A WHN for season 2/episode 15...Mai Ka Wa Kahiko
I know it's been written before...and probably much better than mine...but this little story just wouldn't leave me alone!
Danny knew he had to stay strong for Grace.
Even after they pried his little girl from his arms and he watched the ambulance doors close he stayed strong. He stood up straight and stared blankly ahead until the flashing lights were no longer in sight.
Then the meltdown began.
The team watched as all the color drained from their friend's face…but still his body remained rigid. They all desperately wanted to go over to him and provide comfort, but his tense body language suggested that they wait.
Danny was like a ticking time bomb…so they kept their distance and waited for him to explode. What they witnessed instead was more of an implosion.
He began to sway ever so slightly on his feet before falling down hard onto his knees. He was still looking straight ahead though he wasn't seeing anything but flashes of the day's awful events. When his mind froze on the terrified face of his little Gracie he started to shake. Any of that strength that had been lingering in his body was gone.
They watched as Danny's shoulders slumped and his head fell forward. It was the sign they had been waiting for and the trio hustled forward. They knelt down with the fallen man, shielding him from the stares of the lingering HPD personnel.
Steve put a hand on Danny's heaving back. "Danny…you have to breathe. Grace is okay…she'll be fine." He kept up the soft patter of comforting words until his partner's breathing slowed.
"M'okay," he mumbled, his head still down.
Chin and Kono shared a look. Danny was most definitely not okay.
Danny had been running on pure adrenaline all day chasing down his dirty ex-partner who was holding his daughter hostage. But now all of the adrenaline was gone and he had crashed. They all knew it was inevitable… including Danny. It was the reason he hadn't gone with Grace in the ambulance; he knew it would scare her to see him that way.
"You think you can stand?" Steve asked.
"Yeah." Danny lifted his head but groaned and shut his eyes as everything started to swirl around him.
"Hey, take your time, brah," Chin encouraged.
A couple of minutes later, Danny was back on his feet but only because he was being held up by Steve on one side and Chin on the other. Kono walked ahead toward the car to clear off the back seat so Danny could lie down.
The trio shuffled slowly forward a few steps until Danny stopped. "Don't feel so good," he slurred. "Dizzy."
Steve and Chin could tell from the immense tremors that their friend was going into shock. They needed to get him away from the scene and somewhere where he felt safe so they could tend to his physical and emotional well-being.
Steve looked at Danny with concern. "Just let us do all the work, man. You focus on breathing nice and steady, okay?"
Danny gasped out a barely audible 'okay' and they started forward once more.
Kono had the back door of the Camaro open and was holding a blanket she had found in the trunk. Tears came to her eyes as she saw that her blonde teammate was barely conscious. She met Chin's eyes and he smiled reassuringly. "He'll be alright, cuz."
They moment they got Danny laying down across the back seat his body went limp and his head lolled to the side.
Kono squeezed his hand anyway before covering him with the blanket and shutting the door. Joining Steve and Chin at the front of the car she asked, "Where to, boss?"
"My place," Steve answered without hesitation. "There is no way I'm leaving him alone tonight."
Chin ran a hand through his black hair. "We'll make sure everything is taken care of first and then meet you there."
Steve nodded his approval.
Kono shuddered. "He had to go through all of this alone today…I can't imagine what he went through."
"Me either," Steve agreed with a sigh. "We couldn't be there for him earlier, but we sure as hell will be now. We'll see him through this."
And that's exactly what they did. After all, that's what ohana is for.
The End