They had been there about an hour, maybe two when the doors to the ER opened again. In unison, their three heads turned to look at the man walking out of the ER. He was wearing scrubs with a bright yellow plastic apron over the top, TRAUMA, was written across his chest. "McGarrett?" he called out. Danny, Kono and Chin rushed over to him. He looked at the three of them, "you need to follow me" then he turned and walked down the hall.

Finally, Danny thought, they would be taken to see Steve. That must mean he is okay. But Danny suddenly realised that there were being led away from the noise of the ER, there was a cold feeling spreading from his chest across his body. The doctor opened the door to a small lounge room painted in pastel colours. Oh shit, Danny started to panic, waves of nausea flowed over him. This is that room that they tell people the really bad news. The family room. Oh God! He thought his was going to throw up. He looked around for a bin just incase. Why did is all have to be fucking pastel.

The doctor directed them to the overstuffed couch that was against the back wall. With a deep sigh he sat down in the armchair facing them, leaning forward with his forearms on his knees, hand clasped together, a sad look in his eyes. All three of them knew that face, bad news was certainly coming.

"Commander McGarrett is alive" the doctor started. Danny let out a big breath of air which he realised he must have been holding in since he sat down. "However his injuries are extensive" the doctor continued. "We have been able to stabilise him enough to conduct a full physical examination, take some CT and MRI images and operate".

Again the doctor breathed out, looking up at the three on the sofa, "again, its not good".

Danny could feel his hear beating out of his chest as he trying to fight off the bile rising in his throat.

"From a preliminary CT he has a linear skull fracture around the back and right temporal side of his skull. There appears to be no inter-cranial haemorrhaging or cerebral edemas, which is a really good sign". The doctor smiled weakly at the group. "There is however some brain swelling, which is to be expected, they may also be some temporary frontal lobe damage as his brain would have been thrown forwards and then back in his skull as he hit the ground". The image of Steve lying on the road flashed back into Danny's mind, his breathing quicken. "We will know more when he wakes up".

"When he wakes up?" Kono's voice sounded small and faint.

"He has just come out of surgery, we have placing him in a medical coma so that his brain can heal and prevent any further damage. Also, as the EMTs were able to provided assisted breathing to him shortly after the accident, the short amount of oxygen loss hasn't caused any serious injuries. I really don't expect any of his neurological injuries to be permanent. Now, here is the really bad news". The doctor looked up at Danny who could feel a panic attack coming on, his airways constricting and a cold sweat beginning across his neck.

"Due to the way Commander McGarret hit the ground, we expected there could be spinal injuries. The MRI we were able to do shortly after he was admitted confirmed that there has been damage to his spine and spinal cord".

Danny looked at Chin, he was staring straight at the doctor, face blank, but his hands which were clasped together were shaking violently.

"He has an unstable dislocation at his T12 and L1 vertebrae. The fracture compressed and fractured his spinal cord at the same level. He has just come out of surgery where we where able to stabilise the fracture, but really, an injury like this isn't likely to heal".

The room was shrinking, it was getting harder to breath and he beat of his heart was starting to drown out the doctor's words.

"We have had to insert a breathing trach, but I expect that when he wakes up he should have no problem breathing independently." Danny could hardly listen to the doctor, he didn't know how long he could stay on the couch before he either fainted, vomited or punched someone.

"We will have to do further physical testing when he wakes up. His injury level is in his lower thoracic and lumbar spine around the lower abdomen to top of the hips. I expect that he will regain most movement, function and sensation above this area. But really, we just have to wait for him to wake up and for the healing process to run its course."

"What about below the injury level?" Chin asked, with a hesitation in his voice that suggested that he already knew the answer. The doctor looked at Chin and shook his head slowly.

"It is a complete injury to the spinal cord, I don't think we can expect much. I am just trying to be frank with you, you need to prepare your selves for a very long recovery. Commander McGarrett is going to need a lot of support and assistance".

The doctor looked at Danny, "I know this is horrible to hear, believe me I don't want to have to tell you, but, umm, you need to start dealing with it so that you can be there for your friend when he wakes up".

Danny couldn't sit on the couch any longer, he needed to get air, he needed to get out of that fucking pastel room. Nothing was processing properly in his head. He understood what the Doctor was telling him, but all seemed fake, it couldn't be happening. Not to Steve, not to his best friend.

He sprung off the couch, nearly head butting the Doctor and rushed for the door. Oh god, he was going to vomit. He ran out of the ambulance doc, towards some small bushes and threw up violently into them. His body heaving with the force. When it was over, he stood up, feeling completely calm. He spat into the bushes and then turned back to the Ambulance dock where Chin and Kono were waiting, anxiously staring at him.

"Maybe you should go home. Have a shower and put some clothes on. Kono will stay here. I will drop you back to your place and then head back to HQ and arrange for both your cars to be picked up and brought over to HPD for storage" Chin placed a hand on Danny's bare shoulder. "Then tomorrow we can track down the car that hit him".

Danny hadn't even thought of the driver, all his thoughts has been fixed on Steve.

"Okay" Danny was still feeling eerily calm, almost like he was floating. "Let's go".

Chin and Danny walked over to Kono's car which was parked in the police bay nearby. Danny still felt like he was floating, there was little sound, everything around him was blurred. They drove to Danny's building in silence, Chin anxiously looking over at Danny, but Danny didn't notice, his mind blank.

Automatically he got out at the entrance, muttered what was probably a thank-you to Chin and then wandered inside.

Chin watched him until he saw the door to the apartment close, wondering if he was right to leave Danny alone.

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