AN: Glad to hear you all appreciated my benevolence in ending the last chapter where I did. ;) Now we get to dive headfirst into recovery! After all the torment I put you all through, I think you all deserve some quality comfort, right? I'm really excited to share with all of you my creative way of untangling this web. Enjoy!
In the darkest hours of the night, an email popped up in the inboxes of some of the most powerful people in the United States - specifically the state of Hawaii. And its contents were nothing short of earth shattering.
The chief of the Honolulu Police Department, all four members of Five-0, the head hospital administrators on the island, senators, congressmen, military officers, government agents, and the Governor of Hawaii herself were all recipients of that oh-so-innocent little email. It looked harmless - just another boring email amidst the sea of unread messages in their inbox.
The contents, however, were anything but harmless.
Inside was a folder filled with records and data telling the story of one Brad Kingsley - human trafficker and the spawn of the devil himself. It detailed the elaborate scheme carried out underneath their very noses for years. Timelines, financial statements, aliases, shell corporations, and all the other smokescreens to hide his dealings were all spelled out, and a simple search on their own databases confirmed the information. The fact that the email appeared to be sent from Kingsley's personal email was just icing on the cake.
And the photographs, well, they ensured that action on the part of these officials would be swift and merciless.
Kingsley kept extensive records, and the sociopath didn't seem to care just how much this information would incriminate him if it was found. All the dirty details of what he subjected innocent children to on his ship of horrors were laid bare for all to see - how he kidnapped, tormented, and sold kids like animals simply because they were extraordinary. Even the most callous among the officials all but gagged in horror at the details in the photos, videos, and written notes lying before them.
However, one piece of information demanded immediate attention and rapid action. Brad Kingsley's payroll was prominently featured and quite detailed, providing a list of just who aided in such despicable actions. Between the paper trail of substantial payouts and a cross-referenced list of emails and requests, their guilt was indisputable.
In this broken world, things rarely change to counter injustice. The end is rarely satisfying. However, sometimes - just sometimes - everything works out exactly as intended and the cogs of justice turn without a hitch.
In the case of Brad Kingsley's empire, that was precisely what occurred.
The night erupted in frantic phone calls, surprise arrests, and internal investigations. Harried leaders desperately attempted to sort through the wealth of damning information thrust in their laps and reconcile it with people who they knew and worked alongside for years. Brothers in arms dragged out their comrades in handcuffs with grim expressions and heavy hearts.
While it was good that justice could finally take its course, bitterness persisted in the knowledge that such evil had been allowed to endure for so long under their very noses.
As chaos erupted in HPD, military bases and ships, and in government officials' offices, one team remained free to do what was perhaps the most vital task. A small division free of corruption, Governor Jameson's Five-0 task force mobilized to raid Kingsley's cargo ship - the base of his operations - and his other assets.
Approximately one hour after the email was sent, Steve McGarrett of Five-0 reported that Brad Kingsley was dead and his base was seized by himself and his team. Apparently, Kingsley's captives had revolted and taken on the guards in a desperate fight for their freedom. Five-0 arrived just in time for the final climax and was able to aid in taking down the final wave of henchmen. Now, they were requesting backup and medical aid for the young heroes.
All in all, it was quite the mess to clean up. In the midst of all the chaos of the arrests and the couple-hundred kids reappearing from thin air, no one noticed that Five-0's timeline for the raid didn't quite match. No one dug deeper into their files and discovered the layered investigation of the empire or the disappearance of the task force's leader. No one questioned their report of the events, too caught up in the upheaval of it all.
No one checked the aft cabin of their HPD vessel and spotted a runaway ER doctor frantically working on an unconscious missing detective, away from prying eyes and questions. No one imagined that those responsible for the fall of an empire were four elites with gold badges and gunpowder dusting their hands.
And no one ever would.
~H50~
36 hours later…
Not for the first time - and certainly not for the last - Governor Jameson glared at the three remaining members of Five-0, who sat wholly unrepentant on the other side of her oak desk. Chin Ho Kelly was stoic and politely firm, Steve McGarrett's bored expression contrasted perfectly to his military-straight posture, and Kono Kalakaua's knee was bouncing so much that Jameson was sure it'd trigger an earthquake.
Inwardly groaning, she wondered what possessed her to call for this meeting in the first place. Any attempts to reprimand them in the past spectacularly failed, though they were normally far more polite than this. She chalked their extra-brusqueness to Danny Williams' continued disappearance and the dark circles under all of their eyes that were no doubt a direct result of that. This team was fiercely loyal and tended to circle the wagons when one of their own was missing or hurt.
In fact, it was a minor miracle she'd managed to get them in this meeting at all.
"I just want a full report of what happened," she said tiredly, massaging her temples in a futile attempt to dispel her growing migraine. "That's it. Is that so much to ask?"
"We've given you the full report," Steve retorted, "verbally and in writing. What, do you want a PowerPoint presentation next?"
"Steve," Chin warned, a thousand reprimands in one word.
"I'm fully aware of the reports of the raid, Commander. What I want is a full report of the week. You practically dropped off the face of the earth and ignored all of my messages! Part of being the Governor's task force is answering me when I call!"
"I was looking for Danny." At that, Steve's face darkened into an odd mix of emotions she dared not touch. "I should still be looking for Danny! Time was of the essence, and I couldn't let the trail go cold just to satisfy your need to know exactly what was going on."
"A two-minute phone call hardly - -"
"Yes it would, damn it!" She flinched as Steve's expression contorted into anger. "Danny's still missing and yet you have us in here to do what, exactly? I'm the one who has to explain to his daughter why her daddy's not answering his phone!"
"That's enough," Chin stepped in smoothly, shooting a glare in Steve's direction. Diplomatic yet firm, he took over the derailed briefing. "Ma'am, we understand your frustrations, but we're trying to do the job you hired us to do. This week has been stressful to say the least, and briefing you was hardly a priority amidst all of this chaos."
"Yeah," Kono chimed in, sitting up straighter. "I mean, you gave us immunity and means - no red tape. That implies that we have the freedom to conduct investigations as we see fit. If you really wanted to know what was going on at all times, you wouldn't have given us those privileges."
Bristling at the comment, Jameson quickly bit her tongue before she could say something unbecoming of her title. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm and step away from the emotions surrounding the situation.
They had a point, she had to admit, despite their rather unconventional method of delivering it. The dark circles under their eyes spoke volumes of their exhaustion - compliments of the Kingsley case and Danny's continued disappearance. Juggling all of those different factors meant that they had little time for meetings and debriefings - things she rarely requested in the past,
This entire situation had rattled her and she'd overreacted, thus risking the secrecy of the skeletons in her own closet. While she knew nothing of Kingsley and was appalled by the whole operation, the revelation of deep levels of corruption all across her island could spawn further investigations - possibly spearheaded by these three individuals sitting before her.
If they uncovered her relationship with - -
No, they wouldn't. She was just being paranoid.
Softening her expression, she sighed and nodded. "I apologize." She made eye contact with all three members of the team. "This entire situation has me rather wound up, I'm afraid. The thought of those children…"
She trailed off and Steve's expression twisted oddly. "It was horrifying," he admitted, barefaced honesty coloring his tone. "They endured far more than anyone ever should, especially at their age."
Coming from a Navy SEAL, that assessment truly spoke volumes of the children's plight.
"Where are we with figuring out a permanent living situation for them?"
Folding her hands in her lap, Kono took over the briefing. "We're still sorting through all of them. Currently, they're in Five-0's facilities, though that's temporary. Their trust is limited, so it seemed to be the best solution for now. Doctors and psychologists come regularly to check on them, so it's incredibly crowded. We're looking for alternatives."
"Look no further," Jameson said firmly. "I have access to several large, secure properties for visiting dignitaries and whatnot - perks of the office. There's a nice ranch out on Killua with plenty of space, fresh air, and amenities. I'll have some staff I trust with my life stationed there to take care of everything until we decide on our next steps."
Ever the diplomat, Chin inclined his head. "Thank you, Governor. We'll run it by the kids and see what they think. After all that's happened, their comfort is the first thing we want to take into account. They deserve to have a say in the matter."
"Of course. Let me know what they decide."
"We will." Shifting in her seat, Kono offered her a small smile. "And thank you for pardoning Sarah - the little girl who we found at the warehouse. She probably wouldn't face any repercussions for her actions, but enduring an investigation and a court date seemed unfair given all she's been through."
Returning the smile, Jameson waved away the thanks. That little girl deserved a medal as far as she was concerned, not a juvie record. Sometimes being the Governor had its perks.
"Where are we with the CSU report from the boats?"
"Given the massive amounts of data, those reports are going to take quite some time," Chin said, shuffling through some papers in a file he carried. "Unfortunately, all of the computers onboard were wiped clean, but I doubt they'd have more information than what we already have. Meanwhile, the lab is utterly overrun with DNA and ballistics evidence. We'll have no problem making charges stick on the people we captured and any others who fall into our net."
"Good, excellent." Turning to her chosen leader, she softened her tone even further into something akin to sympathy. "And what about the investigation into Detective Williams' disappearance?"
Expression shuttering, Steve glanced down at his hands before meeting her gaze. "We're still looking, but we're gonna find him. I've reached out to some of my contacts, but…"
He trailed off, adam's apple bobbing up and down as his eyes dropped back down to his lap. "No one knows anything, and every second I waste just increases the possibility that we find his body in a ditch somewhere."
It was a gruesome image, one she'd rather not consider for a man she genuinely liked. Still, Steve's assessment, while clipped and morbid, was entirely correct. The optimal 48 hour window had long since passed with no leads to the detective's whereabouts. With all of the chaos from the past day or so, Williams' trail only withered further.
As she opened her mouth to offer encouragement - a bandaid for a bullethole, she knew - her office door flew open and in rushed her secretary. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry to interrupt," she said breathlessly, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. "Commander, a sergeant named Duke Lukela from HPD just received a phone call from a concerned citizen and he's been trying to reach you. Apparently, they were driving out in Kailua and they spotted somebody lying on the side of the road."
Pause, deep breath. "It's Detective Williams."
Chairs crashed against the floor as the three members of Five-0 shot to their feet, moving so quickly that Jameson jumped in surprise. "Is he - -" Steve could barely get the words out.
"He's alive." The secretary smiled broadly. Maybe it was only because she was watching the SEAL so closely, but Jameson swore his shoulders dropped a full twelve inches in relief. "Sergeant Lukela is on his way now with paramedics. He said he texted your team the coordinates."
"Got them!" Chin called, fingers flying across his phone screen. "We can be there in 30 minutes if we step on it!"
"Make that 20," McGarrett growled, yanking his keys out of his pocket. "We'll take the Camaro; it's faster."
They sprinted out of the room without any further acknowledgement, nearly bowling over her secretary in the process. She could practically track their progress through the building based on the shouts of government employees they ran over in the halls. Yet she smiled anyway, relief a drug that made her dizzy.
Unorthodox, chaotic, and stubbornly loyal - she could think of no better qualities for Hawaii's fiercest protectors.
~H50~
In his head, the plan made total sense. However, his heart - the illogical, stupid, emotional part of him - hated it with a burning passion.
After all he and his partner had endured, Steve desperately wanted to remain by Danny's side until he woke. Despite the miniature - and possibly involuntary - healing session that restarted Danny's heart, the rest of his injuries were substantial and quite crippling. Poor Dr. Sterling ran ragged trying to stabilize the ill man's vitals and deal with the frequent seizures. Through it all, Danny remained blissfully unconscious.
Unfortunately, staying with Danny wasn't an option and neither was a trip to the hospital. At this point, the entire island knew that the feisty detective had been kidnapped. If he showed up on Kingsley's boat - especially in this state - an investigation that searched for answers none of them wanted exposed would no doubt ensue. People's discovery of Danny's elite status would then lead to questions as to what Kingsley saw in him that made him worthy of a high-risk kidnapping.
That simply could not happen.
Thanks to Chin and Kono's brilliant forethought, Steve's cover was more than secure. He made the trip back with the two as though he'd never been gone in the first place, barking orders as they waded through the fallout of Kingsley's death and his empire's collapse. As a result, the last he'd seen his brother was when he carried him into a tiny aft cabin and set him gently on a bench.
However, that was all about to change.
Few knew of their plan - in fact, the members of Five-0 didn't even have all of the details themselves. Chin picked a place for the 'body dump,' but none of them knew when or how Sterling and Duke would execute that phase of the plan. After all, leaving a very ill man on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere - no matter for how short a time - wasn't exactly a 'good practice' for medical professionals.
The move, however, might've just been Danny's saving grace. With no evidence and nothing to tie him to the Kingsley debacle, Danny's secret remained hidden from the public.
Speeding toward the coordinates with sirens wailing, Steve growled as he checked the clock on the Camaro's dash. Despite knowing that Danny was alive and relatively in one piece, he couldn't quell the whirlpool of anxiety churning in his gut. Judging from his teammates' tense expressions, they felt the same.
"Two minutes out," Chin said calmly from the passenger's seat. "Slow down, Steve. We don't want to risk hitting anything or missing the drop point."
Wise point. Easing up on the accelerator, he forced himself to unclench his jaw. A few more minutes, then all of this would finally end.
"He's okay, right?" Kono hesitantly asked from the backseat. "I mean, Sterling wouldn't dump him until he was stable. That wouldn't make any sense."
"Or he needed a hospital badly enough that Sterling couldn't risk waiting." Steve gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his fingers left little dents behind. "No matter how much equipment he had, his guest room isn't an adequate substitute for a hospital."
"Let's not assume the worst, guys." Calm and steady, Chin's voice of reason was sorely needed in this final stage of a mess of a week. "This is it - - right ahead."
Steve would've recognized it as their destination without Chin's narration. A red sedan marked the spot, as well as an anxious-looking man pacing along the large shoulder of the road. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the camaro skidded to a stop in front of him and the three teammates jumped out.
"Thank God, okay. You guys cops?"
"Five-0." Steve flashed his badge tersely. "Where is he?"
Hand practically yanking out his own hair, the man led them past his car with stumbling footsteps. "I was driving down this road and I saw somethin' on the shoulder," he babbled, pointing just ahead. "Dunno what made me stop, but I did by some damned luck. He was just lyin' there like a corpse or something, not moving at all. He's breathing though - - I checked. But I didn't wanna touch him, you know?"
He continued to prattle on nervously, but Steve completely tuned him out as soon as they rounded the corner of the car and saw the small figure lying crumpled on the ground. Breaking into a run, he skidded to his knees beside his fallen partner without noticing the burn of gravel digging into his knees.
Danny lay sprawled on his side, conveniently placed in a sloppy recovery position that looked accidental to the untrained eye. Bruises stood out against his pale skin, hues of dark purples coloring his face and peeking out from under the collar of his torn shirt. A week-old beard covered his sallow cheeks and his matted hair was completely unkempt.
The poor man who found him was right - Danny did look like a corpse. Gray-pale skin lacking in any color was accented by dark circles beneath Danny's closed eyelids. If it weren't for the slow, slight rise and fall of his chest and the occasional tremors wracking his frame. The sight brought back bad memories - of finding his partner by the warehouse, of a man stretched too thin by Kingsley.
But to Steve, he was a sight for sore eyes.
He barely registered Chin and Kono kneeling down beside him, too focused on the pulse he felt slowly beat beneath his fingertips. His other hand rested on Danny's shoulder blade, and he was pleased to note that Danny's shivers tapered off slightly at his touch.
"He's so cold," Kono murmured beside him, her hand clasping Danny's limp fingers. Her voice broke, guilt and fear ripping holes in her normally confident tone. "This is all my fault."
From the other side, Chin's jaw tightened as he jotted down notes of Danny's condition and vitals. Clearly, Danny's unresponsiveness - especially to his prodding touch - shook the normally unflappable man just as much as it bothered Steve. To witness a man as kinetic as Danny be so still was jarring, as though the world had tipped off its axis.
Unable to resist the need to see his friend's blue eyes, Steve pinched the underside of Danny's arm, then his fingertips. When that got no response, he knuckled his sternum roughly. "Danno, buddy, wake up!" His voice was firm, unrelenting.
Danny didn't stir, didn't even groan.
"He's unresponsive," Steve reported to Chin, not that he expected anything different. Now they had witnesses, so they had to play this by the book. "Some head trauma, but nothing that accounts for this."
"I've got a serious cut on his back. He's probably anemic at the very least." Chin jotted down a few more notes. "There's another cut near the base of his neck… it looks more recent than the other one. No trauma to the neck or spine."
"There's three more cuts on his foot." Having not witnessed the brutality of those wounds until now, Kono looked utterly horrified despite Steve's report of all that happened on Kingsley's ship of nightmares. "They're older though and they're not bleeding."
"Uh, officers?" came the squirrely voice of the man who found Danny on the side of the road. "The ambulance is coming up the road. Should I, like, move my car or what?"
Steve left Chin and Kono to take charge of the scene, directing medics and lab techs and police officers alike. He, however, remained steadfastly by Danny's side with one hand staying on his shoulder and the other clasping his hand. Despite the medics' increasingly frustrated requests, he refused to move away from his partner.
It was still all too fresh, scars from a traumatic week still weeping. Leaving Danny after all they'd endured simply was not an option, no matter his condition. In fact, Steve was fairly certain that he wasn't letting Danny out of his sight for more than a few seconds for the next year. Maybe longer.
"Alright," the senior medic said, now finished with his examination, "let's get him in the bus and transport him to - -"
"Tripler," Steve interrupted. "He was admitted there before he was kidnapped and the staff there is familiar with his case."
The medic obviously barely resisted rolling his eyes. "Of course. Let's get him onto the gurney."
Rising to his feet, Steve tossed the Camaro keys to the cousins hovering nearby. "I'll ride with him." It was an order, not a question. "Chin, Kono, take the Camaro and meet me there, alright?"
By now, the limp detective was strapped to the gurney - an image that sickeningly mirrored when he found Danny back on Kingsley's ship restrained to the exam table. Swallowing the lump permanently lodged in his throat, he hopped up into the ambulance and helped secure the gurney.
He stubbornly positioned himself by Danny's head, eyes locked on his brother's pale face beneath the obligatory oxygen mask. With the torn and stained shirt cut away, he could see the deep bruises scattered across the pale torso, including dark purple ones from the desperate, lifesaving measures he'd been forced to employ on the boat.
Yeah, seeing Danny with an oxygen mask was a million times better than witnessing him not breathe at all.
Sirens wailing, they hurtled toward the hospital, toward the light at the end of Kingsley's dark tunnel. And for the first time since this entire debacle began, Steve finally allowed relief to flood his veins and breathed.
Hand resting on Danny's bruised forehead, he leaned down next to his partner's ear. "Almost home, Danno," he murmured. "You did good, just a little longer now." Eyes closing, he bit his lip in an attempt to hold back tears as he repeated that promise one more time.
"We're almost home."
~H50~
Waking was quickly becoming an exhausting chore. In fact, he didn't even realize he was asleep until the fog began to gradually pull back from his mind. Floating in the blissful sea of sombulance, Danny was quite content to remain where he was.
After all, his only attempt to claw his way through the murkiness left him even more exhausted than before - which he didn't even know was possible. Coupled with a dull ache that took up residence in his entire body, he quickly decided that his ambitious attempt was the very definition of a 'bad idea.'
Unfortunately, his efforts to dive back into the welcome arms of unconsciousness only succeeded in allowing awareness to further intrude his mind. The dull ache turned into a relentless throb, a pain that was far sharper in his chest and back.
In fact, the longer he laid there, the more uncomfortable he got. Eyelids glued shut, his throat was so dry that it was impossible to swallow. He was freezing despite the warmth surrounding him. His entire body weighed a thousand pounds more than it should, and he wondered what jerk had replaced his bones with cement while he was passed out.
Which, in turn, raised a whole sundry of questions about what landed him in dreamland in the first place.
Mentally frowning, he struggled to sort through his disjointed, fragmented memories. There was a doctor, some kids - Grace? No, that wasn't right. There was also a massive boat and… pain. Lots of it.
This was getting him nowhere, he knew. It was impossible to think when riding out the side effects of his powers - -
His powers.
It all came rushing back in a flash of adrenaline, sensations and images and emotions all overwhelming his still-exhausted mind. Kingsley and his pet doctor kidnapping and selling kids, Steve, killing the doctor. Then Chin and Kono showed up. He thought - - he thought they'd done it, that they succeeded in taking the ship.
But for the life of him, he couldn't remember going home or how he ended up here - wherever the hell here was.
Ragged breaths exploding from his aching lungs, he fought to recall the last thing in his memory before… this. There was pain - all-consuming and worse than death itself - but that wasn't what sent him into unconscious oblivion. No, there was Kingsley and blood and…
Kono.
On the cusp of hyperventilating himself back into unconsciousness, a sound so achingly familiar over recent months broke through his panicked haze.
"- - easy, Danny, take it easy. It's okay, I swear, alright? Don't get all riled up like you always do, partner. We're safe, everyone's okay."
Raspy and weary, that hoarse voice paired with the new warmth overtop his hand instantly soothed the ragged edges of his soul. He believed those words instantly because they came from a certain SEAL, a man who'd never let him down yet.
Steve, he tried to say, but his dry throat betrayed him. No sound made it past his lips, much to his frustration.
But his partner must've understood. A warm chuckle reached his ears and something cold was pressed against his lips. "Yeah, it's me, buddy. Open up, I got somethin' that'll help."
He obeyed and was immediately rewarded with an ice chip, which did wonders for the desert that'd taken up residence in his mouth. Swallowing the moisture, he opened his mouth for another, then another, and another until Steve chuckled and set the cup down somewhere with a clink.
"You think you can open your eyes for me, D?" came the low request.
Leave it to Steve to request the impossible, and his low groan was more than enough to communicate that message to his demanding partner. Not everyone had endless energy and a stalwart will to match it. In his current state, the request to open his eyes was the equivalent of asking him to move Mt. Everest two inches to the left.
Still, Danny fought to comply. After all, the man had somehow kept his word and gotten them both off that hellhole of a ship, It was the least he could do.
Managing to crack his eyes open a mere slit, he was instantly grateful for the dim lighting of the room. He didn't need to get a headache on top of everything else, thank you very much.
Plus, there was a small part of him that was convinced that this was all an illusion - another cruel method in Kingsley's sadistic playbook. It was an irrational thought, perhaps, but he wasn't willing to take the chance quite yet.
"Hey, I'm right here, and not gonna let anything happen. Trust me, alright?"
Damn it.
Because Danny did, he actually trusted Steve more than anyone else in his entire life. That was never in question, and he'd already failed a test of trust far too recently.
It took a few long blinks, but eventually the room came into focus. While his brain was moving a little slower than normal, he instantly recognized the white walls and sterile smell of a hospital room. The nasal canal tickling his nose and the IV in the back of his hand only solidified the knowledge that he was once again a patient in a place he'd rather not step foot in ever.
That knowledge made his heart rate speed up a bit, but a steady squeeze on his hand quickly diverted his attention to the figure sitting beside his bed.
Hagaard and worn, Steve looked just as disheveled as on the boat. At least he'd changed his clothes, but weariness still clung to him in bags under his eyes and stress lines on his forehead. Those lines disappeared as soon as their eyes met, softening into a joyful grin.
"Y'u look really bad," Danny managed to murmur, voice slurred with weariness. "Didn't even shave, Neanderthal."
Eyes crinkling at the jibe, Steve only shook his head slightly. "I look bad? You should take a long look in the mirror, pal, because you look like absolute hell."
Feel like it too. Not that he'd ever tell Steve that little tidbit.
"And for the record, I'm not the one stuck in a hospital bed."
"Don't need a hospital," came the instinctive protest stemming from his unmatched hatred for them. "'M fine, just nappin' a little bit."
"Hilarious. Listen to me laugh." Still smirking, Steve patted his shoulder in mock sympathy. "No, buddy, you're anything but fine and you got the chart to prove it. 'Fraid you're gonna be stuck here for a couple days."
"Screw you. I'll sign out AMA."
That was a lie. He barely had the strength to keep his eyes open, let alone stand up. Hell, he doubted he'd even be able to hold the pen to sign the paperwork.
"You do that and I will literally sit on you, then Sterling is gonna sedate your ass to kingdom come. After all you put him - put us - through, we're not letting you do anything boneheaded to endanger your health. So. Get used to it."
A hint of real fear lingered in his friend's voice, enough for Danny sober up instantly. "Kono? She okay?"
Steve's expression softened and he scooched a little to the left, not releasing Danny's hand as he revealed the rest of the room. "Good as new. See for yourself."
As it turned out, the room was way bigger than Danny initially thought. A small couch and an uncomfortable-looking recliner sat against the wall behind Steve, carrying the remainder of their team. Kono was curled up on the couch like a cat with one arm pillowing her head while Chin sat sprawled in the recliner, head back and mouth slightly open to emit soft whistling breaths.
It was a testament to their exhaustion that they didn't wake up for this soft conversation. Even from the bed and with the dim lighting, Danny easily noted the weary lines on their faces.
Correctly reading Danny's musings, Steve smiled slightly. "They've been out for a while now, and they deserve it. Think we owe them more than a couple drinks for what they pulled off, huh?"
Danny hummed in agreement, eyes drifting over the somnolent forms before returning his gaze to Steve's face. Even with his thoughts moving more slowly than molasses, he still easily read the guilt and concern practically radiating from his best friend. Biting his lower lip, he dared ask the crucial question - one he was pretty sure he already knew the answer to.
"How bad was it?" he asked, eyes slipping closed for a moment before he peeled them open once more. "I don't remember much, but 'm guessing things took a downswing after I passed out."
Scrubbing his face with his free hand, Steve was already vehemently shaking his head. "No, we're not talking about this yet. You're exhausted and - -"
"Steven."
They sat locked in a silent standoff, Steve's worried frustration slamming against the stubborn curiosity of a born detective. In the end, it was never much of a contest.
"Fine, it was bad, alright?" Steve snapped, sorrowful green eyes boring into his own. "You collapsed and your heart - - you were dead, Danny. It's a miracle we got you back."
Eyes widening, Danny now understood the persistent ache in his chest. "Oh."
"Oh? I'm pretty sure you dying - however briefly - deserves a little more than just 'oh.' We were so worried that it'd happen again, then Sterling said you seized a bunch and your vitals went haywire. I don't think he's slept since this all happened."
"Neither have you."
Steve chewed his bottom lip and looked away. "Yeah, probably not." A pause, then, "You really scared me, Danny. I thought… I thought I'd lost you too."
The mournful gaze and broken tone made the tough-as-nails SEAL look like a lost little boy, triggering the fatherly instinct to scoop him up in an embrace. Too weary to attempt it, Danny settled for clumsily patting his friend's hand. "You didn't, alright? 'M right here."
Swallowing, Steve nodded and returned the slight squeeze.
They sat in silence for a moment with Danny struggling to keep his eyes open. Right around the time he failed, a warm weight landed on his sternum. It soothed the ache that seemed utterly embedded in his bones, moving back and forth in a gentle pattern. Humming his approval, he allowed himself to drift a bit.
Then a question - the most important question of them all - intruded his restful state and his breath caught in his lungs.
Of course, Steve immediately noticed his agitation and sprang to ease it. "Easy, Danno, easy. We're good, it's all good, alright? Just take some deep breaths."
It took a few seconds, his own exhaustion threatening to pull him under without his consent. Licking his lips, he managed to puff out that vital query. "Grace? The kids?"
The hand stopped and patted his chest once before resuming its circuit of his chest. "They're safe, I swear, and we're gonna personally make sure they stay that way. Grace is coming tomorrow and she's absolutely thrilled to have her daddy back. And no, she doesn't know what happened other than you're a little banged up. Now will you get some rest?"
But Danny wasn't done. "What 'bout Kingsley?"
This time, he felt Steve's fingers stutter and halt as a new tension answered the air. Worry bubbling in his gut, he winced as his muscles unconsciously tensed in preparation for an answer he now dreaded to hear. His anxiety doubled when that hand moved away from his chest and he mustered the energy to reopen his eyes…
Then familiar callouses brushed against his forehead, windshield wipers dispelling the blinding fog of anxious fear.
"He's dead," came the simple answer, though Danny instantly sensed there was more to the story. Steve, however, was having none of it. "I promise I'll tell you everything when you can keep your eyes open for more than five minutes, alright? There's a lot we gotta talk about, but it can wait. Stop fighting your body and rest, huh?"
"Bossy," Danny complained even as he sank deeper into his covers, relief a perfect sedative. "Neanderthal contr'l freak."
Steve's chuckle, partnered with the feeling of safety in knowing his ohana was keeping watch and the warm touch keeping him grounded, sent him closer to the edge of a restful slumber. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know you love me, Danno."
The thing was, he did. Lord help him, but his insane partner had somehow become a brother with Chin and Kono not far behind. They still had a lot to talk about and the painful process of healing was still ahead, but for now, they were together. That was more than enough, especially since he wasn't sure it would last.
With a quiet, content sigh, he drifted off and let Steve's solid grip on his hand and gentle touch on his forehead chase the nightmares away.
So I realized that it'd raise a ton of suspicions if Danny was "found" right after Kingsley's empire collapsed and it led to this crazy plan that I graciously gifted Chin. I think it added an interesting element to the story and ties together previous chapters well. Plus, it was fun imagining Sterling trying to dump Danny on the side of the road and just hoping he doesn't get pulled over :P Thanks for reading!