NaNo #4: Complicated (CSI:NY)
Nov. 5th, 2011 01:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_lucy21Squeaking this one under the wire- it's 11:38pm when I started writing!
:::
Stella came back to the booth where Lindsay and Danny were sitting and staring at their drinks. They looked liked they'd been arguing, but at the moment, they were quiet. "What?" Stella asked as she slid on to the bench next to Danny.
"Nothing," Danny replied, not looking up from spinning his beer bottle between his hands.
"I don't understand, that's all I'm saying," Lindsay said, clearly continuing an argument.
"What don't you understand?" Stella asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Why someone would get involved with organized crime. It just doesn't make sense; there's better ways to earn money that won't get you arrested," Lindsay explained.
Stella cringed inwardly. Lindsay knew Danny's brother had been involved with the Tanglewood Boys, but she was probably not aware that Louie wasn't exactly the black sheep of the family. Danny was not the person to have this argument with; Stella braced herself to change the subject if necessary.
"And I'm tellin' you, it's more complicated than that sometimes," Danny said, in an exaggeratedly patient tone."Sometimes you don't have a lot of options."
"You didn't get involved," Lindsay pointed out.
Danny sighed. "Look, it's complicated, ok?" He paused for a moment, stilling his empty bottle. "Say you're a guy who grew up around that kind of thing. Your dad's not a made guy, but he does business with made guys, and your uncles are more involved than not. But you fall in love with a girl whose family isn't like that. Her dad and brothers are on the force and she doesn't want you to do that kind of thing. You agree, and find a legit job and everything. You get married, have a son, then a little girl a couple years later. Everything's fine, you're making a go of it, making ends meet. Then, when your little girl is about 4, she gets cancer. And your wife gets pregnant again. You don't have much insurance and the treatment's expensive. Your wife's family does what they can to help, but they're not made of money, either. Your wife goes into labor early, because she's pretty stressed out with taking care of your daughter, and your third kid is born about six weeks early. The baby's ok, but he's in the hospital for awhile. So you're really drowning in medical bills now, and you've got another mouth to feed.
Your cousin comes to you and says he can help you out, if you do some stuff for a friend of his. Nothing really bad, maybe just a little shady. No one's gonna get hurt with what you're doing, but it's not something your in-laws would approve of. But, if you do it, the friend will help you out with the bills and you might have other opportunities that would let you catch up. Your wife can't work because of your daughter and the baby. You don't have a college education, so your job prospects aren't that good to begin with. You have three hungry little kids. What would you do?"
Lindsay was quiet for a minute. "There's places that help people..."
"Yeah, and sometimes that's not enough. Sometimes you make too much money for that, but not enough to make it work. Look, I'm not saying this is what I'd do. I'm not saying it's not a moral grey area. I'm just saying it's not always about greed and shit," Danny said, glancing up at Lindsay. "Life is complicated sometimes."
Lindsay frowned. "I know that. I'm not stupid."
"Didn't say you were," Danny said, with a shrug.
Stella opened her mouth to head off what was sure to become a classic shouting match when Flack came up behind her. "Hey, 'sup over here?" he asked.
"Nothing," Danny said, looking up.
"Yeah? Hawkes and I are gonna rack 'em," Flack said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the pool table. "You wanna play winner?"
"I don't," Danny said. "Lindsay might."
"Yeah, sure," Lindsay said, getting the hint that Danny was done with the conversation. She got up and followed Flack over to the pool table.
Danny slumped back into the booth. "How're you?" Stella asked, nudging him with her shoulder.
He smiled a little, and nudged her back. "I'm fine. You?"
"I'm good," she said. "Flack has good timing."
Danny snorted. "Nah. I wasn't gonna fight her. She's the one wouldn't drop it." He started to peel the label off his beer bottle.
"You think she realizes you were talking about your family?" Stella asked.
"Maybe," Danny shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I doubt she'll ask."
"No, probably not," Stella agreed. "You done for the night?" she asked, noticing that Danny looked tired.
"Yeah, sure," he said. "Walk you to the subway?"
"Sounds good," she agreed, standing up. She waved at Flack, who was leaning against the wall waiting for Hawkes to take his shot. He waved back. Danny tossed some cash on the table and they walked out into the night.
:::
Stella came back to the booth where Lindsay and Danny were sitting and staring at their drinks. They looked liked they'd been arguing, but at the moment, they were quiet. "What?" Stella asked as she slid on to the bench next to Danny.
"Nothing," Danny replied, not looking up from spinning his beer bottle between his hands.
"I don't understand, that's all I'm saying," Lindsay said, clearly continuing an argument.
"What don't you understand?" Stella asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Why someone would get involved with organized crime. It just doesn't make sense; there's better ways to earn money that won't get you arrested," Lindsay explained.
Stella cringed inwardly. Lindsay knew Danny's brother had been involved with the Tanglewood Boys, but she was probably not aware that Louie wasn't exactly the black sheep of the family. Danny was not the person to have this argument with; Stella braced herself to change the subject if necessary.
"And I'm tellin' you, it's more complicated than that sometimes," Danny said, in an exaggeratedly patient tone."Sometimes you don't have a lot of options."
"You didn't get involved," Lindsay pointed out.
Danny sighed. "Look, it's complicated, ok?" He paused for a moment, stilling his empty bottle. "Say you're a guy who grew up around that kind of thing. Your dad's not a made guy, but he does business with made guys, and your uncles are more involved than not. But you fall in love with a girl whose family isn't like that. Her dad and brothers are on the force and she doesn't want you to do that kind of thing. You agree, and find a legit job and everything. You get married, have a son, then a little girl a couple years later. Everything's fine, you're making a go of it, making ends meet. Then, when your little girl is about 4, she gets cancer. And your wife gets pregnant again. You don't have much insurance and the treatment's expensive. Your wife's family does what they can to help, but they're not made of money, either. Your wife goes into labor early, because she's pretty stressed out with taking care of your daughter, and your third kid is born about six weeks early. The baby's ok, but he's in the hospital for awhile. So you're really drowning in medical bills now, and you've got another mouth to feed.
Your cousin comes to you and says he can help you out, if you do some stuff for a friend of his. Nothing really bad, maybe just a little shady. No one's gonna get hurt with what you're doing, but it's not something your in-laws would approve of. But, if you do it, the friend will help you out with the bills and you might have other opportunities that would let you catch up. Your wife can't work because of your daughter and the baby. You don't have a college education, so your job prospects aren't that good to begin with. You have three hungry little kids. What would you do?"
Lindsay was quiet for a minute. "There's places that help people..."
"Yeah, and sometimes that's not enough. Sometimes you make too much money for that, but not enough to make it work. Look, I'm not saying this is what I'd do. I'm not saying it's not a moral grey area. I'm just saying it's not always about greed and shit," Danny said, glancing up at Lindsay. "Life is complicated sometimes."
Lindsay frowned. "I know that. I'm not stupid."
"Didn't say you were," Danny said, with a shrug.
Stella opened her mouth to head off what was sure to become a classic shouting match when Flack came up behind her. "Hey, 'sup over here?" he asked.
"Nothing," Danny said, looking up.
"Yeah? Hawkes and I are gonna rack 'em," Flack said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the pool table. "You wanna play winner?"
"I don't," Danny said. "Lindsay might."
"Yeah, sure," Lindsay said, getting the hint that Danny was done with the conversation. She got up and followed Flack over to the pool table.
Danny slumped back into the booth. "How're you?" Stella asked, nudging him with her shoulder.
He smiled a little, and nudged her back. "I'm fine. You?"
"I'm good," she said. "Flack has good timing."
Danny snorted. "Nah. I wasn't gonna fight her. She's the one wouldn't drop it." He started to peel the label off his beer bottle.
"You think she realizes you were talking about your family?" Stella asked.
"Maybe," Danny shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I doubt she'll ask."
"No, probably not," Stella agreed. "You done for the night?" she asked, noticing that Danny looked tired.
"Yeah, sure," he said. "Walk you to the subway?"
"Sounds good," she agreed, standing up. She waved at Flack, who was leaning against the wall waiting for Hawkes to take his shot. He waved back. Danny tossed some cash on the table and they walked out into the night.
