A/N: Thanks to my friend Phoebe Miller for editing this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.
Not Just a Car
Steve had lost track of how long he'd been lying on the hard, unforgiving concrete. He ran his tongue over his upper teeth, the metallic tang reminding him of the reason he was flat on his back - Campbell. He pushed himself up into a sitting position to have one last look. The anger he felt for what the man and his comrades had done hadn't lessened any with Campbell's death.
"Officer down." Lou's voice bellowed in his ears.
"I'm good. You can tell Danny to stop worrying." He looked towards the entryway expecting to see the big man standing there. No one appeared. The plastic sheeting flapped gently in the breeze.
He clambered up onto his feet and limped outside. The hammering in his head increased tenfold when he stepped into the midday sun. He reached up, hissing when his fingers came into contact with a wound to his temple.
When he didn't receive a response from any of his team he tried again. "And his liver's fine by the way."
He was greeted once again with nothing but static. His gut had told him something was up after he realized that first radio call wasn't referring to him. Now the knot in his stomach tightened further as he stood alone in the shop entrance.
Steve could only offer a weak smile in response to the angry scowl directed his way by the stallholder picking up his produce from the ground. On any other day he would have stopped to help, apologized profusely, but not today. His hastened strides soon became a jog, dodging in and out of innocent bystanders, each one oblivious to his inner turmoil. Every footfall jarred his sore ribs, as he now ran full throttle back towards his team. The sound of gunfire had long passed, replaced by the murmur of frightened passers by.
He slowed to a stop, momentarily giving into his physical needs. Hunched forward, his hands resting on his knees, he sucked in a few greedy lungfuls of air. Straightening up, he took in the scene before him. What was once an unremarkable road now resembled a war zone. Abandoned cars and weaponry were spread out along the short stretch of blacktop. His partner's wrecked Camaro amongst them. It's sleek black lines peppered with bullet holes, and the shattered windshield had showered the hood with tiny pieces of glass.
Steve saw his team huddled together on the far side of the car. He headed their way, weaving between HPD officers busy securing the area. Empty ammunition shells littered the ground where one of their dead perps remained.
Two EMTs pushed a gurney toward him. As Steve got closer the lead medic gave him a solemn nod in way of greeting. The individual they were transporting obviously dead, covered in their entirety by an emergency blanket. His heart was suddenly in his throat. For the first time, he registered Danny's absence.
Kono turned to greet him, her watery gaze was all it took for his world to implode. Steve swallowed down the bile which rose up in his throat, his vision graying at the edges. He tried to move but his legs refused to cooperate, it was as if he was stuck in quicksand. Someone's firm grip on his arm was all that kept him from collapsing.
"You need to see a medic." Chin's calm voice washed over him.
"M'good… where's D-Danny?" Steve's voice sounded small in his own head.
"That there was one of our sorry ass perps. Nothing more to see." Lou positioned himself between Steve and the gurney, blocking his boss' view, evidently reading his mind.
"You remember those? They were the ones shooting at us when you took it upon yourself to go play Rambo. And I'm fine, by the way." Danny's breathless rant jolted Steve back into action.
Stumbling around the front of the Camaro, Steve caught sight of his friend, who was very much alive. This time he was unable to stay upright, landing hard on his knees by Danny's side. His partner sat on the ground, EMTs kneeling over him. One fixing a pressure bandage to the top of his leg, the other inserting an IV.
Danny gave him a sidewards glance. "You look like you went a few rounds with Mayweather."
Steve didn't say a word, his focus on Danny's bloodied leg.
"It's just a graze." Danny used his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Looks like more -"
"Don't you dare. It's just a graze is similar to your I'm fine. What's the matter with you, huh? It's called backup, Steven."
"I could handle Campbell alone." A hint of annoyance in his tone.
"Yeah, looks like it." Danny shook his head. "And what about my backup?"
"You were..." Steve hesitated, feeling the weight of his teams glare on him. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."
"Think." Danny finished the sentence. "Not a word. You left me with no cover and out of ammo. If Kono wasn't such a crack shot we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"Danny should have had your back, Steve. Or you should have let one of us take care of Campbell." Chin indicated to Lou and Kono.
Steve coughed uncomfortably, holding a fist to his chest. "I get it, guys, but I needed to take him down."
"And I understand that need, babe. I honestly do, but you could have been killed. I have enough stress in my life worrying about my kids without adding you into the mix." Danny grimaced as the medic finished wrapping his injury.
"We need to get you to the hospital, Detective."
"He's coming with us." Danny gestured towards Steve with a weak wave of his hand.
"M'good, Danno." Steve grunted as he pushed up from the ground.
"Of course you are. Unlike my car."
"Get me outta here." Steve draped his arm over Chin's shoulder. The shorter man taking most of his weight.
"Danny's right. You need to get checked out." Chin noted Steve's pinched expression.
"Traitor." Steve quipped back.
"You do realize I'm the only thing keeping you upright."
"Fine. I'll ride with Danny." Steve conceded, beads of sweat glistening on his face.
"Next time we're using your truck." Danny tried to sit up from the gurney he was now being strapped to, only to find himself forced back down by the firm hand of the EMT.
"Have you seen Chin's Mustang?" Danny continued, undeterred by the exasperated look on the face of the medic now trying to position an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.
"Sir your stats are on the low side. I really suggest -"
"M'good." Danny cut him off, batting the offending item away.
"They shot up my SUV too, ya know?" Lou hollered.
Chin shrugged his shoulders. "It's just a car. It can be fixed."
Steve closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. "Ah man, I'm sorry."
"Brah, I'm pretty sure it wasn't you that shot up my car. We call them the bad guys for a reason. Don't start apologizing for them." Chin helped Steve into the rear of the waiting ambulance.
"Hey, it's not just a car and you can't always fix things." Danny paused briefly as the medic checked his readings once again. "And this. This isn't always fixable. We could have both died."
"That's what I love about you, Danno. Always the optimist." Steve couldn't help but grin.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Brush this off like it's nothing. You did it earlier today. When you pried that slug out of your vest." Danny had to look away, tears threatening to cut loose.
"Hey." Steve leaned forward and took hold of his best friend's hand. "I'm sorry. Sorry you took a bullet because I didn't have your back. But this... this whole case got under my skin. It got personal and I know... I know I shouldn't have let it, but..."
Danny blew out a shaky breath. Steve's unexpected show of emotion causing his throat to tighten.
Steve ran his free hand through Danny's hair. "Danno, would ya look at me, please."
Danny turned his head, a lone tear escaping. "I can't lose you."
"You're not gonna, buddy. And trust me I'm not gonna lose you either." Steve used his thumb to brush away the tear.
Danny was about to respond when his gaze went from Steve to the medic sitting next to him. He immediately pulled his hand free of his friend's grasp and flinched away from the fingers still tenderly touching his face.
"Don't mind me. You had me at the car, man. If that was my Camaro, I'd be sobbing." Sensing his patient's embarrassment, he continued. "The meds will do that to you too. They mess with your system."
"Ricardo. That's your name, right?" Danny continued after receiving a nod of agreement from the medic. "See Ricardo here gets it. It's not just a car."
"Fine. I'm sorry it got damaged. Next time we're expecting a shootout we'll bring the Silverado."
"Eck. Why would you wanna drive one of those?" Ricardo wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"I happened to like my truck, thanks. So Ricardo, what do you drive?"
"This bus occasionally, when I'm allowed." He shouted loudly for his partner to hear.
Steve rolled his eyes. "God help me, this is gonna be a long trip."
~ the end ~