Breaking Point – Part 3
Steve picked up the phone receiver on the wall next to the locked doors of the secure hospital wing were Danny had been brought.
"Hello?" A slightly frazzled sounding nurse on the other end greeted him.
"Yes. This is Commander Steve McGarrett. I'm here to see Danny Williams." Steve replied.
"Oh thank God!" Was the response he received before a buzzer sounded and the doors swung open.
"Well that doesn't sound good." Steve muttered to himself as he hung up the phone and hustled through the open door.
He hadn't gotten far into the ward before understood the reason for the Nurses response. Although he was still several rooms away from Danny's, he could clearly hear his partner engaged in a heated conversation with whoever was in the room with him. Steve could only assume at this point it was his Doctor.
Steve glanced at the nurse's station as he picked up the pace toward Danny's room.
"We were just about to call you." One of the nurses advised him.
Sensing the urgency, Steve quickened to a jog and made it to Danny's room just as Danny appeared in the doorway.
"Whoa! Whoa!" Steve said, throwing his hand up and effectively blocking Danny from leaving the room. "What's going on?"
"Oh Steve. Thank God!" Danny replied, taking a step back. "Would you do something please! These assholes aren't letting me leave."
Steve looked over Danny's shoulder and saw a Doctor and two male nurse behind Danny. It wasn't the same Doctor that had treated Danny last night. But Steve would have to wait on the formal introductions.
"Well where you are going?" Steve asked Danny then instantly regretted it. What a stupid question!
Danny clearly thought so as well as he rolled his eyes at his partner.
"On an Alaskan cruise. Where do think I'm going you schmuck? I'm going home!"
"Danny, now that Commander McGarrett is here, why don't we all sit down and talk about this calmly." The Doctor suggested.
"Because I don't need to talk about it!" Danny hollered at him. "I've told you that a thousand times!" Then, turning to Steve he added. "Steve please! Tell them I'm fine."
Steve's jaw dropped. Was he serious? Did he have no recollection of what the hell happened the night before?
"Danny." Steve's voice was nearly a whisper. "I can't."
Danny shook his head in disbelief.
"What? What do you mean you can't?"
"Buddy…" Steve reached out and put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Do you not remember what happened last night?"
Danny sighed and averted eye contact with Steve.
"Yeah…"
"Yeah?" Steve repeated. Honestly, Steve couldn't believe Danny actually remembered anything from last night. Because if he did, there was no way Danny would be asking him to say he was fine.
"I mean…sort of…some of it. I was drunk."
"You weren't drunk Danny." The doctor cut in. "The records from your intake indicate…"
"I wasn't talking to you!" Danny shouted at him.
"You weren't drunk Danny." Steve agreed. "You had some kinda…"
Steve stopped himself. He didn't want to call it a breakdown. Even if it was true. He couldn't bring himself to say the words.
"Some kinda what?" Danny asked him, clearly losing patience with Steve now as well.
Steve opened his mouth to try and explain, but Danny cut him off.
"You know what? Screw you too. OK? They can't keep me here. I'm leaving."
"Actually we can." The Doctor replied. "For up to 72 hours."
"Yeah? We'll see about that." Danny snarled at him and then pushed his way past Steve and began making his way toward the door.
"Danny! Come on!" Steve called after him.
Danny ignored him and made his way to the door with Steve, the doctor and nurses close behind. No one made any attempt to stop him. Trying to grab Danny at that point was only going to set him off even more. And there was really no need at this point. The door was not going to open for him. They all knew that. Even Danny probably knew it. But he gave the door a good hard tug anyway. And when the door didn't budge, he calmly turned to the nurses at the desk.
"Open the door please." He asked them in a frighteningly calm tone.
Which of course, they did not.
"Please open the door I would like to leave." He said a little louder, his voice starting to crack along with his demeanor.
"Detective Williams, you know we aren't going to do that right now. So why don't you come back into into the room." The doctor offered calmly.
"I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK INTO THAT ROOM! I WANT YOU TO OPEN THIS DOOR!" Danny hollered, pounding his a fist on the glass door while keeping his eyes on the Doctor and nurses that were getting closer and closer to him.
A crowd had started to form now on the other side of the door. Friends and family of other patients, backed up at the door, which of course could not be open with Danny standing there. Some stared at what was unfolding in front of them. Others, clearly uncomfortable, or simply trying to respect Danny's privacy, turned their backs and stepped away…waiting patiently for the situation to be resolved.
"Danny!" Steve exclaimed.
"Please Steve." He begged, reaching out for his partner, grasping onto both of his arms.
"Danno. Just calm down. OK"
"I can't stay here Steve. I can't. "Danny insisted, as tears started rolling down his cheeks.
"Just for a little while buddy." Steve replied.
"They'll take my kids from me." Danny continued to sob.
"No one's taking your kids from you Danny. I promise." Steve replied.
"Please!" Danny continued to beg. "I'll be good. I'll do whatever you want."
"Danny! This is not about you being good." Steve exclaimed, his own tears now freely flowing. "You are good. You just need help."
STOP SAYING THAT!" Danny shouted and pushed Steve away from him. "STOP SAYING THAT!"
"Danny!"
"I HATE YOU!"
"Danny please." Steve begged as he reached out for his partner. But Danny backed away.
"Don't touch me! I will never forgive you for this. Do you hear me? NEVER!"
"Danny you need to stop!" Steve repeated, although he was no longer looking at Danny…he was looking past him.
"I HATE YOU!" Danny repeated even louder
Steve didn't reply. He just stood, jaw clenched tight as he tried to maintain his composure, all while staring over Danny's shoulder.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" Danny hollered at him, having just realized he didn't have his partner's full attention any longer.
He spun around and found himself face to face with his nephew, who had been watching in horror from the other side of the glass.
"Eric." Danny said, his voice almost a whisper.
Steve watched with a breaking heart as Eric placed his hand on the glass, as tears streamed down his face. He could only imagine what it was like for the boy to see his uncle…his hero, in such a state.
"Eric. Buddy." Danny said, placing his own hand on the glass.
But if anyone thought his nephew's presence would calm Danny down, they were sorely mistaken. Things quickly went from bad to worse.
"This is my nephew!" Danny announced, keeping one hand place firmly on the glass door while pointing angrily at the staff behind the desk with the other. "THIS IS MY NEPHEW! OPEN THE DOOR!"
Realizing his presence was only making the situation worse, Eric removed his hand from the door and took a step back.
"NO! Eric. It's OK." Danny said in the calmest voice he could manage under the circumstances. "This is all just a misunderstanding."
Then moving over to the desk, Danny once again tried reasoning with the staff.
"Please! You're freaking my nephew out! Just open the door!"
And when they just stared at him, he lost it! He flung himself onto the counter, reaching in the direction of admittance button. Determined to open the door himself.
That was when the Doctor and nurses moved in and took him to the ground with Danny fighting them the whole way.
To be continued…
