Doctor Dash

Chapter 44

Danny was still trying to make sense of Dash's earlier comment as he sat cross legged on the couch with a notepad resting on one leg. After Danny didn't freeze anything for nearly an hour, Dash decided it would be all right to allow him to jot down notes for his writing on a notepad. Danny managed to get a few ideas written down before his mind inevitably drifted back to that morning and Dash saying that Lex wouldn't be the only one hurting if Danny broke. A strange feeling bubbled up inside him as the added part of the comment played in his head: "And I'm not just talking about Phantom." Danny shifted awkwardly, wondering why Dash would make that sort of comment. His gaze drifted toward the coffee table where Dash and Lex sat across from each other. Their little game of tic-tac-toe had turned into another glaring contest after Lex made the first move of placing an X in the center square. Danny almost wanted to laugh at the intensity on their faces as blue eyes glared into each other, but he sighed instead, wondering if the two would always act that way around the other.

"You two have to stop with the glaring," Danny said tiredly. When his gaze met with Dash's eyes for a brief second, he quickly snapped his head away as a blush threatened to spread over his cheeks. The memory of that morning kept dancing in his brain, and every time he met gazes with Dash, he was reminded of the embarrassment of nearly running his face right into the man's naked chest after he was pulled free from the floor. He could tell, even while the doctor was fully clothed, that Dash kept in the same great shape he did in high school while playing football. He didn't expect to get such an up close look of just how in shape the man was. And he really wished the image would stop popping up in his head because it was making him feel a little too flustered. Dan's voice whispering in his head wasn't helping things either. If Dan was attracted to men and Vlad was straight, did that mean he could also be attracted to men? Danny felt a strong urge to start banging his head against the wall. That kind of thinking was not helping him be productive!

"He started it," Dash said as he finally picked up his pencil to draw a circle in one of the corner squares.

"Really, Dash?" Danny lifted an eyebrow at him in disbelief. "What are you, five?"

Lex grinned at the question. "He called you younger than me."

"You, my big guy," Danny said, tossing aside the notepad as he slipped off the couch, "should know better." He started tickling his son, who squirmed and protested as he tried to place an X in another square. "And I thought you were starting to like Dash." He pulled his son into his lap, watching as Dash made his next move.

"He's okay," Lex answered, frowning as he tilted his head back to stare up at his father. "For a doctor."

"He really doesn't like doctors, huh?" Dash glanced curiously up at Danny.

"Because of needles," Danny answered, which immediately made Lex slap hands over his ears as he whined. "Sorry. Sorry." Danny winced. "He doesn't even like hearing that word." He hugged his arms around his son. "But I think there's some anger at doctors because of Sam." He frowned, lowering his eyes as he rest his chin atop Lex's head. "There wasn't anything doctors could have done though. She was dead before the ambulance could even show up."

"I - Sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Danny shook his head. "No, it's good. It's helping. It still hurts to think about it. But," he frowned as he glanced over at Dash, "not as much."

"It's okay for the pain to lessen. You shouldn't feel guilty about moving on from what happened. I don't know Manson all that well, but," Dash placed a circle in a side square then drew a line through his three in a row, "I don't think she would want you to forever be reliving the pain of losing her."

"How did you win?" Lex complained, pouting at the paper on the table.

"I'm a master at tic-tac-toe," Dash responded with a grin. His expression fell into a curiosity when the doorbell rang. With a sigh, he climbed to his feet and walked toward the front door.