Hi, guys! In return for all your lovely reviews, here is the next chapter, quicker than usual. I have had nothing but time this week to write this, since I'm on my summer holidays now. Most of my friends are still in South America on an expedition, but they will be back within the next few days. Thank you for all your reviews; I'm so happy you all enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much ;)
Despite Chin's words, Danny managed to work himself up into a state of worry by mid-morning; he found himself unable to fall asleep again, due to his apprehension about the tests later on. The possibility of nerve damage weighed heavily on his mind. If there was nerve damage, what effect would that have on his career? He would be taken out of field work, most likely, since his right hand was his dominant hand.
Danny suppressed an angry sigh. Apparently, it wasn't enough that abducted him, branded and tortured him, and invaded his dreams, but he also had to threaten his livelihood, too? His profession, his passion, his reason for being? All he knew was how to be a cop. He didn't know how to be anything different, or what he would do if he were unable to continue.
A voice from the corner of the room startled him out of his reverie. "What's got you thinking so hard?" Steve asked, sounding amused, as he pushed himself to his feet.
Danny stared at him. "What?"
"You looked like you were in a completely different universe," his partner clarified. "So what's going through your head?"
Danny hesitated, nibbling on his lower lip. "The tests today…" he mumbled, his voice barely audible.
Steve's mirth slid off his face and his lips parted slightly, understanding dawning on his face. "Danny, there's no point in worrying about them," he reasoned. "We don't know yet that there is even any damage. And if there is, then we'll deal with it; your doctors will set out a treatment plan to sort out the damage."
"But what if they can't? What if I'm left with a crippled arm?" Danny countered angrily. "I won't be able to continue as a cop, will I? Or at least, I won't be able to continue in the field; I'll be stuck behind a desk for the rest of my career!"
"Or what if there is no damage and your arm will be fine?" Steve retorted, glaring at the detective. "In a few months, you'll be back on full duty. Back in the field until the end of your career." He paused and tried to interpret Danny's facial expression now. "Remember what I said before, Danny? Stop focusing on the negatives and think about the positive outcomes."
"I have been trying," Danny defended himself. "But it's a little hard to do when your motto for most of your life has been 'Expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed'. That's served me quite well over the years, it has to be said."
"That's not a healthy attitude, brah; I told you that, didn't I?"
Danny let out a noise that was halfway between a growl and a sigh. "Look, Steve, I still feel like crap," he huffed. "I don't need this lecture again."
"Well, evidently you do, because it doesn't seem to have sunk through your thick skull yet," the SEAL snapped.
Danny growled again and rubbed the back of his neck. He froze as his fingers touched the newly-formed scabs of the cuts forming the '5' on the side of his neck.
"Dr Gant said that the cuts may scar, but if they do, you can have them reduced with laser treatment," Steve offered quietly, his expression softening.
Danny nodded absently; Steve wasn't quite sure if his partner heard him or not. "He… He held me down… used a scalpel to carve it," he whispered. "I was left alone down there for a while – I don't know how long – and I-I kept thinking that Joseph had… had marked me for death. I thought that my time was up; that I'd finally run out of borrowed time." Steve remained silent as Danny spoke about being held captive by their killer. "I honestly thought that I was going to die down there, Steve. It took us a month to ID Joseph as the killer; I didn't know if you'd be able to find me in a matter of hours."
As Danny spoke, Steve perched on the edge of the bed, placing his arm on Danny's arm. "I will always find you, Danno," he murmured.
Danny released a shaky breath and shot his best friend a small smile, although it didn't remain for long. "You know what my biggest fear throughout the entire thing was? It wasn't that I was going to die; it was that I'd die with my daughter angry at me. For a parent, the best feeling in the world is knowing that your child loves you, and when they're angry or upset at you… it's like a dagger to the heart, man." Danny rubbed at his eyes, willing the tears not to fall. "All I kept praying for was the chance to tell Grace one more time that Danno loves her."
Steve thought to himself that, if Danny was confessing his fears, he should as well. "You want to know what my biggest fear was? That we wouldn't find you in time and I'd have to tell Gracie that you weren't coming home," he revealed. "When you were arrested and extradited to Colombia, I promised Grace that I would bring you home. If we hadn't found the ledger with Reyes' deals with Sam Alexander, I don't think we would ever have been able to bring you home. I came this close to having to tell Grace that I'd failed; that I'd broken my promise. And then when we brought you home, I swore to myself that I would never be put in that position again." Steve shook his head and turned away from Danny. "I can't even keep a promise to myself, it seems."
Danny tapped the injured of his injured right arm against Steve's hand. "You found me. That's all that matters," he stated firmly.
Steve took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."
"What time is Kono bringing Grace over?" Danny asked in an attempt to change the topic.
"I don't know; after they do the tests, whenever that is," Steve replied, glancing at his watch.
"How does now sound?" Dr Gant suggested from the door. Neither Steve nor Danny had heard her come in, and were slightly startled by her sudden presence. "Sorry for intruding. This is Doctor Morris, one of our resident neurologists. She'll be carrying out the tests, Daniel."
Doctor Francesca Morris was several years older than Doctor Gant; short and plump, she looked to be in her late forties, with short, wavy, auburn hair that was on the verge of turning grey. She held herself in a way that suggested she wouldn't take any nonsense from anyone, but behind black-framed glasses were kindly brown eyes, cornered with laughter lines, that warmed Danny towards her immediately.
"Hello, Daniel," she greeted him with a smile. "You can stick with Doctor Morris if you want, but I prefer for my patients to call me Fran, or Frankie. I can't be doing with stuffy hospital formalities, especially when I'm electrocuting my patients." She winked to reassure him that she was joking.
Danny returned the smile; Fran's bubbly personality helped to disperse some of his worry. "Pleasure to meet you, Doc. And please, call me Danny."
"How are you feeling today, Daniel?" Dr Gant asked, moving around to the other side of his bed. "Are you in any pain?"
"A little," Danny admitted. "It's not that bad, though."
"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"
"About a 3," Danny guessed.
Doctor Gant nodded whilst making notes in his chart. "Okay. I'll get you a mild painkiller. Fran, do you want to get started?"
"Sure," the neurologist agreed. "Commander McGarrett, would you mind stepping outside while I'm doing the tests?"
"I'm not leaving," Steve retorted instantly, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm staying with Danny."
"Steve, I'll be fine," Danny insisted. "Go get a cup of coffee, or breakfast, or better yet, a shower, because frankly, you kind of look like shit."
Steve suddenly became aware of the fact that he hadn't showered in over 24 hours, nor shaved, and was sporting the beginnings of a beard. He was still dressed in yesterday's clothes; his shirt was smeared and crusty in places with Danny's dried blood. He nodded in defeat. "Fine. Chin will be back later; the DA wants all the reports for the case finished today. I'll be back later."
Even though he had urged Steve to go, Danny almost wished that the man had refused completely to leave, because then he wouldn't be facing the procedures on his own. "Good. I'll see you later."
The SEAL must have seen something show on his face, as, before he left, he whispered, "It'll be fine." Danny simply nodded, watching his partner walk out of the room.
Chin scribbled his signature on the last report and threw it into his outbox, sighing in relief as the case was now officially finished. He could take the files over to the DA's office, Alex Joseph would go to court and receive 25 to life for the murders he committed, along with attempting to kill Danny. Justice would be served.
As he started to gather up the necessary files, movement through the glass walls caught Chin's eye. Glancing up, he saw Miriam approaching his office. "Can I help you with something, Miriam?"
Miriam hovered nervously by the door, playing with the hem of her shirt. Her mouth opened and shut a few times, but no words came out. Eventually, she murmured, "They told me you arrested my brother."
"We did," Chin confirmed. "He'll go to court at some point in the next week and receive his sentence." Joseph's sister only nodded, lowering her gaze. "I know that he's the only family you have left, Miriam, but your brother killed people and he has to face the consequences of it. Don't you think his victims deserve justice?"
"I do, but… How can I face their families in court knowing that I helped to…?" Miriam paused and swallowed heavily, before forcing herself to continue, "Knowing that I helped to kill those poor people?"
"They don't know that you were involved, Miriam," Chin told her. "And you'll find a way; you're a strong woman."
A bashful smile flitted across the young woman's face, before fading again. "How's Detective Williams? Is he okay?"
"He will be," Chin answered briefly.
Miriam nodded, retreating into herself again. Chin continued to gather up his files as she blurted out, "I'm sorry! I never wanted this to happen."
Chin snapped his gaze back up to stare at her. "What do you mean, Miriam? Never wanted what to happen?"
"I-I should have gone to the police as soon as Ali told me what he planned to do," Miriam explained in a rush. "But I was too afraid; he… he…"
"What? What did Alex do?"
"He threatened to kill me," she finished eventually, and rolled up her right sleeve. "I didn't want to help him. He said that if I didn't help him, I would go to Hell. He showed me what it would be like." Miriam held her arm out in front of her, showing Chin a particularly vicious burn that extended from her elbow to the middle of her forearm.
"Oh, my God, Miriam," Chin breathed, disgusted by Joseph's actions. The burn couldn't have been more than a month healed, judging by the ragged appearance of the skin over the wound.
"I should have gone to the police anyway," Miriam continued, tugging her sleeve back down. "Maybe if I had been brave…"
"You are brave," Chin countered. "I know you had a hard childhood, with the abuse from your father and your mother's aneurysm. And now helping us prevent your brother from hurting anyone else? In my book, Miriam, you're one of the bravest people I've ever met."
Chin wasn't sure what he had expected from Miriam – disagreement? Denial, perhaps – but not anger. "My mother did not die from a brain aneurysm, Detective," she snapped. "She killed herself!"
Well, I hope that was good for you all. I love Steve and Danny having a heart-to-heart bromance moment; after Grace and Danny, they are my favourite part of the show. I hope everyone else agrees, too. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated x