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“Babe, it’s admirable, honestly it is, but I’m not letting you do it.”
“Why not?” Steve frowned as Danny’s words sank in, Steve turned on Danny, his brow furrowed into a deep frown. “And Excuse me? You won’t let me?”
“Exactly, you are not thinking clearly.” Danny held his hands in front of him in supplication.
“I’m a trained warrior, Danny, I’ve done things that I shouldn’t have survived. I can handle a fucking marathon.”
“I have no doubt that you can handle a marathon, Steven. What you are planning on doing is so far from a marathon that it barely even lives in the same universe.”
“I can do it.” Steve responded through clenched teeth. “What part of I’m a SEAL don’t you get?”
“What part of you were so close to death less than six months ago they had already administered last rites don’t you get?” Danny waved his arms wildly as he yelled at his partner.
“I’m fine now.” Steve shrugged.
“No.” Danny stalked towards him and jabbed him in the chest. “Maybe back when you were all gung ho, hoorah baby SEAL you were fine. Hell even last year, you were fine. Now? Now you are barely holding the various bits and pieces together with spit and determination. I live with you Babe, I see how long it takes you to actually move in the mornings. I see how hard it is for you to hold yourself upright at the end of the day. You can’t do that without breaking yourself.”
“I promised Gracie.” Steve almost whispered.
“And she barely even recognizes us again yet, she’ll understand that you just can’t do it.”
“It’s a fucking Marathon, Danny. I can do it.”
“For fucks sake, the It’s Just a Marathon line doesn’t even count babe. Anything that calls itself ‘NoBullshit’ is not ‘Just a Marathon’, Steven. You don’t think I can’t work the internet, goofy thumbs and all? It’s a 12 mile obstacle course planned by British Special Forces.”
“And?” Steve growled.
“The answer is No.” Danny responded. “I don’t care what you want or what you think you’re doing. You are not doing that ‘Just a Marathon’.”
“I’m sorry? You are so not my mother, Daniel. I already have one of those and she doesn’t give a shit what I do, just so long as I don’t follow her.”
“Your mom and dad issues aside, you have to have someone to look after you Babe. Look after you properly, fucking care about YOU, especially when you won’t.” Danny turned his back on Steve and walked out onto the lanai.
Steve watched him walk away, watched his shoulders slump and followed him slowly.
“Danny, you didn’t see her little face when she saw the spot they did about it on the news. She connected with it. I couldn’t do anything else. I had to promise her that I would do it.” He put his hands on Danny’s shoulders and rubbed them gently. “I know what my body can do, D. I wouldn’t have signed up if I wasn’t sure I could do it.”
Danny turned in Steve’s embrace and leaned on the railing as he looked up into Steve’s face.
“You don’t know what she was thinking, Steve, she hasn’t remembered how to communicate yet. She might have seen that and remembered that you’re her superSEAL, that doesn’t mean that she wants you to half kill yourself in some stupid warrior thing. She might have seen it and it was just men moving on the screen. Just because her eyes are open, it doesn’t mean she’s really in there, babe, no matter how much we want her to be.”
“She remembers, Danny. I know she remembers.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because we had a secret. It was our special time. We would spend an hour or two helping out for the Wounded Warrior Project and then we’d go to Ala Moana. It made her proud to help out and feel patriotic. It made me feel like I was important to her.”
“Why didn’t I know this?” Danny asked incredulously.
“Because like I told you, it was our special thing, me and Grace. I know nothing about being a Dad but she was teaching me. But the thing is that I know she remembered. I know if she sees me doing it, she might remember more.”
“Alright, Babe. I’ll grant you that might be enough to make you want to do it, but it’s far too strenuous. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“I’m fine and I have four weeks anyway. I can train.” Steve stroked Danny’s back soothingly.
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this.” Danny looked up at the sky, before he looked back into his partners face. “Here’s the deal. If you’re doing it. I am too.”
“You’re not trained for it.” Steve narrowed his eyes as he looked at his partner.
“I’m pretty sure I could whip your ass at the moment.” Danny challenged him.
“Is that a threat, Detective?” Steve smiled knowing that he had gotten his own way. Not that he would have changed his plans anyway. It would just be nice to do it without having Danny bitching at him every step of the way.
“Not a threat, Babe, that’s a promise.”