THE RESCUE…
CHAPTER 2
Steve opened his eyes and looked over to his partner, who was sleeping in the very uncomfortable looking chair in the corner of his room.
Apparently, he had fallen asleep in the middle of his conversation with Danny. He cleared his throat, which woke Danny.
Danny stood up, stretched and yawned and said, "Well, welcome back. I must say I don't think you have ever complained that my talking put you to sleep, but I guess that's the case."
Steve smiled, tried unsuccessfully to stifle a chuckle because of the discomfort it would cause to his healing mouth and jaws and said, "Sorry, Danno. Blame it on the drugs."
"Yeah, that must be it," he answered sarcastically. "You do know you look like hell, right?"
"Well, good. 'Cause I'd hate to think I feel like this for nothing," Steve returned. His stomach lurched at his choice of words – "It wasn't for nothing," Jenna had said to him just before she enabled him to get free. He grimaced as he tried to adjust himself higher in the bed. Danny reached over and handed him the button that elevates the head and foot of the bed.
"Thanks," Steve said, making the necessary adjustments. "Where is everyone?" he asked, half expecting to see everyone draped over chairs in various stages of sleep like they were when he first awoke.
"Doctor's orders. You need mega rest, so we're taking shifts," he said.
"Ah, and you drew the short straw and got the first shift?"
"Not at all, not at all, Steven. I get my shift over with and actually get to sleep in a BED tonight. I think I got the best end of the deal," Danny smiled and laughed.
"When did you start seeing the bright side of things?" Steve quipped back. "I didn't see the guys from Team 9 at all. Any idea where they are?" he asked.
"Ahhh. You should know better than most, Steven. Seal Team 9 was nowhere near North Korea," Danny answered. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, "They were on their way back home before we even had you off the helo. We're keeping them apprised of your condition."
Steve nodded, fidgeted a little, and looked up at Danny. "Thanks, Danno. For coming to get me. I'm sorry I put everyone in such danger."
"All in a day's work, Babe," he said, shrugging off his thanks. "YOU didn't put us in danger, Jenna Kaye put you in danger and thus, put us all in danger. What, you thought we wouldn't come looking for you? As soon as we ID'd Jenna from the fake driver's license picture at the hotel, we were all over it," he finished, taking Steve's outstretched hand and giving it a firm shake, leaning in for a half-hug that wouldn't hurt him too badly.
5-0 – 5-0 – 5-0 – 5-0 – 5-0 – 5-0
They were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them and looked to see Kono and Chin standing in the doorway.
"Hey, Boss," Kono said cheerfully. "How's it?" Chin looked up and down the hallway and they both entered the room, half expecting armed guards to charge in and clear the room, because that's how adamant the doctor was about keeping visitors to a minimum.
"Hey, Guys!" Steve said excitedly. This was the first he'd really gotten to talk to anyone since he'd been rescued. Everything was pretty much blank after getting into the helo at the pick-up zone.
"You look a lot better than a couple of days ago, you're starting to turn all kinds of greens and yellows," Kono noticed of his bruises. She noticed, but didn't bring attention to the burn marks on his chest. They still hadn't heard exactly what he'd endured and they didn't want to push him on it – he'd tell them if and when he was ready.
Danny looked at his watch, did some calculations in his head and figured that Grace would be home from school by now at home. He excused himself to go call her and let her know how Uncle Steve was doing, with the promise of coming back before he headed back to his guest quarters for the night.
Just as Danny exited the room, he peeked back into the room, "Nurse Cratchett alert. One of you better get the heck out of here!" he whispered urgently before disappearing again.
Steve couldn't help but laugh at the look of panic on Kono's and Chin's faces. If they opened, he thought Kono would probably try to escape out the window.
"I'll talk to you later, Boss," Kono said as she gave Steve a hug and kiss on the cheek before sneaking out of the room while Danny had the nurse's attention as a diversion.
Chin quickly grabbed a seat in the chair as the nurse made her way into the room with some medications and to take another round of vitals. He'd been disconnected from the heart monitor, oxygen and IV a little while ago.
"Commander," she said, as she poured some water and dumped some pills into Steve's hand. "Your antibiotics and I also have some pain meds if you need it. You're due for another dose, so whenever you're ready let me know," she said, watching him swallow the antibiotics and taking the cup from him.
"I think I'll hold off for a little bit yet," he told her, not wanting to fall asleep again quite yet, which the pills made him do.
The nurse finished taking and marking his vital signs in the chart, seeming pleased with what she'd seen. "Okay, just let me know when you're ready. Don't let the pain get too far ahead of you though," she cautioned. "Need the facilities before I leave?" she asked.
"Um, thanks, not right now," he answered and Chin stifled a chuckle. Steve blushed a little and the nurse cracked a smile.
"You'll be here for a bit?" she asked Chin.
"Yes, ma'am," he answered.
"Ma'am is my mother. My name is Nikki," she offered. "He's not to get out of bed without one of the nurses here – at least for the first time," she warned.
"Got it," Chin said.
"Okay, let me know if you need anything. I'll be here 'til 11:00 tonight," she said, taking the chart and the unused pain pills and heading for the door. At the door she turned back to the two of them.
"I mean it, Commander. If I have to work overtime doing paperwork because you did a face plant trying to get to the bathroom…." she warned.
"Promise," Steve answered.
5-0 – 5-0 – 5-0 – 5-0 – 5-0 – 5-0
"Do I remember something about you getting married?" Steve asked Chin suddenly remembering something about it right before everything went black in the helicopter after he'd been rescued.
"You know it," Chin answered with a big smile on his face.
"That's great, Chin. I'm happy for you," Steve answered.
Chin and Steve had been sitting quietly, barely watching a movie on the television – a war movie, of course - in his room. They had talked a little bit about what he'd been through, how they found him, and about the helo pilot, Frank Bamma.
"That pilot," Steve said, chuckling. "He's like from every Vietnam war movie I've ever seen," and they both started to laugh.
"You should've seen Danny's face when he saw that thing for the first time, Brah. There were chickens nesting inside of it!"
Steve laughed and then grimaced as he grabbed at his abdomen. "Oww!"
Chin stood, watching as Steve tried to catch his breath without causing further discomfort.
After a moment, he was able to breathe again and laid his head back on the pillows. "What do you think? Time for some pain meds, Brah?" Chin asked. He could see that Steve was starting to have a lot of discomfort.
Frustrated at having to take the medication, he sighed and nodded his head. Chin started to go find the nurse, but Steve stopped him.
"Wait. I need to hit the head first," he told Chin quietly, throwing the covers off and holding onto the rail on the side of the bed to help pull himself forward, using as little of his stomach muscles as he could.
"Wait, I gotta go get Nikki," Chin said. Steve shook his head.
"Nah, I can do it if you help me," he said with pleading eyes. "Just help me to the door."
Chin returned to Steve's side and helped him move forward to the edge of the bed. "Alright, Steve, but if I get in trouble for this…."
"Ah, man up, Brah," Steve teased, standing and getting his balance while holding onto the bed rail and Chin. He had an immediate lightheaded feeling, but that passed rather quickly. He was surprised at how shaky he felt. He let go of the bed rail and leaned more on Chin who took the additional weight of his friend without comment.
After about three steps, he felt a little steadier and leaned less heavily on Chin, although Chin didn't leave his side. Just as they reached the door to the bathroom, they both jumped when they heard Nikki clearing her throat loudly behind them.
Steve quickly removed his arm from around Chin's shoulder and disappeared inside the bathroom, closing the door behind him to let Chin absorb the wrath of Nikki.
"Nice," Chin said through the door to Steve. Chin turned toward Nikki and was met with a smirk. "He ordered me to help him," he pleaded his case.
"Uh huh," she said, going over to straighten up Steve's bed before he got back. "You are SO lucky he didn't face plant. Don't worry, I'm used to these Special Forces guys ignoring orders," she confessed. "If I really don't want them getting up on their own, I tether them to the bed and sedate them," she said with a chuckle.
Steve opened the door to the bathroom and they both turned toward him. Because of proximity, Chin reached him first after noticing the paleness to his face and sheen of sweat over his forehead. The nurse was right behind him and they got him back to his bed.
They got him settled and Nikki started to take vitals and check him over. "What's up, Commander?" she asked him, trying to find out what the trouble was.
"Just got really lightheaded and sick," he said, trying to catch his breath from the small amount of physical activity.
Nikki reached over to press the intercom button on the wall. "Can I help you?" came the answer from the nursing station in the hallway.
"Is Doc Mason still out there, Sharon?" Nikki asked, still skillfully going about getting Steve settled and comfortable. She had positioned the nasal cannula and turned on some oxygen which seemed to bring a little color back to Steve's face.
"He is," came the reply. "You need him in there?"
"An appearance would be appreciated," she answered calmly.
"Everything okay?" Chin asked, looking at Steve lying there with his eyes closed concentrating on evening out his breathing.
"I believe so," she answered Chin. "Still with me, Commander?" she asked, turning her attention back to Steve. She was starting another set of vitals to compare after she'd gotten him settled and on the oxygen. She was now working on putting the cardiac monitor back on him and getting ready to start another IV if needed.
"Mmm… yup," Steve answered weakly. "Heart feels like its racing," he whispered.
Dr. Mason came into the room just then. "What's up, Nikki?" He looked at Steve and then at the chart that she'd set on the table alongside the bed.
After taking in the information she'd recorded, he said, "Let me guess, Commander? You had to hit the head and didn't wait for a nurse," in a teasing voice.
"I had help," Steve answered, peeking up at the doctor out of one eye before closing it again. The room was still spinning slightly, although he seemed to be able to catch his breath a little easier.
"You got me in enough trouble, Brah," Chin answered sarcastically.
Dr. Mason put the stethoscope on Steve's chest and was listening to his breathing and heartbeat. Steve winced at the pressure on his chest and even more when the doctor starting tapping on his lower abdomen. "Sorry, Commander," he apologized.
"Let's get another chest x-ray," Dr. Mason said to Nikki. "Sounds a little "thick" on the left side. You know what, throw in a CT of his belly too."
"Commander, your breath sounds are a little decreased on your left side, and you have some distention in your lower left abdomen. I want to make sure you don't have anything going on in there. How's your pain level now?" Dr. Mason asked him. Nikki ducked out into the hallway quickly to get a couple of orderlies to move Steve to x-ray and CT.
Steve looked at the doctor, "Whatever you think, Doc. I could use something for pain," he admitted.
"He was going to ask for pain meds right before he got up," Chin offered.
"Did you have increased pain right before you got up, or was it just from the pain meds wearing off?" he asked Steve. "When was his last pain med taken?" he also asked of Nikki.
"He's overdue by about an hour and a half. Said he wanted to hold off for a bit," Nikki answered.
"Okay – I'd rather hold off on the pain meds until after we get the x-ray and CT if you can stand it Commander?" Dr. Mason said.
"Yeah," Steve said, with obvious pain in his voice.
The orderlies came in and settled Steve onto another stretcher, which caused some more discomfort. They were wheeling him out and Chin was following just as Lori Weston came around the corner.
She took in the sight of Steve with the oxygen and pale, sweaty skin. His eyes were closed. "Steve?" she asked as the stretcher went by her. He gave her a thumbs up, not really able to talk because of the pain.
"Chin, what's happening?" Lori asked as they watched the elevator door close with Steve inside.
"Don't know. He's having some increased pain and difficulty breathing. Doc wants to check his lungs and abdomen to make sure nothing's going on," Chin answsered her.
They both settled into the waiting area.
To Be Continued….