A/N: I wrote the chapter according to plan and then spent a ridiculous amount of time second-guessing. Here is it, in pretty much its original form . . . for better or worse.
#*#*#*#*#
Steve's nurse had grinned wickedly and jabbed a hypodermic into his backside before he left, and he spent a great deal of the flight dozing in a pleasant narcotic haze. Now, though, as the plane made its descent to the landing field at Pearl Hickam, reality - and the accompanying pain - was setting in. The young lieutenant who had provided pencil and paper, winced in sympathy as Steve made an aborted effort to stand.
"Shit," Steve groaned. The muscles of his abused torso had locked into position, and every bruise was screaming for attention.
"Could I help, sir?" the lieutenant asked hesitantly.
Steve sighed. He wasn't going to get off the plane under his own steam, that much was apparent. At his nod, the younger officer offered a firm grip, and between the two of them, Steve managed to get on his feet, panting.
Chin and Kono were waiting for him, just steps from the plane. Kono's hand flew to her mouth at the sight of Steve, bruised and battered, being helped off the plane.
"Catherine didn't relay to Danny that you were totally axed, brah," Kono chided. "We'd have brought Malia."
"I'm just stiff," Steve grunted, but he allowed Chin to wrap a supportive arm across his back as he started limping toward Chin's SUV. "What's going on with Jax? All Catherine said was that Danny had called her, said that Jax had been taken to Tripler. I tried calling from Yokosuka but the signal was shit."
"Her blood pressure went up, and they're having to work hard to keep it under control," Kono explained. "She's okay, but they definitely won't send her home until after the babies are born. We need to stop you in the emergency department on the way in?"
"Nah, I was treated at Yokosuka," Steve said. He climbed, with difficulty, into the passenger seat of the SUV. Chin was firing off a text to Danny while he waited for Steve to get settled. Kono closed Steve's door and popped in the back seat.
Chin navigated them calmly back through the security gate at Pearl. Once outside the base, he reached down and flipped on the lights, and pressed decisively on the gas pedal. Steve looked at him in alarm.
"Danny says hurry," Chin said.
#*#*#*#*#
Jax's room was a flurry of controlled chaos.
Danny sat unmoved in the middle of it all, holding Jax's hand and smiling at her. His free hand smoothed an errant curl away from her face, his thumb rubbing at her jaw, clenched tight in pain.
"Chin and Kono picked Steve up, and they're on their way," he said softly.
"He's okay?" Jax asked anxiously. "Why hasn't anyone told us anything?"
"I'm not sure," Danny answered. "But as long as he's okay, that's all that really matters, yeah? You can sort the rest out later. He's going to be here in time for the babies."
Mia stepped close to Danny, into Jax's field of vision. "We hope he'll be here in time. Jax, your BP is going through the roof. We have to move you into the delivery room now. Danny can walk with us, then watch for Steve and bring him to you when he gets here, okay?"
Jax fought against a wave of panic and nodded. Mia nodded to an orderly who kicked loose the brake on Jax's bed, and they started moving out of the room and toward the end of the hall. Danny kept a firm grip on Jax's hand, and kept up a running litany of soothing nonsense. He reluctantly let go of her hand at the last minute, Mia's hand firm in the center of his chest, blocking his entrance into the procedure room.
"Detective - Danny," she said gently. "You're not scrubbed and gloved. Go, wait for her husband and bring him here. He'll have to scrub and glove up in the first room, and then we'll let him back, okay?"
Danny nodded.
"If he's a fainter, stall," Mia said, winking at him.
"You have no idea, with these two," Danny sighed. He turned and trotted back down the hall toward the waiting room and elevators. He checked his phone, but there was no more word from Chin. "Come on, guys, don't make a liar out of me," he muttered.
The doors opened with a polite ding, depositing a grimly determined Steve on the obstetrics floor, with Kono and Chin on his heels. His own pain and discomfort forgotten, Steve rushed to Danny.
"Danny, what the hell is going on? Where's Jax? Is she okay? Catherine said that you'd called her, told her that you had to bring Jax to Tripler, but connections were shit, and I couldn't - are the babies okay?" Steve demanded, his words tumbling out in a rush.
"Why aren't you in Jax's room?" Kono asked, her eyes wide.
"Right after you guys left to get Steve, her blood pressure shot up again, and they couldn't get it - they're doing the C-section, right now," Danny said. He grabbed Steve, carefully, by what looked like the least injured part of him. "We gotta go, right now, get you down there."
"I'll call Grover, get him to pick Mary up and head over," Chin said. "Go - we'll be in the waiting room."
Steve limped down the hallway, Danny hovering next to him.
"Geez, you look like shit," Danny muttered. "Nick?"
"He'll be okay. Danny, Jax - what -" Steve stopped outside the door. "I shouldn't have left, what -"
"Look, the nurse said it probably would have happened either way," Danny said. "She's felt pretty shitty - headache, really bad. Then contractions which she felt in her lower back. Not fun, but she's okay. She'll be okay, Steve, they just need to deliver the babies so they can pull out all the stops and get her blood pressure under control. Go on, you don't want to miss anything."
With a very gentle shove, Danny pushed Steve into the scrub area of the procedure room. A petite, bright-eyed nurse was waiting with gown and gloves.
"Commander McGarrett," she said, beaming. "They're just started her anesthetic. You familiar with scrub procedures?"
"Yeah," Steve said, craning his neck to see into the next room. He caught a glimpse of Jax, the curve of her back exposed in the opening of her hospital gown. A man in scrubs was bending over her with a huge needle, aimed directly at her spine.
"Commander, scrub up," the nurse prompted, tilting her head toward the sink.
With shaking hands, Steve scrubbed his forearms and hands with the disposable brush provided.
"Don't forget your nails," the nurse reminded him. "I understand that your wife doesn't have a spleen. We're taking extra precautions. Oh my . . . your poor hands, what -"
Steve looked down at his hands. His wrists were severely abraded, his thumb swollen to twice its size and a vivid shade of violet.
"We'll double glove," the nurse said softly.
Steve nodded mutely as the nurse gently patted his arms and hands dry, then held open gloves for him. Next, she helped him into a yellow gown and hair cover, and then slipped booties on over his feet. She hooked a face mask over his mouth, gently securing the elastic behind his ears.
"Well," she said, satisfied with her work. "Go meet your babies."
Steve took a deep breath and pushed into the room. The strong smell of antiseptic tinged his nostrils. His eyes automatically went to the bank of readouts above Jax's head, but it was confusing. One of them, he assumed the one associated with her blood pressure, was beeping insistently and flashing red. He recognized Captain Bluedorn, even with hair cover and mask, and she nodded at him briefly. He thought that he read concern in her eyes. The man with the needle was pointing at Jax's back and murmuring something to Bluedorn. Steve felt his heart stutter.
A nurse was sitting at the head of Jax's bed, her amber eyes looking up to meet Steve's. He could tell she was smiling behind her mask, and she murmured something softly to Jax, holding up a warning finger to keep Jax from moving. She gestured to Steve.
His heart in his throat, Steve went around the head of Jax's bed, and sat down on the stool that the smiling nurse pulled up next to hers. Steve looked down at Jax, terrified. Her cheeks were pale, dark lashes fanned over them, lines of pain around her eyes and mouth.
"Hey, ku'uipo," he murmured. He looked at the nurse, stricken.
"I'm Mia," she said, resting a gloved hand on his forearm. "It's okay, Commander. Everything was stable, and then it wasn't. She's having contractions, and with her blood pressure so high, she has a hellacious headache. But she's okay, and the anesthesiologist will have some relief, very quickly. Hold her hand, it's okay."
Steve carefully took Jax's hand in his and squeezed it gently. She squeezed back, hard.
"We're going to administer a spinal block," Captain Bluedorn said. "It goes to work much faster than an epidural. With any luck, you'll only experience one or two more contractions before it's working completely, and then we'll deliver your babies. You need to hold very, very still, Jax."
"If you look at the needle and pass out, I will kick your ass," Mia murmured quietly, in Steve's ear.
"Yes, ma'am," Steve said automatically.
Jax managed a half smile.
"Jax, you need to breathe," Mia instructed.
Jax shook her head stubbornly. A machine behind Steve's shoulder beeped in protest.
"Your pulse ox says otherwise," Mia said sternly. "You can do this, breathe." She gave Steve a careful kick.
"Would combat breathing be okay?" Steve asked. "We didn't take classes . . ."
"That would be perfect," Mia said.
Steve took both of Jax's hands in his and looked in her eyes. "You can do this," he said quietly. "Just like we always do. Four in . . . hold, good . . . four out . . . there you go, Jax."
Captain Bluedorn looked at them dubiously.
"It's working to keep her calm," Mia said, looking over Steve's head at the doctor. "We don't need to get her through labor, just through the spinal block."
Bluedorn nodded and started to place her hand on Jax's hip. Mia tilted her head a bit, raising her eyebrows.
"Jax, I'd like to stabilize you, while the anesthesiologist administers the spinal, okay?" Bluedorn asked quietly.
Jax nodded, a jerk of her head, scrunching her eyes closed, and the doctor stood behind her, hands braced on her hip and shoulder.
"Okay contraction's over, you're gonna feel a little stick, and a sting," the anesthesiologist explained.
"That's to numb your back, before the spinal," Mia explained.
"Cold," Jax complained.
"Yeah, I know," Mia said softly. "Tell us when it's not cold anymore, okay?"
Jax nodded. She was studying what she could see of Steve's face above the mask.
"You're concussed," she said softly. "Headache?"
"Little bit," he said. She could see his eyes crinkle in a smile. "You?"
"Worst ever," she admitted. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, what are you apologizing for?" he asked, stroking her cheek with a gloved finger.
"Scaring you," she said. "Making a fuss. We had a schedule, a day picked out, and -"
"It doesn't matter," he said. "I just want you to be okay, you and the babies. I'm so glad I made it back."
"Nick?" she asked.
"He'll be driving the nurses crazy for a week or so," Steve said, "but he'll be fine. He tried to divert their attention . . ."
"Catherine told me . . . had a plan, for you - you to make it back, no matter what," Jax said. "My back feels really funny."
The anesthesiologist made a couple of gentle pokes to Jax's back, with no response or acknowledgement on her part. Steve dodgedly avoided looking at the huge needle that he picked up off the tray next.
"Go ahead," Captain Bluedorn murmured. "Her contractions are so irregular, if you wait . . ."
Steve heaved a sigh of relief when the anesthesiologist replaced the needle gently on the tray and nodded at the doctor.
"Thank you," Captain Bluedorn said, as he ambled out of the room, shedding his gloves.
"Shit, shit, shit," Jax murmured, grabbing Steve's hands as her face scrunched in pain.
Mia put an expert hand on Jax's belly. "Okay, another contraction. Those babies are definitely ready to come meet the world. The spinal only takes ten minutes to work, just breathe through this one more time, and then you're home free."
Jax nodded, clenching her jaw.
"I know it's pointless to try to tell you to relax or coach you through this," Mia said. "You do need to breathe, in some fashion. It doesn't have to be pretty, just get some oxygen in, okay?" Steve noticed that she was readying an oxygen cannula, out of Jax's field of vision.
"You've got this," Steve said.
"What else, besides the concussion?" Jax demanded. "You're guarding your ribs."
"It doesn't matter," Steve said. "I'm fine, I'm here."
"Later," Jax said. "Later, I want to know - that you're okay -"
"Sure," Steve said. "Later, I'll tell you all - well, not all - I'll tell you what I can."
"Danny told me," Jax whispered. "WoFat. You got him."
Steve nodded slowly.
"He can't hurt the babies, not now," Jax whispered.
Steve wrapped his hands around hers and leaned forward. "He can't hurt anyone, not ever again."
Her eyes filled with tears. "It's over?"
"Yeah, ku'uipo. It's over. No more looking over our shoulders," he said softly.
Captain Bluedorn was running the tip of a ballpoint pen on the bottom of Jax's foot.
"Do you feel that, Jax?" she asked.
"Hmm?" Jax asked absently, her eyes still fixed on Steve.
There was a chuckle, and then careful, gentle hands were positioning Jax on her back. Mia set up a frame and a drape, just above the curve of Jax's belly.
"I wanted to watch," Jax protested.
"Oh, hell to the no," Mia said firmly. "You medics are all the same, and no. Just, no. We'll hold each baby up just as soon as we pull them out, that's as much as you're going to get."
"I can watch, though, right?" Steve asked brightly.
"No, you can't - you people are unbelievable," Mia said. "You're here to support your wife, not earn a field surgery ribbon. Geez." She busied herself with equipment.
"You can peek," Jax whispered to Steve. "And tell me about it later."
#*#*#*#*#
Grover arrived with Mary, and they all huddled in the waiting room. The nurse who helped Steve scrub up popped into the room with an update.
"Things are going okay," she said. "She's had a couple of really miserable contractions, but the spinal should be kicking in any minute, and they'll be able to deliver the babies."
"Her blood pressure?" Danny asked anxiously.
"It's sky high," the nurse said. "But it should resolve, very quickly, once the babies are delivered. They'll continue to give her medicine to bring it down."
"The babies?" Mary asked.
"No sign of distress," the nurse assured them. "They have pediatric nurses standing by, just to be sure. I'll come back and give you an update just as soon as I can."
#*#*#*#*#
"You look nervous," Jax whispered. "I can't see anything but your eyes. Your eyes look nervous. Do you have sutures or butterflies on that lac?"
"Sutures," Steve said. "I am nervous." He hazarded a glance over the drape and regretted it immediately. Captain Bluedorn was poised with a scalpel, and for a split second, all he could see was WoFat, with a deadly blade held to Jax.
"Whoa, sailor," Jax said, seeing him pale beneath his face mask.
He closed his eyes and swallowed convulsively.
"Stay with me," Jax murmured. She glanced up at Mia, over Steve's shoulder. "He's not squeamish . . . there was . . . someone threatened me - us - recently, there was a knife -"
Mia's hand wrapped gently around Steve's shoulder. Anyone could see that beneath the surgical garb, he was harboring a multitude of injuries.
"This is not that," Mia said. "Stay with us, Commander. You don't want to miss this, I promise."
Steve shuddered, nodded, and opened his eyes. He forced himself to focus on Jax, to stay present.
"Okay, don't look after all," Jax said. Her face was still lined with pain.
"Does it hurt?" Steve whispered. He stroked her cheek with his gloved hand.
"No . . . feels like . . . a zipper," Jax said. "I still have a killer headache."
"I wish we could dim the lights, but we can't, not in here," Mia said. "But you'll be back in your nice quiet room, with your babies, really soon."
Jax's eyes widened as she felt a strange tugging sensation, and then Captain Bluedorn and another nurse were smiling at them, holding up a squirming, wriggling bundle wrapped in a sterile towel.
"Here's your boy," Captain Bluedorn said softly, angling the baby.
Steve and Jax gaped in amazement as the doctor rubbed the baby's chest. He coughed weakly and sputtered, and then gave a weak cry.
"I know, it was much nicer in there, wasn't it?" Bluedorn murmured, handing the baby off to a waiting nurse. Steve had roughly sorted them into categories, based on their scrubs, and the lemon yellow appeared to be pediatric. Still, his eyes narrowed as his baby was handed off to a stranger.
"We have two newborn specialty pediatric nurses in the room," Mia explained, reading the tension in his shoulders. "They're going to get the babies cleaned up and checked out while we sew Jax up, and then we'll all meet back up again in her room."
The nurse wheeled the baby, now wrapped in a blanket and with a blue cap on his head, up to the head of the bed. Mia nudged Steve a little less gently on his shoulder, and he reached out, awed, and touched the baby's hand.
"He's all covered in goop," Steve said. "But he's kicking and moving . . . that's good, right?"
"Moving is definitely good," Jax said. "Oh, yeah - Danny said they'd have to be cleaned up. I think that's normal."
Mia blinked at them in disbelief.
"They didn't tell us about the classes," Steve said, by way of explanation.
There was a murmur on the other side of the drape, and Captain Bluedorn's head was bent over, the second pediatric nurse hovering alongside her.
"Okay, you've got the babe, do what you do," Bluedorn said calmly, passing off a small bundle to the nurse. "Mia, let's get some pitocin going for mom, yeah? Standard dosage for PPH, add the drip to her IV. Prep for a transfusion, and dial up the mag a milligram."
Steve stood up, ready to take on whatever was threatening his family. He actually fumbled for a non-existent weapon at his waist.
"Stand down," Mia said firmly. She was moving around Jax's IVs efficiently as she talked. "Captain Bluedorn is a little concerned about Jax's bleeding, so we're adding something to her IV for that, and magnesium to prevent a seizure. Your little girl is being a little reluctant with breathing, she liked it better getting her oxygen through her umbilical cord, so the nurse is going to try to coax her into using her lungs now. We have the situation under control."
"She's too quiet," Jax whispered, looking up at Steve. "I don't think they're supposed to be quiet."
His heart in his throat, he watched as the pediatric nurse held the impossibly tiny bundle in one hand, and rubbed vigorously with the other. She looked up at the other nurse and shook her head slightly.
"Oh my God," Steve breathed.
"Let's not have easily misinterpreted non-verbal cues in the room, please," Mia said clearly, shoving a stool expertly into the back of Steve's knees. "Update on the baby girl?"
"Sorry, we're just not getting a good response with the first step," the nurse said quickly. "Suction and oxygen, can you -" she tilted her head toward their little boy, and Mia nodded and pulled his little bassinet closer.
"Hey, little fellow," Mia said, picking him up, squirming. "You get to hang out with mom and dad a couple extra minutes while your sister gets some attention." She placed him gently on Jax's shoulder.
"Excellent, but let's add another milligram of pitocin, thanks," Dr. Bluedorn said. Steve hazarded a glance in her direction. There was gauze - lots of it - most of it saturated with blood.
"We've got this," Mia said. "I know it's terrifying, all of it, but nothing that's happening is terribly unusual. We're still okay. Do you have a name picked out for this little guy yet?" She fiddled with Jax's IV as she talked.
Jax's reached up, tentatively, and stroked the baby's cheek. He nuzzled against her shoulder, brushing his fuzzy cap against her jaw, and yawned.
"Holy shit," Jax whispered. "Just like that."
"Yeah, just like that," Mia said, smiling.
Steve put his hand on the baby's back, marveling at the way his little bottom tucked into the heel of his hand.
"We haven't picked names yet," Steve said. "But we have some ideas. I made a list on the flight back from . . . where I was."
"I wrote some stuff down, too," Jax said.
There was a tiny mewling sound, followed by a sigh of relief from both nurses.
"Okay, she's breathing, looks like she's experiencing a bit of TTN," the nurse said. "We've got her on oxygen, let's get her to the nursery and set up."
"NICU?" Mia asked, holding a hand up to Steve, who was vibrating with anxiety and frustration.
"No, not at this point," the nurse said, smiling. "She just needs some good coaxing, more suction . . . we have better equipment in the nursery."
"Okay, let's give mom and dad a peek, please?" Mia said, raising an eyebrow.
"Quick, but sure," the nurse agreed. She pushed the bassinet over to the head of Jax's bed. "I know it looks scary, seeing your baby with an oxygen cannula, but she's going to be okay. This isn't unusual with C-section babies. They don't experience the labor and delivery squeezes a bunch of fluid out of their lungs, so they need extra help."
Jax couldn't reach the baby, her hand pressed against the clear side of the bassinet. Steve reached over and stroked two fingers over the top of her head, then settled his hand on her back. Her entire torso fit neatly into the palm of his hand, her knees still pulled up tight underneath her. She made a weak sighing sound.
"Is she in pain?" Steve asked, horrified.
"No, no," the nurse assured him quickly. "She's just figuring it out. Next time you see her, I promise, she's going to be doing better. But we need to go, work on clearing her lungs. We need to get both of them back, check them out properly, okay?"
Jax's eyes filled with tears as the other nurse picked up the infant boy.
"With their permission," Mia said quietly. "Steve, Jax - this is what the babies need right now. Is it okay with you?"
Jax nodded, tears spilling over and tracking down to the pillow.
"Yeah," Steve managed hoarsely. He looked down at Jax, wondered if the panic he saw in her eyes was mirrored in his.
"Wait, no," Jax said, brokenly. "No, someone has to go - Steve, you have to go with them - they can't be alone, I don't know those nurses, anything could happen - you have to go -"
Captain Bluedorn caught Mia and Steve's eye and shook her head, her lips pressed in a thin line of worry.
"I need Steve here to help me with you," Mia said quickly. "Danny. How about Danny goes with the babies? You trust Danny, I know."
Jax nodded, and Mia tilted her head at the young nurse who'd helped Steve scrub in and kept the rest of the team updated.
"I know where he is," she said quickly. "I'll get him, take him to the nursery myself."
Jax nodded mutely, looking after the babies until they were through the door. She looked up at Steve, stricken.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have had a C-section, that's why she's having trouble breathing -"
"Jax, look at me," Mia said, her tone brooking no argument. "That's not how this went down. This wasn't your planned C-section. This was what we had to do, it was best for you and for the babies. None of this is because of anything that you did or didn't do, understand?"
Steve pulled the stool as close as he could to Jax and took her face in his hands. He was vaguely aware of an increased flurry of activity behind him, but he ignored it and focused on Jax's emerald eyes.
"The babies are going to be just fine," he said. "And their Uncle Danny is going to be so proud, he's going to take good care of them."
"He's right," Mia said. "The babies are in excellent hands. Let us take care of you now."
Jax seemed to sag against the bed, the color fading from her skin.
"Someone . . . needs to take care of Steve," she said slowly, tiredly. Her lashes fanned against her cheeks as she blinked slowly.
"Jax, we need you to stay with us," Mia said. "Tell Steve your number one name choice for each of the babies. Hmm? What did you come up with?"
Jax blinked up at them, biting at her lower lip uncertainly. Steve realized that even her lips were pale, losing color, and an all-too-familiar cold dread snaked up his spine.
"Jax," he said, patting her cheek.
"Oh, hell no," Bluedorn said. "Not on my watch." She began barking out a series of orders, which Mia carried out calmly and flawlessly.
Steve slid a hand under Jax's head, cradling it, his gloves catching and tangling in her curls. He reached up and grabbed the mask from his face, flinging it aside, and kissed her tenderly. Her eyes closed, a half smile on her face.
He could see her lips moving, and he bent down, putting his ear close to her mouth.
"They're cute, right?" she whispered. "Even goopy."
"Yeah," he said, his voice strangled around the lump in his throat. "They're freakin' adorable."
She nodded, and then her eyes slipped closed. Her skin was colorless and cold beneath his hand.
"Damn it to hell," Captain Bluedorn snapped. "Mia. Get the anesthesiologist in here, we've lost the window on our spinal. Hang the transfusion. And get the dad the hell out."
#*#*#*#*#*
Grover wasn't entirely sure that the tiny scrub-clad person who popped into the waiting room looking for Danny was even old enough to be a nurse. But she was urgent, even in her politeness, and request-demanded that Danny Williams come with her, please, to the nursery. Steve and Jax wanted him to be with the babies, and there were issues, and please, just follow her.
Danny rushed off with the nurse, leaving Grover, Mary, Chin and Kono bewildered and concerned.
"Do you think . . . do you think they're okay?" Mary asked, her voice trembling.
"Hey, they wanted Danny to go be with the babies in the nursery," Grover said. "Not the NICU - the nursery. That has to be a good sign."
"You know Steve and Jax, they're a little bit paranoid," Kono said. "They just don't want the babies out of their sight. With strangers. I mean . . . WoFat . . . he may be in custody but . . ." she trailed off, looking to her cousin for his agreement.
Chin's face was troubled.
"What? What do you think is wrong, Chin?" Mary asked, bolting up out of her chair, her fists clenched.
Chin smiled gently, he couldn't help it. She reminded him so much of a young, furious Steve in that moment. "I'm just not sure why they would separate the babies from Steve and Jax. I'm sure there's a good explanation."
The door to the waiting room opened and they all looked up expectantly.
"Steve," Mary gasped, rushing to him and throwing her arms around him. He winced, but wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.
"Steve, what's happening? The babies okay? How's Jax?" their questions tumbled over each other.
Steve raised red-rimmed eyes and looked at them over Mary's head.
"I - guys, I don't know," he said. "I don't think she's okay."
Kono took his hand in hers. "Who, Steve? Jax or the baby?"
"Both - neither," Steve said. He closed his eyes and rested his head on Mary's. His head hurt, more than he'd remembered, and something seemed wrong, very wrong.
Only Grover's surprising speed and considerable upper body strength kept Steve from crushing Mary beneath him when he collapsed.
#*#*#*#*#
The waves of pain that had crashed over and over and over again were receding, and he fought to clear his mind. Something was happening, something important, and no matter how badly he hurt, he couldn't miss it.
Jax.
Jax was having the babies but there was blood, too much blood, even he knew that. He looked down toward the end of the table, he had to convince the doctor to do something, quickly.
WoFat smiled at him, the scalpel dripping blood . . .
"Stand down, Commander," a no nonsense voice demanded. "You're at Tripler, Jax is fine, the babies are fine. Lock it down, sailor."
Steve forced his way back to awareness, focusing on the sharp smell of antiseptic, the tell-tale glare of overhead lights, and the familiar beeping of a cardiac monitor. All strangely reassuring, for someone who despised hospitals.
"Welcome back," Gus said. "You with me?"
"Jax? The babies?" Steve demanded, rubbing a shaky hand over his eyes. He scowled at the IV in the back of his hand, and turned to glare at Gus.
"Oh, don't even with me," she said. "You fainted. Swooned. You needed fluids and some pain meds and - no, stop, it's just regular Tylenol, you can piggyback it with Motrin, no narcotics. We don't want you dropping the tiny McGarretts."
"They're okay? Both of them?" Steve asked. "Jax . . . oh, God, there was so much blood . . . "
Gus put a hand on his shoulder as he struggled to get up. "Everyone's okay," she said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "Captain Bluedorn and Mia are the best, they're the best team in the whole damn department. McGarrett is fine, she's in recovery. I was hoping you'd wake up from your beauty sleep, thought she might appreciate it if you were there when she came around."
Steve nodded, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes and taking a shaky breath.
"Your IV is about done, I'll cut you loose," Gus said. "Don't want to freak McGarrett out, she's having a rough day. But you're riding in a wheelchair, no arguments. I'm not gonna throw out my back hauling your ass up off the floor."
Steve fidgeted impatiently while Gus pulled the IV.
"Am I in the emergency department?" he asked, looking around in confusion. It didn't look like the emergency department, and he should know, really.
"Good Lord, no, you're on the obstetrical ward, one of the places I tend to avoid at all costs," Gus complained. "And how I ended up stuck taking care of your fainting spell is beyond me."
"I did not faint," Steve protested. "And I want my clothes back."
"Word got out McGarrett was delivering the babies, my shift ended, I thought, what the hell, I'll go see the little buggers, check on my favorite head case," Gus said, ignoring his protest. She steered him into the wheelchair with a steady hand. "Opened the door to the waiting room just in time to see you keel over, almost on top of your sister. The rest is a history of paperwork the floor nurse is gonna pitch a fit over."
Gus paused the wheelchair at the waiting room and pushed the door open with her clog-clad foot.
"Dehydration, pain, exhaustion, and seeing his wife damn near bleed out on the delivery table," Gus said flatly, as Grover, Chin, Kono, and Mary all looked up. "He's sorted now, I'm taking him to McGarrett. When they get back to her room, I'm sure your patience will be rewarded, and you can see them. And the little spawn. Whatever."
Chin's mouth quirked in an aborted smile. For all of Gus's bluster, there was an unmistakable fondness in her eyes, and the way she manuevered the wheelchair, with incredible care, spoke volumes. Mary rushed to Steve's side, holding her cell phone out for him to see.
There was a picture of the babies, one little blue fuzzy cap and one pink, swaddled and furious, in side-by-side bassinets.
"They're okay," Steve murmured.
"Danny's been keeping us updated, and they're absolutely fine," Kono said. "Once Jax is out of recovery, Danny says they'll bring the babies to her room. Brah, you gotta get with names, like, seriously."
"We'll get right on that," Steve said. "Been a little busy, you know, with taking down international criminals and such."
"Enough yammering," Gus said. "I'm not even on the clock. Nice to see you, Five-O, Five-O adjacent sibling. Catch you later."
She wheeled Steve down to the far end of the hall, past the delivery room. He caught a glimpse of harried janitorial staff, shaking their heads as they restored order to the room. A shudder went through him, remembering . . .
"Hey, don't spin out on me, sailor," Gus said firmly.
"I'm not, I swear," Steve said. "But shit, Gus, I've seen medevac scenes that weren't as . . . it was bad."
"Probably looked a little worse than it was," Gus said pragmatically. She pushed him through a door, into a quiet, dimly lit room. She held out her fist and he bumped it, smiling at her.
"Thanks, Gus," he said.
"Yeah, whatever, congratulations," she said. "Tell McGarrett I'll see her before she leaves."
Steve recognized Mia, propped in an impossible position on a chair in the corner, dozing. Captain Bluedorn stood up from her chair and approached him, smiling tiredly.
"She's really okay?" Steve said, his voice unsteady. Jax was still pale, but not colorless. She was hooked up to one IV, but nothing else as far as he could tell. He followed the line of the IV up to a bag of clear fluid.
"She's going to be completely fine," Bluedorn assured him. "Sorry I kicked you out so abruptly, Commander. She was losing too much blood, too fast, and her spinal was wearing off. We, ah, may have done a couple of procedures that um, technically should have waited for a surgeon, but . . ."
"Immunity and means," Steve murmured, smiling at her. "Thank you. Whatever you did, thank you."
"Your wife did a great deal to save her own life," Bluedorn said. "Her cardiac and pulmonary systems held up under extreme conditions."
"She swims," Steve said simply. "Constantly. Her endurance could rival mine, I think."
"Well, it showed," Bluedorn said. "I'm going to go get cleaned up and catch a couple hours sleep before my next shift. I'm not superhuman, not like Mia, who we think functions on some sort of hybrid battery or something. Good luck, Commander McGarrett . . . and congratulations."
The door closed quietly behind Captain Bluedorn, and Jax stirred, wincing. Steve stood and went to her side, brushing her hair away from her face. Her cheek was warm beneath his fingers, and he let out a shuddering sigh of relief. Her eyes blinked open and met his.
"The babies?" she whispered. "Steve, the babies . . . our little girl - is -"
"Absolutely fine," Steve said. "Danny's with them, sending pictures and updates to Mary and the rest of the team. They're both fine. Kono's demanding names, soon."
Jax smiled, shaky, and nodded. Her lip trembled and she pressed her hands to her face.
"They're really fine," Steve murmured, gathering her in his arms. "God, you scared me, ku'uipo. But the doc says you're fine, too, says all that swimming made your heart and lungs so strong."
Jax pulled back slightly and touched the fresh bandage over his eye. She noticed his hospital gown and frowned.
"What the hell?" she demanded. "Did you get a CT? What did that son of a bitch -"
"Hey, hey, I'm fine," he said. "Little dehydrated, things went sideways with you and I hit a wall, adrenaline crash, you know how it goes."
She was raking her eyes over him expertly, landing on his abused wrists and hands.
"Steve," she whispered, tracing a finger over the bandages and his swollen thumb.
"Yeah, had to dislocate my thumb," he said. "Brought back memories, of the day we met. You helped save my life, ku'uipo, by making that thumb a little more mobile."
"It's not funny," Jax whispered. "Oh, God, I almost lost you, didn't I?" Her hand cupped around his face.
"Hey, I'm here, we're both okay, the babies are okay . . . that's all that matters," he said, kissing her forehead.
She smiled up at him, then looked past him, smirking.
"Better than the video, right?" Jax asked, tilting her head to look at Mia, who'd woken up and was sitting behind Steve.
He yelped and grabbed at the back of his hospital gown, unspeakably relieved when his hand brushed against the familiar cotton of his boxer briefs.
"Where are your clothes, by the way?" Jax said, smiling up at him again. "How the hell did you end up in a hospital gown?"
"Gus," Steve said faintly. "Pretty sure it was Gus."
"I think . . . I missed a great deal," Jax said, her eyes scrunching in confusion. "At some point, someone's going to have to start at the beginning."
"How about later . . . after we get your family reunited?" Mia asked. "What do you say, the four of you together?"
"I say it's about damn time," Steve said, backing away from Mia awkwardly. "And thank you."
#*#*#*#*#
It took a bit of coordination of effort, but in short order, Jax was settled back in the comfortable bed of her room and Steve - back in his own clothes and compartmentalizing efficiently - was kissing her on the cheek.
"I'll be right back," he said, grinning down at her. "With the babies."
"You're sure you're ready?" Mia asked Jax. "It's okay if you're not."
"I'm really, really ready," Jax said. Steve grinned again and headed out the door, his stride confident and sure.
Mia tilted her head in appreciation at his departure.
"RIght?" Jax said, nodding. "Delectable. Really and truly."
"Indeed. Okay, while he's not here to hover and fret - you are going to get up and go to the bathroom. I know. It seems impossibly cruel, but it's important," Mia sighed.
#*#*#*#*#
"Danny," Steve said, and found that he couldn't get anything more out.
He didn't need to.
"Steven, so help me God, the all of yous scared the living shit outta me," Danny said. He opened his arms wide and enveloped Steve in a hug.
"I know, Danny, I know," Steve murmured. "Thank you, Danny, thank you for . . . you were here, you were here until I could get here, and -"
"Hey, where else would I have been, hunh?" Danny said, patting his shoulder. He pulled back and smiled at him. "You should be holding at least one baby, right this minute."
Steve stood over the bassinets, marveling at the infants. He flexed his hands nervously. They looked so tiny, so fragile, especially the little one, wrapped in pink.
"Oh, God, Danny, she looks -"
"Just like Jax, I know, it's uncanny," Danny said, chuckling. "How's our girl, how's Jax? They sent me down here to the babies, and then next thing I'm getting this frantic text from Mary, how you'd said Jax was in trouble, and then you fainted -"
"For the love of - I did not faint," Steve said. "I passed out, Danny, from dehydration and - and pain, and exhaustion and -"
"Yeah, yeah, you did a very manly passing out, I'm sure," Danny said, hands waving. "Pick her up, goof."
"I'm afraid I'll hurt her Danny," Steve whispered. "She was - she wasn't breathing, I was so afraid -"
"They suctioned the crap outta her lungs, she was good to go," Danny said. "And this little fella, nothing wrong with his lungs, he made that abundantly clear."
"They look pissed," Steve said, finally reaching out and patting their bottoms. "And they're all curled up."
"Well, you spend nine months in a perfectly comfortable, climate controlled, nice quiet environment, and then get yanked out into bright light, noise, and -aww, hey, punkin - a scary vacuum thing going all up in your business, you'd look pissed, too," Danny said. "Though, actually, they look angrier than the average baby. Maybe they both have Jax's temper."
"That's not even funny, Danny," Steve said, his eyes wide.
"Commander McGarrett?" a nurse asked. "You have - ah, yes. The bracelet on your arm has a bar code. I need to scan that, and the babies bracelets, any time you bring them in or out of the nursery."
"Copy," Steve said briskly, holding out his hand. He checked out Danny's wrists. "Where's Danny's bracelet?"
"I - um, he -" the nurse stammered.
"Please provide Detective Williams with a bracelet, so that he can bring the babies in and out," Steve said politely. "Also, my sister Mary McGarrett, will need one as well, please."
The nurse smiled and nodded. "With your permission and a picture ID, I can make that happen." She narrowly avoided saluting. The commander was in civilian clothes and she was in scrubs, but still . . .
"So, let's get these little ones to their mommy, whattaya say?" Danny asked, nudging Steve.
"Yeah," Steve said. "Yeah . . . wow. Do we - what do we do with them?"
The nurse exchanged an amused glance with Danny. She pointed to cubbies built into the bassinet. "Diapers and wipes are on board, sir," she said. "Due to the delay, with your wife in the recovery room, they were each given a few ounces of formula. But it shouldn't interfere with nursing -"
"We're bottle feeding," Steve said firmly.
"Even after a delay, there's really -" the nurse started again.
"They've decided to bottle feed," Danny said quietly. "If you'll round up what they need to get started, one of our team will go get more formula, if needed."
"Oh, that won't be necessary," the nurse said quickly. "Let me just stock their bassinets for you." She hurried off and came back with bottles and formula, stashing them efficiently.
"Okay, guys, we're all set," Danny said, cooing at the babies. They waved tightly furled fists in his general direction. "Let's go see mommy."
Steve pushed his infant son's bassinet as if it were unexploded ordnance. Danny walked casually beside him, one hand pushing and one hand resting on the pink swaddled bundle.
"Names, Steven?" Danny said pointedly. "Names would be helpful."
"We haven't - all hell broke loose, Danny, we didn't settle on anything. We'll get on it, I promise," Steve said.
They pushed open the door to Jax's room and went in. She looked up, pale again, and her face lined with pain.
"Jax . . ." Steve murmured, alarmed. "What -"
"Nothing," she said, waving her hand. "I had to get up and pee. It was . . . unpleasant. Oh . . . they're here . . . "
Danny chuckled and slid the bassinet right next to her bed. He bent and kissed her cheek.
"You scared us, babe," he said softly. "Steve most of all. But look, here you are - happy ending, what'd I say, hunh?"
"Thank you, Danny," she said, "for everything."
"Always, kid," Danny said. He smothered a huge yawn.
"Stop it," Mia ordered, smothering one of her own. "Okay. You guys need some serious family time. We're going to leave you to it. You know where the call button is."
Steve looked at Danny, mildly panicked.
"Hey, it's not rocket science," Danny said. "Mia's right. I need sleep. And a shower. You need uninterrupted time with your babies. And please, for the love of God, names."
Danny and Mia slipped out the door and closed it quietly behind them. The room was quiet, save for the vaguely disgruntled noises coming from the bassinets.
"Holy shit," Jax whispered, glancing between Steve and the babies. "Why do they look so mad? Should we hold them? We should hold them."
"Yeah," Steve said. "Yeah, okay."
He rubbed his hands on his pants. He'd handled footballs, hand grenades, bombs. He could handle a squirming infant.
"I'm handing you our little girl, and I'll hold our boy, first," he said. "Then we can switch off?"
"Okay," Jax said. "They're so tiny. Smaller than Charles Nolan."
Steve read off the side of the bassinet as he picked up the tiniest bundle. "She's four pounds fourteen ounces," he marveled, his hand sliding under her easily. He remembered to support her head. Carefully, slowly, he lifted her out and placed her into Jax's waiting arms.
"Wow," Jax said, one finger tracing over the gentle curve of a cheek. "How much does he weigh?"
"Five pounds eleven ounces," Steve whispered, as he picked up their son and cradled him against his chest.
"They're smaller than Pupule," Jax said.
"Both of them, put together, are smaller than Pupule," Steve said. "How are you doing?"
"Awesome," Jax said. "I feel a little high, if I'm being honest."
"Yeah," Steve agreed. He sat down, carefully, propping his hip on the edge of Jax's bed. "So, names . . ."
#*#*#*#*#
The team was in the cafeteria, having soothed their frazzled nerves with a very decent moco loco, they now lingered over coffee. Mary's phone pinged, and she pulled it out.
"It's Steve," she said, her face lighting up. "He and Jax want us to come see the babies. They're ready to introduce us!"
#*#*#*#*#