A/N: Thank you again for reading. I hope this chapter lives up...there was a lot of debate in my head, and input from some awesome people. But when I typed it up, it just felt right.
I don't own anything related to Hawaii Five-0 or CBS. No copyright infringement is intended.
0-0-0-0-0
Steve and Chin left it to Danny to get Kono home, with them agreeing to pick up dinner and swing by Kono's later on. Regardless of whether this was what Kono would have chosen for herself today, they all felt that she needed a rest day.
Kono headed into her room to change, while Danny let Bailey out into the yard to play. It wasn't anywhere near cool out, but Danny could tell that Kono's blood pressure was still a little low, when she came into the yard in sleep pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt.
She curled up on one of the lounge chairs and smiled as Bailey tore around the yard. She was so glad that Danny had gotten the puppy for her. She found herself smiling more without even thinking about it – a far cry from a few months ago. Sure, she still missed Adam with every bit of her being. But she had to find a way to live. Her baby...Adam's baby...was counting on her.
She shook her head as Danny flopped in the grass, with Bailey jumping all over him and licking his face. She wasn't sure who had more fun sometimes.
It took another few minutes of running and barking – and licking and pouncing – before Bailey finally tired of the game. She trotted over and jumped up onto the cushions, flopping onto her side with an audible huff. Kono smiled and reached out to scratch underneath her collar. "Did you have fun, baby? Uncle Danny's a goof, isn't he?" Kono knew that Danny was approaching, and intentionally kept her voice louder than normal.
Danny was like the obnoxious big brother as he ruffled Kono's hair and flopped into the other chair. "Well…she likes me so who am I to complain." He could see that Kono still was a little pale, compared to normal. He didn't want to worry, but he would feel better once she was settled somewhere a bit more comfortable.
"What do you say we get our movie marathon started? Any requests?" Kono had Netflix on her TV, so they had a wide variety to choose from.
She shook her head. "Something fun…I don't think I can handle anything stressful right now." She was trying to joke, but Danny heard her unspoken words.
"Okay…let's go and see what our choices are." The two headed inside, and Danny put Kono in charge of the movie, while he fixed them something to eat. He had hoped that her stomach had settled down a bit, so he kept things light. He rinsed off some grapes, and put them in two bowls, adding pineapple chunks to hers.
He found some graham crackers in the cabinet and knew that Kono hadn't minded those the last time he had given them to her. He threw some ice cubes into two glasses and filled them with the raspberry-infused water from the pitcher.
Putting everything on a tray, he carried it into the living room. As soon as he saw her choice of movie, he nodded and smiled. "I love this one – Grace brought it over once and we just laughed like crazy."
Danny fondly remembered Grace giggling so hard that her eyes watered at the antics of Despicable Me. For whatever reason, the Minions made her laugh even to this day, even if you just said the word 'minion'.
Danny couldn't explain just why, but if he could bottle up the sound of her laughter, there wouldn't ever be sadness in the world again.
He sat himself down on the couch before setting the tray on the coffee table in front of them. Patting the seat next to him, he shook out the soft throw from the back of the couch and waited to cover them up.
She tucked herself against Danny's side and helped adjust the blanket over their laps.
He made sure his phone was in his pocket, as he didn't want to have to get up for anything, and settled against the back and arm of the couch.
After about fifteen minutes, he felt Kono settle more firmly against his side and knew that she was slowly wearing out. He guessed that it would only be another ten, tops, before she was sound asleep.
He carefully maneuvered so that she had no choice but to slide further down and rest her head on his thigh. Initially clumsy by design, it was necessary for his plan to take shape. As she tucked her knees up towards her chest, he settled the throw more snugly over her shoulders.
Danny glanced down and saw that Kono's eyes were at half-mast, and he brought out his secret weapon – fingertips of steel. He started lightly dragging his fingers through her hair before slowly adding more pressure against the nerves along her scalp. He was rewarded with a deep sigh, and before long, her eyes had fluttered shut and she was peacefully asleep.
Danny dropped his head back against the couch cushions and lowered the volume on the TV. He didn't want it completely quiet – but he didn't need it blaring, either.
With the breeze coming in through the window, and Kono (and Bailey) asleep on the couch, he shut his eyes as well, trying to get rid of the gritty feeling underneath his eyelids. It wasn't long before he was sleeping as well.
All was well for a good hour or so, before Danny heard a muffled giggle coming from his left. Forcing his eyes open and blinking tiredly, he turned and caught sight of his daughter's sparkling eyes.
"Hi Danno!" Grace was quietly exuberant as she showed him the picture she had taken on her phone – the picture of him with his head tilted back and his mouth wide open. He normally would have blamed Kono for putting her up to it, but Kono was still sound asleep.
Steve was nowhere to be seen, although Danny correctly assumed it was his partner who managed to get Grace over here somehow; which left Chin…calm, unassuming Chin Ho Kelly. It was always the quiet ones you had to watch out for.
"Hey, Monkey." Danny's voice was rough from disuse, but his smile was bright. "This is such a great surprise!" Kono flinched subtly, and Danny ran his hand along her shoulder to keep her settled.
Grace grinned at Kono before resting her elbows on the arm of the couch. "I texted you but you didn't answer, so I texted Uncle Steve to see if he knew where you were. He said that he was planning on coming over here today and talked to Mommy and got her permission for me to come too." She kept her voice low, understanding that Kono needed to rest. Even Grace could see it on her face, even though Uncle Steve had filled her in on the stress of the past week.
"Well, I'm unbelievably glad to see you, Grace. You have no idea." Danny was grateful that he had this opportunity to spend time with his daughter – she was better than any medicine out there.
He looked around as if trying to figure out a puzzle, which he was, in a way. He was trying to figure out how to get up from the couch, without disturbing Kono. He needn't have worried, though, as Kono quietly came awake on her own.
"Hey…what time is it?" Danny gave her a gentle nudge as she slowly sat up. It was clear that she was still a bit sluggish, so he wanted her to take her time.
"It's almost 4:00 – you managed a good hour nap. Do you feel any better?" Danny smiled as Grace moved to Kono's other side and climbed up onto the couch, gently squeezing Kono's middle.
Kono rested her head against Grace's and took a deep breath. "I think so. I think I lost track of what day it is. It's still Saturday, right?"
Grace giggled. "You must be tired, huh? It's Saturday, or otherwise I would be at school."
Kono kissed the top of her head before slowly standing up. Her need for the restroom outweighed any thoughts she might have had about continuing her nap. "Well, I'm glad it's Saturday then, if it means you get to come and hang out with us."
Grace's grin was huge as she turned and reached a hand out to Danny to tug him up, wrapping her arms firmly around his waist as soon as he was upright. "I love you, Danno. I'm glad that Mommy said I could come over."
Danny's eyes misted as they often did at Grace's declarations of love and adoration. "I'm glad too, my Monkey. So very, incredibly glad." He gave her a quick squeeze before stepping back to find the rest of the adults.
He headed into the kitchen where Steve and Chin were seated at the small table. Steve turned to him with a grin. "Did you have a nice nap?"
Danny shook his head but grinned at the question. "Fuck you very much, and yes, I did."
Chin stood and grabbed a beer from the fridge before setting it in front of Danny. "Did she get any rest?" He was still worried about Kono. A nightmare like she had would have shaken anyone to the core.
Danny took an appreciative swallow before nodding. "Yeah, she crashed pretty hard for good hour. No residuals from earlier that I could tell."
Steve nodded in appreciation. "Hopefully she can get some good rest tonight as well. Are you going to stay tonight?"
Danny looked at the clock on the microwave. "I'm planning on it. I'll take Grace home later…maybe Kono can ride along? Get out of the house for a little while?"
Chin clapped a hand on Danny's shoulder. "If she's not up for it, I can stay for a while."
Danny agreed with a gesture of his head just as Kono and Grace came into the kitchen. "Danno? Kono wants to take Bailey to the beach. Is it okay if I go with her?"
Danny gave Kono a long stare, almost daring her to show any leftover anxiety from before; but there was only tired calmness in her eyes. She couldn't fake that, and Danny felt more at ease with the fact that Kono had rallied like none other.
"Sounds good, Monkey. Just take your phone and we'll call you when dinner's ready, if you're not back yet." Grace skipped over and hugged Danny close, before moving to her other uncles. Kono was busy getting Bailey's leash and missed Chin's request for Grace that she keep an extra special eye on Kono.
With a nod, Grace promised to make sure that Kono had fun and felt good while they were gone. And if anything happened, she promised to call one of them for help.
Kono stepped back into the kitchen, holding the leash for Grace to take. It wasn't long before the two were headed towards the beach, with Grace's laughter leading the way.
0-0-0-0-0
The rest of the week passed fairly uneventfully, which was a nice change of pace for the team. They had finally gotten justice for Kelsey with the apprehension of the homeless man who had committed her murder. He swore it had been an accident, but forensics didn't lie. There was evidence beyond a shadow of a doubt that tied him to the crime, and had linked him to two other unsolved cases as well. They all had felt a huge sense of relief as they put that case to rest.
Kono had shared with Danny her apprehension about her upcoming ultrasound. A part of her wanted to know what she was having, so that she could prepare. She still had moments of darkness that knocked her on her ass, but she thought that knowing might be something she could grab onto in excitement. And yet, she still doubted her decision – even as the two were walking into Dr. Lau's office. She couldn't shake the anxiety that came from wondering if she was doing the right thing by finding out.
"Kono, you have to know that we'll support whatever you decide to do. You know that, right?" Danny held the door open for Kono to step into the waiting room.
"I know. I'm being stupid, I guess. I just…I think I want to know. I want to start sharing stories with the baby about Adam…but it's hard to keep calling it 'the baby'. But I don't want to ruin the surprise that everyone keeps talking about, either." Her dejection had Danny stopping short and gently turning Kono to face him.
"Listen, babe. Throw everything you've heard about finding out right out the window. Don't even think of any so-called advice you've heard about this. What does your heart tell you? What does your gut say? You're going to be surprised at one point or another – does it really matter to you whether it's now, or in another 20 weeks?"
Kono blew out a frustrated breath. "I just wish Adam were here to know what he would have wanted."
Danny's heart broke. Therein was the problem – Kono was missing Adam, and it had manifested itself into indecisiveness, completely churning her into knots. "I know, sweetheart. I do. I can't…and won't…tell you what you should do here. But I know for damn sure, that whatever you decide, Adam would have agreed with you one hundred percent."
Kono finished signing in, completely lost in her thoughts. Danny gave her space enough to try to figure things out, and knew that if she wanted to hash it out, he was there.
He chuckled to himself at how he ended up at Kono's appointment again. Chin was stuck in court – he should have been finished his part of things, but the prosecutor spent so much of yesterday showboating for the jury that they never got to Chin's testimony.
And Steve…he had the dubious honor of getting roped into a budget meeting with the governor – a fact that Steve hated more than most things.
Kono had said that she wouldn't mind going to the appointment by herself if she needed to (but she really didn't want to, if she was being honest with herself), but Danny wasn't stupid. If his three other teammates were all out of the office, that would mean that Danny would get roped into completing all of the paperwork from their hellacious week, and there was no way he was getting stuck with that.
So of course he had volunteered to drive Kono, and here they were. Kono sat; her thoughts seemingly miles away. Danny knew that she had a lot to decide – he just wished she could find that confidence again. Kono was one of the strongest women that he knew – but seeing her so tentative, still, was hard to sit back and watch.
"Kono? Dr. Lau is ready for you." The nurse was smiling as she held the door open. Danny had to nudge her shoulder, as she was oblivious to most everything but the thoughts whirling around in her head.
Kono shook herself out of her reverie before standing up. "Are you coming in with me?" She looked hesitant, so Danny stood and draped his arm over her shoulder.
"Wouldn't miss this for the world, Rookie." His eyes twinkled as he stepped back so that she could go through the door first.
Kono was fidgeting on the exam table, while Danny wandered around the room. Her foot was going a mile a minute, and she couldn't figure out just what to do with her hands. The nervous energy was palpable in the room, and Danny finally had to go over to her and grab her hand to still the motion.
"Seriously? You need to chill out. You're burning, like, a million calories right now – calories that you can't afford to lose." Danny was pushing her buttons now, trying to take her mind off of the decision she would have to make soon.
He gently put her hand back on the exam table and jumped out of the way as she tried to poke him in the ribs. "I gained four pounds, Danny. That's got to count for something, right?"
Dr. Lau had just come into the room and heard Kono's last comment. "It certainly does, Kono. I know it doesn't feel like much, but it put you that much closer to your goal weight at this point in your pregnancy. I'm proud of you."
Danny had moved behind Kono and lightly rested his hands on her shoulders. "She's been a rock star at doing what you told her to, also. She's done great with finding things that were just for her – and she's got another bodyguard keeping an eye on her in the form of my daughter. Kono doesn't get away with anything where Grace is concerned."
Dr. Lau loved seeing Kono's eyes light up. It was clear that she had a special relationship with Danny's daughter, and since kids were known for bringing out the best in people, Susan was all for recruiting another soldier in Kono's army of supporters.
"So. The last time you were here, baby wasn't too interested in being a flasher. Have you given any more thought to finding out the gender today?"
Kono immediately turned to Danny, but he just shook his head. "Whatever you do is the right thing for you, babe. "
She bit at her lip, clearly weighing both sides before looking at Dr. Lau. "I…I think I want to know. Adam…he would have wanted to know, too." Once she had said it out loud, she realized that it was absolutely the best decision for her. She had read online of people who talked about it being one of the greatest surprises in the world, but Kono had struggled so much at the beginning of her pregnancy. She had been so detached for so long, that having this sense of excitement was a nice change of pace.
Danny squeezed her arm. "Are you sure you want me in for this? Or would you rather find out on your own. I don't want to overstep here."
Kono shook her head. "Danny, no. I really want you here. You kept me going when I wasn't sure I had the strength to. I would have loved Chin and Steve to be here too, but I understand why they can't be. It's just…it's right that you're here, though. It's the way it's supposed to be."
Danny placed a kiss to the side of her head and grinned as Dr. Lau moved the ultrasound machine into place. "Okay, Kono. So the process is essentially the same as the last ultrasound you had. The computer just collects and manipulates the data differently, giving us that 4-D movie image. You'll see the screen flip back and forth between a 3D and 4D ultrasound, but that's normal. So you just lie back and we'll get going."
Kono instinctively grabbed for Danny's hand, needing something to ground her. She was suddenly nervous about what she was about to see.
Danny just squeezed back, letting Kono just soak it all in. She deserved something that would make her smile.
Dr. Lau moved the transducer around, and Kono and Danny got a good look at a leg and then the spine. "Everything looks good so far, Kono. Now, let's see if we can't get baby to move just a bit."
Dr. Lau repositioned the transducer, nudging the baby in the process. Kono could see on the screen an arm straighten before tucking back up against a pudgy cheek. "Good…that's it. Just hold tight and we should see gender right…about…now. And there it is. I'm going to say that I'm about 99.9 percent positive that you're having a little boy. This area here proves it."
Dr. Lau circled an area on the screen, but Kono could only take her word for it. Her eyes were too blurred with tears to fully see what she was pointing out. Danny handed her a tissue before wiping at his own eyes. His tears weren't so much about finding out what Kono was having, but rather for the expression of sheer joy and wonder that Kono had on her face right now.
"Kono, look. He's sucking on his toes. He's quite active, too…I love seeing that. Have you felt him move, yet?"
Kono brushed the tears from her cheeks and shook her head, unable to tear her gaze from the screen. "Not exactly. I've felt something that felt like bubbles, which is a weird way to describe it. But no specific movements just yet."
Dr. Lau grinned. "You could be feeling it any day now then. Enjoy that sensation while you can. Because one day, you'll have a foot tucked up underneath your ribs kicking to find more room, and you won't enjoy that quite so much."
She continued to take measurements, all the while reassuring Kono that everything looked great. Kono hadn't brought a DVD with her, but Dr. Lau was prepared, and copied a recording of the ultrasound for Kono to take home with her.
"This is all such good news, Kono. Everything looks very healthy. The heart rate is nice and regular. No abnormalities in any bone structure. You saw on the screen what a cutie this little guy is with his chubby cheeks and pouty lips. I can say without a doubt that I'm absolutely thrilled for you. All of the crap you've been through – you deserve this joy, sweetheart."
Dr. Lau knew that Kono would be overly emotional right about now, so she helped her wipe off the gel and get her clothes situated. She pulled her up into a seated position before wrapping her up in a tight, motherly hug. "Take all the time you need in here, Kono. When you're ready, just check out at the desk, and I'll see you again in a month. Do you have any questions for me?"
Kono shook her head and swiped at her tears. She couldn't form words right this minute if she had to.
Dr. Lau smiled warmly before stepping back and shaking Danny's hand. "Congratulations again, Kono. Have a good rest of the day, okay?"
Kono just nodded, her eyes still on the frozen image on the screen. As soon as Susan had left the room, Kono turned to Danny and her breath hitched. Danny only had seconds to get over to her side before she burst into tears.
"It's okay, babe. Just let it out. You don't have to be strong for anyone right now, okay?" Danny knew that she was hanging on by a thread, and he knew that she didn't need anything other than an anchor to ride out this particular storm, and that was what he vowed to be.
There would be time for joy and laughter later, but right now, Kono needed to be sad and angry and devastated that she was in this room, finding out this news with someone who wasn't her husband.
He knew that she didn't resent him for this, but he knew that she was hurting right now. Hell, he hurt for her because at the end of the day, it just wasn't fair. To be so young and to know that the love of your life wasn't ever coming back, and wasn't ever going to get to share in this joy was just wrong on so many levels.
0-0-0-0-0