Danny's heart sank before he could asked the dreaded question. "Doctor Prentiss. How was surgery?"
The doctor took a deep breath to gather his thoughts as to the best and less painful way to deliver the grim news. "His aneurysm burst before we could reach it."
Danny felt a stake had been driven through his heart. He stood numbed with tears pooling in his eyes. "Don't tell me he's dead?"
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"No, but he's in a coma. We tried our best to limit the damage and we were successful at removing the tumor."
"But he's alive?" Kono insisted.
"Yes, the EEG shows brain activity and he responds to some stimuli."
"What about brain damage?" Chin queried.
"That is a possibility but the aneurysm burst just as we were performing the craniotomy, so the damage can't be that extensive. Then again, each case is different. At this point we can't estimate the breadth of the damage and if whether or not it's short-term or permanent. We'll know more when he wakes up. If he does wake up."
"What are the chances of him come out of this coma?" Danny asked with a slight quavering voice
"At the moment, very slim."
Chin and Kono turned to Danny as the air pushed out of his lungs at the dire prognosis. "Can I see him?"
"Not right now. Perhaps a little later when he'll be settled in his room. I'm sorry I don't have encouraging words to offer, but one thing should comfort you and that's the fact that his aneurysm burst on the operating table. That enabled us to staunch the bleeding and hopefully, limit the damage."
"Thank you, Doctor. To some extent, it does," Kono said.
"If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Ask one of the nurses to page me ."
"Thank you." Chin exchanged a nod with Doctor Prentiss before turning to his shattered friend. "Danny, why don't we..."
"It's my fault. This is all my fault."
"Danny, what are you talking about?" Chin asked in puzzlement.
"I should have been more insistent. I should have just dragged his sorry butt to the doctor's despite his denying that everything was fine. Dammit HE WAS NOT FINE!" he hurled out.
"Danny, calm down," Kono tried to soothe, but she quickly shrunk back when Danny brushed her off.
"I'm sorry I'm just...I'm just so f...," he held his tongue in Kono's presence. He plonked down on the sofa and buried his head in his hands for a moment. Although Chin and Kono were in shock at the sudden outburst, they suspected as much.
Kono edged up to the irate man and risked a hand on his shoulder. "Danny, we have to believe that he'll fight this. He'll come out of this coma. You'll see. You don't call him Super Ninja SEAL for nothing."
With a pinched face and eyes brimming over with tears, Danny offered a weak nod but was nevertheless wracked with guilt over the outcome of his partner's condition.
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It was late in the evening when Danny was allowed to visit with Steve. He paused at the door to take in the inventory of machines and tubes hooked to his friend before making his way to the bed with a faltering step.
With his hands firmly gripping the bed rail, he stared catatonically at the bandaged head and drawn features. He cringed at sight of the tracheal tube down his partner's throat linked to an artificial respirator that breathed for him.
"Dammit Steven! For once, why couldn't you have just listened to me, huh?" Danny chastised with a chest constricting fear of losing the one friend that he considered like a brother. "Yes I'm angry. I'm raving mad at you!" He seethed as he replayed the scenes of their carguments in his mind. "You'd better beat this or else I - " Danny faltered in his ranting when he realized that he couldn't bring himself to bash on a defenseless man.
He lowered the railing and gently took hold of Steve's limp hand. "When I asked you to take some time off, I didn't mean it like this." Danny's bottom lip quavered when a flood of tears rushed to his eyes. "I can't help thinking that if I had taken you to the hospital sooner, we could have prevented this from happening. I say it's a good omen that we stopped alongside the road when your stomach revolted. Otherwise we would have driven further away from the hospital to the governor's mansion and - " He closed his eyes to squish out the tears. "It might have been too late."
He leaned closer to Steve's face. "I love you, you big goof. Mary and Catherine need you. We need you and - I need you." He placed a light kiss on Steve's forehead and wiped at his tear-smeared cheeks with his free hand. "Don't stay in there too long, ya hear?"
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A week passed with Steve still in a coma. Mary's attorney was able to obtain a delay in her trial, stating family emergency, so that she could remain a while longer on the island.
At Mary's request, Danny temporary moved into Steve's house as she didn't want to live there all by herself. It was also a good opportunity to watch over her while Steve was in the coma. Mary offered him the guest bedroom but he rested satisfied crashing on the couch as he had done before. He had also taken Steve's iPhone to take messages while his partner was, as he kindly phrased it, taking time off.
Danny had always hated the sound of the waves crashing ashore that he found truly annoying but surprisingly enough, they didn't seem to bother him as much as they had. He figured that his brain was too foggy to even hear them. His constant worry for his partner outweighed any petty annoyances he might have complained about in the past.
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In the wee hours of the morning, Danny was half asleep when he felt a strange presence in the room. He blinked open his eyes and tried to adjust the focus on the blurry form sitting in the armchair.
"Mary?" he asked, puzzled as to what Steve's sister would be doing up at this time of night. "What are you doing down here? Are you all right?"
"I couldn't sleep. I'm sorry if I woke you," she answered with a shaky voice.
"You didn't. I had one eye open as I have had for the past week."
"Danny I'm scared," she sobbed. "I don't want to lose my brother. He's all I have in this world."
Danny threw his blanket over the side of the couch and reached out to the grieving sister. He sat on the arm of the chair and wrapped a consoling arm around her quivering shoulders. "We won't lose him. He's just taking time out. The doctor says his brain is active and he responds to touch and I'm sure he can hear us as well."
"You really believe that?"
"I do. I have to. It's the only solace I have to get through the days."
"You're a good friend, Danny. I can tell Steve loves you very much. You're like the brother he never had."
He squeezed her shoulder as the thought warmed his heart. "I have brothers, but not like Steve. He's very special to me too. I don't want to lose him either. It's our job to drill that notion into his thick skull. You'll see, he'll come out of this coma and not only that, he'll be as he was before, stubborn and obnoxious."
A faint chuckle escaped her lips at Danny's comment. She leaned her head against him and closed her eyes. "Can I stay down here with you?"
"Wouldn't you be more comfortable in your bed?"
"No. I don't want to go back up there. It reeks of Steve and – I can't handle the stillness. I'd rather be here with you and perhaps the television?"
He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Well all right. You turn on the TV and I'll go make us some coffee. It might keep us up longer but what the heck, huh?"
"I'd like that. Thanks."
Danny picked up an afghan at the foot of the couch and spread it over Mary. He then made his way to the kitchen to prepare the coffee.
By the time it was ready, she was fast asleep. He then settled on the couch and sipped the hot beverage while watching a boring infomercial.
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Early in the morning, Steve's iPhone ring startled Danny out of sleep. Without bothering wiping the haze out of his eyes, he grabbed the phone on the table and brought it to his ear. "Hello," he answered a bit groggy.
"Is this Commander McGarrett?" asked the voice on the other end.
Danny blinked to wake his numbed senses. "No this is his partner, Detective Danny Williams. Commander McGarrett cannot come to the phone. May I take a message?"
"It's important that I speak to him. I'm Commander Whelan."
Danny brought his legs to the edge of the couch and sat. He took a quick gander at Mary still asleep in the armchair. "I'm sorry. Commander McGarrett is in the hospital right now. I'm taking all of his calls. Can I help you?" Danny ran a hand across his face to wipe the remnant of sleep.
"I was calling to update him on the medical condition of Lieutenant Rollins."
"Oh yes, Catherine. Please tell me, is she okay?"
"She is still on the critical list but has managed to survive thus far. Her doctor is optimistic she will pull through."
Danny heaved a sigh of relief. "That's great. That is good news."
"She's not out of the woods yet, but she's quite the fighter."
"Yeah, so I've been told. Thank you for calling, oh and Commander Whelan? Would it be possible to call me with regular updates on her condition? You can call at this number."
"Sure. Is Commander McGarrett all right?"
"No sir, he's –" Danny faltered at the thought of his partner's condition. "He's in a coma."
"What happened?"
"Brain aneurysm surgery gone bad. Perhaps it might not be wise to tell Lieutenant Rollins just yet. It could do more harm than good seeing how she's very smitten with Commander McGarrett."
"I understand. I will keep in touch, detective."
"Thank you." Danny hung up the phone and glanced at the clock showing 5:16am. Normally he would have raved and ranted about being awaken this early but just like the waves, Danny didn't care. His main focus was on Steve and everything and everyone that was dear to him. He wanted to keep the torch lit and carry on a vigil while his friend was in a coma.
Luckily the phone conversation hadn't bothered Mary who remained fast asleep. He decided to catch some more sleep. He lay back on the couch and flung the blanket back on himself.
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An additional ten days passed with Steve not showing sign of significant improvement, other than being able to breathe on his own with the help of a nasal cannula. They took turns visiting him at the hospital, talking and reading to him. Doctor Prentiss had taught them how to exercise the patient's limbs to restore muscle tone in his flaccid arms and legs. He would often turn Steve on his sides to prevent bed sores.
While it was Danny's turn at Steve's bedside, he was stunned to hear a soft plaintive moan gurgling down his throat. The detective's hopes of a recovery were quickly dashed when the doctor explained that it was common for comatose patients to utter unintelligible sounds such as moaning, groaning and even laughing and crying.
However Danny saw this as an encouraging sign that his partner was breaking out of his shell to rejoin the land of the living. Little did he know that his enthusiasm would prove to be misplaced.