Alright, my friend said he's get me the information I need to continue Nalowale Kane by the end of the day tomorrow, so it will be soon! I promise! Until then, here's my fourth bored one shot in a row. Mid-season twoish, no Lori. Possibly early season three.
He had never realized just how beautiful the Hawaiian sky was. Clear and blue, as far as the eye could see. As he lay there, he marveled at its beauty for the first time in his life. Then, there was something blocking his view. He wanted to tell it to move, to go away, but he just didn't have the energy. Whatever was blocking out the sky was awful loud too. He wished he could understand the words that floated through his brain, but he just couldn't seem to process them. As he concentrated on the dark shape, he was able to determine that it was a man. Not just any man, but his partner. Didn't Danny know that the beautiful sky was right above if he'd just look up? Instead, Danny's eyes were focused somewhere on Steve's body. After a moment, he realized that it was Danny who was making all that noise. Knowing he'd be in trouble if he didn't at least try to listen, Steve concentrated on the words.
"Steve! Come on, babe. Stay with me! Help's coming, so you don't you quit on me." Quit? What was he quitting? As he watched Danny, he grew increasingly confused. Why was Danny taking off his belt? Why was he putting it on his leg? And why the hell did it hurt so much? Steve moaned in pain as Danny tightened the belt around his thigh.
"I know, I know it hurts, but I gotta do it Steve. I'm sorry." Danny let go Steve's leg, then placed his hands back over a balled up shirt on his abdomen. When had Danny taken his shirt off? Steve had so many questions he wanted to ask, but talking was just so damn hard.
"D-dan-ny?" he finally managed to whisper.
"Thank God, yeah buddy, it's me. I'm right here."
"Why…I, what?"
"Shhh, hey. It's okay. I've got you. Ambulance is coming, so you just hold on."
"Y-you?" Steve asked feebly, taking in the blood that covered Danny.
"I'm fine, Super SEAL. This is yours. Looks like you owe me some new clothes, huh?" Danny joked, but it fell flat as Steve's pain ratcheted up a notch and he tried to curl in on himself.
"D-d-dan-n-n-yy it h-huurrrttsssss…" Steve moaned. It broke Danny's heart to see his fearless friend in so much pain. "M-make it…stop." He begged.
"I'm trying, man. Help will be here in a minute. Just hang in there. You're doing great."
"P-promise m-me somethin'…" Steve whispered.
"Anything, Steve. You know that." Danny replied, his throat closing with emotion.
"Mary's g-gonnna need someone t-to loo' after h-her-"
"No, Steve. You're gonno do that yourself. She needs you, not me. Come on, man."
"Please D-danny."
"I promise, but you gotta promise me you're not giving up. I need you, Steve! Don't do this. You can make this. I know you can."
"S-stronger than…you think. Always b-be with you…Danno." And just as the ambulance arrived, Steve's slid shut, he exhaled one last time, and the great Commander Steven J. McGarrett's heart stuttered to a halt.
"Steve? STEVE!" Danny yelled in anguish as he felt the life leave his friend's body. No, that wasn't right. Steve was more than his friend. He was closer to him than his own brother. Desperately, he forced to breaths into Steve's mouth, then placed his blood slick hands over his partner's heart and began compression. Within moments, he was being pulled off by Chin and Kono so the paramedics could work. On his knees, he watched with his heart in his throat as they tried everything they could, to no avail.
"You wanna call it?" The junior medic asked. The veteran shook his head.
"Let's try a shot of adrenaline before we call it quits." He said as he prepped a syringe with efficiency born of years of experience. The rookie looked confused by this technique, but swabbed an area over the heart clear anyway. With one hard jab, the senior medic depressed the contents of the syringe into Steve's heart. For an agonizingly long moment, Steve lay still as stone, then with an almighty lurch, he began to cough and heave in the much needed oxygen. Danny quickly stumbled to his feet, Chin and Kono helping him up as his knees went weak with the adrenaline dump. Before there could be any argument, Danny slipped into the ambulance with Steve as he was lifted inside and the doors slammed.
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Danny was no stranger to hospitals. He had been in them more times that he could count. But this time, it was different. Despite the insane risks he took, it had never been Steve in that bed, forced to have a machine breathe for him. It had never been Steve who had been in such desperate need of blood that they had to ask for donations right there in the waiting room. Fortunately, he, Kono, and a kindly tourist from Kansas all shared Steve's blood type and were able to give. It had never been Steve, so pale and weak. Danny had been pacing for hours, regardless of his exhaustion. Realizing the need, Chin and Kono left to give Danny some time alone with his partner. The doctor had said Steve was lucky. Had Danny not taken the steps he did, Steve would be dead without a doubt. But none of that mattered to Danny, as it was his fault Steve had been alone in the first place. If he hadn't gotten himself pinned down, he could've had Steve's back. If he had been there, maybe his partner wouldn't have taken two bullets. The first had hit him in the thigh, severing the femoral. Danny had done his best to control the area by fashioning a tourniquet out of his belt, but that hadn't stopped the blood as well as he'd hoped. The second bullet had struck Steve in his middle, missing vital organs by a hair's breadth. The doctors were confident that Steve would pull through, but Danny just couldn't convince himself. Even after a shower and a change of clothes, Danny could still fell the stickiness of blood on him, coating his hands and seeping through his clothes. Taking a deep, calming breath, Danny sunk into the chair beside Steve's bed and took his friend's hand. He didn't say a word, just sat there, needing to assure himself that Steve was indeed still amongst the living. As he collected his thought, the hand within his own returned the gentle pressure. Danny turned his shocked face form their hands, to Steve's face, where two dark blue eyes were locked. It shouldn't have been possible for Steve to be awake, yet here he was, eyes half closed, yet smoldering with intensity.
"Steve, hey. See, I told you you were gonna make it." Danny joked weakly. Steve rolled his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Steve. It's my fault. You shouldn't be in this bed." Steve shook his head quickly, with as much vehemence as he could manage in his weakened state. Danny was confused, his eyes clouding over with concern. "Hey, hey take it easy, babe. Are you in pain? 'Cause I can get a doctor here-" but Steve cut him off with a weak, yet firm slashing motion with his hands. He tried pointing to Danny and shaking his head again, but it was obvious Danny wasn't understanding. Seeing a pad of paper and pen on the bedside table, Steve pointed to it.
"You wanna write?" Danny asked. Steve nodded. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, buddy. You just came out of surgery a few hours ago." Still, Steve was insistent. Seeing that it was a fight he couldn't win, Danny sighed and handed Steve the paper. "If I give you this, do you promise you'll calm down?" Danny asked. Steve rolled his eyes again, but nodded his agreement. Quickly, he began to scribble out a few words in a shaky hand. When he was done, he handed Danny the paper.
"Not your fault…what do you mean? Steve, I left you alone. I didn't have your back." Steve frowned, pointed to Danny, then made a gun out of his fingers. "You wanna shoot me?" Steve smacked his forehead weakly, then snatched the paper back and wrote another short note.
"You were being shot at, idiot. Couldn't follow if you'd wanted to. My fault. Didn't wait for back up like you said." Danny read. "Steve, it wasn't your fault, man. There was no way you could've…son of bitch. You just made me prove your point, didn't you?" Steve smirked tiredly, then wrote one last message. No guilt, I mean it Danno. If I remember correctly, you saved my life so you can just shut up and let me rest, you big softie. Danny read it and the two men shared a smile, then Steve drifted off again. As he had so many time before in their partnership, Danny was once again amazed by Steve's unbreakable spirit. He was a strong man, and Danny knew now that Steve would get through this.
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He did not wake for another five days. By that time, the respirator had been removed and Steve was doing remarkably better. It was Danny's weekend with Grace when Steve finally decided to open his eyes. They were watching one of her favorite movies on the small television in the corner when suddenly they sensed movement from the bed. Instantly, the TV was turned off and they went to Steve's bedside. Danny lifted Grace to sit on the edge of the bed while he himself stood over his friend, taking his large hand as he did so. Slowly, Steve blinked his eyes open.
"Morning sunshine." Danny says with a smile.
"Sleep good Uncle Steve?" Grace asked, happy to see her favorite uncle awake.
"Hey." Steve rasped, his voice rough from disuse and the harsh tube that had been roughly inserted and removed. Danny grabbed a cup of slightly melted ice chips from the table and spooned one into Steve's mouth. He savored the icy relief that was heaven to his abused throat. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it, buddy. How ya feelin'? I gotta say you're looking much better, right monkey?"
"Mmmmhhhhmm!" she agreed happily. Steve smiled at the thought that there was really no one else he'd rather wake up to.
"I'm good. Feel a lot better too. How long have I been out?"
"Five days. I didn't think people could sleep that long, but Danno said you were super tired."
"Really? That long? Huh. Sorry Gracie. I promise we'll have more fun next time we hang out."
"That's okay! Daddy says when you can go home, he's gonna stay with you to make sure you don't do anything stupid so I can come over all the time!" she replied excitedly.
"Did he really?" Steve asked, arching an eyebrow at Danny.
"Not so fun when the roles are reversed, eh Steven?" Danny quipped.
"How long were you two cooking this up?" Steve asked, turning to Grace.
"Well, you were pretty boring for the last five days, so Danno and I found a way to stay busy. We even put a temporary ramp in at your house since you'll be in a wheelchair for a while!" Steve was stunned by this.
"You guys really did that for me?" he asked.
"Of course we did. You'd do the same for any one of us." Danny smiled. "Grace, honey why don't you go call Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono and tell 'em Super SEAL here is finally awake."
"Okay!" she agreed easily, jumping off the bed. When she had left, Steve turned to Danny, eyes bright with unshed tears.
"Thank you. Danny, I…really."
"Hey, you deserve it man. We'd never leave you alone in this, just like you'd never leave us."
"Yeah, I am a bit of an over protective leader…always with you." Steve joked, but stopped when he saw Danny stiffen. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just, that's what you said right before you're heart stopped."
"God, Danny I'm sorry. I had no idea."
"Forget it. It doesn't matter because you are with us, and that's what matters." Danny said, smiling as he laid a hand on Steve's shoulder.
"You know it, babe." Danny raised an eyebrow.
"Babe? Thought that was my line."
"Not so fun when the roles are reversed, eh Danno?" They looked at each other for a minute, then laughed until tears ran down their cheeks. When Grace re-entered the room, she added her joyful giggle to the mix. In that ridiculous moment of insane laughter, all the stress, pain and guilt rolled away. In that moment, their unbreakable bond of family shown brighter than ever before.
Just another bromance one shot to make up for this season's disappointing lack there of. A special thanks to my incredible fiancé for his insight and ideas on this one. He may say he's not good at this kind of thing, but the boys got a way with words.