A/N: I'm honestly not sure where a chunk of this chapter came from - it was not in the original plans. But the muse said otherwise, and who am I to argue with her? She can get cranky, and quite unpleasant to be around. I find that it's better to just agree with her.
I'm sorry I couldn't get to individual replies for the past week or so. There are still a few bumps and bruises in my world, and I'm just trying to find my footing again.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Grace slept for another hour before startling awake. She glanced around wildly before her eyes locked onto the worried gaze of both her father and her uncle.
"Monkey? It's okay – you're at Uncle Steve's house. Remember?" Danny kept his voice low, not wanting to startle her further. He lightly rubbed his hand along her arm, trying to ground her and get her more awake.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She hadn't been dreaming, really – but there had been thoughts bouncing around inside her head and she wasn't sure what was real or not. She knew that she was safe, but if that were true, why was her stomach all tied up?
Steve shifted so that he could place her onto Danny's lap. "I'm going to run inside and get breakfast started. Are pancakes okay with everyone?"
He was pleased to see the haunted look start to fade from Grace's eyes. Maybe it was just waking up outside that had her spooked a bit?
Grace nodded. "They sound good, Uncle Steve. Right, Danno?"
Danny rubbed her back as she cuddled against him. "Can't wait, Monkey. They are just what I need before I have to go see Kerilyn again."
Steve nodded. "We still have a couple of hours before you have to be there. Grace, do you want to go with your dad while he does his therapy, or do you want to have Aunt Kono come over? She mentioned something about nails and painting – I'm guessing she doesn't mean fixing up my house, right?"
Grace rolled her eyes and grinned. "No, Uncle Steve. She wants us to paint our nails. That sounds kind of fun. Is that okay, Danno?"
Danny smiled warmly at his daughter as Steve headed inside to make breakfast. If she wanted to spend time with Kono doing relatively normal things, then he certainly wasn't going to stand in her way. "Of course it's okay. Unless there is makeup involved. Then, it is absolutely not okay for you to grow up too fast. But if it's just making your fingers and toes all pretty, then I'm all for some girl time with Auntie Kono."
Grace looked serious for a minute. "But Danno – if you want me to come and help you with your exercises, I will. I know I'm supposed to be your helper." She was a bit worried, but Danny quickly put her at ease.
"Aww, Grace. You are the best helper ever. But this time, you can help me by having fun. I don't think I'm going to be doing any cool stuff yet with Kerilyn, and in case I have any homework, Uncle Steve can learn what to do, and then show you how to help me at home, okay?"
Grace seemed to relax just a little at his words. She hated being confused like this – she wanted to stay with her dad, but wanted to spend time with Auntie Kono, too.
Danny knew his daughter well, and knew that she was at war with herself over wanting to help him and wanting to be a little girl again. After everything she'd been through – he really wanted her to have something normal to be excited about. "I promise, Grace. I want you to stay and have a good time with Kono – I will feel better if I know that you're smiling and doing girly things that I'm not very good at."
Grace cocked her head to the side. "But Danno…you are really good at painting my nails. The last time we did manicures, you didn't smudge them at all."
Steve snorted as he poked his head outside. What he wouldn't give to have seen Danny painting Grace's nails.
Danny just glared and shook his head. Leave it to Super Seal to have super hearing. "Yes, Steve. I paint my daughter's nails. So what?"
Steve grinned. "Seriously, Danny? I love that you will do anything to make sure Grace is happy. It's what makes you such a good dad."
Danny flushed slightly, unsure of whether Steve was giving him a hard time or not, but not awake enough to care. "Thanks." He shifted so that Grace was standing on the deck, and braced his arm against the deck chair and stood up. As Steve led the procession into the kitchen for breakfast, Danny pulled his phone out.
"I'll be there in a minute. I need to put a call in to Dr. Maclean. I'm not sure if it's just soreness in my shoulder or what, but I'm going to see if he will change the post-surgery antibiotic I was on. I kind of feel like it's not working that well. I know I only have a few days left, but I want to stop anything that's trying to start up."
Steve stopped him with a hand on his arm. "You okay? Do you need to go and see the doc?"
Danny shook his head. "No…I'll just have him switch the meds. I just feel like there might be a bit of a low grade fever and feel kind of wiped out. Although, it's hard to tell if the wiped out is follow up from the surgery or from being scared shitless for my daughter."
Steve nodded. "If you're sure. We can swing by after you see Kerilyn, though. Or you can cancel Kerilyn and get in sooner, if you want."
Danny shrugged. "I shouldn't need to – Doc can just call it in, and I can start it later today. If things don't get better in a day or two, I'll go in and let them take a look. I really don't think it's anything to worry about – I wouldn't try to hide that from you or Grace. She's been through enough, you know?"
Steve understood where he was coming from. But it didn't mean that he wouldn't keep a close eye out on his best friend. "Well, I'll get Grace started on her pancakes while you make your call. I'll try to get her to save some for you, but I've seen her demolish pancakes like they were being discontinued from the breakfast world."
Danny chuckled as he thumbed the number into his phone. "Get too close and she might stab you with a fork. She really loves pancakes." He stepped into the living room to make his call, while Steve headed towards the kitchen.
Grace's jubilant reaction to Steve coming into the kitchen was just the medicine Danny needed as he waited for the surgeon's office to connect. As the receptionist connected, he quickly explained his concerns. It wasn't long before Dr. Maclean was on the phone as well. Past allergies noted, he agreed to switch the antibiotic, and wanted to see Danny in the office in 48 hours if there was no improvement. An infection could quickly set into the bone if they weren't careful, and that would be disastrous for Danny if it happened.
As Danny joined his family in the kitchen, he smiled as Grace practically had her cheeks stuffed with pancakes. He was so grateful that her appetite appeared to be returning, although he noticed it was hit and miss. If pancakes were a hit, he'd certainly take whatever she was willing to eat.
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"Fuck!" Danny was trying not to cry out as Kerilyn used her thumbs to dig into a large knot that had formed in the muscle surrounding the front of his shoulder. She wasn't working his whole shoulder, as she had commented on the low grade fever he was running. She was working in a more localized area this time around.
"I'm sorry, Danny." She looked apologetic as she worked. She knew that she was hurting him, but in the long run, working those knots out would be beneficial. Scar tissue could easily form in injuries like his, and she wanted to try to combat it before it got worse. Scarring could trap nerves, and result in potentially permanent damage to his arm.
As he started using his arm more, the muscles would stay more pliable, but while his arm was immobilized, he was at risk for large amounts of pain down the road if he wasn't careful.
"I know…I just didn't think I could get knots like that in my armpit." He grimaced as she worked into another sore spot.
"You'd be surprised at how much your pecs can tighten up. It's not a muscle people normally spend time stretching out, and then with you keeping your arm stationary – I just don't want it to be worse later on down the road." Kerilyn finished her session with more gentle massage, which gave Danny time to regain his composure.
He had been just about ready to ask her to stop – it was almost more than he could take. Fortunately, she was nearly done. Because of his fever, she didn't want to inflame things further, so she had him skip the range of motion exercises he had done the last time.
He just had the ice and muscle stim left to go before he was finished for the day. She hadn't done anything new this time, so there wasn't anything different for him to do at home. She just wanted him to keep up the same routine at home, and she would see him in two days.
After the timer had gone off and roused him from his fifteen minutes of iced-down bliss, she unstuck the pads and helped him get the sling back on. As she walked him to the front desk, she reminded him to call the doctor if anything changed, or if he thought the new antibiotic wasn't working.
He shook his head, as she made sure that Steve was included in her reminder. There would be no stopping him now that he had instructions to follow.
Thanking her, they headed towards the truck, and onto the pharmacy to pick up his new medication. He figured he'd take it once he got home and let it start working, rather than waiting until morning to start the regimen.
Danny sat back against the seat, his eyes closed. Even though he had gotten a good night's sleep, he was still beyond tired. He hoped that they all would get caught up soon – there was only so much time before the body rebelled against exhaustion.
Feeling the truck pull into the parking space, Danny reached for his seatbelt, but Steve motioned him to stop. "You stay here – I'll run in and grab your prescription. I figured I'd grab some chicken and we could just grill for dinner tonight. Does that sound okay?"
Danny nodded. "Grace likes teriyaki sauce – can you grab some of that, too? Maybe she'd eat a little more?"
Steve agreed as he jumped out of the truck. "I'll be back in a bit – try not to cause any trouble while I'm gone, okay?"
Danny would have flipped him off, but he was too tired, so he just resumed his comfortable position from earlier and willed his shoulder to stop throbbing. Even after having the ice on it, it was pretty pissed off. He didn't like taking them, but he knew he might have to resort to a pain pill when he got back to Steve's.
After about ten more minutes, Steve opened the truck up and set the bags in the back seat. "Okay. I got everything. How are you holding up?"
Danny shrugged his shoulder. "It's pretty sore right now. I may just crash for a while when we get back to your house, if you don't mind keeping an eye on Grace for me."
Steve assured Danny that whatever he needed to do was fine with him. He drove home quickly, trying desperately to avoid sudden stops and start that might jerk Danny's arm. Fortunately, luck was on their side as they were able to get home relatively unscathed, minus a sudden slam on the brakes to avoid a stray dog.
Steve knew that Danny wouldn't want him hovering, so once he was parked, he grabbed the groceries from the back seat and met Danny on the path leading up to the door. Holding the door open, he ushered Danny inside, meeting Kono's gaze with a look that immediately conveyed his concerns.
Danny wearily made his way to the couch and sat down gingerly. He needed to stretch out and let his meds kick in, but wanted to spend a few minutes with Grace, too. "Hey, Monkey. How was the pedi-party?"
Grace giggled as she carefully perched herself next to Danny. "See? Kono painted every nail a different color, and then made my toes match. Isn't it beautiful?"
Danny smiled as he saw light in his daughter's eyes. "It sure is, baby girl. It sure is." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the fruity scent of her shampoo.
Grace carefully hugged his arm, loving cuddle time with her dad. It always made her feel better, and today was no exception.
Just then, Steve came into the room with a bottle of water and three pills in his hand. "Here you go, Danny. Your new med, the anti-inflammatory that you forgot at breakfast, and a pain pill."
Danny made a face as he downed all three pills. He had forgotten his meds this morning. He had been so happy to see Grace acting more like herself that he truly just forgot to take them.
It was only just after noon, so he wasn't too far off of his schedule, which was good. The only medication that was three times a day was the new antibiotic – the pain pill was every four hours as needed, and the anti-inflammatory was twice a day. He would be fine if he took it again at bedtime and got back on schedule.
Steve gestured towards the kitchen. "And I see that your daughter has been busy putting lunch together. I'll go grab it and will be right back."
Grace was beaming as Steve went to retrieve her surprise. "Me and Auntie Kono made lunch. It's all easy stuff that you can eat with your hands – I thought you would like it after having to do your exercises. I know your arm hurt a little bit last time."
Danny reached for her hand and squeezed. "I love that idea, Monkey. Thank you so much for thinking of me."
Steve returned with a platter of sandwich quarters, cut-up fruit, and cookies. There were also bottles of juice and water, which Kono hurried to grab for their impromptu picnic. Once everyone was seated near the coffee table, plates were passed out.
Kono looked to Danny and Steve. "Chin wanted to come over, but he was having some trouble with the bike. He needed to get a part for it, but said if he got things up and running, he would stop by later."
Grace grinned at that news. She loved when her whole ohana got together.
They all chatted quietly through lunch, although Steve noticed that Danny really didn't eat very much. As long as he had something in his stomach to protect against the medication, he should be okay. He nudged Danny's foot and motioned towards the stairs.
Danny nodded and turned towards Grace. "Hey, Monkey. I'm kind of tired after therapy. I'm going to go rest for a little while. Are you good to hang out with Uncle Steve and Auntie Kono?"
Grace nodded happily, although she had a bit of a concerned look on her face. "I will, but I'm going to tuck you in bed first, okay?"
Danny had to smile at how loving his daughter was. Regardless of anything else in his life, he was very proud of the type of daughter he had helped raise. "Well, let's get to it, then. You've got more playing to do."
Grace carefully held onto Danny's hand as he climbed the stairs. Once he was in the guest room, she bent down and untied his shoes so that he could kick them off easier. She fluffed up his pillows before pulling the comforter down, leaving only the sheet to throw over him if he wanted it.
Satisfied that he was tucked in comfortably, Grace leaned over to kiss his forehead before hugging him gently. "Have a good sleep, Danno. I'll be downstairs if you need anything. Your phone is on the table, and Uncle Steve sent a water bottle up for you, too."
Danny was already starting to doze, but mumbled "Thanks, Grace. I love you."
Grace kissed him one more time. "Love you too, Danno." She quietly left the room, leaving the door opened in case Danny needed to call for anything.
When she got back downstairs, she settled on the floor as Kono put in a movie. Steve was perched in the armchair, catching up on some e-mails that he had neglected. None of them wanted to venture outside – at least not until Danny was awake, so they figured some downtime would not be unwelcomed.
After about thirty minutes had passed, Grace heard the telltale sign of Chin's motorcycle outside. Tugging on Kono's hand, she pulled her towards the door. "Uncle Chin is here!"
The two girls headed for the door, while Steve shut things down on his laptop. As he was putting the computer away, he felt his phone vibrate on his hip.
What he saw on the screen had him rushing up the stairs, yelling for Kono or Chin and for Grace to stay downstairs. His mind was focused on the one word that had come from Danny's phone, as he took the stairs three at a time. The one word that had sent his heart plummeting..."Help!"
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