Shark Bait Chapter 3
A/N: Well, guys, it's been a while, and I'm really sorry about that. I've been having away games after school then softball games right after and literally no time to write. Hopefully I can update more often from now on. Also, just so you know, I'm not medical savvy at all, so forgive me if the stuff in this chapter/the next chapters are inaccurate. If it really is inaccurate, I would greatly appreciate if you could hint me to it. BTW, I think you guys will notice which option won out and I'm sorry if I distressed anyone about it. I really appreciate all the feedback in response to the question, too, so thank you all for that.
"It went as well as could be expected," Palakiko said with a smile. "I have every reason to expect that he should regain full use of his leg again with a lot of hard work and therapy. Now, it isn't a guarantee that it will all go back to normal after this, but the odds look good right about now. We won't know anything for sure until he wakes up, but I think that it looks like there will be a happy ending to all of this."
There was a collective sigh from Danny, Chin, and Kono.
"Can we see him?" Danny asked the doctor.
"We are having him settled into a room as we speak. In about ten minutes, I'll have a nurse come and get you and show you to his room. He should be waking up in the next hour or two if he comes out of the anesthetics according to plan."
"Thank you so much, doctor," Kono thanked him. He nodded his head and smiled warmly before standing and walking away from the team.
"I think it's safe to say that we can relax a little bit now," Chin told them. "We should've known that Steve was going to be fine after all of this." They all chuckled a little bit, their tenseness easing away just a bit.
"Danno?" Grace's small voice asked. The three turned around to see Gracie sitting up in the chair, one small fist rubbing her eye. Her brown hair was matted and tangled on one side. "Is Uncle Steve okay?" she asked wearily, as if she was afraid of the answer.
Danny smiled reassuringly. "Of course he's okay, Monkey. What did I tell you? Uncle Steve is Super SEAL, he's always okay."
Grace smiled brightly. "Can we go see him? I need to thank him for saving me."
"A nurse is going to come and get us soon, then that's exactly where we're headed. Come here, I need a hug."
Grace leapt from her chair and bolted to her dad, jumping up and allowing him to catch her in his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder and draped her arms around his neck.
"Thanks for taking care of Super SEAL for me, Daddy," she whispered in his ear.
He smiled and shook his head gently. "No problem, Gracie. I don't know what I would do without him, either."
.H50.H50.H50.H50.H50.
"Danno, I think he's waking up," Grace whispered to her dad, her eyes never leaving Steve's. "His finger just moved."
Danny stood from the bedside chair and approached Steve slowly.
"Hey, open your eyes for me, babe," Danny told Steve quietly. He reached out his hand to grab Steve's. "At least squeeze my hand if you can hear me."
There was a brief and weak squeeze, but any squeeze was better than none at all.
"That's good, buddy. I need you to open your eyes for me now."
Steve's nose immediately crinkled up in effort. His eyes blinked open, tears forming in mere seconds.
"Damn, it's bright in here," Steve murmured.
"There're children in the room, Steven," Danny scolded playfully. "I'd appreciate it if you kept your offensive language to yourself.
Danny walked across the room and turned off the lights before returning to Steve's side. He pulled the chair closer to the bed and plopped down in it. He signaled Grace to come sit on his lap with a hand gesture and she trotted over and sat down.
"Hey Uncle Steve," Grace greeted quietly. She spoke as if saying hello would making him break in half. "Before you say anything, I just want to say that I'm sorry. And thank you."
Steve's watery eyes blinked a few more times to rid them of the moistness. Then he looked over at Grace.
"And what are you apologizing for?" Steve asked, his face displaying pure confusion. "I don't recall you doing anything wrong. You did exactly as I asked and I don't think you could've done any better."
Grace clasped her hands in front of her and started fiddling with her thumbs. She kept her head down, suddenly very interested on her fingers wrestling.
"That's the reason you got hurt. Because you were saving me," she mumbled under her breath, but Steve's advanced hearing picked up on every word.
"Oh. This is nothing to worry about and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant you were okay. Please promise me that you will not blame yourself for any of this because you could not have prevented any of it. I love you, Grace, and no stupid shark is going to change that."
Grace took that opportunity to glance up from her hands and look at Steve. Her eyes met his and she couldn't help but start crying.
She stood from her position on Danny's lap and stood next to the bed.
"I love you too," she sobbed before collapsing on the bed.
Steve sat up straighter and leaned against the pillows. He grabbed her under the arms and pulled her onto the bed and hugged her tightly. If he thought that it was gross that Grace was getting tears and snot all over him, he never showed it nor said anything.
"I'd hate to break this up," Danny said casually, "But someone's mother is outside waiting for her daughter to come home."
Grace pulled away from Steve's embrace and she crawled off the edge. Her hands scrubbed at her eyes and across her nose, wiping away whatever traces of snot and tears there were. She sniffed a few times.
"I'll be back to visit soon," Grace promised. "Danno said that you never like to do what the doctors tell you to do, so can you promise me that you'll be good this time?" It seemed so innocent coming from her.
"Yes, I think I can manage that."
Grace smiled then turned and walked out of the room with Danny in tow. Before he stepped out of the room, however, Danny stopped and turned around.
"I can't thank you enough, Steve, really. There's nothing that I can say to ever thank you enough."
"Then you don't have to say anything."
Danny smiled genuinely and nodded before turning and following his daughter out the door.
A/N: So, I'm very sorry that this chapter was so short, but I promise that the next one will be longer. Thank you to everyone that is sticking with me on this. Just like Danny, I can't thank you enough.
