can referee our pillow fiiiiiight!"

"Oh boy," Danny said under his breath.

Jonathen immediately grabbed a pillow off the couch and whumped Freddy in the face with it. The boy squeaked and cracked down onto the carpet. Jana squealed too and jumped on Jonathen from behind like a spider monkey and soon all three kids were tangled in one snorting, screaming, suddenly volatile ball.

"What did I just say!" Michele cried, she was standing in the doorway, cooking mitts enveloping her tiny arms.

The kids untangled themselves from each other, laughing and blinking.

"We weren’t hurting Danny," Jana said with chin jutted conviction, her thin, pale hair standing up in all directions from static electricity.

Michele pursed her lips and shook her head. "Well, Daniel does not need to be hearing your noise either," she said in a tired voice, "And neither do I. Go on, upstairs and clean your rooms, and all of you need showers before dinner too. Go on!"

Freddy and Jana both looked at Jonathen as if their big brother could make any difference in the command. Jonathen just looked back at them and shrugged his shoulders, "Come on," he said.

The kids plodded out of the room, and then promptly broke into a loud, tumbling race up the stairs. Danny cringed and Michele closed her eyes and placed her hand on her forehead when they heard the inevitable sound of a body thumping down the stairs. There was nothing but laughter from the children, however, and whomever the third party was, rushed back up the stairs at full throttle.

"Je suis desolee, Daniel," Michele said, looking almost sadly into his face. Danny felt speechless all of a sudden as Michele walked over to him and helped him to his feet.

She placed her arm around his waist, and Danny felt prickly all over suddenly. He felt fine, but for some reason, he decided to stumble a bit, causing Michele to grip him a little bit tighter. "Oh, I’m so sorry!" Michele exclaimed, "Here you are, in such an injurious state and still you are here, you should be in bed."

Danny found himself just inhaling her perfume. This woman really knew how to pick her scents!

Michele guided him into the kitchen and sat him down at the small kitchen table, pulling the curtains down on the windows to block the setting sun. "There," Michele said, "Now I can keep my eye on you. You’ll be safe!"

Danny grinned back at Michele, she was smiling again with that crooked smile. In a weird way he was going to miss it when that bruise on her lip faded, he was beginning to love that crooked smile. He suddenly couldn’t stop smiling at her. It was her eyes, they were sparkling so prettily with her smile. As if she could sense the force of his gaze, Michele giggled, "What are you smiling at?"

"You," Danny blurted, "you’re so pretty."

The smile quickly faded off Michele’s face and she blushed, casting her eyes down. "Oh," she said quickly, and she turned back to the stove. "I look terrible," she said.

Danny frowned, there was an odd hurt that gnawed in his stomach. He had meant to compliment her, not make her feel bad.

"No, really," Danny said, "You’re pretty!"

Michele sighed and placed both of her hands on the kitchen counter, leaning forward on them. Danny could see that bruise again on her shoulder blade. "Doesn’t anybody ever tell you that?" he asked, staring at the bruise.

Michele turned around, brushing some stray hair off her face. He could see tears wobbling in her eyes, but she was smiling through them. "It’s not important," she said, "I’m a mother and a wife, not...not a girl."

Danny, didn’t know what to say at that moment. Inside he was angry. No woman such as this should be surprised at receiving a such a compliment!

Dinner, as usual was wonderful. Danny knew that he would feel the calories later, but at that moment he didn’t care. It was just so pleasant to be eating such a creamy pasta dish, and dessert, scaring the kids with old time hockey stories and then helping them with the dishes. He knew, he just knew that this was how he wanted it to be with Cecile. He wanted a beautiful family and well, just all this!

Cecile! Danny suddenly saw her face in his head, and he almost felt panicked. This was the first time he had thought of her all evening! He had been thinking about her all last night, and all morning, and now it seemed that as soon as he entered the Roy house, she slipped from his mind. Guilt, swam inside him. He would have to take her out for a wonderful day on Saturday, she’ll be free then!

Danny finished drying and putting away the dishes when Michele herded the children upstairs to set them to bed. Danny yawned, he hadn’t realized how tired he was too. He knew he was gonna sleep good.

Danny looked up sharply from the dishes when he heard a loud snapping noise outside the kitchen door. He stared intently at the door. Along with Cecile, Danny had also managed to forget why he had been here in the first place. Now he remembered.

"Oh, Danny I’m sure you’re sleepy!" Michele chimed as she pranced back into the kitchen.

Danny turned around. "Hey, Mimi, have the police gotten any further on figuring out who tried.....that guy?"

Michele stopped in her tracks, her face darkening. "Les batards!" she snapped, "Those imbeciles couldn’t find the teat on a naked woman!"

Hinote raised his eyebrows, that was one quick temper. "I’m sure they’re trying their best?" Hinote said, unsure of himself suddenly.

Michele simmered down a bit, shrugging her thin shoulders. "They are useless," she said, "I don’t trust them."

"How come?" Hinote asked. He immediately regretted it.

Michele placed one hand on her hip. "They’re bullies!" she snapped, "They pretend to be there to help you. They yell at you when you don’t tell them what they want and they try to make you say things that are not true!"

Danny nodded slowly. He figured that this had something to do with Patrick’s arrest a couple years ago. He decided not to bring it up.

"We’ll be fine, Daniel," Michele said calming down almost instantly. She brushed by his arms as she went to the kitchen window, her perfume trailing behind her. "See," she said as she lifted the curtains, "there is no one.........."

Michele screamed loudly and jumped back from the window, a pair of eyes were staring back in. Danny wasted no time jumping in front of her and pushing her back. As he looked at the would be trespasser, he saw it was only an incredibly large raccoon. The coon snarled at him and leaped off the window sill, hobbling away into the darkness.

"Ooooooooooh!" Michele cried, "See! You get me all thinking about it, bringing up police and intruders!"

"Mommy!"

Danny looked over, all three children had come running downstairs, they scrambled to their mother.

"It’s alright," Danny said, "It was just a raccoon. It scared us both."

Danny sighed and sat at the small kitchen table as Michele escorted the children back upstairs a second time, looking into the huge dining room that they hadn’t used. How much was this house worth anyway? Millions?

He stood up when Michele came back into the kitchen, her face was still pale.

"I’m real sorry," Danny said.

Michele flimsily waved her hand at him, and tried to say, "it’s nothing" but instead, she burst into tears. She covered her face as she just collapsed onto the kitchen floor.

"Oh god!" Danny said as he ran to her side, "Mimi I’m real sorry! All I’ve been doing all night is make you sad!"

Michele shook her head, she was trying to calm down. Danny hesitated a bit and then put his arm around her, pulling her against his body. "Oh," Michele sobbed, "I..I’m just really tired....forgive me....I just....I’m just more scared than I thought I was...."

Danny didn’t say anything as he stroked her hair, he barely knew what to do. So he just held her, and slowly, she stopped sobbing. Even then, he held her longer. He could feel the whole span of her tiny body and of every breath she was taking. It seemed like the rhythm of her breathing as it slowed, just ebbed into him. It was a lovely feeling and one he didn’t want to end. So he just sat there on the floor with her, listening to every tick on the wall clock, letting the seconds bleed into minute upon minute.

Danny then noticed that her breathing had become a perfect, deep rhythm. She was limp in his arms. She had fallen asleep.

It wasn’t hard for him to pick her up, she was so light. He didn’t want to wake her and walking as quietly as he could her took her up the stairs and through the heavy French doors of the master bedroom. This is where Danny felt a bit odd, he knew this wasn’t a place he belonged, and he shouldn’t be carrying her into it. But it was innocent, right? He was just trying to do a good deed.

Michele moaned a bit as he placed her softly on the bed, but she didn’t wake up. Danny stood back for a bit, looking at her. He leaned forward and slipped off her shoes, causing her to stir. She was half-awake and she muttered something to herself, pulling off her flimsy sweater and dropping it next to her on the bed. She curled her hands to her cheek and she fell back asleep.

His breath caught in his throat as he hopped back from her, watching her roll over onto her side, her back facing him. He saw that bruise again, and impulsively, he leaned forward and touched it with his finger. Did Patrick ever touch her gently? he thought. Michele flinched but she didn’t wake up. Not knowing exactly why he was doing it, Danny placed his whole hand on her shoulder, skimming it lightly over her skin.

Michele reacted immediately, making a little noise like a moan and placing her hand over his. Danny kneeled down by the bed, he was beginning to feel tears on his cheeks. "You deserve better," he whispered. And he kissed her back softly, and then kissed her hand. He told himself before he kissed her that it would be just two gentle kisses, just enough to send her to sleep with something soft to remember, but he couldn’t stop. His lips trailed up her shoulder, on her bruised wrist, her fingers and then the side of her throat. The sound of her sighing sent the blood rushing throughout his whole body and as she turned body towards him, he kissed her full on the mouth.

But she didn’t return his kiss, he felt the tightness in her lips immediately, and he felt cold suddenly. Blushing, he looked at her. Her eyes were tired. "Go home, Daniel," she whispered. "Don’t bother with an old housewife."

She turned away from him again.

Danny stood up, his mouth open a bit, he was dizzy. What the hell was he doing? He sighed and looked down at his feet, and that’s when he noticed the nightstand by the bed. It was expensive looking and wooden, and cracked. He frowned and looked at it closer, the base of it was broken in...what could have done that? Hinote shook his head. A foot. A foot would have done damage like that. An angry foot kicking it in. And Michele had no doubt been sitting right there on the bed when that angry foot did it.

He had to get out of there, he was too angry to think properly. Danny quickly left the room, running his hands through his hair, trying not to mutter to himself too loudly so as not to wake the kids. When he got to the end of the long hallway, at the top of the stairs, he stopped and looked back at the bedroom.

That’s when he noticed Jonathen. The boy was standing at the other end of the hallway, silent. Danny opened his mouth to say something, had the boy seen anything? The almost vicious look in Jonathen’s eyes answered Danny’s question. Danny nodded at him and turned away, going back down the stairs, feeling like a slinking dog.

Going to sleep that night, Danny thought of the look in Jonathen’s face. It was a look he would never forget.

Links to other sites on the Web

Chapter Page
Previous Chapter
Character Page