A/N: I am not medical professional. I haven't even researched what I've written here so don't believe any of it! All the knowledge I have was obtained by watching 8 (soon to be 9) seasons of Grey's Anatomy and various other hospital or ambulance dramas and above all by reading A LOT of fics with Steve whump. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy.
Not betaed. If you see a mistake, tell me and I'll change it.
Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own anything, I don't make any profit and if I did own the show, it would be soooo different and I wouldn't be posting this here. This would be cannon. And also, there would be much more Steve whump.
"The mission is to get this girl out." His CO said, showing Steve a picture of a little girl. She was about nine years old and had her hair in pig tails.
"Where is she being held?" Steve asked. He was already geared up, and his team was waiting by the plane that was ready to leave as soon as he was briefed.
"She is being held in this compound in Colombia." The other man answered and pointed at a map that was laying in front of him. "There are at least ten guards surrounding this place, and another three with the girl at all times. It will be difficult to get her."
Steve studied the map. It was a small compound, the house was just a little cottage with two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. This made his job much more difficult since the guards would almost be packed in one space. They would not have the possibility of taking them out one by one.
"Who is this girl, sir?" He asked. His CO looked him in the eye with a serious expression.
"She is the daughter of a very important man. In fact he is president in a foreign country and it is vital to the US economy that you get his daughter back." He said coolly.
"I understand, sir." Steve answered, took the map of the compound and the picture of the girl and went to the door.
"Commander." The older man said. Steve turned around. "Good luck." He said. Steve nodded and left the room.
Four hours later, he and his team were preparing to jump from the plane. There were five people listening to his every word. Mitch, Chris, Techie, TNT and Andersson were sitting opposite him on the plane. They were the ones that made out his team and would jump with him in approximately three minutes.
"Okay. Mitch and Chris, you are going to move in from this side, Techie, Andersson, you'll take the back and TNT and me are gonna go through the front." Steve said, pointing at the map. He took TNT himself since he was the rookie on the team. He had been with them for two previous missions and had shown a lot of potential.
"There are ten guards outside, that we know of. Now there could be more, a lot more, and let's face it, this compound is tiny. Be quiet, do whatever it takes to not raise attention. Our mission is to get this girl to safety, do not forget that. She is priority number one. There are at least three guards with her at all times so be cautious. Now are you ready to jump?" He screamed over the roaring noise of the plane as Techie opened the door.
He was met by a roaring "Hoo Yah" from his team.
"Mitch, Chris, you go first, Then Andersson and Techie, then TNT and I'm going last." He screamed and touched Mitch's back. He jumped with Chris right behind him. This was a high altitude jump and they had their oxygen masks on. Steve put his on as well and touched Andersson's back. He jumped as well with Techie in tow. TNT made the thumbs up sign at Steve. Steve nodded and jumped out the door right after him.
Twenty minutes later, he saw the first pair of SEALs land safely. It was a risky landing since there wasn't a lot of ground that wasn't covered by forest, but they had agreed to jump onto a small clearing not far from their target.
The second pair of SEALs landed perfectly as well.
Steve saw that TNT was drifting a bit too far to the left, towards the compound and shouted at him to steer right. He didn't seem to hear him though, because he continued drifting towards their target.
"All of you, go to your positions. Do not engage yet. We seem to have a little trouble steering right." Steve said to his other team mates over the radio and tried contacting TNT again. Once again, he got no reaction from the other SEAL.
"If we don't make it, get the girl out." He said to the team. He received confirmation from Andersson.
The trees were rushing against him now as he steered after TNT. They were going to land in the trees not far from the compound. Steve knew that he was risking his life, but he couldn't leave the other SEAL behind. Leave no man behind. The motto of the SEALs. That was why the trees were coming closer and closer and why he suddenly stopped feeling anything.
He knew that he must have landed. He was pretty sure that he was close to TNT. His team mates were shouting something in his ear but he couldn't really focus on that. All he could focus on was staying awake, not passing out. Because he was damn near that right now.
It took all of his energy but he did achieve his goal. He did stay awake. He ignored the all-consuming, excruciating pain that flared up in his body and took out his knife to cut of the cords of the parachute. Starting to catalogue his injuries while he tried to figure out a way to get down from the tree he was currently hanging in, he realized that this was not going to be easy. At all.
"Hey Dog, are you still with us?" He heard Techie ask on the radio.
"Yeah. I'm here. Where are you?" He wheezed.
"We're in position. How bad are your injuries? Do you want us to move in?" Andersson asked.
"It's not too bad. I think I have a couple of broken ribs and one wound in my leg that is bleeding a little, but other than that, I'm just bruised." Steve answered, not quite truthfully. He did have a couple of broken ribs, which were making breathing and above all, talking, difficult. There also was a wound in his leg, but it wasn't bleeding 'a little'. It was bleeding a lot. Steve ripped of some cloth from his chute and tried to stop the bleeding. He also didn't mention the gashes in his hands from steering the chute, or the pounding in his head. Or the pain in his midsection.
"How many hostiles do you see?" He asked no one in particular.
"There are at least twelve guards outside, no idea how many inside." Mitch answered.
"How are they positioned?"
"They are in pairs. We could take them out, boss." Chris said confidently. Twelve guards. That made six pairs. Three pairs for each of his teams.
"We can wait a little longer. I am going to locate TNT to see if he can be any help at all. If not, I am coming to help you. Hold your positions for now." Steve decided.
"Are you sure that you should move that far with your ribs, boss? We can make do on our own." Chris, who also was the medic on the team said. This was exactly why Steve had lied about his injuries. Chris was always overreacting. He heard some of the others laugh.
"Come on, Chris. We've seen the boss fight with so much worse." Andersson said. Steve had realized that there was no other way down than jumping and did that. He moaned when he landed on his injured leg.
"Hey Dog, everything okay? That did not sound so good." Mitch said.
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. I just decided to take a jump down this fucking tree that decided to stand in my way." He answered.
"Ouch." Mitch said. Steve started moving in the direction where he had seen TNT go down.
"Has anybody heard from TNT?" He asked. He was panting, trying to avoid deep breaths since they really hurt his ribs.
"Negative." Techie answered. Steve was getting a little worried by now.
Approximately ten minutes later, he found TNT. He was laying on the ground, a tree branch sticking through his midriff.
"Shit." Steve whispered when he saw his team-mate.
"Everything okay, Smooth Dog?" Andersson asked.
"No. I found TNT. He has a fucking branch sticking through his body." Steve answered and checked his friend over for other injuries. He was out cold. Most likely he had a head injury. But his pulse was steady and he was breathing relatively normally.
"Ouch again." Mitch said.
"Is it bleeding? Or is the branch stopping the bleeding?" Chris asked.
"No bleeding that I can see. His pulse is steady and his breathing is fine. I believe he has a head injury since he is still out cold, but that could just be the shock as well. I don't think there is anything I can do for him right now. What do you say, Chris?" He asked.
"No it doesn't sound like it." Chris answered.
"Roger that. I am moving towards you, hold your positions until I give my word." Steve said and starting moving through the woods again.
"Maybe you should stay with TNT." Andersson suggested.
"Please Andersson, you should know me better than trying to lure me to stand back." Steve answered and continues moving towards his goal. He heard his team laugh.
"It was worth a try, Dog." Andersson said. Steve didn't reply. Honestly, he didn't know if he could right then. His midsection was hurting worse with every step and the pain in his ribs was worsening as well. He concentrated on pushing the pain away and succeeded in doing so.
"I am in position. I have a different plan. Techie, Andersson, you start taking out guards on my word. I don't care how you do it but make sure the other guards notice. Try to get their attention. We know that not all guards are going to take the bait, so as soon as the guards have divided to help their friends, Mitch and Chris, you start making noise as well to take care of the other guards. I move in and take care of the girl." Steve ordered.
"Roger that." Everybody said. Steve took a deep breath, or a breath as deep as possible with broken ribs and possible internal bleeding which he knew the pain in his abdomen was.
"Go." He said. Immediately he heard some strange noises from the right side of the compound where Andersson and Techie were positioned. It sounded as though someone was screaming only to be cut of by someone else. Then he heard voices.
"I told you to be quiet!" Andersson screamed. Steve was glad that he had turned of the mic.
"You're the one screaming." Techie replied, also screaming. There were people moving from all sides now. It was clear that there were more than ten guards but Steve knew that his team would take care of them. There was a snap when Andersson and Techie turned their mics on again.
"Now, Mitch." He said when the movement on his left stopped.
"Roger." Mitch said. A few seconds later, Chris was yelling from the left side of the compound.
"Hey, are you trying to rob this place too? So are we! What a funny coincidence." He yelled. There was no answer which Steve assumed was a good sign. There was movement again and Steve decided that this was his moment. He moved towards the house and slipped inside without problems.
He had forgotten all his pain as the adrenalin was flowing through his veins. The only thing he felt was the exhilaration of the moment, and the anticipation of a fight that he knew would come. He readied himself, hearing footsteps moving toward him. He struck the man that was coming to kill him once in the throat and the man was down. Steve quickly moved the same way that the man had come.
He opened the door to the other room, surprised that nobody but the little girl was there.
"We are clear, moving towards you, Dog." Andersson said. The girl was staring at Steve with big, frightened eyes. He put a finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet.
"Hi. I'm Steve. What's you name?" He whispered. She still just looked at him with big, scared eyes so he tried to move a little closer and smiled. She closed the space between them with a few steps and whispered her name into his ear.
"Maria." She whispered. He nodded and hugged her. She seemed to be comforted by the hug and relaxed a little.
"Listen, Maria. I am going to lift you through that window there, okay? I will be right behind you, but I want you to run into the woods." He whispered while holding eye contact. She nodded in understanding.
"Good." He said smiling. She smiled back at him. He lifted her up and carried her to the window.
"Both me and the girl are coming at you, Andersson." He said a little louder.
"Roger that." Andersson said.
They heard footsteps outside the door and Steve quickly lifted Maria through the window. He was halfway through the window himself when he heard the door open and he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder.
"Run!" He screamed to Maria. She turned to the woods and did as he said. Steve tried to get out of the window but he didn't have time to push the pain back. The pain made him clumsy and he felt a strong hand dragging him back inside.
"Make that the girl. Without me." He whispered.
He heard that Andersson radioed for help as soon as he heard Steve's comment.
"How are you doing, Dog? What happened?" He asked. Steve slipped out of his attackers grip and hit him across the face. The hit that would have knocked most people out only seemed to anger the man.
"Managed to get myself shot. I'm okay though. Status report." He managed to pant out while trading blows with his attacker.
"We're clear and moving into the house." Mitch answered.
"We have the girl. We're holding our position until you give us other orders. The evac team is fifteen minutes out." Andersson responded. Steve moaned when the other guy got in a particularly painful punch to his ribs.
"Fuck." He mumbled.
"Smooth Dog? You okay?" Chris asked, worry evident in his voice.
"Yeah. Andersson, Techie, you move to TNT so the evac team gets an easier job." Steve said between blows. He managed to grab a hold of a chair, swinging it and hitting his attacker in the head just as Mitch and Chris came barging through the door. The other guy was out cold.
"Perfect timing." Steve said and smiled at his team. He then sat down and held his head between his legs. Chris immediately moved over to him.
"Okay, McGarrett, let's see how you're doing." He said and opened his medical kit.
"No, I'm okay. I just need to catch my breath. Go to TNT, help him. He needs it more than I do." Steve said, not lifting his head.
"Steve..." Chris pleaded.
"You can leave Mitch with me. Go. That's an order." Steve said, his eyes hard as he lifted his head to look at Chris. Chris reluctantly closed his bag and moved out of the room. He looked sharply at Mitch as if the whole thing was his fault. Steve sighed as he left and turned his mic of. He motioned to Mitch to do the same.
"Is the house clear?" He asked Mitch who nodded. He had done as Steve asked and had turned of his mic.
"I think I need your help." Steve said and waved Mitch closer. He was at Steve's side in a matter of seconds.
"Okay Steve. We all knew that you were lying when you told us the extent of your injuries. And I already see that your hands are bleeding. Badly. So tell me. How bad is it?" Mitch asked and Steve knew that it was serious as Mitch used his first name.
"That is still McGarrett to you. And to Chris for that matter." Steve said, his thoughts getting lost. Mitch snapped his fingers in front of Steve's face.
"Hey, Dog! Stay with me here. Your injuries?" He said again.
"Multiple broken ribs, possible internal injuries, possible concussion, severely bleeding wound in the leg, GSW to the shoulder and those gashes on my hands that you mentioned." Steve answered calmly. Breathing was getting even harder now. Steve knew it must have had something to do with that fight he just had. There was a possibility that one of his broken ribs had shifted and punctured his lung.
"Jesus, Commander. How are you still sitting up, talking to me?" Mitch said and took a look at Steve's leg.
"No good." He said and ripped the make shift bandage Steve had made of the chute off.
"Hey, don't insult my field medicine!" Steve said wheezing.
"Sorry, boss." Mitch said absent-mindedly. He was concentrating on making a new bandage out of his own T-shirt.
Steve couldn't breathe. He knew that something was wrong with his lungs because he struggled and struggled but no air was let in. Mitch was standing over him, telling him to calm down and focus on breathing slow, deep breaths. Steve couldn't do that though. He couldn't even suck in a small breath, let alone a deep one.
"Come on, McGarrett. Fight!" Mitch yelled. Steve tried to, but he couldn't. His broken body had given up on him.
Steve became aware of a new pain. This and the fact that he could breathe again was what woke him up. Or rather, the fact that someone was breathing for him. Something was pushing air into his lungs, making them breathe.
"It worked, Lieutenant. It worked." Mitch said. He was sitting by Steve's head, pushing the ambo bag.
"You can stop that now. I believe that he can breathe on his own." Another, female, voice said. The thing pushing air into his lungs stopped and Steve took a few calming breaths, ignoring the pain in his ribs. He was just relieved to be able to breathe on his own again.
"Welcome back, Commander." The female voice said. Steve opened his eyes and saw a pretty blonde leaning over him.
"Steve. I believe you just saved my life, so please, call me Steve." Steve said between breaths. She smiled.
"Okay then, Steve. Would you please state your rank and full name so I can tell how bad that head wound of yours is?" She said at the same time as Mitch murmured something about her getting to call Steve by his first name when he couldn't.
"Lieutenant Commander Steven James McGarrett." Steve answered and smiled at her.
"Well, Steve, it seems like you are good." She said.
"What happened to the others?" Steve asked, worried about TNT.
"Your friend was pretty bad, he had some nasty internal bleeding so we've already lifted him out of here along with the rest of your team." The woman answered. Steve realized that she was a medic that had been flown in with the chopper that had gotten his friends out of these woods.
"Let me guess, Chris sent you, Lt. Ferguson." Steve said, reading her name tag.
"Oh please, call me Kim. And yes he did. And that was very good. You were just hanging on, Steve. A few minutes later, and I wouldn't have been able to save you." She said.
"Believe me, I know. Mitch, go to the clearing, wait for the next chopper which I hope is coming and send someone back here with a backboard or something. I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'm walking out of here." Steve ordered. Mitch nodded and went out the door.
"You're absolutely right about that. I already inflated your right lung and you are not walking anywhere with a chest tube." She said, scowling.
The room went quiet. Kim took of the T-shirt from his leg and replaced it with a real bandage.
"Lieutenant Hutcherson mentioned something about possible internal bleeding, do you mind if I take a look?" She asked and lifted his T-shirt without waiting for an answer. Steve now noticed that someone had taken off all his body armour. Most likely Kim to get access to his injuries, he thought.
Kim winced out of sympathy when she saw his left side. She must have somehow managed to get in a chest tube on his right side with his T-shirt half on, it was ripped apart in the middle. She started poking and prodding at his side and Steve concentrated on counting all the bricks in the fire-place across the room.
"How bad?" He asked and winced because he took a deep breath and his ribs protested. Violently.
"I honestly don't know. I'll tell you this though, it doesn't look good." She said. He didn't even lift his head to look at his chest, which he was sure was multicoloured by now, but held his gaze on the door. Something was wrong, he could feel it in his gut.
"Kim. Stop what you're doing. That's an order." He said without taking his eyes of the door.
"You can't give me orders, Commander." She answered coolly and continued prodding him.
"Lieutenant Ferguson, stop what you are doing immediately." He said again, louder this time.
"What's wrong, Steve? You know that you can't give me orders." She said and tried to get him to look at her. At the same time, the door opened and the man who Steve had punched in the throat barged in with a gun in his hands. Steve saw the gun go off but couldn't react fast enough. Kim however could. She threw herself in front of him at the same time as she fired her own weapon.
The man who had tried to kill him looked down at the red blood come from the wound in his chest, clearly surprised to see it there. He let go of his gun and fell first onto his knees, and then onto his face.
Steve heard a moan from the person laying beside him and fought back the pain in his own body. The impact from the bullet that had forced Kim, and thereby indirectly him, backwards, had not helped his own injuries. But he knew that Kim must have gotten it worse.
"Kim?" He whispered, not able to speak louder. No answer.
"Come on, Kim, answer me." He said while trying to get up to a sitting position so he could take a look at her. This only aggravated his injuries further and the pain in his abdomen confirmed that he did, indeed, definitely have internal injuries. Another moan was the only answer to his question.
"Lt. Ferguson, please answer me." He said after he had finally propped himself up on his elbows. He turned Kim over with the last of his energy before carefully laying down again. Kim's eyes were closed.
"Commander McGarrett. Did I say that you could move?" She murmured. Steve felt a laugh escape his lips, but he instantly regretted letting that happen since the pain in his ribs was threatening to make him pass out again.
"No you didn't ma'am." He said, closing his eyes. "Thanks for saving my life. Again."
"You're welcome. Now would you please open those eyes for me so I can tell that you're still conscious?" She answered. He did as she said and saw her trying to sit up. He weakly tried to support her with one arm but realized that he was too weak to help her in any way.
"Shit. Getting shot hurts." She said and took a few slow breaths before she turned and looked at Steve again.
"You shouldn't have sat up, Steve. Now that bullet wound that I treated so nicely is bleeding again." She said and ripped of the bandage on his shoulder. Steve had forgotten that he was shot.
"Sorry." He whispered. "Are you okay? Did the bullet do any damage?" He said, his voice getting weaker and weaker.
"Stop talking. I don't believe it did. I'm going to have a nice bruise to show everyone but other than that, I'm just fine." She said. Steve nodded and closed his eyes. He was just going to take a short nap.
The next time Steve woke up, he was definitely in a hospital. The smell gave it away. He didn't feel any pain at all, they had him on the good meds. He slowly opened his eyes, still no pain what so ever. Nice.
"Hello Commander. It is good to see you awake. Do you feel up for some guests?" A nurse that had been fiddling with the equipment in his room said.
"Who?" Steve asked hoarsely. The nurse put a glass of water to his lips and Steve drank gratefully.
"Lt. Rollins and Lt. Ferguson, sir. You seem to be a popular guy." She said with twinkling eyes. Steve smiled.
"They can come in." He said. The nurse nodded and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Steve said. The nurse stopped and turned to him again.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Have you heard anything from Ensign Moore?" He said, still worried about TNT.
"The guy with the tree? He is doing just fine. I think he has flirted with all of his nurses. I don't know if I have all the details right but I think the branch missed all vital organs. He is going to be just fine."
"Thanks." Steve said, closing his eyes. He really wanted to stay awake to see Cath and Kim again, but he was too damn tired.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed and I do know for a fact that you desperately want to press that little review button right there.