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 17

February 2022

Steve came in from his run to find everyone in the living room. Danny insisted that Steve take time for a swim too, so Steve was very relaxed when he rejoined the group for lunch. Kamekona had dropped by with shrimp for everyone for lunch in Steve's absence, so Mom was able to take a break from kitchen duty.

Cliff had a lot of good ideas for the house next door but it was Finn who was adamant about installing the security system for the Williams. Security systems were a specialty of Finn's corporation and the real estate agent was correct when she told them that living next door to Steve and Danny had some pitfalls.

Cliff left after lunch and Mom and Dad wanted to go to the international market, so Steve and Danny had some time alone before the boys came home. Steve helped Danny with his daily exercises and massaged some of Danny's sore spots.

Then they moved to the couch and settled in to watch a movie. Danny's head was resting in Steve's lap and Steve was running his fingers through Danny's hair. Danny was pretty comfortable and enjoying Steve's attention. Danny thought that he could get through his recovery okay if every day went as well as today.

Danny had no idea that his day was going to get much better shortly. He heard a car pull up in the driveway and doors slamming shut. From the number of doors being closed, he deduced that it was Rachel with the boys. He heard a knock at the door and called for Rachel to use her key.

The four boys spilled through the doorway and flocked to Steve and Danny. Charlie ordered Steve and Danny to close their eyes. They had a big surprise for them. Steve and Danny exchanged looks and went along with the request. Steve suspected that maybe Rachel had brought something for dinner or maybe a cake or some cookies.

Both were stunned when Charlie gave them permission to open their eyes. Grace stood there with a huge grin on her face.

Grace leaned over to hug Danny and planted a big kiss on his cheek. He hugged her tightly and struggled for composure. The drugs were playing havoc with his emotions but he was determined not to lose it. He finally relinquished his hold on Grace so that she could hug Steve.

"What are you doing here? Mom said that she was keeping you up to date."

"I had a short break from school. Uncle Finn wants me to intern with his company this summer so he sent me a ticket to fly home for an interview. I have to fly back on Tuesday."

Danny looked at Rachel who was obviously enjoying putting one over on Danny. "You knew and didn't tell me?"

"She only told me a couple of days ago. I was afraid that she would want to stay in London for another year. She's decided to come back to the island for her last two years of college."

"That's more great news. Steve, help me up so I can move to the recliner." Danny was struggling to get to his feet without much success.

"Let me help Danno." Grace helped Danny swing his legs off the couch and gave him a hand up. Danny held onto her long enough to get to his chair. Charlie and Andy came forward to get their hugs from Danny and also Steve.

Steve's watch alarmed, signaling that it was time for Danny's medication. Steve refreshed the ice in Danny's machine and was fixing a snack for Danny and their visitors when Mom and Dad came home. There was a flurry of activity as they greeted Grace, Rachel, Charlie and Andy.

There were surprises all around. Grace was excited to hear that her grandparents were moving next door. Mom and Dad were excited to hear that Grace would be returning to the island in May. Charlie and Andy were excited to hear that their sister and adopted grandparents would be staying in Honolulu.

It was agreed that Grace would spend the night at Rachel and Stan's house and return to spend the day at Steve and Danny's house. Everyone stayed for about another hour until it was obvious that Danny was tiring. Steve cleaned up the kitchen and put some chicken in a marinade to fix for supper. Mom had been doing a lot of cooking and Steve wanted to give her a break.

The boys wanted to play in the water for a while and Dad volunteered to supervise. "I could use a little exercise myself. I've put on a few pounds since I retired. I've dropped a couple of pounds since we got here, and I'd like to keep it up. Mom's put me to shame with her diet and I'm having a little problem trying to keep up with her. Now that I know that I'll have to keep up with my grandsons, I have even more incentive."

"Dad, don't let Steve hear you say that. He'll have you in boot camp."

"I will not." Steve protested that he would not do something like that to Dad but he was happy to hear that Dad wanted to take care of himself. "But you can count on me to do anything you need. If you need a workout buddy, the boys and I can help you. Jack and Jesse always have lots of extra energy."

Dad snorted. "Don't I know it? It's a good thing that they're so well behaved. I couldn't keep up with them if they decided to run amok."

"We try to limit amok to once a month on the third Tuesday."

Steve worked in the kitchen fixing a salad and slicing some veggies to grill. It was a comfort to do something that was part of their routine. He went out to light the grill and took a minute to watch his sons playing with their Poppa. He heard Danny's unmistakable footsteps come up behind him.

"Danny, I have to tell you this is something I thought that I would never see. I never thought that I would have a family. I never thought that someday I would marry and have children. I never dreamed that I would have parents again."

"I know babe. When my reconciliation with Rachel fell apart, I figured that was the end for me. I'd never love again and certainly never have more children. This is certainly more than I ever had before. It just keeps growing, doesn't it? We have each other and the boys, our team, our friends, and now our parents."

"I guess love is something that doesn't have limits. Our circle of ohana grows. Do you feel like sitting outside for a bit? I could walk with you out to the beach or you can sit on the lanai."

"The lanai sounds nice. I don't suppose I could have a beer?"

"I think that there's a couple of bottles of the non-alcoholic stuff in the fridge in the garage. It's left over from our last big party."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but that doesn't sound too bad."

Steve settled Danny on the lanai and went to fetch his 'beer'. He grabbed one for himself too and joined Danny to watch his family. Finally Dad herded the boys out of the water to get ready for supper. Dad joined them on the lanai with a beer while the boys went up for their shower.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. Steve stowed a cooler with ice and juice on the balcony before going upstairs for the evening. Steve and Danny showered together again, and the boys joined them for story time. Danny was still awake when Steve came back from tucking the boys into bed.

Mom and Dad went out for a movie and drinks so it was quiet downstairs. Steve found an old movie on one of the classic movie channels and settled on the bed with Danny. Danny made it until the end of the movie before dozing off. Steve had a hard time getting to sleep; he missed spooning with Danny. It seemed that he had just fallen asleep when his watch beeped. Danny stayed awake for a while after Steve woke him to take his medication; Steve took advantage of the opportunity to cuddle with Danny for a little while.

Saturday was a good day. The home therapist came after breakfast, and Grace came over for the day just as the therapist was leaving. She made sure Danny's ice pack was fresh and helped in the kitchen for lunch. Steve had his run and swim before joining the rest of the family for some fun in the surf. Danny was set up by the beach with his leg propped up on a make-shift footstool. Steve grilled out steaks for supper after Danny said that he needed some red meat.

Sunday was going well until Danny received a phone call from New Jersey a little after noon. Apparently Grace had posted a note online about her grandparents moving to Hawaii, and her cousins read the post. When they passed the news onto their parents, all hell broke loose.

Paula and Jackie compared notes and realized that their parent's vague comments about moving somewhere warmer were translating into a permanent relocation to Hawaii. Although they didn't visit their parents often, they were very upset that said parents would not be nearby if they needed them.

It didn't help that both women had grown a little jealous of Danny over the last few years. Steve was still a very attentive husband unlike their spouses. He was financially secure and led a very nice life in Hawaii.

Danny was having a pleasant day when his cell phone rang. He recognized Paula's number and was surprised to get her call. "Hey Paula, how are you doing?"

"I'm here with Jackie and neither of us is doing well. We're just finding out that Mom and Dad are moving to Hawaii. How long have you and Steve been working on this?"

"I'm doing okay, thank you for asking. My surgery was successful and my recovery has been uneventful so far." Danny was determined to be pleasant to his sisters even if he was pissed off that they ignored their parents so much of the time.

The sisters ignored Danny's comments. "Don't think that we're going to let you get away with this."

"What planet are you girls living on? In case you haven't noticed, Mom and Dad are adults and more than capable of making their own decision. It came as a surprise to Steve and me too, but we're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead of calling me and jumping in my shit, why didn't you call them? It's a good opportunity for them to get out of the cold weather and Dad has a great offer to do some consulting work here."

"If they want to get out of the cold, they can winter in Florida like all of the other snow birds. Where will we go for the holidays?"

"Well I guess you can take turns hosting them. It's not my fault that you failed to learn how to stuff a turkey or make a pie. You had your chance to learn how to cook some of Mom's recipes and you chose to let her do all the work. You can bet that doesn't happen here. And Steve and I are thrilled to have them here. Now if you don't mind, it's time for my afternoon therapy. Have a nice day."

Danny ended the call and only then saw that he had a captive audience. Everyone was drawn into the living room to listen to the conversation.

Mom and Dad were both furious with their daughters. Steve was equally furious that Paula and Jackie were unconcerned about Danny's surgery but called to yell at him for something he didn't do. Jack and Jesse had figured out most of what was happening and were anxiously waiting for the fireworks to go off. They knew how protective their dads were about those that they loved.

Mom decided that it wasn't a good idea to discuss the problem with the children in attendance so she tried to diffuse the situation. "That was completely uncalled for. Danny, thank you for pointing out that we're capable of making our decisions. Dad and I will give them a little time to digest the information before we call them back. We're so excited about the move especially after going through the house with Cliff and his crew boss. The house is very nice as is but it will be amazing when they're through with it."

Dad was saving the best news for last. "We put down a deposit today. Cliff is offering to carry the mortgage through his company. We're getting the inspection done this week. If it pans out, we'll be able to close on the house within the next 2-3 weeks. Cliff estimates that he can get the remodeling done in another 3 weeks. I'll be leaving next week to put the house in Jersey up for sale and arrange the movers. We'll store our belongings until the house is finished."

Steve and Danny were stunned to hear that the move was proceeding so quickly. Danny was the first to recovers his wits. "By my estimation, you'll be moving in about the time that I finish my physical therapy. I think that calls for a celebration. Steve, I think we need to have another luau. Mom and Dad missed the one we threw for Jesse's adoption."

"I think that's a great idea. We keep adding to our ohana here so I think that we'll need a bigger pig."

Mom had a better idea. "Boys, it's going to take us a while to get everything unpacked. I think we need to wait until Grace is home to have the party. She missed the luau last year to and she should be here."

Everyone agreed that was the better option. The unpleasant phone call was soon forgotten as the family made plans for a springtime party. It was a godsend for Danny to know that in the time it would take for his knee to heal, his parents would become permanent residents next door. He was amazed by how much happened in a week. He got a new knee and his parents back. What could be better than that?

Thanks to McDannoIsa for reminding me that Grace would want to be there for her Danno.