She had made a point to spend as much time as she possibly could with him since she had arrived in Hawaii. She had been raised in a similar environment, the California coast, but her heart had always been in the city. D.C. was home and Jersey had become a friendly and frequent stop for her after she had first met the Williams brothers in a bar out there.
So the least she could do was spend some quality time with the man while she was on his home turf. Danny was a little firecracker, he had more attitude than she thought they usually gave the manly types, and he made her laugh. She could forget the world when he was close by. Even just over a quick cup of coffee before he went to work, she was always glad to have gone.
This afternoon she had brought him lunch. And dragged his ass to a little farmer’s market, just so they could chat and look at stuff and she had promised, if he was a good boy, she would let him pick a henna tattoo for her to get that weekend. She had even roped him into dancing with her for a moment where some performers had set up and other people were dancing, and it was such a good day.
At least, it started that way.
The call came on her phone first, a cryptic voice that she did not know asking her about a bag. She had thought it was a prank at first, brushed if off but suddenly Danny’s eyes had gone wide and he had grabbed her and made to run away, but the backpack she had been sitting next to had gone off too soon. They had crashed to the grass and everything that had been around them had come down over them in a mess of dirt, fire and wood.
Tess woke up a while later, and everything hurt. She was trapped by some of beams that had built up the burrito stand and she blinked until she realized Danny was stuck in the same little cravice of the wreckage. Except…”Oh God,” She murmured, scooting closer. One of her arms was definitely broken, but Danny had a big, scary chunk of wood sticking out of his chest, his beautiful blue shirt stained with his blood.
"Danny," She touched his face and he looked at her, smiling slightly.
She didn’t want to make him worry, if his blood pressure stayed down…maybe. “It’s not that bad, babe.” She told him, but her voice may have betrayed her as she reached to brush his hair, usually well groomed, from his face. “Someone is gonna be here for us soon, okay?”
He moaned, his head rolling back. “Make sure Steve helps take care of Grace…”
"And you better make sure you take care of yourself, okay? Promise.”
Her jaw was shaking uncontrollably but she nodded, tears spilling down her face. She leaned over him and pressed a kiss to his mouth, something small and chaste, but loving. “I…”
"I know, Tess." His voice was softer and she opened his eyes to see his were fluttering. It was like going over a hill on a roller coaster, except all she felt was the dread, knowing what was happening.
He took one more breath, and then he exhaled slowly and was gone. She laid her cheek on his shoulder, her tears wetting his shirt as she waited for help to come, keeping him close. She wished she knew how to get a hold of Matt, she wished he hadn’t dragged her out of the way and risked his own life.
She wished to God she wouldn’t have to tell all the people he loved that he was gone.