Boom: Part 2
Hawaii Five-0 Fanfic. This is a Season 1 show even before Jenna shows up.
I don't own the characters. I'd be nicer to them if I did.
Author's Notes: I appreciate all the long and lovely reviews, but I have been unable to reply because of the big error message problem. I have read them all and need more to continue. It's an addition, what can I say? Maybe this time I'll be able to answer. Thanks to the person who gave me a proper weight for Danny. I'll use that. But the 200 pounds mentioned in the story also included the weight of the car door. And the mention of "the last time" Danny got blown up is a reference to my story, "Ace in the Hole," available on this website if anyone wants to read more.
— H50 —
"Detective Williams is waking up," the nurse told the Five-0 team waiting in the hall. "Dr. Sampson said you may come, if you don't say anything.
They were all waiting when Danny opened his eyes. His gaze swept past his Five-0 friends, took in the room, and finally focused on the doctor.
"I know it's a cliché," he said weakly. "But where am I?"
"Honolulu General Hospital," the doctor said.
"Honolulu?" His incredulous voice was faint, but the pitch rose decidedly even as the volume fell. As he faded into unconscious again, Danny said, "Hawaii? How the hell did I get to Hawaii?"
— H50 —
Speechless, Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua stared at each other, and then as one, turned their gazes on the doctor.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Sampson said hastily. "Amnesia is common in concussion. Many victims never remember the accident where they got hurt."
"But a whole year?" Kono said in disbelief. "Danny's been here longer than that."
Chin snorted. "He won't know us at all. Can you believe it's only been six months since we met."
"This was the first time he regained consciousness," the doctor offered. "I expect him to regain more of his memory as time passes. Trauma induced amnesia is hardly a surprise when a person's been blown up."
Steve laughed mirthlessly. "To hear Danny tell it, his whole time in Hawaii has been traumatic. He'd rather be back in New Jersey. Maybe he doesn't remember, because he doesn't want to."
Steve looked stricken, blaming himself for the bomb planted in Danny's car because the bomber thought it was Steve's car. Kono put her hand on her boss' arm. She didn't know what to say, because she was afraid he might be right.
"That's pupule," Chin Ho said forcefully. He remembered sitting in a bar with his friend. He had Danny's back and Danny had his. He wanted to remind them how Danny was willing to go to prison to stand with them; but he couldn't say anything with the doctor standing right there. "Danny's ohana. I could give you ten million examples of how he'd back us up, through thick or thin." The fateful number caught their attention as it was meant to. "Maybe he won't remember, but it will be because he's too badly hurt, not because he wants to blot us out of his memory."
He was shaking. He was so angry at Steve for suggesting Danny was a traitor. Chin was so afraid that they'd lost the friendship the four of them had built.
Kono went to her cousin, hugged his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.
"We're forgetting how determined Danny is," she said, forcing calm and optimism into her voice. "He left his job, his family, everything he cared about to be close to his daughter. He doesn't back down. He doesn't give up. He won't give up now. He'll fight that amnesia like an armed suspect."
— H50 —
In cases of concussion, it was procedure to wake the patient periodically to make sure he remained coherent. Steve persuaded the doctor to allow the Five-0 members to remain with Danny through the night. After all, someone had tried to blow him up. Sampson agreed, but insisted that they take turns.
"One at a time," the doctor said. "The nurse can't do her job with all of you in here."
H50 —
Awakenings
First awakening:
"Hawaii? Really?" Danny asked the kind-eyed stranger looking down at him.
"'Fraid so, brah," Chin said compassionately.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions," the nurse said. "What's your name?"
"Danny Williams."
She made a note on a chart. "What's your occupation?"
"I am … was? … a homicide detective." Danny began to sweat. There was a mistake there, but he couldn't think what it was. How could he make a mistake about his own life?
Seeing his distress, the nurse hurried on to a topic she hoped would be safer. "Are you married?" Chin's quick headshake came too late to stop her.
Monitors showed an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Danny began to tremble, his weakness revealing his deep remorse — even after all these years — about the failure of his marriage. "Divorced," he said sadly.
"Do you have any kids?" Chin put in quickly.
The question was like soothing syrup on a sore throat. Vital signs drifted back to normal. Danny's trembling quieted and a smile eased the anxiety at his faulty memory.
"I have a daughter," he said softly. "Her name is Grace."
"I think that's enough," the nurse said, seeing he was tiring. "You're doing very well. Go back to sleep, but we'll check on you again later," she promised.
"Goody," Danny said sarcastically, drawing a quick grin from Chin.
Danny knew he'd exposed his hidden self to this stranger — a cop, he had to be a cop. But Danny knew, somehow he knew, that this man he didn't know would never betray him. Danny turned his back on his confusion and went to sleep.
— H50 —
Second awakening:
"This is why I hate hospitals. They tell you to rest, but they won't let you sleep," Danny said, when the nurse roused him. "Is that rational enough for you?"
"Sounds rational to me," Steve said. He emerged from the darkness to stand by Danny's dimly lit bedside. The commander had taken the middle watch in the dead of night, allowing Chin and Kono an unbroken night's sleep.
Danny understood the headache, the hospital, the concussion. He understood people watching and waking him. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. But one thing he didn't understand and he worried at it like a terrier. "Why am I in Hawaii?"
"We're not supposed to give you any answers," Steve said. "The doctor says you'll remember on your own soon enough."
"Maybe, but I never did remember the spaghetti sauce …," Danny answered. The nurse and Steve looked concerned at this less-than-rational statement. "… even though I saw it on the store video a dozen times. But I only lost a couple of minutes there. It takes hours to fly to Hawaii. How long …?"
"Shh, no questions," Steve reminded him. "So, this isn't the first time you've been concussed?" He might not be a detective, but he'd deduced the meaning of Danny's ramblings.
"Newark, May 18, 1996," Danny agreed, then faded off again.
"I wouldn't mark that down on as incoherence," Steve defended his friend to the nurse. "I'd say somehow spaghetti sauce gave Danny a concussion."
"Spaghetti sauce?" the nurse said doubtfully.
Steve shrugged. "That wouldn't be the strangest story he's told me."
— H50 —
Third awakening:
"Yes. I'm awake. Yes. I'm still Danny Williams. Yes. I'm still in Hawaii. God knows why," Danny snapped, as soon as the nurse touched his shoulder. His eyes were squinted half shut and his breathing was beginning to resemble that of a panting dog.
It was a funny thing about Danny. He complained — God knew he complained! — but he didn't complain about pain. He complained that Steve got him shot the day they met, but he'd never complained about his arm hurting. He'd complained that Steve was responsible for him hurting his knee, but he'd limped around with a cane for weeks without moaning and groaning. The only time Steve knew Danny was hurting was when he'd say, "Do you have to walk so fast?" or "Here, you drive."
"Isn't there something you can give him for the pain?" Steve asked on his friend's behalf.
"Tylenol," said the weary voice of experience from the bed. "That's all they'll give you for a concussion."
"He's got a broken collarbone, too," Steve reminded the nurse. He knew from first-hand experience that they were disproportionately painful.
"I'll get something," the nurse promised. She left the room.
Danny studied the tall man looming out of the half-light of the machines. "I should know you." It was a statement.
The tall stranger gave a small smile. Danny knew that irritating smile. The memory hovered. Like a name on the tip of his tongue, it tantalized, but refused to materialize.
"Yes, you should, but don't sweat it Enjoy it while you can. You'll be pissed when you remember," Steve predicted.
After taking his Tylenol, Danny drifted off again. The nurse asked if he'd remembered Steve.
"No," he said, regarding his sleeping partner fondly. "You'll know when he does. If he remembers me, he'll wake up angry. If he remembers everything, he'll wake up screaming,"
— H50 —
Fourth awakening:
Danny woke up screaming, "Grace! Grace!" His cry was so full of panic, it brought the doctor on the run from the nurse's station down the hall.
The nurse tried to calm Danny; then Kono was at her side, pressing Danny's unwounded shoulder back to the bed. He clutched at her arm.
"Kono, Grace?" he begged.
Her heart leapt. He knew her! He remembered!
She wanted to whoop with joy, but she kept her voice calm and reassuring. "Danny, she's fine. She's not hurt. I swear on my mother's grave."
Entering the room, Dr. Sampson saw the readings on the monitors shift suddenly from crisis to near normality.
The detective took over from the frightened father and eyed Kono suspiciously. "Your mother's not dead."
Kono gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. "That was a memory test and you passed. Welcome back, Danny."
"But Grace?" he pleaded.
"Danny, she's fine. You protected her. You threw yourself on top of her body to shield her. She's got a bruise on her elbow where it banged the ground and a scratch on her neck from your wristwatch. She's not hurt. She's safe at home with Rachel. Would I lie to you?"
"Never have."
"Never will," she promised with a smile.
Sampson inserted himself into the conversation.
"Do you know what day it is?"
Danny looked at him like he was crazy. "I've been concussed and unconscious and amnesic." He paused, wondering if he had that word right, then continued, "No, I don't know what day it is."
"Fair enough," Sampson said. "What do you remember, detective?"
"Everything." Danny lay back on his pillow. He felt weak. His head and shoulder ached abominably but his memories were even more painful. "I remember everything."
The doctor encouraged him to continue.
"I remember the explosion. I remember waking up in the hospital. I remember … not remembering, which is unsettling." Danny was fighting a losing battle for calm. "I remember not recognizing my friends or knowing why I came to Hawaii."
"Why did you come to Hawaii?"
"To be close to my daughter." Danny's voice broke, with anger or fear or grief — Kono couldn't tell. Maybe it was all three. "My daughter, who was climbing in my car when Steve called and said there was a bomb in it. My daughter, who was almost killed." Danny swallowed hard and put his free arm across his eyes as if to shut out the memories. "I remember everything, doc. Things I wish I didn't remember."
— H50 —
Danny made a marked improvement that day, so much so that he was released from the machines and allowed regular visitors. But as his physical condition improved, his mental state declined. He stared at the ceiling plucking at his blanket until his worried friends gave up trying to lift his spirits.
"We've got to go, partner," Steve said, gesturing at the others. "We'll be back later."
"Thanks for coming," Danny said with distant politeness.
"Danny?" Kono went to stand beside the bed. The detective could see the worry in her eyes and made an effort for the rookie's sake.
"I'm OK, kid, really. See, no more beeping machines or IVs. I'm just really tired and I've got an awful headache."
He certainly looked tired and drawn.
"Then we should let you rest," Kono said. She squeezed his good shoulder and hurried out the door before Danny could see her wipe tears from her eyes.
"We're going to find the guy who did this, brah," Chin reassured his friend.
"Right," Danny answered, not as if he really cared.
Baffled by this stranger, Chin and Steve retreated from the hospital room.
Finally alone, Danny released the tight rein on his emotions. Tears seeped from beneath his eyelids and trickled down his cheeks. So, of course, the day nurse came in right then to check on him. Danny rubbed his eyes dry, but she had seen.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. Julie was a motherly soul with gentle eyes who believed there was more to her job than taking temperatures and delivering lime green Jello.
"Not really," Danny answered.
"Come on," she coaxed. She'd seen his friends leave. "Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger," she suggested.
Once Danny started, he spilled all his worries, the little nagging ones and the big terrifying one.
"I don't know. I just don't know what I'll do," he said with uncharacteristic helplessness.
"I think you're worrying too much," Julie said. "You're tired and your head aches. That always makes problems seem bigger than they are. You have friends, good friends. They'll help you if you ask."
"I wouldn't know what to ask."
"Why don't you get some rest?" she suggested. "Things will look better when you feel better."
"Maybe." But he closed his eyes obediently and soon was asleep.
— H50 —
Dr. Sampson was coming on for the evening shift when the Five-0 team asked to talk to him. He took them into his office.
"Something wrong?"
Steve nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "Can a severe concussion cause a personality change?" he asked abruptly.
The doctor sat forward. "Have you noticed something?"
"Danny isn't acting like himself," the commander answered. "He's …" He wasn't sure how to continue.
"He's quiet, too quiet," Chin offered, acknowledging the old joke with a wry twist to his mouth.
"And he's not moving his hands around, either," Kono contributed.
"He's passive, apathetic," Chin said. "That's not Danny. That's the opposite of Danny Williams."
"The thing is, he sounded more normal when he had amnesia," Steve said. The other two nodded.
Someone tapped at the door, then Julie poked her head in. "I'm sorry, I wanted to catch you before I left," she apologized. "I wanted to talk to you about a patient. I can wait until you're done." She recognized the doctor's visitors. "Oh, are you worried, too?"
"Is this about Detective Williams?" Sampson asked.
"Yes, but …" She looked uncomfortable about discussing a patient in front of others.
"It's all right. They're listed as next of kin."
"Danny's next of kin are his 8-year-old daughter and his parents in New Jersey," Steve said. "We are his family."
"They're afraid the brain injury has caused a personality change," the doctor said. "He's abnormally quiet and apathetic."
"I think he's just feeling overwhelmed," Julie said. "He's feeling weak and doesn't know how he's going to manage when he goes home, especially with only one good arm. He lives all alone, right?"
They agreed.
"He could come to stay with me," Steve suggested. "I've got lots of room."
Kono and Chin exchanged a speaking glance, imagining Danny with Steve 24/7.
"No." "Bad idea, boss." They shook heads emphatically.
Julie didn't give Steve a chance to argue. She had serious concerns. "And he's worried about the insurance — health and car. All the paperwork seems like a tremendous effort when you're feeling lousy."
"He doesn't have to do it alone. We'll help him," Kono said earnestly.
"I told him he had friends he could count on," Julie said with a smile. "But it's the explosion that has made him so despondent."
"A brush with death will make anyone contemplate his mortality," Sampson said.
"Not his mortality," Julie said gently. "His daughter's."
Steve shook his head. He should have known. "He blames himself, doesn't he? He blames himself for Grace almost getting killed."
"I didn't entirely understand what he meant, but he said, 'Rachel was right. I'm not safe to be around. I won't even try to fight her this time.' He looked wretched."
"Oh, Danny, Danny." Steve rubbed his face with both hands. "Danny loves his daughter more than anything. He moved from New Jersey to Hawaii to be near her after his ex — that's Rachel — remarried. There was an incident another time, not as serious as this, and Rachel threatened to take him to court to end his visitation privileges."
"Would she do it again?" Sampson asked.
"No, I talked to her." The doctor heard steel in McGarrett's voice. "Hasn't she brought Grace to visit?"
"No, you're the only visitors he's had," Julie said.
"So, knowing this, you think Williams is acting normally?" the doctor asked the Five-0 team.
"Yes, any threat to Grace makes him crazy," Steve said.
"And if he's the threat …" Kono's eyes teared up at the extent of Danny's misery.
"But now that we know what the problem is, we can help. Right, boss?" Chin said.
"Right. I've got a job for you two, but the first thing I'm going to do is go talk to Rachel."
TBC
