I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: so many thoughts and worries and assumptions about Danny and his ills make me smile. Thank you for the awesome comments and musings! Alas, this is rather straight forward ... I hope not disappointing to my like-minded DWOCDer's! Thanks Phoebe! ;-)

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O

Eyes closed, Steve tried to rest as Charlie sat cross-legged at the foot of the hospital bed watching television. The small bowl of food - a mix of brown rice and a blander shrimp dish - which Kamekona had prepared for him, remained untouched. While he'd made a show of things for Charlie, Steve wasn't hungry for a number of reasons. Watching the clock, worried about Danny, Steve was willing himself to relax for Charlie's sake and maybe even for his own because he'd had to ask the nurse for his pain meds.

"Uncle Steve? Why hasn't Danno called?" Charlie suddenly asked and Steve peeled his eyes back open, squinting against the brightness in the room. Charlie was still at the foot of the bed, but whatever was on TV had been forgotten. Looking just as worried as Steve felt inside Charlie was now staring at him.

"He promised."

Steve stared back for barely the length of a heart-beat, fighting the urges to look at Kamkeona who'd muttered something under his breath or glance towards the door where the little sliver of hallway could be seen. Or even towards his cell phone which lay face up on his lap. Lou had been gone for a good twenty or thirty minutes and Steve was beginning to wonder just how bad the verdict might be in the emergency room. But then he had to remind himself of a few things: it really wasn't all that long in hospital time. Danny might not have even arrived yet or maybe he'd just been arriving when Lou'd gotten that initial phone call. There'd be a continued triage and Lou would have to wait to see Danny and then find his doctor; he'd wait to get all details. Lou would only text, call or come back up to the hospital room when he had as much information as humanly possible.

Rubbing at the dull ache between his eyes, Steve smiled warmly at Danny's son. "If Danno promised, Charlie, then he'll call," Steve answered truthfully and then said a little wish inside his mind's worrisome litany about what he said next. "He's probably just busy. It can take a long time sometimes to put the bad guys in jail."

"Those brothers are bad, Uncle Steve," Charlie said as he turned back to pick at his own bowl of food; rice fell from his fingers onto the napkin Kame had put on his lap. "Danno said they were really bad boys ... he said that he'd get them and make sure they couldn't hurt you again."

"W-what?" Steve stammered, his eyes wide.

"Those bad boys who hurt your head, Uncle Steve. The C'mille brothers," Charlie repeated far too calmly for Steve's aching and bewildered brain to keep up. There was something in Charlie's tone that made his hair stand up on end and Steve suddenly felt as if the rug had been pulled right out from under his feet. "Danno promised nothing bad would happen ... he promised."

"The Camille brothers? H'how .. how do you know about them? Charlie?" Steve asked, feeling stupid when Charlie looked at him as if it were the most normal thing in the world for him to know. Steve did look at Kamekona then, realizing for the first time, that Charlie might know so much more than he'd originally thought. Maybe it was a point he'd forgotten - perhaps he'd had one of those episodes and he just didn't know? Or, was it that he just hadn't connected all the dots? No matter the reason, Kamekona merely shrugged when their eyes met.

"Keiki heard us talking," Kamekona briefly explained. "Me and Danno ..." He shook his head almost sadly, his explanation good enough to share its import with Steve.

Of course, Charlie knew exactly what his father was doing and why. That was terrifying enough. But he also knew the names of the two men who'd hurt Steve, and for whatever reason, that knowledge made things so much more real. It made Danny's promise to his son carry so much more weight because Charlie was old enough to truly understand the danger that Danno could be in and now he was asking about it. And while that was probably something his partner was painfully aware of, the visual was mind-boggling for Steve.

"Charlie ...," Steve's opened his mouth, fumbling for what to say. The little boy wasn't looking at him now, but he was picking at his food. Hunched over, he suddenly looked as if he might cry.

"Daddy promised ...," Charlie stubbornly repeated as he looked at Steve through his eyelashes.

"Danno always keeps his promises," Steve found himself saying. "Besides, he's got HPD and Auntie Kono and Uncle Chin ... Danno has so much back-up ..."

The change in Charlie from sullen to that bouncing, ray of sunlight was sudden. Whatever he'd just said had flipped some kind of magical switch and Charlie's smile was beaming. It made Steve's head swim in a dizzying circle.

"Danno has an army of good guys, right Uncle Steve?" Charlie spouted around a giggle. "Like this much good guys!" He held his arms out wide to demonstrate how many.

"Yeah ... a whole army," Steve helplessly said as the crisis was unexpectedly diverted. It was then that his cell phone vibrated in his lap, the screen lighting up and flashing as a text message came in. Then another. Steve read them quickly, cognizant that Charlie had looked up and was watching him, the vibrational hum clearly audible. The kid was going to make one helluva a detective when he grew up Steve thought with a sense of chagrin.

'D OK.'

'Exhaustion. Dehydration.'

Steve read the messages and sighed in relief, though he was still worried about what Lou was sharing about his partner. Any reasons for Danny's apparent collapse weren't to be taken lightly and Steve felt a subtle pang of guilt quickly supplanted by anger aimed solely at the Camille brothers and John McNamara.

'Needs fluids. IV. Sleep.'

But it was over now and they could all move on. Now? Now, Steve quickly toyed with what to say and how to say it as another message chimed in.

'Tiny boo-boo. An hour or 2; will come up.'

Steve laughed out loud at this last message, his relief knowing no bounds. He knew what Lou meant about whatever bullet wound Danny had sustained. But he'd taken the words in an entirely different direction and Danny would kill him if he were there ... he'd easily guess where Steve's brain would have gone. Steve couldn't help laughing again. Danny would certainly have a few very choice words for him. Nevertheless, Steve's honest reaction to the messages made Charlie giggle and even Kamekona visibly relaxed, his big hand placed gently on the top of Charlie's blond head in affection.

"Danno's fine, Charlie," Steve said with a big smile. He waggled his phone towards the boy who was all ears and big eyes, hanging onto his every word. "Danno is really, really okay ... he'll be here in an hour or two after he finishes up a few things to make sure the Camille brothers are kept behind bars where they belong. I know that sounds like a long time ... but he's okay, buddy. He really is."

Though he was still a little uncertain, Charlie grinned lop-sidedly, weighing and judging Steve's expression more so than Steve still expected. With a start, Steve realized that there was a gaff in the exchange because why hadn't Danno called to speak to Charlie? The boy was smart - astute really - and Steve tried to find something to say first. Something Charlie would accept without him needing to tell even a small lie. Again though, it was Charlie, himself, who reasoned out an explanation that was just enough for him. Something which made both Steve and Kamekona burst into laughter when Charlie waved his hand demonstrably though the air.

"Bad ... bad boys ... gonna get sitted on!"

~ to be continued. ~