Aloha boys & girls :) Sooo...here's the next chapter. I hope it's up to everyone's standards, I wrote it while I was experiencing sleep deprivation...lol.
CHAPTER WARNING: Spanking. C'mon, duh.
Happy reading!
Danny kept glancing over to the passenger seat worrying his bottom lip between his teeth at Nahele staring out the window as he drove them home.
"What's going through your head, Nahele?" Nahele didn't turn to look at him but answered with a noise from the back of his throat. "C'mon, I can hear you thinkin' from over here."
"Do you and dad ever think you made a mistake adopting me?" Nahele answered, still not looking at Danny.
Not prepared for the absurd answer he received Danny quickly pulled off the road, shut off the engine and unbuckled his seat belt so he could give his son his full attention.
"Look at me, Nahele." He ordered, tone serious and not to be ignored. When his son's watery dark eyes met his his heart constricted a little. "No matter what you do or what you think you've done me and dad would never think that. People make mistakes, Nahele, but that doesn't mean you're not family anymore. Do you understand?"
Nahele wiped away a stray tear as he nodded. "Yes, sir."
Danny straightened back in his seat with a relieved huff and tried to put his erratic beating heart back to normal. "Jesus, where'd that come from?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders. "It's my fault Api's hurt and in the hospital."
"No it's not."
"Yes it is!" Nahele shouted, his voice reverberating through the small space of the car. "If I hadn't said yes and drove her to the beach none of this would've happened! She almost died because of me, Danno!" As his voice stopped bouncing around the car his sobs permeated the air.
"Let me ask you a question; did you make Api's sugar bottom out?"
"No."
"Did your drown her?"
"Of course not."
"Ok then, how is her being in the hospital because of those two things your fault? Listen to me good when I say this, Nahele." Danny urged as he put his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Api's decisions and actions are what landed her in the hospital."
"But I took her to the beach even when I knew you and dad said no. Even though I knew how dangerous it could be."
"That part is true and that's what you'll be punished for, but not for your sister's injuries. Do you understand what I'm sayin'?" Nahele nodded his head as he wiped his face off with his shirt sleeve. "Do you really? I don't want you carrying guilt around that's not yours to carry."
"Yes, sir. I understand."
Danny put his seat belt back on and turned the key in the ignition. "Alright then, let's get home."
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It was close to one in the afternoon as Steve sat next to Api holding her hand. He still hadn't heard from Danny and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He was pretty sure Danny wasn't going to lose his shit with Nahele. Hopefully the kid hadn't had a complete meltdown over his misplaced guilt. Maybe he should call Danny-
"Commander McGarrett." Dr. Mike greeted, interrupting his thoughts. "Api is doing well with her breathing so I think it's time to take the tube out."
A nurse grabbed Steve's elbow and guided him towards the door. "Why don't you go take a break and come back in about an hour." Seeing Steve about to protest the nurse urged him a little harder towards the door. "Trust me, ohana doesn't need to see what's about to happen. We're going to take the tube out and then I'm going to get her washed up and in a clean gown and then change her sheets. We have your number, I promise to call if anything happens."
"Yes, ma'am." Steve sighed as he begrudgingly walked out the door.
He watched for a moment as a PCT wheeled a cart of supplies into Api's room before taking a walk down the hall.
Steve decided on getting some fresh air while he made some calls. He first called the Governor to give him an update of the situation and received orders to stay out of the office for the rest of the week, Detective Williams too. After that he called Chin to get any office updates and was reassured that everything was fine and that him and the rest of the team were waiting to hear about Api's condition. Steve ended the call with a mahalo, brah, then glanced down at his watch. He sighed heavily as he realized only fifteen minutes had gone by.
A cup of coffee and two round trips of the ICU floor later Steve stood outside of Api's room unwilling to move until he got an update. He took it as a good sign he couldn't hear much noise coming from the room except for the occasional muffled voice. Finally the door opened, Dr. Mike stepping out and not seeming too surprised to find Steve standing outside the door.
"Everything went well." Dr. Mike smiled. "I've very happy with her progress. When she wakes up we'll see how's she's doing. If everything looks good as I expect it should then Apikalia can be downgraded to the pediatric floor for the rest of her stay."
Steve shook the man's hand. "Thanks, Dr. Mike."
"No problem, Commander. You can go in to see your daughter now."
Steve walked back into the room letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he saw Api taking breaths all on her own without the machine. He planted a hand in her still sea salty hair and leaned his forehead against hers, relishing the small puffs of air she made against his neck.
"Good girl."
He resumed his seat beside her in the chair that probably had a permanent mold of his ass and took out his phone to text Danny.
Tube is out and she's breathing on her own :)
Feeling more relieved than he had in forty-eight hours Steve laid his head back against the seat for a moment before calling the rest of their ohana.
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Danny stood outside of Nahele's bedroom door where he had sent him ten minutes earlier when they got to the house. The detective hated spanking the kids. He didn't imagine any parent really liked it but it almost bothered Danny. He could be bold, at times unforgiving in his job and certainly not afraid to voice his opinion, but he had a soft heart, especially towards their kids. His own parents didn't use physical discipline against him, Matty or their sisters which in retrospect is probably what led to a lot of problems in his teen years before he decided to be a cop and enter the academy. Danny definitely saw the benefits of such discipline but it hurt his heart to have to hurt Api or Nahele, even if it was just their butt.
He noticed his husband didn't have as much problem with it as he did, but then again Steve had grown up being spanked and so was his father before him. Going into the Navy and then to SEAL school had definitely drilled respect even further into him which Steve expected of their kids. It mostly led to Steve doing most of the spanking and Danny picking up the discipline slack in other ways. Either way he had a responsibility to Nahele at the moment to straighten him out and that's what he intended to do.
Danny didn't bother knocking on the door knowing Nahele was expecting him. He found his son sitting on the bed nervously picking at his comforter. Danny slowly sat next to the lanky teenager and sighed.
"Dad and I talked and in addition to getting your butt smacked you're grounded for two weeks and for those two weeks you'll be getting up with Steve early in the morning to go running with him."
Nahele made a face, "I expected the sore ass, but PT with dad?"
Danny shrugged, "I mean we can make it for a whole month."
"No, no I'll take the two weeks." The boy hurried.
"Thought so." Danny quipped as he stood up. "Let's get this over with."
Knowing the drill Nahele stood up to plant his hands on his bed but blanched as Danny started unbuckling his belt. "Danno-" he started but stopped as Danny shook his head.
"You're seventeen, almost a man and I'm not breaking my hand on your ass." he explained as he finished pulling his belt through the loops and doubled it over making sure he had a good grip on the buckle. "Hands on the bed and bend over."
"Yes sir." Nahele sighed knowing he deserved what he was about to get.
Danny positioned himself on Nahele's left side putting his hand on the small of his back. "Why are you being punished, Nahele?"
"Because I took Api to the beach even though you and dad said no."
"Right. And not because of what?"
Nahele dropped his head between his shoulders. "Not because Api got injured."
The only warning Nahele got was the tap on his back from Danny's hand and the slight whoosh as the belt sliced through the air before a hot stripe was seared across his butt. He sucked in a breath as the second lick landed quickly followed by a third and fourth. By the time they got to ten Nahele was breathing heavy and his eyes were watering. The board shorts he was wearing wasn't offering much protection from Danny's deadly butt murdering aim.
Danny stopped to let Nahele breath through the pain he was inflicting. "Do you think me and Steve tell you guys no just for the hell of it?
"No sir." Nahele cried.
Danny applied another lick which had the seventeen year old's hips pushing forward to escape the blows. "Hold still, Nahele." Another lick. "I don't wanna miss and hit you somewhere else."
"It hurts." Nahele sobbed out. Another lick had him hiss sharply.
"It's supposed to, babe." Danny answered as he laid down another stripe. "Do you think it'll be a good idea to listen from now on?"
"Yes sir." Nahele quickly agreed. "I'm so sorry!"
"Ok then, almost done." Danny assured.
Nahele tried getting up knowing what "almost done" meant. "No more, Danno." he cried. "Please, I'll listen to you and dad."
Danny applied a little more pressure to Nahele's back to get him back into position. "Five more, Nahele and then we're done. Back down."
Nahele gave up and buried his face in his comforter as Danny shifted a little closer to his side. The last five came in quick succession and applied to his butt's under curve making him cry harder into this blanket. He stayed there for a minute trying to breath before Danny got him up and gathered him into his arms.
"I love you, Nahele."
Nahele's breath stuttered as he clung to Danny. "Love you too, Danno."
"No matter what me and Steve will always be your dads and we'll always be here for you." Danny reassured the teen as he squeezed him harder before letting go. "Rest a while, kid."
Before leaving Danny made sure Nahele laid down on his bed and then headed to his and Steve's room. He let out a huff as he sat down, tossing his belt on the bed, then ran a hand through his hair. He needed a beer...or five. Danny glanced at his phone sitting on the dresser to see the red blinking indicating a message. He opened the message,
Tube is out and she's breathing on her own :)
Danny threw himself back on the bed in sweet sweet relief. Laying back on the bed he called Steve with the first genuine smile on his face since the whole incident happened.
"You say she's breathing on her own, huh?"
"Yeah, Danny." Steve answered. The detective could hear the smile in his voice. "Doc says we're in the clear now."
"That's-" A deep breath and a hand wiping at his eyes. "That's great, babe."
There was silence for a moment and then Steve's soft reassuring voice floated through the phone. "Api's going to fine, Danno."
Danny snorted to cover the emotion in his voice. "Until you get your hands on her."
"Damn straight." Steve answered. "Speaking of, how's our other kid?"
"Well how do you think, Steven? I just busted his ass nine ways from Sunday." He swore he could hear Steve rolling his eyes over the phone.
"No shit, Danny." Steve retorted. "Know what, never mind."
Danny stood up from the bed while tucking his phone between his ear and shoulder so he could re thread his belt back into his pants. "Listen, I'm gonna fix us something to eat and shower and then we'll be back over."
"Alright, the doc down graded Api so she'll be on the regular pediatric floor. I'll text the room number if you guys don't get here first."
"See ya soon." Danny smiled.
Hope you enjoyed it! Poor Nahele :( Keep the reviews coming!
-Fox
