This story was inspired by the lovely kho. I read her story and my muse spewed this short scene extension for 625. It's rough and unbeta'ed (how the heck do you spell that?) so pardon my rambling. And...enjoy!
Danny was numb. Overloaded to the point of nothing.
He'd done his part. He got Steve on the ground as fast as he could.
There was no question who would ride in the ambulance.
He had to be with him. Had to keep his eyes on him. Just in case.
If Steve was gonna die, Danny wanted to be there. As crushing as it would be. He had to be there for his best friend.
Once he thought he'd been too late. He still had nightmares about Steve lying next to Wo Fat.
This time was different, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to pay attention. The flood would come later. Just as sure as the revenge he would exact on everyone responsible for this.
His anger burned somewhere off in the distance, sending smoke signals to remind him there was still work to be done.
For now, he let himself really look at Steve. Studying every inch. Remembering everything. Bad and good. But on a subconscious level only because right then, Danny was just absorbing the moment. Aware of everything and nothing at all.
If he gave in to emotion and allowed himself to actually express something - he would explode. He wasn't even there on some levels. It was a coping mechanism. A way to hold back the monster he knew he was inside. Danny split himself in two, keeping his more volatile self in the dark about what was fucking happening right before his eyes.
Because it was terrible. Tragic. Infuriating. And so unfair.
Steve was bleeding out. Dying. The EMTs were fighting to keep him alive. All he could do was hold on.
Danny saw past the bloody, torn clothes and exposed skin. He'd seen his partner without his shirt many times. It was a joke between them.
He loved this guy. They were best friends. Didn't matter how much they grated each other's nerves. He would never abandon him because it hurt too much.
Yet he didn't know if he'd ever see those eyes again. Or that smug grin that made Danny want to punch Steve in the face at times. And it twisted his insides in ways he'd never be able to explain.
But he couldn't look away. Because he might miss something.
It was difficult to catalog the injuries. He couldn't focus on the devastation. His heart was already breaking. And it wasn't being stabbed by his broken ribs.
Danny'd seen Steve badly injured more than once.
But not like this. He'd never seen his partner so broken.
Even in Afghanistan, Danny had known Steve would be alright once he was rescued. He could feel it in his guts.
Now, he wasn't sure of anything. Except that he needed to stand guard. To keep watch.
Because he wasn't leaving his friend's side.
Not until someone forced him to let go.
Danny had to be there for Steve. Needed to be with him.
Just in case.
Until next time...