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 Seventeen of Ensoleillement.
We should have two more chapters after this and then this story is finished! I'm so pleased that I made the decision to go back and work on this story further. Its made me all the more determined to do the same with my other work in progresses and to complete them all!
Who know, they may end up turning into multi part sagas like this one is going to.
Anyway, 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
"I just want you to know that I'm blaming you for all of this by the way." Steve commented, turning his head to the side so he could glare at Danny, grinding his teeth together in frustration when the other man merely shrugged the look off as though it was nothing, if anything the blond seemed to be highly amused by it.
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 Seventeen
"I just want you to know that I'm blaming you for all of this by the way." Steve commented, turning his head to the side so he could glare at Danny, grinding his teeth together in frustration when the other man merely shrugged the look off as though it was nothing, if anything the blond seemed to be highly amused by it.
"Is it now?" Danny asked him, a mild tone to his voice, as he leaned back in the uncomfortable looking plastic chair situated beside Steve's hospital bed. "Okay, I'll play ball with you for the time being. Please Steven, tell me how this is my fault."
"It's your fault Daniel because if it wasn't for you then I wouldn't be here in the first place. I wouldn't have had to endure a lecture from some random doctor who was pissed off because I was his last patient and kept him from going home and I wouldn't of had to stay in this place last night and I wouldn't have to stay over tonight as well so they can pump me through of antibiotics through an IV." Steve told him, lifting his hand into the air, drawing attention to the IV connecting to the back of his hand.
"Are you sure you didn't suffer from brain damage when we were in Afghanistan that is affecting your memory?" Danny asked him with a raised eyebrow, a look of concern in his blue eyes which Steve hated seeing. "Because forgive me if I'm wrong but the way you're remembering what happened yesterday is completely different from what actually happened. I tried multiple times to get you to come to the hospital yesterday and you refused each and every time claiming that you were fine and could handle the injury at home which clearly wasn't the case at all."
"I…" Steve began to say, stopping when Danny held up his palm at him.
"Zip it because I'm not finished yet. It was in fact the other Danni in your life who was the one who convinced you to come here, drove you here and then stayed with you for as long as she could before having to go. Do I look in anyway like that Danni?" He demanded with a raised eyebrow.
"No" Steve replied sulkily.
"So clearly not my fault then." Danny stated. "If it's anyone's fault then I guess it would be Catherine's and Danielle's. Catherine for telling your sort of girlfriend about the issue in the first place and Danielle for seemingly caring about you enough to be worried over you and to hightail it over to you to bring you to the hospital. Are you planning on ripping their heads off when they come to visit you since I'm assuming, they will" He queried with a raised eyebrow, tilting his head so he could see Steve.
"Catherine maybe, Danni, no." Steve admitted on a huff.
"Catherine no you mean, no offence but she could kick your ass in your current state." Danny pointed out. "My advice is to let it go if you're not going to moan at them about it. You're here now, you're getting the treatment you need to sort your leg out and you'll be out tomorrow barring any last-minute complications. There isn't much to complain about really, not when you think about it." Danny told him with a wave of his hand at him before he tilted it so he could look down at his watch.
"Is there somewhere else you need to be right now Danno?" Steve asked him finally, meeting his partner's eyes with a questioning look when they flickered over to him with a surprised look.
"Why are you asking me that?" Danny demanded.
"Because that is the fifth time within a ten-minute period that you looked at your watch, either you really like the thing or there is somewhere else you need to be?" Steve asked him, raising an eyebrow when Danny sighed at him.
"Fine you've got me. Chin called me earlier on today, there's something in one of the cold cases he's been looking at when we haven't been on an active case, that he wants me to have a look at for him. He found it the day we went to Afghanistan so there was no opportunity before now to have a look at it. I told him that I would meet him for dinner at six so he could run down his find with me but if you need me to stay here with you then I can cancel, it's not like Chin wouldn't understand." Danny told him.
"Last time I checked I was a big boy Danno and was more than capable of being by myself overnight in hospital, god knows I have had enough experience with it. You go and meet Chin and see what he has to show you with the case. Once you've spoken to him and if you think it's something worth following them let me know. If it's heated up then we'll need to hit the ground running on it, especially if it was from two weeks ago."
"Maybe, it could be nothing but I doubt that Chin would have called me if he didn't think it was important." Danny admitted before he came to his feet. "I'm going to head off, there's a few things I want to get done before I meet him, like popping into headquarters myself to see what we've missed while we were away. Give me a call tomorrow and let me know what time you need me to come and get you. I'll catch you up on things then, or in the evening if they don't allow you to leave." He stated, clapping his hand down on Steve's shoulder in a friendly manner before he took it back and glanced around him as though making sure that he had everything which he needed with him. "Try and be nice to the nurses this time around, if not for yourself then do it for the reputation of Five-O, the last thing we want is for them to think that every member of the team is like you." He told him with a grin before he moved around the bed and headed towards the closed door.
"Hey Danny." Steve called after him, meeting his eyes again when Danny stopped at the entrance and looked back over his shoulder at him. "If this thing that Chin has to show you turns out to be too important to wait then text me about it tonight okay?" He asked, unsurprised when Danny's eyes narrowed at him in response to his request.
"Why Steven? So, you can sign yourself out of here against medical advice yet again?" The younger man countered him sounding unimpressed, he rolled his eyes when Steve remained quiet. "How about this, I'll make the decision myself once I know the details. If it can't wait then you have my word that I will tell you as soon as I know, just be aware when you're signing yourself out against all advice that I'm not the person who you have to explain yourself to anymore." He commented with a cryptic smile before he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Steve frowned to himself, wondering what Danny meant by his comment before he pushed the thought from his mind as something to puzzle over later on. He glanced around the empty room, thankful that he didn't have to share it, and snagged the book from the table which Danny had brought in for him to read. It had been a surprise to him when he realised that Danny was in fact an avid reader, something he wouldn't have expected from the younger man at first glance.
He flipped the book over in his hands, reading the description on the back before shrugging to himself as he opened it to page one, figuring it would be a good way to pass the time at least.
He must have been reading it for thirty minutes when a polite knock on the door caught his attention, he glanced up as he called out.
"Come in"
His eyes widened when the door opened revealing Danielle dressed in a pretty black skirt with a sleeveless pink top on, her hair tied up carelessly in a high ponytail. She was holding two girls in her arms, one blonde who he recognised as her daughter from the one time he had seen her, and the other one dark haired and unfamiliar. Both small girls were holding a single get well soon balloon in each of their hands which Steve had a sneaky suspicion were for him. His eyes lowered when he caught a slight movement from behind Danielle, noticing her son was watching him with serious dark green eyes.
"Hello Steve, I hope you don't mind but we were passing by and thought you might want a visit, there's nothing worse than being in hospital and having to try and past the time alone." Danielle said with a kind looking smile, waiting until he nodded and waved them in before she moved in, ushering the small boy past her before she used her foot to close the door and headed towards the bed.
"A visit from you is always welcomed Danni." He told her with a grin on his face. "I didn't expect to see you today."
"I didn't realise they were keeping you in overnight, I thought you would have been seen and sent home but Danny called earlier to tell me that wasn't the case? He said it was an infection?" She queried as she sat down on the chair which Danny had been in, sitting both girls on her lap before she turned to her son and spoke. "Josh, bring that other chair up for you to sit on please?"
Steve watched as Joshua nodded at his mother, dropping the blue rucksack he had to the side before he went and got the chair in question, dragging it across the room until it was beside his mother before he jumped up on it.
"It's just a small infection, nothing to worry about. The Doctors have pumped me full of antibiotics and its healing nicely, I'll be out of here tomorrow." He explained to her with a shrug.
"Good to hear. I can't remember whether I've ever properly introduced you to my kids but this is Joshua my son and my daughter Summer." She told him, indicating the two blond children with a nod. "And this little munchkin is my niece Libby, she's my twin brother's daughter."
"Oh right, yeah I remember you saying in passing that you lived with your twin brother and his daughter. I'm guessing since you're here that you're not at work and he's somewhere doing something?" He asked her, not wanting the conversation to end.
"Its my day off today and yeah David is at work, he is a Doctor at Tripler" She commented before addressing her next comment to the three kids. "Guys, this is my friend Steve, he's hurt himself so he has to stay here but I bet if you say hello to him then it will make him feel a lot better." She said, leaning her head down and brushing a kiss across the top of Summer's head.
"Hello" The dark-haired girl who Danielle had said was Libby chirped at him, staring at him fearlessly through eyes which were the exact same shape and colour as her Aunt's eyes.
"Hello" Summer parroted with a grin while Joshua merely nodded at him, watching him warily as though he was expecting Steve to leap out of the bed and attack them all.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you all, your mother and Auntie talks about the three of you all the time." He stated as he lifted his hand up and waved at them before focusing on Danielle when she spoke again.
"It's good to hear that you're feeling better, you look a lot better, there's more colour to your face then yesterday." She said, sounding relieved.
"I felt fine yesterday." He pointed out to her, narrowing his eyes slightly when she merely nodded at him before speaking.
"Of course, you did, that's why you've had to spend up to two nights in hospital, because you felt fine." She stated. Steve opened his mouth to reply when he stopped, closing it instead knowing that he had no real rebuttal to her comment, instead he watched as she turned away from him and took the two balloons from the girls, gently hushing their sound of complaints as she tied them to his table. "The girls wanted to get you something to make you feel better so they handpicked these balloons for you." She explained to him.
"They are the best balloons I've ever had." He told Libby and Summer seriously, his heart lightening when they both beamed at him in response.
"Josh helped them pick them out as well." Danielle told him, smiling down at the boy who shuffled awkwardly on the chair. "Do you want to get your colouring book out for a short time Josh, I'm sure Steve wouldn't mind if you do." She said, glancing towards Steve with a questioning look which melted into a smile when Steve shook his head.
"I've no problem with it." He assured them, noting the slightly less serious look which Joshua shot him in response to his comment.
"So, have you had many visitors while you've been here?" Danielle asked as she placed Libby on the mattress and adjusted Summer, her eyes locked onto the small brunette as she leaned down and pulled out a teddy bear from the bag she had which she passed over to Libby before her eyes focused on Steve again, clearly waiting for him to respond to her question.
"Just you and Danno" Steve replied with a shrug. "It makes sense though, Chin and Kono have been resting up today and Cath has been with Lee during visiting hours."
"I'm glad Danny has visited you though its hardly a surprise given that you're partners with one another. Hopefully though this will be the last time you'll have to be here for a while. I have only known you for what? A month now and you've already had to stay here twice within that time frame. I'm hoping that it's not a normal occurrence for you to be here that often?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow as she produced a small cup from the bag which she handed over to Summer.
"Thank you." The small girl said with a big smile before she began drinking from it.
Steve took a moment to simply watch her as he considered the answer to her question before he spoke.
"I'd be the first to admit that I end up in hospital more than I would like to but twice in a month is excessive even for me." He told her, his mouth curling up into a smile when she shot him a startled look.
"I should hope so" She said, her eyes flickering over to the door when it opened and one of the nurses who had been looking after Steve appeared.
"Hello Commander McGarrett" She commented as she stepped in, her eyes sweeping over Danni and the three children as she came to his side. "I'm sorry to interrupt your time with your family, I won't be a moment." She assured them, the comment taking Steve aback.
"My family?" He repeated, his eyes flickering over to Danielle who looked equally surprised by the comment.
"Yes, I had no idea you were married with three adorable children. I guess you learn something new every day." She said, her eyes fixed on the IV bag, clearly measuring how much was in there.
"I'm just a friend of Steve's, I'm not his wife." Danielle said finally, smiling at the nurse who suddenly looked embarrassed.
"I'm so sorry, I just assumed…" Her voice trailed off as Danielle waved her hand at the older woman.
"Absolutely no need to apologise, it was an easy mistake to make." She assured her, waiting until the nurse looked away before she shot Steve a look which looked partly resigned, partly amused.
"Looks like things are going well here Commander, if you continue to improve then there will be no reason why Detective Williams can't pick you up first thing tomorrow." The nurse assured him before hightailing it out of the room, leaving a silence behind her.
"Well… that was awkward." Danielle said finally, shooting him a slight smile.
"Danni" Steve said, waiting until she looked at him before he spoke. "You remember what we spoke about yesterday, about the terms of me coming here?" He asked her, waiting until she slowly nodded at him. "Well I'm here and I kept my side of the bargain."
"And I'll be keeping mine as well." She assured him.
"How about this Saturday, at say seven o clock?" He asked her hopefully, unable to keep the grin from his face when she nodded again at him.
"This Saturday at seven O clock it is." She agreed before glancing away, pinkness staining her cheeks as she ducked her head down to Summer who had clearly had enough of sharing her mother's attention and wanted some of it for herself.
Steve sat quietly, his eyes moving across the balloons before he took in the scene of Danielle and the children, realising with surprise that he could easily grow use to this.
He just had to show Danielle that he was in it for the long haul with her.
This time things would be different, this time he would make sure that the date with her went ahead and not only that it went ahead but that it was a success as well.
He wanted Danielle in his life and by his side and he was determined to make it happen.
One way or another.
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