Chapter 12
Kono led Grace down the hallway into the trauma unit of Tripler Army Medical Center, Chin walked besides them. Steve was already in the unit and now undergoing evaluation in a bay to the right. There was no sign of Danny anywhere.
A nurse approached Grace and tried to take her from Kono so she could check for injuries, but Grace clung tighter to Kono and refused to move, her eyes fixed on the activity around Steve.
Chin sighed and bent down to pick Grace up, placing her on the gurney in the trauma bay next to Steve where she could still see what was happening. The nurse moved in and started to check Grace over, but when she blocked Grace's view of Steve the girl moved away so she could see him again. The nurse looked at Chin before she went back to work, this time staying to the side so she did not block Grace's view. By the time she was satisfied that Grace had no injuries other that the obvious bruise high on her right cheek and some bruises on her arms, Steve's evaluation was over and his gurney wheeled out of the bay.
Grace immediately became agitated, attempting to follow Steve by getting off her gurney. Kono stepped in and held her still. "Grace, you need to stay here." Grace was shaking her head from side to side and crying.
Dr Fry, who had treated Danny in the past and knew all the Five-0 team, including Grace, came over from where he stood, Steve's chart in his hand. He was tall and dark like Steve, just as fit, although a few years older, and Kono figured he could give Steve a run for his money any day. He stopped in front of Grace and put his hand on her shoulder. When she finally met his eyes, he spoke to her softly. "Grace, Steve has just gone for a CAT scan so we can see how badly he hurt his head, okay? He will be back in a little while. Why don't you lie back and rest until then?"
Grace looked at the doctor steadily for a few seconds, nodded once and lay down on the gurney. Chin and Kono both sighed in relief. Dr Fry turned to the nurse, "Any injuries apart from the bruises?"
"No, doctor, but she is dehydrated. I would like to start an IV."
"Okay, when you have the IV in I want you to give her a mild sedative. She needs to rest, and I don't like how she is reacting to whatever happened out there."
Chin and Kono stayed by Grace's side as she succumbed to the sedative and was then moved into a room. Kono stayed with Grace, but Chin headed back to the trauma bay to check up on Steve and find out about Danny.
Steve was back in the trauma bay and Dr Fry was again by his side when Chin arrived. "How is he, doc?"
Dr Fry looked up from his examination of Steve's leg. "He has a linear fracture to the frontal bone of his skull. I was afraid of something like that when we could not wake him, and the CAT scan confirmed it. His leg wound is infected and he will have to go to the O.R. for debridement. The bullet didn't hit anything vital so once the infection clears it will heal quickly."
"He'll be alright?" Chin asked.
"He's young and strong. There is no depression in the skull fracture, so there should be no brain injury aside from a grade three concussion." Dr Fry looked up again. "So barring any complications? Yes, he should make a full recovery."
Once again, Chin sighed in relief.
"I'm having him placed in the same room as Grace after his surgery. From what I've heard, that little girl has suffered enough traumas. I think she'll need to see him when she wakes." Dr Fry stepped back as Steve was wheel out of the trauma unit once again, this time to the O.R.
It was now time for Chin to ask the question he was not sure he wanted the answer too. "What about Danny?"
Dr Fry shook his head. "I'm sorry I don't know. They took him directly to the O.R. I never even saw him."
"Please Dr Fry you have to find out what is happening with Danny." Chin wiped his hands down his face and continued, "His heart stopped just before we arrived here. The medics were performing CPR. I need to know if he's alive."
Without a word, Dr Fry walked over to Chin and placed his arm around his shoulders. "Come with me. We'll go up to the O.R. waiting room and find out together."
Chin sat quietly in the O.R. waiting room. It had been five minutes since Dr Fry disappeared behind the doors to the operating rooms. As each minute passed Chin's thoughts worsened. By the time, the doctor returned Chin was convinced that Danny was dead and the grave look on Dr Fry's face did nothing to belie that conclusion.
With a weary sigh, Dr Fry sat down next to Chin. "He's alive. Barely. They managed to restart his heart in the O.R. and he's holding his own right now." Chin released the breath he had been holding since the doctor walked back out from the O.R.
"Chin, do you have any idea what happened? There is extensive damage to Danny's lower ribs on his left side."
"Not really, no." Chin ran his hands through his hear. "I know that he took a bullet to his vest on the lower left side yesterday evening. He received a bullet graze to his left shoulder at the same time."
"Well, he now has a through and through bullet wound to the same shoulder and it is infected just as Steve's wound is. Seawater will do that I'm afraid. As for the injury to his side, I think more happened than just a bullet to the vest. He has two broken ribs, one nicked his lung."
"Will he live?" Chin asked quietly.
"We don't know at this point. If he makes it through surgery? Maybe." Dr Fry stood. "Look, why don't you go and be with Grace, Steve's surgery is almost finished and he should be moved into that room within the hour. I'll find you when Danny's surgery is over."
Chin stood too. "Okay doc. I'll go fill Kono in on Danny's condition. Maybe when Grace wakes she'll tell us what happened."
Dr Fry shook his head. "Don't count on it, Chin. From what I saw that little girl is going to need help to deal with whatever happened. I don't expect her to start talking any time soon."
"Yeah, you're probably right. We think she may have seen her mother killed and maybe even her stepfather. She was not the way she is now when we found her though as it had to be Grace that fired the flare that drew us to their location."
"No, maybe not. She needed to look after her father and Steve, but as soon as help arrived, there was no longer any need for her to be strong. Now, she's retreated into herself. I'll have the staff psychologist swing by to see her later. Maybe she can get Grace to talk." Dr Fry placed his hand on Chin's shoulder and squeezed. "Go. I'll be there when they're done here. I promise."
TBC
