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I hope you like the next chapter. And please let me know what you think.
Bad Luck and Trouble
Chapter Four
Danny sighed. He stared out his hospital room window—the sky had already gone dark, his room softly lit by a low overhead light. It was the first time he'd been alone since the Coast Guard chopper had landed on the hospital roof, and a team of nurses and doctors descended upon his gurney. After an intense amount of poking and prodding, X-Rays and an MRI, he'd been settled into his room and encouraged to get some rest before he was taken down to surgery. But despite his body's fatigue, his mind wouldn't settle, and he found himself missing Steve's steady presence at his side.
He carefully stretched, avoiding shifting his bad leg which was now propped up by several pillows. The morphine had given him a nice buzz, and the excruciating pain in his leg had dimmed to a whisper, humming in the background of his senses.
He glanced around the small, drab, hospital room and tried not to think about the fact he was going to be stuck here for days. And not just stuck in his room, but stuck in bed. Even the thought of a pretty nurse giving him a sponge bath didn't make up for the bedpan and urinal he'd been reduced to using instead of the bathroom. He shuddered, struck with the thought that he should be grateful no one had come after him with a catheter yet. Of course with his crappy luck that would be next.
Grumpily Danny dragged a tired hand through his hair and stared dejectedly out the window. He hated having his luck.
He glanced at the phone and considered calling Rachel, but it was late. Too late for her to bring Grace by. Too late even to talk to her on the phone. Tomorrow was a school day and it was already past Gracie's bed time. Most likely his little girl was sound asleep, so he'd call Rachel in the morning. Maybe he could talk her into bringing Grace for a visit after school.
There was a sharp knock on the door and then Steve poked his head inside. Grateful for the company, Danny waved him in.
"I like the look," Steve gave a slight grin, crossing his arms over his chest and taking a position at the foot of Danny's bed.
"Shut up, you," Danny grimaced, glancing down at his hospital gown with distaste. It was white, dotted with little blue colored circles. Whoever invented the hospital gown deserved a punch in the face.
Crossly he looked back up at Steve. "I don't know what I was thinking going camping with you instead of staying home and watching the Yankees game. I should've known disaster would strike. Never again will I choose hiking over baseball."
Steve nodded. Chewing slightly on his lower lip, he shoved his hands into his pockets. For a few quiet moments he simply stared at Danny, his face unreadable. Then he asked, "How are you feeling? Doc says the fever's going down. That's good."
Danny cocked his head at his partner. He'd expected Steve to take the bait and launch them both into an argument, providing Danny with a few minutes distraction. Instead, Steve's blue eyes were solemn, his face serious. Even the morphine couldn't dampen the alarm bells shooting through every fiber of Danny's body. Steve was holding something back. Something big.
"I'm all right," Danny finally answered. "The doctor said you probably saved my leg by doing what you did out there, not to mention my life. I don't think I got a chance to thank you."
"I'm just glad I was able to help, Danno," Steve agitatedly ran a hand through his hair and then moved to the side of Danny's bed, grabbing a stool and sitting down.
"You're making that face again Steven," Danny tightly waved a hand towards his partner. "What's going on? Is my leg actually worse than anyone's been telling me?" Danny's face paled and his stomach lurched. "Shit, Steve. Are they going to have to cut off my leg?"
"No, Danno. God, no. That's not….Goddammit." Steve bit his lip and shook his head. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then opened them again. "There's no easy way to tell you this Danny, so I'm just going to come right out and say it. Grace is missing."
There was one second in time when Danny's mind refused the comprehension of Steve's words. When all the air was sucked out of his lungs, his heart stopped and every limb in his body froze.
And then the vacuum of silence was filled with sound. One word repeated over and over. A shivery whisper that built into a howl of rage and fear: no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO!
With an explosive movement Danny shot out of bed, sweeping away sheets and bedcovers. One desperate need drove him forward: find Grace, get to Grace, save Grace.
"Danny, no!" Steve shouted, using his own body as a countermeasure, pinning the other man to the bed.
"Lemme go," Danny growled hoarsely, his weak struggling futile against the dead weight of his partner's body.
"No," Steve said firmly. Carefully he repositioned himself, until he was sitting on the bed, both hands immovable against Danny's shoulders, one forearm held firmly over Danny's chest. He met Danny's furious glare with a steady gaze. "You can't even stand up. You're in no condition to help her right now."
"Get the fuck out of my way Steven, or I swear to god I'm going to go right through you," Danny spit back.
"You can try," Steve replied implacably. "But face planting on your hospital room floor is not going to help Gracie."
Abruptly Danny's body went limp.
"Are you done now?" Steve asked quietly.
Danny nodded in defeat. The room spun dizzyingly. His leg lost in a sea of fire that seemed to suck all the oxygen from his lungs, leaving him panting for breath. His mind reeling from the knowledge that his beautiful little girl was gone, that he might never see her again.
"Breathe, Danny, just breathe," Steve murmured, squeezing Danny's arm as he pulled himself up off of his partner.
"Hurts. Can't breathe," Danny squeezed his eyes shut. He shivered, suddenly so cold he didn't think he'd ever get warm. He felt his body break out in a sweat.
"Yes you can, Danny," Steve hit the nurse's call button and then pulled the blankets back over his partner's trembling body. "It's the adrenaline wearing off. You're in shock and feeling the pain now. We'll get you fixed up. I promise."
The nurse opened the door, took one look at her patient and immediately paged the doctor. She strode to the bed, plucked the oxygen mask from the wall and after securing it to Danny's face began taking his vitals.
Danny closed his eyes, breathing deeply until the pain in his leg tamped down to bearable levels, until the panic began to subside. He pushed the mask from his face just as his doctor arrived.
Dr. Hughes shot the nurse a questioning glance as he took a seat on the stool next to Danny's bed.
"He's stable," she nodded, winding the tubing on the oxygen mask and putting it away.
"You told him?" Dr. Hughes asked Steve as he reached over and pressed his fingers to the underside of Danny's wrist.
"Yeah," Steve said raggedly, his hand resting lightly on Danny's chest. "He tried to get out of bed. He jerked his leg around pretty good."
"That must have hurt," Dr. Hughes said softly, his eyes full of sympathy. He pulled a capped syringe from his coat pocket. "This should take the edge off, Danny. It'll help you relax as well."
"No," Danny shook his head. "I don't want it." He looked up at his best friend, his eyes full of agony, his voice a broken whisper, "How did this happen, Steven? How long has she been missing? Where's Rachel?"
Danny's lips clamped shut and he choked back a groan as the pain in his leg suddenly spiked, as if the bones themselves were grinding against each other.
"Take the morphine, Danny," Steve urged.
"No," Danny gasped, his hand blindly reaching for Steve's arm. "Not until you tell me everything you know."
"And then you'll let the doc dose you?" Steve asked.
"Yes, Steven," Danny ground out, his fingers tightening around Steve's forearm. "Now tell me what the hell happened to my daughter."
"Okay," Steve conceded. "She went missing sometime this morning from her friend's slumber party. The kids had broken up into smaller groups and everyone thought she was with someone else. When Rachel went to pick her up this afternoon, she wasn't there. HPD has every available officer looking for Grace," Steve paused before continuing. "As for Rachel she's at home, waiting by the phone."
"For a ransom call," Danny nodded, covering his eyes with his arm. His upper lip twitched as he held back another groan. How he'd love to blame Stan for this. Stan had money. His money made Grace a target. But the truth was, it wasn't Stan's fault. And his daughter could just as easily have been snatched in retribution for someone Danny had arrested or as leverage in a case he was working.
As if reading Danny's mind Steve said, "Chin and Lori are tearing apart our current caseload as well as looking at every case you closed prior to joining Five-0. Kono is with Rachel and Stan."
Steve motioned towards Danny's doctor. "Your turn, Danno."
As Dr. Hughes injected the morphine into Danny's IV, the reaction was nearly immediate. The tension in Danny's body eased, his face going lax.
"That should hold you until we get you down to surgery, Danny," Dr. Hughes said.
"No," Danny shook his head, his hand sweeping upwards in a wide drunken arc. "No way am I going under with Gracie missing. Forget it."
"Danny," Steve stared at his partner in disbelief. "You're not going to do Grace any good by refusing treatment. You have to get that leg dealt with."
"It can wait, Steven," Danny slurred. "For that matter, just get me a damn wheelchair and take me to Rachel's."
"No," Steve crossed his arms over his chest.
"No?" Danny swayed as he tried to push himself up on elbows too unsteady to hold him.
"Are we really going to do this again?" Steve crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow at his partner.
Danny glowered woozily at Steve. "Take me to Rachel's."
"I said no." Steve's face was a mask of calm. "You're already showing signs of infection. If the docs don't clean out that leg, the best that will happen is you'll lose it or become permanently disabled. The worst is that you could die. I'm not going to find Grace only to have to take her to your funeral. No fucking way. You stay in that bed and let them help you."
"You need to listen to your friend," Dr. Hughes said, staring seriously down at his patient.
"My daughter is missing," Danny collapsed back against the pillows. "She needs me, and I need to be there. I need to help find her. Just help me up."
"Everything that can be done is being done," Steve said. "There's nothing you can do to help. Don't make me regret telling you this before your surgery. I was tempted to keep the news till after."
"What if someone took her because of me? What if I know something that would help her? I can't be out cold on an operating table if you need me…if she needs me…" Danny's voice wavered.
"There is another alternative, Danny," Dr. Hughes interjected. "We can do the surgery while you're awake by using an epidural anesthesia. Basically we insert a catheter into the epidural space in your spine and administer an anesthetic to numb the lower half of your body. You won't feel a thing. But your partner is right. This cannot wait. We've waited too long as it is."
"Do this for Grace, Danny," Steve said softly. "Please."
Finally Danny bit his lip and nodded. "Okay. But Steve? If you find out anything while I'm in surgery, you have to tell me. No matter what."
"Deal," Steve agreed. He gently touched Danny's shoulder. "I'm going to head back out. You need anything?"
"Just find her Steven," Danny said, his eyes pleading. "Please… just find her."
"You know I will do everything in my power to bring her back to you, Danny," Steve promised. "I'll check in as soon as I know anything."
"I'll make the arrangements with the anesthesiologist," Dr. Hughes said. He glanced at the nurse still standing quietly on the other side of the bed. "Can you get Danny prepped please?"
"Of course, Doctor. I'll be right back," she nodded, quietly slipping out of the room.
Both Steve and Dr. Hughes followed, leaving Danny alone. He turned his head to stare out the window. It was pitch black outside. Gracie was out there. Alone and scared. Was she being held for ransom? Or for something else, for something so sick he didn't want to think about what could be happening to her.
His stomach churned, and it took all his efforts not to puke. Horrifying images of broken little girls came unbidden in his mind. He couldn't shut them down. Girls like Abigail Jones who'd only been five when her life had been cut short by a child predator. The bastard had raped then strangled her, leaving her precious little body like a piece of garbage in a ditch. He'd been the one to tell her parents. Danny would never forget the horror on their faces when they identified their daughter's body.
His face grayed and he lost his battle with his stomach. Danny rolled towards the edge of the bed, hoping to hit the floor and not throw up on his gown or the sheets, but he was rescued at the last minute as a basin was shoved under his chin just as he began to retch.
The petite nurse rubbed comforting circles on his back until he was done. Weakly he flopped back on the bed, closing his eyes as she wiped his mouth and face with a damp cloth.
"You can't give up hope, Detective," she said softly, gently squeezing his hand. She set the soiled rag aside. "I'm Heddie, by the way. Dr. Doyle is on his way to set up the epidural. Then we'll take you down to the operating room."
Danny nodded listlessly. He didn't really care what happened to him. Grace was his whole life, and he didn't have much interest in a world without her in it. Heddie didn't attempt to make any more small talk. Quietly she readied an instrument tray next to his bed.
He stared dully up at the ceiling, the pit in his stomach growing by the second. He was a cop, and he knew better than anyone the kind of cruelty and evil that existed in the world. Danny couldn't bear to think of Grace in pain, terrified, calling out to him for help, for rescue. What good was he if he couldn't be there for his own daughter when she needed him the most? It was the ultimate failure.
His eyes flickered to Dr. Doyle as the short balding man entered the room. He made an effort to return the doctor's greeting, but zoned out as the anesthesiologist began explaining the procedure. He offered no resistance when Heddie helped him to a sitting position, making him curl his torso around a pillow as she opened the ties at the back of his gown. He felt her wipe down a small area on his lower back with an alcohol swab, but didn't even flinch as a needle pierced his skin. It was like his body had stopped feeling. He closed his eyes and let his forehead sink into the pillow he held in his arms.
He felt pressure on his spine. A cold burning sensation as the medication was delivered through the catheter the doctor had just inserted. He was barely aware of Heddie helping him to lie back down against the pillows.
"It'll take about thirty minutes for the anesthetic to take effect," Dr. Doyle said. "I'll see you down there." He pulled his gloves off and dropped them into the hazardous materials container on his way out.
"We're going to move you down to the OR and by the time we get everything prepped, Dr. Hughes will be ready to start." Heddie squeezed Danny's forearm. "Usually we administer a sedative to help our patients relax during the surgery."
"No," Danny whispered, slowly turning his head to look up at her. "No sedative, please."
"If you change your mind," Heddie patted Danny's shoulder, " just let me know."
Danny closed his eyes again as she and several orderlies pushed his hospital bed down the corridors to the operating suites.
As they entered the operating room and shifted him to the table at the center of the room, he took a moment to look around. It was smaller than he'd imagined it would be. The bright lights above him were blinding, and he squinted as the nurses bustled around him. Their activity was dizzying. One of them quickly set up a set of drapes around his right leg, obscuring it from his view.
Heddie lowered the top of his gown, attaching monitor leads to his chest. She smiled down at him as she put a cap over his hair, lifting his head up slightly to pull it down in the back.
"It's a little overwhelming in here, I know," she said reassuringly as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his left bicep. She clipped a monitor to his left index finger. "It'll be over before you know it and we'll have you back up in your own room."
She stepped away from the table and nodded at Dr. Hughes, who was gloved and gowned and studying a set of X-Rays clipped to the light box. "We're ready Doctor," she said.
"Thank you Heddie," Dr. Hughes said, stepping over to the operating table. "How are you doing, Danny?"
"I'm fine," Danny murmured.
Dr. Hughes moved to the foot of the table. "You feel this?"
Danny shook his head. "No."
It was a strange and disconcerting sensation; he couldn't feel anything from the waist down.
"Okay then, let's get started," Dr. Hughes said, staring intently down at Danny's right leg.
"Just try and relax," Heddie said before moving to an instrument tray next to the table.
Danny closed his eyes and again his mind strayed to Grace. How tiny she'd been when she was born. So small and fragile. Danny had picked her up like she was made of glass, as if she'd break at the slightest touch. He remembered nursing her through colic and earaches. Colds and fevers. He remembered marching down to Billy Banniker's house and having words with the boy's father when the young bully had called Gracie names on the school playground. Danny had always firmly believed that manners were taught at home and after that visit, Billy had never bothered Grace again.
He remembered staying up all night to put together Gracie's first crib, and the play kitchen they'd gotten her for Christmas when she was six. He'd worked two weeks of overtime to afford the clown for her seventh birthday party. The clown that had so terrified her, she'd hidden in her room until he'd finally sent the guy away.
Until Grace, he'd never known how much love could fill his heart. Now, faced with the prospect of losing her, he'd never realized how much being a father had come to define his very existence.
"Danny."
Danny rolled his head towards Steve's voice. He opened his eyes. His partner was crouching next to him, fully gowned, his nose and mouth covered by a surgical mask. He looked ridiculous, but then, Danny imagined, so did he.
"You with me?" Steve asked, gently placing a gloved hand on the top of Danny's head.
Danny nodded. He didn't speak. He didn't need to ask Steve if Grace was okay. Just like Steve didn't need to say it. He could already see the answer in his best friend's eyes. And he felt tears spring to his own.
Tbc…
