I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: It's funny really how many chapters I have here in DocManager that have the word ".end" appended to them.
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"Danny?" Eyes closed, Steve was doing his very best to remain stoic. Actually, he was doing a damned good job of it as he lay on the table and both doctors and nurses puttered around him. Danny knew better though. He was conscious, but just barely. The fisted hands, the rigid set of Steve's jaw. The mere fact that he said Danny's name out loud with that subtle tinge of confusion. Danny saw, felt and then heard all of it which proved Steve was at an abysmally very low point. If he'd the energy, Danny had little doubt that the SEAL in Steve would have left long ago, refusing to put up with any of the medical chaos being inflicted upon his body. But not only did he lack the energy, he also didn't have a choice.
"I'm right here," Danny said as he half-listened to the orders being given and tried to derive their implications for his friend. "You're going to be fine." He didn't believe it though. Danny's heart was still beating somewhere beyond Mach 10. He didn't feel much better that Steve had deigned to wake up after being transferred from his arms, to a gurney. Fighting his worries, Danny stood behind Steve, a hand on each of his friend's shoulders, instilling whatever calm he could despite these fears which continued to rumble and threaten inside his own head.
"What'r they doi'n?" Steve pushed out as something different was injected into the newly run IV line and a nurse cleaned up the remnants of blood drying under his nose. He continued to slur his words and Danny inwardly cringed as a sickly shudder rippled through Steve's shoulders.
"Just cleaning you up a bit," Danny re-assured him. "Trying to get your blood pressure down. What did you think you were doing, huh?"
Danny sighed as he tiredly knuckled the side of his temple where the headache seemed centered. His own head was a throbbing mess of stress and tension. Steve knew him, but his slurred speech was a bad sign in a litany of worse ones. He couldn't stop dwelling on the frightening thoughts of surgery even as the nurse finished the minor cleanup to confirm that the nosebleed had already stopped. Heaving out another long, aggrieved sigh, Danny had to remind himself that it was admittedly tough to talk even normally with someone swiping what looked like a baby's wet-wipe over your face. He squeezed Steve's shoulder again as the medical staff calmly conferred together. He focused on the fact that there was agreement about the nosebleed being minor. Some tension seemed to lessen. Nonetheless, the fact that it had happened at all was still stuck on Danny's very short list of alarming things.
"Did-ja see'm?" Steve slurred unexpectedly. He was peeking up at Danny, squinting badly.
"Who? Camille? Forget about him. You gotta take it easy ... let's worry about you now, okay? Relax, buddy ... take it easy," Danny murmured as he spared the ring of HPD officers a quick glance. There was a veritable wall of blue around Joseph Camille's small triage bay with Lou standing out like a sore thumb. If Steve's nosebleed had been minor, Camille's was a gusher and Danny could just hear the strained gurgle and occasional cough even as the noisy ER tried to get back to normal. In terms of being secure, Camille was definitely well in hand and Danny now chose to ignore the felon. He went back to focusing on Steve ... and just Steve... as he eyed the heart monitor suspiciously and then studied the doctor's face, trying to read what every change in expression might indicate.
"Not'm," Steve complained. He squinted up, trying to see Danny upside down before wincing and giving up entirely. His eyes slid closed just before a few whispered words faded away to nothing. "You gotta take care of'm ..."
"Who? Hold on ... good news. Good news, babe," Danny soothed as he listened in relief to a confirmation that Steve's last scan before Camille tried to run was available for evaluation from Radiology. A moment later it was Doctor Mathers who was replacing the doctor who'd been caring for his partner and personally pulling up the reports on a computer. For the first time since meeting him, Danny felt another surge of relief. A familiar face was most welcome after all that had been going down and Danny smiled when their eyes met.
"Where did you come from?" He asked. "How's Montgomery?"
"Arterial bleed. I handed him off to surgery ...," Mathers reported tersely. "He should be okay." Danny forgave the tone immediately since Mathers was already immersed in Steve's records. He forgave everything and took a moment to even feel a tinge of guilt about his own past behavior when he saw that the doctor's hands had a slight tremble as he tapped at the keyboard. Danny knew that he could hardly blame the young man. If anything he wanted to hug the kid for charging back into the fray. Just minutes earlier, Mathers had been tasked with managing triage on a peer, someone who was probably a friend or even a mentor, and Danny let it all slide.
"Commander, how are you feeling? I hear that you're quite the actor," Mathers said as he shoved away from the portable workstation to hover over Steve. "Montgomery woke long enough to mention your little ... ploy."
"Actor?" Danny asked. "Ploy?" He blinked away his surprise, feeling stupid again as Steve managed a half-grin for his benefit. Steve's expression looked funny as it was upside down to Danny, but communicating something quite clearly. The whole thing with Montgomery had really been a scam - and one of stellar proportions.
"Y-you really were faking?" Danny stammered inelegantly. "F-faking ... you did this on purpose? Are you insane?!"
"Yeah," Steve muttered, a brief flare of smugness leaking through his discomfort. "Told-ya; it was a b-beautiful t-thing, wasn't it, D'no?" He dared almost snicker and Danny glared at him, stunned. Seriously?
"Son-of-a-bitch," Danny whispered, eyes wide and his voice rising. "A beautiful thing? You were kidding?! Do you have any idea of the risks you took?!" By the continued look on his face, Steve definitely knew and apparently didn't care. Of course, he didn't, Danny thought to himself as he absorbed what that truth really meant. Steve had faked everything just to gain access to the Emergency Room and with Doctor Montgomery's help ... maybe a few people's help based on the odd attire.
"He's your partner," Mathers noted wryly to Danny as he paused long enough to bark out a brief chuckle. "Now ... now I get it. Captain Grover mentioned this dancing of yours."
Danny stared at the young doctor, rendered speechless. Dancing? No ... definitely not dancing and as for Grover? Clueless about the true context of what Mathers meant, Danny shook his head slowly from side to side much to the doctor's growing amusement.
"Son-of-a-bitch," Danny helplessly repeated as things began to sink into his tired brain. He'd been scared half to death by Steve not knowing him and then by his apparent collapse. After this was all put behind them, Danny was going to have to have a very long conversation with his partner. Steve didn't know how very badly he'd taken years off Danny's own life by making believe he didn't know him again. And the collapse? Damn, but that part had been real enough regardless. Inhaling deeply, Danny exhaled a loud sigh and took a minute to close his own eyes in a vain attempt to center himself. Stuck and duly rattled to his very core, he listened as Mathers resumed talking, feeling practically faint.
"Reports from Radiology look good, Commander ... nothing out of the ordinary; we're going to run a few tests to be absolutely certain, however my thoughts are that your blood pressure spiked to cause the nosebleed ... the dizziness, headache are all part and parcel of the same, along with a nice dose of adrenalin to top things off. I'll call for those tests while you rest ... then, we'll get you settled back in your room. All right?"
"Yeah," Steve murmured softly. "Sure."
In utter relief, Danny tapped his hands in an off-kilter pattern on Steve's shoulders as a smile grudgingly crept over his face. He opened his eyes to look down; Steve's eyes were closing again. "Nothing by halves with you, huh, buddy?" Steve smirked and yet Danny couldn't be angry though. Not really. He could only feel relief by the confident delivery of such very good news.
"And you? How are you holding up, Detective?" Mathers asked. Suddenly Danny found himself under the young doctor's keen microscope. He was studying Danny's face far too closely and then allowing his eyes to travel up and down Danny's body.
"Me? What? I'm good ...why?" Danny said as he glanced down at himself in surprise. Steve grunted as if to disagree and Danny glared back at the half-opened hazel eyes which suddenly seemed far too alert. Danny was still shirtless though and speckles of blood - both his and likely Montgomery's dotted an arm, his shoulder and probably even the left side of his face. The spot where he'd roughly taken the IV out was raw looking, his skin streaked with partly dried blood.
"Uh, huh," Mathers said, his tone far too dry for someone so young in Danny's opinion. "You were just being released when this debacle occured if I recall correctly. Released to go home and sleep ... we'll get you cleaned up again and I plan to do another once-over on you myself. After that, I want you to do that and follow my strict orders to get off your feet, Detective. By your own words, the only time that's happened in the last forty-eight, some-odd hours was here ... when we pumped some fluids into your system."
"Yeah, well," Danny sighed out softly as he tapped at Steve's shoulders again. He scowled as Steve grunted again, knowing the doctor was right. To make matters worse, his thoughts were now straying to Charlie. He needed to get home to his son. Charlie would be worried and he'd made promises that he needed to keep. He could clean up and grab a change of clothes here at the hospital ... hide the bandage on his bicep .. reassure his son ...hell, reassure himself, too for that matter.
"Danno," Steve whispered. His eyes were open again. Just. And Danny grinned down at him. They both looked a pair, he was sure of it now. There was no point in arguing with Doctor Mathers or deny this dance of theirs. He was as exhausted as his partner and evidently they both needed to keep things boringly normal for a time.
"Yeah?" Danny asked.
"Charlie ... g'hme 'n take care of'm," Steve said. He raised his hand and pointed to somewhere beyond the ER. "E's here ... Kam'kona brought'm by and have y'seen them ... since what happ'nd?"
"Say what?" Danny hissed in bewilderment as he deciphered the softly voiced words. He stilled, worried. Steve wasn't kidding by the severe expression he was managing to share. He wasn't shamming or making it up. Charlie had been or even still was in the hospital.
"He's in good hands, Detective," Doctor Mathers said, gesturing down to Steve. He sensed something was happening as Danny's face furrowed in distress. "I can't have you leaving just yet. So please, please wait for me over there while I finish here with your partner. I need you to stay until I can check you out once more - change those bandages - then, you can do whatever it is you need to do. Captain Grover ... perhaps he can help?"
Mathers pointed towards Camille's entourage where Lou was still making demands and Danny nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, okay," Danny said as he tore himself away from Steve's side and aimed himself at Lou Grover. If anyone could help him get to the bottom of things about Charlie, it would be Lou.
H5O* H5O
From where he sat tipped forward in the chair next to Steve's bedside, Danny leaned to rest his head on his forearm and closed his eyes. His arm was the softest thing he'd laid his head on in hours. He was beyond exhausted and could barely think. The buzzing in his ears didn't help matters either. Knowing Charlie had been near what could have been a real tragedy, didn't help matters either as worrisome 'what ifs' toyed with his malfunctioning brain.
"Let me take you home," Lou said softly from where he stood behind Danny's chair. "Doc says he's fine and is going to sleep for the foreseeable future. Which is exactly what you need to do, too. I don't even know how you're on your feet in the first place; besides you've tried this before and the results were less than positive."
Danny hummed under his breath in agreement and yet, was still loathe to leave Steve's bedside. Or, maybe he just didn't want to admit he would fall flat on his face if he tried to get up.
"If you need a kick in the seat of your pants, Danny, think about Charlie," Lou offered next. "That little guy has taken everything in stride and he's worried enough as it is now. The longer you take, the more he'll think something's really wrong and we've all just about run out of distractions; Renee texted me and they're on their way back up. And, if reminding you about Charlie doesn't do it, I can oblige with that kick up the ass. Just say the word."
Bringing up Charlie was a low blow. Very low and Danny grunted this time as he peeled his eyes open and forced himself to stand because he didn't doubt that Lou might kick him for real. With Lou's earlier help, they'd located Kamekona and Charlie at a shave-ice stand near the hospital. The two hadn't even been aware of the recent danger and Danny could not have been more relieved. Cleaned up and checked out by Doctor Mathers, Danny had been released into Lou's care. And Lou had continued to save the day by coming up with a fresh shirt for Danny, allowing him to appear cool and calm enough for a little boy's eyes and their reunion had been comforting.
Charlie was proud of his Danno for having 'sitted on those bad boys'. And as for Danny? He genuinely hadn't been able to stop laughing at his son's statement.
Bleary-eyed now though, he stared down at Steve for the thousandth time. Still pale, Steve hadn't so much as twitched a muscle during the last few evaluations he'd been put through which thankfully had all proven out that he'd indeed over-exerted himself and stressed his system. Too much activity in a negligible condition and an adrenalin dump had wreaked havoc on his blood pressure to cause a simple nose bleed. The rest was pure exhaustion and Danny could certainly commiserate with that sentiment.
"Damn fool," Danny whispered. He rubbed hard at his face and did nothing more than make himself light-headed. He was next to crash and then what? Multiple hands had intervened to care for his son. Now was not the time to continually take advantage of that kindness or push his own health. Lou was right. He needed to take his son home especially since Steve was indeed going to be all right and likely to sleep for a good many hours to come. But Danny was still very much unsettled.
This rumor of Steve's faking a loss of memory? If he were honest with himself, deep down, the verdict on that was still out for Danny and he wasn't sure what the hell to believe. It was going to take some time to put things behind him. Sitting there in the quiet of the hospital room, his own brain was simply too taxed to understand what to believe or find credibility in. Despite what he'd been told, doubts reigned strongly because his face still bore witness to Steve's earlier episodes. Danny had been through trial by fire and he simply wasn't one hundred percent convinced yet if Steve might sometimes be crying wolf or not.
He was overtired. He was thinking too hard and dwelling on the negatives. Danny knew this about himself but damn it, he was still scared.
So right then, Steve was a damned fool for a good many things. For doing too much. For scaring the proverbial crap out Danny ... for startling Charlie ... and this last time, even doing the same to himself. So people like Lou and even Doctors Mather and Montgomery would have to forgive him because Danny just couldn't get his head wrapped around Steve's faking the episode as being the almighty truth.
"Danny?" Lou was at his shoulder now and Danny rocked almost dangerously on his toes. "Come on, man. They'll be here any minute ... pull yourself together."
"Yeah," Danny all but exhaled the sound. He'd zoned out and hadn't even noticed. With an effort, he blinked Steve's face and the hospital room back into existence. Lou was right: he needed to go home and get off his feet. He needed to think about Charlie and get his son to a more natural environment.
"Let's go, all right? As for Renee? She's come up with a great idea," Lou said quietly. "We'll drive you home and explain things on the way. You can tell me what you think." His friend snorted comically under his breath, his next words as sarcastic as ever.
"That is, if you can think at all at this point."
Danny should have argued or managed some kind of retort back. Why bother though? His brain had completely switched off and thinking was just something Danny had no ability to do. He probably couldn't even have made the simplest of decisions if he tried. So as Lou piloted him away from Steve's hospital room, Danny didn't question the way the bigger man hooked a hand under his elbow. Or, the way he was physically guided down the hallway and towards the bank of elevators. The only thing which made a dent in the fatigue was the sight of his son happily swinging hands with Lou's wife, Renee when an elevator opened wide.
"Daddy!" Blonde hair, blue eyes and a beaming smile brought Danny down to a knee.
Arms held wide as his son rocketed towards him, uncaring that Charlie's voice might be just a bit too loud inside the hospital's more quiet walls and filled with an overwhelming feeling of love for his son, Danny caught Charlie up. He desperately needed the generous Charlie-sized hug even if it aggravated the wound in his arm and nearly throttled him right off his feet.
"Hey buddy," Danny said as he straightened back up with Lou's covert assistance, Charlie snug and safe in his arms. It was time to go home.
~ to be continued ~