I do NOT own anything, but the plot.
Thank you for reading and reviewing!
As always, thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy what's to come!
This chapter was one of my favourites to write!
Nalo a loaʻa
-loosely translate to "lost and found"-
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
When Danny walked in the next morning, Steve was laying in his side, no pressure on the bullet wound or his stab wound, and genuinely looked at ease if not for the small pinch of pain between his eyebrows. Looking a little closer, he realised he never thought Steve would be a man he'd describe as small, but in that hospital bed it's all Danny could think. He only moved when Steve pried his eyes open to see who was in the room with him now.
"Well, how the tides have changed … I pop downstairs to pick up a special delivery and look at you now."
"Hey," Steve greeted sleepily, catching Danny mid thought. "Morning, Danno."
"Morning Steven," Danny said crossing the room. "How you feeling? And don't say I'm fine."
"I'm good," Steve replied in earnest, a small smile pulling in his lips.
"Same meaning, you goofball." Rolling his eyes, he approached the bed. "How d'you sleep?"
"Okay," Steve grunted, but remained mostly unmoved. "They're apparently dialling back the meds, so I'm not as comfortable."
Apparently, a lot had happened when he went to meet Chin at the main entrance. When he left, Steve was still dosing, exhausted from yesterday's therapy and testing.
"I can see that, superman. Any reason they're dialling them back?" Danny asked, rhetorically. "Oh no, wait, they're dialling them back because you can deal without them."
"I can," Steve confirmed with a straight face. "I'm trained to deal with pain, Danno, and this is a little pain."
In all fairness, this was nothing compared to months ago.
With a sigh, Danny tried to deflate his impending rant, but he couldn't withhold it.
"You know, sometimes I hate you and I hate your damn training because sometimes I wish you'd just see that you bleed like the rest of us ... more than the rest of us," he joked, correcting himself. "Last time was bad enough, but this time you're dealing with a concussion on top of blood loss, on top of internal damage, on top of exhaustion."
"You done?" Steve asked, keeping his tone even. "Or is there anymore?"
"Yeah, no, I'm done … for now," he replied and approached bed fully. "Scoot over a bit," Danny ordered, placing a bakery bag onto the table.
"You can't lay on my bed," Steve objected, but didn't have the energy to fight.
"Why the hell not, Steven?"
"Because it's my bed," Steve argued, his frown intensifying.
"Quit pouting and share," Danny tossed back and continued onto his venture of taking up part of Steve's hospital bed. "We can make it work, it's a big bed... even if you are the size of a mutant gorilla."
Conceding to Danny's wish, Steve jostled back gingerly, gritting his teeth as he made room for his partner. In all honesty, Danny had been right when he said the Governor had set him up with a hospital room that rivalled the Ritz. The room was spacious, the bed even more so, the television on the wall was a widescreen with all the latest mod-cons. If it wasn't a hospital, Steve would extend his stay.
"You know, you should've bought me dinner before moving your way up the bases."
"I've bought you enough dinners over the years, so shut up ... although, I did bring breakfast," Danny said, wiggling his butt to get comfortable. "And CHiPS is on," Danny remarked, clicking the TV on, unable to hide his little smirk.
"Not this again," Steve groaned loudly.
"Thought for nostalgia's sake it would help us reconnect," Danny explained, gesticulating with his hands to the television on the wall.
"A two-by-four to knock me out would help us reconnect," Steve muttered, regrettably rolling his eyes. "Using witnesses as shark bait would help us."
"Yeah, yeah, and dangling guilty men off buildings would, too," Danny muttered, flicking through the channels. "Shut up and enjoy some time with your BFF."
With a chuckle, Steve fully settled, impressed with the way Danny got onto the bed without causing too much disturbance. After yesterday, he was happy to be mostly free, only needing the heart monitor to make sure his heart rate remained steady and the IV to get his meds on board quickly and make sure he was kept hydrated for the sake of his damaged kidney. Now the catheter was gone, Steve was already feeling more comfortable, but now that was gone, he was aware of all of his other limitations. Between a busted left leg, fresh gunshot wound and niggling concussion, Steve was still fairly at a disadvantage.
"I'm still Ponch," Steve suddenly said, giving in as the theme tune started.
"You know you can't base character types on hair colour, Steven," Danny pointed out, definitely readying to have this argument all over again.
"No, but I'm still more Estrada than you are. Told you once, I'll tell you again ... we have more in common. I'm Ponch."
"That's just not true, Steve..."
"You were good to be Baker when Kono said he was hot," Steve mentioned pointedly, giving Danny a sidewards glance.
"So, were you," Danny reminded, letting him know in all of the years that memory had not lost clarity.
"Yeah, back before I knew Chin would castrate me with his bare hands," Steve said, and grunted. "Shit," he murmured, a hand coming over his eyes.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah," Steve just about managed. "Just tired. Got that stupid headache again."
In all honesty, the concussion was making Steve feel like shit. He'd been dozing to combat his headache when Danny had arrived but trying to focus on the television screen had racketed his headache up a notch. That doubled with the lack of sleep, and running thoughts about Cath and the baby, and Steve had found peace in his friend's solid form next to him, and he finally felt grounded.
"I didn't sit here for you to sleep on me."
"You're on m'pillow, Danno," Steve murmured, trying desperately to open his eyes. "You forg't I was shot?"
"Forget? Steven, I'm still trying to get your blood out from under my nails."
"Get a manicure ... Five-0 can foot the bill," Steve ordered, grinning sleepily at his partner.
"If I knew this was bound to happen, I'd have stayed on the stupid plastic seat by your bed."
Danny started to leave but Steve gripped Danny's shirt, weakly preventing him from leaving.
"You can't move now," Steve argued, releasing a small groan as his body protested the shift in weight on the bed. "I'm finally comfortable."
"God damnit, Steven."
"I got shot," Steve pointed out, his eyebrow slowly rising up. "First time I've been comfortable since I got admitted."
"Fine. Fine. Fine," Danny sighed, defeatedly. "But this comes with rules and stipulations, and I know you're a sucker for selective hearing but no touching, no snoring and no cuddling."
"I don't snore," Steve argued weakly, his eyes still closed.
"I'm sorry... you don't snore?" Danny asked sniggering. "Is that something you learnt in your time during BUD/S training? Rule number three hundred and seven, snoring attracts the enemy."
"Snoring does attract the enemy," Steve agreed, peeling one eye open. "That's survival 101, Danno."
"And the arguing is back," Kono commented as she stepped into the room. "Are we disturbing anything?"
"Nope," Danny mused, folding his arms over his chest, Steve's cheek still pressed to his bicep. "Our neanderthal SEAL here is exhausted and decided to use me as a pillow."
"Because he's on m'pillow," Steve managed, opening his eyes a tiny bit to see his team at the end of his bed. "Wha're you guys doing here?"
"Came for a visit," Lou groused, looking Steve over. "Looks like we missed the party."
"He did lag quite quickly. One minute we're watching TV, the next he's trying to snuggle in."
"Watching CHiPS," Steve said, pointing blindly at the TV, eyes still closed.
"McGarrett's definitely Ponch," Lou mused glancing at the screen.
"Thank you, Lou," Steve slurred, his eyes still closed. "Told ya," he muttered, poking Danny in the side.
"Hey, stop that!" Danny yelped, his body bending to get away from Steve's prodding finger. "I said I'd stay here based on three stipulations... you've now broken two of those."
"What is happening here?" Kono asked, unable to hide her amusement.
"I was fed up of the chair and wanted to watch TV comfortably."
"So, he hijacked an injured man's bed," Steve added, his voice getting huskier.
"Just shut up and catch up on some sleep, Steven."
"Yes, mom," Steve replied and caved the calm unconsciousness he'd been fighting.
"Wish you wouldn't compare me to Doris McGarrett," Danny scoffed.
"She doesn't look after me," Steve chided softly, his voice getting huskier. "You already win points."
"Touching," Danny jested.
"Has he still got that headache?" Sarah, Steve's main nurse asked as she came into the room, Steve gave a grunt and Danny nodded. "I bought a cold compress, thought it may help. Do you mind getting the blinds, too, please?"
Lou and Chin reacted, sorting out the blinds, while Kono took the cold compress.
"If you need me, just push the button or come find me at the nurse's station," she told them, giving them a sweet smile. "He can't have meds yet, but if you don't need me until then, I'll be back in an hour or so."
"You ready for this, Boss?" Kono asked as she approached the other side of Steve.
He nodded and she gentle laid it on him
"This is gonna get Danny's shirt wet," Kono warned and laughed when Steve shrugged.
"Owe him new pants and a manicure, what's a shirt as well?" Steve sleepily replied, jokingly.
"Oh, of course, he has no care or concern for my property … just like my car, my shirt can be a casualty to his life."
Kono ignored Danny's rant and laid the compress onto Steve's temple, curling it around his forehead. Steve sighed the moment the cold hit his skin and Danny was amazed at how boneless Steve seemed to become in that very moment. It was as his partner's breathing got heavier and evened out, Danny accepted full defeat, and knew he wasn't moving if it meant Steve had some respite in his pain.
"Get some sleep, I'll keep changing it over," Kono assured her boss.
"You ever wanted to be a nurse, Kono?" Danny asked, looking at her gentle motions. "I mean, no bad words against you current job role, but this is a complete level of tenderness I have never seen."
"Should I be insulted?" Kono asked, giggling.
"No, just I've seen you roundhouse a perp," Danny mused, grinning at her. "You'll make someone a lucky kid one day."
Kono didn't say anything, just grinned and blushed as she took Danny's usual seat.
"I swear this is the first time he's fully relaxed in the time he's come home," Danny observed, feeling a little trapped by Steve's suddenly heavier form. "Heaviest damn marshmallow I ever did feel."
The team laughed as they settled around the room, the air around them losing every fibre of tension that had hung around.
"Why a marshmallow, Brah?" Chin asked l, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You called him a marshmallow filled with testosterone right before his Aunt Deb's wedding," Lou countered, laughing on the memory.
"Also called him a half-baked cookie, too, once," Danny batted back. "Both very apt analogies."