Disclaimer: No, Hawaii 5-0 doesn't belong to me. It does to CBS.
A/N: This is it: the last part. I can't say it enough: "Thank you Marie for all your help!"
000
TAKEN
9: Taking and giving.
Rachel opened the front door of her home with a certain level of trepidation. It had been years since her ex-husband's arrival had stirred up such an expectation. She could not quite pinpoint the moment when she allowed herself to feel anything other than anger toward him; today she was just glad. She was grateful that they were finally moving on toward a more amicable relationship. It was much better for their daughter.
Seeing Danny finally out of the hospital after a long three-week stay warmed her heart more than she intended to let on. Dressed in Bermuda shorts and a loose blue top that could almost pass for a Hawaiian shirt, he looked as laid back as he ever would. Rachel assumed it was the compromise her stubborn ex-husband had to make in order to dress on his own.
Danny had yet to appear healthy. Still, she could appreciate the major improvement from that first day when she had visited him in the ICU. The difference was night and day. He had recovered well at first, only to worsen later in the week due to pneumonia. The doctors had caught it early, but they had come close to losing him again.
"Hello, Danny, please come in." She closed the door behind him as he removed his dark sunglasses with a lightly bandaged right hand that gave him back some dexterity. His left wrist was now in a full cast, however.
"Thank you. How are you?" he asked politely, voice hoarse.
"I'm doing well, thank you. Gracie should be right along. She wanted to pack one last thing," she said. Danny nodded his understanding. "How are you doing, Daniel?" she asked on that tone that used to compel her ex-husband to be honest about his true feelings.
He looked in her general direction, embarrassed as she expected him to be. "It's getting better, slowly. My head doesn't hurt as much—vision's still blurry. I'm not sure if it's from the heat or the head injury; probably both." He cleared his throat, roughly. "It feels like I swallowed glass and it still hurts a lot to breathe. It makes me tired. The doctor says it's a matter of a few more weeks."
"If it's too tiresome to have Gracie, today—"
"It's never too 'tiresome' to have Gacie," he cut her off. She felt a pang of guilt at seeing panic cross his glazed eyes. It was Saturday and Danny had probably looked forward to see his daughter just as much as the little girl had. "Besides, I won't be alone with her."
"That's true," Rachel conceded. "Are you still going look for a new apartment with your parents?"
"Yes. It's not necessary, but they insist." He sounded exasperated.
If he only knew to which extent he had lost that argument! Even if they could wipe away the smell of the kerosene from the floor and fix the hole in the wall; the bad memories remained. Family and friends had all agreed that Danny was not going back to his old place.
Before she could argue the point herself, Gracie came rushing down toward her father, her overnight bag in hand. "Danno, I missed you so much!"
Danny knelt down and gave his daughter a bear hug. "I missed you more, Monkey."
"Gracie," said Rachel more sternly. "What did I say about the overnight bag? You are not sleeping over tonight."
"But- but who will watch Danno's breathing while he sleeps now that he's out of the hospital? I can do it. The nurses taught me how to do it."
Sadden by all the worry the whole situation had caused his daughter, Danny gave her a reassuring smile. "Monkey, that's very sweet of you, but nobody has to watch my breathing anymore. I'm all better." Of course, his constant wheezing breath and the hoarseness of his voice contradicted his words. Grace crooked her head ever so slightly, calling him on the lie.
"Okay, maybe not all better, but much better."
"Please, Danno, I want to stay with you. I'll let you rest and won't make noise. I'll be good, I promise." Grace turned to her mother. "Please, mom."
Trying not to undermine her parental authority in front of Grace, Danny gave her a subtle nod. When had he become cautious of such issues? She wandered. "If you are okay with it," she finally told Danny. "I have no objection."
"Thank you, Mommy. I'll be quiet, you'll see."
"Okay, Monkey, let's go. Are you ready to do some apartment hunting?"
"Yes, I am," the little girl replied, excited. "I know exactly what we need, too!"
You do, do you?" Danny said as Grace opened the door for them.
"Wait until you see," she added.
Oh, Gracie, thought her mother. Don't spill the beans too soon. It's a surprise…
000
The End.
A/N: Oh My! That's finally it for what was originally the Third Wave – my very own tsunami! I hope you enjoyed. Thank you all for the reviews and your interest in TAKEN. The story was a lot of fun to write.
(Dec. 2010)