A/N: Thank you so much for the great reviews. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this story.
Chapter Four
He couldn't have been out for long because when he next became aware, Chin was just releasing him from the last of the netting.
"Tell me where it hurts? I can see your arm's broken, in more that one place by the looks of it. There's blood, too. I think the wound from last week has reopened. What else hurts?"
"My chest, think I may have some cracked ribs."
"Damn, Steve is going to kill me."
"No, he isn't. This is not your fault." Danny held up his right hand. "Give me the phone, I'll call him and calm him down."
Steve answered on the first ring. "Hey, partner. I'm fine, broken arm and cracked ribs." He could tell his partner was in a helicopter by the background noise. "Did you hitch a ride with medivac? What? You Neanderthal Animal. You couldn't wait an hour? Alright, see you soon." He hung up the phone and looked over at his friend.
"Medivac is busy so Steve commandeered Kamekona's helicopter. He and Kono are almost here." As if on cue the sound of a chopper approaching their location could be heard.
The clearing wasn't large enough for Kamekona to land, so Steve and Kono repelled down.
Steve was by his side in seconds. "Danny?" "Steve!" They both spoke at the same time.
"I thought I was the trouble magnet, buddy. Look at you. I knew something was going to happen. Didn't I say so yesterday?"
"I'm fine, Steve. You got any of the good meds in that huge pack you're carrying? I could do with some good stuff right about now." His arm hurt like hell, but his ribs also hurt if he moved.
"No, Danny. You know I'm not licenced to carry narcotics. I do have some extra strength Tylenol. That will have to do for now."
Steve removed his pack and pulled out a large first aid kit. Danny had known the kit was in there as the pack was from Steve's truck.
"Give Chin a couple too. He hurt his leg when he dropped out of the netting." Danny could see Kono tending to Chin.
"Yeah, sure." Steve sounded surly and upset with Chin, and Danny couldn't allow that. None of this was Chin's fault as far as he was concerned.
"That's enough with the attitude, babe. None of this is Chin's fault. There's a grow op over there, through the trees." Danny waved his good arm in the direction he'd seen the plants. "This clearing is a jungle, there's no way he could see that log trap before he triggered it."
Steve looked around the clearing, really looked. It was obvious to Danny that his partner had only just realised how overgrown the clearing was.
"I'm sorry, Chin." Steve apologised.
"It's okay, Steve, I understand."
Danny finally realised that Chin had been tense, expecting Steve to do something, like hit him. Kono too seemed to relax.
Steve handed Kono a bottle of water and two pills for Chin. Then he turned back and started to cut away Danny's t-shirt.
"What you doing, babe. I'm not that kind of guy."
"I need to check your chest and abdomen before I give you any pills, or water."
"Oh, okay then, check away, because I really want some of those pills."
Steve's hands felt strong and sure as they palpitated his abdomen, and pushed gently against his ribs. "Satisfied?" Danny couldn't resist baiting his partner. "Was it good for you too?"
"Yes. Your abdomen is fine, but I think that you may have a couple of cracked ribs, one may even be broken."
"It didn't hit me full on, babe. Just a glancing blow as I pushed Chin out of the way. Then we landed in that net and flew up into the sky. You'd have gotten a real kick out of it."
"Stop joking, Danny, none of this is funny." Steve lifted his head and helped him drink some water to wash down the two pills he had for him.
"Sure it's a little funny, after the fact, but you had to be here." He knew that was the wrong thing to say as soon as it left his mouth.
"Right! And why wasn't I here, Daniel? Because you decided I wasn't needed. But, oh, look. Here I am anyway."
Steve was now bandaging the old wound that had reopened.
Chin and Kono looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here right now, and Danny didn't blame them. He'd rather be somewhere else too.
"Babe, stop it. This is not your fault either." Danny placed his hand on Steve's arm. "I'm sorry you're upset, but I'm not sure that you being here would have made any difference. Go check out those traps, I don't think you'd have seen them in time either."
Steve looked steadily at him for awhile before he stood and walked over to where the log now hung. When he came back he was shaking his head.
"Those traps have been there for some time. The undergrowth has covered the triggers really well." Steve knelt down beside his partner. "You're right, I'd have probably missed them too."
"Huh, did you just say I was right about something?" Danny smiled as he looked into Steve's eyes.
"Don't let it go to your head, Danno. It doesn't happen very often."
Danny let the subject drop. The pain in his arm, and for that matter his chest, was ramping up despite the Tylenol, and he really wanted to get to a hospital.
"Can we get out of here now, please? Cause I'd really like some of the good stuff." He knew Kamekona had landed not too far away just from listening to the sounds around them.
"I need to splint your arm first, then we can leave. Kamekona's bringing a stretcher, and should be here soon." Steve produced a splint out of his pack, also handing a tensor bandage to Kono to wrap Chin's ankle.
"I'm not going to try and reset your arm, but just immobilise it." Steve gently took hold of Danny's arm. "This will hurt, buddy."
"Yeah, I figured that. Just do it, babe."
Danny could tell that Steve was being as gentle as possible, but by the time his arm was in the splint, and immobilised, he was sweating and panting. If that wasn't bad enough, when Steve tried to sit him up so he could wrap his ribs, there was a sharp pain in his side and everything faded to black.
TBC
