"Steve, I want you to do me a favor" Danny rasped, prompting Steve to bring the water to Danny's lips, ensuring the detective found the straw and took a decent drink before pulling it away. Only then did Steve address the detective.

"Yeah, anything" Steve murmured, hoping that maybe Danny would be able to give him something to do, something useful, something that would make him something more than a sentinel stationed at the side of a hospital bed, about as useful as a stone.

"It's kinda weird Steve, are you sure you don't mind?"

"Anything, Danny."

"Alright Steve could you… Like, pinch my toes or something? Please, I want to see if I can at least feel something. I know they're supposed to be broken, but maybe, if you move them, I'll feel something. Please Steve, I can't reach down there quite yet, can you just give it a try for me? Please?" Danny begged, his voice weak and filled with misery. Steve sighed, and put a hand on Danny's, looking away from his friend's pleading eyes.

"Listen, Danny, I don't think I can do that for you. If you can't feel anything now, I don't think I can do anything to help. I'll work on getting you the best care that this island has to offer, but I don't think that tickling your toes while you're all laid up in bed like this is going to make you feel any better. I know it's hard-"

"No, you don't know" Danny spit weakly, making a turn of character as he cut Steve off. Steve felt Danny's hand twitch under his, and instinctively pulled away, knowing that Danny would have done the same if he had been capable. Danny grunted before continuing, closing his eyes in an attempt to hide a growing dampness that Steve had been politely ignoring.

"You don't understand, Steve, because you still have a future. You didn't have it stolen away from you because you tried to do something right. You don't have a daughter to worry about. You don't have a daughter that you'll never be able to lift up onto your shoulders again. You don't have what I have Steve, so you don't understand" Danny finished bitterly.

Steve was so taken aback that he leaned back in his chair, hardly able to look at Danny, his mind reeling with what his partner had said. Although Danny was so far from his usual self lately, and had made some very off-character statements, Steve hadn't heard something so hostile. Yes, there had been the fair share of self-depreciation, but hardly a hostile attack.

Trying desperately to pull the shock off of his face, Steve cast his eyes to the ground, oblivious to the fact that Danny was crying again, tears rolling down his face slowly, unable to move his body to hide the fact that he was displaying his emotions more openly than he had in years.

The pair was interrupted in their mutual, silent suffering, by the soft sound of someone clearing their throat. Steve perked up immediately, and looked towards the source of the noise, to see the very last person he expected to see, sitting in a wheelchair with a woman at her side.

"Christina?" Steve questioned, able to recognize the girl he had spoken to just yesterday by the curls that surrounded her head, and the bleak look of despair across the face he had only seen twice before. Of course, he was also able to recognize the mother, who stood beside the wheelchair, concern crossing her face.

"Ch-Christina?" Danny stuttered, unable to move his head to look at her, although Steve could see his eyes strain to the side. Steve had told him about the girl earlier that day, and all of the information he had available. Steve hadn't thought that she would come by so soon, so soon after yesterday's confrontation with her parents. But that didn't change the fact that she was indeed here now, beside Danny's hospital bed, a look of shock coming over her face.

Christina didn't even have a chance to speak before she brought a hand to her mouth, choking out a sob into the palm of her hand. The mother quickly wrapped an arm around her daughter at the emotional reaction, although Christina tried to pull away where she sat.

"I did this to him?" She cried out, lowering her hand, face contorted in an expression of pain. Steve lowered his eyes again, mouth parting in exasperation. He took in a deep breath, looking up at Danny, who was still straining to see her.

"No, no, not at all" Danny said after a few moments, the strength in his voice surprising Steve. However, he saw the strain on his partner's face, and knew that it was taking all of Danny's strength to appear strong for this girl. Christina started crying violently, and it was obvious that her mother was ready to pull her away, take her already wounded daughter away from a source of more pain. Steve decided to step in, knowing that there wasn't much Danny could do at the moment.

"Christina, please don't worry, he'll be just fine, okay? This isn't your fault, just like Danny said. You don't have to go, he really would love to talk to you, isn't that right Danny?" Steve prompted hurriedly, trying his best to rectify the situation, do something to ease the girl's emotions. Danny piped up once again, and Steve prayed that Christina couldn't notice the change of tone, a noticeably weaker pitch.

"Yeah, I'd love to talk to you. I heard you might come around sometime, and I'd be more than happy to chat with you whenever you want. Even now, if you don't mind my big ape of a partner sitting in. I'm glad to see you're doing okay" he tacked on the end, before his voice finished trailing off. Steve looked over to Christina, whose mother wasn't pulling her away any longer. In fact, she had been pushed closer to the bed, and her hands had taken to wiping moisture away from her eyes.

"You, you look really tired right now" Christina said, her voice wavering with pain. When Steve looked at her he felt pity, her watering eyes something that made him squirm in discomfort. Deep emotions had never been his forte. But Christina continued, looking up to her mother for support.

"Since you probably need your rest, I, I guess I'll come over another time. Alright?" She finished, wiping yet another tear away from her eyes. Danny cracked a small smile (although Steve thought it may have been more of a grimace) and replied, voice softer yet.

"That sounds good to me. I hope you feel even better soon, thanks for coming to see me." And Christina didn't say another word, only nodded, and looked towards the exit to the room. Her mother must have picked up the clue, for she maneuvered Christina's wheelchair around, and started moving towards the door. However, as Steve watched, the woman turned over her shoulder and mouthed a silent "thank you" before they left.

And Danny closed his eyes, and Steve pretended not to see the moisture falling from his eyes. Instead Steve focused on the hostile, violent anger he found growing in his stomach. There was no need for Danny to be paralyzed, no need for the girl to have almost died. There was no need for Danny's future to be destroyed as it was. It was all so pointless.

Somewhere deep inside, Steve tried to squelch the flame of resentment he found growing for Christina. There was no reason for any of this, and Danny had almost died just for a girl who couldn't handle her emotions. The bitter anger flowed through him as hot as fire, and for a moment Steve felt his vision grow red.

How could he have this anger for a young, innocent soul? How could he have anger for a wounded girl? He didn't know, and he didn't care at that moment. He just needed to get out, away from the drama, the pain, and the suffering that one nearly fatal afternoon had caused. Without another word, Steve stormed from the room, aiming for somewhere outside so that he could clear his head.

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