Note: Thanks for all the reviews, thanks to those guests that I can't thank personally.
Chapter Seven
"Doc?" Steve asked, his voice almost cracking with nerves.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again. That boy is a fighter." Dr. Pearce said taking a seat amongst the group. "He made it through surgery and should be settled in the ICU by now. We were able to repair the damage to the vein and lung, and stabilised the rib that broke during the procedure. He now has a chest drain in that will stay for a few days, until the hemothorax has resolved."
"So he's going to be ok?" Kono dared to ask.
"At the moment he is still very ill. He lost a lot of blood, which we are still replacing, and his vitals are still lower than I'd like, but I expect them to improve with time. We will be watching him very carefully for any complications, and he will remain in the ICU for several days. I have decided to keep him on the ventilator until the morning, to give his body a chance to recover and take the strain off his lung, give it a head start with the healing."
"That doesn't really answer Kono's question, doc." Steve replied.
Dr. Pearce smiled. "Baring any complications, yes he should be fine. We are keeping a close eye out for infection, and I have started him on some strong antibiotics, as a precaution. Unfortunately, because of Danny's dire condition when he was brought in, I had to act fast, which meant there wasn't time for sterile precautions."
"Ani told me you made a bold move. Thank you so much, doc. You saved his life." Steve said with a sigh.
"Well it was a team effort. Your pink straw trick was pretty bold too. If you really want to thank me, do it by catching the man that did this to him." Dr. Pearce stated.
"Oh we will doc. We know who did it, we just don't know why, or where he is now. HPD are on it. At the moment Danny is our main concern." Kono promised.
"I know you will. Now my main concern is keeping on top of Danny's pain, once he is awake. Thoracotomies are notoriously painful, and pain control can be difficult, but we will do our best to keep him comfortable. Now, I can take you to him if you like. Grace too, as long as she has someone with her at all times."
"Thank you." The whole team smiled.
Steve gently tried to rouse Grace. "Gracie, we can go see Danno now."
Sleepy eyes opened, and her little hand rubbed her eyes, "is Danno ok?"
"Grace." Dr. Pearce spoke gently, and the young girl turned her head. "Your dad had to have surgery too fix his lung. At the moment he is very poorly, and needs the help of a machine to breathe. But your dad is very strong, and I'm happy with the progress he is making. We're giving him special medicine to keep him asleep because he has a tube down his throat, which is connected to a breathing machine, and it doesn't feel nice. So while he needs that, I want him to sleep and save his energy."
Grace just nodded in understanding. "You can go see him if you want, but he is connected to lots of monitors, drips, and wires that can look a bit scary, but are all there to help your dad."
"I want to see Danno. I don't care about all those things." Grace quietly replied.
"Ok then." Dr. Pearce smiled. "Let's go see your dad."
Everyone followed after Dr. Pearce, Steve carrying Grace on his hip, her arms wrapped around his neck. Steve thought to him self how Grace was growing into a mature young woman, but in this instance, she was a scared little girl who needed her daddy.
When they arrived at the ICU doors they were surprised to find two uniformed officers stood guard. "Officer Ike." Kono said, recognising one of her fellow training academy graduates.
"Sergeant Lukela sent us over. Two officers will be here at all times until this Richards/Roberts guy is found." Ike explained.
"Remind me to thank Duke." Steve said to Chin, "He always thinks of everything."
"We have officers scouring the island for this guy. Some even came in on their day off, when they heard what happened. I hope Detective Williams is doing ok."
"Thank you." Chin smiled. "He is hanging in there, and the doctor is hopeful for a good recovery."
"That's good to hear, sir. Do you mind if we report that back to HPD?" Ike asked.
"Please do. It will save me ringing Duke just yet, but please send our thanks, and tell him I'll touch base with him later." Steve said, then moved past them and entered the ICU. He knew that Grace was just as keen to get to Danny as he was.
Dr. Pearce paused outside Danny's room and slid back the glass door. Steve nodded his thanks then entered the room, heading straight to the bed. Danny lay motionless, except for the rise and fall of his chest, and that was only with the help of a machine.
Danny seemed lost amongst the overwhelming equipment surrounding the bed. He looked pale, and was obviously still in need of the blood transfusing via the central line that had been placed in the right side of his neck. Several lumens connected to various drugs were keeping Danny stable and comfortable. His lips were lax around the tube that protruded from his mouth and was connected to the ventilator.
Grace slid down from Steve's arms, cautiously moved closer to the bed, and took hold of Danny's left hand. An arterial line was secured by his wrist, looped around his thumb, and up his arm.
Grace rubbed her thumb across Danny's fingers, "we're all here Danno. Our Ohana is here and gonna keep you safe. I'm so sorry I made you invite that man into our home." She said wiping a tear from her eye with her free hand.
"Hey, hey, Grace. Don't you dare go there sweetheart. None of this is your fault." Steve said, placing his hand on her shoulder, pulling her up close against his legs, and then placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Danno is gonna be so proud of you when he hears how you called for help."
Grace nodded then gave a small sniff, wiping away another tear. Danny always told Grace that she was his everything, his reason for living, but it worked both ways. Grace idolised her father, he was always there for her, always showing her how much he loved her. He had given up everything to move to Hawaii to be near her. Grace loved her mother very much, but she had always been a Daddy's girl. Always preferring him to tuck her in at night, and read her a story, as she grew up. Of course that could have been because her father always put so much energy into his story telling, whereas her mother just simply read the story.
Grace knew her father had a dangerous job. Risked his life most days, and she was proud of him for that. But she knew that he always took every safety precaution, so that he could come home to her. This had shaken her to her core, a simple play date gone so wrong. Her father had been attacked, and almost killed, in their own home. While she and her friend giggled over boys.
"He will be ok? Won't he Uncle Steve?" Grace whispered.
"Of course he will. What does your dad always say? They breed them tough in Jersey." Steve reassured.
The team, and Leilani, settled down to keep Danny company even if he wasn't aware of their presence. Each of Danny's friends couldn't help but keep looking at the large, plastic, canister that hung below his bed. An underwater seal, that drained blood stained fluid from Danny's chest, the occasional bubble rising up from fluid in the tube swinging back and forth with every breath.
The team were relieved to see that Dawn had been pulled in as Danny's nurse, and she moved around them with ease, checking vitals, making sure the tube was working well, and monitoring Danny's output via a catheter draining into a measuring receptacle.
Grace hadn't moved from her dad's side, still clinging to his hand. She was now sat on a chair, her hand reaching through the cot sides that were raised on each side of the bed. Steve had remained right by her side, watching her for the slightest sign that she wasn't coping. He was lost in his thoughts when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He quickly reached in and pulled it out, seeing it was Duke. He quickly slipped out to the waiting room, signalling to Chin and Kono to take over his watch of Grace.
"Duke, hey." Steve answered.
"Steve, sorry to bother you but I thought you would want in on the take down."
"Take down? You know where Roberts is?" Steve asked suddenly anxious.
"Kalaeloa Airport called in that they had spotted Roberts. He's trying to board a flight to Singapore. They have checked him in, but told everyone there is a problem with the plane to give us time to get there." Duke explained.
"Ok, we're on our way. Set up a perimeter around the airport, but wait for us. I want to take the bastard down." Steve ordered and hung up the phone. He quickly returned to Danny's room and turned to Leilani, "could you stay with Grace? We need to go, now." Steve asked.
"Of course," Leilani replied and moved over to Grace's side.
"What's going on Uncle Steve?" Grace asked, surprised by the sudden change in atmosphere.
"We need to go arrest Ian. HPD know where he is, we're gonna go bring him in, for Danno." Steve explained.
"Ok. But hurry back won't you, and Uncle Steve?"
"Yes Gracie." Steve answered seeing the girl's apprehension to finish her sentence.
"Just don't do anything Danno wouldn't do. Ok?"
"Ok Grace. I promise." Steve answered, understanding that Grace meant don't go too far arresting him. She didn't want Steve in trouble for hurting him.
Leilani wrapped an arm around Grace's shoulder as they both watched the team leave, hell bent on bringing the man who had hurt their friend to justice.
TBC
Ian is in trouble now.