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Danny pushed open the side door to Steve’s house with his hip, ushering Grace in before him. As the door closed his phone began to ring, and, pulling it out of his pocket, he saw it was Rachel. As he answered it, he waved Grace into the living room. ‘Go and check on Steve for me. Hi, Rachel. What can I do for you...’ He looked at his watch ‘...forty minutes after seeing you?’
Dropping the grocery bag on the kitchen counter, Danny followed Grace, wanting to make sure that Steve hadn’t managed to maim himself in the hour that Danny had been off collecting Grace and buying dinner. ‘Relax, Danny. I just wanted to double check that I gave you Grace’s ballet clothes and football kit.’
Leaning against the door frame so he could watch Grace quiz Steve about how he was feeling, Danny’s brain stuttered to a momentary stop at the thought of his baby girl playing football, but then he remembered; British, right, soccer. Even after knowing Rachel for eleven years Danny still found some of the linguistic differences strange and unusual.
Danny glanced down at his feet to see what bags Grace had left there, but as he did so he was distracted by Grace climbing carefully onto the couch next to Steve, curling into his side and Steve’s uninjured arm pulling her closer to him. Grace was telling Steve all about her day at school, if the way she was gesturing was anything to go by. Steve muted the television and was focused entirely on her and the smile he was bestowing on her was completely doting. In that moment his heart felt far too big for his chest and he nearly couldn’t breathe.
‘Danny...Danny...are you there? Danny?’
He blinked. ‘Yeah, sorry, Rach. I’m here.’
‘Do you have Grace’s things?’
He checked Grace’s bags. ‘Yes, I got both of them. Along with the timetable you helpfully wrote out for me.’ Jesus, did Rachel really think it was necessary to give him a timetable?
‘Actually, Danny, I thought it might help if you put it up somewhere visible in your car.’ Her voice then got far away as she covered the mouthpiece of her phone to talk to someone - probably a footman, or something. ‘If you could put those in the boot, please.’ There was a pause and then in a slightly irritated tone. ‘The trunk, the trunk of the car.’
Danny rolled his eyes. He wanted to make some remark about how Rachel had lived in The Colonies (her words, not his) for over eleven years, and surely, by now, she knew American. But those kinds of comments always descended into truly bizarre linguistic spats. He preferred to keep the conversation on track this time. ‘You know, I do actually have Grace’s schedule memorised. I’m aware that I don’t get to as many of them as I’d like to, but I do know what’s going on in my daughter’s life.’
‘I wasn’t suggesting that you didn’t. I just thought that if Steve knew Grace’s schedule then he might make more of an effort not to get into as many gunfights this week.’
Danny snorted quietly, not wanting to pull Steve’s attention from Grace, who now seemed to be telling him about her soccer practice. Steve looked kind of baffled, but then he often did when soccer was mentioned in a serious context. ‘Think I’ll stick it on the driver’s visor. He won’t miss it there.’
Rachel laughed. ‘Have a good week, Danny and make sure that she doesn’t eat too much sugar.’
Danny rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, dear. Of course, dear. Anything else you’d like to remind me of, dear?’
‘I think that’s all,’ said Rachel, dryly. ‘I’ll phone Grace when we get there.’
‘Well, you and Stan have fun in Japan.’ Danny still found it slightly surreal that he could say that now without sounding bitter.
He hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He watched Steve and Grace for a moment longer before going back into the kitchen to grab Steve’s painkillers and a glass of juice. Going back into the living room, he put the pills and glass on the table in front of Steve and sat down on Steve’s other side.
‘Everything alright?’ asked Steve.
‘Rachel was just checking Grace has everything.’ He nudged Steve’s shoulder. ‘Take your meds now, before the pain kicks in and you can’t move. Again.’
‘I’m fine,’ said Steve, looking a little mulish.
Danny raised an eyebrow, but before he could even begin to explain to Steve how ridiculous he was being, Gracie sighed and sat up slightly. ‘Uncle Steve, you have to take your medicine when Daddy says so.’
Steve shifted slightly so that he was leaning into Danny. ‘Why’s that?’ He sounded curious as opposed to belligerent, which was where they usually ended up when Steve was supposed to take painkillers but seemed to think that SEALs had immunity to pain.
‘Because otherwise he starts shouting because he’s worried and Danno worries about you a lot.’ She looked and sounded so earnest that Danny had to bit his lip to stop the smile that was threatening to escape.
Danny watched, slightly open mouthed, as Steve tried to lean forward and winced before Grace jumped off the couch and passed Steve the pills and then the glass of juice. He had expected at least a token protest from Steve before he did as Grace told him to.
Handing the glass back to Grace, who put it back on the table, Steve slouched further into Danny, who, if only so he was comfy, slipped his arm around Steve’s waist. Grace grinned at Danny before retaking her place on Steve’s other side, with, Danny noticed, the remote control in her hand.
‘What are we watching, monkey?’
‘Last weekend’s Manchester United game is on.’
‘Soccer?’ muttered Steve.
‘It’s homework from my coach,’ said Grace, completely straight-faced.
Steve waved a hand in the direction of the television. ‘Have at it then.’
Danny hid his smile in Steve’s hair as Grace changed channel and un-muted the TV. His daughter was amazing. He was never, ever going to let on to Steve that she played him so well when he was still able to take advantage of it himself. Maybe in a couple of years he’d have to bring it to Steve’s attention, but for the time being he didn’t think it was something he needed to be aware of.
‘You know, I do have to cook dinner at some point tonight.’
Steve twisted his head so he could look at Danny, his eyes soft. ‘At least wait until half time.’
Danny leaned down to press a quick kiss to the side of Steve’s mouth. ‘I can do that.’