A/N: If any of you readers are ever in the
Chapter 218:Danny XIX—Seen Enough
I love her. Danny thought. I love her so much but… he didn’t know. He needed to talk to someone, and not some teammate who would just tell him the same thing they always did, that he needed to get it over with and jump her or get laid on the road.
He needed a
woman’s advice and Danny knew that there was nothing wrong with wanting that.
Every man should have a woman’s opinion on things. Who better, Danny thought as
he took the now so familiar road to the
Danny was in a jolly mood and he whistled to himself as he stood outside the door, knocked. At that point he noticed that Patrick’s car was nowhere in the driveway. Did that mean Mimi wasn’t home either? He rung the doorbell, heard the puppy’s frantic barking from inside. The door opened and there…. She… was…
“My God!” Danny exclaimed, Mimi had a smile on her face but he could see that she had been crying. Dammit! What was making her so miserable and why did he have to be the only one to see it.
“Oh, Daniel,” Mimi said as she opened the door, the puppy jumped out and clawed at his legs. “What brings you over here.”
“MIMI!” Danny exclaimed as he entered the house, and he pressed his hands into her warm, thin, upper arms, he squeezed, almost shook her in his frustration. “WHAT is going on! WHAT!”
Mimi’s face crumpled and she looked angry as she pushed him with an amazing amount of strength. “Oh stop it!” She snapped. “I am just fine.”
Danny shook his head, “No, no, no, you’ve been crying and that is not the first time I’ve seen you like this. You’ve got to tell me…. Dammit who did this?”
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “Close the door,” she said, “The cold air is getting in.”
Danny did as he was told and he followed her into the kitchen, the warm, fragrant kitchen and he watched her as she opened the fridge and pulled out two beers, one of which she handed to him. She opened hers and sat down at the table, she opened it, took a drink and wrinkled her nose as if she hated the taste. “Sit down,” she said, “You’re making me nervous standing there, looming yes?”
“Looming?” Danny said as he sat down. “Is that how a man makes you feel when he stands near you. Looming?”
The Frenchwoman lifted one honey colored eyebrow and half grinned. She shook her head and muttered something to herself in French as she took another drink of beer, again crinkled her nose.
“Well?” Danny asked.
“You are a nosy puppy, yes?” Michele said. “Yes Daniel, I was crying but not the way you think, so stop worrying.”
“Well how many other ways are there of crying?” Danny asked.
“How about,” Mimi said and she leaned forward on the table, pinning him with her sparkly blue eyes. “Happiness, laughter?”
“What?” Danny asked.
Michele smiled and giggled. “Jennifer, Mrs. Foote you know? She was here yes, earlier, and she was telling the most appalling, most obscene jokes and I was laughing so hard I could not stop crying! Oo Danny my tummy, it still hurts from all the laughing, I thought I would just… throw up. It’s terrible.”
Danny felt a smile tug at his mouth but he tried to fight it down. “Dirty jokes? Jenn was telling… dirty jokes? Now I know you’re lying!”
Mimi took another drink of beer and shook her head, cringing, “Do you want the rest? I cannot finish this, it’s a man’s drink, and I know it. But no Daniel, I am not lying she was telling jokes… oh it was terrible and so funny would you like to hear some? I had to ask her to leave because I was about to… oh never mind!”
Danny knew the smile was cracking his face as he saw her laughing, leaning her chin in her hand, vibrant eyes, she wasn’t lying. “Ok then, tell me one,” he said, wondering what her mouth would look like as she told him one, how she would blush.
“Which one would you like to hear?” she said in a low, conspiratorial voice, “The one about the priest and the penitent woman or the one about the big dog and the mailman who had a gigantic…”
Danny’s heart stopped and he gasped. “Mimi NO don’t!”
Michele laughed and blushed, covered her mouth, “Oh merci Daniel! Thank you!”
Danny shook his head, blushing himself, “For what?”
“Not making me go through with it,” she squeaked and she covered her face, she looked at him again with tears sparkling in her eyes, “My tummy hurts so much I am going to laugh to death I know it!”
Danny laughed as well. “OK I believe you!”
The laugh died instantly in her throat and she narrowed her eyes. “Good you silly thing!” she snipped. “What would I have to be crying about anyway?”
Danny shrugged and took a long drink from the beer.
“Mmhmm,” she nodded. “And now what are you doing here, no longer a bachelor eh? You should have told me! Let me in on your secret how I would have loved to look at Cecile and know that any day you would be popping that question.”
“Hehe,” Danny replied, “That’s.. that’s actually what I wanted to ask you about.”
“Oo?” Michele perked, “What do you want to know?”
“She loves me,” Danny said, taking a deep breath, “of course she would want to marry me as soon as possible, and it’s been years, how much longer can we wait? It’s impossible to wait any longer than we have already.”
Michele nodded, pursed her lips a little, “Yes?” she said. “So you’re impatient? Ready to move to the next step yes?”
Danny nodded. “In a way, yeah I am. I mean as soon as her mother returns, I know Cecile will tell her and it will just make everything better, so I know I’m being paranoid and stupid…”
Michele lifted her eyebrow, “But?”
Danny grimaced, “But what if she doesn’t? What if she got scared again, lost her voice, became that submissive little girl she usually is when she even thinks of the old woman. How bad could she possibly be that Cecile would change into a completely different person? What if she puts here mom over me again! I mean what am I supposed to think? How am I supposed to feel?”
Michele’s mouth turned down at one corner and she reached out, pressed her hand into his arm. “You poor thing, it hurts you yes? Every time she has kept you hidden from her mama, your feelings have been hurt?”
Danny felt his cheeks burn and he didn’t make eye contact, “Yeah,” he said, “it hurts but it has to change I mean it will!”
“Yes!” Michele said in an eager voice, “It will. And you will be so happy!”
“But what if she doesn’t, I mean does it mean she doesn’t care enough?”
Michele shook her head. “It isn’t for me to say,” she said, “I do not know her heart.”
“But,” Danny said, “You’re a woman!”
Michele smiled. “Never ask a woman about another’s heart, the only thing a woman can know of another’s is how fast the arrow can fly into it, and a woman never misses her mark.”
Danny grinned. “Oh you’re being silly now, you’re not that evil.”
Michele shrugged. “Perhaps I am not, but I cannot tell you what drives your sweetheart, yes?”
“It’s up to me huh?” he asked.
Mimi nodded. “You know what is in your heart, and you know how long you are willing to wait and compromise and you alone know if it is worth it in the end. The moment you doubt how you feel is the moment that it is no longer right. Now when you think of her, tell me, what do you feel?”
“I love her,” he said, “And she loves me.”
Michele clapped her hands. “So stop worrying! Perhaps she will balk when she sees her mother again, and you will wait a little longer but the ring on her finger will…”
Danny blushed. “I haven’t given it to her yet… not for another couple of weeks.”
“No ring?” Michele exclaimed. “Daniel how terrible!”
Danny cringed. “That bad?”
Michele squinted, “Maybe not come to think of it. Her mama may be back before the ring and perhaps she gets nervous again, and then you give her the ring… once she has it in her hand, poof she finds a new shot of strength, she remembers that she is bound to you and all is well.”
Danny laughed. “You’re so wonderful! What would we have done without you?”
Mimi winked and Danny felt the ticklings of that zest, that naughty little…
“Hey,” he said, distracting himself by grabbing a pair of long, dark blue winter gloves that had been on the table. “These can’t be yours, look how big they are!”
Michele grinned. “Aww,” she said as she took the gloves from him and she pressed them against her hand, they were indeed too long for her. “Jennifer must have left these. Well, now I have something to do, I can return…”
Danny felt sweat prickling under his shirt as he found himself becoming more aware of how sweet she smelled, how pretty she was…
“Hey,” he said standing up and taking the gloves, “I’ll drop em off, you don’t need to go out, and you have too much to do.”
Michele raised her eyebrows. “If it’s that important to you?”
“Heh,” Danny said, “No problem, you’re a doll Mimi I gotta go!”
She had the most adorable, quizzical expression on her face as he waved goodbye and made a hasty exit and Danny knew he could not stay in her presence one moment longer. The poor woman just didn’t realize what she did to his well being!
Danny breathed out and let the cold air blast him as he drove with an open window, humming to himself loudly until he found Adam’s house. Jennifer told dirty jokes and was good at it? The thought boggled his mind as he stepped out of his car and that’s when he saw the door opening. He stopped and stood still as he recognized Patrick Roy as the man stepped onto the porch, he was laughing loudly and he didn’t seem to notice Danny as he walked to his own car that was in the Foote’s driveway.
“You son of a bitch see if I care!” he heard a woman scream and Danny recognized Jennifer Foote as she appeared at the doorway, she was clutching a dressing robe around her body. “You’re not the best fuck I could get so don’t act like you’re GOD!”
“Au Revoir!” Patrick said jauntily and he laughed loudly as he got into his car, and drove away. Jennifer for her part slammed the door shut.
Danny ran his tongue over his lips which dried tightly and painfully in the cold air and he felt a nauseated turn in his stomach. It was obvious what he had just witnessed and neither of them seemed to have noticed him. He thought of pretty Mimi, how she had been so close to witnessing this exact scene, what would she have done? How would she have been crushed? Her close friend, who had just been with her that day, amusing her to tears only to be here now, betraying her with… And her husband! How could he? What more could he want that he didn’t appreciate so lovely a wife! How dare he…
Danny scowled and he threw Jennifer’s gloves, her big fat gloves onto the yard and he cursed as he got into his car. He wanted to knock on that door, sit Jennifer down and make her sorry for all the evil she was doing to Mimi. But he didn’t know what to do really. He didn’t want to hurt Michele, he didn’t want to be the bearer of horrible news and he also knew that according to the Code, that this was none of his business. Patrick’s rank was a world higher than his own and law dictated, that he keep his fat mouth shut.
“Yeah Kid you look like a man engaged, like your life has been drained, like the very marrow is being slurped from your very bones…..”
It was the next day in the practice facility and Danny just glared at Rob Blake who raised his eyebrows. “Geez sorry,” he said, “What’s your problem?”
Danny shrugged. “I guess I just woke up wrong.” He said.
“Ooo,” Blake mouthed out and he turned to Foote. “Hey Footie are ya gonna be mean to me?”
Foote grinned, and he didn’t say anything.
“Hehe,” Patrick Roy laughed and Hinote felt his stomach boil with anger just looking at Patrick, knowing how he was betraying his wife, betraying his friend, his teammate. “Eh Adam what’s with the grin, I haven’t seen you smile like that since….”
Adam raised his eyebrows, “Patty it was amazing! I come home yesterday and I was almost drunk… kinda, not really anyway the kids are having a nap and the nanny’s gone and I see my wife come at me with this expression on her face and I think, yeah she’s gonna wench at me like she has been lately…”
“Yeah?” Patty said.
“And the little bitch, you won’t believe this, she slaps me she frigging slaps me and says it’s all my fault!” Adam said and he laughed again.
“What’s your fault?” Drury said.
“Probably his late inability to get it up,” Keaner snorted and there was a round of laughter. Foote’s face darkened and he glared at Patty.
“You bastard,” he snapped.
Patty grinned and shrugged.
Foote rolled his eyes and he smiled. “Well that doesn’t matter anymore because the second she slapped me you won’t believe this, I got a boner so hard I didn’t realize that they could hurt like that!”
There was more laughter and Hinote cringed inwardly, that was disgusting.
“Sounds beautiful my friend,” Patrick said and the others laughed.
“Oh Patty!” Foote said. “It was! I mean it was so hot and heavy I just started crying like a baby! Dammit who woulda thought that it took my wife whacking my brains out in order for me to screw hers out!”
Congratulations all around were thrown and more whistles and laughter, Danny just sighed and leaned back into the wall, closed his eyes and that’s when he heard someone say, “Hey Tangs!”
Danny opened his eyes and saw Tanguay with an unusual expression on his face as he entered the room.
“Duuuuuuuuuude!” Chris Drury said. “You got some too! You got some gooood!”
Tangers rolled his eyes. “Yeah maybe I did.”
That started uproar of everyone jumping up and staring at him and exclaiming. Danny raised his eyebrows and Tangers rolled his eyes.
“Hey so you lost your virginity right?” Blake asked.
Tangs glared at Blake, “Nooo I wasn’t a virgin, but I think it was starting to grow back there, thank God I guess.”
More laughter and Danny decided to get in on it just to get his mind off other things. “So who’d you meet? Is she cool?” he asked.
“Who didn’t I meet is the question,” Tangers said in a peevish voice. “Rick Berry came over yesterday and before I knew it I woke up in a bed with two blondes and him and a brunette came out of my bathroom…”
“You banged three chicks last night!” Footer exclaimed. “Woah there Tiger and Rick was in on it?”
Tangers crossed his arms and said, “And apparently that news anchor off the Fox channel, you know the guy all the girls like.”
“Phil Keating?” Mike Modano said, “The cute one?”
Danny frowned and looked at Modo as did everyone else, Modano shrugged. “Well am I right?”
“Yes!” Tangers snapped, “He came out of my bathroom sometime after the brunette did and he was all smiling and calling my “honey” sooo that’s what I want you guys to help me out on.”
“Did he molest you or something?” Drury said with a laugh.
“Nooo not really well kinda… oooo!” Tangers snipped and he pulled a videotape out of his duffel bag. “I just want you guys’ advice on whether I should press charges or not. I think they did something funny to me.”
Danny really didn’t know what to say but everyone else seemed to have enough to say as it was. So he just went along with it as the guys laughed at the very fact that the whole thing was on tape and that Tangs was indeed going to let them see it!
“Have you seen it?” Hinote asked. He had seen porn before, not been too amused by the artificiality of it and he didn’t really like the idea of seeing Tangers in something like that.
Tanguay shook his head. “I’m too scared to see it alone, so here it goes.”
He slid the tape into the VCR and the whole group gathered around the TV, of course with Joe Sakic exclaiming the entire inappropriateness of the situation and that the only reason he was allowing it was if Alex really needed it to clear his conscience.
The first thing that appeared on the tape was a close up of a young boy’s face and Danny felt horrified to recognize that it was Jonathan Roy.
“My BOY!” Patty exclaimed. “What the hell is this?”
Tangers frowned, “I think that was from awhile ago I think they reused an old tape.
“Heeeeeeee!” Jonathan giggled to the camera, “I HATE Danny Hinote so here is my play,” Danny blushed and he felt some of the guys look at him as the boy picked up some paper dolls and held them. “Here’s Danny!” Jonathan said, and he danced the doll to a female one, “OOOO Mimi you smell so niiiiice!” He then held up the girl doll, “Nooo Danny! Stay away!” Danny felt himself boil red with humiliation, and Jonathan danced another doll in, “Get your hands of my mommy!” He then picked up the girl doll, “Jonathan don’t make a scene pleeeease! Danny leave!” Jonathan then ripped the Danny doll in half and then Jonathan glared at the camera, “And that’s why I’m here in exile cause Mom took DANNY’S side over mine and I’m supposed to take a vacation here!”
All eyes were on Danny now and he gulped. “It’s not what it seems,” he whispered. There was a unified rolling of eyes as they all looked back at the television.
“I’m bored!” Jonathan exclaimed as he glared at the camera, “and Gigi just ate the rest of my dolls… ewwwwwwwwww she just threw them up!”
In the
background they could hear the puppy whine and Jonathan rolled his eyes. “I shoulda left her at home but that woulda
made MOM happy!” The boy sighed and picked up a television guide. “I’m going to
read you the TV guide…. Ahem… Rochelle, Rochelle a young woman’s strange erotic
journey from
At that point Danny thought he was just going to die but the tape fizzed and then cut to a semi light bedroom and there were two women pawing at a man who was indeed that news anchor, Phil Keating and there was Rick Berry laughing as he wrestled with his shoes and Tangers was laughing in a high pitched tone that just wasn’t normal for him. He was sitting on the bed and some women came from behind the camera, a plump brunette, and she kissed Tangers who suddenly pushed her off.
“Nooo!” Tangers said, “I’m not like that! I don’t even know who you are.”
“Linda!” the woman said, “Come on sweetcheeks lemme take good care of ya!”
“Linda Cartwright!” Peter Forsberg said, “Hey I know her!”
Everyone looked at Peter and he grinned, “And that’s Candy and that’s Clarice?”
“Clarissa,” Tangers corrected, “her name’s Clarissa.”
Peter shrugged, “Whatever.”
At that moment, one of the blond women who had been stimulating Phil Keating looked at the camera and said in a slurred voice, “How does that feel Mr. One Bang is enough Forsberg. I hope you’re watching!”
“Hooo yeah,” Peter laughed and Danny sighed.
Tangers shook his head as he was watching himself on the television fumbling with that Linda girl who finally stood up and sighed. “OK you’re gonna need some help, how about this?”
“HUH!” Tangers on television said in a weak voice and Linda reached into a purse and pulled out what looked like nail polish and she opened it, pulled out the brush and kneeling in front of him, she grabbed his hand and painted something over his wrist, “How’s that for stimulation,” she said and Tangers on television moaned loudly.
“MON DIEU!” he cried and he passed out on the bed.
“Oh shit!” Linda said, “Girls I think I gave him too much! Now what?”
“He prolly finished too fast then,” one of the blond ladies said loudly. “Just forget it.”
Linda sighed and jumped Rick Berry.
Tangers promptly turned off the television causing great distress in the locker room and he snapped. “What did they give me?”
“Knocked you right out,” Patty said. “Weird, and made you come too from the looks of it.”
“Ewww!” Tangers said. “Ew! Ew! It was a date rape drug wasn’t it! They gave me a manrape drug or something!”
That caused a lot of stir in the locker room and Danny was comfortable enough to disappear into the shadows on this one. As long as they were talking about some frightening, new drug on the market, then that meant, they weren’t thinking about that previous bit of film, the piece with Jonathan Roy.
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