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Nalo a loaʻa

-loosely translate to "lost and found"-

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Frowning at his cell, Danny didn't take kindly to Steve's sudden departure. With a frustrated sigh, he poised his fingers ready to reply, but found he couldn't find the words. Between his anger and disappointment, Danny remained silent. His eyes drifted up the screen, taking in each word Steve had written.

Thanks for breakfast, Danny. Look after the kids. I'll see you around.

Each sentence punctuated his mind as he read over the text and he hated how his stomach roiled at the thought of Steve, hungover and alone. It didn't sit right after last night's breakdown and while he was aware it was brought on by liquor, it had still happened. Steve had cracked and given in, letting Danny see a raw side to him and Danny would thank Steve's inebriated state for allowing him to bear witness to that.

At that mere thought, his ire started to simmer, and he placed his cell down, unable to reply in earnest without making Steve feel a new level of guilt. While his thoughts and feelings were still ever changing towards the SEAL - former SEAL, Danny's thoughts bit back - a part of him just couldn't fully let go and accept that Steve had no part to play in the hell rained on their lives. Steve was just the easiest and closest figure to attach the blame too.

I'll see your around. There was a finality to that sentence as his mind repeated it on a loop. A sense of impending doom accompanied it and Danny knew he couldn't let this go, couldn't let Steve continue on the very obvious spiral he had fallen into. He didn't think Steve would do anything stupid, but he also wasn't one hundred percent sure he wouldn't.

I'll see your around.

"Damnit, Steve," Danny groused under his breath, throwing hands up into his hair.

He knew he couldn't be like this around the kids, seeing Steve back had already shaken him, but seeing how different Grace and Charlie were reacting, left little room for Danny to think about himself. Letting his hands fall, he calculated his next steps, and they involved the team and their leader, whether he liked it or not.

"Danno?" Charlie's questioning tone came from behind him. "Where did Uncle Steve go? He's left his pancakes."

"Er, hey, Buddy, he had to leave real quick," Danny said, not completely lying. "He thought he wouldn't be a lot of fun to be around, so he snuck off."

"So, he could feel better?"

"Yeah, Bud, so he could feel better," Danny agreed but he saw the frown crease his son's face. "Hey, what's up?"

"Why is Uncle Steve sad, Danno?"

Danny felt like a Class A asshole for the pure fact his son could see how glaringly obvious Steve's mental health was, but Danny had all but glossed over the fact.

"What do you mean?" he asked dumbly.

"He's not like Uncle Steve anymore," Charlie replied, almost too innocently. "And when he thought we weren't looking, he stopped smiling. I saw it."

Danny couldn't keep his head from hanging lower at that observation.

"He's usually pretty goofy, but he wasn't today. Does he not like me anymore?"

"What?" Danny gasped, crouching down in front of his son. "Charlie, listen to me … Steve is dealing with some things, but it has nothing to do with you. He missed you like crazy when he had to go off on that special mission, but he's having a hard time readjusting to being back. We just have to give him a few days."

"But why is he sad?" Charlie asked, oblivious. "Shouldn't he be happy to be home?"

"Yeah, Buddy, he should be," Danny remarked, unable to withhold the remorse from lacing around his words. "And I'm going to try my hardest to help make that happen, okay?"

Charlie nodded, seemingly satisfied by that response.

"Now, we need to go and get cleaned up and get you to school. You've been up hours and we're still going to be late."

"Okay!"

He watched Charlie bound off and sighed - one crisis sorted.

"Danno?" Grace called out as he went to follow Charlie.

Danny turned to see his daughter leaning in the open doorway, her eyes full of tears, her face a gauntlet of emotions.

"Gracie? What's the matter?" He said advancing for her, but as he reached out, she took a step back. "Monkey?"

"I think I made him leave," Grace admitted, her body language shutting Danny out.

"What? Grace, why would even say that?" Danny could feel the pinch in his forehead where he was frowning so hard. "He didn't leave because of you."

"He did," she whispered, looking guilty at her hands. "You took Charlie to get cleaned up and we just sat there in total silence, and I could sense he wanted to say something or do something to break the tension, but Danno, I couldn't bear it. I could feel my heart racing so fast and before I knew it, I was leaving the table and running for my room."

Danny gulped, not knowing what was right or wrong. His daughter wasn't dealing with any of this, and he had been so distracted with Charlie he had neglected just how upset Grace was becoming. His little girl had put such a good front on her growing anxiety, and he felt like absolute shit for it.

"I'm not coping okay, Dad," Grace confessed and fully broke down.

Unable to restrain himself, Danny launched at his daughter, needing to wrap his arms as tight as possible around her. His fatherly instinct was riding high, and he was unable to contain it.

"I hated it," Grace admitted softly. "I hated being left alone with him. I hated him being here. I hated him being so okay." Grace's words were wrapped around harsh sobs. "So, I just upped and left him there."

Reaching out, Danny wiped a tear away from Grace's cheek, catching it before it had full descent.

"And I thought I was relieved when I heard the front door close, and I watched him walk up the drive."

"And now?"

"Now, I hate him even more for leaving ... again."

The sight of Steve walking down the drive, head bowed, hand running over his hair was something Grace committed to memory. The man she had idolised for years no longer existed and that only caused her anger to grow.

"I would say I'd call him, but I think Steve is struggling with all of this like you are." Sighing, Danny thought about his next words. "I'm going to call your mom and see about keeping you and your brother home today. I'll explain the situation, but this is not to be a regular occurrence."

"Okay," Grace whispered, appreciating her father for seeing she was not handling this. "What are you going to do about the situation? About Steve... about everything that's happened..."

"First things first, I'll deal with your mother and then I'm going to call a team meeting."

Danny didn't want to say how he realised how unfair everyone was being towards Steve. The last thing he wanted was to push a guilt trip on his daughter, but the team deserved to have their eyes opened.

"Then we'll go from there," Danny finalised, forcing a smile.