Notes:
Disclaimer see chapter 1
Again a huge thank you for all the reviews and alerts and of course to montez for betaing :-)
"Danny? Hey, stay with me! Come on, open your eyes! Danny?" McGarrett tightened his grip on Danny's shoulder, desperately trying to keep the situation under control. Gritting his teeth, he thought about the conversation he had had with Danny only a few hours ago. 'I won't get you shot,' he had said with utter conviction. His heart now clenched painfully in his chest as he looked down at his unconscious partner. What had he done? He had never intended to harm Danny like this…
Hearing footsteps behind him that pulled him forcefully out of his dark thoughts, Steve turned his head just in time to see two paramedics enter the room. They were a strange looking team; the man was about Steve's age, massive and roughly 6'4 tall, while his colleague was a petite middle-aged Asian woman who looked like a fragile child beside her giant partner. Not wasting any time both knelt down next to Danny, immediately opening the two large emergency kits they had brought together with a gurney.
Steve backed up a little bit, just enough to give them space to work, but he made sure that he stayed within Danny's reach. Silently, he watched as the paramedics quickly and efficiently started to check on Danny.
"Hey, JayJay, you remember Detective Williams? Danny, isn't it?" The woman said to her partner while she attached a blood pressure cuff to Danny's left arm. Shifting her gaze to McGarrett, she thought for a moment and added, "You're Steve, right?" Not waiting for an answer, she returned her attention to her patient, taking a stethoscope out of the box next to her.
Steve frowned as he shook his head slightly, asking, "Uh… I'm sorry but have we met?"
"Oh, you probably wouldn't remember, you were pretty much knocked out the last time we met." The tall paramedic answered Steve's question, pointing swiftly at his colleague. "This is Keiko, my name is JayJay." With a short side glance at Danny he added, "Seems like your roles are reversed this time."
JayJay cut open Danny's pant to get better access to the wound in his leg. Wiping away the blood that was still sluggishly oozing from the wound he asked Steve, "Can you tell us what happened?"
"He… I…" Steve swallowed hard and ran his left hand through his hair. "He was shot from close range…" his voice trailing off as he whispered under his breath, "It was supposed to be a clear through and through… it wasn't supposed to do so much damage…"
JayJay tried to process what he had just heard. Aside from providing initial treatment, dealing with family members and friends was a big part of his job and in his years as a paramedic he had seen and heard enough incredible things to read the fine nuances in what people were saying or rather not saying. He looked up, giving Steve a strange look, "You mean… you did this? You shot him? But he's your partner, isn't he?" Seeing the tormented look on McGarrett's face, he quickly said with a little wave of his hand. "Never mind, that's not the story to tell right now. Is there anything else you can tell us? When did this happen? How long has he been unconscious? What happened to his face? Anything and everything that could be useful."
Steve's gaze shifted from the gunshot wound in Danny's leg to the bruised and beaten face of his partner. He swallowed again, trying very hard to keep his emotions at bay. Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself together; he was not helping Danny if he lost himself in feelings of guilt. He could do this, for heaven's sake, he had received the best and hardest training in the world. He took another deep breath and let his SEAL training take over, finally giving the paramedics a clear and brief overview of what had happened. "The shot was fired about five minutes ago. Danny was conscious, he talked to me but he had some trouble breathing; he passed out only seconds before you arrived."
Giving Steve an encouraging nod, JayJay asked, "What about his face?"
"I don't know for sure, I think he got hit twice, probably with a gun. I think he was unconscious after the second hit for about three minutes." Steve thought for a second before he added, "That's everything I can tell you."
"Okay, Steve, thanks. You did good." After a short reassuring smile, JayJay turned his attention to his colleague and said, "His left cheekbone might be fractured; X-rays will clarify that later. I'm sure he also has a concussion, judging from the bruises on his face. The bullet wound probably needs some surgery but I got the bleeding under control for now. What about his vital signs?"
A deep crease appeared on JayJay's forehead as he listened to Keiko listing Danny's vitals. "Hm, that's unusual…" he said, more to himself than to anybody specific. Nevertheless Keiko gave him an affirmative nod, her brows furrowed in concentration. Turning toward Steve, she suddenly asked, "You said he had trouble breathing… did he cough?"
Nodding slowly, Steve said, "Yes, he coughed twice I think." Steve felt an icy knot form in his stomach, seeing the expression on the paramedics' faces. "What's wrong?" he pushed.
"I'm not sure. This might just be the first symptoms of going into shock but his vitals are ambiguous. I think there's something else…" JayJay threw another look at Danny's vitals as a thoughtful expression spread on his face. Pursing his lips, his gaze traveled slowly to the gunshot wound in Danny's thigh. "No exit wound, that means the bullet most likely hit the bone." JayJay looked up, locking eyes with his partner.
The petite woman returned the look with a hesitant nod. "You think it's an embolism?" she asked, once more rechecking the vitals.
"Yeah, I think so," JayJay confirmed fiercely, standing up in a swift move that betrayed his massive frame. "I'll prepare the gurney. Put him on 100% O2, we need to move him quickly, we can set up an IV in the ambulance. Queens is only five minutes away, I'd like to see him in intensive care, sooner rather than later."
"What's wrong?" Steve repeated, listening to the verbal exchange with growing confusion and dread. He watched helplessly as the paramedics strapped Danny onto the gurney, waiting impatiently for one of them to answer his question. He followed them outside to the ambulance parked only a few steps away. Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed a bunch of people, no doubt bomb squad members, who were still busy deactivating Hank Philips' explosive belt; it reminded Steve of the fact that it was only a few minutes ago when he had managed to overwhelm Philips. He didn't stop to take a closer look, climbing without further ado into the back of the ambulance; there was no way he would leave Danny alone! He glared defiantly at Keiko to nip any upcoming resistance in the bud but she just said, smiling gently, "You can come along with us." Her gaze traveled slightly downward, "then we can also have a look at your arm."
"My arm?" Steve asked confused, seemingly unaware that he still had his right arm pressed tightly against his body.
"You're bleeding and your elbow looks pretty swollen and painful. You need to have it checked out and X-rayed, I think it might be broken." Keiko answered calmly, watching him closely. "Any more injuries you're trying to hide?"
"I'm fine!" Steve growled angrily, staring at the blood from the graze on his arm he hadn't noticed before. "Just take care of Danny!"
Ignoring his objection, Keiko asked, "You want me to give you something for the pain?"
Shaking his head, Steve said once more, urgently this time, "Just tell me what's wrong with him." He looked away from JayJay who was busy setting up an IV, to Danny's pale face, now covered with an oxygen mask. "Please," McGarrett added, locking eyes with Keiko. "I need to know…"
The sirens of the ambulance went off at the same time Steve felt the vehicle start to move. It was hard to understand Keiko's explanation over the howling sound, so Steve leaned slightly forward, exhaling a choked moan through gritted teeth as he jolted his injured arm.
Keiko raised an eyebrow but didn't try to address the subject again. Swallowing down any comment about male stubbornness, she explained, "We believe that the gunshot wound to his leg caused what we call a fat embolism. The signs and symptoms are similar to those of a pulmonary embolism but unlike a pulmonary embolism, a fat embolism is not caused by blood clots. The bullet most likely hit the femur and due to the damage to the bone, causing fat and bone marrow cells to enter the bloodstream, leading to occlusions in pulmonary and cerebral blood vessels."
Staring at her in shock, McGarrett needed a few seconds to understand what she had said. Embolisms were something that should not be taken lightly and as far as he knew the mortality rate was pretty damn high. Steve wiped his left hand over his mouth and chin, trying to grasp the real extent of her words. "But he will be alright?" Steve whispered hoarsely, his heart constricting painfully as he saw the compassionate look in Keiko's eyes.
"We will do what we can," she replied gently and Steve was very well aware of the fact that she hadn't exactly answered his question, giving a stereotypical response like that. Leaning his head against the wall, he closed his eyes, his left hand unconsciously tightening around his injured elbow. Immediately white-hot fire shot through his arm, but at the moment he was glad to have anything that might help divert his thoughts and he focused entirely on the stabbing pain, embracing it with his whole mind.
"We're here!" Hearing the driver's voice over the sound of the sirens, Steve looked up, noticing that Keiko was still watching him.
"Just in time, I don't like where his vitals are going." Steve shifted his gaze to JayJay, not being able to stand the pity in Keiko's eyes any longer but he didn't like the worry he saw in JayJay's eyes either.
The next few moments passed in a mass of people and voices. Hectic doctors and nurses helping unload the gurney, rushing Danny into the hospital building, shouting vitals, diagnoses and possible methods of treatment. Although he had tried desperately not to fall behind, Steve suddenly found himself in front of the ER, face to face with a young Hawaiian doctor resolutely blocking his path. "I'm sorry, but you can't go in there, Sir."
Deciding on just ignoring her, Steve tried to sneak past her but the woman straightened up to her full height, only about three or four inches smaller than Steve. "I said, you can't go in there! You can either stay in the waiting room or I'll call security to escort you outside." Folding her arms in front of her, she glared at Steve. "It's your choice."
Something in her voice told McGarrett that she was dead serious about her threat. Switching strategies, he put on a forced smile, hoping to convince her with his charm but to his infinite annoyance, that didn't have the desired outcome either, a fact that Danny probably would have found extremely funny.
Raising an eyebrow the young woman said dryly, "Really? Is that the best you can offer?" She sighed, her gaze growing gentler as she noticed the pained expression on Steve's face. "Look, I know you're concerned about your… friend?" she said hesitantly.
"He's my partner, Detective Danny Williams. He…"
"Danny Williams?" she interrupted, staring at him with renewed interest. "So, you're Five-0? Commander McGarrett?"
Nodding reservedly, Steve wondered why everyone he met today seemed to know him while he, on the contrary, had absolutely no idea who the people were he was talking to.
Noticing his confusion, the doctor introduced herself with a little smile, "I'm Dr. Kiana Kalakaua."
"Kalakaua?" Steve asked surprised.
Kiana nodded as her smile grew bigger. "I think you know my cousin? Kono?"
"Kono is your cousin?" Steve eyed her curiously. "She never mentioned that one of her cousins was working here at Queens."
"You see, there are quite a few of us on the island," Dr. Kalakaua said with a twinkle in her eye. "It would probably take weeks to explain what every single one is doing."
Steve knew that her comment was meant to cheer him up but all he could muster was a short-lived smile. Running his left hand through his hair, he inhaled sharply and said, "Listen, Dr. Kalakaua…"
"Please, call me Kiana," the young doctor interrupted him.
Nodding briefly he replied, "I'm Steve." Gesturing toward the ER door, McGarrett repeated, "Listen, Kiana, my partner was badly injured and I need to know how he is doing."
Kiana viewed him sympathetically. "I know, but I can't let you in there." Pondering for a second, she added, "But I can offer you a deal: you wait over there in treatment room 3, while I check on Detective Williams' status. I will be with you shortly, telling you everything I find out as you let me treat your elbow."
Steve threw her an exasperated look, "I don't need any treatment! I just want to know how Danny is." He was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone, somewhere deep in one of the pockets on the right side of his cargo pants. Automatically stretching out his right hand to take the call, Steve gritted his teeth as intense pain shot through his arm and even if he'd chosen to ignore the pain, he was quite simply not able to fully straighten his elbow. With a sigh that was half frustrated and half pained, McGarrett tried clumsily to reach the pocket with his left hand but Dr. Kalakaua beat him to the draw. Gently pushing away his hand, she reached inside his pocket, pulling out his mobile.
Holding up the device just out of Steve's reach, she said, "I'll let you take this call but afterward we will take care of your arm. Do we have a deal?"
Steve glared at her for a long moment, finally sighing and nodding in defeat, too tired to argue anymore.
"Alright, then I'm going to check on your partner," handing Steve his phone, she disappeared into the ER, swiftly closing the door behind her.
Glaring at her retreating back, Steve barked angrily into his phone, "McGarrett?"
"It's Chin! Where are you, boss? Is everything alright?"
Steve closed his eyes, cursing under his breath; having been so focused on Danny's well-being, he'd totally forgotten to inform the rest of his team about what happened. Taking a deep breath, he quickly said, "Chin, hey, I'm sorry. I'm with Danny at Queens…" Steve hesitated, not sure how to explain the situation.
"At the hospital? What happened? Is Danny alright?" Chin's voice had lost some of its usual calmness as he continued, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Steve answered automatically. "But Danny is… he is… he was shot," he grimaced, taking the easy way out, knowing that later there would be enough time to tell Chin and Kono what really happened. "Listen, Chin, it doesn't look good… I need to be here. Can you and Kono take over, handling the situation at the school?"
"Hey, don't worry, we have everything under control here. You just stay with Danny."
"Thanks, man," Steve replied gratefully.
"Don't mention it. You keep us informed on Danny's condition?"
"Sure," Steve said, ending the call. He stared at the door to the ER for a moment before he reluctantly headed toward treatment room 3, pacing agitatedly as he waited for Dr. Kalakaua's return. His mind racing as the scene played over and over again, the sound of the single gunshot he had fired still echoing in his ears.
Tiredly Steve sat down on the treatment table, closing his eyes as he ran his left hand over his face. His concern for Danny mingled with the pain in his elbow, pulsing with every beat of his heart.
"Steve?" Feeling a gentle squeeze on his shoulder, McGarrett's eyes snapped open. Throwing him a concerned look, Kiana continued, "Are you alright?"
Steve nodded slightly, clearing his throat, "How is Danny?"
"Unfortunately, the gunshot wound in his leg caused what we call a fat embolism…"
Raising his hand, Steve interrupted her impatiently, "I know what it is, the paramedics explained it to me."
"Oh, okay," Kiana said surprised. "Right now he is being transferred to the OR to fix his femur and remove the bullet," she explained quietly. "He is stable at the moment, he's being given oxygen and fluids to help keep the effects of the embolism under control."
"So, he will be alright?" Steve asked, searching Kiana's face for any emotion she might show.
Dr. Kalakaua took a deep breath, answering, "As I said, at the moment he is stable. But you have to realize that he's not out of the woods yet, keep in mind that surgery always poses a risk. Besides we can't tell yet what possible aftereffects the embolism might have."
Pressing his lips together, Steve lowered his gaze, unable to meet Kiana's eyes any longer. He stared at the floor, his mind numb from fear and worry for his partner, not to mention the guilt he was feeling. A light touch on his elbow made him look up, hissing in pain as Dr. Kalakaua carefully cleaned the graze, wiping away dried blood and dirt from his arm. She gently probed the area around the elbow, finally checking the pulse at his right wrist. Steve clenched his teeth through all this, not allowing himself to show any sign of pain or weakness.
"Pulse is strong so there is good blood flow to the hand. Can you straighten your elbow?" Noticing the pained expression on Steve's face and the almost invisible shake of his head, Kiana gently laid her hand on his arm, "It's okay, you don't have to do it. What about moving your fingers? Can you feel them?" She was met with another shake of head that confirmed her presumptive diagnosis.
"Alright, let's get some X-rays," she said, ignoring Steve's futile attempt at a protest. "I think your elbow might be fractured."
Dr. Kiana Kalakaua's guess proved correct and half an hour later Steve found himself face to face with Dr. Ray Seitz. The surgeon was a few years older than Steve, about Danny's size, with short, spiky hair and a huge smile. He was of athletic build, with tanned skin and Steve could easily picture him surfing or golfing in his spare time. Specializing in hand and arm surgery, Dr. Seitz explained, "Your X-rays show an olecranon fracture, which means it's an injury to the most prominent bone of the elbow." Tapping the tip of his own elbow to show the exact location, he continued, "We can clearly see a bone fragment in the pictures. This together with the fact that you're not able to straighten your arm unfortunately means that we will have to do surgery on the elbow."
"Surgery?" Steve asked reluctantly. "Is that really necessary?"
"In cases like yours, where the triceps muscle is attached to the bone fragment, the only possible treatment is surgery. Even with weeks of immobilizing the joint, the tension force of the muscle would be great enough to dislocate the fragment again." Shifting his weight from one leg to the other, Dr. Seitz continued, "The surgerical technique I'd like to use is called tension band wiring, a technique that converts tension forces into compression forces at the fracture site. It's a rather simple surgery and the goal is to begin elbow motion as soon as possible afterwards, which means no cast."
After having spent the next few minutes explaining the procedure, possible complications and the postoperative treatment, Dr. Seitz said with a smile, "If you have no more questions, we can start right now."
"Now?" Shaking his head, Steve declined vehemently, "No way, doc!"
Dr. Seitz threw him a surprised look, "Why not? The longer we wait, the more complicated it will become to fix the fracture."
"No way I'm going to have surgery now," Steve repeated angrily, his gaze traveled briefly to the door as Dr. Kalakaua entered the room. "My partner was badly injured and I will be there for him when he needs me!"
Having heard Steve's last statement, Kiana said, "I'm just back from the OR, checking on Detective Williams. Surgery is progressing slowly but surely, it will be at least another two or three more hours."
"Plenty of time to fix your elbow," Dr. Seitz chimed in.
Ignoring the interjection, Steve looked at Kiana, "How is Danny? Any news?"
The young doctor sighed but didn't break eye contact, "I won't lie to you, there were some complications in the early stages of the surgery when his heart and respiratory rate were far too high, but as far as I know it's all under control for the moment."
Steve took a deep breath, running his left hand once more over his face as he stared silently at Dr. Kalakaua.
"Listen, Steve, I know this must be difficult for you, but you can't help your partner right now." Kiana said, laying a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The only thing you can do right now is wait. Why not make good use of the time? I'm sure Dr. Seitz can have your elbow fixed in no time and as far as I know general anesthesia is not required."
"That's correct," Dr. Seitz confirmed Kiana's statement, looking expectantly at McGarrett. "We can perform the surgery under regional anesthesia, using a brachial plexus block to numb the arm. You would be fully alert the whole time."
"And you would be able to look in on Detective Williams as soon as he comes out of surgery." Dr. Kalakaua added, taking a step back to give Steve some space to reconsider the situation.
"Alright," Sighing, Steve finally gave Dr. Seitz a reluctant nod. "Let's do it."
"Do you believe what Hank Philips told us?" Kono threw her cousin a skeptical look, asking the same question for at least the fifth time since they had left Five-0 headquarters.
Chin shook his head, shrugging his shoulders, "I don't know, cuz, let's just wait for Steve's story."
Together they entered Queens Medical Center, coming to halt in front of the reception desk. Showing their badges and giving their names, Kono asked, "We are here for Detective Danny Williams, could you tell us where we can find him?"
Searching her computer, the woman replied, "Detective Williams is still in surgery, there is a waiting room on the third floor." She pointed toward the other end of the entrance hall, "Take one of the elevator to the third floor, it's the second room on the left."
"Thank you," Chin said, leading Kono toward the elevators. Two minutes later the cousins opened the door to the waiting room, expecting to find their boss.
"Where is Steve?" Kono asked surprised as she took in the empty room. "I was sure he would be here."
Pulling his mobile out of his pocket, Chin answered, "I have no idea… let's try calling him again." He dialed Steve's number, but once more the call went to voice mail. "He's still not answering."
"I'm going to look for someone who can tell us more," Kono said impatiently, heading toward the exit. She had almost reached the door when it opened and before Kono knew what was happening she found herself in a tight embrace.
"Hey Kono," Dr. Kiana Kalakaua said, keeping up the hug for another moment before she let go, waving a greeting across the room. "Chin Ho, long time no see." Nodding in return, Chin threw her a little smile; he had always liked Kiana, even if she was not related by blood.
"Kiana, nice to see you," Kono said happily, for a moment forgetting her worry for her teammates. "What are you doing here?"
"I was checking on Detective Williams when I saw you two coming in here," Kiana replied.
"How is Danny?" Kono interrupted her, noticing that Chin had joined her. "We have no idea what happened to him except that he was shot…"
Kiana nodded, "I don't know everything, I can tell you that he is coming out of surgery right now. As far as I know everything went well, the surgeons were able to fix the damage the bullet did to his leg." She took a deep breath as she continued, shifting her look between Kono and Chin, "Unfortunately the gunshot wound caused an embolism, Detective Williams is still suffering from the aftereffects. At the moment his condition is critical but stable." Kiana added quietly, "I'm sorry."
Kono gasped, as Chin put his arm around her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure Danny will be alright," he said soothingly.
Pulling herself together, Kono swallowed, nodding at Chin with a small smile, "I know." She took a deep breath, asking her other cousin, "You don't know by any chance where Steve – Commander McGarrett – is?"
"Room 3-08, the last room at the end of the corridor," Kiana answered swiftly. "I was on my way there to let him know about Detective Williams' condition when I ran into you."
"Why isn't he waiting here?" Chin asked warily, a sneaking suspicion slowly bubbling up inside him.
Kiana threw him a surprised look, "You don't know?" Seeing the confused expression on Chin's and Kono's faces, Kiana raised an eyebrow. "He fractured his right elbow, but surgery went well, no complications. His blood pressure was a bit low after surgery, so at the moment he is still hooked up to an IV, but once that's finished he will be allowed to go home."
"Whoa, wait a second! Surgery?" Kono chimed in, turning toward Chin, "I thought he told you he was fine?"
Chin nodded, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, he did." Looking at Kiana, he added, "Can we see him?"
"Sure," Kiana replied. "Follow me, I'll take you to his room." She led Chin and Kono to the end of the corridor, stopping in front of room 3-08. "Here it is. I have some paperwork to do, but I will be right down at the nurse's station, don't hesitate to ask if you need something." Quickly hugging Kono then Chin, she disappeared down the hall.
Kono knocked on the door, giving Chin a questioning look when there was no answer. Shrugging his shoulders, Chin nodded encouragingly, "Maybe he's asleep. Just go ahead." Watching Kono quietly open the door, he followed her inside the room.
Steve was sitting on the bed, staring angrily out of the window, oblivious to the fact that he was no longer alone. He still wore the same clothes from before, beige cargo pants and a blue polo shirt, the only difference was the white bandage that covered his right elbow all the way from the middle of his upper arm to almost the wrist and the IV line attached to the back of his hand.
"Hey boss," Kono said cautiously as she stepped closer to the bed, looking worriedly at Chin, concerned about the lack of reaction they got from McGarrett. Steve's whole posture was rigid and stiff, Kono was sure he would be agitatedly pacing if he hadn't been restricted by the IV line. He looked like he was going to explode any moment, just like one of Hank Philips' explosive devices.
"You alright, brah? What happened to your arm?" Chin asked in a loud voice, finally causing a reaction.
Steve turned his head, looking at his visitors with obvious surprise, "Sorry, what?" His voice was hoarse, laced with anger, impatience and worry.
"Are you alright? What happened to your arm?" Chin repeated patiently.
Clearing his throat, Steve answered tersely, disdainfully waving his left hand, "It's nothing, just broke my elbow when I tackled Hank Philips."
Raising his eyebrows, Chin asked, "Okay, so this nothing happened before or after we spoke on the phone when you told me you are fine?"
Chin's question had at least some effect on Steve's dark mood as he replied sheepishly, "Uh… before?" After all Steve had the decency to look ashamed as he glanced apologetically at Chin.
"That's what I thought," Chin said with a little shake of his head, rolling his eyes.
Smartly changing the subject, Steve asked impatiently, "Is there any news on Danny?" His gaze shifted to Kono as he continued, "Your cousin Kiana promised to check on him."
"Yeah, we met her outside," Kono nodded. "Danny just came out of surgery." She repeated the meager information Kiana had given them earlier, finishing with the description of Danny's condition.
"Critical but stable?" Steve echoed, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. Leaning forward, he covered his eyes with his left hand, whispering, "God, this is all my fault…" All the tenseness from before seemed to have disappeared from Steve's body in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only weariness and exhaustion.
"When can I see him?" Steve asked quietly from behind his hand, the desperate tone in his voice causing Chin and Kono to exchange a worried look.
"I'll ask one of the doctors," Kono offered. "I'll be right back." Turning on her heels, she left the room, leaving her cousin alone with Steve.
Chin studied his boss closely, trying to decipher what was going on inside the younger man. The anger and impatience had disappeared, having made room for a bunch of other emotions. Fear and worry for Danny were evident, Chin felt them as well, but there was something else. Chin needed a few seconds before coming to the conclusion that the predominant emotion in Steve was guilt. This in itself was nothing remarkable, Chin knew that Steve always felt responsible for his team, often taking on more blame than necessary, but this time the feeling was somehow deeper, darker, more intense.
Staring at his hands, Chin pondered for a moment on the most promising course of action. Steve wasn't the first McGarrett he'd worked with and just like his father, Steve was not one to wear his heart on his sleeve. Yet over the years, Chin had learned that with the right words at the right time even a McGarrett would start talking about what was bothering them.
"Steve?" Chin asked gently, giving his boss a few seconds to brace himself, watching as Steve slowly looked up. "What happened between Philips, Danny and you?"
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to avoid that question any longer, McGarrett swallowed heavily, Kono's return luckily saving him an immediate answer.
"Danny is still unconscious, he is on his way to ICU right now, but once he is settled, he is allowed some visitors." Kono reported quickly, closing the door behind her. "I also spoke to your surgeon; Dr. Seitz will be here in about 15 minutes and as soon as he has had another look at your arm, the IV can come out and you'll be allowed to leave."
"Thanks Kono," Steve replied gratefully with a nod of his head, returning the little smile she had given him. He remained silent for almost a full minute before he took a deep breath, shifting his gaze back to Chin who looked at him patiently.
"Steve, what happened?" Chin repeated his former question, locking eyes with McGarrett. "The only thing we know is that Danny took a bullet but Hank Philips swore he didn't fire his weapon," he said, noticing the change in Steve's posture as he continued. "He rather insisted that it was you who shot Danny."
Not able to maintain eye-contact any longer, Steve dropped his head, guilt was openly radiating from every pore of his body as he slowly nodded a few times.
"Boss?" Kono asked hesitantly, her voice laced with skepticism and disbelief.
"Philips is right," Steve looked up, letting Chin and Kono see the agony in his eyes as he finally admitted the truth, "It was me who shot Danny…"
(tbc)
Note:
The character of Dr. Ray Seitz is based upon my real life cousin who is indeed a hand surgeon... unfortunately not in Honolulu :-(