PART TWO
Voices slowly penetrate his consciousness. At first they are soft and muffled, sounding far away. But the more he concentrates, the clearer they become. Steve, despite the pain rocketing around his skull and stabbing at his wrist, forces himself to focus on them, trying to discern what they are saying.
"It has to be here," the woman says, annoyance clear in her tone.
"But where? We've looked all over the place." A man's voice responds.
There's a huff and the soft tread of feet moving methodically across the floor before the woman's voice starts speaking again. "You've seen his file, he's a SEAL. You think he just has it lying around in plain sight? Use your brain for a minute, Scott." The pacing continues, venturing closer to Steve before moving away again. "No, he's got it here. Did you check for a safe?"
"Yeah. Nothing." The same male, Scott, states.
"What about the floor?"
Silence reigns for a minute before something crashes to the floor.
"Are you kidding me?!" The woman cries out. There's a tap on the glass before she calls out, "Get in here Tommy".
A door opens and feet tread heavily into the room, the smell of the ocean and tobacco taking over the room.
"What now Natalie?" The new voice, Tommy, asks with annoyance.
"You didn't check the floor?" She asks, cutting right to the chase.
As the silence carries on for a few beats, Steve dares to angle his head up the slightest bit to glance at them. It takes a minute for him to focus, but when he does, he sees the woman, Natalie, facing off with two men. Natalie is not a thin wisp of a woman, but rather tall with a menacing frame. She might be shorter than the men, but she's right up in their faces, dark hair pulled back into a severe ponytail and cold blue eyes glaring. Her frame belies the strength hiding there, Steve's mangled wrist can attest to that.
Natalie pokes a finger into one man's chest, pushing him back a step. The man is tall, probably six four or better with wide-set shoulders and thick, muscled arms. There is a cut on the side of his head and a dark bruise around his eye that Steve vaguely recognizes. He scowls down at Natalie, but doesn't push back. It's clear she's the alpha and he's just there for muscle.
"Black sent me with you and Scott because he assured me you were the best team for the job. I'm starting to think you aren't cut out for this job, Tommy. Hell, the SEAL knocked you out while still attached to the fucking chair!" Natalie yells, then spins away, slamming her hands against a wall and breathing deep for a minute. When she spins back around, Steve can see the rage has been replaced with cold menace. "Find the damn drive or it'll be your body they find here instead of the Commander's. Understood?"
"Yeah Nat, got it." Tommy nods and motions for Scott to follow him.
Steve cautiously follows their movements as they start inspecting the floor. Natalie watches them for a minute before she pulls out a phone, angrily tapping away at the screen as she disappears from sight. Steve turns his gaze back to the two men, trying to pick out any identifying marks. Scott, much like Tommy, is built like a brick shit house, but he's much quieter. Neither one of them has any visible tattoos nor distinguishing marks, not counting the gash on Tommy's face. A face flashes in Steve's mind then, pale green eyes, slightly crooked nose and a wide, jagged scar near a dark hairline. Steve recognizes it as the face of the man he had tried to choke out earlier. He can't see much of Scott's face from here, but he's positive it was him.
A sudden pounding in his head has Steve slowly dropping his chin back down to his chest as he tries to breath through it. His vision wavers and black crowds in at the edges of his vision as the pain ratchets up another level. He slams his eyes closed and tries to relax. The more he tries to relax, however, the more aware he becomes of all the pains singing around his body. His wrist is a fierce agony, hot and swollen, his back and neck ache along with his ribs from too many hits.
When Steve opens his eyes again, it's to see a set of feet in his line of vision and the sound of rain. Startled, Steve jerks his head upright, not sure how much time had passed. He groans in pain and sudden nausea at the movement, but slowly trains his gaze on a smirking Natalie.
"You know, Commander, you are a lot tougher than I expected." She leans forward and latches both of her hands on to his wrists. She leans in even closer, pressing all her weight onto Steve's broken wrist.
Steve tries instinctually to squirm out of her grip, but the movement only creates more pain as his swollen joint thrashes in the metal cuff and against the chair's arm. Finally, Steve can't take the pain anymore, feeling like he's going to be sick from it, he throws his head back and cries out.
"There, now that wasn't so hard." Natalie steps back. "I knew there was a reason Jacks came to you, a highly trained Navy SEAL, when he was in trouble. Too bad he just brought all that trouble right to your doorstep." Natalie glances over her shoulder and scowls at what she sees before she returns her gaze to Steve. "I've read your file, Commander. You're a highly decorated soldier and the leader of an elite task force; you've made quite a place for yourself here."
Steve can hear the threat in her voice and quickly tries to remind himself that no matter what she says, his ohana is safe. Danny and Grace are camping with the Aloha girls. Kono is on the North Shore with her friends for a surfing weekend. Chin was taking Malia to Turtle Bay for a romantic getaway. They are all away from here and safe. And he'd heard Natalie say it herself; Tommy and Scott were the team she brought with her. No one else was mentioned. Even though he knows this, rationally, he still can't help the kick of adrenaline that floods his system and the growl that escapes from his throat.
Natalie just laughs. "Oh, touchy. Well don't worry, Commander. No harm will come to them … if you cooperate. Just hand over the drive and we disappear."
"Really? Just like that?" Steve grinds out, voice hoarse with pain. His vision wavers again and Steve is force to break his staring contest with her to blink the black spots away. When he regains his composure, he glares back at her. "I've seen your faces, I know you're not going to walk out of here and let me live."
"Oh no. Definitely not. Like you said, you've seen our faces." Natalie paces a short circuit in front of him, the menacing smile never leaving her face. "No, I never said anything about leaving you alive, Commander. I just said we'd disappear. We'll be long gone before anyone comes around looking for your body on Monday."
"Go to hell," he growls out. It turns out to be a mistake when Natalie lashes out, kicking him in the center of his chest and overturning the chair. His head strikes the floor with a resounding crack, but he's hoisted back up again in one swift move.
The world tilts on its axis and the motion is too much. He barely has time to heed his body's warning, turning his head to the side just as his stomach loses it's battle with the nausea. Once the queasiness has passed and his head has stopped spinning, Steve cracks open his eyes to see a frowning Scott standing next to Natalie.
"You're going to kill him before you get the drive if you keep going at him like that," Scott murmurs quietly but moves off before Natalie can respond.
She seems to ponder his words for a minute before she nods, moving over to where Tommy is still trying to pry up floorboards. She leans down next to him, quietly conversing with him for a moment. When Tommy stands up with a smile on his face, Steve knows he's in for trouble.
"Last chance, Commander. Give up the drive before this gets any messier." Natalie asks.
When Steve just glares at her, Tommy steps in front of her and smirks. He cracks his knuckles in a menacing gesture, a sinister look in his eyes. Steve watches him, unimpressed for a moment before he looks back to Natalie. Without any warning, Tommy lands a punch to his ribs that forces the air out of his lungs. Before Steve can draw in an adequate breath, two more punches follow and his chest is on suddenly on fire with pain.
Steve tires hard to force himself to disconnect from the pain. Punch. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California …
Punch. Albany, Annapolis, Atlanta, Augusta, Austin …
Punch. Thirteen times one equals thirteen, thirteen times two equals twenty-six, thirteen times three equals thirty-nine …
Punch. Remove the magazine from the gun. Complete a thorough inspection of the chamber by sight and feel. Point, pull trigger, pull slide back …
By the time Steve comes back to himself, it's no longer Tommy delivering the blows but Scott. He can't breathe in even the slightest without lighting agony across his chest and abdomen. His shoulders and back and wrists are all screaming at him with every tiny movement. His face feels full and swollen and bruised. It's his head, however, that hurts the most. Even with his eyes open, his vision is dim and blurry. The room is tilting on its axis and Steve can't focus on anything. He's not sure how much time has passed or even what happened in any span of time since he left the office. It's that fact, the blanks in his memory, that startles and worries him. He's not sure what day it is anymore, but he knows that no one is going to be coming for him any time soon. And even if they did, he didn't want Danny or Chin or Kono to end up bound to a chair beside him.
"Commander!" Natalie yells, snapping Steve's wandering attention back to her. When he looks up, she frowns. "Christ, I told you to lay into him, not put him in a coma Tommy. How the fuck is he gonna tell us now?!" Natalie growls out in frustration.
Steve barely follows her words, they aren't making sense anymore. He knows she's talking to him, that words are coming out of her mouth, but he can't comprehend them. He blinks up at her and tries hard to focus.
"Fuck," she mutters, striding up to Steve and grabbing a fistful of his hair and jerking his lolling head back upright. It turns out to be the wrong move, however, when he goes suddenly pale and makes a desperate strangled noise in the back of his throat. She releases him a split second before he starts vomiting, bloody bile pooling between his bare feet on the floor. "Fuck!" she cries out, but grabs Steve's head again. This time she is careful not to move him too fast as she brings his head upright.
"Let's end this now Commander. Tell us where the drive is and we leave. No more pain, no more fighting." Natalie leans in closer, bringing her lips a breath from Steve's ear as she whispers to him. "Tell me where it is, Steve, and I'll spare you. It's a better deal than Jacks ever got."
When she releases his hair, Steve slumps back down in the chair and moans quietly. He wants to ask her what happened to Jacks, he wants to make them pay for anything they did to his friend, but he's flagging. He can barely lift his head and knows that he's desperately in need of help. There might be another option here, he thinks, but he can't come up with anything else.
Slowly he picks up his head, mustering all the energy he can to make that simple movement. When he meets Natalie's eyes, he sighs in resignation. "Closet. Under the stairs," he whispers through swollen, split lips.
Natalie snaps her fingers and Tommy and Scott jump into action. They are a blur of motion out of the corner of his eye, but Steve's pretty sure they are hauling the heavy potted plant out of the way. When he hears the rattle of the doorknob on the door, he closes his eyes and smirks.
"Tricky," he murmurs, losing energy fast. "Quarter turn left. Full turn right. Quarter turn back left."
After a moment, he hears the door hinges squeak as it swings open. There's a rustling and the sound of boxes and bags being moved before a voices rumbles out something unintelligible. The darkness is quickly encroaching and Steve is helpless to stop it.
"Where is it Commander?" Natalie's impatient voice drags him back up to the surface.
Steve takes a short breath and rolls his head in the direction of the stairs. "Floor safe."
"Keep going," Natalie encourages, cold fingers tapping roughly at his face to keep him awake. "What the combination?"
"Sixteen. Five. Thirty three," he gasps out. Mustering the last of his energy, Steve opens his eyes in time to see Tommy standing up, flash drive in hand.
Natalie smiles at him, giving his face another tap. "Good boy." She moves over to snatch the drive out of Tommy's hand. "Pleasure doing business with you, Commander."
Steve watches out of bleary eyes as Natalie slips out the door, Tommy and Scott on her heels. He waits, expecting them to come back in and end it, end him, but it doesn't happen. The clock ticks and minutes pass and nothing at all happens. Steve sags down in relief, but can feel the darkness trying to pull him down again. As much as his body is begging for a reprieve from the pain, he can't give in just yet.
Steve glances down at his hands and frowns. His right wrist is grotesquely swollen, the joint deep purple with bruising around the handcuff. His fingers are pale gray from his circulation being cut off. It's useless to him right now so he looks at his left. It's managed to escape somewhat unharmed given the circumstances. There is a handcuff on it as well, but it's not as tight. He tests it and finds enough wiggle room to work with. Tucking his thumb up tight against his palm, Steve beings the slow, torturous task of trying to slip his hand through the cuff. After several long moments and no small amount of pain, Steve's hand slips free of the cuff. He let's out a small hysterical laugh that sends streaks of fiery pain through his chest.
Once he catches his breath, Steve slips his hand into his pocket only to find that his cellphone is nowhere to be found. Groaning, Steve glances around the room until he sees the cordless landline sitting in its cradle on the bookshelf twenty feet away. It's been moved, balanced precariously on the edge of the shelf, but it's within reaching distance if Steve can just get himself over there. It takes a ridiculous amount of energy and waves of agony, but Steve heaves his body and the chair across the floor inches at a time until he's crossed the distance. As his fingers wrap around the phone, he feels like he's going to pass out. Blindly he dials a number and presses it to his ear, listening to it ring and ring and ring. Finally, when he's about to give in, a voice comes through on the other end.
"Danno?"
Danny hauls the last of Grace's camping equipment back into the house and drops it in the foyer. Rachel gives him a disappointed look that quickly turns back into a smile as Grace comes back into the room. Rachel puts an arm around Grace's shoulder and hugs her close.
"I'm sorry your camping trip got rained out, sweetie," Rachel says to her daughter, but Grace just shrugs.
"It's okay. It just means we get to go again soon, right Danno? We have to earn our camping badge!" Grace bounces on her toes, eyes bright with excitement as she regards her father.
Danny is about to answer her when his phone starts ringing. He pulls it out, only giving the number a cursory glance, intending on ignoring it, when the number catches his attention. Steve's landline. A pit of unease opens up in his stomach, but he tries his best to ignore it.
"Of course, Monkey. We'll get you a camping badge." Danny ruffles Gracie's hair despite her protest. "Give me one minute, kiddo. I'll be right back." Danny steps away as he answers the call.
"Steven, didn't I tell you I was going to be on top of a mountain with my daughter this weekend?" He asks in mock annoyance.
"Danno?"
The voice on the other end of the line shocks him. It sounds hoarse and weak and … broken. Danny swallows thickly, dropping the act instantly.
"Steve? What's wrong?"
His tone must startle Rachel and Grace because immediately their background chatter falls silent. Danny glances over at them and sees the worry on both their faces.
"Need help, Danno."
"Are you hurt?" Danny asks into the phone, then turns to Rachel. "I need your phone, Rach." A second later another phone is placed in his hand. He nods his thanks as he starts to dial.
"It's bad," Steve murmurs, voice drifting off.
"Steve, stay with me okay buddy. I'm on my way. I've got squad cars heading to you right now okay. Just hang in there." It kills him to do it, but Danny pulls his cell phone away from his ear so he can talk to dispatch on Rachel's phone.
"This is Detective Danny Williams, Five-0. I need immediate backup and medical assistance to 2727 Pi'iokoi Street. Officer in distress." Danny quickly hangs up once he's relayed all the information to the dispatcher and hands the phone back over to Rachel.
"Steve? You still with me?"
He hears only silence on the other end.
"I'm sorry baby, I've got to go," Danny quickly pulls Grace into a hug, planting a kiss on her head.
"Go Danny, it's okay," Rachel states, voice unnaturally worried as she pulls Grace close to her.
Danny doesn't hesitate. He's out the door and tearing down the street a moment later. The lights are on and sirens blaring as he tears down the streets as fast as he can. He's got the phone pressed to his ear, listening for any signs of life on the other end, but there is only silence. After a moment, Danny tries again.
"Steve? If you are there, I need you to make a noise buddy. Are you with me?"
When there is no response, Danny growls. "I'll be there soon, hang in there okay. Hang in there." He punches the end button with more force than required, but he's dialing another number moments later. When the voicemail picks up, he punches the steering wheel in frustration.
"Kono, I need you to head back. Now. Steve's hurt. I don't know how bad but I'm on my way to him right now. Get a hold of Chin and get him back here ASAP. I'll call you back when I know something."
By the time Danny pulls on to the street, he can hear sirens approaching from in front of him and from behind him. Back up is only a few seconds away. He pulls in to the driveway and parks haphazardly in front of the gate, bumper inches from the pristine white wood. He's out of the car a second later, engine still on and lights still flashing. He pauses only long enough to pull his back-up piece out of the glove box before he's rushing towards the door.
As he nears the door, he can hear more rushed footsteps coming up behind him. He looks over his shoulder and sees four squad cars in the driveway and seven cops rushing through the gate. Danny signals four of them around back before he stacks up at the door with the other three. Taking a deep breath, Danny reaches one hand out and tries the doorknob, unease settling into his gut when he finds it unlocked.
He glances back over he shoulder at Duke and nods once before he pushes the door open and lets the three cops in first. Danny is pushing his way through on the heels of the last cop, gun raised, eyes darting around the completely trashed house. He doesn't have to look far before his eyes land on Steve. His knees go instantly weak and if it weren't for sheer determination, he's sure they would give out at the sight.
Steve is bound to a chair in the middle of his destroyed house, right near where his father's body had been found, between the living and dining rooms. Steve's slumped over, left hand free from the handcuffs, still clutching the phone. He's slumped over to the left, arm dangling over the side of the chair. There is blood covering his face and he's disturbingly still.
The four cops come bursting in through the backdoor, moving systematically to sweep the bottom floor. Two of the cops that came in the front with Danny move quickly up the stairs to clear it. Duke and Danny, however, only have eyes for Steve, rushing over to him. Danny kneels down next to the chair, eyes taking in all the damage and blood and bruises. His hand shakes as it reaches out to press against Steve's neck. He waits with bated breath until he feels the slow thump of a heartbeat beneath his fingers. His breath rushes out of his lungs as he nods to Duke.
"He's alive," he murmurs, sliding his gun into the back of his jeans.
Duke moves a step away, speaking into his radio with urgency. Danny thinks he hears the words "officer down" and "critical" and "immediate assistance", but he's only focused on Steve.
"Babe? Can you hear me? Steve?" Danny is afraid to touch him anywhere, afraid of causing more pain. His training kicks in, however, and he knows he has to do his best for Steve until the paramedics arrive. He slides his hand from Steve's neck to his face, hovering above his lips and under his nose. After a moment, he feels a weak rush of air and sags in relief.
"The house is clear, Detective." An officer with the name of Makani states. "How can we help?"
Danny looks up to see the seven officers standing in a semi-circle around Steve, all wearing worried looks. He swallows down his emotion and tries to take charge. "We need to secure the scene. I'm also going to need something to get the cuffs off of him, a first aid kit, and blankets if you have them." A few of the officers scatter off to grab the needed items, but Duke and Makani stay.
"We need to stabilize his head and neck," Danny states, eyeing Makani. "Can you do that?"
Makani just nods and moves behind the chair. Carefully, Danny places the man's hands where they need to be and together they ease Steve's head back enough to open up his airway. Danny doesn't move his neck at all, afraid of causing more damage. Once that's taken care of, Danny grabs the first aid kit handed to him. He's tearing open gauze packets when his phone starts ringing. He barely glances at it, seeing Kono's number appear on screen, before he hands it off to Duke.
"Duke, can you-"
"I've got it, Danny." Duke takes the phone and heads away from the bustle of activity.
Danny is pressing a wad of gauze to the worst of Steve's head wounds when an officer appears at his side with a key for the handcuffs. He makes quick work of the cuff and soon Steve's wrists and ankles are free. Danny grimaces at the sight of Steve's swollen wrist. Despite all the noise and activity going on around them, despite the movement of his injured limbs, Steve doesn't move or flinch, which unsettles Danny more than he wants to admit.
He's not sure how much time passes before the paramedics are being escorted through the door, but it's long enough that his fingers have become sticky and stained with Steve's blood. He reluctantly backs up to make room for the medics, but refuses to be moved far. They make quick work of assessing Steve and getting him taken care of. A C-collar is wrapped around his neck and he's secured to a backboard in what seems like the blink of an eye. His shorts and shirt are quickly cut away revealing a rainbow of livid bruises all along Steve's body. An oxygen mask finds its way over his face, a BP cuff on his arm, a splint around his wrist, EKG pads are slapped on his chest, and an IV inserted into his arm. Numbers and long strings of complicated medical jargon are called back and forth between the medics with increasing urgency before they are moving him swiftly towards the ambulance.
Danny immediately follows, only stopped at the last minute from climbing in by Duke. His eyes are sad as he hands over Danny's phone. "Your team is on their way. Kono will meet you at the hospital soon. Chin is an hour out, but he'll meet you there."
"The scene-"
"The scene is secure. I will personally oversee it for you, for Steve. The crime scene unit and some detectives are on their way over for the preliminary investigation." Duke lays a hand on Danny's shoulder and gives it a firm squeeze. "I've got this Danny. Steve needs you now."
Danny nods. He wants to express his gratitude to Duke; to thank him for being such a great friend and a great cop and for always caring about them. His brain fails at forming the words needed, however, and he's left mute. Duke gives him a nudge towards the ambulance.
"Go Danny. Be with your partner. We'll get whoever did this."
As the doors close behind Danny and the ambulance starts moving, Danny can only look down at Steve's broken body. He swears if it is the last thing he does, he will catch the sons of bitches that did this to his friend and he's going to make them pay for their crimes.
He's not sure how long he's been sitting there, hands cradled in his lap, leaning back against the nurses' station watching the hive of activity that is Steve's room. Upon their arrival to the hospital, Danny had steadfastly refused to be moved to the waiting room. After enough persuasion, the charge nurse had finally relented and let him take up post outside the ER room. Doctors and nurses, equipment and techs have been in and out of Steve's room at a steady interval. So far, though, no one has said a word to him. He's not sure if that bodes well or not.
Danny makes the mistake of looking down and once again resumes picking at the dried blood around his nail beds. One of the nurses, he recognized her from their previous ER visits, had pushed him towards the bathroom at one point. He'd done a cursory job at getting the blood off his hands, but it's still around his nails, in the creases of his knuckles, and the ridges of his fingertips.
"Danny!"
He jerks his head up and finds Kono making her way towards him. For a moment, he's struck speechless by the sight of her, looking slightly rumpled and frazzled as she pushes her way down the crowded hallway. Then he remembers he pulled her from a weekend away on the North Shore with her friends. It looks like she had come as she was when he called her, hair pulled into a haphazard ponytail, faded jean shorts, tank top, and flip-flops. She's got her badge and gun strapped to her hip though; she's ready to work.
"Hey," she greets when she finally reaches him. She hesitates for a moment before she leans down and pulls him into a quick hug. She draws a hand across her face when she pulls away, trying to settle herself down. "How's the boss? What happened?"
"I-" Danny pauses, unsure what to say. He glances over to the room where a nurse is exiting with a smear of blood across her scrub top and winces. He motions to the room before looking back up at Kono. "I don't know what happened. He called me. I could tell right away that something was wrong, he sounded bad. Hurt. I got over there to find the placed trashed and him handcuffed to a chair, beaten unconscious. It was bad."
He whispers the last as he goes to run a hand through his hair. He stops at the last minute, remembering the blood, before he drops his hand with a sigh.
"Here, I stopped by your apartment and grabbed you a change of clothes. I figured you'd need them," Kono hands over the small gym bag with a shrug. "Go get cleaned up, I'll see if I can't get some information."
"You can try," Danny accepts the bag with a grateful look. It isn't until then that Danny realizes it's not only his hands that are stained with Steve's blood, but his shorts and t-shirt as well. "I'll be right back."
When he comes back, he finds Kono leaning against the nurses' station, right where he left her, ending a call on her cell. She's not aware of his presence; that much he can tell from the emotions playing across her face as she stares down at the phone in her hand. After a moment, though, the emotion passes as she's back to the strong woman he recognizes. Danny takes the last few steps up to her, dropping the duffle bag on the chair.
"Any news?" He questions, eyes once again glued to the room Steve is in.
"That was Chin," Kono answers, slipping her phone back into her pocket. "He wanted to let you know he's at Steve's house now. Most of the evidence collection is done, they're working on reconstruction now. He'll be around when they're done."
"Anything about Steve?"
Kono just shakes her head. "The charge nurse just said they were waiting on some tests and that the doctor would find us when he had anything concrete to tell us."
Danny just nods. He's not sure where to go from here. He should be at the scene with Chin, collecting evidence and trying to find the bastards that did this to Steve. He should be chasing down doctors and demanding answers. He should be curled up on the couch with Grace watching a movie while the storms blow through. Instead, Danny drops down into the chair and props his head in his hands with a sigh. He can feel Kono easing down next to him, her slim arm settling around his shoulders as she leans against him, waiting with him.
"Our biggest concern at the moment is the head wound," the doctor states, face emotionless as she delivers the hard hitting blow. "Until he regains consciousness, we have no way of knowing how bad it is. His scans show a fractured skull and a small hematoma. His pressures are all good, however, so it doesn't appear that he has an active bleed."
Danny feels like someone just punched him in the gut, the air rushes out of his lungs in a quick puff. His fingers clench harder around the footboard on the bed as he stares down at Steve's motionless body. "What are his other injuries?" he asks in a whisper.
"His wrist is broken in two places. We were able to set it with minimal difficulty and cast it. He also has multiple broken ribs and severe contusions on his body and face." The doctor lists off each injury like reading a grocery list, like they aren't horrendous injuries to his best friend.
"That all?" Danny huffs under his breath, annoyed with the emotionless doctor. Kono nudges him in the ribs, but Danny doesn't even flinch, never breaking his glare at the doctor. He can tell by looking at Steve's swollen and bruised face, at the dark blotches covering his exposed skin that he has "severe contusions". That isn't what he wants to know. He wants someone to tell him if Steve is going to be okay, if he's going to wake up and remember in vivid detail what happened or if it will all be a blessed, hazy memory. He wants someone to tell him who could to this to a Navy SEAL and walk away unscathed.
The doctor continues smoothly, oblivious to Danny's wandering mind, rattling off facts about head trauma and recovery, statistics that Danny doesn't need to hear right now. "If you have any other questions, the nurses will be more than happy to assist you." Chart in hand, the doctor starts to walk away from them, not waiting another moment.
"Is he going to be okay?" Danny finally blurts out, unclenching his hands long enough to turn and look at the doctor.
She stares at him for a minute, face emotionless before she finally nods once. "Yes, Detective. I believe that the Commander shall make a full recover, given time. Anything else?" When Danny just shakes his head quickly, she retreats without another word.
Danny stares down at Steve's face, swollen and bruised and held together with stitches and band-aids, and takes a minute to just breath. When he'd heard Steve's voice, when he'd entered the house and found him … Danny had feared the worst. He'd had a quick flash of memory, of entering the same house and finding a different, bloodied body tied to a chair. Danny still feels unsettled from the sight, knows it's not one he's going to ever be rid of.
Finally forcing his wooden legs to move, Danny makes his way around the bed and sits down heavily in a chair. He eyes the plaster cast covering Steve's hand and forearm, only his swollen, pale fingers visible, and hesitates. After a moment, though, he works up the courage to lay his hand gently on Steve's bicep, giving it a comforting squeeze.
"We're here, Steve," he murmurs quietly. The doctor didn't know how long it would be until Steve woke up, but Danny was quite content to wait him out, no matter how long it took.
The return to consciousness doesn't come with some great gasp of air and eyes springing open. It's slow and gradual. Like the tide coming to the shore, it comes in small waves, gradually getting bigger and reaching further. Danny watches anxiously each time Steve starts to move. His hand twitching, squinting his eyes against the light, then rolling his head towards Danny's voice. It's a slow fight, but eventually Danny is rewarded with the sight of Steve's bleary eyes blinking open. Steve slowly takes in his surroundings, blinking owlishly, before his gaze settles on Danny.
"Hey babe," Danny greets tiredly, but forcing a smile on his face. He gives Steve's good arm a gentle squeeze, encouraging him.
"D?"
It's a testament to how out of it he is that Steve can't fully form Danny's name. It's awkward and mumbled through a swollen mouth. Danny just nods, looking up to the doorway briefly when Kono comes back in.
"I'm here, Steve. So is Kono."
Steve nods sluggishly at that, eyes slowly starting to slip closed once again. Danny had been prepared for that, the nurse had told them that with his head wound, Steve would struggle with staying awake for more than a few minutes at a time. What Danny isn't prepared for, however, is the way Steve's eyes spring back open a moment later, panic and fear written across his face as he struggles to sit up.
"Whoa! Easy babe. Take it easy," Danny presses a hand to Steve's chest and tries to ease him back down to the bed, which is surprisingly difficult. "Everything is okay, you're safe. You're in the hospital Steve."
Despite his efforts, however, Steve isn't calming down. He thrashes against Danny and Kono's hands, trying to sit up.
"Steve! You need to calm down," Kono tries, voice edging on pleading as she frees up one hand long enough to press the call button for the nurse. "What's wrong with him?" she asks aloud, face worried as she looks over to Danny.
Danny just shakes his head in response. After a minute, however, Steve's efforts begin to wane as he loses his strength. His body is giving out on him, but it is clear that his mind is not. In a last effort, Steve tangles his fingers in the edge of Danny's shirt and gives a tug, trying desperately to get his attention.
Danny looks down at Steve and can see the worry and fear on his face. "What, Steve? What's the matter?" He grabs a hold of Steve's hand with both of his own and holds on. "What's going on?"
"Jacks," Steve gasps, finally losing his battle with consciousness. "Gotta find … Jacks."
Danny's about to ask whom 'Jacks' is and why he has Steve in such a fit, but Steve's eyes flutter closed before he has the chance. Slowly, Steve's fingers uncurl from Danny's shirt as he slips away. Danny still holds on to him though as he looks over to Kono.
"Find out who Jacks is."
"I found Steve's phone," Kono announces an hour later as she waltzes back in the door. "They had it logged as evidence, but didn't mind turning it over."
Kono slips into the chair next to Danny and makes quick work of the evidence seal on the bag. Slipping on a glove, Kono pulls the phone out of the bag, grimacing at the blood smear on the cracked screen. Thankfully, however, the phone turns on and the display is mostly in tact.
"You don't happen to know the boss's passcode, do ya?" Kono nudges Danny's shoulder, not expecting an answer.
"Yeah. It's *8251." Danny replies, watching the smirk slip off Kono's face. He chuckles quietly as she types in the passcode and the phone unlocks.
"Huh," she huffs, eyeing Danny oddly for a moment before focusing back on the screen. "Let's see if we can find Jacks."
Danny leans over Kono's shoulder as she first scrolls through the contact list. Unsurprisingly, there is no one listed as 'Jacks' or anything close to it. Next she opens the recent call log and scrolls through the numbers.
"Do you recognize that number?" Kono asks, highlighting the most recent call. It's from Friday night around 7pm, the last time Steve tried to call them. It shows up multiple times before then though, most calls only around 30 seconds and all originated from Steve's phone. The first one, however, was an incoming call and lasted the longest, just shy of seven minutes long.
"No, can't say I do," Danny quickly takes down the number on a napkin. "What about messages? Any texts or voicemails?"
"No voicemails," Kono confirms. "But Steve did text that same number early Thursday morning. No return message though."
"What's the message say?"
"It says 'Package secured'," Kono reads off. "Kinda cryptic."
It's enough of a coincidence for Danny. "Call it."
Kono opens up the recent call list again and puts the phone on speaker as it rings. The phone rings and rings until finally an automated voice message system starts up. Kono tries again three more times, unsuccessfully.
"Sorry brah, whoever it is doesn't feel like talking."
"Is Chin still at HQ?" Danny questions, staring down at the number on Steve's phone.
"Yeah, want me to have him run the number?" Kono asks already sliding Steve's phone back into the evidence bag and removing the glove.
"Yeah, see if he can get any information on it." Danny slumps back in the chair as he looks at Steve's sleeping form. "Whoever it belongs to, Steve is obviously worried about them."