The Panic Pure

Chapter Nine

Being in a relationship was actually quite a bit of work, something he hadn't really expected. It had always seemed to him, as an outsider looking in, that relationships were something that just happened, easy as breathing. The truth was a bit harder to face.

He had to ask Sophia to make room in his schedule and basically had to rearrange his whole life to be able to fit Marshal into it. It was not something he had ever expected to have to do, and he had to see his ability to adapt and change as a sign of progress. He'd even brought it up in his last few sessions with Dr. Landry and she had told him she was very proud of him.

There were still many things that he simply could not force himself to do, but he thought that he had made great strides. He couldn't eat in restaurants or allow himself to be trapped in the confines of a public cinema or theater, but Marshal didn't seem to care. He just seemed happy to spend time with Danny, and that was enough.

Danny whistled soundlessly as he finished up a report on his ideas about the Kerr-Bosnan prospectus. He'd decided that most of the ideas were pretty stupid, but he still had to waste some of his precious time pointing out what exactly he had a problem with. Destroying someone's dreams should have been a little harder.

Finally finished, he saved his work then shut down his laptop.

He stretched his arms above his head and yawned hugely. It was such a relief to finally be done. Some part of him had been sure he would be wading through hundreds of pages of mostly worthless data for the entire day and night. So to be finished so much earlier than he had expected was an alien kind of pleasure.

Before, he had never felt happiness over finishing work early because he hadn't had anything to do with the time freed up. It was just something that happened and he would then spend the rest of his day finding more work to fill in the time before he could go home and play with his Legos.

He couldn't help smiling as he packed away his laptop and the rest of the things he would be taking home with him for the night. Then he started pulling on his coat as he left his office.

"Can you call Arthur and tell him I'm done here?" he said.

Sophia looked surprised, but hurriedly lifted her phone to make the phone call. He never went home early. It was probably something she was going to mark down in her diary as an oddity.

Danny listened while she told Arthur to bring the car around and that he was going home early. Even from across the room, he caught the note of incredulity in Arthur's voice when she confirmed that yes, he really was going home early.

He sighed and shifted his bag from hand to hand, waiting. "Is he going to be too long?" he asked after she'd hung up.

Sophia smiled at him. "He says he'll be here in roughly five minutes. Traffic isn't too bad this time of day and he's only a few streets over. He was running some quick errands for Olivia and filing some paperwork at the County Clerk's office."

Danny felt a momentary flush of curiosity, but Sophia probably didn't know what Arthur had been filing. Not that it really mattered. Arthur was the one person in his life that he trusted without question. "Okay," he said. "I'll start heading down there."

"Certainly," she said. "He'll call your cell when he's out front." So don't worry, went unsaid.

He nodded and left, walking toward the elevator.

There was something almost naughty about leaving early. He felt as though he was doing something illicit, but instead of feeling guilty, he felt a cool thrill. It was exciting to do something he didn't usually do.

His life had been ruled by clocks and schedules for so long that he couldn't even imagine any other way. Except now he was breaking with his regimented routine and instead of being frightened... he was excited.