Here's the next one :)
Thanks to all my readers and reviewers!
Just a side note- I'm not a doctor, and although I am a psych major, I'm not a professional so if something in this chapter is not exact, I apologize.
Enjoy!
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Danny drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, enjoying the feeling of a mattress under him and fresh air to inhale. He heard people speaking around him, sometimes even to him, but the voices all mingled and he couldn't focus enough to actually hear what they were saying. Every once in a while he'd feel a touch on his arm or leg, a hand holding his, or other soothing and reassuring gestures.
Danny didn't want to leave the darkness. It was comforting and safe, nobody could hurt him here. But the voices wouldn't stop calling him. When he finally started to focus on them more, he heard them pleading for him to wake up, telling him that everything was alright now and it was safe to open his eyes.
His return to the light was slow. The first thing he registered was the sound of something beeping. His brain was still foggy, but he figured he was in a hospital. He took a deep breath and then...
He panicked. There was something covering his mouth and nose, and he felt extremely claustrophobic suddenly. Even though the mask was feeding him nice, clean air, he felt trapped, like it was suffocating him. Like he was back in that box.
The heart monitor started beeping frantically and he heard a person next to him jump up. Danny tried to reach his hand up to pull the mask off of his face, but his arms were wrapped in something and they were too heavy. He was too weak.
He started shaking his head from side to side, hoping that the suffocating mask would fall off by itself.
"Danny!" Someone was shouting frantically. "Danny look at me! It's alright! You're safe! Open your eyes!"
The voice was all too familiar, but Danny ignored it and continued to thrash around desperately. He wanted the mask gone.
"What happened Commander?" A voice Danny didn't recognize asked. Having a stranger so close to him didn't do anything to calm Danny's panic.
"I don't know! He was sleeping and then he just started thrashing around suddenly! What the hell is going on?!" The other person replied. Danny was able to place that voice this time. It was a voice he knew well, and he also knew that the person who belonged to that voice wouldn't let anything happen to him. This voice was safe.
"Off!" He rasped out. "Steve! Off!"
"What...?" Steve asked in confusion. "Danny what's wrong? Open your eyes buddy we've got you now!"
"Off!" Danny choked out louder than before.
"The mask!" Steve said suddenly. "He wants the oxygen mask off!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible Commander," the voice he didn't recognize said.
"Please..." Danny moaned. "Off."
"I don't give a damn Doctor!" Steve said angrily. "He was just buried alive! He feels like the mask is suffocating him and he wants it off!"
Danny felt a strong hand pull the mask off of his face. He sighed in relief. He felt like he could breathe again, with nothing trapping him. The same hand grasped Danny's tightly.
"It's gone Danny," Steve said. "It's gone."
"Steve..." Danny whispered before returning to the comforting darkness.
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Steve sat by Danny's hospital bed and waited for his partner to wake up. He'd been in the hospital for almost an entire day now and he'd only been awake once. It had scared the hell out of Steve when Danny's heart monitor started beeping and he started to thrash around. Steve's mind had immediately gone to the worst case scenario. He was afraid that Danny was going into convulsions again, but it turned out to be more of a panic attack.
He should've known that the oxygen mask would make his partner feel trapped. He knew the symptoms of PTSD, after all he'd seen it before. Claustrophobia was just something they would have to learn to deal with now, but Steve would do anything for his friend and he would get Danny through this. He had to, for himself and for Grace.
He looked up as Danny's new doctor walked into the room. Steve had immediately asked to get rid of the old one when he tried to force Danny to keep the oxygen mask on, even though it had sent him into a fit of panic. Steve refused to let that man near his partner again. Now, he smiled when he recognized the new doctor as the same one who had treated Danny two years ago, after Harris' first attack.
"Commander McGarrett," Dr. Kamahi said as he approached the bed. "I should have know the second I heard about all the fuss that it would be you at the center of it."
Steve smiled. "Sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "But I really didn't like that guy."
He smiled and waved a hand in the air. "Trust me you're not the first to have a problem with him," he replied. "Besides, it is nice to see you and Detective Williams again. I wish it were under better circumstances, but if I remember correctly you two provided me and my staff with some great entertainment the last time."
"Yeah, well we always try to keep things interesting," Steve replied. "Wouldn't want you to get sick of us. One of us always ends up here sooner or later. How is he Doc?"
"With a lot of rest, I expect him to make a full recovery," Dr. Kamahi replied. "The minor concussion and four broken knuckles will heal in time. The oxygen we had him on before his episode was enough to bring his O2 levels to within normal range and we still have him on fluids to treat the dehydration. The ant bites are the worst of it, I'm afraid, but we've put salve on them and wrapped them to keep him comfortable and relatively pain free. Like I said, with time he'll be just fine."
"Then why isn't he waking up?" Steve asked in concern, shaking his head and frowning as the Doctor listed Danny's many injuries.
"Maybe because he's tired Steven," a rough voice replied from the bed.
"Danny!" Steve said immediately, jumping up and getting right in his partners face. "You with us now buddy?"
"Did I go somewhere?" Danny asked in confusion.
"Well the first time you woke up you sorta freaked," Steve replied. "Scared the hell out of me."
Danny frowned as he remembered the reason for his earlier episode. "I don't want an oxygen mask," he told the doctor.
Dr. Kamahi nodded. "It's fine Danny," he replied. "You're breathing well on your own now and you don't need one. Now, can you tell me where you are and if you're in any pain?"
"Sure," Danny replied. "The pains not so bad, and pineapple infested hell hole."
Steve snorted. "Oh yeah, he's fine Doc."
Danny shot him an annoyed glare.
The Doctor smiled. "And so it's begun. I'm going to leave to two alone for a while," he said. "I expect the rest of your party will be arriving shortly. Press that call button if there are any problems or if you're in pain."
"Thanks Doc," Danny replied.
Steve watched the doctor leave the room before turning back to Danny. The tension shift in the room could be felt immediately. He was looking down and picking at the bed sheets nervously. Steve chose not to say anything, instead waiting until his partner was ready to talk.
"It was Harris, Steve..." Danny said after a few tense moments of silence. "He put me in there."
"I know," Steve replied. "And he's dead Danny. He can never hurt you again."
Danny gave a dry and humorless laugh. "Yeah, because he hasn't done enough already," he said sarcastically. "Did you shoot him?"
"No, he blew up," Steve replied.
"He what?!" Danny asked in confusion. "I appreciate the save babe but all you really needed was a bullet, not a bomb."
"This time it really wasn't my fault! He told us that if we paid him five million dollars, he'd give you back to us," Steve relayed.
Danny snorted. "Where the hell would you get five million dollars?" He asked. "I know the governor wouldn't give it to you, he doesn't negotiate with terrorists. You didn't steal it did you?!"
"Okay, first, we only did that once although we probably would again if we needed to, but that's besides the point." Steve replied. "And second, Rachel gave it to us."
Danny sat up and surprise filled his face immediately. "Rachel? She what? Why?"
"She insisted," he said. "She said that you were the father of her child and she'd always care about you. So of course she offered to pay to get you back. Apparently she needs you just as much as we do buddy."
Danny shook his head. "I have no idea how I'm going to make it up to her."
"I don't think she expects, or wants you to Danny," Steve said. "I'm pretty sure she's just grateful that we got you back alive."
"Is that how you found me?" Danny asked. "You paid the ransom? I still don't get how this led to him being blown up. Did you use one of your handy dandy grenades?"
"Contrary to what you may believe, I do not always blow up our suspects!" Steve replied. "When I went to him with the money, he blew it and himself up with a bomb that was strapped around his waist."
"I don't understand..." Danny said, "Why would he do that?"
"It was never about the money Danny," Steve told him. "He wanted you to suffer, and he wanted us suffer as well, knowing that you were dying and that there was nothing we could do to save you."
Danny shook his head. "What a sick son of a bitch," he said. "But wait, then how did you find me?"
Steve hesitated, afraid of how Danny would react to knowing that they had all seen him so vulnerable in that coffin. Danny was already weak and tired, and Steve didn't want to agitate him further.
"We don't need to discuss all this right now Danno," he said. "You should rest. You need to heal."
"No, you're hiding something," Danny replied. "What is it? What happened?"
"Danny..." Steve said.
"Tell me what's going on Steven," Danny demanded.
Steve should've guessed his partner would be too stubborn to back down.
"There's something else I need to tell you Danno..." Steve said hesitantly.
Danny looked and Steve and waved a hand when he didn't say anything else. "What are you waiting for Steve, a formal invitation? What is it?"
"Harris put a camera in the coffin," Steve said carefully. "He wanted us to suffer along with you, but it ended up helping lead us to you in the end."
Danny could barely hide his shock. Something flashed across his face quickly, but it looked a lot like shame to Steve.
"So you saw everything?" Danny asked, staring at the floor now.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that Danny," Steve said. "I really am."
"I'm sorry too," Danny replied.
"What the hell are you sorry for?!" Steve asked in confusion.
"If you saw everything, then you know..." Danny replied quietly. "You know that I was weak, and that I almost gave up."
"Look at me Danny," Steve said angrily.
Danny hesitated before glancing up at Steve.
"You were trapped down there for nearly three days and you still managed to survive," Steve told him. "Most people wouldn't have made it that long. You are the strongest person I know Danny, and you have nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. Do you understand me?"
"I was gonna do it Steve," Danny practically whispered. "I was going to shoot myself and end it. I didn't want to, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I would've if you hadn't found me when you did."
Steve shook his head. "For what it's worth, I don't believe for one second that you would've pulled that trigger Danno."
Danny stared at his partner, and Steve returned his gaze, trying to convey to his friend that he meant it.
"You're stronger than you think Danny Williams," Steve said. "Don't go underestimating my partner."
Danny smiled. "Thanks Steve," he said seriously. "And thanks for the save."
"Always!" Steve replied. "I worked too hard on you. There's no way I've got the time or patience to train a new partner."
"Not a dog Steve," he replied, annoyed. "And I do believe that it was I who trained you. If it weren't for me, you'd still be running around blowing up everything that got in your way, and shooting people in the face at the same time."
"You know what?" Steve said. "You're absolutely right Danny. Which is exactly why I need you stick around. So you're not allowed to die on me ever, okay?"
"Bossy Steven. You can't get rid of me that easily," Danny replied. "But I will remind you of that the next time you drag me into a gunfight or grenade brawl without backup."
"Yeah, I'm sure you will," Steve replied with a smile.
Danny tried to hold it in, but it was no use and he let out a huge yawn.
"I told you, you need to rest Daniel!" Steve said.
"I'm fine," Danny replied.
"Don't be so stubborn Danny," he said. "Rachel and Grace should be here soon. Chin and Kono too, why don't you sleep until they get here?"
"Maybe I could just rest my eyes for a minute," Danny said, even as his eyes were drooping.
"Rest Danny. I'll be here when you wake up," Steve replied, but Danny was already asleep.
He knew that he would have to talk to Danny about what had happened eventually, and that he would have to help his partner overcome this, because it wouldn't be easy. But for now, he was content to just sit here and enjoy the fact that Danny had made it, and that he was still alive.
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You didn't think I was done with Danny, did you?
Like many of you said in comments, the CSI episode kind of ended abruptly. I decided to do a hospital scene because I love hospital scenes. Like the one in the episode where Danny got poisoned with sarin is one of my face bromance scenes of all time.
There's not much left, maybe one or two more chapters but I hope you like what I do in them.
Drop me a review and let me know what you think:) I always worry about how you guys will like my deep convos between the characters.
Thanks for reading!
P.S.- one more day till season 4 premiere! AHHHHHH!