2 months later

"Hey, come on! Stop squirming for a sec, baby…" Steve mumbled as he finished putting a clean diaper on Sarah, ignoring how she kicked out at him. "There, all done. Daddy's finished now!"

Steve sighed as Sarah continued to wriggle around in her incubator, limbs going every which way, so he scooped her up and settled her into his arms.

"Come on, princess, let's have a wander while we wait for Danno to come back." He whispered, pressing a kiss to her rosy cheeks before setting off.

Walking round the NICU's step-down unit, which Sarah had been moved to after finally gaining weight and growing stronger, had become a daily ritual for the two of them. After spending so long cooped up in one room and in the incubator, Steve was thrilled that she didn't need constant monitoring and that he could properly touch and hold her more often.

His baby was now just over three months old and Steve marvelled at how much she'd grown in that time - and how he'd grown with her as a person and a father. He'd always wanted kids but never thought it would happen, so he threw himself into being Uncle Steve to Grace and Charlie. Steve now understood even more why Danny fought so hard to keep Grace in his life and even gave his bone marrow to Charlie after only knowing that he was his father for a short time. He smiled as he looked down at Sarah and realised that he would do exactly the same thing for her in a heartbeat.

"Ahhh ow!" Steve grimaced as he looked down to see that Sarah had burrowed into his chest and had found his nipple through his shirt, and was determined to hold onto it with her toothless gums. "If you're gonna chew something, please don't chew that."

After making sure that he could support her with one arm, Steve convinced her to latch onto the index finger of his free hand, much to the relief of his nipple. A quick glance at the clock above the nurses station saw that clearly Sarah knew it was lunchtime, so Steve called time on their walk and headed back.

Over the last week the nurses had been teaching Steve how to make formula up. It took a few goes, and Danny laughed when he called him after the first attempt and found out that what Steve made bore a close resemblance to oatmeal, but finally he'd been deemed competent to do it.

After fixing up a bottle - one handed because every time he set Sarah down she'd cry harder and the sound went straight to his heart - Steve settled himself into the recliner chair next to the incubator. He smirked as his daughter latched onto the plastic teat and hungrily drank, and Steve couldn't help but stare at her and take in her features, like he always did when she was still enough for him to do so. He knew that he was bias, but he truly had never seen a more beautiful human being. She'd grown, but was still smaller than other babies her age and the doctors reassured Steve that by her first birthday she should be almost on track. Whenever Sarah smiles and reaches out for him Steve burns with pride and the knowledge that his baby girl knows him and wants him, and generally settles once she's in his arms.

She knows Danny too, and cries whenever he goes home. Steve felt guilty once they'd been at the hospital for a month and that meant that Danny hadn't seen his children, and so told him to go back to Hawaii. Danny only agreed on the condition that he'd fly back whenever he could, as both of them knew that Steve needed Danny with him for support. It pained Steve to make that decision, but he couldn't keep Danny away from Grace and Charlie knowing that they missed him.

Steve blinked out of his daydream when he noticed that Sarah had finished drinking and was gazing up at him. He set the empty bottle aside and burped her like the nurses told him to, before settling her back into the incubator and wrapped her in blankets, his fingers lingering on her smiling face.

"It's Daddy's turn for some lunch now, otherwise Danno will be mad at me for not eating when he gets here."

"Just as well I brought you some, then."

Steve looked up at the sound of Danny's voice, his tone belaying the serious expression on his face, and smiled as the blonde man walked over to where he was stood. Sarah beamed when Danny reached down and tickled her belly, and Steve couldn't resist pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

"Hi," Steve breathed against his cheek when they both came up for air. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, even though you forgot to eat again." Danny sighed as he thrust a brown paper bag containing Steve's lunch into the man's hands and forced him into the recliner. "Honestly, if I wasn't here I wonder if you'd eat at all."

Steve frowned at him around the mouthful of tuna sandwich, and Danny bit back a laugh at the picture Steve painted. "I would," he said after swallowing. "Besides, at least tomorrow we can go back with you, and I'm sure you'll force feed me on the plane."

"I can't believe they've finally given you the all clear to come home," Danny said to Sarah, who smiled back at him. "Three months, eh? But now you get to drive your Daddy crazy forever. Hey babe, there's something in my bag I need, can you grab it please?" He glanced at Steve.

Steve rummaged around in his rucksack but found nothing Danny would need right now, only his clean clothes for tomorrow. "Danny, there's nothing in here - oh." He froze as his hand brushed against something soft, and Danny smiled and watched Steve's face as he pulled out the preemie onesie that he bought Sarah not long after they got to the hospital.

"'Daddy's Little Princess'," Steve whispered as he rubbed a thumb over the printed words, before standing up to join Danny at his daughter's side. He looked at his girl, then back at the onesie. "Looks like it might fit now."

The weight of Danny's hand on the small of his back grounded Steve as he carefully removed the hospital issued outfit from Sarah and slipped the new one on, and Steve had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from crying as it was pretty much a perfect fit. Danny chuckled as after a brief look of confusion Sarah flailed her limbs and made a happy noise.

"Much better, munchkin." He said. "Right, I'm not waiting anymore. Flown 16 hours to be here and I think that's at least worth a cuddle."

Steve watched silently as Danny lifted Sarah out and settled in the recliner with a groan of relief, and felt his chest tighten as he watched his baby wriggle around on Danny's chest before eventually succumbing to sleep. He couldn't explain it, but seeing Sarah in clothes that were theirs and not hospital issued sparked fear inside of him.

He'd been here since the day that his child was born, and was confident in his abilities to look after her, thank you very much. And while he'd been looking forward to they day when he could finally take her home since he arrived, Steve suddenly… didn't want to leave.

"Hey, c'mere," Danny reached out and tugged him into the chair next to him, linking the fingers of one hand with Steve's. "What's goin' on in your head, babe?"

Steve opened his mouth to argue that he was fine, but one look at Danny and his sleeping daughter and his fears tumbled out of his mouth.

"I've waited for this for so long, but… I'm scared, Danno." Steve whispered, reaching over to cover Danny's hand on Sarah's back with his own. "Being away from the hospital, what if something happens? At least here there's…" He gestured around him at various pieces of equipment.

"I know they wouldn't let her go home if they were worried, but… that doesn't stop me from worrying about her."

Danny nodded in understanding. "You're her dad, buddy. It's your job to worry about her for the rest of your life. But Steve," He slipped his hand out from under Steve's, and the brunette toyed with the soft wisps of dark hair on Sarah's head. "She belongs at home. Toys and stuff are gonna clutter up your house, and you can kiss a good night's sleep goodbye for the next few years. And because she's your kid, she'll probably give as good as she gets in terms of stubbornness. Don't you want that?

Steve grinned at Danny's words and nodded, the fear evaporating from his body. "More than anything. I can't wait to have all of that."

"There you go then." Danny beamed as Steve realised that he'd effectively answered his own question. He wordlessly lifted his free arm when the brunette moved his chair as close as possible and rested his head on Danny's collarbone, and held Steve as they both stared down at Sarah, still asleep on Danny's chest.

"Hey, got a surprise for you, babe." Steve held Sarah steady while Danny dug his cell phone out of his jeans pocket. He pressed and swiped a few times before a picture appeared on the screen. "Everyone's helped me get it ready. I know you might have wanted to do it yourself, but it needs to be all set for when we come home..."

Steve blinked furiously in at attempt to stop the tears the threatened to fall as he stared at the image on the screen. "My baby's got her own room," He sniffed. "Danno… it looks amazing! She's got her own crib, her own clothes… she's got everything."

Danny smiled against Steve lips when he leant up for a kiss, the arm around his shoulders toying with the hair at the nape of his partner's neck.

"And so do I." Steve whispered after breaking away, lips parted as he gazed starstruck at his lover as his thumb rubbed Sarah's back when she began to stir. "I've got a beautiful baby girl, and now I've got you and your beautiful kids… I never thought I'd get this lucky."

"Not gonna lie, I never thought I'd be doing the whole 'bringing up a baby' thing again, much less one that isn't mine." Danny said quietly as he stared at Sarah, before turning his gaze to Steve whose face was inches away from his own. "But I can't wait to be a part of Sarah's life, and that I get to do it with you means the world."


Finally tomorrow came, and Steve felt like he was walking on air as he lifted Sarah out of the incubator and settled her into the car seat that he'd bought a few days before. As if she knew that she was going home, Sarah was bubbly and full of energy, and Steve smirked as she hit Danny in the face with a soft toy when he leant down to kiss her cheek.

He ran a hand down his face and scratched at his jaw as he watched Danny play with his daughter and felt his heartbeat quicken as he saw the packed bags around him. Steve looked around the room that they'd spent the best part of two months in, where he'd slept in a recliner next to the incubator - the very same chair that the car seat holding his daughter was on.

Steve remembered that day that he first laid eyes on Sarah when she was just a few hours old. She was a tiny little red thing hooked up to dozens of machines to keep her alive, and he knew then. He knew that he was in love with her and would do whatever it takes to make her better so that he could take her home with him.

He'd sat by her side every day and watched as she underwent countless tests and examinations, but she proved that she was a true McGarrett when she became stronger as the days went into weeks - and three months later they were finally leaving the hospital.

Another shriek from Sarah draws Steve's attention and he blinked as his mind returned to the present. He grinned as he bent down to pick up the toy that Sarah had dropped on the floor.

"Here you go, princess," he said as he handed it to Sarah. "Try and keep ahold of it, yeah?"

Sarah's reaction was to burst out laughing and kick her legs out, and the new sound went straight to Steve's heart. After a minute or so he'd picked his jaw up from the floor and shook his head as he picked up the car seat.

"Ready, babe?" Danny asked, rucksacks slung over his shoulders and carrying the remaining bags.

Steve walked over to Danny and used his free hand to tip his face up, softly kissing his blonde partner. Both men smiled at each other before turning their attention to Sarah who was 'talking' up at them.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Steve slid his hand down Danny's arm to link their fingers together, before they headed out of the room. "Let's go home."