Steve POV
As much as Steve loved Chin and Danny, he couldn't help but feel relieved when they left. He was tired, and wanted to just watch some TV and maybe sleep without Danny hovering over him like a mother hen. He knew Kono understood that, as she returned to the couch silently after letting the two out, simply snuggling into his side. Steve let out a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. This was what he wanted. What he needed. To be completely comfortable and just left to think for a minute. Steve couldn't help but gasp as a sharp wave of pain washed over his back, and looking at the clock, he realized it was time for more meds.
He looked down, to where Kono had quickly fallen asleep. Maybe he hadn't thought this through. Kono being here meant she was going to have to help him with everything, including redressing his bandages and even taking his clothes off to shower. He didn't want Kono to see him so... so weak. He knew Kono, which meant he knew that she wouldn't want him to feel any pain or be uncomfortable. She would do anything for him, including things that Steve's pride would not agree with her doing. He looked closely at her once again, softly snoring, her head laid on his good shoulder, one arm splayed over his chest, and the other sitting lazily in Steve's casted hand.
Their faces were close, and the smell of her coconut shampoo was doing crazy things to Steve's senses. He wished they could stay like this forever. Steve desperately didn't want to wake her up, but the pain in his back was becoming unbearable. He needed more pain medicine, and maybe even new bandages. He softly began to rub Kono's back with the arm she was laying on. "Kono, Kono," Steve spoke quietly, as Kono roused. Kono lazily opened her eyes and smiled, kissing Steve lightly, but making no intention to move out of her current position. Steve liked that.
It seemed like Kono finally realized that if Steve had woken her, it must've been for a reason, as she sprung up and looked around. "Do you need something?" Kono asked, looking concerned. "Just some pain meds, please." Steve tried to say calmly, but even he could hear the desperation in his own voice.
Kono POV
Kono knew he must really be in pain. Not missing a beat, she jumped up and ran to get the mess from the kitchen. She shook two pills out of the bottle, and quickly sprinted back to Steve, who luckily still had his glass of water from earlier. It pained Kono to hear Steve grown as he sat up, grimacing. After he took his pills, Kono was relieved to see him begin to relax. "How long were you awake, in pain, before you woke me up?" Kono asked, silently cursing at herself. She needed to be there for Steve when he needed her. "It doesn't matter." Steve brushed it off, nonchalantly. "It does matter," Kono pushed back, "You don't need to act tough around me Steve. You've obviously been through hell, and if I can help you in any way, you need to let me know." Kono scolded, with a hard edge to her voice. She needed Steve to know that his well-being was not optional.
Steve finally broke. "It was only a few minutes, Kono. Nothing I can't handle. But... I, I think I could use the bandage on my back changed." Steve said, his voice shaking as he ran his good hand through his hair. He looked extremely apprehensive, and Kono wondered why. Of course she would do this for him. Was he scared that she would hurt him? "Hey, Kono, I trust you. It's just that... you're not going to like what you see." Steve tried to reassure gently, reading her perfectly, but his voice was thick with emotion. "I get it, but I love you, Steve, and sure, seeing you badly hurt is probably going to upset me, but I can handle it." Kono replied, not realizing what she had said until she looked up and Steve was staring at her dumfoundedly, his mouth open and eyes shining with love. "Oh...I, I was just trying to say... that, ummm," Kono rushed, cheeks burning red, but she couldn't take it back, because it was true. She loved him, and she wanted him to know. "Kono," Steve interrupted her stumbling rant, smiling, "I love you, too." For most people, those words would change everything, but Kono realized that Steve was telling her what she already knew. He hadn't needed to say those words to reassure her of his feelings. It was just obvious.
Grinning like a fool, Kono leaned over and gently gave Steve a kiss on the lips, not wanting to get wrapped up and forget about the conversation they just had. Steve continued to stare at Kono lovingly, and she couldn't help but blush, feeling hot under his gaze. No man had ever gotten to her the way Steve McGarrett did. "Hey Steve, do you want to try to go upstairs? It's getting late, and I want you to be comfortable in your own bed tonight. Changing what's on your back might hurt, so it would probably be good to get upstairs before we do that." "Ok, Kono," Steve whispered, seemingly snapped out of his trance as he moved to get up. He groaned loudly was he pushed off of the coffee table with his good arm, until he was standing. Kono stood in front of him, watching carefully.
Steve seemed to be able to walk fine on his own, but very step was obviously painful for him. When they made it over to the stairs, Kono hurried to his side, ready to support him, and surprisingly Steve accepted her help without complaint. They went slowly, one step at a time, until they made it to the top. Steve leaned over onto the railing, breathing extremely heavily. Those broken ribs sure weren't making it easy for him. "C'mon Steve," Kono encouraged as she helped Steve the final stretch into his bedroom and carefully lowered him onto the bed. Kono excused herself to the bathroom, knowing that Steve would want a few minutes alone to compose himself. She grabbed some bandages and medical tape, quickly looking herself over in the mirror before heading back. Steve was sitting up, his breathing under control, and most of his color had returned to his previously pale face. Steve nodded at her, and Kono understood his meaning. Wordlessly, she began to take the bandage off. It was very tricky not to cause Steve pain. In the front were his broken ribs, and in the back were what Kono found to be long gashes. On top of that his arm had to be taken out of the sling and propped out of the way, which she knew had to be killing his shoulder.
Every time Steve would wince, Kono felt awful. Steve swore he was ok, but Kono knew better. When the bandage was finally off after what seemed like an hour, Kono got a good look at Steve. His chest and stomach were covered in bruises, which wasn't really a surprise. His back was unexpected though. There were small, one inch cuts all over, and four longer gashes, ranging from eight inches to over a foot and a half. Kono's heart broke, and she struggled to hold in a sob as her eyes filled with tears. "Steve... what happened?" Kono whispered through her tears. Steve sighed long and hard, but Kono knew he was about to tell her.
"We were in Afghanistan. I was sent to extract a high value target from a small village near the Iranian border. My team had the village surrounded. I was sent in alone." Steve shuddered, reliving the experience. "Hey, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to." Kono tried to reason, she didn't want Steve to feel like he was being forced to tell her. "No Kono, you need to know," was all the response she got. Lino took his hand, knowing he would need the support. "Everything was going according to plan," Steve continued. "I was walking through the market when I saw it. Underneath a stand selling kids toys, fucking kids toys, there was a large dirty bomb. There were four kids, two girls and two boys, walking towards the stand. They were just kids, Kono!" Steve shouted, his eyes becoming tearful, but he didn't stop. "I started yelling for everyone to run. We were all trying to get away, but I knew it was going to blow. I took off my vest and threw it at the boys to shield themselves, because I planned to lay on top of the little girls, and there wouldn't be room for the boys too. I heard it go off before I felt it. I grabbed the girls and tried to protect them underneath me. All for kids were ok, but others weren't so lucky. That village was filled with people. The marketplace was so crowded. It's my fault. The man I was trying to extract was targeting me. People died because of me."
Tears began to stream freely down both Kono and Steve's cheeks. Kono ached for Steve, and wished she could take some of his grief away. "It's not your fault," Kono whispered, "It's not your fault."