Steve gaped at them.
"Married. Jax and I are . . . married?" he repeated, incredulous.
"Which brings me to the next thing we need to talk about," she continued. "Danny has been listed as her medical proxy since she came to the island. Probably long before."
Danny nodded. "Since she lost her brother."
"Generally speaking, a spouse is the assumed person to make medical decisions," Malia said.
"A spouse?" Steve asked. The word sounded foreign.
"Or domestic life partner," Malia said. Danny and Steve both blinked at her. As many times as they'd been teased about being married, they weren't entirely sure what she was trying to say. "Never mind," she continued quickly. "My point is, an argument could be made that Steve should have the say in medical decisions."
Danny and Steve looked at each other, each reading the other's thoughts instinctively.
"Malia," Danny said slowly, "are you saying that . . . decisions are going to have to be made?"
"I hope not," Malia answered. "But it's best to clarify . . . just in case. How do you gentleman want to handle the situation?"
"Jax chose Danny," Steve said. "She has no idea that we're . . . married. I think we need to default to Danny."
"But babe . . . legally married or not, you and Jax are - well, you're together. You have been for a while now," Danny pointed out. "I feel awkward, like it's not my place."
"Danny," Steve said quietly, studying his hands, "Jax waited until I was out of the room, and she told you . . . she told you what she wanted. And she told me, later, not to be mad. I think Jax made this decision while she was coherent, and I don't think it's right for us to change it right now."
"Even though you're married?" Danny pressed.
Steve looked at Malia. "What do you think, Malia?"
"For what it's worth, I think Steve makes an excellent point. But Steve, if Jax were aware that you were married, that could have changed her opinion," Malia said. "It's a tough call."
"We're partners," Danny said. "Steve, you and I, we are damn good partners. I say we decide together."
Steve looked relieved. "We have to agree," he said quickly. "Both of us have to agree." He looked at Malia. "Can that be the plan? That if decisions have to be made, Danny and I need to agree before anything can be done?"
"That seems very reasonable to me," Malia agreed.
"I don't want the team to know," Steve said quietly. "If this isn't what Jax wants . . . I'm sure the Navy will arrange for an annulment. I don't want her feeling pressured because people know, or thinking she has to give me the opportunity to save face or something."
"That seems fair," Danny said. "When will you tell her?"
"I have no idea," Steve said. "How do you just drop news like that on someone? Definitely not while she's out of her mind with fever."
Malia's pager beeped insistently, and she looked down and sighed. "Speaking of which," she said quietly. "Damn." She shook her head.
Steve was on his feet instantly. In all the times he'd spent in the hospital, he'd never heard the ladylike Malia utter a swear word. Not sparing a second glance to either her or Danny, he strode purposefully toward Jax's room.
By the time Danny and Malia reached the room, Steve was gowned and inside, and Julia had exited. She put a hand on Danny's arm. "She's asking for you, sort of," she explained, "so you may as well go in, too." She turned to Malia as Danny donned a gown. "The fever is breaking through the Tylenol. I turned the blanket down another ten degrees."
Malia made notes in the chart on the door as Danny rushed inside.
"He's here, Danny's here," Steve was murmuring, his hands cupping Jax's face.
"I made a mistake," Jax whispered. "I should have called him. He would have come for me."
"Of course he would have," Steve said. "Jax, that was years and years ago. You're here now, with me. And Danny is here - he's right here, Jax."
Danny took her hand. "Hey, babe."
Jax looked at him, her green eyes clouded with confusion. "I'm so cold, Danny. This was a mistake. I should have called you, I'm sorry. It was just . . . I'm so tired. My arm hurt so bad, and Billy and Jake, they're gone. All of it was a mistake, all of it. NYPD . . . I should have stayed in Jersey. I should have partnered with you, after Grace, I didn't . . ."
"Shh, it's okay, I'm here," Danny assured her. Steve pushed a chair over for him, and he sat down, not letting go of her hand. Her skin was still hot to the touch, and he glanced up at the read out. 103.5, flashing in bright red digits.
"I thought it would be better," she said earnestly. "I was afraid . . . if you kept coming for me, Rachel would - you should be with her now. Not here. Go be with Rachel, and Gracie. Not worth - Danny, I'm not worth this. Should have fought him harder, when he tried to pull me out. I was . . . I'm sorry, Danny."
"Oh, dear God," Danny breathed, looking up at Steve in horror. "That night, on the bridge, she . . ."
"Don't, Danny," Steve said hoarsely. "It's bad enough she's reliving it; don't go back there with her. Jax," he said, getting into her line of vision, "you're not there, ku'uipo. That was a long time ago, and you're here in Hawaii with Danny now. And he and Rachel . . . they're having a baby, remember? It all worked out. Rachel understands. It's fine for Danny to be here with you."
"And you," she mumbled. "Danny is here for you. Team. You call it . . ."
"Ohana," Steve supplied. "Everyone is here, just down the hall. They'll visit when you're feeling a little better."
"It was a mistake," she sighed, closing her eyes. "Won't do it again, Danny. Glad . . . met Steve. Glad it didn't work. Stupid mistake."
"So keep fighting now, you hear me?" Danny said, fiercely. "Don't give up now, rookie. You got it?"
She nodded. "Stay."
Steve bent and kissed her cheek. "That's right. Stay. You hang on, stay with us. Stay with me."
"'K," she mumbled again. A small smile played across her face. "Boss."
"Damn straight," Steve said firmly. "Fight. That's an order."
The machine blipped at them. 103.2.
They held their breath as she seemed to drift off into sleep, curling slightly toward Steve under the heavy weight of the cooling blanket. He pulled the sweatshirt around him and wrapped both of his hands around hers.
"Danny," he whispered, "the guys will get you some soup, and something hot. I think they have a sweatshirt for you, too. Go." He tilted his head toward the door.
"Steve," Danny replied quietly. "Come on, you're still dead on your feet. I got a decent night's sleep. I'll stay. Go try to get some rest."
Steve shook his head. "Don't think I could. If she's resting, I think I can rest, here. I'll be fine Danny, you know that. I don't need a lot of sleep."
"Okay but if you change your mind . . ."
Steve nodded in agreement as Danny quietly slipped out of the room. He watched her sleep for a while, keeping one eye on the temperature readout. It didn't move. Julia tiptoed into the room and took another blood sample.
"Is the cooling blanket working?" Steve whispered.
"For now," Julia said. "We'll take it. It's a good sign, Steve. You - sleep."
Steve nodded as she slipped back out of the room, and then he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair.
His subconscious flitted through a litany of words as he drifted off into a light sleep: congratulations . . . State of Hawaii . . . chaplain . . .
Married.
His eyes popped open.
"Holy shit," he whispered to himself, and he looked at Jax one more time, before he succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off again, a faint smile playing across his lips.
#*#*#*#*#
"Steve."
His eyes popped open, instantly wide awake, and he was immediately aware of two things: Jax, her green eyes unclouded, focused, and fixed on him. And the alarming beep of the temperature monitor, flashing the digits 104 at him, mocking him.
"Steve," Jax said again. It had been her voice, of course, that had brought him to instant awareness.
"Ku'uipo," he breathed. "Your fever is shooting up, let me go get Malia."
"She'll come," Jax said. "Alarms. I love you."
"I love you, too, Jax," he whispered, kissing her gently. "They'll bring you some more Tylenol, another round of antibiotics. It's been working. Julia said it was working."
"It was worth it," Jax said. "All of it. Every case. Rivera, Martinez, O'Neil . . . all of it. To be with you. Whatever it took, to get me here. I wouldn't change it. Except for the spleen. Damn, I wish I'd kept my stupid spleen."
"Jax," Steve said, his voice breaking. "No, stop, listen . . . they have a special guy, working on the culture. Malia said . . ."
"I know," Jax said, smiling at him. "It's okay, Steve."
The door to her room flew open, and Malia and Julia came rushing in, but Steve barely registered their presence. Julia immediately adjusted the setting on the cooling blanket, while Malia forced a syringe into one of the IV bags.
"Jax, hang on, they're doing more," Steve said, urgently, trying to smile at her, trying not to let her see how terrified he was. "There's stuff about the case that we need to discuss, okay? Chin found a fingerprint. And something came up on one of our old cases, that you'll think is so funny . . . I can't wait to tell you . . . but you'll have to get better. You have to hang on until they get the right antibiotic."
"Ice packs and saline comes next," Jax said. "Everyone is going to try their best."
"How is she lucid?" Julia murmured to Malia. "She's at 104.5."
Malia shook her head, her lips pressed in a thin line.
Danny came rushing into the room, throwing on a gown and wiping his hands dry. He came around to the side of the bed, next to Steve, and looked down at Jax.
"Hey, the team is down the hall," he said, smiling at her. "They can't wait to see you. As soon as your fever breaks, okay?"
"Okay," she said. "Danny, you know what I want. You'll be fine. It's okay."
"No, no, no no no no," Danny said. "We have other things to talk about. Much more important things. You are not going to believe what this Neanderthal has done, you just wait."
Julia was packing ice packs around her, moving efficiently around Steve and Danny. Jax didn't react or wince as her bruised and cut limbs were moved out of the way to make room for dozens of cold packs. A portable cooler full of more stood just inside the doorway. Malia pulled out bags of chilled sterile saline and started to hang them.
"Maybe you better tell me now," Jax said, her teeth chattering.
Danny looked at Steve. "Steve, maybe . . . " he said quietly.
"No," Steve said, fiercely. "No, I'll tell you when your fever comes down a little. Not now. I'm not going to tell you now, Jax, but it's a doozy, so you've gotta - ku'uipo, you've gotta hold on."
"Okay," Jax said. "Better be good . . ."
Her eyes drifted closed as Malia switched out another bag of antibiotics and started the chilled saline drip.
"Jax?" Steve said, patting her cheek. "Jax?"
There was no response, just the shrill blare of the alarm as it registered 104.7.
"Danny," Steve whispered, his voice breaking. Danny's strong hands gripped his biceps and pushed him away from the bed to make room for Malia and Julia to continue working. "Danny, I should have told her, what was I thinking . . . I should have told her . . . "
"I think you need to step out," Malia said kindly. "We're still pulling tricks out of our sleeve, guys. Take a minute. I'll come get you if . . . if you're needed."
Danny shoved Steve unceremoniously from the room, yanking the yellow gowns off of both of them, and then grabbing Steve in a hug. He held on tight as Steve's shoulders shook in silent sobs.
"Danny, I should have told her. She was there, she was with us . . . I just - I felt like if I told her, if I told her right then, it seem like was because I would never have another chance, and I didn't want to do it that way," Steve rasped, heaving air into his lungs.
"I know, I understand, babe," Danny said, trying to hold back his own tears.
"I could tell you thought I should, though, and I should have trusted your instincts, Danny, what if - what if I never get to tell her?" Steve asked.
"You have to believe you will, Steve. You have to believe it," Danny said. "Come on, let's go thaw out a minute, with the team."
Steve brushed at his eyes. "You go, Danny, I can't - I can't let them see me like -"
"You can, and you should, Steve," Danny said, his strong arm crossing across Steve's back to his shoulder. "Come on, big guy, it's not like they don't know you're totally losing your shit. We both are."
Steve let Danny propel him toward the waiting room. The looks on their faces spoke volumes to their waiting teammates, and the five stood in a circle of tangled arms and murmured words of consolation.
#*#*#*#*#
A/N - Medical procedures and terminology were researched and should be within the realm of easy suspension of disbelief for all but the most critical of readers . . . please remember - this is a work of fanfiction, not a research paper. ;-)