I do NOT own anything, but the plot.
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As always, thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy what's to come!
Nalo a loaʻa
-loosely translate to "lost and found"-
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
"Danny, you gotta break me out of here."
"Let a guy step two foot in the door before you attack," Danny responded, his voice already a higher octave than needed.
"I'm going crazy…"
"I deduced that years ago, Superman, but what has happened between me waking up and going out of this room to grab something to eat and coming back?"
"Me waking up to this room … again!"
Danny couldn't resist the urge to laugh. He knew as each day passed the effects of Steve's head injury weakened, but as his partner was able to make better sense of things, they knew the headaches were something he'd battle for weeks to come.
Doctor Keoni had promised Steve a release from the hospital, but his kidney wasn't playing nice, earning him another couple of days. The extension had done nothing to help to help the former SEAL's mood any and Danny was waiting for Steve to explode with anticipation and frustration.
"Plus, I don't know what we're doing about the baby yet, but I want to start making changes to the house and I can't do that from this damn bed," Steve stated, his agitation growing. "I want to strip Mary's room, I want to look at cots and changing tables, and I want to show Cath how serious I am. But that nursery needs to get sorted and we're on such a short amount of time."
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Slow the hell down!" Danny argued, putting his hands up. "The nursery can be done when you are home. We've already got the cousins involved, we've enlisted Grace and Charlie into child labour, and they'll have a paint brush stuck in both hands. All while you can sit in a chair, rest that leg and dictate."
"Did you just call me a dictator?"
"Well, if the combat boot fits," Danny shrugged and walked into the room closer. "Look, we will get things sorted, but you can't rush your recovery, or you'll just end up back on your ass again. We as a team will help you get it sorted, okay?"
"But…"
"Not listening, Steven," Danny rebuked, cutting him off. "You have a kid on the way … one that requires you to be fit and healthy, so lay in that damn bed when you're told to, and eat like a good little solider."
"Sailor," Steve mumbled, relenting begrudgingly.
"Like a good little sailor," Danny corrected to appease his friend. "Now, eat something half decent and have some juice," Danny ordered, rummaging through the bag Chin had dropped off.
Steve watched as Danny put a pot of cut up fruit onto the rolling table over his bed, only to set a carton of juice next to it.
"Is that pineapple juice?" Steve asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Yeah, it is, you heathen," Danny muttered disgusted as he handed it over. "Have at it."
"Why do you hate pineapples so much, Danno?" Steve asked, taking the lid off to swig a gulp. "It's so good."
"It's so not," Danny rebuked, gagging a little. "And it epitomises everything this Godforsaken Island stands for."
"The best stuff?" Steve asked, cocking a brow. "You know, you've been here nearly seven years, now, and you haven't learned to love this place."
"Oh, I love it … purely for the fact it is home to my kids, but outside of that it's a sweltering hell hole most days with an energised Rambo maniac on the loose."
Steve fixed Danny with a look, waiting for him to say the one thing he knew he never would. He then grinned at his partner, Danny deliberately breaking eye contract.
"Don't stand there and lie to me," Steve said, reaching forward for the plastic tub of fruit. "You had a taste of life without me, and you hated it more than you hated this island."
Danny went to reply, but clamped his mouth shut, pursing them together.
"But if you loved me… you'd get me the hell out of here."
"Why have you got ants in your pants all of a sudden?" Danny asked trying to work out Steve's sudden eagerness. "For days you've listened to sense and now you're rattling the cage. What the hell happened, Babe?"
Popping a strawberry in his mouth, Steve gave a resigned sigh and flexed against the pillows.
"They want to do more testing before they'll let me out of bed," Steve admitted and sighed. "I'm fed up of this, Danno. I just wanna go home. I want to get up and leave, but they won't give me crutches and you're in cahoots. And this place is killing me."
In reality, Steve wanted to get so many things started. He wanted to get his life back on track properly, but all the while he was in the hospital bed, he felt like his life was stagnating, just out of his reach.
"You're whining, stop it," Danny reprimanded, moving his seat to face Steve. "You'll get properly out of that bed and there'll be no stopping you."
"That's the point," Steve grumbled. "I want out of this bed for more than just therapy."
"I've got an incentive," Cath's voice came from the doorway. "If you want to hear it?"
"Cath," Steve breathed her name and visibly relaxed.
"Hey Sailor," she murmured softly, grinning. "Hey Danny."
"Morning Catherine," Danny greeted, not bothering to move, but fixing her with her intrigued look. "I am intrigued, though … what's the incentive?"
"Well, you see, I have an appointment just after lunch," she started.
"An appointment?" Steve asked, cutting her off while pushing himself up. "What sort of appointment?"
Catherine took notice of the instant tension that seem to cause Steve's muscles to go rigid, the way he forced himself up only to wince with pain made her step into the room.
"Will you calm the hell down?" she asked, frowning at him. "Do you really think if it was something bad I'd be here with a smile on my face?"
"Would like to come to my partner's defence that what little brains he had left were knocked out of that skull cage of his when he decided to kiss face with my car."
"I kissed my wheel arch … I took great delight in using the Camaro to rearrange Franklin's face,"
"Do you hear yourself?" Danny asked, twisting in his seat, flailing his hands around. "I defended you, you putz!"
"Yes, and I just told you how you helped save the day!"
"Ladies, calm down!" Catherine intervened. "I'm sorry, Baby Boy, this is the world you're going to have to get used to, I'm afraid."
Steve swung his head round too fast, regretting the dizziness, but watched Catherine looking at her stomach, talking soothingly.
"He can hear you?" he gawked.
"What do you mean he can hear you?" Danny asked, squinting in confusion at Steve. "Steven, it's a baby, not an earless mammal. Of course, he can hear you! He's practically ready to do survival of the fittest and deliver himself."
"In case you haven't realised, Daniel, I've never had the liberty of child rearing. I got your kids at a fun age."
"Got my kids at a fun age?" Danny parroted Steve's words and started laughing. "Un-freaking-believable! They weren't bought from a shop! What about Joan? You walked into the office with a baby strapped to your chest one day and knew what you were doing."
"Barely," Steve snorted, remembering that memory. "And that wasn't by choice, Mary was in the hospital. What was I supposed to do … leave a baby in my sister's already capable hands?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe not bring it to work like we needed a mascot that burps and pukes."
"Boys! Will you just shut up?" Catherine asked, before taking a calming breath. "I have a scan in like two hours … I'm not doing another one alone, Steve."
Steve didn't need an education on what she meant, and he certainly wasn't going to miss out on it.
"Danny, get the doctor." His words were eager, and his heart pounded with the impending adrenaline rush. "Danny, get the damn doctor and whoever the hell else is required to get me out of this table bed and onto crutches without a damn therapist."
"Into a wheelchair, but okay," Danny corrected and obliged getting up to leave.
"He's right… I'm not taking you anywhere but in a wheelchair."
Steve narrowed his gaze not liking the idea of going from one confinement to another.
"I can walk … I've had worse than this and you know that."
"I know you have, but also you never had these type of injuries all at once or a concussion that has lasted this long."
"I'm fine," he batted away her concern.
Catherine did nothing but crossed her arms over her chest, cocking her head to the side and fixing Steve with another pointed look.
"Between that look and your death glare, this baby will be running drills by the time he's twelve hours old," Danny mused the moment he entered the room. "Sarah is paging Doctor Keoni and Kim now, we'll have you up within the hour."
"Now will you calm down?" Cath asked, and Steve merely nodded.
"For now, we have a breakthrough. Chin just text to say they're on their way to discuss it more," Danny started, sinking back into his seat. "But it's a really boring end to a case … but Franklin's inside guy was Scott Miller … his cousin."
"The security guard?" Steve asked, creasing his brow. "That can't be right … he's always been nothing but nice to us."
"Was all part of the plan," Danny confided, shrugging as if he was a loss over this. "Franklin realised he was looking down the barrel of a gun with his charges against you and the rest of us, and caved."
"Hoping it'd help lessen the sentence?" Cath asked.
"Basically," Danny confirmed, nodding sadly. "This was a long time in the making, Babe. As soon as they had Miller in an interrogation room, he snapped. Pleaded for a deal because he actually liked you in the end."
"Liked me so much he helped Franklin escape." Steve rubbed his forehead a bit, fingers catching the stitches still in place. "I just don't know understand how Miller had that much leverage."
"Ex-military … he got into security when he got out of the army. He wanted a civilian life and Franklin Wright exploited that."
"Wow," Steve said on an exhale, letting his hand full.
"I know you're going to be disappointed … you always want something a bit more exciting to an end game, but Franklin just wanted revenge and used his cousin to help."
"I won't lie, it is a lot more anticlimactic than I had speculated," Steve admitted, because he had speculated a lot. "How do we know this is it?"
Deep rooted dread bubbled, not letting Steve relax quite yet.
"Steve," Danny started, his tone soft. "I know you wanted it to be something huge, but really, this is a good thing … and he isn't going to get out again. We're on the case," he joked, trying to lighten the mode. "So, can we please try to process this and move on? It's over … for good."
"He's right, Steve," Catherine started, walking to the other side of the bed. "Sometimes it's easier to sweat the small things, but it doesn't mean you should … Franklin's locked up, Miller is, too. Now it's time to focus on the good."
As if to strengthen the fact, Cath placed her hand on her belly and Steve's eyes lightened.
"I'm still seeing Miller when they let me out of here."
"Knew you'd say that, Babe. As soon as Keoni approves it, I'll call Halawa."
Looking from the corner of her eye, Catherine took note of the way Steve's free leg bounced. Slowly, she reached over, placing her hand on his knee, instantly bringing its jumping to a halt.
"Will you calm down?"
"I'm trying," Steve replied lamely.
Sitting next to Cath in this waiting room was filling him with a mix of emotions. He was both anxious to see the baby and nervous at how he'd react, while worried that something would happened to end the happiness slowly creeping up on him.
"Something else is bothering you besides this appointment," Cath observed.
"Even I can see that and I'm on the other side of the room," Danny called out, having been the one to steer the chair before leaving the couple alone.
"I'm just sat here and all I keep thinking about is my sister," Steve admitted, sadly. "A small part of me also keeps thinking about Doris, too."
"You're thinking of your mom?" Cath asked, her voice almost a squeak. "Have you contacted her?"
"Couldn't," Steve replied, sighing. "Had no idea where she was when I got home and was didn't really feel like I wanted to find her."
"You blame her?" Cath asked, tilting her head sympathetically.
"Kinda," Steve murmured, wringing his hands together. "What happened to her when I was fifteen … that shaped my entire life, Cath. I knew every tiny piece of fallout this lie would cause and I thought I could come back and it all be okay. I was so blind considering I had already lived through that."
"And you lived through it again," Cath softly reminded him, giving his knee a squeeze. "But Steve, you cannot compare yourself to her."
"Can I not?" Steve asked, looking to Cath with a worrisome expression. "They usually say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
"Hey," she says, turning in her seat the best she can. "You were forced into this situation and they used that situation against you. You had no say until it was too late. You were injured and exploited, okay? I'm just sorry it took us to this point to realise the truth of the matter."
"I don't blame you, you do realise that, right?" he asked, searching her eyes to see if they held the truth, but when they watered, he knew he had answers enough. "You all have this same tone or this same look sometimes like I should hate you or something, but I really don't."
"Maybe we feel you should… like you're letting us off too easily."
"I'm not about to hold grudges … not against the team, not against that knucklehead over there."
"Hey!"
"And not against you," Steve continued, grinning at Danny.
"Catherine Rollins?"
The sound of Catherine's name broke the air, stealing the moment and propelling Steve into a situation had zero control over.
"I'm changing that as soon as I humanly can," Steve muttered disdainfully.
"Sure thing, Sailor," Catherine said standing up glancing as Steve took off the brakes. "Need help?"
"I've got it," Danny interjected, setting the magazine he was reading down.
"I've got it. Stay right where you are," Steve stated, reaching for the wheels of the chair. "See you soon, Uncle Danno."
"I hate you," Danny mused, issuing his own death glare.
Steve merely grinned at Danny as he passed him and the Jersey detective couldn't help but smile once Steve was gone. Since Catherine had come back it was like a light had reignited in Steve. While the ember had been glowing, it went out when Catherine had left and taken their son with them. Now it was burning brighter every day - when Steve wasn't grumbling about his imprisonment.
Picking up his magazine again, Danny sighed happily and settled in to wait.
"Ah, so you must be the father," the technician pointed out. "Nice to finally meet you … Cath has told me stories … especially the one where she lost you."
"Occupational hazard," Steve deduced, trying to lighten the load. "Steve MGarrett," he introduced himself, putting a hand out. "Here and ready to meet the little guy."
"Darcy Monroe," she replied, giving him a hand shake. "I'm guessing from the fact you're in a wheelchair and have an IV in your hand, you're still a patient in the hospital?"
"You would be correct, yes."
"It's a complicated matter," Cath added, biting her lip as she looked at Steve. "One I'm happy has been rectified."
"Guess that's a happy ending I can get behind," Darcy mused merrily. "How about we make it happier?"
She took the nervous smile and way Steve reached for Cath as a confirmation and went about her job.
While he had no idea what was going, Steve inspected everything that was happening with a same scrutiny that saw him through every day of his training and every mission that followed. Watching the screen from his position, his hand subconsciously gripping Catherine's harder, Steve refused to look away and miss even the tiniest of flutters.
"There he is," Darcy stated as the baby came into pure focus. "As healthy as ever by the looks of things but let me do some checks and measurements."
The moment he'd seen the movement on the screen, Steve had felt overwhelmed but the sound of his unborn son's heart beating loud and strong pushed him over the edge. His eyes watered immediately and he couldn't resist them falling.
"Oh God," he whispered, his voice stolen by emotions.
"Steve," Cath whispered, her own tears falling.
In all of the months she'd dealt with these appointments alone, she always had one wish - Steve would occupy the space beside her, his hand wrapped in hers. Now he was and she wasn't prepared for the overwhelming tidal wave that hit her so solidly.
"That's our baby," he murmured bringing her knuckles to his lips. "Thank you," he added, his words almost lost. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
"Hey, you don't need to thank me," Cath uttered. "I just wanted you to be a part of this properly. Finally, where you should be."
Closing his eyes, Steve tried to gain control of his emotions, but he couldn't contain the overwhelming rush of happiness that was filtering his entire being. He had never felt this happy, this full, this complete.
And he didn't want it to end.