Comfort

Chapter 4

Chin watched his cousin tear up and couldn't blame her. They had all become close and they had worked well together from day one. They had connected seamlessly and quickly. He had a particular affinity with Danny because of his strength of conviction.

Watching Danny fiercely defend the reputation of his partner, defying all the naysayers, knowing his partner so well that even the mere theoretical suggestion that Meka was a dirty cop was discarded out of hand without the slightest hesitation had made Chin wish that Danny had been there for him, had been his partner when his reputation had been ruined. For that reason alone, Chin had rallied behind Danny when everyone else, including Steve, doubted his conviction towards his partner's innocence.

Danny had already proven that he would defend each one of them with that very same fierce fervor of conviction when they had gone together to the Governor's office to face whatever punishment awaited them after stealing from the evidence locker. Danny had told Steve that they were in it together, that just because Steve had taken it upon himself to steal the money alone, to protect them so that only he would take the fall if they got caught, didn't mean Danny would let him or any one of them face the consequences alone. He knew what they were going to do and had been on board with it. He wasn't going to turn a blind eye to it and by acknowledging that, it had made him equally responsible and Chin knew that being the principled cop and man that he was, Danny wouldn't shirk away from it. He admired him for his loyalty to them and for teaching Grace by example what it meant to be true to your convictions, to maintain your integrity, and to support your friends during dark times. Danny had done all that and more.

In that same moment, when Chin had feared that he had put into jeopardy other distinguished careers, as well as Kono's budding one, when he had been ambushed by Hesse, Danny saw his concern and quickly allayed his fears with a comforting assurance that had been worth more than any monetary value he could have placed on it.

"Hey, listen, whatever happens, none of us would have done anything any different, all right?"

He had felt honored that someone whose opinion he had respected highly would sacrifice his career for him, that Danny had no regrets in doing so based solely on his belief in a friend.

Chin had been the first to reach Danny after he had collapsed. He looked down at his pants, the wetness there suddenly breaking his reverie as well as reminding him of what had happened a few short hours ago. He had kneeled into the pool of Danny's blood that had been quickly forming beneath him as he tried to staunch the flow, but even fifteen years in HPD where he had seen his share of death hadn't prepared him for the emotional shock of not knowing where to start applying first aid. So many wounds, most of which were covered in their own blood trails. Chin found himself wondering at that moment how Danny could even still be alive let alone how he had made it to them as well as kill the gunman to save them.

As he sat in the waiting room, he rubbed his face just as he had in the anteroom of the Governor's office, the only difference was that Danny wasn't there to comfort this time and the silence was deafening.

TBC