This story was inspired by the first pictures released about the S6 finale. Before we knew many details. The muse took the tidbits and ran... It's a little rough and choppy, but I decided not to hold onto it any longer. Enjoy and drop me a review if you're so inclined.
He climbed out of the plane and stumbled forward, his world completely centered on his best friend. He knew he was mumbling something, but the words were becoming slurred. He squinted in the bright sun, suddenly feeling dizzy. Everyone was focused on Steve and rightly so. Danny tried to get a better look at him through the throng of people now gathered around his partner.
He fell to his knees, legs giving out just as his head felt like it exploded and his lungs seized. He couldn't call out for help. Wasn't sure he remembered how to speak, the pain was so bad. Thankful for the sand for once, he collapsed on his side, telling himself he just needed to rest. Then he'd follow Steve to the hospital.
God, Steve. The blood. He wasn't sure his best friend was going to make it. Hell, he hadn't been sure any of them would survive the crash. His heart raced at the panicked memory. Somehow, he'd held it together and landed the damn plane.
Now, he could relax. Steve was in good hands. That was all that mattered.
Danny closed his eyes, his own pain becoming too much for him. Just as he lost consciousness, he reached out for someone to help him, anyone.
/././
His memory was hazy. He didn't know where he was or how he got there. But he was comfortable. Warm and floating.
Yet, there was something he needed to do. And his brain just wouldn't work. He wasn't in pain, and that was good. But he just couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to get up. Someone needed help.
Danny had to find his way back. No, that was too hard. Made his head hurt. He fought against it. What did he remember? A plane. Guns. He was scared. Worried out of his mind. And he couldn't move.
Hushed voices soothed him, pushing him down into the softness, and he drifted back into unconsciousness. His whole body jerked as his mind retraced the horrible events of the day.
/././
There'd barely been time to react to the double-cross. Steve couldn't get to the weapon he'd hidden at this ankle, and Danny'd watched in horror as his friend was shot not once but twice. Somehow he'd managed to get his own piece out, hitting his mark. But not before the asshole had shot wildly, damaging the controls and the plane had jerked wildly, throwing Danny into a seat where his head had cracked hard against a window. A brilliant blanket of stars had erupted before his eyes and then everything was a flash of white as he felt himself passing out. Hands scrabbling for anything, he grabbed the seat cushion and pulled himself up, calling for his best friend.
He couldn't see straight for a few seconds and he didn't see Steve until he tripped over his legs.
Oh shit, Steve.
All Danny could see was red.
And Steve wasn't moving. His eyes were closed.
God, he needed to stop the bleeding.
But first - were they safe?
And why was there so much beeping?
Then it hit him.
No one was flying the plane.
/./././
He must have called out in his sleep because someone was murmuring his name. Trying to calm him. And he appreciated the effort. Because right then it felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest.
Disoriented, Danny thrashed his legs and tried to push away the hands that held him down. There was something important he needed to do. He needed desperately to tell them to let him go.
Steve needed him. Where was Steve?
He felt a pinch and everything faded again.
/./././
Now he was really out of his element. But he could not let himself believe they were screwed. People landed planes all the time on TV. All he had to do was radio for help. Only problem was, the radio was fried, deader than dead. A casualty of the thankfully short-lived gun battle.
Shit, where was his phone?
Then Danny remembered.
He didn't have it because they were afraid they'd be searched. Steve didn't have his either. They were locked in the glove box of the Camaro, along with their badges and service weapons.
Shit.
He searched the bad guy, checking for a pulse and finding none. His own heart racing as thoughts of mid air collisions raced through his mind.
Fuck, maybe they were screwed after all.
Then he saw it under the seat. A cell phone.
/././
"Danny, hey." A soft hand covered his own. "It's Kono."
"Kono." He repeated the name like it was a precious gem.
"That's right. You're okay. You must be dreaming."
"Dreaming. Yea." He tried to rub his eyes, but an IV line snagged his efforts. "Ow."
"Yea, don't try to move, okay? You've got a couple broken ribs. You gave us a scare."
"Sorry." He slurred his apology and drifted again.
/././
He knew enough to keep hold of the controls. Don't let the plane dip too low. Slow his breathing. He cursed speed dial as he struggled to remember phone numbers. He probably couldn't tell you his name at this point. His mind drew a big huge blank, so Danny called the one number he could remember.
Grace.
Shit he didn't want to scare her. He'd worry about that later. There was simply no time.
"Grace, this is Danno. Call Chin and give him this number. Right now." He hung up, knowing she would follow his orders.
He sat at the controls, holding the yoke steady. They seemed to be out over open water with no other aircraft in sight. No land either. Which was good but disconcerting at the same time. Like they were alone in the universe. Made him think of the Twilight Zone.
The phone buzzed in his lap.
"Thank god, Chin."
He proceeded to sputter a super abbreviated version of the events, looking over his shoulder at his unconscious partner as he spoke. Right now, he had to keep this tin can in the air. Steve would have to wait.
/././
Something cold roused him again. He blinked one eye open. The other one was glued shut for some reason. Someone was sponging off his face with really a cool liquid. He turned away, moaning his disapproval, and whoever they were stopped what they were doing.
Danny was never so thankful for small blessings.
/././
Somehow he'd guided the plane, following the directions from a very calm instructor. He could do this. He was doing this. Never thought he'd actually fly a plane. His chest tightened when he realized. The hardest part was landing.
But he could do it. Voices on the phone reassured him. Chin was patched in too.
Emergency services were on standby. Everyone was ready.
And then all hell broke loose.
The plane bucked and he could feel them slow down. Something was wrong. Something bad.
They weren't going to make it to the airport.
/././
"Danny." He heard his name from far away. "Hey buddy?"
Steve. It was Steve's voice. Did that mean he'd died too?
"Steve? You're dead. They shot you."
"Nah, buddy. I'm right here. Get some rest."
"Always with the orders. Control freak."
Danny couldn't open his eyes to make sure what he was hearing was real. Didn't matter anyway. Dream or not, just hearing his best friend's voice made everything better.
/././
Someone suggested the lagoon, and a monumental effort was underway in minutes to clear the beach. Chances for a positive outcome were minimal with the risk of civilian casualties high. The situation had gone from bad to worse.
Danny wasn't sure he was meant to hear that part of the conversation but he had and he couldn't erase it. He couldn't keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. He would not crash into the hotels that lined the shoreline. He could do this. He would land the plane safely.
But this was so far out of his hands that his head spun at the thought of the outcome, so he focused on the moment. And he took slow breaths. In through his nose and out his mouth, counting to ten until the numbers ran together.
Oh god, let them survive this thing.
/././
Danny couldn't remember anything about the impact, only the scream of the instrument panel as the ground rushed up to meet them. He remembered being strangely calm, worried only about his best friend. Help was on the ground, and goddammit, he was going to land that plane and get Steve to a hospital in one piece.
Now, he lay there, deep in the middle of the night, listening to the sounds around him and watching his partner sleep. Made him smile that they'd known to put the two men in the same room. He was content for the first time in awhile. Thankful.
The nighttime staff was quiet and much more gentle than their daytime counterparts. He appreciated their careful attention. God, he was so happy. And it felt odd to him. He was afraid to admit it. Afraid he might jinx his luck.
/././
When he woke up again, the sun was shining. Thankfully there were shades on the windows. Danny blinked away the cobwebs and checked for his partner.
Steve lay a few feet away, eyes closed. The covers had pulled away from his mid section, and Danny could see a patchwork quilt of gauze and tape. IV lines and leads for the myriad of sensors made his head spin a little. They were alive, but right now, taking in all the medical equipment helping them stay that way was a little too much.
The urge to puke came over him fast, and he tilted his head to the side hoping to vomit on the floor rather than his bed because god he did not want to soil his sheets. His chest ached and pain flared in what he instinctively knew to be damaged ribs. Fumbling around his bed, he found his call button, using what little energy he had to summon help.
/././
Visitors came and went. At first just one at a time. Then twos and threes. Danny couldn't remember who'd even been there.
Steve seemed to be having the time of his life, rallying his reserves to chat with each person. But he was a pro at this. Getting hurt, mustering his game face.
Danny knew otherwise. He'd watched Steve stare out the window enough to know there was a battle going on in that thick head. He'd simply wait him out and put up with whatever his partner threw his direction. Because he knew what was coming.
Guilt. Realization. Then compartmentalizing that would make an executioner blush.
And those secret places in Steve's heart could only take so much.
/././
They picked up right where they'd left off. Jabbing at one another. It was what they did. But right then, Danny didn't really want to deal with it. Steve seemed barely fazed by the events. Of course, he'd been unconscious the whole time, and now was so fucked up on pain meds that he was downright goofy.
Danny latched onto the first thing that came to mind.
"Why do you have all the balloons?"
"I'm your fearless leader. People like me." Smug grin.
Danny angled his bed so he could get a better look at his friend. "People like me too."
"Apparently not as much as me." Steve shrugged. "I'm just good like that."
Danny sighed. "I'm the unknown stunt man. You're the star."
"Seriously, buddy, did you just make an 80s TV reference?"
"Yea, so?"
"I guess I can forgive your love of cheesy shows. After all, I almost died, and I'm feeling kinda generous."
Danny glared, speaking slowly. "We both almost died."
"Yea we did." Steve's voice faltered only the slightest. He wasn't ready to back down.
"I saved your ass. I deserve at least one balloon." Danny wasn't done with this argument, and his partner gladly continued to annoy him.
"Well, come on over here and take one. I'm not supposed to do anything strenuous." Steve reached feebly toward the ceiling, exaggerating the effort it took to raise his arm.
Danny waved an extra pillow, feigning a throw. "Asshole."
/././
The next day, conditions were only slightly improved.
"If I could reach you, I'd hit you right now." Danny growled.
Steve raised his bed a little and looked at his best friend. "What? Why?"
"I am sick and tired of this channel. Please change it."
"This is a good movie."
"It was about two hours ago when we watched it the first time."
"You were asleep."
"No, I wasn't. I was pretending."
"Danny, Danny, Danny..."
Danny rolled his eyes and snapped. "Don't Danny me."
"I love you, you know that, right?" The mischief vanished from Steve's face and his eyes had gone dark.
"What? Where'd that come from?" Danny's heart rate increased a little, worry replacing his frustration.
"We almost died. You saved me." His voice got soft. "I'm a jerk. I'm sorry."
"Not a jerk. Just an emotionally repressed animal. And I'd do it again." Danny reached across the gap, knowing this was the most he was gonna get from Steve. "I love you, too, babe."
Thanks, as always, for reading!