Hey all, thank you so much for all the reviews and story alerts. This is a short chapter but it's mostly to get the story moving along. Just like all of you I really want Danny to wake up so this will hopefully get us to that point. Hope you are still enjoying the story!

Chapter 4

The hours passed by in a blur, slowly turning into days. Danny had not made anymore movement since the twitch of his fingers three nights ago. The doctors had told Steve it was a reflex, an involuntary movement. Steve chose to believe otherwise, simply because he had to believe in something. For him it was a sign, it was Danny's way of saying "I'm still here, it's going to be okay." It had come on the heels of Steve breaking down, the one weak moment he had through this whole ordeal thus far. And at that moment, when Steve felt his partners hand move in his own, he made an internal resolution to be strong for his friend. There would be no more breakdowns, no more guilt trips even as it burned deep inside him. He would offer up his own strength and support to see Danny through this nightmare.

The doctors had been in and out, as if on a never ending carousel ride. The neurologist spoke of reduced swelling, a good sign. The orthopedic surgeon spoke of surgery on his hip, the need to get it done as soon as possible so the bones didn't set improperly. The pulmonologist was coming tonight to remove the tube in Danny's chest, x-rays confirming his lung had completed it's re-expansion. He would feel tightness in his chest for some time to come but it was healing nicely.

The second day had found the bruises and cuts darkening, but now Steve could see them beginning to heal as well. The swelling on Danny's face had reduced, making him more recognizable. Steve was eager for the doctors to wean him off the heavy drugs that had kept him sedated and unresponsive for three days. The neurologist was hopeful that they would be able to do it by tomorrow. They needed to find out, now that some of the swelling on Danny's brain had gone down, if he would wake up. Tests showed no signs of damage, so they were optimistic that no surgical intervention would be required.

Rachel had brought Grace by each day after school for a little while. She hadn't been as nervous the second and third time around. Steve had sat quietly in the corner and watched as Grace spoke to her father. He found himself smirking as she rambled on about everything and nothing, at times going into a Danny-esque rant. She sure did inherit her fathers ability to talk.

Steve had spoken briefly with the Governor, informing him that he would be on leave until further notice. Surprisingly he had been understanding, allowing Chin and Kono to take the lead during his absence, with the stipulation that he send someone in his place to join Five-0. Steve didn't care, all that meant was that he was free to be by Danny's side for the long haul.

Chin and Kono came whenever they had the chance. As promised, Kono had kept Steve clothed and fed. In turn, Steve had kept up his end of the bargain and slept restlessly in a reclining chair beside Danny.

At the moment, Steve stood next to the bed, not able to sit anymore. He observed the three day beard growth his friend had sprouted in his unconscious state. It covered some of the cuts on his face, but it made Steve uncomfortable. Danny took pride in his appearance at all times. Sure, he would sometimes get caught up and not shave for a day, but that was only when he was practically dead on his feet from being overworked on a case. It was disconcerting to see him so disheveled, that Steve had taken to running his fingers through Danny's hair periodically to keep it from becoming unruly. Currently, it sat in waves on his head. It had been washed since the accident, had to be, in order to get the blood out and clean his wounds. It was a look Steve didn't mind so much, maybe he would tell Danny that when he woke up. But the beard, it had to go. Steve made a mental note to ask the nurses when it would be okay to clean him up.

"Good evening Commander."

Steve looked up to find the pulmonologist coming into the room, a nurse following behind wheeling a cart with several medical supplies on it.

"Dr. Kahana" He nodded his greeting as the doctor pulled down the top of Danny's gown to remove the bandage surrounding the chest tube.

"What do you say we get rid of this thing huh? I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable without it." It made Steve smile to hear the doctor speaking to Danny.

"Commander, if you would be so kind?" Dr. Kahana motioned towards the door.

"Of course." Before stepping away, Steve wrapped his hand around Danny's and squeezed. "I'll be right outside Danno."

Steve took the opportunity to check in with Chin. He may have been absent from Five-0 for the time being but he still needed to be kept in the loop. Just as he was about to hit the send button on his phone, the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Reid, came around the corner.

"Commander McGarrett, how are you tonight?" The doctor greeted Steve with a shake of a hand.

"I'm okay Dr. Reid, could definitely be better." The doctor nodded in understanding.

"Well then, perhaps I can help with that. I understand Dr. Kahana is in with Danny right now."

"Yeah, he uh, he's removing the chest tube." The relief in Steve's voice was evident. The doctor smiled.

"I've conversed with all of Danny's doctors and we've come to the conclusion that he is ready for his hip surgery."

"But he hasn't woken up yet, isn't that risky?"

"Any surgical procedure is risky. Our concern was that Danny's body couldn't handle the stress of surgery, but he's coming along nicely. His latest scans are good, they show big improvements. His heart has regained it's strength and we all agree that now is the time. My fear is that if we wait too long there will be permanent damage that no amount of rehabilitation will help."

Steve couldn't mask the concern on his face. He understood what the doctor was saying but was scared that Danny wasn't strong enough yet to handle another operation.

"Commander, I understand your trepidation. However, I assure you, we would not put Danny in unnecessary risk."

"When do you plan on doing this?"

"They should have the OR ready in about an hour."

"An hour?" Steve was beginning to panic. He wanted to trust the doctors, knew he should, but his fear was taking over his logic. What if something went wrong? What if THEY were wrong? What if Danny wasn't strong enough yet to undergo such a procedure? A warm hand on his shoulder pulled him from his panic.

"Commander, we have every reason to believe that Danny will come through this with ease. I know it's difficult, but please have a little faith."

Faith in what exactly? Faith in doctors abilities? Faith that Danny would continue to fight, that he wouldn't leave Grace behind without one? Steve thought back to the small hand movement Danny had two days prior and quickly realized that all he had to go on was faith.

Another two days had passed. The operation on Danny's hip was a success. He had come through the surgery just fine, the only complication was a decrease of his blood pressure. They had quickly sorted it all out and now he sported a lovely screw in is left hip. Rehabilitation would take a while and physical therapy would be painful, but Danny was alive.

The day after the surgery, Danny's neurologist decided to wean him off of the drugs that were keeping him in a coma. At this point, the swelling on his brain had gone down significantly and they needed to see where Danny stood.

Steve had been given permission this morning to, for lack of a better word, groom Danny. Apparently it was a popular request. The nurse had explained that a lot of patients families ask to wash hair, shave, and even polish nails at times, which wasn't permitted. Steve had smiled and reassured the nurse that he had no intention of doing anything of the sort. A simple shave was all Steve was looking to accomplish. There was some scabbing from the cuts on Danny's face so Steve made sure to be careful.

The nurse had provided him with a small water basin, razor and shaving cream. They showed him how to maneuver around the ventilator tubing and left him alone to work his magic.

"Ok buddy, any objections speak now." Steve watched his friends face as he held a glop of shaving cream on the pad of his fingers, hovering above Danny's face. Not a single twitch.

"No? Alright, here we go." Steve gently applied the cream to Danny's right cheek, spreading it out until a good surface area was covered. He swiftly wiped his hand clean then dipped the razor into the water before lightly pressing the blade to Danny's cheek and running it down his face. Carefully and meticulously Steve repeated the process, over and over until he had only a small patch of hair to remove on left cheek where most of the swelling had been.

He turned to the basin and swished the razor around in the water to rinse off the hair and cream. After shaking away the excess water until it was no longer dripping, Steve turned back to finish what he had started and his breath caught in his throat, his heart thudding to a stop.

The bluest eyes he had ever seen were wide and staring up at him. Steve couldn't help the tears that welled in his eyes, the smile that grew on his face, or the depth of emotion that echoed with the words he had been longing to say for five days.

"Hey Danno, welcome back."