A/N: You guys blew me away with the response to the last chapter. This is one grateful author!
I have a bit of a dilemma. I'm going out of town on Sunday, and will be gone nine days and am not taking my laptop. My goal is to get this finished and posted before I go, but I normally post every 3-4 days and there are still two more chapters after this (unless the muse gets fired up and demands more than what I think is the final chapter). I can post more often if you all don't mind. I just don't want there to be a big delay if I don't get it posted before I go, and have to wait another 10 days to post the rest. So...what say you all? More frequent posting and finish it, or keep to the every 3-4 days and post the end when I get back?
At any rate...on we go! This one is a bit shorter - but again, it's where it fit.
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Chapter 12
Grace must have been watching out the window, because the minute Steve pulled the Silverado into Danny's drive, she was out the door like a shot. "Uncle Steve!"
She ran towards him and jumped, instinctively knowing that he would catch her, no matter what.
Steve couldn't help but grin as he caught his niece and spun her around. "Hey there, Gracie. How are you doing? You feeling okay?"
He set her down and bent at the waist, needing to look into her eyes in order to reassure himself that she was all right and whole and perfect.
Her answering grin allowed him to start to breathe again – something he hadn't been able to do for quite a few days. He hoped that once Danny was released, they could all figure out how to put this behind them and get back to their lives.
"I'm glad you came over tonight, Uncle Steve. Auntie Kono said that you need to get some sleep, but I thought you should eat first. I made you a salad – it has all kinds of fruit in it, and we got one of those cooked chickens at the store, so I added chicken, too. I hope you like it."
Steve choked up for a second – Grace had made dinner for him? It was hard to wrap his head around, which was a testament to just how tired he truly was. "I'm sure I'll love it, Gracie." He draped his arm over her shoulder as they walked into the house.
"Hey, Boss." Kono was sitting on the couch leafing through a magazine, but set it down and stood as he came into the living room.
He wrapped her up in a brief hug before looking around the room. He shook his head at the sheer size of the blanket fort that had been created in Danny's living room.
"We fixed it for you, Uncle Steve. After you eat, you can take a shower, and then we have a movie to watch. We can make popcorn, too. Auntie Kono got some of those peppermint patties that you and Danno pretend not to like – they're the mini ones. And then, whenever you're tired, you can just fall asleep. You don't have to worry about taking care of anyone tonight…I'll keep an eye on you, okay?"
Steve's eyes watered slightly at how much thought she had put into what he needed. "That sounds perfect, kiddo. That sounds just perfect."
After a quick dinner and four-minute shower, Steve found himself propped up on some pillows, lying next to Grace. She was having fun watching the movie, and while Steve thought the plot implausible, he appreciated the thought that Grace went into while picking it out.
After rubbing his eyes for the umpteenth time, he shut them against the grittiness that he felt underneath his eyelids, only planning on a few moments reprieve. Grace, however, had a different idea as she sat up and moved next to Steve's head. She and Kono had talked about this while Steve was in the shower, and she knew what she needed to do next.
Lightly, she started scratching her fingers through his hair, smiling as he eventually relaxed further into sleep. From her vantage point in the chair, Kono could see what was happening and gave Grace a thumbs up. Knowing that Steve was in good hands, Kono grabbed her phone and snapped a quick picture before heading for the guest room to change for bed.
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Danny was wiped out. He wasn't expecting a peaceful night, however – frankly, he assumed that the nightmares would be making their presence known in a couple of hours, like normal. But he hoped without the burning pain in his chest, to be able to actually sleep until that point in the evening.
Cody had brought him his prazosin along with a dose of pain medication. He didn't make a big deal out of it, which Danny appreciated. Chin had already stretched out and was dozing on the window seat.
"Thanks, man. For everything. You've busted your ass to get me out of here, and well, I really appreciate it." Danny settled more comfortably against the pillows, ready to turn out the light for the night.
"It is my pleasure, Danny. I'm just glad you quit being so damned stubborn and finally turned the corner." Cody shook his hand before dimming the lights. "Try to rest if you can. I know you're a little worried about how the night will go, but try not to. I'll be in and out all night – if it looks like you're going to jump awake, I'll try to get to you before that happens."
Danny nodded, hoping he had some time before that happened. Shutting his eyes, he felt his energy leave him on the exhale, and before long, he was in a relatively restful sleep.
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Steve whistled to himself as he walked down the hallway leading to the ICU. Getting some sleep had done wonders for his mood, which admittedly had been stressed out. Kono would be bringing Grace once she was up, dressed, and had eaten breakfast. Steve knew that he was early, but didn't care.
He stayed quiet as he walked into Danny's room – he didn't want to wake him if he was still sleeping. He was a little surprised to see the room empty, though. Danny wasn't supposed to be moved to the floor until later that morning, but perhaps they had moved him early? It wasn't surprising, especially if they needed the ICU bed.
He moved back out towards the nurses' station where he found Cody comforting Haile – it was clear that something had happened that had rattled the nursing staff. He didn't want to intrude, and simply stood back and waited for one of them to notice that he was there.
It took a few moments before Cody and Haile noticed him standing there, and immediately, Haile's hand clapped over her mouth, stifling a sob.
Cody motioned for Steve to follow him, and sparing a glance at Haile once more, Steve did just that.
"Is everything okay? Is there anything I can do?" Steve had grown fond of the nursing staff taking care of Danny, and wanted to do something to help if he could.
Cody blew out a deep breath and shook his head. There was nothing that Steve could do to make this any better.
"Well let me know if you need anything, okay? Now. Where's Danny? Did he move to the floor already?" Steve sat down in one of the chairs lining the wall of the small family room and waited while Cody did the same.
Cody glanced back to see Haile in the doorway and Dr. Kuwada coming down the hall, and knowing that he had reinforcements, he took a breath. "Steve, Danny's gone."
Steve gave Cody an expression that screamed, no shit, but held his tongue. "Um. I know. I saw that when I went into his room. You guys must have needed the space to move him so early, huh?"
Cody shook his head. "No…Steve. That's not what…damn it…"
Abby chose that moment to join the two nurses in the family room. She could tell by Cody's expression that things weren't going well, and knew she needed to step up and make sure that Steve understood. "Steve…there were some complications earlier this morning. Danny must have turned wrong in his sleep, and one of his ribs completely broke and became free-floating. That floating rib caused a tear in his aorta, and he bled out within seconds. I'm so sorry, Steve, but he's gone."
Steve was not thinking rationally as her words echoed around inside of his head to the point where a white-hot rage took over. "No! Where were you, Cody? I trusted you to take care of him! You promised you'd keep an eye on him!"
Steve stood roughly, the chair tipping over behind him as Cody dropped his head into his hands. "I want to see him. Please, Doc. I need to see him."
Dr. Kuwada locked eyes with Haile for a moment before turning back towards Steve. They all knew just how bad Danny looked after the solid hour of attempted lifesaving measures, and there was no way Steve needed to see that for himself. "Steve, I can't let you see him. I'm sorry."
Steve whirled on the older doctor, clearly unhappy with her answer. "Doc, that's not fair. No? Not even for a minute? No!"
Grace jumped awake, unsure of what brought her out of a sound sleep. It only took a moment to realize that Uncle Steve was having a really bad dream. He kept flinching and calling out, 'no' with some other things mumbled that she couldn't figure out.
Danno had always told her about not waking up Uncle Steve when he had dreams like this. It wasn't that he would hurt her, but sometimes he might think that she was someone in his dream and might accidentally lash out at her.
She tried calling his name a couple of times, and on the third try, he awoke with a shout. She stayed where she was, and kept talking to him, hoping he would recognize her voice and awaken completely. "Uncle Steve? It's Grace. You're okay, I promise. You're just having a bad dream. Please wake up."
Eventually her soft voice broke through the fog inside his head and he turned to face her, fully aware of just where he was. "I'm sorry, Gracie. God, I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I didn't mean to wake you up." He wiped at the errant tears trickling down his cheeks, embarrassed at his outburst.
Grace shook her head and carefully climbed over to where he was sitting up against the couch, his knees pulled up. She kneeled up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight, intuitively knowing what Steve needed to bring him back to the here and now. "It's okay, Uncle Steve."
She felt his arms wrap tightly around her back as he let himself feel that small amount of comfort. Grace was a smart girl – she had a feeling she knew what the nightmare was about based on how upset he looked. She felt the same way when she had nightmares about losing her dad.
Once Steve had settled a little, and the trembling had slowed, she sat back and reached for her phone.
He watched her with wary eyes, unsure of who she might be calling. He really didn't want to talk to anyone, but didn't have the heart to tell her to stop.
She set her phone down and reached for one of the water bottles that Kono had placed outside of the blanket fort before she headed for bed. Grace handed it to Steve and moved the top blanket away from the frame above their heads. She wondered if he didn't like feeling closed in after a nightmare – she knew that she didn't.
Before long, her phone vibrated indicating an incoming message. Tapping the code to unlock the screen, she smiled as she read Chin's reply. 'Your dad is really sleeping. Having a good night. Tell Steve to call me in a couple of minutes.' His reply came with a picture that Grace couldn't help but giggle at. Her dad was sound asleep with his mouth wide open, looking as comfortable as Grace had seen in a while.
"Uncle Chin said to call him in a few minutes. He can tell you how Danno is doing." Grace had a knowing smile on her face.
Grace kept herself busy for a few moments by folding up the blankets, giving Steve some privacy to regroup. She debated on waking Kono, but knew that there wasn't much she could do for Steve right now either…he just needed reassurance and time.
As she saw Steve pick up his phone, she quietly crept down the hall to use the restroom. She wanted to give him some space to talk to Uncle Chin.
Steve watched her walk down the hall and was more grateful than he could ever explain to her. She had figured out what he needed and stepped up, taking care of him like nobody had done in a while. How did he get so lucky?
Blinking a few times to clear his eyes, he scrolled through his contacts and hit the number for Chin's phone. It only rang a couple of times before he picked up.
"Hey, brah. Danny's fine, I promise. He's soundly asleep, and has been that way for going on four hours now." Chin knew that Steve didn't need small talk – he needed to reassure himself that his brother was okay.
Steve blew out a frustrated breath, embarrassed that he was reacting like this. "Fuck…"
Chin could tell that Steve was rattled and tried to pull him further from his nightmare. "Bad dream?"
Steve was quiet for a while, trying to regain his composure. "Yeah…felt so real, too." He saw Grace come back into the living room and lowered his voice. "Just promise me, Chin…"
Chin cut him off. "Steve, I swear. He's fine. He's sleeping, and hasn't had any issues whatsoever. Doc has been in a couple of times to check on him, and Cody only has Danny tonight, so he's been keeping a close eye out. I even took a couple of pictures – hang on and I'll send them."
It didn't take long before Steve had the picture on his phone – the picture of Danny sleeping, a picture of the monitor displaying very stable vital signs, and a picture of Dr. Kuwada holding a paper that said, 'I promise he's fine. Get some rest.'
Steve smiled as he put the phone back up to his ear. "Thanks, Chin. I appreciate you talking me off of the ledge on this one."
Chin's voice was smiling as he replied, "No problem, man. Get some rest and we'll see you later this morning. Doc says the plan is to move him to the floor somewhere around 9:00."
Steve nodded and thanked Chin once again before hanging up his call. Turning to where Grace was waiting by the couch, he held out his arms; loving the feeling of her launching herself into his hug. "Gracie, thank you so much. You figured out just what I needed and made sure I was okay. That means so much, sweetheart."
Grace just grinned. "I love you, Uncle Steve. I don't like when you're sad or scared – and it sounded like you were both during your dream. I'm glad you're feeling better."
Steve nodded and sank back against the cushions of the couch and stifling a yawn. "I am, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready to fall asleep. What do you say we find something on the TV to watch until we get tired enough?" He really would have loved to been outside on his beach, where the sounds of the crashing waves could soothe him like nothing else did.
Grace grabbed the remote and settled next to Steve. "I have an ocean movie on Netflix we can watch. It'll feel like we're under the water and everything!"
The two settled onto the couch, letting the underwater ocean scene wash over them; the soothing view of tropical fish swimming lazily around them, and eventually, they both dozed off. Grace was tucked up against Steve's side, where he had wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Steve had had the foresight to pull a throw blanket over Grace before he fell asleep.
That was how Kono found them the next morning, when she made her way into the kitchen to start the coffee. She snapped another picture, knowing that Danny would want to see that one as well.
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9:00 came and both Steve and Grace were anxiously waiting for Danny to move. Dr. Kuwada had allowed them both into his room, since he was being discharged from the ICU anyway.
Danny was a little surprised that he slept slightly better the night before. He wasn't completely nightmare free, but Cody held to his word and woke him up before he could sink too deep. But in and around the dream, Danny had actually gotten some rest, which had gone a long way to helping him feel more human.
Steve was subdued though, more so than normal, and Danny made a note to try to get him to talk about whatever had him so freaked out. He would ask Grace, but knew how protective she was of her uncle. He wasn't sure if she'd spill or not.
Ryan had stopped by, but decided to work with him later, once he had been settled into his new room. He thought after working with him, Danny might like a trip to the gardens, even if he had to go by wheelchair.
Finally, when all three were just about as anxious as they could get, the orderly knocked on the door. "Mr. Williams? I'm Manoit. I'm here to take you to your new room."
Haile followed him into the room, carrying the leftover frozen ice cups from their freezer. "You can keep them on the regular floor if you want. We'll replace the labels once they get you officially admitted to show Dr. Reese as your physician."
She placed the cups into a plastic patient care bag before giving them to Grace to hold. "Okay, Danny. Let's get you into the chair and get this show on the road. I know you're ready to put this chapter behind you."
Danny sighed. "You guys have all been great, but yeah…I'm ready to not see you for a while." He looked a little sheepish. "No offense."
They all laughed as Danny turned red. It was just the mood lifter they all needed as they started this next chapter of Danny's journey home.
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