A/N: There is a lot of Danny talking in this chapter, so my apologies if the speech I gave Danny doesn't hold up to the usual "ranting" standards he has in the show.
~H50~
Chapter 7
With just under a minute to spare, Eric slid into one of the chairs at Danny's table. Steve pushed one of the water glasses over with a significant look that prompted Eric to take a long drink. Danny let out a big breath, then leaned in toward Eric from across the table.
"You and I both know this trip to Hawaii was not going to be an ideal vacation for you. Your mother sent you here for a reason. Tonight's actions just prove how far off track you have already gone, and they give a pretty decent indication of where you will be headed if somebody doesn't straighten you out. Those 'Somebodies' are now me and Steve."
Eric still appeared to be pretty drunk, but was slowly starting to show his apprehension of the current conversation. Danny noticed the worried quirk of Eric's eyebrows and how he started biting his lip, but barely hesitated before continuing his speech. "What you did tonight was illegal, Eric. You get that, don't you? Tonight could have ended in a lot of different ways, and most of them are some variation of you being in jail, the hospital, or the morgue."
Eric had now completely dropped his eye contact, and Danny found himself repeating the same admonishment he had given in his office the previous morning. "Hey, look at me when I'm talkin' to you. You need to see that your actions have consequences, and Steve and I will try to get that through your thick head before you end up with something permanent on your legal record."
Danny paused a moment and watched as Eric kept fidgeting in his chair. "You are 18 and therefore you are technically, legally an adult. However, you are still living with your mother and you should already know where you stand with this family. You can take the punishment that I have planned for you, or we can go down to the precinct at a decent hour and handle this in a formal and legal manner. I highly recommend that you accept what I have to offer."
Taking a deep breath and a glance to Steve, Danny reached the first part of the actual punishment he would be handing out. He guessed that revealing it would break through Eric's current and atypical silence. "We will go over all of this again after everybody gets some sleep, but here are the highlights. Due to purchasing and consuming alcohol, while you are legally underage and using false identification, the first part of your punishment will be to complete twenty hours of community service and volunteering over the next week."
Eric sputtered and almost inhaled his water, causing him to cough. Danny watched Eric recover and start to open his mouth to retort, but he just held up a hand and continued talking quickly to cut off anything Eric would say.
"I know twenty hours seems like a lot, but you avoided official charges back in Jersey for your last big escapade, so I'm considering this a combined punishment. I will be deciding what those service activities will be, and the first one is me volunteering you to clean out the Drunk Tank at HPD. I think that it is a fitting task to start with, and you can see where this night could have alternatively ended. We will aim to arrive at HPD around 8:30. When you are done at the precinct, there are some things to do at the Palace as well."
Eric could no longer keep his reaction silent. "8:30?! Uncle D, that's so early! And—"
Steve interrupted with a sharp reprimand. "Eric! Enough! What did I say to you not even thirty minutes ago, before we entered this house? You repeated it back to me, so I know you heard. Try another answer."
Danny could definitely see the essence that made Steve so effective as a Team Leader and Commander in the Navy. Danny and Steve both noticed when Eric realized why his initial reaction to Danny had received the interruption from Steve.
"I meant, um, thank you Uncle Danny, for not letting this go on an official record." While trying to seem confident in his new statement, Eric couldn't keep the end of it from sounding like a question. Danny also did not miss the glance that was sent to Steve, looking for his approval.
Steve gave a sharp nod back to the teen. "That's a better response. Thank you."
Since Steve's part was up next, Danny gave a small waving hand gesture to let Steve break the news of the afternoon plans. "Danny has agreed to have you spend Saturday afternoon with me doing some physical training. Then we'll meet a couple of hours every day for the rest of your time in Hawaii to continue with the workouts."
As Eric just sat looking at Steve with a stunned gaze, Danny decided to drop the last major detail on Eric without drawing it out any longer. At Danny saying his name, Eric turned his attention back to his uncle. "Do you remember before I moved to Hawaii? When you were caught with your friends right before vandalizing that warehouse?"
Danny watched closely to see how Eric would react to the mention of that night. When he saw Eric hunch further into his chair, Danny continued, "Tomorrow after dinner you and I are going to have another discussion like the one we had back then. This one will end similarly, with you having a hard time sitting for a while. You follow me?"
Eric gave a small groan and mumbled, "Uh huh".
At the confirmation that Eric was following Danny's reference, he continued to lay out more detail. "This part of your punishment is primarily because your attitude and behavior have been spiraling out of control, and I think it will help. I'm warning you up front, you are older now and the situation is more serious than last time. It might get a little rough for you emotionally, but I will be here for you and we'll get through it together."
Eric was flushing bright red and turned his head away from both Steve and Danny, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Eric, I know this all seems like a lot, but the community service and Steve's workouts will be daily activities for you until you head home in 10 days. Well, I guess it's about 9 days now—it is way too early for this shit."
Danny stood up from the table and gathered the three now-empty water glasses. Steve stood shortly after Danny did, took the glasses from his hands and headed for the kitchen as Danny continued talking. "The extra punishment you receive after dinner Saturday night should only be a one-time thing for your recent lapses in judgment, and it is something you will survive. We can discuss later in the week if a recurrence of that type of punishment will be needed, but that will depend entirely on you and how you are handling everything."
After all of the anxiety and conversation since waking up to Steve's early morning phone call, the exhaustion was finally catching up to Danny. The tired detective continued standing as he rubbed a hand over his eyes. Looking back directly to his nephew, he decided to bring the discussion to it's end.
"We'll talk about the rest of your community service activities when we have time later, probably around lunch. For now, I think we can still get a few hours of sleep until we need to leave for HPD. Eric, please set the alarm on your phone so you are up and ready to leave by 8am. You will not be happy if I have to come wake you up. Now get to bed."
As Eric slumped out of the room, Danny turned to see Steve leaning against the wall by the kitchen. "You wanna crash on my couch, and you can drop us off at HPD on your way to your appointment with Denning? I think you still have a change of clothes here, or I know you've at least got some at the office."
Steve shot a glance to the doorway that Eric had disappeared through and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, Danny, that would be great. We'll figure out some time tomorrow to pick up your car, too."
Danny started walking toward his own bedroom, but turned back as Steve stepped in front of the couch. "And Steve? Thanks for being here tonight. I want you to know how grateful I am that I've got you to count on."
Steve sat and made himself comfortable as he looked up at his friend. "Hey, you know I'm happy to help."
Danny couldn't help but give a tired half-smile as he turned again for his bedroom. "Goodnight Steve."
Steve was already half asleep as he mumbled back, "G'night Danny."
~H50~
To be continued…
A/N: I'm sorry I've been so slow to update. I appreciate everyone who has stuck with me so far, and I hope to start cutting down on the time between posts.
