How Can I Not Love You Part 1

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Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story, or the song "How Can I Not
Love You". They both belong to their respective owners. I'm just borrowing
them. Also if anyone catches my references to Days of Our Lives, I don't own
that either.

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Everything that's in between these * * are C.J.'s or Danny's thoughts.
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C.J.: Danny we can't see each other like this any more.

DANNY: C.J.

C.J.: No. Danny, we work together we can't see each other. * I have to stop
thinking about that. It happened almost a week ago. Danny and I have barely
spoken since then. I only see him when I do the briefings and even then I can't
look him in the eye.*

CAROL: Hey, C.J.

C.J.: Hey, Carol.

CAROL: You have a new reporter in there.

C.J.: Who?

CAROL: Audrey Aremid.

C.J.: What paper is she with?

CAROL: The Washington Post.

C.J.: Okay.

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C.J. walked into the briefing room and took her place at the podium. The
situation in China ended to day with the release of the last two hostages.

C.J.: The President will ......

The rest of the briefing went as usual.

C.J.: * I can't wait to get out of here all I wanna do is relax.* Well, if no one has
anything else we're done.

AUDREY: C.J.

C.J.: Yes, Audrey?

AUDREY: I don't think you're telling us everything.

C.J.: I beg your pardon, Audrey?

AUDREY: Well... why were the hostages taken in the first place?

C.J.: The FBI is looking into it. Right now they believe that it was a random
attack and the mental state of the terrorist supports this allegation.

AUDREY: That's all the FBI is saying?

C.J.: Yes.

AUDREY: Come on, C.J., You really expect us to believe that?

C.J.: It's the truth, Audrey, whether you chose to believe it or not. That's all for
today.

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CAROL: C.J., how did it go with the new girl?

C.J.: Carol, she is a pain in the ass.

CAROL: Okay then.

MALLORY: Hey, C.J.

C.J.: Hey Mallory.

MALLORY: Joey and I are going out later, wanna come?

C.J.: Sure. * I need a good night out. Take my mind off of... No, don't go there,
C.J.*

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Danny and Audrey were already at the Snake Pit and CJ noticed them as soon as
she walked in with Joey and Mallory. He had his arm on her chair.

JOEY AND MALLORY IN UNISON: Hey C.J.

C.J.: Hey, guys.

MALLORY: C.J., if you wanna leave we completely understand, we haven't
ordered yet and there are a ton of restaurants in D.C. We could go over to the
Blue Note.

JOEY: Yeah, C.J. Mal's right.

C.J.: No we're staying I won't let THAT ruin my night.

MALLORY: Okay. If you say so.

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AUDREY: Danny? Danny!

DANNY: Huh?

AUDREY: You zoned out there.

DANNY: Oh. Sorry.

AUDREY: It's okay, it's just you got this funny look on your face when C.J. Cregg
walked in.

DANNY: Oh, it's nothing.

AUDREY: You sure?

DANNY: Yep. * I saw C.J.'s face when she walked in, I thought she, Joey, and
Mallory were gonna leave, but apparently not.*

Over at the bar he saw the three women laughing. It looked like they were
haven't a great time. If he didn't know better he'd say C.J. was drinking, but he
knew she rarely if ever drank alcohol.

DANNY: * I wish I was with C.J... Damn, Danny! You're here with a gorgeous
woman who wants to be here with you yet all you can think about is the one
woman you couldn't have. *

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C.J.: * I never get drunk , but I need something to calm my nerves. Being with
my friends and having a large Martini is exactly what I needed.*

The three of them were way past drunk, especially Mallory and Joey. Danny and
Audrey had left long ago.

BARTENDER: (yelling from the back) Hey girls, it's closing time. If you need a
ride, I'll be happy to.

C.J.: That's okay. I have my car.

BARTENDER: Are you sure?

MALLORY: Yeah. You bet

C.J.: * We went out and got in to my car. We were driving down the beltway and
the next thing I knew everything was black.

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Danny had taken Audrey home long ago. He had told her he couldn't see her
any longer, she asked if it was because of C.J. He had to admit, "Yes." He didn't
want to lie to her, she deserved that much.

He looked at his alarm clock, it was 3am. And that wasn't his alarm ringing, it
was his phone that was ringing incessantly.

DANNY: * This better be good.*

He picked up the phone.

DANNY: Yeah.

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL: Danny Concannon?

DANNY: Speaking.

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL: I'm sorry to call this late, but I'm calling from Presbyterian
Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I found your phone number in a patient's
pocket. C.J. Cregg is her name. I was wondering if you knew..

DANNY: C.J.? What hap..

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL: Sir, you know her then?

DANNY: Yes, what happened?

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL: She and two other women, a Ms. Lucas and a Ms. McGarry,
I suppose you know them as well.

DANNY: Yeah.

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL: They were driving on the Capitol Beltway, and their car
was hit head on by an 18 wheeler.

DANNY: * I felt like the life had been knocked out of me, I couldn't imagine my
life without C.J.*

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL: Sir?

DANNY: I'm here.

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL: Ms. Lucas was in the back, she has several internal injuries
and in is ICU, she is slipping in and out of consciousness. Ms. McGarry was in the
passenger seat. She has several internal injuries as well as broken bones. She is
in critical condition and is in a coma. Ms. Cregg was driving she has several
severe internal injuries and injuries to her head. She is in fatal condition and is
in a coma as well. We don't know if there will be permanent damage, we won't
know until she wakes up, if she wakes up. All three women were life flighted to
Pittsburgh. If you could contact Ms. Cregg's family, we're taking care of alerting
the Lucas and McGarry's families. Sir, it took the jaws of life to get those women
out. I'm going to be straight with you, it will be a miracle if Ms. McGarry and Ms.
Cregg survive.

DANNY: I'll call C.J.'s family and I'll be at the hospital in two hours.

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TO BE CONTINUED