Here is the last chapter of my first H50 story. I hope you liked it, even if there were some large periods of time at the publication.

Chapter 14

As promised, Dr Yakani returns an hour later. Steve, Chin and Kono move back out of the way, creating some space for the doctor to examine Danny again. He turns off the lights, before removing the foil. As he doesn't know what Danny can and cannot yet do, Dr Yakani takes his hand in his own once more.
"Danny, it's Dr Yakani. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." This time when he asks, he doesn't have to wait long before he feels a stronger pressure than before.

"Well done, Danny; you're doing very well," the doctor praises him. "Can you try and open your eyes?"
Tensely, they watch Danny's face, hoping to see those blue eyes again that they've all missed in the last few days. With a huge effort, Danny tries to open his eyes, but his body won't cooperate.
"Come on, Danny! You can do it!" Steve encourages him.

They all wait with bated breath as Danny manages to open his eyes slightly.
"Hey, welcome back," Kono greets him, as a collective sigh of relief goes around the room.
"We're going to move you to a regular room, then we'll see if we can take you off the ventilator," Dr Yakani tells him, receiving another strong squeeze in response.

Another hour passes before the 5-0 team are allowed in Danny's room. While he was being moved and settled in, they had gone to the cafeteria to eat something. The sight that greets them, they never would have expected to see at the beginning of the day.
Danny lies in his bed, slightly elevated, and with a nasal cannula for additional oxygen, but still breathing alone. An electric blanket has been wrapped around him, so that his temperature can be kept up a little longer. Medical equipment still surrounds the bed as well, monitoring Danny's vitals. With wide eyes, he looks at his friends and tries to smile at them, although not quite succeeding.
Steve quickly moves to his best friend's side. In the time that he had sat silently next to Danny, so many things had gone through his mind that he'd wanted to say first, but now that the moment has come, he doesn't say any of it.
"Nice to have you back," he says succinctly.
"You look tired. Try and get some sleep," Kono suggests, able to see that Danny is struggling to stay awake.

Even though he is tired, Danny can't help but feel afraid that if he goes to sleep, when he wakes up, the paralysis will be back.

"Take a nap. You'll be fine now, Danny." Kono's voice is soothing and full of optimism, as she gently runs her fingers through his hair.
Within minutes, Danny has fallen asleep again, and the three team members move back from the bed, sitting on the chairs by the small table. Deep in conversation, they barely notice the time, before a pack of doctors enter the room.
"This is Detective Williams, from the Governor's Task Force, Five-0. He is one of the surviving patients, but he was hit with the worst of it. LD12 caused a complete paralysis of the muscles and respiratory system. Due to the stress, we were concerned about his kidneys, but since we started with the whole-body hyperthermia therapy, their values have stabilised," Dr Carter explains to the other doctors.
"How is the paralysis now?" another doctor asks.
"In the last several hours, the paralysis has receded. He should have his normal range of motion again within two days."
"Do you know if there will be consequences of this?"
"We don't yet know," Dr Carter replies. "So far, the blood tests have shown that LD12 loses its effect after heating and the ingredients are broken down. But as Detective Williams is already improving, I am assuming there are no after-effects."
The group nod and turn to head back out of the room. With a puzzled look, Steve, Chin and Kono follow them. A nurse who had come in with the group quickly clears things up for them.
"This is a group of scientists from the NRL in Washington. They're trying to determine whether the original project should be resumed," she tells them, before leaving the hospital room to re-join the group.

That evening, Dr Yakani returns to examine Danny again. While Steve had gone home to freshen up, Chin and Kono had opted to stay with Danny instead.
"How are you feeling?" Dr Yakani asks, after studying Danny's notes.
Danny swallows heavily, before answering. "Good."
"Don't worry; with time, you'll find speaking easier," Dr Yakani reassures him. "Are you in any pain?"
"No, just a bit sore."
"That's to be expected, I'm afraid. If you do feel any pain, let a nurse know."
"Okay," Danny nods.
Dr Yakani tests Danny's range of mobility, and is pleased with it. "Excellent! I think that everything will be back to normal. Your kidneys are looking good as well, so I think we can take out the catheter now. Tomorrow, you shouldn't get up particularly, and when you do, make sure one of your team is with you," he explains.
As soon as McGarrett returns, the cousins make their way back home. Although Danny thinks that Steve should go home as well and get some rest, he is secretly glad that he's not alone.

Danny is finally released a few days later. After numerous tests and scans, the doctors finally deemed Danny fit for release. Feeling relieved, Steve grabs Danny's bag, ready to bring him home. Still feeling somewhat tired, Danny moves towards Steve, noticing his facial expression.
"What? What's with that face?" he asks.
"I don't have a face!" Steve protests. "Everything's fine."
"No, come on. I know you; what is it?"
"It's just… God, Danny. I was so worried about you! I didn't know what to say to Grace, what-"
"Hey, everything's okay now. You did the right thing," Danny reassures him. "Have I already thanked you?"
"For what?"
"For everything, man! Thank you for being here the whole time. I was just so fucked scared."
"Any time, buddy," Steve smiles. "That's what brothers are for!"

The End