Thanks to everyone who read/commented so far. :-) Means a lot. Oh and julieb: the demons have been properly exercised. They're fit&trim and already working on another novel length story. ;-)
Moaning woke him. At first Steve thought he was dreaming. Then he realized where the sound was coming from. His partner.
"Danny?"
He pulled the curtain aside. Another argument had caused Danny to close the thing in frustration some time during the night. Steve had actually enjoyed getting under his best friend's skin. He was tired of the place, annoyed by being cooped up. Most of all, Steve was in denial about what lay ahead for him. He was bursting at the seams and Danny was an easy target. Mainly because he took Steve's shit with few reprisals.
But now.
Danny was in pain. And not the kind of discomfort that had become the norm since the surgery. His pale sweaty face made Steve's chest tighten and his own pain spiked.
"Danny, hey? Want me to call the nurse?"
Steve didn't wait. He pushed his call button and the nurse's station answered right away.
"Need a little help. Something's wrong with my partner."
He was assured that someone would be there as soon as they could.
"Danny, open your eyes and look at me."
Blue eyes slowly blinked at him.
"That's it. What hurts?"
"My gut." He groaned, his hands protectively going to his belly. "Woke me up."
A nurse appeared and began asking Danny a slew of questions. She disappeared into the hallway. Steve watched helplessly, tethered to his bed by an IV.
"What did she tell you?"
"She's calling the doc." He growled through the last word.
"Shit, Danny."
"I'm okay. Just hurts a little."
"Doesn't sound like a little."
"Nothing I can't handle, Steven." The pain on his face changed to something else. Anger.
"Never said you couldn't, partner." The partner punctuated the sentence more than anything else could. Steve retreated a little, lying back against his pillows. Things had been a little rough between them the last few days, and now he didn't want to fight.
He was worried, but there was nothing he could do except lie there and wait for answers.
Danny closed his eyes, making an obvious effort to breathe through waves of pain.
A small team of staff filed into the room. All business. Commands were given, and Danny was moved about with precision and care. His cries of distress were unnerving.
And Steve was visibly disturbed by what he was watching. Eyes wide with concern, he tried to get some answers, bellowing out questions.
"Wait, what? Where are you taking him? Someone tell me what's going on." He pushed himself up, wincing and sweating. "Danny, you alright?
No intelligible answer came from Danny. A tech paused to quickly fill Steve in.
"I'm sorry. There are certain protocols we have to follow, Commander. They have to run some tests. You won't be able to see Detective Williams until he is cleared. End of story."
"They're worried about an infection?" Steve guessed.
The stone face of the tech told him he was right. In his condition, Steve could not be exposed to anything that would threaten his weakened immune system.
But neither could Danny.
Their doctor appeared in the doorway looking concerned. He stepped aside as his staff took Danny from the room.
Steve called after them. "You're gonna be alright, Danny. Hang in there, buddy."
Closing his eyes, he eased himself back against the bank of pillows. The doctor paused, looking over Steve's vitals. "And how are you feeling, Commander McGarrett?"
"Fine, and please call me Steve." He tried not to be rude, but he was worried about his friend. "What's going on with my partner? We signed the papers. You can tell me."
"Steve, I know. Take a few breaths for me. Slow it down." The doctor waited until Steve obeyed. "He's spiked a fever and his incision looks enflamed. That usually doesn't set off too many alarm bells. Unless there are other complications. Danny is at risk for pneumonia. We knew this going into the surgery."
"Pneumonia?" Steve was confused.
"His broken ribs on top of the transplant surgery multiplied his risk."
"Wait, why did you let him-"
The doctor raised his hand. "Please calm down, Commander. Danny knew the risks. He would not budge, and because there was such a dire need -"
"I would have died waiting for another donor." Steve understood deeply now what he had been blowing off. "And Danny was a match."
"Yes. But you know that."
"I didn't know about the pneumonia possibility."
"With his reduced mobility, it's more difficult to clear his lungs. There was also some bruising which makes taking a full breath more of a challenge for him. This could lead to a whole cascade of issues we need to address."
"I thought he was doing his breathing exercises. I don't understand. He was following your orders to the letter."
"Yes, he was. In some cases, it makes no difference." The doctor sat on the edge of the chair closest to Steve. "Look Steve, we don't know for sure yet what's going on. We need to find the cause of his pain and fever. This could be nothing. We should know more by late afternoon. You're not helping your friend by getting upset. I know it's hard not to worry, but we'll take good care of him."
Steve stared straight ahead, digesting what had he'd been told. His plan for a perfect recovery for both of them had been shattered.
As the doctor stood up to leave, he turned back to his patient. "Try to get some rest."
Note to swifters: when you first read this chapter...I thought you wanted me to make the hospital staff bad guys...like they were gonna kidnap Danny! :-)