Ensoleillement
By
Landon Richardson
Official Disclaimer
The characters of Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Adam 'Toast' Charles, Amy Hanamoa, Eric Russo, Meka Hanamoa, Catherine Rollins, Joe White and anyone else within the story who might sound familiar do not belong to me in any shape or form, I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.
The character of Danni Richardson, David Richardson, Joshua Richardson, Summer Richardson, Libby Richardson, Ronnie Chen, Kevin Matthews, Lee Martin and Nurse Aliana Judd do belong to me though. I should also add that if a character is mentioned who you don't recognise from the show then they probably belong to me as well.
Author Note
Welcome to Chapter Sixteen of Ensoleillement.
Slightly shorter chapter then normal I'm afraid but the next one should be longer
Please enjoy the chapter
Overall Summary
Danni moved with her small family to Hawaii in an attempt to get away from everything and to heal after the death of her husband. What she didn't expect was Steve McGarrett bursting into her life and taking over it. Danni isn't sure that she's ready for another relationship but that isn't going to stop Steve from trying to show her otherwise. (McDanni, feature OC and also male Danny)
Chapter Summary
Danny breathed out nosily as he shifted his weight on the couch, his arm resting against the arm rest as he considered his position and what he could do to try and make his best friend see sense when he was determined to be blind.
Overall Romance
Steve McGarrett/ Danni Richardson (McDanni)
Meka Hanamoa / Amy Hanamoa (Mekmy)
Lee Martin / Catherine Rollins (Marllins)
Mentions of past Duncan Taylor / Danni Richardson (Dunni)
Mentions of past Steve McGarrett / Catherine Rollins (McRollins)
One sided Eric Russo / Ronnie Chen (Ronnic)
Chapter Romance
Steve McGarrett/ Danni Richardson (McDanni)
Lee Martin / Catherine Rollins (Marllins)
Hints of past Steve McGarrett / Catherine Rollins (McRollins)
Another note
Please keep in mind that I don't have a Beta for this story so the odd mistake may creep in without me meaning it to. I have also never been to Hawaii so all locations are either from the show, google or made up in my own mind.
Chapter Sixteen
Danny breathed out nosily as he shifted his weight on the couch, his arm resting against the arm rest as he considered his position and what he could do to try and make his best friend see sense when he was determined to be blind.
He had come up against this stubborn streak in Steve more times then he cared to remember, come up against it and managed to win each time though a combination of nagging, ranting, prodding him or using his clothes to pull him to where he wanted him to be and even on the rare occasion, he had used his daughter as a weapon, something which he wasn't necessarily been proud of doing but which had never failed to work.
Until that day.
Today, every method he had tried had been met with the same shake of Steve's head and a blank stare which had left Danny at a lost and with nothing to work with. There was no doubt in his mind that Steve needed to get his leg wound checked out, anyone, even if that someone had no medical degree or background, could see that with nothing more than a single glance. He knew that Steve himself could see that which made the whole situation baffling to him.
"Can I ask your something?" Danny queried, breaking the silence which had fallen between them after his last attempt at coercing Steve to go to the hospital had failed.
"Can I actually stop you from asking me anything? I've never been able to before now." Steve replied, sounding almost amused as he continued to watch the game on TV though Danny doubted that the other man was taken any of it in.
"You're a riot" Danny said with a roll of his eyes. "What I want to know Steven is why you won't go to the hospital? Why the hell are you being so stubborn over this? I genuinely can't figure out the reason behind it." Danny asked him bluntly, keeping his eyes fixed on his partner, he was rewarded a moment later by the sound of Steve sighing before he turned to look at Danny, meeting his eyes directly.
"Because I don't need to go Daniel, shockingly enough I have experience when it come to injuries and this one isn't serious, I can easily treat it at home and at work." Steve told him, waving his hand towards the leg in question which he currently had elevated on the coffee table.
"Did you manage to hit your head during the mission when none of us saw it happen and just kept quiet about it because firstly, just because you have more experience with injuries then is normal it doesn't in any shape or form make you a qualified Doctor who is able to make that call and secondly if all you want is to be left alone then that is fine, to be left alone all you have to do is go to the hospital, get checked out and I'm gone because trust me when I say there is plenty of other things I could be doing other than trying to make you see sense." Danny stated, his hand cutting through the air to emphasis his point.
"No one is stopping you from leaving and getting on with all those things Danny, you're the one who has made the choice to stay here and nag me, I didn't ask you to stay." Steve pointed out with a roll of his eyes as he looked away, a flicker of pain crossing his features before it smoothed out.
"You're an absolute pain in my side McGarrett." Danny grumbled, throwing himself back against the sofa in frustration. "I'm not about to leave you alone here when we both know that you can barely manage to make it to the bathroom and the kitchen. A small fact which once again points to any one with a glimmer of common sense that you should be in hospital being checked out to make sure you're not infected or something." He breathed out, reaching out and running his hand through his hair as he continued to speak. "I mean what is this? Are you worried that they are going to keep you in overnight and you'll miss out on the action because in case it's slipped your notice babe, the case is wrapped up and we don't have a new one yet. Your friend and his unit are home and because none of them are stubborn, which is a relief knowing that not all Navy men are too stubborn to listen, they are currently safe and sound in hospital getting the treatment they need. We did what we set out to do, though given the sheer effort it took to achieve that goal then the least Catherine and Lee can do is to get married and have a free bar for the evening for us. That would definitely make up for it all."
He smirked when Steve let out a startled laugh at his comment and looked back over at him with a raised eyebrow.
"You think that the pair of them are going to get married, aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself Danny, they haven't even been dating each other for that long." Steve commented, looking and sounding genuinely interested in Danny's response.
"Sometimes you don't need to be a relationship for years to know deep down that the person you're with is right for you. Sometimes you just know." Danny told him, watching closely when Steve's eyes flickered away from his, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Besides, all you had to do was look at them when they were reunited, Catherine is in love and so is Lee."
"Did she tell you that?" Steve asked.
"No but I'm a Detective, Steve, Detecting and looking at all the facts to come to a decision is what I do for a living. Catherine went against all procedure, she got you and your team involved, she got us all over to Afghanistan and provided us with all the intel which she had gathered herself. Doing one of those actions would show she loved him, doing them all? Well…" His voice trailed off as he shrugged. "Which reminds me, do you think that Catherine is going to get in trouble for the whole operation. I mean we had to bring Joe into it so it's not like the big wigs in the Navy don't know what happened by now." He asked.
"Yeah she will" Steve replied with a nod. "Like you said, she did go against orders and protocol on a private mission which she dragged others into, just to save Lee and his team. The fact that she got them back will definitely play in her favours and knowing the big wigs as you call them, they'll let her off with an warning which will probably disappear from her official file in a year if she doesn't get into anymore trouble but it does also mean that they'll be keeping a close eye on her for the foreseeable future which means that she's no longer an asset which we can use."
"You think that they could overlook it this one time giving the small fact that it is a first-time offence and that she did actually save the men, with help granted. If she had waited for her chain of command to do anything then all of them would have been dead and their deaths plastered over the internet for people to view. The only reason that didn't happen is due to her and her intel." Danny commented, pushing down against the flicker of rage he felt on Catherine's behalf.
"Trust me Danny, them giving her only a warning is the equivalent of them overlooking it." Steve assured him, his mouth tilting up into a smile. "People know what she did though so they have to be seen as doing something if only to make sure that others don't do the same. The Navy is big on procedure being followed and Catherine knows that which is why she is fine with the warning. Remind me to tell her how enraged you are on her behalf though, she seemed to think you didn't like her." He commented.
"I didn't like her? Where did she get that idea from?" Danny demanded.
"You were a bit grouchy with her during the mission." Steve pointed out mildly.
"I was showing a reasonable amount of concern for my partner and my team." Danny argued back. "We were there because of her so of course I was a bit grouchy, what if something had happened to one of us. I mean there is nothing wrong with Catherine but my concern is always going to be for us first." He stated, smacking his hand down against the arm rest again. "Did she tell you that?"
"She might have mentioned it once or twice, the latest being when she popped in today when you were up using the shower, she brought me a smoothie from Danni's bakery to cheer me up. She said to say hey to you but she couldn't stay because opening hours at the hospital were about to start and she wanted to be there to spend the time with Lee." Steve told him.
Danny blinked at the comment, dropping his eyes to the coffee table where he noticed the half-finished smoothie for the first time which he had clearly overlooked during his attempts at shifting Steve.
"I'm surprised you haven't already drained the glass that what normally happens when you have one of those smoothies." Danny said with a shake of his head. "So, Catherine did go to the bakery then like she mentioned she would. Did she meet Danni while she was there?" He asked, watching his partner's expression closely while wondering how that meeting between the two would have gone down, especially if Danielle knew who Catherine was in context to Steve.
"I doubt they did, Danni is so rarely out the front, especially around this time of day." Steve said dismissively, the flicker of pain returning as he shifted in his chair as though trying to get comfortable. The simple action caused Danny to sigh and glare at the other man who simply reacted by giving him a blank look in return.
The sound of a firm knock at the front door caught them both by surprise as they turned as one to look towards it before Danny looked back at Steve with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you expecting any visitors today?" He asked, surprised when Steve shook his head.
"No" He replied with a slight frown. "Chin and Kono said they were headed straight home to sleep so it wouldn't be them, maybe its Kame? He always seems to know when we're back and dropping off food at his discount level."
"Maybe" Danny said, pushing himself up to his feet when a second knock followed indicating that whoever it was on the other side of the door, they weren't going anywhere. "Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming, hold your horses." He muttered to himself as he crossed the small space between the sofa and the door, glancing back at Steve once before he pulled the door open. He blinked in surprise when his eyes landed on Danielle. "Danni-girl? What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Hello Danny, or should I say Danny-boy if we're giving each other nicknames now." She replied with a smile at him. "I was wondering if Steve was in?"
He blinked at her question, his eyes dropping down automatically to take in the simple white vest top and jeans she was wearing while her long blond hair had been caught up in a ponytail. He realised even as he smiled back at her that it was the most casual outfit, he had seen her in.
"Yeah he's in" Danny told her as he took a step back and waved her into the house glancing over her head as she entered to focus on Steve though the other man ignored him, his eyes fixed firmly on Danielle who glanced around her before focusing her own attention on Steve with a look which made it clear to Danny that at that moment in time no one existed but the two of them.
"Danni, what are you doing here? Did you get my flowers this morning?" Steve asked, making a movement to climb to his feet, only stopping when Danielle moved swiftly over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, using the soft touch to push him back down.
"I did thank you; the flowers were lovely." She assured him "But that's not why I'm here, I'm here to take you to the hospital Steve so you can get checked out."
"The hospital?" Steve repeated, tilting his head to the side so he could glare at Danny who responded by shaking his head at Steve to make it clear to the brunette that he wasn't involved for once.
"You can stop glaring at Danny, Steve because he wasn't the one who told me that you were hurt." Danielle commented, clearly noticing the look, she waited until Steve looked back at her before she continued to speak. "I had a visit from Catherine earlier, which you probably already know from the smoothie and she was the one who mentioned that you had reinjured your leg." She said as she took her hand away from him and looked down at Steve's leg for a moment before she sighed and looked back up at him. "Why haven't you gone to the hospital already?"
"Because I don't need to go Danni, the injury is nothing and for the record Catherine should never have gone to speak to you." Steve told her.
"Well she did come and tell me and she's right when she says you need to go and get your leg checked out so come one, let's go." Danielle replied briskly before she turned to look at Danny. "Is he always this stubborn?" She asked with a wry smile.
"Worse normally" Danny replied, flashing Steve a grin when the older man glared at him. His grin widened slightly when Steve reached out and gripped Danielle's hand in his, his thumb stroking across her knuckles though he doubted that his friend was aware that he was doing it.
"Look Danni, I really appreciate the concern and the fact that you've come down here to check on me but…" Steve began to say, his words trailing off when Danielle leaned down towards him, her free hand resting against the sofa beside him to steady herself as she looked into his eyes and spoke clearly.
"I'm taking you to the hospital Steve and before you argue with me I should let you know that I'm doing it for selfish reasons, I believe you owe me a date and we can hardly go on that date if you end up with blood poisoning. I mean I am assuming that you still want to go on that date with each other, right?" She asked, her voice softening.
"So, our date is still on then?" Steve asked, the expression on his face brightening for the first time since they had landed.
"It is, but only if you see sense and come with me now to the hospital." Danni told him.
"Are you blackmailing me Danni" Steve asked her, a teasing tone which Danny hadn't heard before coming to his voice. "Because if you are then that is technically against the law." He pointed out.
"Then you best arrest me Steven because those are my conditions for a date." She replied back. Steve remained silent for a moment, clearly searching her eyes before he spoke.
"Fine, I'll go to the hospital but the only reason I'm going is because you asked me to, not because I need to." He commented, the reply causing Danielle to smile even as she turned to look at Danny again.
"Can you help me get him to my car? I'm parked outside." She asked him, glancing down at Steve when he spoke again.
"I'm fine to walk there myself Danni." He told her as he came up to his feet, stumbling with a hiss of pain into Danielle who staggered under the sudden weight though she somehow managed to keep her footing and keep him up as well.
"Sure, you are" She replied with a shake of her head, giving Danny a grateful look when he came to Steve's other side and took his arm, wrapping it over his shoulder and giving Steve a smug smile as he began leading the taller man over to the door, his eyes flickering passed to Danielle as she slipped passed them and opened the door for them.
Perhaps there was another stronger way of making Steve see sense.
Author Note
Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.
I really appreciate it