A/N: So this chapter took off on me. I hope you don't mind that it's a bit longer. I also wanted to clarify something. This is a Danny/Kono friendship fic. I've had a couple of people message me asking about a possible romance between them, and while one day I might explore that 'ship, it won't be in this story. Thank you all for your replies...I really appreciate them.
Usual disclaimers apply.
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Danny made it through the first two concussion checks before his frustration started to ramp up. Fortunately, Kono was the one waking him up this time…there was no way he would let himself snap at her. "Hey, Kono. Again?"
Kono smiled softly. "I'm sorry, Danny. I know you're exhausted. After this one, though, you get to sleep for four hours."
Danny winced as he tried to sit up. He needed to use the restroom, and his head was pounding pretty hard - a hammer and dagger had nothing on the throbbing inside of his skull. He wasn't sure he could make it to the bathroom on his own, which bothered him to admit. "Yeah…that's something at least, right? Is Chin or Steve around? I need to use the restroom, and I'm not sure how much moving I can do without help. I feel like a fucking old man trying to move right now. I really don't want to take you down with me if I stumble."
Kono nodded and slid off the bed. "I'll see who's free. I'll grab your pain meds while I'm out. I know you don't like taking them, but I don't want to see you hurting either."
Danny reluctantly agreed, and sank back against the pillows until reinforcements arrived. He looked up to see both Chin and Steve in the doorway. "I know you joke about how many malasadas I eat, but I don't think I need two if you to hoist me into the bathroom."
Chin chuckled softly. "Steve's got that covered. I'm just bringing in your pain meds and another water bottle. Kono's fixing you something to eat, so that you can get a little food into your system before you take your meds."
Danny groaned as Steve carefully helped him stand up. Nothing was said when Steve ended up taking most of Danny's weight as he limped his way to the bathroom. Steve helped him remove the sling, and gave him his privacy, but stayed close by while he waited for Danny to finish brushing his teeth and cleaning up a little bit.
Chin tossed him a clean t-shirt and sleep pants from Danny's bag, and while Danny managed the pants okay, he did have to let Steve help him with the shirt. It was just too painful to get his arms all the way up. The abrasions were dressed and covered, and normally Danny would have just ignored the shirt entirely, but Danny didn't want to risk getting the antibiotic cream all over the sheets if he could help it.
Steve was careful, and managed to get the shirt on without causing too much pain. Danny had gone white with the effort, though, and Steve knew he had reached his limit. He let Danny set the pace on the way back, and before too long, was settled back into bed.
Kono had fixed Danny a smoothie, knowing that anything heavy would just not settle well right now. She only gave him a small amount, but it was enough to counteract the harsh medications. She also brought in a couple of cold packs. One was large enough to start on his collarbone and wrap over the top of his shoulder to the back. The other one went on the back of his neck.
The more he moved around, the worse he felt. The pain in his head was currently bordering on excruciating. The doctor said that placing a cold pack on his neck could help, so he was grateful to at least try that option, combined with the pain meds. Hopefully he could sleep through the worst of it.
He felt Kono messing with the sheet but really didn't care. He was so tired that he practically fell asleep before his head even touched the pillow. He never even heard the murmured conversation between his three friends. He never even felt Kono wiping his face with a damp cloth. He never even realized that Steve had texted Grace when he didn't answer his phone, letting his daughter know that Danno loved her.
Fortunately for Danny, getting a full four hours of sleep did wonders for his temper. He still felt like crap, but at least he felt a little more human. After Chin woke him up this time, he decided to try to stay awake for a little while.
Chin helped him to the living room, where he sank gratefully into the plush chair. He was dizzy and nauseous and still had the headache from hell, but Danny knew there wasn't much he could do about that. It was from the concussion, and there wasn't any treatment that would stop it except for time.
Bailey noticed that Danny was sitting in her favorite spot and came trotting over. She hopped up onto his lap, but settled gingerly, sensing the need to be calm. She gently licked his hand before resting her muzzle on his leg. She knew that her job was to take care of her Kono, but that job also extended to any of her friends. Since Danny was the one to sneak her treats, he was the current recipient of some extra love and guarding…at least until he was feeling better, anyway. She would take care of him as long as it took.
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Danny ended up being benched for a full two weeks, including desk time. The dizziness subsided after the first week, but the headaches kept up for about ten days.
One day, Kono had returned from walking Bailey to find Danny huddled on the couch with a trash can beside him. Unclipping Bailey's leash and letting the puppy roam free, she hurried to his side. "Danny? What's wrong?"
He shook his head weakly. "Fucking headache." Danny really felt like his head would split in two as hard as it was throbbing. Wave after wave of relentless nausea continued, even after the dry heaves which completely taxed Danny's energy level.
Kono stood and quickly went into the kitchen. Danny could only listen – his eyes were too sensitive to track her movements. He heard the freezer door close, followed by the sound of plastic cups bumping into one another.
She knew that when a headache hit like it did, it was hard for Danny to follow a simple train of thought – like getting to his pain medication and ice packs. At his follow up appointment, the doctor had given them a different medication to use, because his headaches weren't just 'regular' headaches – they were more of a migraine. This was only the second one he had gotten from this concussion, but after that first time where none of the pain medications even touched it, they weren't taking any chances. The doctor didn't seem to feel as though they would linger past the resolution of the concussion symptoms, which was a good thing. There was no way Danny wanted to experience these on a regular basis.
Kono moved back into the living room and sat next to him on the couch. "Here you go, Danny." She pressed the dissolving tablet against his lips and he opened them, letting her place it on his tongue. She then placed the ice pack against his neck.
Scooting to the end of the couch, she tugged him so that he tipped to his side, resting his head on her lap. Carefully, she pressed the tips of her fingers hard against his skull. The doctor had said that knuckling the pressure points along his scalp could help, but they quickly discovered that Danny was too sensitive for that sharp of a pressure. Fingertips worked much better, so they tried that instead.
It took about ten minutes of Kono working quietly on the task at hand before Danny was finally able to exhale, feeling glad that his head would most likely stay attached from here on out. He tried to sit up, but Kono was deceptively strong and kept him where he was.
"Just relax, Danny. I know you usually feel like shit after taking those meds, so just take it easy. I brought some water if you need it." Kono's voice was soft, hoping that Danny would settle enough to fall asleep. The migraine meds weren't supposed to make you drowsy, but they did Danny, for whatever reason.
Danny shifted more comfortably onto his side, and grinned as he felt a small protrusion poking at the back of his head. "Even your son is trying to help with the headache." His voice was starting to slur, and Kono just kept up what she was doing.
"Even he's trying to get you to zip it and take a nap. You're outnumbered, Williams. Get over it." She grinned as he finally gave up and shut his eyes. Hopefully when he woke up, he would feel somewhat human again.
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Following that rough patch, everything seemed to settle in for a good five weeks. Kono was completely out of the field now – there was no way any of the guys was comfortable with her taking any unnecessary risks, and Kono agreed, surprisingly without much fanfare.
She had become their resident computer analyst, honing her skills on the smart table. It was good to have another team member with many of Chin's skills – they had come in handy more than once while she was manning the office.
She took a break from the photo recognition software and stretched her neck. She had slowly developed a splitting headache as the afternoon wore on, and her eyes were starting to cross. She rubbed them, trying to chase the grittiness and blurriness away. Too much staring at the screen would do that to anyone.
Feeling a stitch in her right side, Kono decided to take a little rest. Her stomach was off – she only had had a half of a sandwich at lunch, but something hadn't settled quite right. She hoped that stretching out on her couch would make her feel better.
It was not to be, however, as she was hit with a bout of dizziness as soon as she sat down. All she could do was try to get her feet up and see if that helped at all. She closed her eyes, willing the room to stop spinning.
It was quiet for a few minutes, and she let the silence soothe her frazzled nerves. She wasn't sure what was wrong, but she just didn't feel right. She grabbed her phone, intending to text one of the guys, but the numbers were swimming in and out of focus, so she let her arm drop down to her side. She thought that she should worry that her phone fell to the floor, but it just didn't seem to register that there was any concern.
She suddenly felt the cold chill of sweat beading along her chest and back and found herself swallowing convulsively as the nausea hit full force. What the hell was happening to her?
"Kono? Did you get any hits on the photos?" Steve's voice carried through the bullpen and into Kono's office, but she couldn't respond. She was desperately trying to keep from throwing up what little she had eaten today.
"Kono?" Danny poked his head into the office, and immediately yelled for Steve. He rushed to her side, kneeling down next to the couch. "Kono? What is it?"
She shook her head, tears leaking into her hair.
Steve hurried into the room, and after taking one look at Kono, was calling for an ambulance. Steve gave dispatch what little information he had, but asked them to hurry. Kono was pale and sweating, and her pulse was through the roof.
"The baby?" Kono was terrified that something was happening with her baby.
Danny placed his hand along her bump, and after a few seconds, was rewarded with a light poke against his hands. "He's still active – he just kicked. You just worry about trying to slow your heart rate down. Can you try to do that?"
Kono was visibly trembling now, and all she wanted to do was cover her head and squeeze – it hurt so much. "My head…really hurts, Danny." Her breath hitched, and she was having a hard time focusing on any one thing. Everything was overwhelming her, and she was starting to unravel.
"It's going to be okay, babe. An ambulance is on the way." He reached for her wrist and checked her pulse again. It was still beating way too fast, and if her breathing was any indication, she should have just run a freaking marathon.
Danny looked at Steve in alarm and motioned for him to trade places. As Steve knelt down next to Kono, Danny whipped out his phone and speed-dialed Dr. Lau. Whatever was going on with Kono wasn't good, and Danny needed to know what to do until EMS arrived.
"Dr. Lau? This is Danny Williams. Kono's not feeling well right now, and we're waiting for an ambulance to come." He listened to her questions, answering the ones that he could. "She's complaining of a severe headache, and seems very lethargic and unable to focus. She's having a hard time slowing her breathing and heart rate down – I'm not sure how much of that is anxiety, though."
He nodded at whatever he was being told, and looked to Steve, knowing he had done his own assessment. "Tell her Kono's heart rate is 117 and respirations are 32 and shallow."
Danny relayed that information and after a few moments, turned to Steve. "Get her on her left side if you can. She'll meet us at the hospital." Danny swiped his phone to disconnect the call and hurriedly placed it back in his pocket.
He grabbed a couple of pillows and waited until Steve had easily maneuvered Kono onto her side. He placed one pillow between her knees, and another underneath her baby bump, supporting her as best he could. She kept trying to fight them and move, so Danny parked himself by her head and tried to reach through the panic and settle her down.
Steve heard the sounds of the medical team arriving, and called out to direct them into Kono's office. "In here, guys."
The paramedics hurried into the office, pulling the gurney behind them. Steve was glad to see June and Micah – they had worked with Five-0 in the past, and Steve hoped that Kono would respond to them.
June took over the scene. "Steve…Danny…what do we have?"
Danny had his hands full trying to keep Kono calm, so Steve stepped up. "Kono's currently almost 38 weeks pregnant. She was working in the office when we left to interview a suspect. Chin is still at the scene, but Danny and I came back to check on a couple of things. When we arrived, Kono was in her office, lying on her couch. She was agitated, diaphoretic, and complaining of severe head pain. Pulse and respirations are elevated. We put in a call to her OB, Dr. Lau, who told us to get her on her left side and transport ASAP."
June knelt down in front of Kono. "Kono, it's June. Can you open your eyes for me?" She hurriedly took a blood pressure reading and got a set of cardiac leads on her. Her instincts said that Kono had most likely developed preeclampsia, and the corresponding blood pressure of 163/113 confirmed what she had suspected.
She immediately placed Kono on high flow oxygen. Her own oxygen sats weren't too bad, but the baby needed all of the extra oxygen he could get. Micah also started an IV to give Kono some much needed fluids, but was careful to run it at a low to normal rate. Too much fluid too quickly could result in a whole other set of complications that Kono didn't need right now.
June turned to Danny and Steve. "One of you can ride with us if you want. We need to get moving, though. Can I get you to help transfer her to the gurney? We're going to keep her on her left side, and just strap her in that way."
Steve nodded, and carefully slid his arms under her shoulders and knees, while June and Micah kept her lines clear from any pulling. Danny hurried to grab her purse, that action reminiscent of the day she had had her world blown to hell and had to take a trip to the hospital. Hopefully this trip would have a better outcome for Kono.
She was gently placed onto the gurney, still on her side. Pillows were placed back underneath her knees and abdomen as well as under her head, and straps were buckled over her thighs and upper chest. It took June and Micah a few minutes to get everything situated, but soon were on their way.
Danny was riding in the ambulance with Kono, while Steve took the truck. He was going to attempt to reach Chin and have him meet them at the hospital.
Meanwhile, in the ambulance, Kono kept trying to reach out, and rather than have her inadvertently pull at her IV, he caught her hand in his. "Ssshhh, Kono. You're okay."
Danny blew out a breath, unsure how this day had gone to hell in a handbasket. He could only hope and pray that things would turn out okay. There was no way the universe would be that cruel to Kono, would it?
He didn't have too long to wonder, as the ambulance screamed its way into the Emergency Room unloading zone. As the back doors opened, Danny saw Dr. Lau standing there waiting for them.
June spit out vitals and other pertinent information, but all Danny could do was hold Kono's hand as he jogged into the trauma bay. Dr. Lau pulled him aside while they got Kono settled onto the exam bed, hooking the fetal monitor up in the process.
"Danny? Normally I'd have you in the waiting room, but Kono needs to remain calm, and I think you can help with that. Just stay up by her head, and let us work, okay? If this is preeclampsia, and I'm pretty sure it is, the only cure is to deliver the baby and the placenta. Things are going to feel like they are happening to Kono from all directions, and they will be. But if you can help keep her settled, that will make our jobs that much easier."
Danny nodded and took his place seated on the stool at the head of the gurney. As he murmured what he hoped were soothing words, he heard orders for Hydralazine to help bring down Kono's blood pressure, and Magnesium Sulfate to prevent seizures and his heart dropped. The fuck? It was that serious? He knew that Kono was in the best place possible, though. Dr. Lau knew what she was doing, and he had to believe that Kono would be fine.
As the blood pressure medication, oxygen and fluids started to do their job, Kono started to rally a little, becoming more aware of her surroundings and the rapid and steady 'thump' of her son's heartbeat as it galloped through the fetal monitor. Dr. Lau stepped into her line of vision and smiled. "Welcome back, Kono. You're doing well, although you may not feel that way right this minute. Do you know where you are?"
Kono nodded slowly and whispered, "Hospital". Her eyes traveled to find Danny's and she visibly relaxed as she saw that she wasn't alone.
He grinned and kissed her forehead, making sure the mask stayed put. "You're going to be fine, babe. Steve called Chin. We're all here, okay? You just keep doing your thing and staying out of trouble, alright?"
Kono smiled tiredly. She felt like crap, and wasn't sure exactly why. "What happened?"
Dr. Lau adjusted the blood pressure medication based on some of Kono's numbers. "Your blood pressure skyrocketed. We call that preeclampsia. I know I just saw you two days ago, and your pressure was good then. We're not sure why it can change so suddenly, but that's what seems to have happened with you. With the increased blood pressure comes headaches and vision changes. I'm guessing you experienced that?"
Kono nodded. "I remember not feeling that great, but I couldn't figure out why. Then my head started pounding and I got really nauseous. Things got blurry, but I just thought I was tired or something."
Dr. Lau nodded. "Textbook symptoms. I'm glad that your friends got you here. The best cure for preeclampsia is delivery, so we'll soon be saying 'Happy Birthday' to your little guy. We're going to take you up to Labor and Delivery pretty soon, and we'll get things rocking and rolling, okay?"
Kono's eyes were huge from all of the information being thrown at her so quickly. They filled with tears and she started shaking her head. "I can't…I'm not ready for this. I can't."
She was shivering, both from the medications and from the anxiety. Her face was flushed – a common side effect of the Magnesium. Another side effect made its presence known as Kono paled and gagged against a sudden surge of nausea. The nurse barely had time to move the oxygen mask and get an emesis basin in front of Kono before she was spitting bile and coughing.
Danny grabbed a face cloth and stepped over to wet it in the sink before folding it and placing it on Kono's forehead. "Hey, what's all this? You can do this, Kono. I know you can."
Kono tried to sit up, feeling the need to get away. "No, Danny. I need…Adam should be here, Danny. He needs to be here. He's not here, and I can't do this. I can't."
Her escalating heart rate had triggered the alarm on the monitor, and Dr. Lau hurried to silence the loud dinging sound. She let Danny move to where he could look Kono in the eyes. She would intervene if she needed to, but hopefully Kono would respond to her friend.
"Kono, just breathe, babe. Take a couple of slow breaths for me." He slid one arm underneath her head and shifted her so that he was holding her against his chest. Trying to break through her single anxiety-fueled thought track, he started rubbing his hand up and down against her back.
When he felt her relax just the slightest bit, he gently lowered her back against the pillow. "Sweetheart, I know this sucks. It's going to be the hardest thing you've ever had to do. But I know you can do it. I'm so proud of you, babe. And Adam would be, too." He was taking a risk mentioning Adam right now, but he knew that Kono needed to focus on the here and now if she was going to bring her son into the world.
She blinked rapidly, but her tears fell unchecked. She reached for Danny, needing his strength to ground her.
Danny hugged her close; one hand on her back and the other cradling the back of her head. "You can do this, Kono."
She buried her face into his neck, taking a breath to calm herself. "I'm scared, Danny. I don't want to do this without him."
He helped her back against the pillows once more. "I know, Kono. I do. I would give anything to have him here with you, but I can't make that happen for you, and I hate that. But babe, you have to do this. Your son needs you to dig deep for him. Can you do that?"
Kono wiped at her eyes and nodded. "I'm sorry, Danny."
He shook his head emphatically. "Nope. No way. You have nothing to apologize for, Kono. It's a shitty situation all the way around. But you know what? You're going to get to be a mom today. You get to meet and hold your son. You are also going to finally get to share your son's name with Steve so he'll stop bugging the ever-loving crap out of everyone."
Her answering giggle was medicine to everyone's ears. Dr. Lau squeezed Kono's shin. "You are going to be okay, Kono. We're going to give you some medication into your IV to induce your labor down here before we move you up to Labor and Delivery. We'll be monitoring you closely, but we need you to let us know if anything doesn't feel right."
Kono nodded, digging deep within herself to find the strength to do this. She missed Adam horribly, but knew that the best gift she could give him was to deliver his son. She turned to Danny. "Stay with me?" She knew that Danny had gone to the birthing classes with her in preparation for this, but needed to make sure he hadn't changed his mind.
"Absolutely, babe. There's nowhere I'd rather be."
Dr. Lau made sure the orders were as she wanted them before motioning for the orderlies to come and take Kono to her room on the L&D floor. Danny was going to go with her, but sent a quick text to Steve, letting him know that they were moving Kono to he and Chin could head up there as well.
Another thirty minutes had passed before Kono heard a knock at the door. She was slightly uncomfortable as the contractions were increasing in their intensity but smiled as Chin poked his head into the room. "Hey, cousin. Are you up for some visitors?" He and Steve stepped inside the doorway with huge smiles on their faces.
"Hey you guys." Kono shifted a little higher in the bed and reached out as Chin and then Steve stepped in for a hug.
"How are things going? Are you feeling any better?" Chin's voice may have been calm, but his eyes gave him away.
Danny watched as Kono squeezed Chin's hand. "A little bit. Dr. Lau says things are progressing normally, and that he's tolerating labor just fine."
Steve slid a chair over for Chin to sit down, and grabbed another one and slid it close to the edge of the bed. "Before we came over, we went and got Bailey and took her over to Chin's house, so she's all taken care of."
Kono nodded, but hissed as another contraction ramped up quickly. Danny reached for her hand. "Okay, babe. This one got strong quick, but you've got this."
Kono's eyes were closed as she concentrated on breathing. It helped to picture Adam's face in her mind as she focused on keeping her breaths slow and even. She felt Danny holding her hand, but didn't open her eyes until the pain had receded.
Dr. Lau knocked on the frame and stepped into the room. "How are you holding up, Kono?"
Kono let out a breath. "My head still hurts, and I feel really nauseous."
Dr. Lau cringed sympathetically. "That's the Mag Sulfate. It's got some nasty side-effects. I'll lower the dose but it's imperative that you let us know if you feel any excess dizziness, blurred vision, or feel like you're really out of it. I don't feel like you're at risk of having a seizure, but Kono, I'm not taking any chances. You have fought so hard for this, and I'm determined to get you through this so that you can meet your son."
She gestured to the three men to step out into the hall so that she could check Kono's progress. They did as asked and leaned against the wall. Chin was the first to ask. "How is she really, Danny?"
Danny took a deep breath and let it out. "She's powering through, but she's scared. She got really anxious down in the ER, afraid that she couldn't do this without Adam. It took quite a bit to get her focused again."
Steve hated that his friend was still struggling, even if it was warranted. "Did Dr. Lau say how much longer she thought it would take?"
Danny shook his head. "No. It took a little while for things to get going once they started the Pitocin down in the ER, but it's really kicked in gear the last fifteen minutes or so. Hopefully the doc will have an estimate when she comes out."
The three didn't have to wait long before Dr. Lau was motioning them back in. "She's doing great, you guys. She's at 5 centimeters, and moving along very steadily. I'm going to step out, but let me or the nurse know if you need anything, okay?"
Danny nodded and headed back towards Kono's side. She was resting with her eyes closed, and Danny knew that she was exhausted. Labor was rough enough, but then to have to deal with the preeclamptic emergency that sent her to the hospital on top of that? She needed to try to rest when she could.
They sat around talking softly until Kono groaned in pain. Another contraction was ripping through her, and all Danny could do was encourage her to breathe through it. She was determined to do this without pain medication, and while Danny respected that, he hated to see her hurting. "That's it, Kono. It's on its way down. Just two more deep breaths and you'll be through it."
Chin knew that Danny was a stand-up guy, but he was grateful to see how easily he had stepped up to help Kono, keeping her calm and relaxed during this stressful time. He knew that early on, Danny had questioned his place on the island, but Chin knew without a doubt that he belonged here now. He was family.
It wasn't long before another contraction hit her hard. Danny was seated next to her on the edge of the bed and groaned as she grabbed onto the first thing that she could—the front of his shirt. Unfortunately for him, she happened to catch a few stray chest hairs in her grip, and for a brief moment, Danny understood why they called it labor pains. Steve and Chin grinned as they saw Danny's predicament, but sobered as he shot them a murderous look. Thankfully, her contraction passed and Danny unclenched her fingers with a wry grin on his face.
They passed time telling stories, keeping the mood lighthearted. The next couple of hours passed fairly quickly, although the next stage of labor seemed to take a lot out of Kono. She was starting to get more and more nauseous, and could not stop herself from shaking.
"Lea?"
Kono's nurse, Lea, caught the look on her face and hurried over with a small basin. "We'll just keep that there if you need it. Are you cold, or just shaking?"
Kono rested her head on the pillow. "J…just…sh…shaking."
Lea grabbed a warm blanket from the bin on the wall and covered Kono with it. "That's pretty normal. How about the pain? Are you doing okay?"
Danny flexed his fingers experimentally. "I think I'll be okay, once I get a little circulation back into them."
Kono rolled her eyes as Danny winked at her. "It's okay so far, I guess."
Lea just shook her head at Danny, unable to stop a grin from breaking forth. He really was doing a great job at keeping Kono relaxed, which would go a long way in helping her labor. "Let's have these guys step out and I'll check and see where you're at, okay?" After a brief check, Lea nodded at Kono with a huge smile on her face. "You're at ten centimeters. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"
She pulled the curtain back and motioned for Danny to come back in. "She's ready to start pushing. We'll try a few and see how she does."
Chin overheard and came in as well. He hurried over and wrapped Kono up in a hug. "We'll be in the waiting room, okay?" He kissed both of her cheeks before stepping back and giving Steve some space.
"Be strong, Kono. We love you." Kono nodded as he kissed the top of her head. She was terrified, but knew that she had to do this. She owed to herself, and she owed it to Adam.
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