A/N: This chapter contains another one of those medical procedures that has been done successfully before, but I'm honestly not sure how mainstream it is. For the sake of this story, let's all assume that it's widely used and accepted in the medical community. Mmmkay?

Broken record time: Thank you so much for all of the kind words, and this is another long chapter. The muse just didn't want to stop.

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Chapter 11

Danny was able to doze for a while before Ryan came to see him for PT. Ryan's goal for today was to get Danny out of bed and see how he did with walking a short distance. His goal was twofold – see how Danny's oxygen levels were and see how independent he was at this point in his recovery.

Steve had a few files that he needed to catch up on while Danny and Ryan did their thing. Governor Denning was supportive of what had happened, and had given them time off from active cases, but Steve still needed to finish a few case files.

Danny looked expectantly at Ryan, assuming that the PT had brought the wheelchair again. He was happily surprised to see that Ryan was motioning him to shift to the edge of the bed. "We're untethered today, my friend. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Danny's grin could have lit up the room, and even Steve was smiling as he watched Danny allow Ryan to help him stand, before the two started their slow shuffle out the door.

Steve snuck out behind them, phone in hand. He really did have work to do, but he also wanted to see about capturing Danny's first foray back up on his feet for Grace, provided things went well. Obviously, if Danny struggled, Steve was not about to show the video to Grace, but figured she needed a little boost as well, just like Danny did when he watched his daughter on his iPad.

He was impressed as Danny took his time, understanding his limitations. Steve knew he was pissed about it, but at least he respected the fact that he wasn't going to be one hundred percent just yet. He watched as Danny paused and reached for the railing on the wall. Ryan was there to steady him, but Danny shook him off.

Ryan pointed back towards his room and Danny nodded. It was clear that his energy level was starting to wilt, although Ryan (and Steve) could see that he probably wasn't going to accept any help.

Steve stopped the video before moving back into the room. He wasn't going to keep the fact that he had taped him from Danny, but didn't want Danny to falter or stumble if he saw him.

It took a few moments before Ryan and Danny returned to his room. Steve could see that Danny was sweating, and his face was pale – but the smile on his face spoke volumes. Steve watched as Ryan led Danny over to the sleep chair and helped him sit down. "Marissa said that she would hook you up with a sit-down shower when we were finished. Are you okay to sit here while I go and tell her you're back?"

Danny nodded. He was sore and tired – he'd had busted ribs before but didn't remember them feeling like this for so long. He made a note to talk to Marissa about that – he just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else going on.

"So…how did it feel to be upright again?" Steve handed Danny the cup of ice water, knowing that something cold would probably feel pretty good.

Danny was wiped out, but could not contain his smile. "I feel like shit, but man, was it worth it."

Steve looked worried, but Danny shook his head. "Relax, Super SEAL. I just meant that I'm pretty fried, and my ribs are bugging me quite a bit. But I'm happy to know just where I've been, where I am right now, and how much I still need to do before I get out of here."

Marissa chose that moment to come back into the room. Her arms were full of supplies, which she less-than-gracefully dumped onto the bed. "Just give me a minute, Danny, and we'll get you set up. We'll make this short, since I know that Ryan kicked your rear end – but you'll feel so much better."

Steve went to the small closet and grabbed the duffle bag that Chin had brought at the beginning of Danny's stay. "Grace packed you some sleep pants and a t-shirt – I'm thinking those might be more comfortable than a hospital gown and scrub pants?"

Danny nodded, loving that Grace had picked out his most well-worn pajama set – it was the softest, and he hoped he would feel a little more human once he got them on. "Would you send her a text and tell her thanks?"

Steve nodded, reaching for his phone. "I'm also going to send her this video I took of your outing today. I promise you that if it was anything other than inspiring, I would have deleted it, but I think she'll love seeing you up on your feet."

Danny just chuckled – Ryan had clued him in that Steve was playing cameraman, so he wasn't too surprised. "No worries. And tell her I'll call her later, before she goes to bed, okay?" He started to stand as he noticed that Marissa had come out of the small bathroom and winced as she held onto his elbow.

Steve nodded and stepped out into the hallway, wanting to give Danny some privacy.

Once they were alone, Danny turned to where Marissa was standing waiting for him. "Weird medical question for you. Is it normal to still have so much pain in my ribs and chest? I'm not sure if it's because I'm moving more, or whether it's something to worry about."

Marissa had him stand still while she palpated the area he was most concerned about. At his grimace, she frowned slightly. "My initial guess is that they're just taking a while to heal. But I'll mention it to Dr. Kuwada when she comes on tonight – she might want to get another x-ray just to be sure. Are you noticing the pain more so than yesterday?"

Danny nodded. "It's not drastically worse, but I would say it's more aggravating today than yesterday."

Marissa scrutinized Danny closely. "You're not big on taking pain meds, are you?"

Danny shrugged one shoulder. "Not especially – I know I'm scheduled every 4-6 hours, and that covers everything else, except for the ribs."

Marissa helped Danny step into the small bathroom. As she helped him lower the scrub pants and sit on the towel she had placed on the shower chair, she mentioned another possible alternative. Handing him a towel to cover himself with as she removed the pants and slipper socks, she said, "There might be another option. There has been some success with using a nerve block near the break. Doctor Kuwada would need to make sure that the rib isn't free floating, though – you wouldn't want to mask any warning signs where that was concerned. We'll talk with her later and see what she thinks. In the meantime, after your shower, you're due for pain meds anyway…we'll also try an ice pack again to see if it helps at all."

Danny nodded as she peeled off the gown and started the water. As soon as his IV was wrapped, she handed him the detachable showerhead once the water had warmed up, sliding his supplies within reach. "I'll step outside and leave you to it. Just don't be a tough guy, and holler if you need anything, okay? The pull cord is right next to you."

Danny smiled as she gently shut the door behind her. He knew he wouldn't last long sitting up like he was, but he was determined to make the most of the hot water sluicing down over his back. Awkwardly, he wet his hair and managed to get a little shampoo rubbed around. By the time he had tilted his head forward and tried to rinse the suds, his chest and back muscles were screaming at him.

Before he could pull the cord, however, Marissa cracked open the door and called out. "Danny? How are you doing?"

Danny turned his head towards the door. "Oww?" He wasn't in excruciating pain, but he was quickly finding himself unable to sit still for much longer.

Marissa hurried in, knowing that he was quickly nearing the end of his endurance for this task. She quickly shut off the water, unwrapped his IV and cleaned the port, injecting his pain medication right where he was sitting. No sense in making him wait too much longer.

She draped a towel over his shoulders, while rubbing a second towel over his hair. Once most of the water had been wiped away, she made a quick pass down his back and legs, before helping him get dressed in the sleep pants; and carefully wiped at his chest before helping him on with the t-shirt. She didn't miss the wince as she gently dabbed the towel over his skin.

Carefully, they made their way back to Danny's bed, where a quick check of his oxygen levels showed no need for any supplemental oxygen. He was still gingerly rubbing at his chest, which worried Marissa more than she let on.

She handed him a clay cold pack, knowing that they retained their cold longer, and didn't leave her patients all wet. "If you're okay, I'm going to leave you to rest for a little bit – just take it easy and catch your breath. I'm going to see about getting an x-ray ordered – I would feel better if we had an idea of what was causing your chest and rib pain."

Danny looked at her, worried; knowing he couldn't lie to her. "Should I be nervous here?" He adjusted the cold where it felt best.

Marissa shook her head. "I wouldn't be too panicked just yet…I'm just thinking that the issue may not totally be with your ribs. If it's what I'm thinking, it's not anything that will turn critical on us. It won't prevent you from getting to a regular room tomorrow. After you get the x-ray, I'll tell you what I was thinking, regardless of if anything shows up. Okay?"

Steve had come back into the room, hearing the last part of what Marissa had told Danny. Before he could launch into a worried tirade, she held up her hand. "Don't. Seriously. Don't go anywhere close to 'there', Steve. I'm just going to get an x-ray ordered for Danny. They would have done one anyway before sending him to the regular floor – we're just going to get it done early. Danny can tell you what he's feeling better than I can. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but I want something checked out. It's not a critical issue, though – I give you my word on that."

Steve stared at her for a few moments before reluctantly nodding. He would do his best to be patient – but he couldn't help but worry. Danny had had enough shit thrown at him – he couldn't stomach the thought of one more setback or problem with his best friend's health.

It took Marissa all of about ten minutes to get Dr. Kuwada to order the x-ray. She hated contacting her, especially since she was due on shift in a couple of hours, but Abby had left word that anything concerning Danny was to be brought to her attention immediately. It wasn't that she didn't trust the other ICU doctors…but admittedly, she had developed a soft spot for the detective and his family. She was on her way in, and would check on the results first thing, once she got there.

Eventually, the distinct sound of the slow-moving portable x-ray machine preceded the technician who was on shift this afternoon. She lightly rapped on the door frame before poking her head inside. "Hey there. Mr. Williams? I'm Mickie. I'm here to grab an x-ray. Is it okay to come in?"

Danny waved her in as Steve moved towards the doorway to give her room. He stepped outside – there just wasn't room for an audience, not that Danny would have wanted one anyway.

He was only out there for about three minutes total, before Mickie was back on her way. "I have one other set of films to take in the ICU and then I'll get them developed ASAP. Thanks for being patient."

Steve just smiled as he headed back into the room. He watched as Danny rubbed at a spot on his chest – pretty much exactly where Steve had placed his hands to perform CPR. Fuck. Had he caused more damage than he thought? He sat down on the chair and dropped his head into his hands.

Although he was lost in his own thoughts, it didn't take long for Danny to figure out that something was going on inside Steve's head. "Yo, Steve. What's got you thinking so hard, huh?"

Danny flinched when Steve raised his head – the look on his face was so lost and sad. "Steve? You okay? What's going on?"

Steve shook his head despondently. "I'm nowhere near to fucking being okay, Danny. I did that to you. Whatever issue you have going on with your chest – it's right in the spot where I had to do CPR. So no…I'm not really okay here, man." He sank back against the back of the chair, deflating in front of Danny's eyes.

Danny knew that Steve had been overloaded with guilt – misplaced as it was – since he had been admitted. Danny got it through – Steve was fiercely protective of people he cared about, and often carried their burdens as his own. Danny also knew that Steve needed a realistic reminder of just what his options had been at the time. "So tell me this, then. And I want you to actually answer me here, because I'm not convinced you're thinking too clearly right this minute. Suppose there was something going on with my chest. And suppose it was because of the CPR. What would the alternative have been, huh? What would have happened if you hadn't done CPR on me? Answer me, smart guy. What would have happened to me?"

Steve paled in front of Danny's eyes – he looked absolutely gutted at the thought of even attempting to put his answer out into the universe. "Danny…"

Danny's voice softened. "I mean it Steve…I need you to use some nouns and verbs and tell me. What would have happened?"

Steve's eyes filled and he shook his head. "You would have died. I would have had to tell Grace that you were gone – that I had failed to keep you safe."

Danny shook his head and tried to shift a little higher in his bed. "Steve, no. Stop right now and listen to me." He waited until Steve was looking at him. "Is that what you feel? Deep down? Because from where I sit, there is not one thing that you did that even remotely can be considered failure here."

Steve was ready to argue, but Danny cut him off. "Enough. Okay? Enough of the beating yourself up. I know that you feel like you let Grace or I down somehow, but that's not how I see it at all. Had you and Kono not done CPR, I would not be here right now. Do you get that? Truly? You saved my life, Steve. And Grace told me just how much it helped to have her Uncle Steve with her in the ER. Thankfully, I don't remember much of that time – but I'm sure you were keeping an eye on the both of us. But I'm eternally grateful that you were there with my daughter when I couldn't be. That kind of support is huge to me – you know that. And I know that you've been with me in the hospital more than you've been home. And I appreciate that so much. But no more. No more feeling guilty or beating yourself up. Okay?"

Steve pinched at the corners of his eyes, trying but failing to keep the frustrated tears at bay. He knew he was tired, but it was different from his SEAL training. Then, it was pure mental and physical exhaustion. This time, the emotional component was something that he hadn't planned on, and it made things feel that much worse in his mind. He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head, unable to stem the flow.

Hearing the motor on the bed, he lifted his head to watch as Danny raised the head up further and carefully adjusted his position to one that was just a bit more comfortable. "I want you to do me a favor, Steve."

Steve was quick to nod. "Whatever you need, Danny. Just let me know."

Danny smiled softly. "I need you to go home and get a good night's sleep. You're exhausted, and while I'm thankful that you've been here the whole time, taking care of either Grace or I, the fact remains that you need sleep."

Danny figured that Steve would protest, and was ready the second Steve's head started shaking 'no'. "Steve, don't argue. Please. I don't want to have to worry about you, too. I have an idea that might work, and you have to promise to at least consider it."

Steve blew out a breath as his shoulders slumped. What choice did he have? He didn't want Danny worrying about him while trying to recover. "What is it?"

Danny smiled. "Stay long enough to talk to Doc when she gets here. Reassure yourself that I'm stable, and that whatever this pain is isn't going to cause irreparable damage. Then call Chin or Kono and ask if one of them would mind switching with you for the night. One of them can stay here, while you go back to the house and get a large helping of TLC from my absolutely adorable daughter, who would give just about anything to take care of the people she loves most."

Steve was taken aback by that statement. He hadn't ever really taken the time to connect that Grace obviously loved him just as much as he loved and cared about her. After a brief stare down with Danny, Steve finally acquiesced. "Fine. I'll go back to your place, but not until one of the cousins gets here and not until I talk with Abby and get her reassurance that everything is okay with you."

Danny looked fondly at his best friend. He knew he was torn, but Steve was not known for looking out for himself. And now that Danny was starting to feel a little better, it was time he stepped back up and nudged his brother to take care of himself for a change. "Just one night, Steve. I'll feel even better if I know you're not pushing yourself so hard that you end up in a room next to me because you face plant in the hall somewhere." He rubbed at his chest again, the talking and moving getting the best of him.

Steve flinched at the sight, but composed himself before Danny could get riled up again. Fortunately, Dr. Kuwada took that particular moment to come into the room, further distracting Danny from noticing Steve's distress.

"Well, Danny. You are determined to keep me on my toes, aren't you?" Abby was smiling as she sat down on the edge of Danny's bed.

Danny smiled tiredly. "Go big or go home, right?"

She squeezed his shin before taking a breath. "Okay. I've looked at your x-rays, and we're dealing with a little bit more than your three broken ribs. You also have a slight fracture to your sternum – your breastbone. The good news is that it's not a complete break. It's not in any danger of breaking off or causing you any medical complications. The bad news though, is that it hurts like a bitch."

Steve hung his head. It didn't matter that Danny had forgiven him…it would take a long while before he could forgive himself for causing this. A sharp smack to the side of his head had him sitting up quickly. Abby was sitting back down, while Danny had a big grin on his face.

"I told you no more, Steve. I couldn't reach you, so Abby did the honors." Danny's voice was kind – he understood where Steve's head was, and he couldn't help but think that he'd feel the same way if he were in Steve's shoes. Danny would just need to keep reminding him that he wasn't to blame here.

Steve shook his head and took a deep breath. "I'm trying, Danny. I am. But…"

"But you're exhausted and not thinking clearly." Abby interrupted Steve with a gentle tone. "Steve, I promise you. Danny is going to be fine. This is not a medical emergency. There's a treatment that was developed in England that has shown promise in treating injuries like this one. It's not very mainstream, but it has worked. You've heard of an epidural, right?"

Both men nodded, and she continued on. "Basically, this is an epidural that delivers anesthetic right to the fracture site – in this case, Danny's sternum – drastically reducing the level of pain. I'm figuring Danny will be with us for another few days – my goal is three – so during that time, we will work with the pain management team to get him some adequate pain relief that isn't narcotic. This will also help him breathe deep enough to help resolve that pneumonia even further."

She checked to make sure they were still following him and nodded when they appeared on board. "Danny, we'll continue to give you IV pain medication if you need it, but this might get us to back you off to oral pain meds, which is one step closer to getting you out of here."

Steve watched Danny, relieved to see a hint of a smile on his face. He truly hoped that Danny could get some uninterrupted sleep with the new medications, and some relief from the constant pain with the epidural.

Abby kept her focus on Danny. "Where would you rate your pain level in your chest and ribs? And be honest – we want to get the right dose of anesthetic to keep you pain free. Give me an overall rating, and a rating when the pain is the worst it can feel."

Glancing apologetically towards Steve, Danny turned back to Abby. "Probably a consistent 7, and then up to a 9 when it's bad."

Abby nodded, making a notation for the pain management team who would follow him on the regular floor. "Okay. We'll get you prepped and place the epidural here in just a bit. Once we think we're in the right place, we'll inject a numbing medicine into the catheter. The unique thing about this system is that the catheter is perforated, which lets us spread the medication around to a greater surface area. Once everything is good, we'll secure the tubing down with an adhesive film. No offense, but we'll have to work hard to find a spot to secure things down that won't feel like the ultimate wax job when we go to remove it. Steve, you can stay or you can step outside – whichever you prefer. We'll make things sterile at the site, but you're welcome to hang tight if you want to."

Abby and Danny both knew what Steve would pick and grinned at one another when he sat more comfortably on the window seat. "Give me a few minutes to get things ready, and hopefully we'll get you feeling much more comfortable so that you can get some rest tonight."

Danny's eyes narrowed in alarm briefly at the thought of another night plagued with nightmares, before Abby squeezed his hand. "It'll be okay, Danny. I'm on tonight, so you're in good hands. Cody's back tonight as well – we'll keep a close eye on things and wake you if it looks like you're heading into nightmare territory, okay?"

Danny blew out a frustrated breath. "Great. Now I can't even sleep without needing a babysitter. Joy." He shut his eyes against the unexpected and very unwelcome onslaught of moisture; needing a few moments to regain his equilibrium – he was beyond embarrassed by the random surge of emotions. One further sign that he was exhausted and not thinking too clearly.

Abby looked down fondly at her patient and waited for him to make eye contact. It took a few moments but once again, his eyes met hers. "I'm sorry, Doc. I don't know where that came from. I don't even feel like me, you know?"

Abby nodded. "I do know, Danny. And this isn't you…the real you, anyway. You're exhausted and in pain. We've talked about this before. I know it's hard, but you have to cut yourself some slack here. Let us help you tonight, and hopefully tomorrow, you'll feel much more like yourself."

Danny nodded and pinched at the bridge of his nose. She patted him on the arm and stood up. "I'll go grab my supplies and make sure Marissa is free, and then we'll be back. Give me just a few minutes and we'll be ready to go."

As she left, Steve moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Danny looked discouraged, which Steve completely grasped, having been where Danny was; at the end of his rope. Sleep deprivation was never good, and while technically, Danny had been kept chemically asleep, it wasn't the healing, restorative sleep that his body needed.

Danny felt the mattress dip and looked up at his best friend. There weren't any words that needed to be said, but Danny was thankful that Steve hadn't left.

Steve, to his credit, just squeezed his forearm; letting him know that he was there and that he understood.

Fortunately, Dr. Kuwada and Marissa came back in, ready to place the catheter and hopefully get Danny some relief.

Steve stepped back and texted Chin, asking if one of them would be amenable to swapping places for the night – Danny's orders. It wasn't long before he had his reply. "Absolutely. First big smile from G at the news. She's already got your spot in the blanket fort picked out."

Danny was watching Steve, and relaxed slightly as he saw the soft smile on Steve's face. Must have been something related to Grace – she was about the only person to put that expression on his face.

Abby set her supplies on the cart she had brought in with her. "Okay Danny. Once we get the area cleaned, we'll give you a little lidocaine to numb the skin. At that point, we'll get moving. Do you want me to tell you what's going on, or would you rather just stay oblivious?"

She grinned behind the mask she wore – the only visible sign was the crinkling of her eyes.

Danny looked at Steve before looking back and shaking his head. "Just do what you have to do – I'm afraid if I knew what you were doing, I'd flinch or hold my breath or something. You're probably safer if you just get it done."

Abby nodded and kicked a stool up towards Danny's head. "Steve, why don't you sit up there? We're going to put a sterile drape in front of Danny's face, and that way he won't have to move his head to try to see where you are." She knew that once the drape was in place, it may make Danny feel closed off and isolated from the rest of the room – she didn't want to cause him any undue anxiety if she could help it.

Once Steve was settled up by Danny's head, Abby quickly placed the drape across and began to sterilize the chest and collarbone area. "Okay, Danny. Just a little stick – it's just the numbing medicine going in."

Danny couldn't help but flinch. He thought he would be fine with this, but being in a vulnerable position where he couldn't see anything was ramping up his anxiety level faster than he would have liked.

Steve could see what was happening, and quickly grabbed for Danny's hand. "It's all good, Danny. Everything's going fine."

Abby had a minute or so to wait while the lidocaine took effect, so she peeked over the drape at Danny. "You doing okay, Danny? The medicine should work pretty quickly, and we'll get the epidural in place. Probably about ten more minutes and we'll be done. Can you hang in that long?"

Danny swallowed hard and nodded. He really hated that his emotions were all over the place. He watched as Steve reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the iPad. "Here – just concentrate on this, and it'll be finished before you know it."

He started the video of Grace visiting Riley and smiled as Danny visibly relaxed as he caught sight of his daughter playing with the dog. Chin had also caught Grace and Kono curled up in the blanket fort, flipping through the latest preteen magazine, and Steve queued that up next. It was about four minutes of mindless chatting between the two, but it was the most lighthearted Grace had seemed in a while.

Abby nodded her thanks to Steve and turned back to her patient. After a few pinches with no reaction, she knew that his skin was numb and she could begin. It took a good five minutes of rapt concentration before she was satisfied that things were in the right spot. "Hey Danny? We're almost done here. I'm going to go ahead and inject the Bupivacaine. You should hopefully feel the pain in your chest and ribs start to fade out. We can give you a dose every 6 hours, so that should give you a few days pain free. We'll have to remove the catheter after three days, but hopefully by then, things will be feeling better enough that oral medication will take care of it."

Danny felt a bit like an animal on display with everyone watching him and waiting for whatever was going to happen, but eventually he just shut his eyes and tuned everything out but the pain in his chest. After a few moments, he noticed the pain lessening and took an experimental breath, deeper than he had been able to previously.

"Huh." He did it again to be sure. "That didn't suck. Whatever you did, Doc, seems to be working. I can't really feel much pain – hell, much of anything in my chest – but it's certainly much better than before." Even when his skin had been numbed, he still felt the deep burning pain in his chest, right over the fracture in his sternum. It was a different kind of pain, but one that hadn't ever really left him since he woke up.

Danny smiled at Steve, and eventually Dr. Kuwada as she peeked over the drape. "I think it's good. I don't know…just…thanks."

Abby just nodded. "You're very welcome, Danny. Let me get cleaned up here and order a quick film to make sure we're covering the right area, and then we'll go over a few things before I get out of your hair."

Danny and Steve kept up quiet conversation until the sterile drape was pulled away as Marissa gathered the supplies and left the room. Danny looked down cautiously, unsure of what he would see, but was surprised to only see his gown.

"We'll keep the catheter taped up near your shoulder and it shouldn't bother you. Like I said earlier, if you still need it after three days, we'll need to put a new one in. But I'm cautiously optimistic that you'll be possibly going home in three days, so we may not even need to worry about that. Now, tomorrow you'll move to the regular floor. I'll still check in on you, but will sign over your care to Dr. Reese. He's the hospitalist, and I trust him implicitly. He and I have already gone over some of the information from your case, and he's aware of the tentative three day rule for discharge out of here."

She looked Danny directly in the eyes for the next part of her instructions. "You're not allowed to be a tough guy – if you have excessive pain, you have to let him or I know. Your activity level will be increased as tolerated, and I know that Ryan will be following you on the floor – but you can't try to do too much, too fast. We don't want any setbacks from here on out. We'll start the prazosin tonight at bedtime and see how you do with that. We should have an idea by the time you're discharged whether it's the right starting dose or not. Now I know I just threw a lot of information at you, and it's a lot to take in, but do you have any questions for me?"

Danny shook his head as he enjoyed the sensation of taking another healing breath. "I'm not going to do anything to screw up getting to go home, Doc. If the meds work tonight and I can get some sleep, I'll be good."

A light knock on the door had all three of them turning to see who was there. Chin poked his head in. "Is this a bad time?"

Abby waved him in and stood to get out of their way. "It's good to see you again, Chin. We're finished in here, I think. Are you here to send this guy home to get some rest?" She gestured towards Steve and smiled as Chin nodded.

"Sounds good. Danny's stable, and the plan is to move him to the regular floor tomorrow. I'm around if you have any questions, and if I'm not here, Cody will know how to find me." That was said for all of their benefits. She also handed Steve one of her business cards.

"Steve, this has my personal cell number. If you're at all worried tonight, shoot me a message and I'll call you as soon as I can. I don't foresee any issues at all. But if the reassurance helps you get some sleep, I'm all for it."

Steve nodded, knowing that Abby was right. He did need to get some sleep that wasn't interrupted by random alarms and assorted medical personnel. So while he still had his reservations, he took a few moments to gather his things.

"If you need me for anything tonight, please call me. I mean it – it doesn't matter how small or trivial." He waited until both Danny and Chin had nodded before slowly making his way out the door and down the hallway.

Abby grinned at the two men remaining in the room, as Mickie came rumbling back to shoot another x-ray. "Anyone want to place bets on how long it takes Steve to call and check in?" She wasn't making fun of Steve by any means. He had been through the wringer trying to keep things together for everyone, without a care for himself. She got Steve's emotions right now, and hoped that he would be able to rest tonight.

Chin grinned and shook his head. "I'm sure we'll hear from him tonight, but I have a feeling that Grace will initiate operation "Make Uncle Steve Smile" the minute he gets back to Danny's. She redid the blanket fort, making sure he had a good view of the coffee table, where the iPad was. She had Kono load "Speed", not caring whether Steve had seen it or not, but knew that there were lots of explosions, and that was good enough for her."

Danny chuckled softly and shook his head. "Leave it to my daughter to use an action flick as comfort for Steve." Grace had the biggest heart out of almost anyone he knew, and would stop at nothing to make sure Steve was happy.

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