A/N: So, this is short and came out in a rush, but I needed this scene after the finale.

Spoilers for the season 6 finale, BTW.

Thank you, Partner

Surprisingly, the room was silent after Danny closed the curtain. It may have helped that the night nurse chose that moment to come in and check on the pair, but the silence remained even after she left, lowering the lights and instructing the pair to get some sleep.

The silence wouldn't have lasted so long if Danny had noticed that Steve was once again refusing any kind of opioids, opting instead for the milder OTC painkillers as he had been doing ever since he was a little more aware, which had only happened about 24 hours ago.

Danny on the other hand didn't question the meds prescribed by the doctor, even if they made him drowsy and not at all in control of his brain-mouth filters.

Steve was trying to figure out what the soap opera was about when he heard a soft sniff from the other side of the curtain. He rolled his eyes, reaching out to pull the curtain back. "Alright, if it means so much to you then I'll just put the damn game!" He said in annoyance, cutting himself off in surprise when he noticed Danny looking away and hastily lifting his hand to rub his eye. "Hey Danno, you ok?"

Danny nodded, not looking at his partner. "Yeah, I'm good." He muttered in a soft voice.

Steve frowned in concern. "Hey, buddy. We can watch the game if you want." He said gently, switching gears and trying to figure out what had upset his friend.

Danny chuckled, but it sounded more like a stifled sob. "I don't care about the stupid game. I'm just tired." He bit out, sounding distraught.

Steve wasn't buying Danny's act, so he decided to push his partner. "Come on, buddy. Why don't you just tell me what's up? Is it because you didn't get any 'get well' cards?" he said in a teasing tone. He grew more concerned when he didn't get a reaction from his partner. "Come on! You know I will bug you until you get it out." He cajoled, hoping that Danny's silence wouldn't last too long.

It took a minute for Danny to start speaking, but when he did, he was looking straight at the TV. "You were dead." He said harshly. "You were pale and still, and the asshole couldn't tell if you were dead or alive. Then the guy from the radio wanted me to land on the water!" He growled, finally turning to look at Steve. "But I-I couldn't! You were out and there was no way to get you out of the plane in the water! So I landed the thing on the beach, and I hoped that they would get you to the hospital in time, but that wasn't enough! So yes, I gave you half of my liver! 'cause I can't, Ok? I-I can't keep doing it… I'm tired of losing people that I love!" He snarled, looking away again and lifting his hands to pass them roughly over his eyes.

Steve was speechless for a minute, but recovered himself quickly. "Hey… Partner." He said gently, waiting until he could catch Danny's eyes. He didn't know what to say to make thing right, but once he saw the traces of fear on Danny's eyes, he knew what he needed to do. "Thank you for saving my life." He said sincerely. "And twice!" He added with a smile, knowing that his partner would have the last word.

Danny swallowed a couple of times before he spoke. "I gave you half of my liver. I think that counts for two, at least." He muttered, raising his eyebrows.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Alright, thank you for saving my life… thrice! I love you, partner."

Danny finally smiled, blinking tiredly at the TV. "Yeah, yeah… You can pay me back by putting the damn game on." He said sleepily.

Once Steve changed the channel, he could hear a final sleepy mumble from the other bed. "Love ya too, Babe…"

The End

A/N: I guess the ending fell a little flat for me, because we had everyone praising Steve and honoring him, and Danny was just left as the comic relief, again! So I needed something like this in the episode.

I'd love to hear what you think of it.