Over the Edge chapter 9
A/N: Guys, I am so sorry that it's taking this long to upload. I had a huge 200 point essay that I have to do for English, so I have been working on that. My dad did take away my computer for a while, too, let's just say that I'm at the rebellious age. Ha. Anyway, it's no excuse, really, but I'm really sorry that I haven't posted recently. I won't do it again (as long as I don't have huge essays to do and present anymore.) I hope you guys'll forgive me. Here ya go.
-H50-
"Gracie!" Danny cried out in joy. His little girl was tied up in a metal chair, but she was okay. At least from what he could see, she was fine.
"Danno! Danno, help Uncle Steve, he needs help!" Grace told him through the small smile that spread across her face. She was finally saved, but the smile died down when she looked at her Uncle Steve once again. There was a pool of blood, still growing, beneath him. He had taken the knife for her.
"It's okay, Monkey. I just want to check you over first." With that, Danny untied his daughter and started inspecting the small bruises that were carelessly scattered on her legs.
"Danno, I'm fine! Uncle Steve needs help!" She almost begged him to release her so she would go help Steve.
"Honey, I just want to make sure you're okay. Steve will be fine, just sit down." Danny pointed sternly at the metal chair that she had just been tied up in. She wasn't used to that harsh tone that he was using, so she reluctantly sat.
"Danny, he's dying. We need to get him out of here, he's bleeding out. You have to help us!" Kono's scared voice echoed throughout the cramped room.
"I'll call Medevac to get out here. Just put pressure on that wound." Danny replied.
He finally stopped ignoring the fact that Steve was terribly hurt. He saw Steve, he was hurt, almost to the point of death. He had to stop being such an asshole and face the fact that he was there, not dead, and he needed help. He had to stop pushing everyone that wanted to help him away, it was just getting them mad at him. He had needed to lash out at someone for taking Gracie, his Gracie, but he took it out on the wrong person. He couldn't help it, all the balled up anger had come off on Steve, and he didn't even know if Steve was alive. If he was, Danny knew that he would be fighting to keep Grace safe, no matter what. It didn't matter if he died in the process, and Danny knew that. He just needed to lash out, but he shouldn't have.
Danny fished around in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He called Medevac and told them the general location of where they were. He just hoped that they would get there in time.
"Danny, you've got to help us." Kono sobbed, slapping Danny out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm sorry, you know. I just didn't want to admit the fact that Steve could have been dead, trying to protect my little girl. That was supposed to be my job, but he was doing it instead. I ju-" Danny was cut off by Chin's voice.
"Danny, shut up and help!" He growled in frustration. Now was not the time for Danny to be pouring his heart out to them. He was actually mad, Danny had been pissed that Steve hadn't been able to stop Grace from being taken, and that put him in a bad mood. On top of that, he was just blabbering some mushy stuff instead of helping keep the quickly flowing blood coming from a stomach wound inside of him.
"Sorry, Chin. You're right." Danny crouched down beside the cousins and put his strength into keeping Steve's insides where they were supposed to be. "What else is wrong?" Danny asked as he eyed down Steve's seemingly shattered body.
"Looks like he got shot in the foot, but that's mostly stopped bleeding. Looks infected to me, though. Along with that, he got shot in the shoulder. That's not too bad, either, it's a clean through and through. He might have some broken ribs, too, but I'm not a doctor," Kono started. "But other than that, it just seems like he is going to bleed to death! And you were complaining about how he might not have protected Grace!" She finished with a scream to let out some stress. Danny understood, she was right. He was saying how Gracie wasn't going to be okay and that it was all Steve's fault. He obviously didn't mean it, but he needed to let his anger out on someone.
"You're right." Danny mumbled.
"I know that I'm right. You were just being a son of a bit- gun!" Kono spoke in a harsh whisper, stopping her curse for Grace's sake.
Just then, they heard a helicopter's blades ripping through the sky outside.
"They're here, I'll go show them the way." Chin said as his stood up, hands bloodied. He marched out of the tiny room and traveled up the stairs and out the door. Danny just hoped that they would get there in time, Steve's heartbeat was barely a flutter anymore. He was dying.
In just moments, the sound of boots meeting stairs ricocheted through the room.
"They're coming."
Both Danny and Kono stepped away from Steve's limp body to allow the paramedics enough room. Not that the small concrete box had enough room, but they still stepped away.
"We need to get him out, now! He's going to need blood, call ahead to Tripler, tell them that we're on our way." An older paramedic called out to his team. There was a flurry of movement, everyone working in unison, trying to save Steve's life.
They managed to get Steve safely on a backboard and got him outside and into the helicopter quicker than anyone thought was possible. Maybe he would be okay after all. He was super SEAL, he had to be.
The team just sat on the porch of the cabin, pure shock coursing through each of them. Everyone thought that Steve would have been hurt, if not dead, but not tortured like that. From the looks of his battered face and body, he must have been in pure agony, too. But Danny… Well Danny felt like he was in more agony than anyone had ever been in, including Steve. He was dissing his partner, his best friend, saying that he wasn't protecting his child. He had been, though, he risked his life to do just that. And Danny had been calling him terrible things. He was breaking down emotionally, his brick wall starting to crumble.
"We should go guys. Let's go get Gracie and get out of here. Being upset won't help Steve at all, we have to stay strong. For him." Chin whispered, his eyes still glazed over and staring blankly at the foliage that was adjacent to him.
"You're right, Cuz. I'm not sure if I can manage to get up right now, though. I'm still reeling." Kono whispered back, mimicking Chin's expression.
Danny stood up slowly, his blue eyes swelling with unshed tears.
"I was wrong. I couldn't have been more wrong. He protected her, risked his life for her. And I was… I was…" By now, Danny was sobbing. He couldn't help it. He messed up, he really did.
"Danny, you were just upset, Steve will understand. We understand. It's okay, really." Chin countered, hoping to comfort Danny. In reality, though, Chin wanted to be comforted. He was always holding the team together emotionally and it was really starting to weigh him down, especially after this.
"It's not okay! He's my best friend, I shouldn't have doubted him at all! I can't go see him, I won't be able to look him in the eye ever again. I just… I'm going to go take Grace home." Danny stormed off, stray tears streaming down his blotched face. He wouldn't ever be able to forgive himself.
Chin and Kono stayed where they were, unable to move. Their limbs seemed to turn to cement.
"Maybe we should just let him cool off, he'll come around." Chin finally piped up after moments of silence.
"Yeah, let's just get out of here." Kono said, eyes glistening with tears.
The two cousins walked off towards the roads that seemed to be far off in the distance.
-H50-
"We've lost him, get the paddles!"
There was a quick movement and then a young intern shoved the paddles into the medic's hands.
"Clear!"
The paddles were pressed up to Steve's chest and his back arched from the shock that was sent through his body. The green line stubbornly continued to follow it's straight path.
"Let's try it again. Clear!"
Another try, but no response from Steve's heart.
"One more try!"
"It's not working, Sir."
"Just try again. Clear!"
Just when hope seemed to be lost, Steve's heart started to beat again.
"He's back. Continue working, everyone. We're doing great."
All of that, and they hadn't even gotten to the hospital yet. The sun didn't seem to be shining very brightly for Steve.
-H50-
"How is she, is there anything wrong?" Danny asked the paramedic that was checking out Grace.
"Just some bruising, maybe a bit of dehydration and malnourishment. Nothing to worry about, but we should take her in just to make sure. Maybe get some fluids in her body." He replied once he saw Danny appear beside him.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure, I'll bring her over, if that's okay." Danny said, opening his arms, engulfing his Monkey in his arms. That's what he needed, he needed his daughter. He needed her hugs. Her smile, her laugh, her big brown eyes. He needed her, just like he needed Steve to be okay.
"Danno, where's Uncle Steve? Is he okay?" Gracie cried into Danny's shoulder.
"He's going to be okay, Gracie. Let's get out of here, okay?" Danny pulled his arms around Grace's back and pulled her upward. He carried her out of the hellhole of a cabin where Steve and Grace were almost killed.
"Can we go see him?" Grace hiccupped after a long silence.
"I can bring you, sure." Danny kissed her on the top of her head, and mumbled into her soft brown hair. He could bring her, of course, if that's what she wanted. He just wasn't sure if he could bring himself to see Steve, not after what he had said about him, not after he had almost died and Danny was saying he was a SOB.
Grace and Danny travelled in silence, savoring the tranquility that surrounded them, basking in the happiness that they had both been okay. They didn't need talking, they just knew, knew that they were safe and that everything was going to be okay. Steve was going to be okay, he had to be.
A/N: Okay, so there you have it. I should be able to upload more now that the stupid English project is over for the most part. I just have to present Monday, a six minute presentation with no papers to guide me. Great. Anyway, I want your reviews, and I can take it if you say something like "You're an idiot, why haven't you posted?" Because yes, it was stupid of me to not write/post. But I would prefer you telling me something about how the story is going. And I want to say that I have read each and every review, twice, and they all make me soo happy. Thanks for reading!