Note: Time for Danny to wake up and fill in some of the blanks.
Chapter Ten
Thirty minutes later Danny started to show signs of awakening. Steve was the first to notice the slight movement of his partners head, and the twitching of fingers. As Steve started to rise to his feet, Danny slowly opened his eyes and blinked. Steve placed his splinted hand on Danny's shoulder, "Danny, you with me?" He asked as he hit the nurse call button with his other hand.
Danny's eyes tracked around the room then locked on to Steve, who saw the moment when Danny's brain jolted to full awareness. Danny choked around the tube in his throat and brought his right hand up to attempt to pull at the obstructive item. Steve quickly caught hold of the straying hand and reassured Danny. "Just try and calm down Danny. You're in the hospital. You're gonna be fine. The tube is helping with your breathing and has to stay 'til doc gets here. Just go with it bud."
Danny gave a very slight head nod, and squeezed Steve's hand, his teeth almost clamped to the tube. Steve could see the fear in his friend's eyes and knew without words what Danny was asking. "Grace is fine, Danny. She's with Leilani. Just relax, Dawns here now." He said as Dawn rushed to Danny's side and immediately started hitting buttons on the ventilator that was flashing and beeping in response to Danny's distress.
Dr. Pearce came in seconds behind her, and Chin and Kono hung back allowing her room. "Good to see you awake, Danny. I'm going to get rid of that tube soon. I just need to make sure you can manage without it first. Just bear with me." She said disconnecting the ventilator so Danny was breathing completely on his own. Danny's eyes screwed up in obviously pain, and his breaths came fast and shallow. Dr. Pearce ordered Dawn to administer a bolus of pain relief, and gradually Danny's breathing began to even out, and deepen. "That's good Danny, now we can get rid of the tube." She said cutting lose the tape that secured it in place. As instructed Danny gave a small cough and the tube slid out from his trachea.
Dawn secured a mask over Danny's face, and he finally opened his eyes then attempted to push the mask away. "Danny you need the oxygen, you had significant trauma to your right lung, and the mask has to stay for a while, ok?"
Danny rolled his eyes and gave a slight nod. "How about some ice chips first, to help sooth your throat?" Dawn suggested, and Steve grabbed the chips from behind him, and passed them to Dawn, who spooned a few into Danny's mouth, then secured the oxygen mask in place.
"Thanks." Danny whispered from behind the mask, his voice weak and croaky.
Dr. Pearce was busy studying Danny's vitals, then after a quick listen to his chest with her stethoscope, and a check of the chest drain, she smiled at the team. "You're doing really well Danny. We'll leave you and your team for a bit, but try to take it easy. You have a chest drain and surgical wound on your right side that will cause a fair amount of pain. We need to keep on top of that so you can breath well, the machine is set to give you constant pain relief, but if you need more let us know, and we can bolus it like before."
Danny gave a nod and closed his eyes, so Dr. Pearce and Dawn left the room, everyone assuming Danny had drifted back off to sleep. Chin and Kono pulled their chairs closer to Danny's bed once again, and Danny surprised them all by opening his eyes and giving them a small smile. "Where did you say Grace was again?"
"Leilani took her shopping, brah." Chin explained. "She's keeping her distracted until you're ready for a visit."
"Is she ok? Marley?" Danny asked as he remembered the girls screaming his name.
"They're both fine Danny. Shaken up, but unhurt." Steve reassured his friend.
"They were...screaming for me." Danny explained between controlled breaths. "I couldn't get ...to them."
"Ian had shut them in Grace's room. They couldn't get out. Grace knew something was wrong, so called Steve, who had her called us. I found them trapped in the room, but unhurt." Kono reassured him.
Relieved that both girls were unhurt, Danny smiled and let out a small sigh which caused him to cough and wince as the chest tube made itself known. "What about...Ian?"
"In custody. We caught him trying to flee the island. You don't have to worry about him. You're safe. You just need to focus on getting better." Steve explained, causing Danny to smile again then his eyes narrowed in on his partner's hand, and the splinted fingers.
"What happened to your hand?"
"It's nothing. I just fractured a knuckle." Steve said, blowing off his injury.
"How?" Danny probed.
"He punched Roberts. Danny you should have seen it, it was beautiful." Kono explained proud of her boss's actions. "Roberts jaw is shattered, and they've wired it shut."
Danny looked at her confused, "who's Roberts?"
"Ian Richards real name." Chin explained. "He was using an alias, and gave the Parkers fake references."
"Oh." Danny simply replied. Still trying to process all that had happened. He had focused on the fact that the girls were unhurt, and was trying not to think about his own injuries, or the recovery he had ahead of him.
"Danny, I know you're tired and not well, but do you think you could tell us what happened?" Kono softly asked.
Danny swallowed and nodded, "I was washing fruit for the girls. He came up behind me and stabbed me."
"But why?" Steve asked, desperate to understand why this man had suddenly turned on his friend.
"I think I hurt his feelings." Danny replied, then lifted the oxygen mask a little and indicated the ice chips. Kono immediately helped him with some more to soothe his sore, dry throat.
"Because you hurt his feelings? Danny if everyone whose feelings you hurt attacked you, you would have been dead a long time ago. There has to be more to it than that." Steve questioned.
"He made a move on me." Danny explained a little embarrassed.
"A move? What like a choke hold?" Steve asked completely misunderstanding what Danny was saying.
Danny just stared at his partner, his mouth open like a fish, Kono gave a little giggle understanding exactly what Danny meant. Danny finally replied. "No you Neanderthal. Why does everything have to be violence with you? He tried to kiss me."
"What?" Steve asked in shock, his eyes widening, "why would he try to kiss you, you're not gay."
"Which is what I politely told him, but he seemed to think you and I, were more partner, partners. He wanted me to break up with you, and be with him." Danny explained, and then had to take a few deep breaths to recover.
"I don't know which I should be insulted by more?" Steve replied sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms across his chest. "The fact that he thought I was gay, or the fact that he thought you would give up all this for him." Steve finished by uncrossing his arms and indicated his fine physique.
Danny gave a small laugh at Steve's comment then started to cough. "Don't make me laugh, you bastard. It hurts."
Steve lent forward and placed his good hand on Danny's forearm. "Easy, Danny, watch your breathing, in and out slowly." Danny nodded that he was ok and sank back into the pillows, exhausted.
"So he didn't take the rejection well." Kono surmised.
"I guess not. I told him it was ok, a misunderstanding, and he went to freshen up. Next thing I felt a sharp pain, and he was right behind me, whispering in my ear." Danny explained, shuddering as he remembered the words that had chilled him to the bone.
"What did he say, Danny?" Chin coached.
"If he couldn't have me, no one could." Danny replied and closed his eyes. Fatigue was setting in fast now.
"Oh man, this guy is lolo. We will need to get a psyche review." Kono exclaimed.
"The guy is obviously a nut job, if he took a liking to Danny." Steve joked trying to lighten the mood.
"Hey, is it that hard to believe a man could find me attractive." Danny yawned as his eyes remained closed.
Steve was about to bite back with a quick quip, relieved to be able to banter with his partner after the shocking events of the day before, but he was stopped as the monitor beside Danny alarmed as his oxygen levels dipped below a satisfactory level. "Enough talking now, Danny, and get some rest. We'll call Leilani and get her to bring Grace in. She is desperate to see you awake."
A smile spread across Danny's face at the mention of his daughter's name, and his shoulders relaxed as exhaustion won out, and he slipped back to sleep.
TBC