Ka Hahai,'imi XII

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Chapter 12

Danny Williams presented quite the sight to his two teammates. There was a headband of gauze wrapped around his head holding the dressing in place, protecting his head wound. Two plastic tubes were inserted in his left arm, one at his elbow to provide the last of his blood transfusion and one in the back of his hand that was delivering the antibiotics to fight his infection. His hospital gown was askew, falling off his shoulders and the bed's blanket and sheet was the only thing keeping Kono from getting to know Danny better than she wished.

"Kono…..Chin…..man I'm glad to see you," Danny called out in relief, pausing in his effort to get out of bed. His eyes were bright with fever. "They won't tell me about Steve."

"You aren't going anywhere Danny and you are not being totally accurate. Sara told us that you were told that Steve is still in recovery. He is going to be fine," Kono said shoving the cuffs back in her pocket and moving to his side to push him back down into the pillow. "No one can see him yet."

Chin had come up to him on the other side and straightened the sheet and blanket, tucking them in around Danny. He smiled at their agitated teammate.

"Be cool brah. Steve will be brought to ICU soon. You have to relax or you'll pull your stitches out."

"So Steve is good? Really?" Danny asked, his eyes darting between the two cousins. He was enjoying how nice Kono's cool hand felt stroking his forehead.

"He came through surgery fine. He will be in a room next to you soon and they will watch him for signs of pneumonia. You both have a lot of recovery ahead of you," Chin told him.

"I'm fine," Danny insisted.

"Of course you are," Kono chuckled. She reached for a plastic cup on the side table filled with ice water. Danny grabbed it from her and sucked on the straw greedily.

"Thanks Kono."

"You're welcome Danny," Kono replied and smoothed a hand across his forehead again. He relaxed under her touch. "You be a good boy and do what the doctors and nurses tell you, okay?"

"Okay," Danny nodded, his eyes drooping. Kono caught the cup and took it from him as his eyes went closed and Danny drifted off to sleep. Kono smiled at Chin as the Jersey native became silent.

"I think you did miss your calling Cuz. You really do have the healing touch," Chin grinned in admiration.

"I'd rather kick bad guy's butts," Kono answered with a light laugh. "Danny really is a pussycat when he is hurting. He feels so warm Chin, they have to get this fever down," she added seriously.

"The staff here knows what they are doing. They will take good care of Danny and Steve. We just have to do our best to keep them calm while they recover," Chin answered.

Kono nodded and looked around, wondering how soon they would see Steve arrive. She couldn't help feeling some of Danny's anxiety about their leader.

"How long do you think Steve will be in recovery?" she asked.

"I don't know everyone comes out of the anesthesia differently. I am sure that Steve will be fine," Chin assured her. "We have to be prepared for the fact that Steve may be here some time before they will let him go home. The threat of pneumonia is pretty serious; they won't take any chances after what he has been through."

Kono nodded seriously and looked down at Danny, a small smile forming on her lips.

"And how do we get these two to follow orders so they are released quickly?" she inquired. "Neither one is known for their patience."

Chin pulled a chair up next to Danny's bed and sat down with a cryptic smile on his face.

"What do you know that I don't?" she demanded.

"If they don't behave, we call in the big guns," he simply replied.

"Who, the Governor? What can he do?" she said in confusion.

"Think bigger," Chin advised, his smile growing. Kono frowned at him and then a smile spread over her face.

"You mean Grace and Catherine, don't you?" she said. "That would be playing really dirty Cuz."

"We will do whatever we must," Chin said with a decisive nod. "We will take care of them in spite of themselves."

Kono laughed and pulled a chair over so she could sit down as well. Both cousins settled in to wait for Steve's arrival in ICU or Danny waking up again.

Less than a half hour later they both heard the sound of wheels rolling into the unit and then a hospital bed moved past Danny's cubicle and into the room next to him. Both Chin and Kono sprang to their feet and hurried out into the open area so they could see what was going on. They watched as a nurse and a CNA were busy connecting McGarrett to several monitors and settling him in. With his head slightly elevated, Steve blinked groggily at his surroundings and finally focused on Chin and Kono. He gave them a weak smile and waved his free hand.

"Hey Boss, good to see you awake," Kono said in relief.

Steve looked pale and tired but an alert spark came into his eyes when he recognized them and he looked relieved to see them.

"Hey Kono, Chin," Steve responded in a raspy voice. The effort set off a rough cough and he winced in pain.

"Easy Commander, we know that cough hurts. Please remember to take slow, deep breaths to keep your lungs healthy. The key is to stay controlled and even with your breathing," the nurse advised.

"Yes ma'am," Steve answered and did his best to follow directions. The pain eased from his face and he relaxed into the bedding. The nurse turned to address Chin and Kono.

"The Commander will be fine if he rests and follows orders. He needs to do his breathing exercises to prevent pneumonia from setting in. He also suffered a slight concussion but there seem to be no serious repercussions from that. His ribs will heal if he doesn't exert himself. Please help him follow the rules," she ordered.

"Sure thing," Chin replied. "We can handle him."

Steve eyed him with raised eyebrows as the nursing staff left the room but didn't say anything. Chin and Kono moved over to flank him on either side of the bed looking at him closely. It was easy to see that Steve was still coming out of the effects of the anesthesia.

"How's Danny? No one would tell me in recovery," Steve said in concern.

"I am so glad I didn't' take your bet," Kono laughed at Chin. "They really are predictable."

"What?" Steve said in confusion.

"We knew your first questions would be about Danny," Chin answered. "He is fine and sleeping in the next room. He is fighting off an infection but they have him on antibiotics. He should be fine."

"And he is worrying about you," Kono added.

"Tell him I'm fine," Steve grinned.

"You can tell him yourself. We know that the moment he wakes up he will demand a wheelchair and come in to see you," Kono explained. "He is not winning points with the staff here. They don't know you two like our Honolulu hospitals do."

"Are you saying we have a reputation?" Steve asked in amusement.

"You most certainly do," Chin confirmed.

"Well I promise to follow orders," Steve said solemnly. "Now please bring me up to date on what happened with Hawkins and his men. I think I missed the good part."

"You were sleeping through the big finish," Kono giggled.

"But you had made the numbers more manageable by the time we arrived. Mop up was pretty easy," Chin added. "Hawkins and all but two men are dead. Koa Iaukea and Keao Pahia are both answering all our questions. Pahia knows more of the important stuff so we can close out this case for good."

"Even though so much went wrong, it looks like we've put another group of weapons dealers out of business and the military will get most of their weapons back," Kono added. "We got the bad guys and you and Danny will be okay."

"Good work," Steve nodded. "Thanks for coming through for us….I couldn't protect Danny."

"Not true Steve. You and Danny did a remarkable job of staying alive in that jungle," Chin said seriously. "You kept both of you from being taken by Hawkins while he had his men hunting you. And you patched Danny up enough so he didn't bleed out. When the time came, Danny was the one who took out Hawkins with a very nice shot."

McGarrett grinned proudly at that information.

"I knew Danno would come through," he stated. "And you are sure he will be okay? They got the bullet out of him?"

"He's going to be fine Steve," Kono said. "I am sure you will know that the minute he wakes up."

Steve nodded and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. It was obvious that he was tiring.

"Get some rest Steve," Chin told him. "Everything is okay and the State Police are taking care of the prisoners."

"And follow the nurse's orders. Practice your breathing exercises when you wake up," Kono instructed.

"Getting a bit bossy, aren't you?" Steve grinned sleepily.

"You bet. Don't mess with me," Kono said playfully and watched his eyes go closed.

Sara poked her head in the door and smiled at the sight of the Commander resting.

"That is a good thing," she commented. "Why don't you two go take care of yourselves, you've had a long day from what I have heard. We can call you if there is any change that you need to know."

Chin and Kono looked at each other and nodded. Kono really wanted to have a nice hot shower and something to eat. Chin was aware that he should call Catherine and the Governor and bring them up to date. He gave Sara a warm smile.

"Here are our numbers, if you need us or anything changes, just call," he said scribbling down their cell phone numbers on a pad from the table beside Steve's bed. He handed Sara the paper as he directed Kono out of the room.

"Smooth move Chin," Kono commented as they exited the ICU unit.

"Don't go there Cuz," Chin warned but smiled at her. "We play nice with the nurses and we get Steve and Danny home quicker."

"Right…" Kono laughed as they headed out of the hospital.

End chapter.

Well we are coming to the end of this tale. Of course Danny will get to check on Steve but the hunt is over and all is well. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the finish.