A one-shot where Danny needs Grace more that ever. Time-line may not match show exactly. I don't own H50 or any of its characters.
"Are you serious, doc?" Danny snapped at his doctor. "High blood pressure. That's the best you can do when I'm paying you all this money? I know I'm stressed; tell me something else!" Danny Williams was in his typical curmudgeonly mood.
"Mr. Williams, this is past just feeling stressed out; this is serious. If you don't start taking care of yourself, there could be repercussions. You're going to have to cut back on the things that are causing your hypertension," the older gentleman said. Dr. Chang was very familiar with Danny's job and lifestyle.
"Well that means I'm going to have to kill Steven McGarrett. Because he is the only thing that stresses me out," Danny gestured wildly as he normally did.
"Well I wouldn't suggest that; just work a little less," the doctor said with a smile as he exited the room.
"Sure," Danny mumbled as his phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw the name "Rachel" on his phone. As he hit the answer button he took a deep breath, "Hello Rachel! How's the family?"
"Very funny, Daniel," Rachel spat back. "I've a problem with you."
"What would that be?" Danny asked as he made his way out of the doctor's office and to his car. He got in and headed towards his apartment as Rachel berated him.
"I do not appreciate you taking my daughter to a shooting range, Daniel!" Danny had taken Grace last week to teach her how to defend herself; as soon as she was old enough, he was buying her a gun. "She's only sixteen, and I do not want her subjected to the violence that you somehow enjoy!"
"Enjoy!? Rachel I'm a cop to keep people safe, not because I like getting shot at! I do it because this is Gracie's home and I want to protect it. How many times do I have to tell you that!?" As he pulled into his driveway, his chest began to hurt. "Rachel, look, I gotta go, but don't worry, I cannot wait to resume this delightful conversation," Danny said with a smirk as he hung up the phone and got out of the car. As he unlocked his front door, his left arm began to ache.
An hour later, Danny's phone rang again, as he was writing a report for a recently closed case. He got up from the couch and went to get his phone from the table. He felt a wave of relief as he saw his daughter's face on his phone. "Hey monkey!" he said smiling.
"Hey Danno!" Grace said into the phone; she sounded worried. "Mom just got home from work; she's really mad at you. I'm really sorry, Danno; I shouldn't have told her about last week."
"Sorry? Why are you sorry, monkey? You didn't do anything wrong, you hear me? I wouldn't do anything that would hurt you or that we would have to keep a secret. Your mom will get over this, I promise. Okay, babe?"
"Okay, Danno," just as Grace breathed a sigh of relief, the pain in Danny's chest took over. He fell to the floor, dropped his phone, and slipped out of consciousness. "Danno, are you there? What's going on?" Grace pleaded. Stan and her mom had gone out for the night by this time, so Grace grabbed the keys to her mom's Mercedes and raced out the door.
On her way to her father's house, she called her Uncle Steve. "McGarrett," Steve said gruffly into the phone.
"Uncle Steve!" Grace exclaimed with relief at his answering the phone. "I need your help; something's happened with Danno."
"What do you mean? Is he okay?"
"I don't know. I think he collapsed while we were on the phone. I'm on my way to his house right now."
"Okay, Gracie," Steve said, not questioning how Grace was getting there when she didn't have a car. "I'm up on the North Shore but I'm leaving now; I'll stay on the phone with you until you get there and find Danno."
"Thanks Uncle Steve," Grace breathed as she sped into Danny's neighborhood. She tore into the driveway and raced to the door. He hands shook as she unlocked it and stumbled in, yelling, "Danno!" She gasped as she saw him lying by his dining room table, unconscious.
"Gracie, what's going on? Talk to me, sweetie," Steve said. Grace had completely forgotten he was on the other end of the phone.
"He's unconscious. What do I do?" Grace began to panic; she couldn't live without her Danno.
"Calm down, Gracie; everything's gonna be fine. I've already texted Chin, and he's dispatched the paramedics. Help is on the way. Now check and see if Danny is breathing."
Grace checked his pulse. Nothing. "Oh my god! He's not breathing," Grace cried, grabbing Danny's hand.
"Okay Gracie," Steve said pulling her back to reality. "You're gonna have to start CPR on him. Danno taught you how to do that, right? I'll time you; tell me when you start compressions and I'll say when it's been one minute."
"Alright, I can do that." Grace regained her composure and wiped her eyes. "Starting compressions," she said like Danno had taught her. She pushed into his chest and prayed that he would come back to her.
"Time. Check his pulse."
"Nothing."
"Start CPR again," Steve said with a more urgent tone than before.
"Starting compressions."
"Time," Steve ordered one minute later. "Check again, Gracie."
"He's breathing, Uncle Steve! He's breathing," Grace exclaimed putting her forehead against Danny's. "What do I do now?"
"Oh, thank god! Good work, sweetie. Make sure he stays that way and—"
"The ambulance is here!" Grace exclaimed, cutting Steve off.
"Call me back when you get to the hospital. Nice job, Grace," Steve said as he sped down the interstate and hung up the phone.
Grace rode in the ambulance with Danny. The ride to the hospital was a whirlwind; there were tubes and needles, and the paramedics used a bunch of words Grace didn't understand. When they arrived, they rushed Danny into the emergency room, and a nurse told Grace to wait in the lobby. It was then Grace began to process everything. Her Danno had died; his heart stop beating. She lowered her shaky body into a chair as tears began to roll down her face. She put her face in her hands and sobbed, alone in the waiting room. Her tears felt like they were paralyzing her. All she could do was cry. What if Danno doesn't make it? That thought kept running through her mind.
After what felt like hours, she heard footsteps running into the hospital. "Danny Williams? Where is he?" she heard a familiar voice say from the front desk.
"Uncle Steve!" Grace exclaimed, making no effort to wipe her tears.
"Gracie," Steve breathed, running towards her. She began to sob harder as they collided. He held her head to his chest and rubbed soft circles on her back. "Are you okay?"
"I just want to see Danno," Grace sniffled, raising her head to look into Steve's worried eyes. "What if—"
"No. Not 'what if,'" Steve said softly, cutting her off from even thinking out that. "Have you ever known Danno to give up? The guy never quits; you know that. Danno's strong. He's gonna be fine, I promise," Steve said, trying to convince himself at the same time. He wiped a tear from Grace's face as someone in a lab coat came into the waiting room.
"Ms. Williams?" the doctor asked. She was a thin, blonde, with her hair pulled into a tight ponytail; the bags under her eyes suggested she'd been working for hours. She somehow still managed to smile at Grace and Steve. "Your father is stable now. He'll be awake soon and ready for visitors."
Grace wiped away one last tear before asking, "What happened to him? Why did he stop breathing?"
"Your father had a heart incident. It's not as severe as a heart attack, but it's still plenty of cause for concern. It's normally brought on by stress. If your father takes it easy for a little while and learns some better habits, he'll be fine."
"Thank you, doctor," Steve interjected before Grace could say anything. "Can we see him now?"
"Of course," the doctor said with a smile. She led them to a room at the end of a brightly lit corridor. As she cracked the door, she said softly, "He might still be a little groggy, but he'll wake up soon."
Steve and Grace crept into the room and saw Danny lying on the bed. Steve stood behind Grace and placed both hands on her shoulders. Danny was breathing softly, and his eyes were beginning to open. Grace grabbed his hand and held it between hers. She whispered, "Danno?"
Danny slightly stirred and smiled when he opened his eyes to see Grace. "Hey monkey," he said weakly.
"How are you feeling?"
"Okay," Danny said waking up more. He was now fully aware that he was in a hospital room and Grace and Steve were standing over him. "How'd you sneak this animal in here, huh?" Danny nodded at Steve.
"Very funny, Danno," Steve laughed. "I came here to make sure you weren't dead and that's the thanks I get."
"What did I tell you about calling me Danno?" Danno said pointing a finger at Steve. "Look, Steven—"
"Okay, you two," Grace interjected with a laugh. "Can't you at least take a break if one of you is in the hospital."
"He started it," Danny and Steve said at the same time, pointing at each other. The three of them laughed.
"Alright well I'll leave you two alone," Steve said. "I just wanted to make sure they got that tiny heart of yours working again, Danno." He clapped Danno on the shoulder and headed for the door. "Gracie, I'll call your mom and explain what happened. I'll tell her to give you some time with your dad before she picks you up. Proud of you kid," Steve said as he passed her on his way out of the room. "You should be very proud of Gracie," he said and briefly kneaded Grace's shoulder before exiting the small hospital room.
Turning her attention back to her father, Grace breathed, "Danno," and melted into him. She sat down on the bed and put her head on his shoulder. Danny planted a kiss on the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her. She began to cry again. "I thought you were gone."
"Listen, baby, I'm not going anywhere. Danno's always going to be here for you. I promise."
"I was so scared when you weren't breathing. I didn't know if I could bring you back." As Grace raised her head to look at Danny, he gave her a questioning look.
"Wait, not breathing?"
"I had to do CPR on you twice to get your heart to start back up." Grace could tell he was still confused so she continued. "You passed out when we were on the phone, so I took Mom's car and drove to your house. You were on the floor when I got there; I called Uncle Steve and he said to do CPR on you. You finally started breathing again. Right after that, the ambulance came, and I rode with you here."
Tears welled up in Danny's eyes. He couldn't believe how brave his little girl was. "Oh Gracie, I'm so sorry I scared you. I promise I'm going to take better care of myself, so we don't have to go through this again." He wiped a tear from her eye and gently rubbed his thumb on her cheek. He loved her so much. He raised her chin to meet his eyes. "Hey, listen to me. I'm so proud of you; you really stepped up. I guess there finally proof that I can't live without my monkey." Danny kissed her cheek and drew her head back to his chest. He never wanted to let her go. He wanted to stay like this forever: his little girl in his arms, filled with pride and love. He planted a few more soft kisses on her forehead and whispered, "Danno loves you, baby." He rested his head on top of hers, trying to absorb every moment with his baby girl.