Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.

Family Life, Chapter 13

February 2022

Nurse Lara was a little late in checking in on Danny and she expected a stern lecture from Steve. Instead she was a little amused to see both patient and guardian snoozing. Lara considered waking Steve a little rudely to confront him about sleeping on the job but she decided against it. One of the reasons she was tardy is that she was on the phone with her friend Marge from the trauma floor. She learned several salient points.

There was no more devoted couple on the island than Steve and Danny McGarrett-Williams.

If one was in the hospital, the other would stay right there by the other's side.

Both men were terrible patients.

The only person capable of influencing the other to follow doctor's or nurse's order was the other.

The healthy spouse was ready, willing, and able to help in the care of the other. That included sponge baths, emptying urinals, fetching fresh ice and/or water, helping the patient to and from the bathroom, and calming a fretful patient.

Danny could talk the ears off a donkey and Steve could charm the pants off a woman (or man) if he chose. The interaction between each other was better than any network show and most cable shows.

They were always grateful for their care and invariably sent some sort of thank you (bouquet of fresh fruit, a muffin or bagel basket, etc.).

Lara remembered reading an article earlier in the week about a big case that 5-0 cracked. She knew that Danny would have been unable to do any field work, and she also knew that Steve had his hands full managing Danny and their family. Lara decided discretion was the better part of valor and bumped Steve's chair discretely.

Sure enough, Steve's head came up and quickly scanned for danger. He watched Lara check Danny's vital signs before checking a funny-looking container connected to something under Danny's bandages.

"How's he doing? And what is that?"

"Danny is doing fine. This little machine is connected to a sleeve wrapped around Danny's knee. It pumps ice cold water around his knee to reduce swelling and ease some of his pain. It needs more ice. If I show you where the ice is and how to fill it, can you take care of it for me?"

"I'd be happy to. How do I get one of those for the house?"

"This one is yours. When Danny wakes up, ask about his pain level. Also see if he needs to empty his bladder. There's a urinal in the cabinet. We'll want to check his output for the next day or so; you can leave it in the bathroom and the aide will take care of it."

"Thanks Lara, we appreciate it." Steve followed Lara to an auxiliary kitchen area containing an ice machine, a microwave, some cabinets, a sink, and a refrigerator. Lara explained that Steve needed to add water to prime the pump and then showed him how to hook the reservoir up to the hoses.

"By the way, Marge from the trauma said to tell you 'hello' and she wished Danny a speedy recovery."

Steve smiled sheepishly; he knew that he was busted. Steve and his team had gone several rounds with Marge before they negotiated a shaky truce. At least now he knew the reason for the change in Lara's behavior. "You shouldn't believe everything Marge tells you."

"Oh, I think I should but we're okay here. The rules are made so that we can get our work done and the patients can get their treatment. I was told that you're willing to help out and you're the only person on the island who can handle your husband. I was also told that Danny is the only person who can handle you when you're the patient."

Steve wanted to protest but couldn't in good conscience. He was guilty as charged but wasn't sorry one bit. Danny was his family and he vowed to love Danny in sickness and in health both during their civil union and later during their wedding. Steve took his vows very seriously.

Danny stirred about 20 minutes later. Steve was by his side instantly and stroked Danny's cheek. Danny knew that Steve was there without opening his eyes. He knew Steve's scent and his touch. His knee was throbbing incessantly and he had to pee.

"What time is it?"

"It's 3:30. Mom and Dad went to pick up the boys and get them comfortable before bringing them up for a visit. How's your pain on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst?"

"Can I pick a number more than ten?"

Steve dialed Lara's number and asked for additional pain medication for Danny since he was maxed out with the pump. "Lara will be here in a few minutes. Do you need to pee?"

Danny was relieved to get the urinal and took care of his business. Steve promptly left it as instructed and coaxed some water down Danny. He also convinced Danny to blow in the device left by the pulmonary people to prevent pneumonia.

Lara brought the additional medication as promised and Danny was just starting to feel a little more comfortable when Dad poked his head around the door. "Is it okay to bring the boys in? They're really worried about Danny."

Danny managed a small smile for his dad. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Jack and Jesse came in with their Nana in tow. Poppa explained that their Danno was in some pain and they should be careful about bumping into him. The boys were a little young for visiting but the staff would look the other way as long as they didn't cause any problems.

Jesse appeared calm enough but Jack was noticeably agitated. He was in hover and protect mode just like his dad. "Are you okay Danno? Did you get to eat lunch? Does your leg hurt really bad?"

Danny did his best to smile at his sons. "I'm fine Jack. I had some soup and a piece of chicken for lunch. My leg is pretty sore but the nurse gave me something to make it feel better. How was your day? Do you have any homework?"

Jesse spoke for the boys now. "It was a really long morning until we heard that your operation was over and you were doing okay. Jack didn't want to eat his lunch but I reminded him that Nana made us a special lunch. We have spelling words but Nana helped us on the drive over. Can we hug you if we promise to be careful?"

Steve came around to hug their sons and let each boy have a turn by Danny. He cuddled them with the arm not tethered by his IV. Dad could see that Steve needed a little air. After the boys spent some time with Danny, he suggested that Steve take the boys for a walk.

Mom needed to fuss over Danny a little, and Dad wanted to make sure his boy was okay too. Danny was tiring quickly but he did his best to reassure his parents. Steve finally returned after 30 minutes with Jack and Jesse. Both boys had some chocolate stains on their shirts but Steve seemed better for the break.

Steve confessed that they found some soft serve ice cream at the snack bar downstairs and all had a small cone. The boys were carrying small cups of ice cream and spoons for Danny, Nana, and Poppa. The visitors left after the ice cream was eaten leaving Steve and Danny alone.

Steve and Danny watched a little TV until time for supper. Danny made sure that he pushed the button on his morphine pump as needed. One thing he learned in class is that it's easier to keep the pain under control than to get it under control. All the attendees were urged to take any pain medication offered if it was needed.

Steve and Danny had a brief discussion on the merits of the dinner menu. Danny had the chicken soup Clara brought in a thermos jug for his meal but Steve ordered a couple of extra items from the menu in addition to his meal. Steve ate most of his meal but Danny only managed to consume about half of his soup. Steve kept a fruit cup and some pie for Danny in case he was hungry later. Then it was time to get more ice for Danny's machine and some fresh water for his bedside. Steve went back to get some water for himself.

Danny was feeling a little uncomfortable but not in pain. Steve helped him wash up a little and massaged what areas were accessible without interfering with the CPM machine (the one flexing Danny's leg). The second shift nurse, Kai, had been briefed thoroughly by Lara and had no problem working with Steve.

Danny asked about a sleeping pill and was relieved to hear that the doctor had authorized one. He drifted off around 9:30 p.m. but woke frequently during the night. It was a very long night as expected. Steve kept up with the morphine for Danny, but the morphine ran out around 2 a.m. It took Steve almost 30 minutes to get the nurse in to refill it. It killed him to see Danny in so much pain. Danny finally dropped off again around 4 a.m. and slept for a couple of hours until the lab came in for a blood draw.

The aide took the CPM machine out after that and then there was the usual round of early activity. The doctor checked on Danny and removed the cumbersome bandages around Danny's legs. Danny was stunned to see his swollen knee with a long row of staples holding the incision together. Lara came in to take his vital signs. The morphine pump was discontinued and Danny was started on oral pain medication. If Danny could be kept comfortable with the oral meds, the IV line could be removed.

Danny ate a little breakfast while Steve ate all of his. Steve was exhausted and seriously in need of a shower. Lara was back with a t-shirt and comfortable shorts for Danny. She explained that the patients seemed to enjoy wearing regular clothes during the day a lot more than the drafty gowns. And it was time to get Danny out of bed.

Danny hated being in bed but he was not prepared to walk on his new knee yet. There was a walker by his bedside. He would look like his Grandpa Williams going down the hall with a walker. And the pain level shot up as he put some of his weight on his knee.

He made it to the rather comfortable chair in the corner. It allowed him to put his feet up so he could keep his knee straight. Steve helped him with his sponge bath and Danny was able to get dressed. Steve got more ice and water and was just sitting down when Chin came in.

Chin was pleased to see Danny sitting up and looking pretty chipper for someone who had surgery yesterday. On the other hand, Steve looked pretty bad. It didn't take much for Chin to convince Steve to go home for a shower and a power nap. When Steve left, Chin took a closer assessment of Danny's condition.

Danny looked tired but otherwise okay. "So how are you doing Danny? Are they taking good care of you or should I talk to Malia?"

"My only complaint is that we couldn't get the nurse to refill the morphine pump early this morning. I was afraid that Steve was going to bring out the grenades. The shark cage wouldn't work because we're not close enough to the ocean."

"Yeah, Malia complains that the night shift is always short-staffed. Can I get you anything or do you just want to hang out for a while?"

Before Danny could answer, the physical therapist came in. For some reason, the hospital thought that physical therapy would be more bearable if the patients participated in group sessions. Danny was wheeled in his chair down to the therapy room where various men and women with new hips or knees waited for further instruction.

The first exercise was to lift his leg as high as possible for 10 reps. Danny was frustrated when he realized that he could barely move his leg. The lady next to him assured Danny that was normal. She had her left knee replaced last year and was in for the other knee.

"You're kidding, right? You went through this before and are going through it again?"

"I know what you mean but I waited so long to get my first knee done. It took me a long time to get full mobility because the muscles had atrophied. It was a painful recovery, but one day I realized that the pain was gone and I had my life back. The doctor warned me that my other knee was bad but it wasn't hurting me. He told me that now that I was more mobile, it would be a problem. He was right. When my other knee started hurting me, I decided that I didn't want to go back on pain pills all the time. I called the doctor that day and scheduled the surgery."

"I guess that I know how you feel. My knee has been a problem for almost ten years, but it got much worse just lately. Yesterday and last night were really rough, but I feel a lot better now that I'm not on that CPM machine."

"You must be one of Dr. Lee's patients. He always orders that through the first night. I had it too. Elsie over there had both knees done. She swears that it's better than having them done separately. At least she only has one recovery period. I think it would be really hard not having a good leg to stand on. I got rid of the walker after the first week and was able to use a cane."

"I'm glad to hear that. It's bad enough to have a gimpy leg without using a walker."

"I know what you mean. I've got a few years on you but I swear that a walker added 20 years to my age."

Danny looked around and he realized everyone else was probably at least ten to twenty years older. Some were struggling as he was with the therapy while others were able to move around a little better. A couple of ladies on the other side of the room were recovering from hip replacements. They weren't in as much pain as the knee patients, but they were headed to a rehab center when they were discharged from the hospital. Both were widows and had no help at home.

Danny realized that he was doing pretty well. He had the first day behind him, one of his closest friends was waiting to help him in his room, and his husband would be back later to nurse him through the rest of the day. The weight of the impending surgery was gone and Danny felt a little more prepared to get through the rest of his recovery.