an unexpected guest

Who: Janey and Danny
Where: their apartment
When: Late Afternoon

When Janey had finally managed to hail a cab, the cabbie, a fairly young, rough-looking man, had agreed to help her get DG home. He’d carried the girl out to the car without asking any questions. He was silent for the short drive home, too, and Janey thought with a shudder that he must’ve been used to the shady dealings of the town. He’d surprised her though. After he’d brought DG in for her and laid the girl on the guest bed as directed, Janey had reached for her purse to pay the fare, he’d shook his head and said gruffly, “It wasn’t that far ma’am—this one’s on me.” The look on his face was sympathetic—and Janey had no idea what he thought was going on, but she didn’t protest as she showed him out of the house.

The girl had remained unconscious for the ride home, seeming to toss in and out of fevered hallucinations, muttering and sometimes crying out. As Janey stood in the guest bedroom staring at the frail figure heaped atop the neatly made covers, she suddenly realized she had no idea what she was doing. She wasn’t a nurse or a doctor--or a mother, she thought with a sharp twang of sorrow. She’d had no experience caring for sick children, and only knew what she remembered from her mother taking care of her. But this girl was sicker than Janey ever imagined she’d been, save maybe once, when she was about four. She remembered being sick for days, but the third night was the worst. Her mother had sat by her side diligently, singing to her and rubbing her back soothingly, holding her and applying cool compresses to her burning brow. Finally, Janey remembered her mother scooping her up in her arms, undressing her, and plunging her into an ice-cold bath. She’d screamed bloody murder, waking her brothers, but when she was done in the tub, finally, her fever had broken.

Janey wasn’t keen on undressing the girl—she was sure if DG had been awake, she’d have been running the other way by now. The girl’s distrust and skittishness hadn’t escaped her. But she did get one of her own nightgowns, and began by taking off the girl’s gloves and boots. Then as she sat wondering whether changing her into the nightgown was a good idea, considering how much more difficult it would be changing a young girl than dressing a baby, the girl, who had been tossing and turning, sat up, her eyes half-open. Before she could fall back against the pillow again, Janey caught her around the waist and held her up.

Somehow, with a bit of cooperation, Janey managed to get the girl into the nightgown. Taking advantage of the girl’s state of half-consciousness, she also got her to swallow a couple of aspirins for the fever, since she didn’t have much else on hand. She tucked the girl back into bed with a cold compress on her face, and she seemed a bit calmer, though her cheeks were just as flushed.

Janey hovered anxiously over the bed, looking at the sleeping girl, who looked swallowed up by the bed. With a sudden inspiration, she went into her room and found the carefully-folded sketches from the jewelry box. She took them out and unfolded the first without looking at the second, or trying not to. Back in the guest bedroom, she taped the sketch on the wall above the bed, and murmured a quick prayer. O Holy Mother, watch over her—and over me. Show me how to… to what? She left the prayer hanging unfinished in the air and collapsed into the rocking chair by the bed, brushing the hair out of the girl’s eyes and adjusting the cold washcloth on her forehead. She wasn’t sure if she should call a doctor tonight. Maybe when Danny gets home. He could tell me what to do, she thought, forcing optimism through her mind and trying not to think about how he might really react.

Danny was not in a good mood when he finally came home. He'd stopped at bar after work, but after a drink or two even the whiskey wasn't dulling the burn behind his eyes. Frustrated he'd left there and headed for home, hoping he could just sleep hard and possibly not wake up again. Yes, he was in that foul of a mood. Pushing open the door to the apartment he shucked out of his damp coat and hung it by the door, hanging up his hat as well. Moving through the apartment he pulled his gun out of his holster, checked it, then placed it in the holster next to the bed. "Janey?" It had taken a moment, but he realized he hadn't seen his wife since he walked in. He left the bedroom, and moved back into the hallway. "Where are you baby?"

Janey heard Danny come in and walk down the hall, straight past without even looking in the room. She didn't say a word, glancing worriedly at the girl's burning cheeks. Despite still tossing and turning, she looked a bit more peaceful and seemed to have quieted in her murmurings. When Janey heard Danny call her, she jumped up and took a deep breath, steeling herself against whatever his reaction would be. "Hi there," she said quietly, entering the hallway. She took a few steps towards him, trying to get a reading of the expression on his face in the dim light, to know what sort of mood he was in.

"Hey back," he told her, leaning in to kiss her gently. He steeled his face against her scrutiny, not wanting to worry her about the mob and the million other things looming over his head. "Sorry I'm late, went out with the boys a little after my shift," he explained away the whiskey he was sure that still lingered on his breath. "I'm thinking about bed, though. You interested?" Maybe it wasn't a direct offer, but it had been a while.

Janey was completely taken by surprise by his response. While not exactly romantic it was pretty affectionate, for him--especially lately. And made her even more unwilling to ruin whatever good mood he might have been in. But...Maybe he doesn't have to know about her, she thought, nearly laughing aloud as the thought crossed her mind. How long could she really get away with him not noticing the sick child in the guest bedroom--or not noticing how much time she was spending in there, and wondering why?
She didn't know how to answer him. Hadn't even had time to think about what was the best way to bring this up with him, to explain how they'd ended up with this--well, practically street child in their home. "I...uh, well...I have to tell you something," she said meekly, trying not to meet his gaze. So much for the confidence she'd thought she had.

Danny's face changed a little and he dropped the idea of relations almost instantly, but he didn't completely lose the gentle demeanor. Maybe he just didn't need another woman to yell at him and tell him to get lost. "What's going on?" he asked, brushing a lock of hair off her face.

"Well..." she said, already feeling guilty as she saw his expression shift. "We have...a...guest." She reached for his hand and began to lead him into the guest room.

"It's not my mom is it?" Danny was wary as she led him towards the guest room. The last thing he wanted tonight was a visitor. Once in the guest room it took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark room before he realized that the person in the bed was too small to be his mother. Actually she looked mostly like a child. "Who is that?" he asked quickly in a loud whisper.

"She's--well, I don't even know her name," Janey confessed, realizing it only as she spoke. "She only introduced herself as...DG. I think it must be a street nickname of some kind...I met her at the cathedral." Janey couldn't keep her mouth from running--the longer she spoke, the less chance Danny had to take it in, and then maybe, just maybe, he'd take the news well.

Danny had Janey by the arm in an instant, tugging her out of the room and back into the hallway. "You're gonna have to start from the beginning and explain this. Tell me this is one of your nieces or something, because I am not seriously hearing you that you brought home a stray from the church." His look was not a happy one, brow furrowed in anger, eyes narrowed, but he kept his voice down to a harsh whisper.

Why hadn't she just told him the girl was a relative? "She's not a stray, Danny," Janey whispered fiercely. "She's a girl. A human. And she needs help. She's really ill."

"Exactly. She's not some little cat or dog that got left out on the street, she's a kid. She's probably got parents somewhere that are bound to come looking for her and then I'll be forced to arrest my own wife for kidnapping." Danny was not happy. "Or worse, she's pulling some sort of ruse and then she robs us blind. That's going to be fantastic. Jesus Janey, what the hell were you thinking?"

"She doesn't have anybody," Janey replied. The tone of his voice stung her. She didn't know for sure, though the girl had mentioned her brother who was missing and her mother was dead. But Janey could just tell. "If she did, she...she wouldn't be crying at the church all the time, would she? Danny, I couldn't just leave her there. She passed out on the floor."

Danny took a step back from Janey and ran his hands over his face and then through his hair. She'd picked up a child at the church and brought her home. This was completely ridiculous. He was a cop, he couldn't just take in random kids off the street. "You, stay here." He told her directly pointing at her and then going back into the guest room, moving up on the bed slowly. The girl was breathing heavily and when he gently pressed the back of his hand to her cheek she was almost too hot too touch. Sighing slightly he knew Janey was right. The girl was definitely sick and needed help. When he came back out he pulled the door shut behind him. "She can't stay forever Janey." Already he was thinking about having the locks on the door changed once the girl left. It was uncomfortable sending a street kid back out when she knew where he lived.

"I...I know," Janey stammered. She couldn't believe how calm Danny was staying. She tried not to think about when they'd have to put the girl back out--her heart tightened at the thought. "But we have to help her. Should we call the doctor? Do you think she'll be okay tonight?" Janey felt suddenly vulnerable, and resisted the urge to press herself into Danny's chest, into his arms.

He was surprised himself at how calm he was staying. There was surely the urge to punch a hole in his wall, but for some reason he'd sworn too long ago that he wouldn't be deliberately violent with Janey like that. Danny knew full well that she just wanted to take care of someone, she'd always wanted to. Was it right of him to take it away now even though everything in him screamed that this was a bad idea. "Give her through the night before you call a doctor," he told Janey. "Keep her wrapped up warm, even though she's hot. She'll sweat the fever out. If it doesn't break by morning we'll call a doctor." No matter how idiotic of an idea it was to take this girl in, run the risk of both of them getting sick too, Danny had a hard time saying no to Janey. It was a good thing she asked for so little.

Janey nodded, almost zombie-like, in response to his recommendations. "I'm sorry..."she murmured. She looked past him to the girl in the bed, already knowing she'd stay the night by her side. She looked up at Danny, and carefully, cautiously wrapped her arms around his waist. "But thank you..."

Danny sighed again, holding his wife close and wishing briefly he was someone else. Their unexpected visitor was the last thing he needed but still she was here and there wasn't much he could do about it. He pressed a gentle kiss into Janey's hair and then stepped out of her embrace. "I'm gonna change." Danny was certain he'd be up all night now. Maybe he should make some coffee, that would make the night go easier.

The irony was not lost on Janey. He was going to change out of his uniform, but she knew he'd be on "cop mode" all night. Which was actually a comforting thought. She didn't want to be up all night alone, caring for the girl, and she knew that even if he kept his distance, Danny would be around keeping an eye on her. And, on second thought, at least it would give her some distraction from her insomnia. "Okay. Thank you," she said again, feeling foolish, like a child who'd been pardoned for a silly mistake. There's nothing silly about this, she thought as she took an armful of blankets from the linen closet. I did the right thing.

Still frustrated Danny went back to the bedroom, changing out of his uniform and then padding back towards the kitchen where he started that pot of coffee. He'd stay out of Janey's way, but he did intend to take up residence for the night on his recliner. He'd be there if Janey needed him and he'd be out of the way.