On with the binge writing! Thanks for all the reviews and for reading this and my other stories!
Hope you like!
Oz
Danny had only stepped out for a moment and apparently that was all that was needed for his partner to get himself into trouble. Or more like self induced punishment. It was the day after Steve had been brought to the hospital and after a night of steadily improving vitals, the man was moved out of the ICU late that morning.
Once he was sure Steve was settled in the normal hospital room, Danny finally allowed himself to take care of his own needs. He still felt insurmountable guilt for his partner's situation but having the man start to pink up again alleviated it to a tolerable level.
The detective had headed down to the cafeteria to get some food and much needed coffee in his stomach. As he ate he'd also called to check in with Chin to see how the case was going and he got a disappointing answer of "very slowly". All the serials had been shaved off the dumped sniper rifle and other than Josey's sort-of witness to things missing from his home and property, there were no signs of their perp.
The key issue being the were only so many spare HPD officers and Wardens that were available to search an area of jungle that spanned for miles in every direction. They were looking for one man in a jungle… or a needle in a hack stack. What they needed was some sort of clue of who they were looking for, maybe then they could figure out his patterns, his reasons, hell Danny would settle for his friggin' shoe size at this point.
So after agreeing he'd stop by the office later once he was sure Steve and his HPD detail were safe and secure, Danny had headed back up to Steve's room.
What he found had his gut churning with concern; Steve was awake and was almost as pale as he'd been the night before. Dr. Koa stood next to him monitoring his vitals with a frown on his face.
"What happened? What's going on?" Danny asked with worry.
"Your partner's an idiot," came the very last thing the detective expected to hear as a reply.
"What?" he asked in confusion.
"Just… g, give me a minute," Steve said through clenched teeth. It was then Danny took in the situation in it's entirety and realized what was going on. Steve was clearly in pain and the doctor was holding a syringe filled and ready but apparently he'd been told to wait.
"What youre a tough guy now?" Danny asked in exasperation.
"He's refusing any pain medication and he's well passed due for another dose," Dr. Koa explained.
"I just… I need to remember," Steve growled. "I u, used my binoculars… s, saw his eyes and square jaw… was ugh… he was w, wearing cammo paint put… I know, I know those green eyes."
"Steve come on, you've been seriously hurt," Danny sighed. "You can remember later, what you need is do focus on getting better."
"Amen to that," Dr. Koa sighed. "Commander your blood pressure is already through the roof, listen to your partner."
"No," Steve stated angrily. His pained eyes finally opened and he found Danny's. "I need to think c, clearly… you know…aaah… I can't think wh, when I'm high. You know what t, the drugs d, do to me, Danny."
"Do I know?! Absolutely I know," Danny snorted in amusement. "Last time you were in the hospital I had you singing "I'm a little tea pot" and convinced you were six… Got the whole thing recorded and let me tell ya babe, blackmail fodder for LIFE." While Steve gave a short chuckle that came out almost as much a pained gasp as it did amusement, the detective could see his partner was suffering a great deal.
"D, Danny j, just… help me," Steve all but begged. Instantly Danny lost the humour he had a second ago and got to his partner's side taking his good hand.
"Alright you got this buddy, just breathe through it and focus on the memory," he coached. Steve's good hand clamped down on his with surprising strength and he gave a short nod. "Now is this sniper someone you recognize, someone you've met before?"
"Re, recognize… yes, met… n, no d, don't think… aagh… so," Steve said closing his eyes as the sweat really started beading up on his forehead.
"Gentlemen," the doctor said with a warning tone.
"Just a sec more, believe me doc I don't want this going on any longer either but we keep fighting him and he'll find another probably much less safer way to go off his meds," Danny replied quickly before turning back to Steve who'd started to curl in on himself a bit. "Was it a newspaper article? A case file? A picture?"
"P, Picture," Steve gasped he'd started to tremble and answers or no, Danny would soon order the doctor to give the man the pain meds.
"Do you know where?" Danny asked. The Navy SEAL made a gurgled moan sound and when he didn't answer right away Danny tried one last time. "Come on Steve, where did you see the picture? You can do this, you're one of the toughest guys I've ever met, I know you can figure this out." Once again all that came out was a gurgled moan and finally Danny called it. "Give him the drugs," he nodded to the doctor. Steve let out a grunt of disapproval at the idea but still couldn't find his words.
The doctor almost looked like he was giving himself the pain relieving medication as he slipped it into Steve's IV port. Soon enough Steve's whole body started to relax and melt back into his bed.
"That was a pretty heavy dose so you'll probably sleep for several hours Commander," Dr Koa explained though Danny doubted his partner heard him. Just when he thought the man had drifted off, Steve snorted and did his best to open his eyes.
"D'ny… yur office," he slurred then just like that he was out like a light. Danny however was wide eyed with confusion and shock.
"Did he just say my office?" he asked.
"That's what it sounded like," Dr. Koa said without looking up from checking his patient. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to make sure my patient doesn't go into shock because of that dumb stunt."
"Sorry doc, my team and I aren't very good at being patients, especially him," Danny replied. He did feel a little bad that the doctor was actually kept from doing his medical duty but at the same time, Steve's comment could have possibly just blown the case open.
"No arguments here," Dr. Koa sighed. Seemingly convinced Steve's vitals were coming back to where they should be the doctor finally looked up at Danny. "You better find the guy who did this before the Commander decides to walk out of here and do it himself."
"That's the plan," Danny nodded. "I wont wake sleeping beauty and I have to stop in at the office so I'll make sure the double HPD detail outside the door is set. They'll be checking everyone's ID and I've left instructions that only you and a few nurses on staff are allowed in and out of this room." The doctor nodded but also looked a little concerned.
"Do you think someone might try and hurt him here in the hospital?" he asked.
"Until we find this guy, all bets are off doc," Danny replied seriously. "Anything smells fishy you call me immediately, get it?"
"I'll put you on speed dial," the doctor answered.
After securing the detail outside Steve's room Danny headed out of the hospital only to have Josey meet him at the front doors.
"What are you doing here?" Danny asked climbing into the man's truck.
"The idea of having two HPD outside the hospital room was so that one would follow you out," Josey replied. Danny was startled.
"How did you-?"
"Chin knew you'd probably leave them both with Steve so he sent me here to get you," Josey smiled. "There's not much else I can do on my end other than offer any help that I can with this case and if that means toting you around in my truck, so be it." Danny laughed but was in fact grateful not to have to focus on getting from point A to point B at the moment.
"Well then drive on, Jeeves, drive on."
The first thing Danny did when he reached headquarters was head straight into his office. While Josey stopped to check in with the others, Danny barely waved hello. Once he was through the door to his own space he frowned with aggravation. A year ago, Grace had been visiting the office, she'd looked around his space and said; "Danno how come everyone else has a whole bunch of pictures but you?"
That had somehow lead to Danny pulling out all his favourite photos and putting them on every available space the room. There were pictures from colleagues, family and friends starting all the way back from his first year as a cop to a few pictures of him and the Five-0 team.
Slowly scanning them all Danny saw a number of men he'd known or knew now who all had green eyes and square jaws.
"Hey Danny, how's Steve?" Kono said from his office door.
"He'll be okay, stubborn as ever," Danny said a bit distractedly. Kono clearly picked up on this and walked up next to him.
"What're we doing?" she asked. It was true to their teams form, if someone looked like they needed help or were working hard on something, help would always arrive without question.
"Where's Waldo?" Danny muttered looking at his photos.
"You're looking for a kids book?" Kono asked confused. Finally Danny shook his head and looked at the woman while waving a hand over his photos.
"Steve said he got eyes on the shooter," he explained. "All he got was the guy had green eyes and a square jaw."
"That's more than we had before," Kono shrugged. "The Wardens confirmed that since the shooting their witness hasn't been missing anything more from his property. Looks like our guy might have left the woods."
"Because we did," Danny sighed. "Or I did." He looked back to the photos. "Steve also said he'd recognized the guy."
"What? That's great! Who is it?" Kono asked excitedly.
"Don't be to happy," Danny warned. "All Steve knew was that he'd seen the face before, not met the guy and that he thinks its from a picture in my office." Kono's face fell as she too looked around the room at all the photos.
"Oh," she replied. However she stepped forward and grabbed two picture frames from the filing cabinet in the corner. "We're still waiting on forensics to give a final report of the scene so I've got time. Green eyes, square jaw?" Danny nodded and the woman turned back and started analyzing her photos. Turning to the opposite side of the room, Danny did the same.
An hour later all the pictures had been sorted, the pace had picked up when Josey joined in the search and now Five-0 were gathered around the smart table where four photos lay before them. They'd left the photos that had no one fitting the description and then gone back over the ones that did which Danny knew the green eyed person was dead. After that, it took a few phone-calls but several more pictures were taken out of the mix because alibi's checked out.
One picture was his academy training class, which had three green eyed guys in the picture another was he and three other detectives from Jersey celebrating his first year as a full fledged detective. The second last one was at his first Luau with his first Hawaiian partner Meka. In it were six other people officers and family of officers sitting around the fire pit. Two of the men in the picture had green eyes.
The last picture was one Danny had often debated taking out of his office and tucking it away but had never brought himself to doing it. In the picture was he, his brother Matt and one of Matt's college buddies. The picture had been taken at one of Danny's last birthday's in Jersey. He hadn't known Matt's friend well but he had green eyes and a square jaw so it stayed in the possible suspect pile.
"We can take away the academy photo," Chin said rejoining the team. "Just got off the phone with Jersey PD, two of the officers have been on regular duty the past few months and the third was injured in a car accident a year ago and is a paraplegic."
"So unless he's got an off-roading wheelchair, he ain't our guy," Danny said taking the picture away. "Okay, I'll take these to Steve and see if anyone looks familiar." He started to turn when Chin's hand landed on his shoulder.
"Brah hang on," he said. "When was the last time you went home, changed and slept?"
"He's right," Lou nodded. "I was wondering what was starting to smell funky in here."
"We need to find out who shot Steve," Danny said unapologetically. "I'll get him to check the photos and then I'll come back here and change. I've got spare clothes in my-"
"Can anyone else hear that?" Lou interrupted. Everyone stopped in listened in confusion, Danny couldn't hear anything.
"Hear what?" he asked.
"It's the sound of McGarrett's forehead twisting into a knot at the idea his partner isn't taking care of himself," Lou explained. The rest of the team plus Josey chuckled while Danny just frowned.
"Come on Danny," Chin urged. "You said Steve's probably going to be asleep for a few hours. You'd just be sitting there anyway. We'll call you as soon as we get anything else from forensics."
"But…"
"Come on Danny, I'll take you home," Josey said pushing the detective toward the door.
Danny would be loathe to admit but the shower had done wonders for the ever growing fatigue in his body. He took longer than he usually did under the warm spray finally dragging himself from the warmth to get dressed and rejoin Josey in his kitchen.
As he finished buttoning his shirt walking down the hallway he paused at one of his home's doorways and looked inside the room.
All Steve had said was "your office" and now as Danny stood in the doorway of his "home" office, he wondered which one the SEAL had meant. Everyone knew Steve had probably spent just as much time in this office as he did the one at headquarters.
With a sigh, Danny made a detour away from his kitchen and quickly made the rounds pulling any photo that had a man with green eyes in it. He wasn't about to go through them all right then and there as the warm shower had awakened the fact that he was incredibly hungry for a solid meal.
Six more photos in hand, Danny headed toward the kitchen and laughed when he entered. Josey sat already devouring his way through a sturdy looking sandwich while a bowl of soup, a salad and a glass of water were waiting their turn around him.
"Make yourself at home," Danny chuckled. The Warden smiled with a full mouth but then nosed his head in the direction of the counter where an equally as impressive looking spread lay waiting for the detective.
They ate quietly and quickly, out of hunger or haste, it didn't matter what mattered was that they soon sat back in their chairs, Danny finally feeling like a human being again.
"Chin was right, I needed this," he sighed.
"We forget that we're human when you've got guilt eating you alive," Josey smiled sympathetically. Danny let out a breath and shook his head.
"When I saw him on the ground the first time, thought that I'd done that too him…"
"But you didn't," Josey replied. "So lets stop dwelling on the things you can't control and put the effort into the things you can. Where did those pictures come from?" Grateful for the change in gears, Danny looked at pictures he'd just pulled from his home office.
"Home office," he answered. "Steve never said WHICH of my office's head seen the picture in."
"See? Aren't you glad we got you home? You may have just saved us a trip!" Josey beamed. Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head with a laugh as the man handed him a mug of coffee. "We'll finish up here and then head to the hospital, then I gotta check in with Warden McDoGood and the rest of the service." Danny smiled fondly as he thought of another Warden who they'd met the same time as Josey. Don McCabe was a hero and no one would ever forget it or let him forget it much to his chagrin.
"Heard he and the wife were having a baby," Danny said happy to settle into some idle more positive conversation.
"Mmm hmm," Josey nodded into his coffee. "Guys on the force have already started calling him "pappy"."
"M'sure he loves that kind of attention," Danny snorted. Josey's eyes lit up with mischief as he nodded.
"I may have let the rumour spread that it's his official nick name from now on," he laughed. "Besides in a few months it'll be completely t-"
It almost happened in slow motion, like something out of a movie where time stands almost still just so you can witness every detail. The coffee mug in Josey's hand shattered in an amazing display of exploding coffee as the bullet that shattered it slammed into the wall just over Danny's shoulder.
"DOWN!" the detective yelled. No sooner had the two men flipped the kitchen table to protect themselves until they could get to the sturdier main island did the room started exploding with gun fire.
"Where's it coming from!?" Josey hollered as he covered his head instinctively. It was disorienting as Danny knew he had three windows that looked into his kitchen from the outside. Anyone of them could be the access point.
Instead he pulled out his phone and hit speed dial.
"Grover," the man answered.
"Lou! We're at my house and taking fire! Get some back up out here NOW!" Danny barked over the sound of shattering glass and his home being shredded by hot metal.
"On the way Danny, hang on, we're coming!" Lou exclaimed. Confident help was coming, Danny put away his cell and focused on their shooter.
"That's an automatic rifle," he told the Warden.
"Yeah! That much I got already!" Josey shot back.
"He's going to run out soon and when he does we gotta grab the photos and get to the Camaro," Danny explained.
"You want to go OUTSIDE!?" Josey asked incredulously.
"It's high powered, there's no way he's just standing in the street," Danny explained. "And it's coming from behind the house. If we can get mobile and out the front door, odds are he wont be able to follow."
"And what if you're wrong!?" Josey exclaimed. Danny didn't get a chance to ease the man's apprehension over the situation because at that moment the bullets stopped raining down around them and he was moving. He grabbed Josey by the arm and hauled him forward.
"MOVE!" he barked. The hurried through the debris grabbing the photos that had been splayed all over the floor and not caring of the glass, plaster, ceramic and other shattered bits that cut into their hands.
Possessions acquired, they sprinted through the house to the front door. The second they were out however bullets started kicking up dirt all around them.
"So much for behind the house!" Josey hollered as they zigzagged toward the car only yards away. In the back of his mind Danny couldn't help but wonder why a man who'd taken the incredible shot he had in the jungle was suddenly unable to hit a moving target but at the moment, he was just happy to make it to the car.
The second they were inside, Danny started the engine and roared away from the house. Thankfully four blocks away he pulled to the side of the road and was greeted only by the hum of his engine and the blood pounding in his ears.
"Are we dead?" Josey squeaked. Danny let out a nervous laugh and turned to his pale faced passenger who's fingernails were digging into the dashboard.
"I don't think so," the detective replied. "Think the blood pumping in my ears means we're still here."
"That's not the only place the blood is pumping," Josey said as he turned toward Danny. Only then did the detective look down to his left arm realizing how much it hurt and the fact that he'd been shot. It wasn't deep and probably a ricochet but still.
"Wonderful," Danny sighed.
A few hours later, stitched up and pulling his shirt back on, Danny looked over to Josey and Chin. After the Warden had done a quick patch job to the detective's arm in the car, they called the rest of the Five-0 team and reconnected. Obviously Danny was checked by paramedics and then quickly taken to hospital with Chin and Josey never leaving his side.
"How you feeling Danny?" Chin asked.
"Like someone's trying to kill me," Danny replied. "Do we still have the photos?"
"Few of them got a little messed up but all the faces are clearly visible," Josey replied.
"CSU is casing the house and HPD is checking the surrounding area," Chin explained. "Problem is it's starting to get dark and as for inside the house…"
"There's probably a couple thousand bullets to sort through," Danny finished for him. Then he shook his head as one thought had been racing through his mind since this whole mess began. "Thank god Grace isn't on the islands, if she had been there today…"
"What did I tell you about focusing on the things you can't control?" Josey said with a smile. Danny gave a tired laugh and a nod before getting to his feet.
"Alright, lets get the photo's to Steve, see if he recognizes anyone."
"Danny, Josey can do that, why don't you rest a bit?" Chin suggested. "The doctor's given us permission to use the room for a bit longer."
"We need to find who's responsible Chin," Danny replied. "And I don't want to just sit around and wait for this guy to take another shot. What happens if next time he hits you or Kono? Or Grover or Josey? Hell he almost DID hit Josey! No, I'm not taking any more breaks or any more "time-outs" until this case is solved. Now you can go with me on this or you can handcuff me to the bed until I gnaw my arm off." Josey laughed while Chin just rolled his eyes.
"Come on," he said nodding toward the door. They headed out toward Steve's hospital room. "I should warn you though, after Steve's last stunt Doctor Koa's been keeping him pretty heavily medicated, he might not be of any good right now."
"Let me be the judge of that," Danny replied.
They reached Steve's room, Danny in the lead and after saying "hello" to the HPD detail outside it, they slipped inside. Amazingly Steve was actually awake at the moment he was idly poking at the bandage on his shoulder.
"Hey Steve, how you feeling?" Danny asked. The Navy SEAL blinked then blinked his eyes wider again before finding the source of the voice. Once he did, Steve's face split into a wide toothy grin.
"Daniel… Danny…Daaaaannnnooooooooo!" Steve sung out the last part. Glancing back to Josey and Chin who shrugged an "I told you so" shrug, Danny looked back at his partner and walked up to the side of his bed. "Hey Danny!" Steve said enthusiastically.
"Hey babe, they got you pretty messed up huh?" Danny asked. The SEAL nodded with a chuckle but then cleared his throat and shook his head and closed his eyes.
"I don't like this," he said the smile disappearing.
"I know Steve," Danny agreed. "Hey do you think you'd be up to looking at some photos?" he asked.
"Pictures?" Steve slurred. His grin returned ten-fold and he nodded happily. "I like pictures, I like pictures of whales and those… uh… those unicorn whales… you know, with the horn like this?" Steve used a finger and brought his hand to his head sticking it out in the air.
"Narwhals," Josey supplied from behind.
"That's it!" Steve cried triumphantly. "Unicorn whales! S'cool… like pie... Oh… Hey Danny! Guys, when did you get here?" Josey started laughing even harder while Chin just smirked. Danny sighed and dropped down into the chair next to his friends hospital bed knowing the man was much to high at the moment to focus on anything.
"Why don't you get some sleep?" Danny offered.
"Sleep, yeah… sleep good… focus in th'mornin'," Steve nodded following his friends idea without question. Steve's smile faded again and he settled back a bit on the bed furrowing his brow. "M'hate drugs," he slurred. Danny huffed out his own laugh and gave his friend a pat on the good shoulder as the man drifted off to sleep again. It was going to be a long night.
"I do to babe, I do to."
Had just bit of fun with the last part of the chapter but not to worry, its down to serious buisness up next!
Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!
Oz