A/N: Hmm. The muse decided she needed to play a little bit more, so you can thank her for the second half of this chapter.
I don't own anything related to CBS or Hawaii Five-0. No copyright infringement is intended.
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The nursery painting party was a huge success. Steve and Chin had painted the lower half of the baby's room in a tan color, while Danny stenciled crashing whitecaps along the middle; making the room look like an ocean, especially once the rest of the water and sky was painted in.
Details made it more whimsical – Kono had found sets of beach-themed decals that they placed around the room…seagulls, beach balls, and sand toys. She had also purchased surfboards with wooden letters to be attached that spelled her son's name, but those would not be going up until after she had him. She was afraid that the three men in her life would try too hard to figure it out if she would have put the blank boards up sooner. Knowing them, they would count the surfboards, and then try to figure out some numerical code to guess the name or something like that.
One of her favorite wall art pieces that would go above the changing table was a plaque that was hand painted by a friend of hers. It said, 'If you want to know how much I love you, count all the waves in the sea.'
She had also found giant fabric palm leaves that could be attached in the corner of the room. It would be a perfect place to put the glider chair and ottoman that she had purchased for herself, making it feel like she was sitting under a large tree.
Bailey had been kept out of the room while they were painting, so Steve had taken her down to the beach to run around. They both would benefit from burning off some excess energy.
While they were waiting for the room to dry and air out, Kono pulled out the catalog that the governor had given her and was thumbing through the pages. She couldn't decide what she wanted and was getting frustrated. The governor had had all of the prices blacked out, so all Kono was responsible for was choosing.
That was turning into a herculean effort at the moment, as she just couldn't make up her mind. She saw a blue-green crib that had a toddler bed conversion included, and exactly matched one of the shades in the water, but she was afraid that it wouldn't be practical later on, when her son became old enough to express his opinion on how he wanted his room to look.
Flipping the page over, she stopped as her eyes rested on one crib in particular that just…fit…for lack of a better word. It wasn't white, and it wasn't brown – it was somewhere in between. But the way they had swirled the colors into the mural on the wall would give it the perfect background to blend into the sand. It also had the option to purchase the toddler bed conversion, and Kono knew that this would last her son for many years to come.
She pointed it out to Danny and Chin, and was pleased to see their agreement. The bedding was a wide variety of colors that all blended into the color palette – blues, greens, turquoises, tans – some with dolphins, some with surfboards; and some were just swirls of color mixed together into one soothing design.
She turned to Danny for help in deciding on a stroller that would work with her active lifestyle. "You definitely want a jogging stroller that is car seat compatible. Most of them won't recline all the way flat, which won't work well for a newborn. But you can attach the car seat to it, and you'll be set."
Steve returned with Bailey, and she laughed as the puppy immediately headed for her dog bed in the corner of the living room. Flopping dramatically onto her side, she was soon in a very deep doze. She could tell that Steve had rinsed both of them off in the freshwater shower after their ocean romp, but Kono would definitely need to brush Bailey once she was awake. All in all though, she appreciated someone trying to wear the dog out.
Once she steered Steve away from the camouflage strollers, Kono found a mint-green one that came highly rated, and ultimately ended up being the one that she chose. Chin took the book and the information and offered to fill out the order form for her, while Steve called in a take-out order for him and Danny to pick up in a little while.
If she really took time to think about everything that had happened, she was pleased to note that many more of her days were neutral now, with a scattering of happiness as she experienced the excitement of feeling her son move and thrive inside of her.
The guys found her seated on the couch, lightly rubbing her baby bump with a soft smile on her face. Danny hurried to grab his phone and snap a lone shot before she heard them and moved. He thought she might appreciate the simplicity of the shot, and he quickly saved it in his phone.
"We're going to go grab lunch. Do you need anything else while we're out?" Steve had his keys in his hand and noticed when Kono shook her head in the negative.
Danny lightly squeezed her shoulder as he moved past her to head for the door. "See you in a bit then."
She let her thoughts drift again, the bright blue of the sky a sharp contrast to the mountain of clouds rolling in quickly. It wasn't long before she could smell the rain in the air, and knew that the island was in for a soaking before the day ended.
She and Chin sat in quiet company, and were enjoying the chance to reconnect a little, as things had been quite busy for all of them, and there hadn't been much downtime as of late. Chin's phone interrupted their conversation, and his brow furrowed as he connected the call.
"Hey Steve. What's up?" Chin listened for a few moments before standing and motioning Kono to do the same. "Okay. Give us a few minutes and we'll be right there."
Chin continued to listen but interrupted Steve before he could get much more out. "Don't care, brah. Danny's family. We'll be right there."
His smile as he thumbed off his phone told Kono that somehow, Chin had managed to get the last word in. "What happened? Is Danny okay?"
Chin's smile faded only slightly. "He will be. The rain had already hit their area, and a guy took a corner too fast and skidded. Danny was walking towards the diner and had to jump onto the hood to avoid getting plowed. Steve said that he hit the ground pretty hard when he rolled off, and smacked his head on the asphalt. He didn't get completely knocked out, but was pretty out of it, so Steve rode with him to the hospital. HPD will bring his truck back here. Steve said they're still running some tests, but it doesn't look too bad for Danny. He'll have a hell of a headache, though. I figure we can wait and see if Danny will be released and then give them a ride."
Kono bit at her lip before turning to her cousin. "Danny was planning on staying again tonight – he doesn't have Grace for a couple of days, and I think he likes the company. I know how lonely it can feel sometimes. I'm okay keeping an eye on him tonight, if the doctor agrees he can be released."
Chin nodded as he kept a hand on Kono's elbow as she picked her way down the rain-slicked steps and to Chin's SUV. "Let's see what the doc says. Steve and I may stay too, just to help out if you need it. You're more than capable – we all know that. But if Danny's hurting or gets sick or something – he can be dead weight if he stumbles."
Kono slid into the passenger seat, wiping the raindrops from her face. By the time she had her seatbelt fastened, Chin had jogged around and had started the car, ready for the short trip to the hospital.
The rain had practically stopped by the time Chin pulled into the ER parking lot and into a space. They were both anxious to see whether Danny was okay, and hurried through the automatic doors. They looked around but didn't see Steve, so they approached the admission desk.
"Excuse me." Chin's voice was calm, but when the receptionist caught sight of Kono, she stood up to motion for a nurse.
"Hang on, miss. We'll get you a wheelchair in just a moment."
Kono looked confused, but Chin just shook his head and smiled. "No, you don't understand. She's not in labor. We're here about our friend…Danny Williams? He was in an accident and brought in by ambulance. He probably has a brooding and stressed out bodyguard not too far from him?"
The receptionist looked sheepish and apologized profusely. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. It's only my third day on the job. I didn't mean to offend you."
Kono's smile was warm. "No worries. If you could just check on our friend, we'll call it even."
While the young woman searched the computer, Kono glared at Chin, daring him to laugh. Her eyes drove home the 'don't you dare' sentiment that she wanted to tell him out loud, but couldn't.
"Here you go. He's back in Trauma two. If you go through the double doors and take a left, just follow the blue stripe on the floor. There are some chairs in the hallway. You can wait there, and someone will be out to talk with you as soon as they can."
Chin's smile was kind. She really was helpful once she got over trying to admit Kono. "Mahalo. We appreciate it."
The two cousins followed her instructions and soon caught sight of Steve sitting in one of the chairs.
"Hey boss. How's Danny?" Kono sank into one of the chairs; her low back protesting her pregnancy posture.
Steve wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He'll be okay, thank God. It could have been so much worse."
He dropped his head back until it rested on the wall behind him. "Fuck. It could have been bad." Steve kept seeing Danny being tossed from the hood of the car as the driver finally got control of the brakes. Had Danny slammed his head full force onto the ground, they would have been looking at an entirely different outcome.
Kono reached for Steve's hand and squeezed, chasing the video loop to the dark recesses of his mind. "He's tough, Steve. You know that."
Chin saw the doctor headed their way and motioned to Steve. They all stood up, their nerves suddenly on high alert. The doctor had no discernible expression on his face, and that made all three of them a little nervous. Steve took a deep breath. "Hey, doc. How's he doing?"
The doctor motioned them to sit back down in their chairs, and squatted down in front of them. "Detective Williams is a lucky man. He has a slight concussion, but no skull fracture. He has a very small fracture in the center of his clavicle, but it should heal without issue. We've got him in a sling that will help with the pain, and he should wear it for the next few days at least. The x-rays also showed one rib that is fractured, but it's stable and not a complete break. Again, painful but nothing that will cause him unnecessary complications."
He waited as they processed what he'd told them so far. "He's got some significant bruising on his hip where he connected with the car. We've cleaned up the abrasions, and once he's awake and can keep some liquids down, he'll be released. We gave him pain medication through his IV, but will switch him to oral meds for home. Please encourage him to take the medication – he's going to be pretty miserable for a few days, but should recover with no difficulty. You can go in and see him, but try to keep it down and let him rest."
Steve shook the doctor's hand before leading the rest of his team in to see Danny, glad to see that the nursing staff had arranged for a chair to be brought in. It wasn't the most comfortable, but at least Kono wouldn't have to stand.
"Aww, Danny." Kono's voice was soft as she approached the gurney. Danny was propped onto his side and dozing fitfully, and Kono felt for him as she catalogued his visible injuries. He had substantial bruising on the side of his forehead and a bit of road rash on his cheek where he hit the parking lot.
His unfastened gown was just covering his chest, keeping the sling straps from rubbing; and Kono saw that he had a large abrasion on the back of his propped up shoulder and biceps – it looked like he tried to put his arm out to brace his fall, but skidded as he rolled.
The nurse was headed in with a couple of cold packs – one for his collarbone, and one for the back of his shoulder. Kono was glad that she had plenty of ice packs stashed in her freezer – hell, the whole team had taken stock in professional therapy grade cold packs shortly after they started working together.
She helped position them before pulling the sheet gently over Danny's shoulder – goosebumps were starting to form where the skin was adjusting to the cooler temperatures. She sat in the chair, lightly resting her hand on his head, hoping the contact would settle him down.
No such luck, though, as his eyelids fluttered open – first at half-mast, and finally, fully open. It was clear that he was not entirely aware, whether it was because of the pain medication or the knock on the head, they weren't sure. After a few moments of disoriented blinking, Danny finally locked eyes with Kono.
"Hey." His voice was rough from disuse and dry from the medications. Chin handed her the cup of ice that the nurse had left and waited while Kono spooned him a couple of small chunks – the cold liquid soothing as it went down.
Danny's eyes slid closed once again, and the three thought that he was drifting back to sleep, but he was only gathering his strength in an attempt to open them and participate in the world again. His bleary gaze traveled the room. "…happened?"
Steve lightly squeezed Danny's leg. "You're going to be fine. We were picking up lunch and a car skidded in the rain. You hopped out of the way and landed on the hood, but it was the falling off of the hood that did the damage."
Danny took a cautious breath and tried to shift, wincing as his ribs protested the movement. "Shit."
Chin and Steve stepped in and carefully helped Danny move so that he was a little more upright, still keeping his weight off of his scraped up shoulder. It took Danny a few moments to catch his breath, but he finally seemed to settle.
"When can I get out of here?" Danny was pale and sweating, but appeared to be a little more coherent.
Kono had one hand on her belly, and the other on Danny's arm. She was a little rattled by Danny's getting hurt, and her baby seemed to be picking up on the stress. He was very active and reminding Kono in his own special way that she needed to try to calm down.
Danny furrowed his brow as he caught sight of the expression on Kono's face. Worried, he poked her arm with his finger. "You okay?"
Kono's eyes were watery as she choked out a laugh. "Seriously? You're the one lying here after being hit by a car and you're asking about me?" She wiped at her eyes in frustration.
Danny just waited her out. "Yeah, I'm asking about you. Are you okay?"
Kono shook her head as a lone tear trickled down her cheek. "Honestly? I'm not okay. You could have been killed. It just reminded me again of how fragile life is, I guess."
Chin leaned over and pulled Kono into a hug, feeling the slight tremble in her frame. "Danny will be okay, Kono. He will." Chin knew that Kono had come to rely on Danny, and any idea that he might not be around any longer was bound to have her a little on edge.
The doctor poked his head into the room, and was pleased to see Danny awake. "Detective Williams. It's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
Danny gave him a wry smile. "I've been better. It's a good thing I have such a hard head, huh?"
The doctor chuckled. "That is true. But please try not to test that theory any time soon, okay? I'm going to release you, provided someone will be around to keep an eye on you."
Danny groaned softly. "Great. Hourly wakeup checks? Just what I've always wanted."
The doctor shook his head. "No. I think you'll be fine with every two hours a couple of times. If that all checks out, then you can go to every four hours, twice. Again, if you are able to do that, you should be good to rest as much as you need. No work for at least a week, and when I do clear you, you'll be on light duty for another week after that. You only have a slight concussion, but you most likely will be dealing with headaches and bouts of dizziness for the immediate future. Combine that with your clavicle and rib fractures – you are going to be in a fair bit of pain. We want you managing it at home – don't try to tough it out. There's no reason to."
Steve nodded and shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you, doc. We'll make sure he's taken care of."
The doctor nodded, knowing that Steve was telling the truth. It was clear that Danny had an ohana that would look after him. "I'll send the nurse in to help you get ready to go. You shouldn't need pain medication for the next three hours, so you can head home and maybe one of your friends can run out and get it?"
Chin raised his hand. "I'll let Steve and Kono get you settled at Kono's, and then I'll go and pick them up. I'll grab a few more first aid supplies while I'm out as well."
The doctor left the room, satisfied that everything was under control.
The discharge instructions were fairly straightforward, and it didn't take the nurse long to get Danny ready to go. He grumbled about having to ride in a wheelchair, but given that he couldn't completely see straight, he figured he was safer sitting down.
Steve pushed the chair while Kono followed alongside, holding onto Danny's hand to ground him. The dizziness was evident as he kept listing to one side. It seemed to help him if he had something to hang onto that was stable and would keep him from falling.
Chin had the car waiting out front by the time Steve got there. It took some careful assisting to get Danny into the back seat without causing too much pain, but they managed. Kono climbed in next to him, wanting to keep an eye on him in case they needed anything.
They were almost home when Kono urgently asked Chin to pull over. Danny had gone pale and was squeezing Kono's hand. She was afraid he would be sick.
As soon as the car had stopped, Steve hopped out and opened the back door. Danny gingerly shook his head when Steve asked if he needed to get out. It seemed as though the fresh air was doing him some good.
Chin found a clean towel in the back of the SUV and wet it using a bottle of water. He folded it up and draped it along the back of Danny's neck, hoping the cool would help keep the nausea at bay.
Kono reached into her bag and pulled out a cube of crystallized ginger and held it out. Even though her morning sickness had stopped, she still kept some on hand…just in case…more preventative in nature.
Danny paled even further. The idea of putting anything into his system, even if it was supposed to help, had him reeling. "No…I'll be okay."
They gave him a little space to catch his breath, and after about five minutes, he seemed to have a little color back in his face. "I think I'm alright. I'd just like to get home and get some rest."
Steve nodded and helped Danny get situated, while Chin hurried around to the driver seat.
Danny's reprieve was enough of a break to get him the rest of the way back to Kono's without further issue. Within minutes of pulling into the drive, Steve and Chin had him settled in the guest room. The paint fumes had completely dissipated and opening the windows took care of the stuffiness. The cool breeze was soothing to Danny's heated skin, as well.
Danny was just relieved to be lying flat, giving his stomach a chance to settle down. He had been miserable on the drive home, but was feeling a little more human now that he was out of the moving car.
Kono was seated next to him, while Steve perched on the end of the bed. Danny was trying to stay awake, but was fading fast. Kono tried carding her fingers through his hair, remembering how soothing it had felt one night when Danny had coaxed her to back sleep after a nightmare.
Kono and Steve just smiled as they watched him futilely try to fight sleep, but Kono was stubborn. "Just sleep, Danny. We're right here. We'll wake you in a couple of hours, okay?" Her voice was a whisper that softly blanketed over Danny until he was finally asleep.
Flashing Kono a thumbs up, Steve headed toward the kitchen to see about fixing her some lunch, while Kono stayed put. After the scare this afternoon, she really just needed to sit here and watch one of her best friends breathe. It was the simplest gesture, but one that soothed Kono like nothing else had in the past couple of hours. Danny was safe. Everything would be okay now.
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