Chapter Text
Danny opened the bottle of water his father had handed him and twisted off the cap, taking a long swallow. Eddie held out his other hand and offered Danny his antibiotics for his injured foot. Danny made a face and wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Don’t you have something better to offer me, like a brownie or one of Ma’s chocolate chip cookies?”
“Take the pills, Daniel.” Eddie dropped the white tablets into Danny’s outstretched hand and rolled his eyes. His son would always be the difficult patient. “Nahele is getting Charlie into his costume and Gracie should be almost ready as well.”
Danny frowned as he shifted his foot on the coffee table and winced. “This sucks. Halloween is my holiday. I really wish I could go with you. But between Steve and Sarah-”
“Don’t forget your mother. You aren’t going anywhere with that foot all bandaged up.”
Danny held up a hand. “Trust me, I’ve heard the lectures all day long. Don’t worry, I’m parking my ass on the couch.”
“Daniel-”
“Butt?” Danny corrected with a crooked smile.
“Better.” Eddie clapped him on the shoulder and checked his watch. “Joe should be here soon. He’s going with us.”
“Grace knows all the best places, follow her lead.” Danny folded his hands behind his head and leaned back into the couch. “People need to hand out peppermint patties more often.”
“Or you could just buy yourself a bag.” Eddie teased with an easy smile.
The doorbell rang and before Danny knew it, Joanie was jumping into his lap. “Uncle Danno, it’s tricking treat day!” Joanie screamed as she bounced on his legs.
“Whoa, careful there, Joanie. Mary, a little help please,” Danny pleaded with his sister-in law as Joanie wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
Joanie pulled her face back and frowned. “But I missed you.”
“I missed you too. You are a beautiful little ninja.”
“Joanie, don’t choke your uncle.” Mary half scolded her daughter. “Why aren’t you dressed, Danny? And where’s Steve? He’s supposed to go with us. He said be here by six. How many times did he text me this past weekend? ‘We leave at six, Mary, and not a second later,’ ” she mocked her brother.
“Danny had a bit of an accident,” Eddie declared from the recliner.
“What are you talking about?” Mary glanced between Eddie and Danny and then her eyes landed on Danny’s wrapped foot on the coffee table. “What the hell happened to you?”
Joanie spun around on Danny’s lap and examined Danny’s foot too. “What the hell happened, Uncle Danno?”
“Joanie!” Mary exclaimed as she swatted Joanie on the butt. “We don’t talk like that.”
“Why not? You do, Mommy,” Joanie pouted as she stared at her mother confused why everyone but her could say certain words.
Danny covered his mouth and did his best to hide the chuckle that was building inside. He had been down this road with Grace when she was Joanie’s age. “She’s got you there, Mare.”
Mary smacked Danny upside the head. “Please do not encourage her. I’ve heard what comes out of your mouth.” She motioned to Danny’s foot. “So what did you do to get out of trick or treating?”
“Hey, I want to go but none of them will let me. I stepped on a piece of broken glass a couple days ago. I thought I got it all out but apparently there was still a small piece in my foot. It was still bothering me yesterday and Sarah took a look at it, tried digging it out and decided the ER was the best bet. Now I have antibiotics and stitches and I have to park my ass-”
Mary smacked Danny on the head again. “What did I just say?”
“You don’t have to hit me.” Danny grumbled and turned to Joanie. “Joanie, do we hit?”
The blonde shook her head ‘no’. “We don’t say ass either.”
Mary dropped her head into her hands. “It’s a losing battle with you around.” Danny just grinned and pulled Joanie closer.
“Ouch to the foot. That’s gotta hurt.” Mary made a pained face that Danny was sure he had made yesterday.
“Yeah, ouch. Anyway, Steve caught a case. Looks like it’s going to be an all nighter for him. They do have a lead, so that’s a plus.”
“Well this blows.” Mary dropped down on the couch beside Danny. “You obviously can’t go. Who’s going with the kids? You’re crazy if you think I’m taking them all by myself.”
“Would you relax? Two of the four are teenagers. I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble with them listening.”
“I’m going with you, Mary,” Eddie piped up from the recliner. “It’s been a long while since I’ve been trick or treating with Gracie and never with Charlie. Clara is going to stay here and make sure Danny stays on the couch with his foot up.”
“You’ve also got me,” Joe shouted from the open doorway, startling everyone but Joanie in the room. “We get Grandpa duty tonight.”
“Papa Joe!” Joanie squealed as she scrambled across Danny’s lap and into Joe’s open arms. “Where’s your costume?”
“Yeah Joe, where’s your costume?” Danny asked with the straightest face he could muster.
Joe ignored his son-in-law. “Where’s the little guy?”
Danny pointed down the hall towards Charlie’s bedroom. “Nahele is getting him ready.” He turned towards his father. “What about you Pop? You going to dress up?”
“Do I have to? I wasn’t aware that was a requirement. How about I just go as a grandpa?”
“I’m with Eddie.” Joe gave him a thumbs up. “We’re going as grandpas.”
“Original,” Danny said his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You mean, pathetic ?” Mary snorted. “Hi Sarah, welcome to crazyville.”
Sarah stepped around Joe into the living room. “It’s always crazyville here. Have you seen Danny’s foot?”
Mary nodded. ”I have.”
“Hey, you want to take them by yourself?” Joe asked Mary as he put Joanie down. “We can stay here and eat cookies with Clara.”
“No, you can’t,” Danny said from the couch. “Steve ate them all.”
“Papa Joe!” Charlie cried out as he ran into the living room dressed as another ninja. “Daddy said you were going to be here.” He jumped up and Joe caught him midair and pulled him into a hug. “Good grief, Charlie. What’s your dad feeding you? You grow an inch every time I see you.”
“I’m convinced his mother feeds him trees.” Danny answered for his son and Charlie just giggled.
“Not trees, Danno.”
“You call broccoli trees, don’t you?” Danny questioned and Charlie continued to giggle as Joe tickled him.
“Where’s Nahele? We should get going.”
“He’s still trying to convince Sam to join us.” Gracie responded from the bathroom as she checked her makeup one last time. “She said she had too much homework.”
“What about Will?” Mary asked. “You look beautiful by the way. Such a pretty fairy.”
Gracie blushed and then frowned. “Thank You Aunt Mary. Will is sick.”
“Hey, I think I’ve seen this costume before, Monkey.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to a party this time, Danno.”
“That’s right. You’re staying with your brothers and your cousin.” Danny motioned a finger between Eddie and Joe. “And the two grandpas.”
“Are you staying here Sarah?” Mary asked.
“I thought I would stay behind and visit with Clara and check Danny’s foot.”
Mary turned to Eddie and Joe who were busy ushering the kids towards the door. “You two care if I stay as well?”
Eddie and Joe looked at each other and both shrugged. “I think we can manage.”
“No,” Danny whined. “Take her with you. I’m seriously outnumbered.”
“Oh please,” Mary turned and smacked Danny’s arm. “You should be happy. You’re surrounded by beautiful women.”
“Again with the hitting. What is wrong with you?”
Gracie walked over to the couch and leaned over and kissed her father’s cheek. “Sorry, Danno. She’s got you there.”
“Well, Sam’s not going.” Nahele declared from the entrance to the living room.
“Sorry, pal.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I know she needs to study. But she also needs to take a break to have a little fun every now and then.”
Joe clapped his hands together. “Alright. Who’s ready to get their freak on?”
“What?” Danny exclaimed from the couch. “Who the hell are you?”
“Too much?”
“Just a little. You’re kinda freaking me out and I don’t scare easy.”
“That’s not what Steve says,” Mary said with a smirk as she wrapped an arm around Danny’s shoulders.
“Get off me you traitor.” Danny shrugged off Mary’s arm.
“Grace, you take the lead. Danno says you know the best spots.”
“Monkey, send your mother some pictures please.”
“I will, Danno.”
Eddie ushered the group out the door and Sarah pushed it closed behind them. She turned to Clara who had joined Mary and Danny in the living room. “Joe has been talking about going with the kids for days. I think he is more excited than they are.”
“Joe White trick or treating. I never thought I would see the day.” Danny exclaimed from the couch.
“Are you hungry? I can make grilled cheese and tomato soup while we wait for them to get back.”
Danny’s eyes lit up. “I could go for a grilled cheese.”
“Anyone else?” Clara asked.
“Well if you’re going to make Danny one, I’ll take one as well.” Mary stood up from the couch. “I’ll help you.”
“Alright,” Sarah relented. “Count me in. I haven’t had one of those in years.”
“Four grilled cheeses coming up.” Mary and Clara retreated to the kitchen to make the sandwiches.
“So,” Sarah sat down on the couch beside Danny and patted his thigh. “How’s the foot?”
Danny contemplated his answer but knew Sarah would probably see right through him if he tried to shrug it off. “It’s sore tonight. A little itchy.”
“Are you taking the antibiotics?”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Yes, Steven, I am.”
Sarah smacked his thigh again. “I’m being serious. You need to take them.”
“What’s with all the hitting today? I am taking them. Like clockwork.”
“Speaking of Steve, where is he?”
Danny grew quiet and checked his phone without thinking. “He caught a case. It will probably be an all nighter.” He shot Steve a quick text and hit send.
“You okay?”
Danny shrugged. “Yeah. I just worry about him when I can’t be there. I worry about him when I am there.”
“He worries about you too.”
“I know he does.”
Mary and Clara emerged from the kitchen with grilled cheeses for everyone. Mary handed one to Danny and then took up the spot on the sofa on the other side of him. “So what did Steve break that you got stuck in your foot?” She took a bite of her grilled cheese and sighed. “I forgot how much I loved these things.”
“This is the only thing Daniel would eat when he was Joanie’s age.”
“Ma, that’s not true.”
“Oh really?”
“No, remember? I was fond of crayons as well.” Danny grinned wide before taking a bite.
“I stand corrected.”
“Anyway, surprisingly it wasn’t Steve that broke something. It was Joanie when we had her Sunday.”
Mary put her sandwich down. “He didn’t tell me she broke anything.”
“He didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. It’s fine. Well, except for the piece that got stuck in my foot for two days.”
“What was it? A glass? Bowl?” Mary asked.
“A blue glass bowl.”
“That was Steve’s favorite. You should have told me.”
“And you would have done what? Come over and tried to put it back together? He already tried. It was an accident. Joanie tripped and knocked it off the end table.”
“What was she doing? Running through the house I suppose?”
“It wasn’t just her.”
Mary let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back into the couch. “How many times do we tell those two not to run?”
“Doesn’t help when the big kid was chasing them.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “Of course he was.”
“I’m fine. Doesn’t even hurt that much anymore.” Danny tried to play down the injury so Mary would stop worrying.
Sarah cleared her throat. “That’s not what you just told me a few minutes ago.”
“Fine. It hurts. Happy now?”
“Delighted.” All three women said in unison and then broke into fits of laughter.
Danny groaned as he leaned his head back into the couch. It was going to be a long evening with these three. He checked his phone again and waited to hear back from Steve.