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The roast beef steamed in the center of the table, but Reagan's usual banter was interrupted by the loud ringing of Danny's phone.
"Danny, no phones at the table," his father reminded him.
But he wasn't listening. Frowning, he stared at the caller ID. "Sorry, I have to take this."
"Hello," he answered, then fell silent. His eyes darted to the head of the table, then to his hands, which were trembling. "I'm coming. I'm coming right now."
He pushed his chair back so hard he almost knocked it over.
"Danny? What's wrong?" Erin asked, her fork dangling in midair.
"A case?" Sean asked, standing up as his father grabbed his jacket.
Danny stopped in the doorway, holding his breath. "No. It's... it's Baez. Elena... the hospital..." He could only manage broken fragments.
The room grew cold. Sean's expression shifted from confusion to a deep, ominous fear. "Are they okay?"
"I don't know yet," Danny said, his voice breaking.
"I'm coming with you," Sean said, already getting up and heading for the door.
"No, no. Stay," his father replied.
"Should I call Jack?" Danny looked at him as if he didn't understand what he was saying. "No, no. Don't tell him anything."
"Dad, he'll want to know."
"Don't bother him until I know what happened. I'll let you know when I find out."
He disappeared through the door before anyone could offer to drive him. And suddenly, the dining room came alive again. Jamie and Erin stood up, firing off questions: Why did they call Danny? Where's her family? But Sean just sat back down, staring at his plate.
"Sean," Frank said in a low but authoritative voice. "What do you know?"
Sean looked at his grandfather, then at his aunt and uncle. "It's not my place to tell. If Dad wants you to know, he'll tell you."
Danny ran across the linoleum floors of the ER. "Maria and Elena Baez! Where are they?"
A doctor intercepted him. "You’re Detective Reagan? The next of kin?"
"Yeah, I'm... yes. How are they?"
"They’re lucky. It was a side-impact, but the car’s safety ratings held up. Detective Baez has some nasty bruising and a concussion, but she’s stable. Her daughter, however, has a clean break in her radius. She’s terrified, Detective. She’s screaming for her 'Mama,' and we can’t get her still enough to set the cast."
"Take me to her," Danny breathed.
The moment he stepped into the pediatric cubicle, Elena’s wails turned into a broken sob. "Dadda!"
Danny scooped her up, ignoring the sting in his eyes as he whispered into her hair, “It’s okay, sweetie. I’m here,” but Elena wouldn't calm down. "I know, Elena, but you need to stay still for a moment so the doctor can treat you."
"I want Mama," the toddler whimpered. "Right now Mommy needs to rest. I'm going to stay here with you, okay?". The little girl nodded and hugged him, burying her face in his chest while he held her steady while the doctors worked. Once her arm was in a cast and she fell asleep, he slipped into Maria’s room. She looked small in the hospital bed, a dark bruise blooming across her cheek.
"Our baby?" she whispered, reaching for his hand.
"She’s okay, Maria. Broken arm, but she’s a tough kid. Just like her mom." He took her hand and bring it to his lips kissing it, his expression turning serious. "The family is going to start asking why I’m the one the hospital called. It’s time, Maria. Probably way past time." She squeezed his hand, letting him know she agreed. The moment had come to reveal the secret they had been keeping for so long.
Two hours later, Danny stood in the doorway of the Reagan’s dinner room. He had called Sean to tell him he was on his way, having left Maria and Elena resting at the hospital. The rest of the Reagans were gathered, the tension thick enough to cut with a steak knife.
"Before I say a word," Danny said, his voice hard, "You have to promise that If you get angry, you get angry at me. Maria and Elena are out of limits. You don't get to judge them, whatever you think of what I’m gonna say, you’ll respect them. Do I have your word?"
"Danny, what is this?" Jamie asked.
"Your word, Jamie. Erin? Pop? Dad?"
After a round of hesitant nods, Danny took a deep breath. "Maria and Elena have been living in my house for sometime."
Erin blinked. "Living as in… sharing your roof?” Danny nodded.
The silence was deafening. Henry dropped his glasses. Frank’s eyebrows shot toward his hairline.
"So living together" Jamie stated. "Since when?"
"Since the adoption process," Danny explained, pacing the floor. "Social services was leaning toward a married couple with a 'stable two-parent household.' Maria was going to lose Elena. I couldn't let that happen. So I offered to marry her. It was supposed to be a marriage only on paper, a year of charades for the social worker, then a quiet divorce."
"And Jack and Sean?" Frank asked quietly.
“We know”, Sean rushed to say.
"They knew from day one. I wouldn't have brought a woman into our lives like that without their blessing."
“Wait…you said it was supposed to be only on paper. Does that mean…?”, Erin's tone of voice betrayed her calm facade. “Danny, are you sleeping with your partner?"
Danny looked her dead in the eye. "I’m not sleeping with my partner.” He paused before continuing, “I’m sleeping with my wife."
“What the hell, Danny? Have you lost your mind?”
Danny just looked at her and sighed. "The social worker started showing up unannounced. We had to move them in to keep the story straight. At first, she slept in Elena’s room. But...it was so easy to share our lives. So easy that at some point we weren’t pretending anymore. And one thing led to another. It stopped being a charade to start being our life."
“How could you not tell us?” Erin looked hurt,
“We just didn't know how to,” Danny admitted.
Jamie looked at his brother, stunned, and Henry looked like he needed a stiff drink. But Frank Reagan stood up, walking over to his eldest son.
"Whether we like how it started or not," Frank said, placing a heavy hand on Danny’s shoulder, "If Maria is your wife, and that little girl is your daughter... then they are Reagans. And we take care of our own."
“Thanks, Dad”. Danny seemed to deflate with relief.
“But I expect a proper introduction as soon as they leave the hospital.”
The following Sunday, the house was filled with the smell of Maria’s favorite chicken dish alongside the traditional roast. Danny walked in, carrying a diaper bag and a stack of coloring books.
"Everyone," Danny announced, a genuine, tired smile on his face. "I'd like to officially introduce my wife, Maria, to you."
Maria stepped forward, looking nervous, her arm linked with Danny's. Elena, her pink cast covered in Sharpie scrawl, spotted Frank at the head of the table. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Grandpa!" she shrieked.
"And that whirlwind obsessed with grandpa," Danny added, pointing down “is Elena,”
She bolted across the room, her tiny sneakers thudding on the hardwood, and threw herself into Frank’s waiting arms. Frank laughed and hoisted her up, settling her right on his lap.
"Well," Henry chuckled, pouring the wine. "I guess we’re going to need a bigger table."