Chapter 7
"Have a seat detective Williams."
Danny did and was glad he could do it.
When he had been in the waiting room he couldn't sit still for a minute. Now that he would finally get some answers, he had the feeling his legs would give out any minute. He was worried sick about his best friend and being led into a room instead of getting the information in the waiting area didn't make it any better. He felt queasy and nauseous and his heartrate quickened.
"Okay, detective. The "good" news is that commander McGarrett is not in the immediate danger of dying but we have to watch him very closely though. His injuries are extremely painful. Whoever did this to him knew exactly were and how it hit to do the least damage, but to inflict the most possible pain. The break in his right wrist is a clean one and doesn't require surgery. We will get it casted after the swelling has gone down and the wound from his restraint is healed. A splint has to do the work for now.
The bad news is that we don't know what kind of damage the drugs and the repeated tasering had done. We are sure that there will be damage – everything else would be a miracle – we just don't know if it is permanent or temporary. Only time will tell."
Danny looked shocked. He knew it was bad, but 'Steve…Steve was Steve. He would bounce back. He would…permanent damage'…
"What kind of permanent damage?"
"I don't know you detective, but I can see that you and commander McGarrett are very close. I know you are worried and I understand that- especially since you had been there when he had been found and that is why I am telling you that you shouldn't lose hope just yet. As I said the damage might be temporary. I just wanted you to know all the possible outcomes."
"What…kind…of…permanent…damage?"
"As I said we don't know yet. We have to wait and see how his body is coping the next few days and when he is awake enough to do some tests."
"WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE?"
"There is no need to know just yet. There are a lot of possibilities and it would worry you even more. Please, detective. I know it is difficult, but try to be patient. Wait a few more days and we will know what kind of damage there is and then we will figure out which is permanent – if it is – and which is not."
"Just tell me!"
The Dr. looked at Danny for a few more seconds and knew he wouldn't win this.
"Organ failure – most likely kidney, liver, lungs, heart, brain damage, insomnia, tremors, muscle spasms and stomach cramps, itching skin, nausea, vomiting, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, numbness of body parts, loss of or impaired motor skills, mental problems like depression, anxiety or irritability."
The more the doctor talked, the paler Danny got. Now he wished he hadn't asked.
"Can you…can I …can we do something?"
"There is a lot we can do. The first thing you do before we continue is to drink something."
He stood up, went to a closet and put a bottle of water in front of Danny.
"I want you to drink that. All of it. Slowly."
Danny took the bottle and started to drink, then the doctor continued.
"I would like you to eat and sleep too, but I don't think you can do that at the moment. That is way I am going to make a suggestion: Commander McGarrett will be transferred to the DICU in about 20 to 30 minutes. I will…"
"What is DICU?"
"It is the Intensive Care Unit for drug addicts. People there…"
"Steve is not an addict!"
"Unfortunately, he is, detective."
"HE IS NOT!"
"Detective, please…"
"Don't please me! Steve is sometimes reckless in what he does. At least it seems that way. But he is probably just confident about his training and he knows what he can and can't do, but he is taking care of his body and health. He is keeping himself in shape, he is running and swimming for miles every day and he is eating healthy stuff – at least 90% of the time. But he…he…never USED anything. He…he…"
Detective Williams. Please you need to calm down. I know this is a lot to take in. But I don't want to have to admit you too. Try to breathe deeply and evenly and take another sip of the water."
He waited for Danny to do what he had been told before he continued.
"I know the commander took care of himself and that is actually working in his favor, but he now is – not by his choice though – a drug addict. Actually, he can be glad the people didn't overdose. The amount of heroin that was still in his system when he came here was enormous. And I doubt this was the first dose that high.
Now back to my suggestion. Ah, no, first back to DICU. It's a "pilot project", funded by private donations and the Melanie Rose foundation. It's an ICU for drug addicts, people who overdosed or want to get clean. It also includes the aftercare – like psychological treatment or medical care like medication and examinations – as an inpatient as well as an outpatient.
The people who work there are well experienced and had gotten further training. We are transferring the commander to that unit, because the drug abuse will cause the most problems for him – along with the electrical abuse – and we want to get him the best help there is. If there will occur any neurological issues, we will consult a neurologist as well.
This new unit has a so called "family-area". It usually is for families with underaged kids. If you agree with it, I am going to make a call to make sure the commander is going to get a room there. That way you can stay with him. But when I do this, I want you to promise me to eat properly – meals will be served there – and to sleep when he sleeps. The personnel will have an eye on that by the way, so don't promise me here just to break your word when everything is arranged .
It is going to be a long and painful way of recovery – for both of you – and if I rate you correctly you want to stay by his side through it all – right?"
"Yeah, absolutely."
"Okay. You going to make that promise?"
"Yes, I will do that. As long as I can stay with him."
"Okay. I'll be back in a minute."
While the doctor was gone, Danny thought about everything – 'heroin – so Chin had been right with at least one of the drugs. Addiction, organ failure, permanent damage…permanent damage…permanent…'
"Detective Williams? Did you hear me?"
Dr. Ramirez had returned without Danny noticing and had obviously even talked to him again.
"What? No, I am sorry. I think I was lost in thoughts."
"Yes, looked that way. I said commander McGarrett is on his way up and everything will be arranged for you."
"Thank you. I appreciate that very much."
"You are very welcome. The attending doctor will be Dr. Lexington. He is going to talk to you about the treatment, the prognosis, the tests and everything else. The unit is going to page me when your friend is settled. Is there anything you want to know right now?"
"Actually, yes. You said they injected him with heroin. Do…do you know what else they had given him. There…there were three different…drugs in that hell…basement."
"Yes, our lab identified all three samples that were brought in. Heroin, Chrystal meth and LSD. We found traces of all three in his blood, but since meth is staying in the system for the longest and the amount wasn't that high anymore, we think that he got injected yesterday morning or a little earlier. LSD were really just traces, so we think about this morning. But the heroin level was still very high so we suggest either right after the effect of LSD had worn off or about an hour before you've found him."
Dr. Ramirez' pager went off. He had a quick look at it and said "Everything is settled. You can go upstairs if you want."
"Yes, thank you."
