Chapter 21: Cramps
An excruciating and unmercifully angry shooting pain didn´t want to loosen its grip on Danny´s legs, especially on both calves. It was agonizing and Danny couldn´t remember a pain as cruel as this. Maybe it hurt near as much as his gunshot wound to the chest, but in that case he was left weak, numb and at the verge of passing out, now, there was no numbness at all. It was pure agony and there was nothing he could do to alleviate it until the overworked muscles were released from theirs strong spasms. Not even Steve´s strong hands massaging his calves could bring him any relief.
It was a very dark night. No moon and no clouds, just a plain black sky splashed with tiny blinking stars. Blinds completely open, midnight found Steve comfortably propped up on the accompanying's bed in Danny´s room. He liked to spend the night there and check out on his partner, to make sure he was ok. This way, Steve´s mind was starting to heal and his soul found peace on those quiet moments of silence in the night, while Danny slept and he, before succumbing to sleep too, took the opportunity that those moments of quietness gave him to reflect. Sometimes, like tonight, he occupied himself on working some cases. The arrival of Danny´s parents had allowed him some more time to himself since they were more people to be with Danny, and he chose to occupy himself with work. But his priority was his fiend, and because of that, the moonless night found him lying half propped up on the bed by the windows, alternating his attention on looking out to the dark and clam sky; to the data of the newest case sitting on his lap and to the still form of his sleeping partner a few feet away on the bed.
After the PT session that afternoon, Steve had gone a few hours to work and, in the need of checking on Danny again, he has returned directly to the hospital, bringing with him some files from a new case the team has been working on the last week. So, now, near midnight, with the low light of a lamp strategically placed so not to disturb his partner, Steve tried to break a clue. It was not an easy case, they have found many dead ends and the criminals were still on the loose and in immediate need to be found and apprehended. Lifting his sight for the hundred time towards his partner, a painful lump formed on his throat. "Oh, Danny, you´re so good at this, I need your help, buddy". Rubbing his eyes and face with both hands, Steve choose that moment to call it a day.
Lately, emotions were taking a lot out of him and he was conscious he had to control it to continue being strong for his friends. Gathering all the spattered papers and his cell while getting up, he placed them on the chair at his side, using it as an improvised table, and went to the bathroom. He was already so used with this place, and, at least, it provided everything to attend his primary needs. So, tonight, for example, he didn´t feel the need to return home. Instead, he took a shower here. Expending more time in it than he had anticipated, he allowed himself that luxury and, cleaning the steamed mirror with a towel, Steve watched himself while he washed sis teeth. Definitely not red-rimmed eyes anymore, it was, although, very evident that he was tired and still couldn't manage to go back to a healthy physical state. Danny was not the only one who has lost weight. Tidying up the bathroom from water, towels, and clothes, Steve was grateful for the cool air that hit him as soon as he opened the door and stepped outside.
Concentrate and absently putting the used clothes on his hand-bag, and with his mind immersed involuntary again on some facts of the case, Steve´s head suddenly and instinctively looked up when his brain registered a sound at the background of his thoughts: a stressful whimper.
Tossing the bag aside, he took four long steps and reached Danny´s side in a heartbeat. Abruptly, he controlled his impetus when he realized his friend was still asleep. A troubled frown wrinkled Danny´s sleeping features and, behind his closed eyelids, his eyes were moving kind of quickly and restlessly. It was obvious to Steve that his partner was having a dream, and possible a nightmare, judging by this hints. Debating internally whether to wake him or not, the commander choose to wait a few minutes and not disturb his friend yet. Meanwhile, he occupied himself with arranging the scattered bedding, which Danny obviously has shoved away during some stage of his dream.
After carefully smoothing the sheets and light bedcover around Danny, he reached forward and delicately touched his partner's forehead to check that he had no fever. Relieved at not finding any, he witnessed how the frown slowly disappeared and Danny´s breathing calmed along with the eye-movement. Waiting a few more minutes to make sure his friend rested peacefully again, Steve went back to his bed and lied down. He doubted he would go to sleep right away, and indeed he didn´t, but he was ok with it because he could be alert in case Danny needed help. Sighing, he adjusted his head on the soft pillow and, fixing his wide open eyes on the sky, he watched its dark immensity and tried to find the stars he knew.
The same sky, surprisingly, was present on Danny´s dream, and the same stars Steve was currently seeking were reflected on his retinas. As it couldn´t be otherwise on his dreams, he was chained and he couldn't move. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Danny knew that he was captured inside another ugly dream, and he hoped with all his heart to be able to wake up, but the images and sensations of the illusions were stronger than his desire. So, he was a victim again; he was, again, a prisoner of that humid and putrid place that didn´t allow him to scape. Even in his dreams, it threatened to follow him and make sure Danny couldn't forget any detail from it, which were so vivid and present that it made it scarier. That only fact, per se, terrified him to the core because, on that moments, sometimes he couldn´t tell if it was real or not and sometimes when he woke up, he had forgotten that he has been rescued and it took him a few dramatic minutes to calm down and relocate himself. Those minutes were not only terrifying for Danny who thought he still was chained like a dog left to die, but also for whoever was accompanying him. The majority of the times he had woken like this, his partner has been the "beneficiary" of that noon too pleasant experience, and every time he had had to improvise and find a way to calm Danny down and break the strong spell of each cruel nightmare.
The first time it happened has been more difficult to bring Danny to reality, but as the episode repeated itself, the mere presence of his supportive friend at his side was nearly instantly enough to locate him in place and time. This was, among other things, why Steve wanted to be there on the nights, to help his friend on those dark and terrible moments. Apparently, this night doesn't look like it will be an exception.
Trapped in his dream, Danny didn't have any saying about any of it. This dark night, it was very obscure on his nightmare too, and the shiny stars seemed to laugh up on him. The rotten roof was surprisingly completely gone and an unusual cold breeze made his chained and semi naked body very miserable. He longed for some comfort, for some mercy. There were faceless people passing by his bed, they seemed to have bags over their heads. He didn't know any of them and no one stopped to help him or even look at him. Furthest away, he saw, among the legs of the people passing by, his parents and his precious kids. Apparently, they were looking for him but, among all the movement of people, they couldn't see him lying down as he was, bounded to the metal bed. He wanted to call them, to shout their names, but he was mute, no sound came out, not even when he tried the hardest. Ten, hands unexpectedly came up from under and behind him and pressed his open mouth shut and grabbed with considerable force each one of his limbs. Desperately, Danny tried to escape and get up, but he was forcefully pinned down. Despairing, he tried with all his strength to shout and kick out his oppressors, but the faceless people turned and headed back to him, blocking him away from his loved ones and growing up on stature. Completely freaked out, his tortured dreaming-self broke his chains and, to his surprise, he was able to get up and start to run. The door was so close, so at the reach of his hand. But as his hand went for it, a horrible figure emerged from the floor and gripped his legs so forcefully that he could hear the bones cracking. At that moment, he could finally scream out.
Just as Steve´s eyelids were starting to heavily drop against his will, the sound of sheet moving and strangled whimpers put him on alert one more time. Determined to wake Danny up and free him from his cage of dreams, he tossed his blanket aside and rushed to the bed. Midway towards his partner´s bed he was startled when a terrific scream broke the silence of the night. Accelerating his pace if It was possible, he was there in time to catch his friend before he managed to move down the mattress to the floor as a result of his violent defensive trashing. Still disoriented and prey of his nightmare, Danny fought him with all his may, which was still very low, making it very easy for Steve to placate his struggles and dominate him, obliging him to stay still and avoid him to hurt himself more.
"Danny, Danny, Danny… calm down buddy". Although controlling his body, Steve couldn't control the raged panting and the scared grunts muffed against his shirt. Steve sensed and knew that Danny was completely awake, so he didn´t quite understand why it took him so long to relax.
"Come on pal, it´s over".
"H… hurts…"
"What?" Steve could barely make out the word.
"Cramps… oh God…" Every pain he experienced was unique and everyone seemed to be the worst it could be. Danny could feel the nerves of each leg spasming and contracting from the back of his thighs, all the way down his calves and on his soles, making his toes to rigidly and painfully go up. It was an intolerable pain, considering it had no mercy regarding his recent operated and repaired ankle. Big tears were revealed when Steve carefully lied his partner down.
"Where?" The simple question was loaded with grief, because Danny didn't deserve any of this.
"Both legs… calves, please make it stop…"
Pressing the call button before going to Danny´s legs, he moved the beddings aside with a quick pull and started to strongly massage his friend´s calves, while looking back to the door every two seconds, anxious for the help to arrive.
As the nurse arrived, he already knew the diagnosis and went directly to the medicine cupboard. Nonetheless, he asked to corroborate. "Commander?"
"Cramps. Strong ones, both legs". The seal-op mode answer gave all the information needed. Finishing loading the syringe with a muscle-relaxant drug, the nurse approached the bed and, lifting the gown to expose Danny´s buttock before cleaning the area with an antiseptic covered cotton, he released the much needed amber colored liquid into his patient´s system. Discarding the syringe, he joined Steve on massaging the affected limbs, focusing especially on the operated ankle, pressing the sole of his foot to allow the nerves to loosen up and stop causing the excruciating pain.
As the drug caused effect and the massages helped Danny with the pain, he was left quivering like a leaf as a result of the coldness of the medicine running through his veins; the exertion he has been forced to do to fight the evil cramps and the memory of the cruel nightmare. He didn´t want water, but the nurse, before leaving, obliged him to drink two whole glasses. Apparently, he needed to stay hydrated.
Sighing content when the sheets and soft blanket were accommodated below his chin and he was completely tucked in again, he was grateful that the stiffness of his legs and all the pain and the cold were gone.
Eyes closed but sensing his partner standing up at his side, he said with a small voice. "I´m sorry".
"Hey, what did we say about that?" After a moment of consensual silence, Steve ventured. "You want to talk about it?"
"Maybe tomorrow…" Doubt in his voice, Danny settled himself deeper in the bed. "Will you stay with me?"
Again, for the second time, the question took Steve by surprise, but one more time his didn't hesitate to quickly assure his friend. "Of course I will partner, go to sleep".