A/N: Thank you very much for the reviews. I appreciate them a lot.
Weak awareness.
Unlike before, when he was completely oblivious to what was happening around him and was still a prisoner, not of kidnappers but of his own fever, Danny was now, very slowly, gaining a little and very thin kind of awareness, dulled still by the painkillers and slight sedatives the doctor had prescribed to be administered during the latest cures of his infected wounds and surgery incisions. It was his current phase of the ailing process. It sucked, big time. He was doomed to resign himself to it. The little consciousness of his mind couldn't escape the needs of his body. It was totally consumed and overpowered by them, and also by the dark nightmares and flashes of memories of his ordeal, which, animated by the slight improvement, were making themselves notice.
The fever was still there, barely clinging but firm as a loyal companion. It didn´t want to leave his body, but rather than hallucinations, it now enjoyed itself with making Danny extremely miserable and uncomfortable. Opening his eyes, he immediately closed them again as the blurred shapes of the room began to spin. He could feel the heat on his face and his flushed cheeks, but his body felt cold and he could not suppress the shivers that made themselves present beneath the light sheets and blanket. Moving weakly, Danny dejectedly whimpered, unable to shift and change position on the bed. The sedative must be wearing off, because the flesh and bones of his back and butt began to feel the painful outcome of being forced to be pressed on the mattress for months. Trying to shift again and failing, Danny groaned at his uselessness and resigned himself, physically and morally, to not being able to achieve it and to stay lying down uncomfortably and miserable as he was.
Sighing loudly, he quit his attempts of getting a better position and diverted his attention to something else. A strong scent of hospital was clearly present. Medicines and antiseptics, for sure. Also, Danny could smell clean. Clean sheets, clean body, and clean hair. Apart from the nice scents, he felt clean too. It was a little merciful, among everything, to feel clean at least. Tentatively opening his eyes on mere slits, through his eyelashes, he slowly scanned the room. The sunlight entering through the window was too bright and, therefore, hurtful for his used to the darkness retinas. He closed his eyes after forcing his eyes to do a second scan trough the room. He was, surprisingly, alone. His heart subconsciously quickened its pace as he became restless and scared at the feeling of vulnerability and loneliness to which he had been exposed to for so long. Him, alone with his mind. He vaguely knew now was different, that he was being taking care of, but somehow he lacked the strength to fight the unwelcomed and unfounded dread that keep making itself present. Breathing heavily through it, he opened his dry mouth and wished he could be able to reach the pitcher he just saw on the table beside his bed. He tried to moist his parched lips with a rather dry tongue and he really wished someone was there to help him as he turned his head at the direction of the water. Doing so, he became aware of a very unpleasant sensation going through his nose and throat. Wanting to explore the source of the annoying feeling, he managed to drag his arm towards his face. Unable to feel neither his hand nor his fingers, he wasn´t able to touch his face. Incapable of lowering his arm again, he was frustrated one more time, letting it rest on his chest and his bandaged hand cuddled under his chin.
Feeling totally frustrated, dejected and abandoned. He wasn´t able to take care of his needs by himself. He would have to wait for someone to help him with that. Had it been a dream or didn´t Steve assured him that he was going to stay with him? Trying to avoid the anguish, Danny´s thin connection with reality made him focus on something else, and, therefore, he concentrated on sounds. The beautiful melody of the birds outside brought back a touch of discomfort. The same melody had been one of the few sounds that accompanied him during his captivity. He was grateful for it, it somehow had saved him from going insane at the time, but, right now, he would prefer something else. Adjusting his hearing to the inside of the room, the first thing he became aware of was a faint whistle of some kind of machine, probably one of those attached to him. Then, something else caught his attention. The sound of a toilet flushing, a faucet opening, water running and, at least, a door opening.
Danny sensed a presence moving through the room. He perceived, through his closed eyelids, that the bright sunlight was attenuated by the closing of the curtains. Animated by this, he weakly cracked his eyes open. The shape of the person approaching him confirmed a fact he already knew: it was his partner.
"Hey buddy. You had to wake right when I had to take care of some business back there, uh?" Steve´s fondness smile was soothing and his mere presence helped to start putting the dreads at bay. Danny´s heavy eyelids fell, hiding behind them two tired blue eyes, as the cool back of a hand was placed on his forehead, checking the persistent presence of fever. Another hand carefully helped him return his arm to the mattress. Then, both hands occupied themselves on arranging the light bedding covering him.
Sighing deeply, Danny was able to recognize and really appreciated Steve´s attempt to lighten things up, but he really wasn´t in the mood nor did he had the necessary strength to enter on that kind of exchange right now. It would be sufficient for his contempt to achieve the things he failed miserably when he tried alone, to take care of those needs his body was painfully reclaiming.
After a cool and welcomed cloth was removed from his slightly hot forehead after dabbing it, Danny turned his head to the side, trying to moisture his lips again, but failing. But now, he could be helped.
"Water" His voice, muffled and rough, achieved nonetheless the same positive result. He maintained his eyes closed as he felt the head of the bed being raised a bit more and while Steve´s presence moved and he heard the delightful sound of water filling a glass. He opened them when he felt a hand sliding on the back of his debilitated neck and, supporting his nape, it assisted raising his head the necessary to achieve the right angle to drink without risk of chocking.
"Here. Slowly". The command was made at the same time that the cold rim of the glass was pressed above his lower lip and the precious liquid was allowed into his mouth. Danny´s halfway eyes focused entirely on the crystal water below his nose, marveling himself with the colors it reflected when the sunlight that managed to avoid the curtains made contact with it. He watched the movement of the water as he was given small sips, until he was satisfied and searched for his friend´s eyes again. Doing so, he saw the exact moment in which Steve´s face and eyes mutated from a tired and concerned look to a calmer, happier and determined one, for his benefit, for sure. Danny knew deep inside him that his was expected to speak more, to ask things, to reclaim seeing his children, to be more himself. But he was also aware that, right now, he was unable to do so. He lacked the wellbeing and strength necessary to do it, to face it. It was hard having to rely everything on his friends and burden them like this, but he needed to do it, he needed their strength because he didn´t have any of his own. He couldn´t even change his position by himself on the bed.
Danny heard as the glass was placed on the table and was slightly startled when a hand tenderly grabbed and squeezed affectionately his forearm.
"Sorry. You ok? Need something else?" Steve compassionately asked, seeing that Danny was on the last of his reserves. His partner´s eyes practically were closing against his will.
"Yeah" The barely audible response had Steve approaching closer to be able to hear. When nothing else came, he coaxed expectantly: "What, what else do you need buddy?"
"T.. lie on m.. side.." That was it. Totally spent, Danny achieved the task to take care of all his needs, but never felt the head of the bed being lowered, nor the hands of the nurse that Steve called to assist turning Danny on his side, nor the sheets moved and the back of his gown being opened to allow the cream to be applied on his bed sores areas.
Steve thanked the nurse as she left. Not needing to put a strong face anymore, he sat on the armchair, hid his face in his hands, rubbed his tired eyes and took a big and deep breath.