So, this is my first fanfiction ever. I've been thinking about writing something for a while and this episode finally gave me a push, because I couldn't believe Steve wasn't there for Danny's release, and I needed a more emotional scene between them. Also, I always think they're much better than they should after getting injured, beaten, kidnapped, and so on. So I needed to do something with that too. I hope you enjoy it.
I need to give a huge thank you to Lynn_Minoha, for beta-read this, give me great ideas, correct my mistakes and basically, make me write this!
If there are any remaining mistakes they're all mine and I apologize for them, English is not my first language.
He was told not to go there. He was told Danny would be safely put on a plane and back in Hawaii as soon as possible, and he knew that State Department dirty scumbag will do as he was told – they had too much evidence for him risking not doing it. He also understood Joe's concerns, seconded by Kono and Grover's disapproving looks.
He got it, really. American cops going to a Colombian prison was never a good idea, that was the reason they came here in the first place and even if they've managed to get Danny free that didn't mean that the guards, or even any lowlife who were in Reyes' payroll couldn't be waiting to attack him at any given moment, official resolutions regarding Danny be damned. After all, they have just destroyed a 1.3 billion dollars cocaine shipment and that could only have raised their popularity among Reyes' circles.
That's why he sent them back to Oahu, he needed Joe to make sure everything was airtight sealed and any of this would burst in their faces later, while Grover and Kono had to hurry back and be by Chin's side – he was prouder than ever of Kono, her ability to push aside her worry for Chin long enough to come and try rescuing Danny said everything about how important this Ohana was for all of them. That feeling warmed his heart, because, sadly on the other hand, he couldn't help but feel that this was his truly and only Ohana besides Mary, little Joan and aunt Deb.
And on top of all that, even if everyone else on his team thought otherwise, he did know it was dangerous for them to remain here any second longer than necessary.
But he didn't care. Danny was there, alone, probably hurt – they didn't told them he was hurt, but he wasn't so naive to think an American cop accused of murdering Reyes wouldn't be attacked within his first day there – thinking he wasn't getting out of there alive, feeling hopeless and he didn't want any stranger to tell him he was going home. He may not believe it, he could think they were tricking him to take him somewhere even worse that the hellhole this prison was. No, Danny had gone to North Korea and Afghanistan for him, had gave him hope when he had lost it and he was going to do the same for him. Not doing it just wasn't an option.
So there he was now, following two guards through a hallway while the inmates behind the bars yelled at him, hatred visible in their eyes. His stomach flipped at the though of Danny having to face all this hate, outnumbered, unarmed and on his own. He was doing an immense effort to keep his calm facade and not run towards the door behind which he knew Danny was, like he really wanted to do.
His fears and anxiety didn't decrease at all when one guard opened the door to a small room and he saw his best friend slumped on a chair, his arms cuffed to the sides of it, his shirt stained with blood that had splashed from the various cuts and bruises he had on his face. He was still staring at him in shock, afraid of what other injures were hidden under his clothes and what would had happened if it had taken them one more day to free him, when Danny lifted his head and the mix of incredulity, disconcert and relief present on his eyes made Steve's heart skip a beat.
He recognized that look, it was the same he was sure his eyes showed when he was in the back of that truck in North Korea, expecting to see Wo Fat or one of his henchmen, followed by the butt of a gun hitting his head, but instead saw Danny, like a surreal image in front of his eyes, telling him to shut up as to confirm he was real. The flow of emotions he felt at that time was something he wouldn't forget in his life and he was feeling just as overwhelmed right now. Just the coarse tone of Danny's voice made him snap out of his trance.
"Hey buddy, just one day and you were already missing me?" Danny's attempt to lighten the situation wasn't fooling Steve for a second, but he had to smile at how his friend always tried to lessen his concern.
"Well, you know, I kinda got used to have your rants as background sound, how am I supposed to know if I've screwed up if you're not around? He smiled at him fondly for a second but once the initial shock passed, he focused again at the important thing – getting Danny out of here as soon as possible.
"Why is he cuffed? He was officially exonerated and we're getting out of here right now" He told to the guard right beside Danny, in a tone that expected no argument.
"We just received notice of his release and the paperwork it's not here yet. That's why we took him apart from the other inmates, but the cuffs stay until we have the official release papers and that's not negotiable." The guard was warily watching Steve too.
"Oh it's not? I suppose protecting him like you should wasn't negotiable either since…" Steve shut up abruptly when he heard the distressed sound Danny made.
"Steve, just leave it please, I want to go now."
There it was again, Steve thought, the defeated and resigned tone he had heard when he told him he had signed the extradition paper and asked him to talk to Grace. Steve's growing hate for that tone was just getting greater.
"It's ok, Danny, just a quick trip to the hospital and we will be in Oahu before you realize it" Steve was trying very hard to keep his tone reassuring. But he heard another distressed sound coming out of his friend's throat.
"Steve, no, please, no hospitals, I want to go home, I want to go to Grace. I'm fine, really, just some bruises, nothing rest won't cure" Danny was pleading him with his eyes, not wanting to say more in front of the guards, even if they weren't the same ones who gave him a beating just a couple of hours earlier.
Steve got closer and crouched in front of him, placing one hand on his knee.
"Danno, please, I just want to make sure you're good enough to travel, you surely don't look like you're fine and we'll go as soon as they check you over, ok? Do it for me, please. I'll take you to Grace in no time, trust me." They were pleading to each other with their eyes when the door opened and two other guards entered.
"Commander, here are the exoneration papers. The transport is ready and waiting at the door. You're free to go" The guard motioned to the one beside Danny who started removing the cuffs, then they went to grab Danny, but Steve stopped them.
"Don't touch him. I got it." With that he gently helped Danny to his feet, placing an arm around his waist to steady him before starting to walk along the hallway and towards freedom. The ambulance was waiting at the entrance and Steve stared at Danny, silently waiting for permission.
"Ok, I'll go. But I told you, I'm fine. If they keep me more than half an hour I'm leaving. Let's go. I never thought I'd said that, but I really want to get back to Hawaii."
Steve just smiled while he helped Danny to climb into the ambulance. The EMS made him lie down on the gurney and started removing Danny's shirt to take a look at his chest and abdomen. Steve gasped at the view before his eyes. Danny's chest was covered with bruises, along his ribs, in his belly and he could see them disappearing in his sides, extending towards the back. What the hell did they do to him? He had been here for just a day for God's sake! His anger was growing fast in his own chest when he felt a soft touch on his arm. Danny was grabbing his arm to get his attention.
"It's ok, Steve. Just bruises. They will fade. The important thing is that you came and it is over now." Danny's face was a mix of pain and great relief. Steve put his hand on top of Danny's and gently squeezed it.
"It is over, partner. It's all over." He hoped it really was, in more than one way. Steve knew Danny was feeling somehow guilty since murdering Reyes and the guilt was eating him slowly bit by bit. He hated that Danny had to go through this hell, but if it could relieve some of that guilt, he wasn't going to question it any further.
They quickly arrived to the hospital, the EMS had already put an I.V. with fluids in his arm and he was taken to get some X- rays of his chest and abdomen. When they returned, Steve waited with Danny until a doctor came and explained to them that he had four cracked ribs, but none of them were broken, and there weren't signs of internal bleeding so far. So they gave him permission to travel with instructions to go to a hospital as soon as they landed, to perform further tests and confirm there weren't any internal injuries.
So in three hours they were in the first flight back to Oahu. It was a quiet flight, the doctors had given Danny a mild relaxant and painkillers to minimize the discomfort that traveling with cracked ribs would cause, and he wasn't up to much conversation. Instead, he kept staring through the little window, completely lost in his thoughts, so Steve didn't want to push him; he was willing to give him the space, like his partner always did when their positions were reversed. Also, Steve was sure he would have a hard time trying to get Danny to the hospital when they landed, and he wasn't wrong. Danny stiffened a little as soon as he saw the ambulance waiting for them.
"Steve, I hope you don't expect me to get into that ambulance, because you know I want to go and see Grace right now. I told you I'm okay, the doctors told you I'm okay. Why on earth did you ask for an ambulance?"
"The doctors told us you were fine enough to travel, but also told me to take you to a hospital as soon as we arrived here and I intend to keep my promise. So let's go, Danno, quick trip and you will be with Grace in no time."
"Steve…listen to me, please. I really feel good, ok I'm sore", he had to add when Steve raised an incredulous eyebrow "but nothing else and they can't really do anything for the cracked ribs, so can we just go to see my daughter? I thought I wasn't going to see her again, Steve…please. I'll tell you if I feel worse."
Danny's distress was growing fast, so Steve had to push aside his rational concern and relent.
"Hey Danny, relax partner. Ok, let's go see your little monkey, but we're still going to the hospital to have you checked out after that, no more arguing, are we clear?" Steve was already gently leading Danny to his car.
"Yeah yeah, you just love to boss me around, huh? That's the real reason you want me close, no one else puts up with your bossy SEAL manners, I honestly don't know how I do it." Danny was sighing dramatically and Steve couldn't help the grin expanding on his face, Danny's rants were always a good sign.
Danny was paler by the time they arrived to Rachel's house, but his expression was also softer, just from thinking about seeing his daughter again.
"Danny, are you sure you're alright? You're pale like a paper, buddy."
"I'm fine, and will be even better once I hug my monkey." He put his hand on Steve's arm while smiling warmly. Steve just nodded, they didn't need to say anything else.
Steve waited by the car, watching his best friend approach his daughter as fast as he could manage while Grace ran to him with a wide smile on her face. Danny opened his arms and Grace jumped into them, clutching to him tightly. Steve heard a little sound of discomfort and watched Danny warily, alert to catch any sign of pain from Danny, but he had his back to him and seemed to be just happy to hold his daughter, so he relaxed a little.
In that moment he saw Joe approach him from his own car. He confirmed, as Steve had suspected, that his mother was behind the intel that pointed them to the hidden cocaine and also behind the fact that he wasn't arrested with Danny for Reyes' murder. Steve didn't know how to feel about it, he was confused and full of contradicting emotions. Sure, he was grateful she gave them the key to free Danny and she tried to protect him, but that wasn't enough. He had so many questions and she wasn't willing to give him any answers. Steve felt his head spinning while he listened to Joe ask for his trust, his voice sounding like he was getting further away from him, when Grace's shout pulled him back to focus on reality.
"Uncle Steve! Uncle Steve! I think Danno is hurt!" Steve noticed that Grace's voice was trembling and her eyes were wide with concern as he and Joe ran to them.
Danny was gasping for air, even paler than before, bent over his knees in the bench they were sitting in, when Steve crouched before him, grabbing his arm.
"Danny, what's wrong? What hurts?" Steve worry was escalating fast as Danny grimaced in pain, breathing harder with each passing moment.
"I don't know… my chest feels tight and it..it's hard to bre…breath," Danny had his eyes closed and was pressing hard with his hand on Steve's shoulder, tying in vain to steady his breathing.
"The ambulance will be here any moment now, Steve, try to calm him down while they arrive." Steve glanced at Joe and asked, "Do you think it's…?" he didn't finish his question, well aware of Grace's frightened look. He wouldn't let her feel like any of this was her fault.
"Yes, I think it is, but let's wait for the paramedics to confirm. Talk to Grace", Joe said to Steve while gently pushing Danny to straighten his back a little so he could breathe better. "That's it, Danny, try to keep your breathing steady, help is on the way." Steve reluctantly looked away from Danny to cradle Grace's head in his arms.
"Gracie, listen to me, Danny is gonna be fine, he's having some difficulty breathing, because he has some injured ribs, but the paramedics are going to help him, ok?" He then pulled apart a little, so she could look at him. "Now I need you to go with Joe and wait for the ambulance to show them the way, ok? Can you do that for me?" When she nodded with determination he briefly hugged her again before crouching back before Danny, while Joe took Grace's hand and both headed for the entrance.
"That's it, partner, you're doing great, just hang on a little longer", he whispered to Danny while holding his hands, trying to keep him calm and hoping he hadn't given in to Danny's request of coming here before the hospital. Just a couple minutes later, he heard the sirens approaching fast and he felt relieved that help has finally arrived.
Two paramedics rapidly got to their side, one of them taking Danny vitals while the other asked Steve for information. "He had some cracked ribs before arriving here, I think he may have broken some of them when he pulled his daughter into his arms, because he suddenly started to have trouble breathing", he glanced around while saying this, grateful to see that Joe had Grace a little apart from them, holding her in his arms.
The paramedics rapidly got Danny on a stretcher and after checking him and putting him on an oxygen mask, they confirmed he had a pneumothorax, as Steve and Joe had suspected. "We need to insert a chest tube into his collapsed lung before rushing to the hospital, Commander, to make sure it can expand again." Steve was about to agree, when he remembered Grace and Joe not far from there, waiting.
"Please, can you do it inside of the ambulance? His daughter is there and I don't want her to witness this."
The paramedics agreed and started to roll the stretcher to the ambulance while Steve ran to Grace and held her hand once again.
"Grace, they're going to rush your dad to the hospital, but he's gonna be okay, I promise you. I want you to go inside with Joe now and I'll go with Danno and call you as soon as he is checked over", he gave her a kiss on the forehead when she nodded between silent sobs and gave a final nod to Joe, who told him to go, before rushing to the ambulance.
They were already disinfecting a small area on Danny's side, between two ribs and Steve got to the opposite side of the stretcher and took Danny's hand on his own. Danny blinked at him, the pain still visible on his features.
"This is going to hurt, but just a moment and then you will feel hugely relieved", the paramedic said while injecting local anesthetic before doing a small cut between two ribs. Danny squeezed Steve's hand hard, his eyes tightly shut. Steve would have done anything to spare him that pain. Then they inserted the tube and Danny struggled a little against their hold before relaxing, his breathing becoming considerably more even.
Steve kept holding his hand and saying reassuring words to Danny all the way to the hospital. Once there, they took him away to perform various tests. Steve stopped in the middle of the hallway where they told him he couldn't go any further, only letting Danny go when it was absolutely necessary. There he was, chest heaving and forehead furrowed with worry, when the rest of the team arrived. He turned and saw them all and went to hug Chin as he approached.
"It's good to see you, brah, I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you were released."
Chin patted Steve gently on the back, smiling on his shoulder, "Hey, no worries, I know you all always have my back and you needed to be with Danny. How is he?", he asked Steve as they dislodged themselves from the hug, Kono and Grover also looking at him intently. Steve sighed tiredly.
"He started having trouble breathing when we were with Grace, the paramedics said he had a pneumothorax and put a chest tube to re-expand the lung, he seemed better after that, but they need to run more tests and make sure there aren't any internal injuries." Steve ran a hand through his hair. He needed all this to be done, he needed Danny to be fine.
"He'll be fine, boss, Danny's tough, he has to be after all, working by your side everyday, right?", Kono teased and smiled at him, trying to alleviate the tension, even if it was a little.
"C'mon man, let's go sit while we wait, you don't look all that good yourself", Grover laid a hand on Steve's shoulder and led them to the waiting room.
Two hours later, a doctor came to explain them that the impact, even if it wasn't very hard, had been enough to trigger the pneumothorax and for a cracked rib to break completely, nicking his lung when it moved, but luckily it didn't pierce it. They wanted to keep him 24 hours to make sure everything was fine before removing the chest tube and then he will be discharged.
They thanked the doctor before going to Danny's room, all of them feeling overwhelmed when they saw him pale as a ghost, an oxygen nasal cannula fastened to his head, chest bandaged and the tube sticking out his side. Danny was asleep – or sedated, they didn't really know – so they stayed silent for a while, until the rest of the team left Steve and Danny alone, after all, only one of them could spend the night and they all knew it would be Steve.
Kono kissed Danny gently on the cheek and hugged Steve on her way out, "Let us know if you need us, we'll be back tomorrow", she kissed him too and headed out.
Steve sat down on the chair besides Danny's bed, looking at his partner – no, his best friend – as he seemed to sleep peacefully. He thought he had lost him this time, for good. He had been feeling like he was losing him, gradually, for quite a while now, all the shit they both had been through the last months taking a toll on their friendship. Steve was strung tighter than a cord since the abduction and Danny was consuming himself with guilt, both for not preventing his brother from leaving when he had the chance and for murdering Reyes. Different reasons – same result. They both had been pulling apart from everyone, because they didn't seem to be able to deal with their demons in any other way.
But Steve missed Danny, he missed their usual banter – there still was some banter, but it was more real anger and concern and less genuine, patented, Danny's way to call him on his shit every chance he got – and he wanted his best friend back. He just had to tell him so, easy right? Steve slumped forward and laid his head on the bed, crossing his hands behind it, letting the tension of the day flow away from him. He may have dozed, because the next thing he was aware of was a hand, squeezing gently the back of his neck. A rush of emotions flooded him, as he was transported to that room again, with that disorienting feeling of not knowing in which reality he was – or which was reality and which fantasy – and a grounding, gentle touch on the back of his neck, pulling him out of the drug haze and beckoning him from the darkness.
He let himself enjoy the gentle touch, until Danny's impatient voice forced him to react.
"Do you plan to stay like that forever? I know my hands are magical, but c'mon babe, delight me with your best `I told you so', I'm ready." Steve had to raise his head at that, an amused look on his eyes. Danny's face had recovered some of its color and he was smiling at him.
"Nah, I'll tell you what Danno, I'll save it for a better occasion or trade it for a free pass next time you tell me I'm reckless and don't take care of myself. But just because, you know, in my rank of rightful reasons to be reckless, going to see your daughter is a very high one." He put his hand on top of Danny's, where it fell from his neck and squeezed it. "How are you feeling? You scared me, brother."
"I was scared myself for a bit, too. I'm fine now though. I'm sorry for putting you through it, I know from experience it's not a good feeling", Danny's look was distant now and Steve squeezed his hand again.
"Danny, I'm sorry", that got Danny's attention back to Steve, so he went on, "I know I'm reckless, well more reckless than usual, the whole Wo Fat thing messed up with my head more than I like to admit and…I don't know, I suppose that's my way of dealing with it."
"Shittiest way ever, babe."
Steve snorted a laugh at that.
"Yeah, I know, but I really didn't think about how it affected the rest of you, until…well, today. I didn't realize I wasn't available for you when you needed me and I'm so sorry for that." Steve looked away, not capable of maintaining Danny's intent gaze. But he squeezed his hand again.
"Steve, look at me. Steve, please." He finally got him to turn again. "You've always been there for me, for God's sake you went with me to Colombia, arranged everything for us to come back when I was too shocked to think for myself, then just a couple of days ago you were ready to sacrifice your freedom in order to not let me face all of this alone", Danny paused for a moment, looking at Steve like he was considering his next words. "So no, Steve, I wasn't distant because I thought you weren't there for me, I was distant because the death wish I always said you have, it's been on fire lately and I… I can't lose another brother, Steve. I just can't."
Now both of them were looking away, eyes red with unshed tears, the only remaining contact their joined hands.
"And since putting you on a leash is not an option – no matter how many times I call you animal – I thought I was doing the next best thing by distancing myself, as if that way I would suffer less when the inevitable happened." Now he was looking Steve in the eye again, "I was clearly wrong."
Steve didn't know what to say. That happened pretty often, talking about emotions wasn't one of his fortes, as Danny liked to point out, but this time, it really felt like they didn't need to say anything else, so they stayed like this for a while, sharing the comfortable silence, Steve rubbing absently his thumb on the back of Danny's hand, until he heard himself half whispering.
"Everything will be okay, Danno. We will be okay."
And he really meant it. For the first time in what felt like ages, the feeling that they will be fine, no matter what life decided to throw their way, was warmly spreading inside of him.
Thanks for reading
I hope you enjoyed it and I would love to hear your thoughts!