Mirror Man

More Skeletons!.

Friday evening came and Hina visited, once again gaping at the latest revelations in the Danny/Mark saga, again sitting back aghast at the sheer speed of which things had happened around her best friend.

She knew she'd been wrong to bully Danny into staying with the Chandlers so quickly, but, she said, 'I just know Danny, that this is so right for you, you know I'm always right, I told you there was something about all the others that didn't sit well, you didn't listen then either, and I was right wasn't I?'.

Danny had to agree, Hina had warned him about the previous four, but being his shy non-confrontational self he'd chosen not to see any bad in those people, chosen to believe in the goodness of the world, even given how badly he was treated before, he'd ignored his friends advice, and been burnt.

"Don't ignore me this time Danny, you really are the master of your own destruction sometimes", the woman huffed at him, seeing the look on his face that told her he was tired, tired of fighting against the obvious, the obvious being that he and Mark Chandler were it now, for both of them, this was the final shout, the end game, partners......for life.

"Look, Danny, he came for you, he almost died, twice, once with his head injury, then his leg, he's serious Danny, THIS IS SERIOUS".

"I know, I know, you're right, it's all been so quick Hina, 2 weeks ago I was single, in a dead end job, just floating through life with no more than getting through to the next morning to worry about, and BOOM, I'm here, in this big house, I've got a boyfriend, well I think that's what we are now, I'm not who I thought I was, I've got a family, and so much more stuff I can't even think about right now", Danny said quietly, lazing back on the sofa.

"All I know is I fell in love with Mark, too quickly, but I can't keep fighting it........I don't want to lose him and I can't even imagine how John and Rachel would cope if they had lost Mark too.......", he stopped short, whoops!.

"What do you mean if they'd lost him too?" Hina eyed him with a curious look.

"Well, it's personal to.....to them, but.... come with me, I'll show you, don't breathe a word okay?".

Hina nodded as she followed Danny to the garden, marvelling at the beautiful flowers and neat borders, the evenings getting longer with summer approaching, the low sun was still warm and the garden smelled fresh and sweet.

"Oh, oh that's so sad", Hina breathed out solemnly as she knelt beside her friend, pushing aside the large pink bloom and reading the inscription on the tiny white stone.

"She had the same heart condition as Mark, but she........" Danny sighed brushing a tear away, a tear for Melissa, who, if she'd lived would've been the sweetest girl if the rest of the family were anything to go by.

"Those poor people, no wonder they're so protective of Mark, I never said it but I did wonder what a 30 year old man was still doing living at home with his parents, when he's probably more than capable of having a place of his own", Hina sighed heavily, she and Danny standing up and walking to the gazebo to take a seat in the shade.

"Yeah, I thought that initially but when I learned how they'd lost Melissa and almost lost him.......I understand", Danny said quietly as he looked up, "hey look, a squirrel", his mouth turned up into a joyful smile, watching the fluffy critter scale the branches like a parkour professional, just going about its business, Hina beside him also enthralled at the way it navigated the branches so deftly.

"I wish I was a squirrel sometimes" Danny sighed, "just running around in the trees with nothing more to do than make sure there's enough food in my store, and worry about the odd cat on the prowl".