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".
Hina laughed at that, "I could just see you with a fluffy tail and pointy ears, searching for nuts........", dissolving into laughter at what she'd just said his best friend giggled, "haha......you....you...f-found n-nuts" she laughed, shoulders heaving with laughter, "attached to Mark hahaha", doubling over the woman laughed hard as Danny slapped her arm, "jeeez Hinny" he flushed.
"Sorry, I shouldn't laugh here really" the woman sighed looking over at the tiny stone again.
"It's okay Hina, it's fine to laugh here, Melissa loved to hear laughter even though she was so small".
A deep voice cut through the rustling of the trees, "John?" Danny froze, John had gone to the shops and Rachel was out at a business function when Hina arrived, having left food for the pair, insisting Danny eat with his meds, Danny hadn't heard the car return.
"Sorry, I.....um" Danny felt bad for bringing his friend to this little sacred place without John and Rachels permission, sharing their private secrets with others wasn't the way to endear himself.
"We're sorry Mr Chandler, John", Hina gulped, "Danny was just.....telling me about Mark, I'm sorry he's having such a rough time and.......", Hina stopped, "I tripped up and said something I shouldn't, so I had to explain, and....." Danny looked down, "I'm sorry", he shuffled his feet in the fallen leaves.
"It's fine Danny, it's fine, it is a bit of a sore spot but it's okay, it was 21 years ago almost, and I know Hina, so it's fine to share it with her", John smiled as he crouched and brushed a few stray leaves from the little flower garden surrounding the white stone.
"Have you seen Mark today?" Hina chirped lightly, trying to change the subject.
"Yeah, Danny and I visited him earlier, he's good, can't wait to get home, even with crutches" John laughed as he stood up, "Rachels got some business thing on with Harry Moore, our partner at the law firm", the man looked up as the rustling of the active little furball in the trees caught his attention.
"Oh hey Cyril" he grinned.
"Cyril?" Danny chuckled.
"Yeah Cyril the squirrel" John laughed, "corny I know, he or she has been around here for years, we've had lots of babies come through this garden, that's why we never moved, Rachel loves watching them, that could even be one of the originals babies, we don't know, but every squirrel is called Cyril", he grinned up again as the fluffy critter leapt between two trees and scampered away.
"How's the job going?" John turned to Hina as they walked out of the little copse back into the garden, back towards the house, chatting as they went.
With living with the Chandlers and visiting Mark, keeping him up to date with everything, finding out to their joy that he would probably be home the following Monday, Danny was getting better, feeling stronger, feeling more confident.
"So, how long will Mark be in hospital now?" Hina asked as she buckled herself into the passenger seat of Johns Merc, looking around with an approving eye at the nice interior.
"He's healing so well the doctor said he'll possibly be out on Monday" Danny said with a nervous smile as he pulled the car away down the drive and out onto the road, he hadn't driven in a few years and this car wasn't his, and it was a Mercedes, far far quicker, bigger and nicer than anything he'd ever driven before.
"John trusts you with his car as well" Hina huffed, rather impressed at that as she looked out of the window watching the world go by.
"Yeah well, it's on business insurance and I can get Mark to his appointments and stuff without bothering them", Danny said with his eyes glued to the road, watching for the smallest hazard.
After everything that had happened the last thing he wanted to do was add a car accident to the list of problems.
"True true" Hina murmured, "well, this is me, thanks for bringing me back Danny, I do appreciate not having to walk or taxi, this job is fab, but it's harder work than the call centre, and I have to think, smile and be productive all at the same time, it's sooooo tiring" the woman chuckled as she yawned.
"See you soon Hun", kissing Danny lightly on the cheek and getting out, closing the door carefully, she watched as Danny guided the car back into the traffic.
"That boy got it made" she huffed and smiled, walking to her door and letting herself in.
****
Arriving back at the Chandlers, Danny let out a huge breath, having even breathed carefully while he was driving Johns car, for fear of damaging the sleek black vehicle, or even getting it too dirty.
"Phew, made it out alive" he puffed to himself taking a few deep breaths as he locked the car and made his way inside.
"Hi Danny, come on through, there's someone we want you to meet", John seemed nervous as he made his way through from the kitchen to the conservatory as Danny closed the front door behind him.
Danny felt a little tension in the air but followed John all the same, hoping it wasn't bad news about Marks leg.
Hearing Rachels voice in the distance he realised he hadn't noticed the Audi was back, so deep was he in concentration when he pulled the Merc back in the drive, trying not to hit the gates or scratch the paintwork on the bushes.
Another male voice joined the ones he recognised, a lighter less booming voice than Johns, but none the less authoritative but warm, friendly.
"Danny, this is Harry Hunter-Moore, our business partner", John introduced Danny to the man, who stood up, 6ft 2 at least, sandy blondish hair, greying at the temples, in his 50s, slim built, smart but casual dress, and startling blue eyes that captivated Danny the minute they locked with his.
"Hunter?, Hunter-Moore?", Danny stammered as he shook the mans hand, "as in........?", he pointed to himself, "H-Hunter?" he gasped.
"Daniel Hunter, your dad......was my younger brother" the man said quietly but firmly.
"Shit!", Danny sat down heavily almost missing the seat of the chair he had fallen into, temporarily wiped out by this information, more and more skeletons were falling out of closets all over the bloody place and his brain just couldn't keep up.
He'd been out just under an hour dropping Hina home and driving strictly to the speed limits, but within that hour another skeleton had fallen out of a closet and landed in his lap.
"You're, you're, my......... uncle?" Danny shook from head to toe as the man nodded from his seat across from him, a look of concern in his eyes as he took in Dannys confused face.
"But, but, how?........ I thought my dads, well my biological dads name was Hunter, Daniel Hunter, not Hunter-Moore" Danny blinked as his head began to spin even faster than it had the day he'd passed out at the flat.
"Dan was my younger brother, we......never really saw eye to eye, we.....hadn't spoken in almost four years when he was killed in action", the man said looking straight at Danny.
"He didn't want to join the family law firm, he wanted to go into the army, our father wasn't happy about it at all, and..........well, I was stupid, I sided with my dad, and yeah........Dan and I, we just, stopped talking, he didn't even invite us to the wedding when he married Louise" the man said with his head down looking at his hands, that were clasped tightly together.