Synopsis: When an argument between Danny and Steve spirals out of control and they both say things they don't mean, can one of them survive a deadly accident to apologize? DANNY!WHUMP and STEVE!ANGST. NO SLASH. Friendship only.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawaii Five-0 and am not getting any monetary gain for this story, just playing in CBS's sandbox for a while. These characters and storylines remain the property of CBS. No disrespect intended, just great characters that inspire their own stories.

Rated: T for violence and injuries. Not a Death-Fic.

Notes: Angst and Hurt/Comfort are kinda my thing and I haven't ventured into the Hawaii Five-0 space yet…so here goes.

Please take a second and let me know if you're excited about the next chapter?!

Chapter Four:

Waiting is Hell

The words from the doctor tear at the team and Steve's already shaking his head 'no'. Cuz, there is no version of Danny Williams that he can imagine that can be paralyzed. He's not entirely sure that Danny would even survive something like that. His thoughts turn to the ball of energy that is his partner and he shakes his head. "When will we know? When will we know how severe the damage is?"

The doctor stands up when a nurse approaches. "We should have a better idea when he wakes up." She hands him a form, which he signs quickly and hands back. "We've moved Detective Williams to recovery and then we'll settle him in a room in ICU. But I wouldn't expect him to wake in the near future. The medication he's on will help him recover, but it will also keep him from being coherent for a while. So be patient."

Patience isn't one of Steve's virtues and he suppresses a groan at the suggestion. "When can we see him?" He needs to see his partner and physically ensure that Danny's alive. Because the last time he saw the snarky Jersey man he was lying open on a table and a doctor was removing part of his insides.

"It'll be a while yet. As soon as he's settled I'll let you know. But I can only let one of you in at a time. Hospital policy when a patient is admitted into ICU."

They each nod and the doctor gives them a last sympathetic glance before following the nurse back through the double doors.

Kono wipes away the tears that started falling somewhere during the doctor's explanation of Danny's massive list of injuries. Her phone buzzes and she jumps before seeing Adam's face on the screen. "I need to take this."

Chin simply nods and Steve pats her on the arm. "Go. We'll be here."

After she hurries out of the waiting area, Steve turns to Chin. "Can he come back from this? Tell me he can come back from this." It's not something he would normally ask, but the information the doctor just passed on feels like the end of something.

The older man furrows his eyebrows, leans forward and steeples his fingers in contemplation. "If anyone can, it's him. Danny's too stubborn not to." That gets a smile from his friend and Chin drops the façade. "He'll pull through, Steve."

H50 H50

The slow hiss of oxygen is the first thing Steve hears before he enters the ICU room assigned to Danny. The lights have been turned down low and the steady beap, beap, beap, of the heart rate monitor fills the otherwise silent room. He stops in the doorway and bites at his lower lip before slowly entering the room. There's a chair sitting on the opposite side of the bed, Steve moves and sinks into it. Only then does he allow his gaze to land on his partner.

Danny's head is still wrapped in gauze and there were several smaller bandages taped to the left side of his face. Steve assumes they're covering stitches, but he's not sure. He swallows hard and looks down at the smaller man's hands. His right arm is encased in a soft cast and his left has the same white wrapping as his head. He wonders if he should touch Danny before deciding to risk it and laying his hand carefully on Danny's shoulder. It's the only part that doesn't have an obvious injury.

I don't know what to say to you. The thought bounces around inside Steve's brain as he stares at his friend. How can I not know what to say to you? They'd spent the better part of four years in each other's back pockets and now he was stumped on how to start a conversation. Maybe it's because Steve knows Danny won't be on the other end of that conversation. He inhales and leans forward, laying his head on the bed near Danny's unmoving hand.

"I'm sorry, buddy." It's not what he wants to say, but it's a start. Steve has no idea how long he lays there, his head resting on the hospital sheets and his hair brushing Danny's soft cast. Eventually he pulls himself back into a seated position, his own shoulder complaining painfully. The sun sits high in the sky and there're streaks of light passing through the slated blinds of the window.

A nurse comes in to check on Danny's vitals, so Steve stays silent and waits for her to leave. Once she does, it's like something breaks loose inside him and he can't stop talking.

"Chin and Kono are in the waiting room. They won't leave. We're all worried about you buddy. I called Rachel, she wanted to wait until the doctor's knew more about your condition before telling Grace." He laughs, but there's no humor in the sound. "I know you'd agree with that. The whole not worrying Gracie thing. But I gotta be honest, I think she'd want to be here. That little girl thinks you hung the moon." He takes a breath and keeps rambling. "I took your advice and I'm letting HPD deal with the rest of the guns. They said they could handle it and I haven't even called to check up on the case." And this is where Steve runs smack into what he actually wants to say.

"I…uh…I didn't…you have to know…Danny, I didn't mean it. I've made a lot of bad calls in my life, but you? You were never one of them. I'd choose you every day of the week to back me up." Steve's emotions surge forward and he has to swallow the lump in his throat and wipe at the suspicious moisture at the corners of his eyes. "Even if I could choose from other SEALS or military guys, I'd still pick you. I was angry and I was arrogant during the search and that…" His voice fades off and Steve grinds his teeth together in frustration. "…never should've led to this."

H50 H50

Danny leans against the cabana and watches as Grace laughs. She bobs in and out of the tide pool and he can't help the sense of peace that falls over him. Rachel had gone back inside to take care of Charlie and a small smile pulls at the edges of his lips as he thinks of his family. It's perfect.

It's an amazingly lazy Sunday afternoon and he can't believe that he ever fought her on the idea of moving to Hawaii. It's not that he doesn't miss Jersey or his family, but watching his daughter giggle with her friend is enough to banish the longing for home. The light Hawaiian breeze picks at his hair and he brushes it back before reaching over for the lemonade Rachel brought out earlier. He'd prefer to have a beer, but he'll take ice-cold lemonade as a close second. The sand sifts through his toes and then curls around his ankles. Danny digs his feet further in. It actually feels pretty damn good.

The ringing of his cell phone has him rolling his eyes before he even looks at the screen. Steve McGarrett's face pops up and he swipes the 'answer' button.

"Hello, Steven. You do realize it's Sunday? And you're late?" He waves as Grace waves enthusiastically from the water, a grin spreading across her face as she plays in the surf.

A laugh on the other end of the phone has Danny smiling. "I do. Catherine wants to know if we should bring the steaks already marinaded?"

"Is there any other way to prepare a steak? And is there anything else appropriate for a barbeque on playoff Sunday? I said I'd provide the beer and you were responsible for the meat. That was the deal. Are you bailing on our deal?" He can hear Catherine asking Steve something in the background.

"What? No. Just checking." His partner laughs before relaying the information. There's a pause before Steve tells him what Catherine had to say. "She says stadiums typically serve hotdogs and popcorn, not steak."

Danny groans. "Well, this football fan wants steak and you promised me good food on this rock. I'm holding you to that." There's no heat to his comment and he can just imagine what Steve's face must look like when he called the man's beloved island a 'rock'.

H50 H50

The scene shifts and Danny finds himself lying in a hospital bed with no recollection as to how he got there. His entire body screams with the dull ache of broken bones and stitches. He forces his eyelids open and blinks slowly when the world doesn't immediately fall into focus. A light groan escapes his lips and he looks over at the bright light on the wall. Danny assumes it must be a window, but he can't tell for sure, too blurry.

When his gaze shifts to a blob of an item, that has to be a chair, next to the bed and he's confused when he finds it empty.

Why would he be in the hospital and alone? Where's his team? Or Rachel and Grace? What the hell happened?

"Hel…hello?" The words sound more like a croak than the voice of a human male.

A nurse pops her head in and then goes to the monitors checking his vitals. "Mr. Williams, glad to see you back in the land of the conscious." She grabs a cup and places the straw against his lips.

Danny drinks and then coughs when the water slides down the wrong tube. The nurse waits for him to clear his lungs before speaking again. "Okay?" He nods.

"Where's my team?" He croaks out. His eyes scan the empty room and it feels like a tomb. A very lonely tomb.

"Your team?" She questions, setting the cup down and writing something on a chart.

"Five-0…where are they?" Something inside of Danny cracks at the thought that they left him alone in the hospital. Why would they do that? Had he done something? Were they angry with him? He feels like he's getting closer to the reason, but it still eludes him.

The nurse glances at his chart before answering. "Mr. Williams, you were in an accident. You were alone in the vehicle. I'm afraid I don't know anything beyond that."

Danny blinks and swallows before licking his lips and nodding. "My ex-wife, Rachel. Has she been here?"

"As far as I know, no one's been in to see you since you were admitted three weeks ago." She says it without looking at him, so she misses the shock that registers on Danny's face.

Three weeks? He's been in the hospital for three weeks and no one has been there to check on him? What the hell is going on? It's like someone reached inside his head and pulled out the worst thing that he can imagine and planted him inside that nightmare. No family. No friends. No Five-0. An ache that has nothing to do with his injuries clenches Danny's heart and he suddenly has a hard time breathing.

H50 H50

A long slow whine pulls Steve from restless sleep and he has to take a moment to remember where he is and why he's sleeping sitting up. Several nurses rush into room and he's shoved to the back as they deal with Danny's falling oxygen stats. Steve leans against the wall and watches as the professionals work to level out his partner's vitals. After several minutes the whining stops and the nurses nod to him before exiting the room. He absently rubs his shoulder, biting at his lower lip in anxiety.

Steve runs his hand through his hair and shakes his head before slowly moving back to his seat. He almost misses the little girl peaking around the corner. "Grace?"

The tiny brunette edges around the doorway and pulls at her lips in concern. It's a nervous habit that started after Danny's old training officer taken her hostage a few years ago. Steve knows that Danny was only supposed to have one visitor, so he's a bit confused by Grace's presence. He holds out his good arm and the little girl runs into his embrace. Her eyes are red and Steve can tell she's been crying. "It's okay, sweetie. Danno's gonna be fine. He just needs to sleep for a while."

"Mom wouldn't tell me anything. I had to call Kono to find out where my dad was." She looks over at the unconscious form of her father and then buries her head in Steve's chest. "He never ignores my calls unless something bad happened."

"I'm so sorry Gracie. But I know that your mother was just trying to protect you." He leans away so he can see her more clearly. "Just like Danno would want to protect you. Your father wouldn't want you to worry."

It's like digging into a seeping wound and Steve can barely get the words out as he holds onto Danny's precious baby girl. She looks up at him and then over at her father. "I worry about him all the time, Uncle Steve. Don't tell him that, he doesn't know." She inhales slowly. "Can I sit on the bed with him?" Grace focuses on the chest tube that exits the blanket on the opposite side and her face falls.

Steve forces a smile. "I don't see why not." He helps her slip onto the bed, moving wires when they threatened to tangle her up. Grace leans down and lies quietly next to Danny, her hand resting softly on his chest. Watching the little girl with Danny tugs at Steve's heart and he's reminded that he used Grace when he was trying to bait Danny. She chattering about school and cheerleading. He isn't really listening to what she says so much as the fact that her voice caused a rise in Danny's blood pressure. It's slight, but it's there and Steve's grateful.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER

Rachel picked Grace up an hour earlier leaving Steve alone in Danny's room. Kono and Chin had popped in for a couple hours before heading back to the office to deal with the aftermath of the gun seizure. The sun had dropped and the room had been plunged into darkness.

A light moan from the bed is his first clue that Danny's waking up. Steve immediately moves to the edge of the bed and waits. It seems like hours, but in reality is probably less then five minutes before Danny's eyelids part revealing confused slate blue eyes.

"Hey'ya Danny." Steve knows it sounds lame, but he's not sure how coherent the smaller man is. The blue gaze shifts around the room and then finally focuses on Steve. He blinks several times and then his eyelids fall shut again and his breathing evens out into sleep.

It's not much, but for Steve? Danny waking up is everything. He finally allows his muscles to turn to rubber and he sinks into the chair, his hand lying carefully on Danny's shoulder.

"Welcome back, Danno." He whispered.

TBC…

Author's Note: Again, your response to this little drabble has been amazing and I can't express my gratitude enough. I am forcing myself to keep this at five chapters and maybe an epilogue so that I don't turn it into 50,000 words, which I do quite often. Thank you to all of you guest reviewers that I can't thank personally, THANK YOU. You guys are awesome. I already have a second story bubbling inside my brain, so I'll be posting in Hawaii Five-0 again.

PLEASE REVIEW: I've kept my promises, you guys review, I will post super fast. I'm keeping that request and promise.