Posted by Kim on 7/28/2001, 8:35 pm "Ohhhh," Dara sighed as she stretched her neck from side to side and rubbed her neck. It would be 30 minutes before Mac arrived and Dara decided to use the time to take a bath and try to relax. The telephone rang just as she was rising from the couch and Dara answered the call thinking that it was Mac saying that he was on his way. She was caught off-guard when she realized that Marcus Taggert was on the other end of the call. "Dara, I just heard what happened. Are you alright?" The anxiety was palpable in Taggert's voice. He'd heard from colleagues at the station that Dara wasn't injured but he wanted hear and see for himself how she was. "Yes, Marcus. I'm fine. PCPD finest helped to keep me safe by providing be with that bulletproof vest. I wasn't physically hurt but I was shaken up a few hours ago. But I'm much better now. Thanks." "Garcia has agreed to take my shift tonight in guarding Bannion. Have you eaten anything? I bet you haven't. Let me pick up some carryout and I'll be there within a hour." "Marcus, I do have food here and in fact I was going to eat in about a half-hour. But ..." "Great, then I can come right over." "Marcus, hold on. Thank you, I really mean it, for the offer but you don't have to come over tonight. Mac should be here any minute." "Mac. Mac is coming over to your apartment tonight?" Taggert blinked his eyes in disbelief as her words sunk in. "Isn't it kind of late for him to come over?" Dara bit her lip to suppress a laugh. What is it about men? It wasn't too late for Marcus to come over but it was too late for Mac to stop by? She really did cherish her friendship with Marcus and despite what he said a few days earlier about how her new relationship with Mac would not affect their friendship; she chose her next words carefully. "Actually, I'm getting ready to fix up the pull-out bed here in the living room. Mac was with me immediately after the shooting and he saw my emotional state. He generously offered to stay with me tonight and I accepted." She paused speaking, waiting for Marcus to reply. There was silence at the end of the line. Dara continued, "I'm really blessed that I have great people in my life who care about me. I really do appreciate your offer to come over but I'll be fine tonight." "I'll bet," was the uncharitable thought that crossed Taggert's mind but he was wise enough not to verbalize it. Instead he asked, "Can we get together tomorrow for lunch during the trial lunch break? I'd like to see for myself how you're doing." "Of course," replied Dara accepting the lunch date. "I'll see you around 12:30 tomorrow at the courthouse. Goodnight. And thanks again." Dara disconnected the call and took the cordless phone with her as she hurried to the bathroom hoping to get in a few minutes of soaking in the tub in before Mac arrived.
Glancing at the clock that just chimed 9 p.m., Dara gathered all of the legal documents spread across her coffee table and placed them inside of her briefcase. She really didn't need to continue preparing for Moreno's trial in the morning, and the legal work that night had not been successful in keeping her mind off of the day's events. Dara had no doubt that today had been one of the worst days in her life. It began badly when Felicia confronted her in Mac's office and nothing she could remember could compare to the sight of that gun pointed at her and the sound of the shots. She was so terrified when the shots rang out that she had actually lost consciousness for a few seconds after the attempt. People say that a person's life passes before their eyes when they're faced with death. Now, from Dara's experience, she knew that that is not necessarily true. When she first caught sight of the gun, she immediately thought of her mother and her sister. Then, when the first shot was fired, she thought how unfair and ironic it was that her life might end now as she and Mac were starting this relationship. Stunned, she realized that when she believed that this was the last moment of her life on earth, Dara's thoughts were about Mac. Dara leaned back on the couch and wrapped her arms around herself. She said a prayer to God to thank him for keeping her safe today. And her conscious mind and heart accepted what her unconscious mind had known for probably a few years. Dara accepted the fact that she was in love with Mac Scorpio. With a wry thought she told herself that it shouldn't have taken a near-death experience for her to accept her feelings.
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