Steve had shoved his fisted hands into his eyes. Flashbacks of standing laughing with Danny outside Kamekono shrimp van it was a beautiful afternoon everyone had met up after a stressful week.
Children were laughing and playing, Steve had walked back to their table with the drinks almost dropping them when a high pitched scream followed squealing wheels at first Steve thought it was a bunch of teenagers playing chicken.
Looking around he didn't understand where Danny had gone too, Kono running past him snapped him out of his thoughts he could hear Chin saying something. Jogging to catch up with the team, his eyes instantly fell upon Danny sitting on the ground holding tightly onto a screaming toddler.
At first Steve thought that Danny was good he sat there stroking the child's hair hushing her with soothing words, her mother was in floods of tears as she pried her child away chanting thank you's as fast as her tears fell.
Steve crashed at Danny's side he could hear the wail of sirens as he checked him over but found nothing not even a scratch, sometimes an extra layer helps in sticky situations.
Danny held his hand out for Steve to help him up he was a little unsteady at first, Steve helped him to a bench offering a glass of water watching the EMT work on the little girl. If it hadn't been for Danny she would have been killed. HPD had arrived at the same time and was breathalising the driver. Steve could tell even from his distance that the machine had blown positive.
Danny waved away the EMT wanting nothing more then the little girl and her mother taken care of. An hour later it was like nothing had ever happened everyone was back enjoying the warm autumn afternoon, children continued to play but the carefree banter of the team hadn't been revived.
Danny had asked to be taken home but Steve wouldn't allow it saying that he needed observing and drove him back to his place loading up the missed game pouring glasses of orange juice. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary Danny only complained that his elbow was tender.
A nurse interrupted Steve's thoughts opening his eyes he scrubbed at the tears, the nurse smiled as she went about her daily routine of checking the machines and cleaning Danny.
Steve stood he always allowed Danny a small amount of dignity, it wasn't much but it helped him to cope. Standing outside the hospital he looked up at the falling rain it was like the world was grieving too because it had rained for two weeks since Danny had collapsed.
Everyone rallied around helping with Grace and Charlie, Rachel had allowed them knowing it kept them together making things as normal as possible. She had visited Danny once but felt raw anger for the loving man who gave everything to everyone caring so little for himself. It was a horrible truth to why she had to divorce him she didn't know how she would have coped the day that uniformed officer came to her door giving her the heartbreaking news that her beautiful loving husband had sacrificed himself.
Kono walked in just as the nurse had finished, she touched Kono's hand as she left, her patient was never alone he wouldn't know that he wasn't alone but it helped her when her patients had someone there. She knew a close knit family when she saw one.
Steve climbed into the camero pulling out of the parking lot he drove it was meant to be home but he couldn't go there. All he could see was Danny sitting on the beach chairs sharing a longboard watching the sun go down. Every where was the same; Danny had touched so much in the last 6 years and for that Steve cursed him.
Slipping the keys into the house, he stood in the entrance a thin layer of dust had settled on everything, letters and junk was piled behind the door. He closed the door shoving it into a pile and dropped it onto the table next the dead house plant.
He walked down the hall and stepped into Danny's room, two pictures sat on the bed table making Steve smile he picked the team picture up blowing off the dust. If Danny didn't pull through, it would kill him to put the few items into boxes because although the place was practically bare it was his Danny's; his best friend.
Sitting on the bed he pulled the picture into his chest. Danny had headed up early not saying a word, Steve heard the shower and walked out onto the patio swallowing the last of his orange juice not his usual poison but drinking in front of Danny seemed unfair.
He sat outside for a while but his eyelids felt so heavy as if the whole day was crashing in on him, he had learnt from experience that sleeping in the chairs was a royal pain in the neck. Stepping back inside he could still hear the shower which was puzzling.
Heading up to the guest room he knocked letting himself in, panic fueled adrenaline pushed Steve into action pulling his mobile from his pocket he punched in 911 communicating on auto pilot his address, title and situation grateful for the operators understanding.
Danny had been sick meaning Steve needed to clear his airways, moving him carefully onto his side he placed two fingers inside his mouth, blood trickled from his nose and ears. Steve could feel him start to convulse in his arms he wanted nothing more than to hold him tight until it finished but he knew that he could hurt him more so he laid him on his back, sitting back on his hunches he felt totally useless because as one settled another quickly started, now blood trickled down his chin Steve realised that he had more than likely bitten his tongue.
Steve replaced the picture back on the side, heading into the bathroom he stripped off stepping into the shower he let the water blissfully ease his abused muscles. Kono took the morning shift, Chin the afternoon and Steve was meant to share with Lou but he just couldn't bare not to be there.
Steve was never one for long showers but the water numbed his mind, he didn't understand why Danny was dealt such crap he had saved that little girl's life. Someone had told him that death will always find a substitute.
The doctor's words made no sense the only one that stuck was brain damage. The severity unknown and would remain that way until he ever woke with was a miserable 20%. chance. Steve questioned that if Danny had gone to the hospital straight away would the outcome had been different but the doctor simply didn't answer.
Pulling a towel around his waist he looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes were shadowed by dark shadows, his lower face was a scruffy beard; the Mcgarrett he had been was becoming quickly lost in despair and it scared him so much.
He pulled on his clothes checking his phone he headed back to the bedroom collapsing onto the bed he needed sleep, he knew it wouldn't come. He laid staring at the ceiling the urge to hit something was stronger than the will to rest, but he refused to move from the comfort of his friend.
The vibration of his phone pulled Steve from his semi slumber, in the rush to grab it he knocked it to the floor cursing as it stopped ringing. Pulling himself off the bed he reached down to retrieve it he felt something under the bed, pulling it out he discovered a photo album.
The secrets inside revealed a happy wedding and amazing stories of Grace but the last pages sat empty which saddened him even more, he would make it a mission to fill them with Charlie, he still had a photo on his phone of him in the baby care unit, Steve had forgotten about it until he had gone to empty the photo's one day.
His phone vibrated to life again picking it up from the floor he studied the image of Chin which surprised him, Steve didn't recall falling asleep but considering that he had left the hospital a little after 7, closing the book he took the call.
Steve felt numb, he couldn't move from the bed. Tears uncontrollably fell why couldn't he control them? He never lost his emotions before even with the brutal death of his parents. Danny was an amazingly annoying person that crept beneath your skin without anyone even noticing.
Twenty minutes later Steve pulled himself from the bed collecting the photo albums and slipped on his shoes. He climbed into the camero looking across at the empty seat beside him. A seat that would never hear another rant, laugh or logic thought. A silence would for ever fill the area around him, swiping at the tears he headed back to the hospital, to reality.