A/N: Thank you for your patience. This chapter took a while to get right. Hopefully it's worth the wait.
Phoebe also needs to take credit for this chapter, she helped shape it with her amazing suggestions.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.
Chapter Ten
Danny scratched his nose, dislodging the nasal cannula. He traced his dry, chapped lips with his fingertips, suddenly feeling thirsty. He cracked one eye open, and then the other, half expecting to slam them shut against the bright lights. Thankfully, he was greeted by a dimly lit room.
Sighing, he lay there for a moment, listening. He could hear the usual hum of the hospital and what he guessed was trees flicking against the window. Pushing aside his newfound dislike for anything with branches, he focused, eyes blinking away what felt like a week's worth of crust. And he knew instinctively that he was alone.
Back to his primary objective, he took a deep breath. Danny was wary of moving too much. Right then, he was comfortable, still floating a little on pain meds. But he really needed a drink. A brush fire raged in his throat, and every swallow hurt. He felt around for the call button, and he almost cried when he realized it had fallen just out of reach.
He'd been through some fierce firefights and many seemingly impossible situations. Surely, he could check for a cup of water. There had to be something close by - ice chips maybe. With another slow breath, Danny turned his head to where he hoped he'd find a bedside table. His eyes watered a little when he spotted a cup with a straw poking out of the top, sitting there waiting. He barely registered the empty chair. Relief was so close.
Stretching his arm, Danny grabbed the rim of the cup, finding his fingers tingling and almost useless. Fumbling with the lid, he tipped over his salvation.
Danny thumped the bed with his fist in frustration and instantly regretted it. He winced, gritting his teeth against the pain shooting down his back. Focusing on his breathing, he took slow even breaths, trying to keep his emotions under control. He could do this, surely someone would check on him soon.
Time ticked by slowly and his mind wandered. Danny had a vague recollection of a doctor and Steve. Antibiotics. Dehydrated. The random words made no sense. Searching his memories felt like wading through syrup.
Carefully, he looked towards the empty chair, but something captured his attention and his next breath caught in his throat. A back brace lay on a nearby cart. His stomach twisted with anxiety as the doctor's words came back to him. Spinal fracture. Was he paralyzed? His heart raced at the sudden realization, and a monitor next to his bed wailed.
Danny didn't notice the nurse in navy blue scrubs enter the room and switch off the alarm, as he gripped the sheets with both hands. He was falling, out of control, and fear crushed his chest.
"Detective Williams. You're safe. Try to slow your breathing."
Safe. Her voice brought him back a little.
"You're in the hospital. Can you open your eyes for me?"
She untangled his leads but was careful not to touch him. He could feel her caution and concern. His heart still pounding, he obeyed and opened his eyes.
"There you are. Relax. Focus on my voice. Take a nice, deep breath in, then slowly blow it out."
"Am I paralyzed?" Danny blurted, feeling confused and overwhelmed.
"Wiggle your toes."
Blushing at how ridiculous he felt, Danny did as he was told. And to his utter fabulous relief, his toes wiggled.
"Good." The nurse smiled. "We got that out of the way. Now, I have to check your vitals. Is that okay?"
"Sure." Danny wanted to hug her.
She applied and adjusted a blood pressure cuff, very gentle with his arm. He stared at her ponytail, swaying back and forth as she worked, figuring she was maybe ten years older than Grace.
"Much better." Her voice soothed him. She spotted the spill on the table. "I guess you're thirsty, huh? Let me fetch you some fresh water."
"Thanks." Danny rasped.
"Your friend will need to buy some new reading materiel." She made a sad face while holding up two soggy magazines.
Danny wrinkled his nose as he read the titles. UFO Truth. Close Encounters.
She hesitated by the bed, a hint of concern creeping across her fair skinned features. "You okay? Can I get you anything else?"
He shook his head. Jerry. Had he been here? And where was Steve?
"Detective Williams, are you sure you're alright?"
"My friends? Where'd they go?"
"Tall, dark and handsome sent your other friend to get some rest."
Danny flashed a smile and closed his eyes. Tall, dark and handsome. Just what Steve needed to hear.
The nurse chuckled and added."Knew I could get you to smile. Commander McGarrett went out for some coffee, I think."
She disappeared from the room, returning promptly with a jug and cup with a lid. "Here, you'll be less likely to spill this. Now just a little."
He took a couple of sips before passing it back to her. "What time is it?"
"Four AM." She straightened Danny's bedding. "Now try to get some sleep. If you need me, I'm right outside at the nurses station."
The short exchange of words with the nurse was exhausting and Danny drifted off to sleep, questions about his visitors forgotten.
She placed the call button on the bed near to his right hand and patted his arm gently. "Press it if you need anything."
"'kay." Danny murmured.
H50 H50 H50 H50 H50
He's a very lucky man. The words from the doctor repeated in Steve's head. Danny didn't look lucky when Steve first set eyes on him in the ICU. His partner's face was a patchwork of purple and green bruises. Butterfly stitches on his cheek and above one eye. His arms were covered in cuts and scratches. The tox screen showed trace amounts of Ketamine in his system. Danny's elevated blood pressure and general confusion were a lingering effect of the drug.
The gunshot wound had missed Danny's vital organs but required irrigating and a course of antibiotics to stave off any infection. Healing from a GSW was par for the course with them, unfortunately. Something they could handle easily - which sounded absurd if he was honest. But it was familiar, and Steve knew steps to take next.
The bombshell he wasn't expecting was about his friend's back. In the fall Danny had sustained a compression fracture of the spine. Steve instantly thought the worst – paralysis. The doctor had assured them both that this was not the case and the injury would mend fully on its own without the need for surgery. He estimated a three month recovery period.
Thankfully, from what Steve could tell, Danny didn't appear to understand a word of what the doctor said. His partner had been pumped full of drugs to alleviate any pain, so when he wasn't sleeping he was as high as a kite. Grinning at Steve like a Cheshire Cat. Irritating as this was, he would swap a maddening Danny for the current one.
Steve glanced up from what he was reading for the umpteenth time. Still his partner slept. The nurse had told him everything was fine, and Danny merely needed rest and time to mend. Patience wasn't Steve's strong point, and Jerry's idea of reading material was questionable. Fatigued and emotionally drained, he hadn't absorbed a single word.
He tossed the magazine onto a table with a sigh. "I need coffee, Danno. Lots of coffee. I never thought watching you sleep could be so exhausting."
Jerry spoke in a hushed tone as he stuck his head in the door. "Is it okay to come in?"
"Get in here, Jerry. And stop whispering. I doubt even a hand grenade would wake him. I'm starting to think this is payback for me getting him shot."
Jerry gently closed the door. "I don't follow. You weren't there."
"You see, in Danny's world, I don't need to actually be there. We could be in different time zones. It will always be my fault."
"Maybe I should come back." Jerry fumbled with some paperwork.
Steve scrubbed his face with one hand wearily. "It's three in the morning, Jerry. What's so important?
Jerry gave the room a cursory check before moving towards Danny's bed.
"Apart from sleeping beauty here, we're alone." Steve rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, well, you can never be too sure." Jerry moved a cup of water on to the magazine Steve had just put down to make space for the manila folder he held. "I did some digging."
"Okay, Jerry, what did you find?" Steve leaned toward the bedside table. Exhausted as he was he was hungry for anything that could help their case. And Jerry always seemed to know which rock to turn over.
Jerry spread out a few photos almost hesitantly. "The governor isn't going to be happy."
Steve frowned. "Where were these taken?"
"The question isn't where, but when? February twelfth. And they look a little cozy, don't they?"
"Four months ago? You're sure?" Steve's expression became serious.
"Yep. Ryan Jarvis might not have been too smart, but Kakalina is a 4.0 law student, so I didn't buy into her reasons for outing..." Jerry paused, glancing at Danny. "Do you think maybe we should go outside?"
"He's fine. Keep going."
"My theory is she's been working with Carlisle, giving him insider information. Maybe they're dating. I can't be sure." Jerry's voice was a little rushed, excited. "They stole a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible back in January. It was part of a private collection owned by a retired government advisor. He had the latest security tech in place. It can't be a coincidence that she knew this guy and had spent the Christmas holiday at his house with her family."
"This is the governor's niece you're accusing." Steve blew out a deep breath. "I need evidence, not theories, Jerry."
"I know. That's why I'm here. I thought you could..." Jerry ducked his head, his eyes darting from side to side.
"Spit it out Jerry. Can I what?" Steve stared at Jerry wide eyed.
"You have contacts inside certain agencies." Jerry whispered the last word.
"Yes, I do. Let's take this conversation outside." Steve rested his hand on Danny's arm. "I'll be back in a while, buddy."
"On second thought, maybe we should stay inside Danny's room. You ever watched The Sopranos? They always had their secret meetings in the exam room."
Steve sighed loaded and pointed to the door. "Start walking. We need to finish this discussion. You have a long flight home tomorrow and I need coffee."
Jerry gathered up his paperwork and hurried into the corridor. Steve followed, checking his friend was still sleeping before closing the door.
"The thing is." Jerry lowered his head and fiddled with the badge hanging around his neck. "I already spoke to Lou, and he's got Tani and Junior chasing down some leads."
Steve gave Jerry's shoulder a quick reassuring squeeze. "That's great work, Jerry, but this stays between the team until we have a solid case."
"My gut is telling me I'm right about this."
"In all honesty Jerry, from what you've shown me, I agree. But we need to tread carefully."
"Understood." Jerry nodded in agreement.
"I'll make some calls in the morning. Now go get some rest."
"Will do." Jerry turned and walked away.
"Hey." Steve called after Jerry. "You forgot your magazines."
"Nah, you can keep them. And commander, be sure to read the Black Knight conspiracy - a 13,000-year-old alien artifact."
"I'll give them to Danny." Steve smiled mischievously.
"Don't forget to tell him I said hello." Jerry shouted over his shoulder, before disappearing around the corner.
~ to be continued ~