Fortunately for Danny, Chin had rescued the bag of clothes. He stepped quietly into the room and peered over Bergman's shoulder as the doctor painstakingly stitched the gash in Danny's leg. The young second-in-command was sleeping again for the moment and the other two detectives elected to leave him that way and stepped into the corridor.
"There was no sign that Steve was thrown from the car," Chin reported. "We did find footprints and some paint flecks from a car. Che says they look like the paint flecks he took from the back of Steve's car, but we have to wait for confirmation on that. How's Danny?"
"Pretty good, considering how bad the crash was," Kono replied. "I don't think he's gonna be at the bandstand at 10 though."
"So it's up to us," Chin sighed. "You got any ideas?"
"I hoped you had," Kono admitted. They looked at each other. "I just hope da boss is still alive," Kono whispered.
"Me, too, bruddah," sighed Chin. "Me, too."
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It was 5am before Danny stirred from his drug-induced sleep. He glanced around, surprised to find himself in a hospital room. His last memory had been of the ER, while Bergman stitched his leg and Chin had arrived with the bag of clothes. Moving, pain shot along his nerve endings before settling into his lower right leg. The thin sheet which covered him did not hide the bulky bandages that covered his leg from mid-thigh to foot. Exploring further, Danny discovered that his right wrist was also bandaged and he guessed it must be sprained. The pain was muted for the moment, but he suspected it would be uncomfortably sharp when the drugs wore off. His head still throbbed dully.
It was only as he put his head back on the pillow that Danny remembered Steve! He shot upright, gasping aloud as his muscles protested such a violent action. He pushed that aside. What time was it? How long had he been asleep? Time was in short supply and he had just wasted who knew how many hours sleeping! Throwing aside the sheet, he stopped short, for his leg was not just bandaged, it was encased in a soft brace that prevented him from bending his knee. "What the hell…?" He fumbled for the call button and pressed it savagely.
"Where are my clothes?" he demanded when the nurse opened the door. "What time is it?"
"It's 5am," the nurse replied primly. "Please keep your voice down so you don't disturb other patients."
"Get my clothes," Danny ordered, aware that he was behaving badly, but so consumed with anxiety about the lost time that he could not find his manners.
"Keep it down, Danny," ordered a familiar voice and Danny glanced over the nurse's shoulder at Bergman, who advanced into the room looking sleepy and rumpled. Close behind, in a very similar state, were Kono and Chin.
"Doc, I have to get out of here," Danny explained. "I only have five hours left before I have to face Mickey and he has Steve. I have to find them before that."
"Calm down or I'll sedate you!" Doc threatened. "I'm well aware of what is going on. Let me look at you, and then we can talk."
Seething with impatience, Danny submitted to the doctor's examination. "Well?" he asked, with a touch more courtesy when Doc stepped back.
"Well, considering all that's happened to you in the last 24 hours, you're in remarkable condition," the crusty doctor replied. "However, you're not ready to run out and save the world just yet." He observed his patient's face fall and then spoke again before Danny could say anything else. "But in light of what is going on, I'm willing to release you for the moment. I want your promise that you will come back here when you have Steve back, though. That leg will need to be watched. You shouldn't be walking on it just yet."
"Thanks, doc," Danny breathed, his relief evident in both words.
"I'll send a nurse in to help you get dressed," Bergman went on. "You'll have to use crutches, though. Keep your weight off that leg. I'll give you a shot that…"
"No – no drugs." Danny was emphatic about it. "I can't have my mind muddled with drugs." He drew in a careful breath as he moved his leg. "It's up to me to get Steve back; it's because of me that he is missing right now. Where are my clothes?"
"I'll get the nurse to bring them and get you those crutches," Bergman replied and hurried from the room before his face could give him away. Danny clearly thought he was going to face his own death and his courage took the physician's breath away.
"Danny…" Kono began, but Danny was in no mood to be told this was not his fault.
"No, not now," he declared. "I need to speak to the governor. Can you arrange that while I get dressed? Have we any leads?"
"No," Kono replied, as Chin hurried from the room. "We haven't found a single trace of them."
"I don't know where that scum has gone to ground, but I swear we will know that before the day is over," Danny vowed. He slid from the bed, unprepared for the awakening of the pain, but knowing that he could not afford any more drugs. He had to be fully alert for this coming confrontation. There was no point in fooling himself that he would find Mickey and Steve. Wherever Mickey had been hiding for the last 24 hours, Danny was in no condition to physically trail around to try and find it. He would have to come up with some way to get Steve back and take Mickey down at the same time when they reached the bandstand. "I'll speak to the governor first, then we need to go out to the bandstand and look at the lay of the land," he informed Kono.
"Danny, you can't do this," Kono pleaded, knowing he was wasting his breath.
"Have you got any better ideas?" Danny asked. "Because if you have, God knows I'm willing to listen."
"No," Kono whispered and like Doc, he thought that Danny was preparing to face his own death. Taking a deep breath to bolster his own courage, Kono stepped forward to help Danny dress.
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"This is a mistake!" The Governor glared at Danny, who looked calmly back at him.
"Possibly, but it's the only chance we've got," Danny replied. He was too tired to argue with the man, but as Steve's direct boss, he had to be kept appraised of the situation.
Turning away from the young man who was sitting slouched in a chair with his injured leg awkwardly held out in front of him, Paul Jameson tried to think about the plan Danny had just presented to him. The biggest stumbling block to success was the fact that Danny himself was on crutches and should be in the hospital. His face was pinched and pale with pain, but his determination burned as brightly as Steve McGarrett's own. Jameson had to admit that part of his displeasure with the plan was the fact that he was holding this interview in his night clothes, which was not conducive to his dignity, but after a few moments, he realised he was being ridiculous.
There was a knock on the door and one of Jameson's security men brought in fresh coffee. Just the smell perked the Governor up and he quickly poured for both himself and Williams. A sip made him feel complete, but when he glanced back at the detective, he saw that Danny hadn't even picked the mug up.
There was no question that Jameson knew Danny's capabilities. Under normal circumstances, he would not hesitate to go along with whatever plan Danny proposed. That Danny was injured added a whole new twist to it, but he had to admit that this plan was clever. He took another sip of coffee, this time more reflectively, and then turned back to the impatiently waiting detective.
"All right," he agreed. "I'll issue the orders right now. What are you going to do?"
"Duke Lukela is going to get Jimmy Johnston from lock-up," Danny told him. "Chin and Kono are going to put our plans into place. I'm going to be on that bandstand before 10am, waiting for Mickey to show up."
Slowly, Jameson nodded. "Are you sure Steve is still alive?" he asked.
"He's still alive," Danny declared. He could not think otherwise. "Mickey Johnston wants me dead. He'll probably try and take Steve out, too, but his main target is me."
"You'll be wearing a flak jacket," Jameson said, but it was almost a question.
"Of course," Danny agreed and it was only after the young detective had crutched his way out of the room that Jameson wondered if he had just been lied to.