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Steve composed himself and he talked to Danny about happier times.
He talked about the one thing that he knew would help his partner the most, he talked about Gracie Margaret Williams.

"So you know we need to get back into the water Danno. Gracie did such a great job last weekend" He smiled at the memory of last Sunday at his place. For months Gracie had been asking that he and Kono teach her to surf and Danny had been adamant that she was 'too young' and that 'surfing was too dangerous'. Then he had surprised ALL of them when he not only bought a board for Gracie but one for himself as well!

Last Sunday as Chin manned the grill, he and Kono had taken the Father and daughter into the water for their first lesson.
"You didn't do too bad yourself Danno, but Gracie...she's a natural buddy. And with Kono teaching her, man she could turn out to be a pro!" Steve smiled, "Wouldn't that be something partner? I can picture it in my mind, us sitting on the beach sipping beers and watching Gracie in competitions. Wouldn't that be something?"

He was surprised to hear his partner reply softly, "No...nno ggood Stteven...ssharks" The words were muffled through the mask that covered his nose and mouth.

As the Nurse left the room to call Doctor Bourdean, Steve gently touched Danny's forehead rubbing it gently with the back of his fingers, "Hey buddy, don't try to talk now"

Danny's hand tightened in his as he mumbled, "Hhhurtss Steeve"
"Sssshhhhh, don't talk Danny. I know you hurt... the Doc will be here in a minute"
Danny's speech slurred as he asked, "Whha hhapenn..edd?"
"You had some bleeding but the Doc's took good care of you and you're going to be fine. You just need to rest"
"Ggrracie" Danny's grip on Steve's hand tightened and his back arched in pain, "Oohhh God"
"Squeeze my hand partner, I've got you"
Moments later Doctor Bourdean entered the ICU and moved to the bedside, "Hello Danny, I just need you to answer a couple of questions for me and then I can give you something for your pain"

"Okay Ddoc..."
Lifting the mask from Danny's face he asked, "Do you remember what happened to you?"
"Yeah...bbullet grazed mme"
"That's right. Can you rate your pain for me, one to ten, with ten being the worst"
"A sevven, or eight...tthe light hhurts my eyes"
"That's expected Danny. Can you tell me the name of the Governor of Hawaii?"
"Denning...SSam Ddenning"
"Good. You're doing very well Danny. I'm going to give you some medication to help you sleep now"
"'K...Steve?"
Steve squeezed his hand, "I'm right here partner" As the morphine entered his veins Steve leaned close to his ear, "Sleep Danny, I'll be right here with you...just sleep"

As the Doctor placed the mask back on Danny's face he relaxed instantly and in only moments he was sleeping.
The Doctor looked at Steve and said, "He's doing well Steve"
"So you don't think he has any brain damage then?
"My initial thoughts are no. He seems to be thinking fairly clearly and his memory seems intact. He's not out of the woods though and it's essential that we control the swelling. We'll keep him medically induced for the next forty eight to seventy two hours and monitor him closely, but so far everything looks good. Do you have any questions for me?"

"No Doc. I will be staying with him"
"I understand Commander. I'll be back to check on him in a few hours. If you have any concerns or need anything, please let the Nurse's know"

Steve shook the man's hand, "I will, thank you"

As the Doctor left the room Steve pulled his chair close to the bed and taking Danny's hand in his, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

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Late that morning as Danny rested comfortably, Steve moved to the side of the room and phoned Chin with an update. He then called Rachel.
She was sitting on a park bench watching Gracie play on the jungle gym with her friends as Charlie slept peacefully in his stroller next to her.
"Steve? Is everything alright"
"Hi Rachel. I'm in the hospital with Danny" He told her what had happened and she said she'd be up shortly with Gracie.

"I don't think that's a good idea yet Rachel. He has a drainage tube in his skull right now and seeing that along with his shaved head might be too much for her to handle right now"
"Okay, I'll take your advice. How long will he need the tubing in?"
"It's day to day Rachel, they need to relieve the swelling on his brain. For the time being they'll be keeping him in a medically induced coma. Once they allow him to wake and his pain decreases I know he'll want to see her"

"Should we call his parents?"
Steve sighed, "Yes…we probably should"
"Okay, I'll do that shortly"
"Thank you…..I'll keep in touch"
"Thank you Steve. Please take care of him and send our love"
"I will, bye"

The next two days were fairly uneventful, and that was a GOOD thing.
Danny rested well moaning only a few times. Whenever he stirred Steve would be at his side in seconds whispering into his ear and calming him down instantly.

Three days after the surgery they removed Danny from the respirator, replacing it with a nasal cannula. He was then moved to a private room and Chin and Kono returned to the hospital to join the vigil.

They had stopped and picked up a change of clothes and toiletries for Steve and as they entered the room the exhausted SEAL stood to greet them. After they embraced Kono took Steve's face into her hands, "I like the beard boss"

Steve grinned, "Yeah, I'm sure I look just wonderful"
Chin chuckled, "I brought you a razor, shampoo, deodorant and a change of clothes"
"What are you implying Chin?"
Kono chimed in, "You're a little ripe boss"
They all laughed…..and it felt good!

Kono moved to the bedside and as she leaned over kissing Danny's forehead, Chin asked "So how's he doing?"
Steve smiled and drew in a deep breath, "Pretty good. His vitals have remained stable and the tests are all showing that the swelling is going down and he's not showing any signs of additional bleeding…..so yeah…he's doing pretty good"

Chin smiled and grasping Steve's hand he said, "Thank God brother. When do they figure he's going to wake?"
"In the next couple of hours"
"Why don't you go clean up and we'll watch him"
"Okay….thanks Chin"

Three hours later Danny's eyes opened to see a now clean-shaven and showered partner looking smiling down at him.
"Hey buddy, how do you feel?"
"Okay…..I'm tired"
"You can sleep in a bit. The Doc's really happy with how you're doing. Does your head hurt much?"
"Not too bad"
"That's good, hey there's somebody here who's anxious to talk to you"
Reaching down, Steve lifted Gracie up into his arms and the smiles on both their faces said it all, "Hi Danno"
"Hey Monkey, it's great to see you"
"It's great to see you too. They shaved your hair off"
"They did? Well those dirty dogs…."
Gracie chuckled, "It's okay Danno, you look good?"
Danny smiled at his little girl, "God, I love you"
Steve lowered her down so she could kiss her Daddy's cheek and then Steve said, "There are a couple of other people here to see you 'D"

As he stepped back, Danny's Mother, Maggie and his youngest sister Sarah stepped to the bedside.
Danny smiled, "Mom"
"Hello sweetheart"
"You didn't have to come"
"Of course we had to come! I need you to listen to the Doctor and follow his instructions and you never were a very good patient"
Chuckling softly Danny said, "I'm glad you're here"
Kissing her child she said quietly, "Sleep now son. We'll all be here when you wake up"
The smile remained on his lips as Danny closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Maggie and Sarah had been staying at the McGarrett home and they were able to convince Steve to head home and grab a few hours of sleep. As he laid down and pulled the covers over him Steve smiled...Danny was going to make it!

***** More to Follow – I hope you're still enjoying ! *****