I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: thanks for your patience and great comments on the story - I had a business trip this week and was very delayed in making the muses happy (and vice versa!). For the Guest who caught my Korea error - thank you, too. Ponch was established earlier as being involved with Korea; my brain slipped. Next chapter in a day or two.

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Chapter 20

Danny's suggestion to calm Rebecca was completely unexpected and was so logical, Mike at first didn't know what to say. Danny only shrugged because he'd done it before when Grace had been insecure at the beginnings of his divorce.

"Do it together. All of you and make it a game. Grace was a bit younger and she and I did it alone but trust me, it will help."

Steve and Danny had remained at the Ramirez' house as the party wound down and came to a natural close. In all honesty, they'd been reluctant to leave with Rebecca now completely withdrawn.

With Danny talking to Mike quietly outside, she was sitting on Steve's lap in the kitchen and idly staring at her fingers. Leaning back into his chest, she would sigh occasionally and only barely respond to anyone.

"It's okay." Steve whispered into her hair. "Your father will be back before you know it. We can have another barbecue at my place and play on the beach sometime this week. Grace could come over too and we could all go swimming."

She shrugged as if she didn't care while seemingly mesmerized by the index finger on her left hand. Ellen was upset as she made them all coffee and sat down quietly at the table.

"Do you want a cookie, Becca? Maybe some milk? There's chocolate cake left over and Danny said that was your favorite." Instead of answering, she shrugged again and then closed her eyes sinking sadly even deeper into Steve.

He looked at Ellen and frowned uneasily; even though Becca looked relaxed, he could feel how tense she was up against his chest. They hadn't seen this side of the little girl and didn't know where it might lead or how to make her understand without saying too much.

They both sat quietly with her and waited, while watching the others talking outside through the sliding glass doors to the patio. Ponch had joined his brother and Danny and he was beaming happily as he got caught up on their idea. The three came back inside and Ponch smiled reassuringly at Ellen before giving her a kiss on her cheek .

"Come on, sprite, we have a few things to do." She was startled by the fast change as Ponch easily scooped her up without another hitch in his step. Over his shoulder, he called everyone to follow him into his study.

"We're going to do this together. Follow me!" Ellen and Steve brought up the rear; confused by the sudden activity Steve raised his eyebrows at Danny's proud grin.

"Just an idea that I had." Danny whispered to Steve as they hung back together a few steps before joining the family. Ponch was already seated at his computer and pulling up airline information to show Becca the travel plans. Mike knelt next to them to explain what they were doing. "Danny plays this game with Grace sometimes when he has work to do and he thought it was a good idea to share with us."

He looked up and grinned as Ponch tapped the monitor and then pulled out a big pad of paper and different colored pens. Mike swung the paper over to his side of the desk and made a large grid of ten big squares.

Rebecca found herself perched on her Uncle's knee as a red pen was pushed into her fingers. "We're going to map out every single day so you know where your dad and I are all the time. Since the time zones are different, we're going to fill that in too. Then you can know how early or late it is and think about what we're doing."

"Why?" Becca frowned but not unhappily as her Aunt Ellen started to smile at the idea.

"I get it! It's a private calendar. Just for us!"

Mike started filling in the airline information and then the hotels with the time of day next to each. With an arrow, he traced it back to local Hawaiian time.

"Let's start with tomorrow. We will write everything about our first travel day - every detail - and then synchronize our watches. After that, we can decide what time is best to call so we can talk or text message every single day."

She stayed quiet as she listened and then watched her father write down everything Uncle Ponch told him about day one of travel. By the time they'd gotten to the third day, Becca clearly understood and was more accepting as Mike started to explain how her lunch was just about their dinner time in Virginia.

Steve and Danny stayed only a little longer after that because the huddled group had progressed into coloring in each day and making their own special unique mark by an event or estimated time to call. Mike wanted to make a copy of the calendar for himself, so he insisted that Becca and Ellen try to put some of their own plans into a certain day so that he could think of them and what they might be doing.

They virtually snuck out the front door as Becca offered a suggestion about a day at the beach and Mike gave her a happy kiss on the top of her head. "That's my girl. I promise we'll be back before you know it."

"How did you do that?" Steve asked Danny as they settled into the Camaro. "That was .. incredible."

Danny grinned as he slouched lazily down in the passenger seat. He was tired and for once was thankful someone else was driving that night.

"The divorce was bad ... as you well know. Grace took it even worse and began to get afraid that I was never coming back. She tried to call me once while I was working and couldn't reach me. I was in the interrogation room for hours and it took forever to calm her down. She was sure I was in an accident or something bad had happened."

They were still sitting quietly in the Ramirez's driveway and watching the soft yellow lights from where Ponch's office was. Every so often they could just make out a faint silhouette and knew the family was still making their travel calendar.

"It's an amazing idea, Danny."

"After Grace's meltdown, someone suggested to me that I map out my day for her so she always knew where I was. It was so simple and yet I never thought of it. When she got scared, she could look at it and know if I was in a meeting or at court. If I couldn't answer a call from her, she knew why."

The impressed sound from Steve's side of the car made Danny smile broadly. He pointed towards the house and then shrugged.

"It's all about finding a way to establish a predictability and she won't be as scared or feel as out of control." Danny explained more of the reasoning behind the concept.

"I hoped the idea might work for Mike too."

"How could it not? Becca never knew where Amy was going or where they might wind up." Steve wholeheartedly agreed as he turned the ignition and began to back up out of the driveway. "Now, she'll be involved every step of the way."

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"So where is he right now?" Steve demanded sternly as Becca very seriously pulled her copy of the calendar from the safety of Lord Ted's zippered tummy. Her father was more than half-way through his ten-day trip to Virginia and Steve smiled when he saw the big black X's drawn through each completed full day.

"Four more to go." Becca announced before bending down and shielding the paper from the sun with her hand. Danny's idea had worked like a charm; they all fully understood that Rebecca could have had very serious issues with Mike needing to leave for a while. With Danny's plan happily working, she had her moments of sadness but they were well in hand and much more manageable than they would have been. So much so, that Ellen had promised his partner home-cooked meals at any time of day or night until the end of time for getting her niece through the scary period.

Danny and Ellen were down by the water's edge with Grace who, much to Danny's dismay, was showing off her underwater hand-stands. Becca was keeping Steve company as he started the barbecue and piled on too many hot dogs and hamburgers for the small get-together.

Using his spatula, Steve pointed it towards her paper. "So, Becca. Where are they right this very minute?"

"Oh! It's now!" Her startled intake of breath and shining eyes swung up at the same time her Aunt Ellen's cell phone rang in her pocketbook. "It's time for them to call!"

Her excited shriek startled Ellen who turned around like a flash from the beach but Steve pantomimed the phone and pointed towards his watch. Waving back, he could see her laugh from where he was standing on the patio near the grilling food. Steve's pleased smile was all for Becca's benefit as she quickly found the cell phone and yelled "Hi Daddy!" so loudly he winced on behalf of Mike Ramirez.

But he paused and turned to face her entirely when she described to Mike where she was with her Aunt. "We're at Uncle Steve's house having a barbecue and swimming. Grace is here too, but she's still swimming."

"What?" Steve felt his stomach clench with a start as he muttered under his breath and almost dropped the grease-stained spatula. He wasn't sure when she decided to call him Uncle Steve and it caught him utterly by surprise. He stared at her through a shocking sudden wall of misty tears. Clearing his throat huskily, Steve turned quickly back to the grill and practically buried his face in the rising heat as an excuse.

"You're standing a bit close, Super SEAL." Danny teased as he came back to the patio alone and got a look of Steve's reddened face. He obliged automatically by taking a full step back from the hot grill and using his forearm to wipe what looked like sweat from his face.

"Enjoy your facial?

Steve's self-conscious grin was completely lame as he forced himself to smile back and then gestured to the cooking food. "We got a while here yet, Danny. Where are Ellen and Grace?"

"They're coming up soon. Ellen's taking a swim and Grace is still showing off those god-awful hand stands. I came up to get some towels." Steve's delayed grin became a deep chuckle at Danny's disgusted tone. Every time Grace's dark pony-tails disappeared and the long second passed when her bare feet flailed wildly in the air, he was sure that Danny's heart had stopped. It only worsened when she toppled completely over in a wave to completely disappear from sight. It didn't matter that she popped up wiping water from her eyes and laughing hysterically only to repeat the maneuver incessantly.

"I assume Mike's on the phone?" Danny pointed to where Becca had the phone glued to her ear. It was nearing eleven o'clock in the evening in Virginia and the funeral would have been held days ago. From what he understood, Mike was looking for a larger apartment. He was also surprised to learn from Ellen that Becca's father already had an interview lined up.

"Hey, do you know what that guy does for a living?"

"I have no idea, Danno."

"He's an Electrical Engineer. Mike could work anywhere and he's choosing to stay in Virginia where he has no family." The not so subtle sarcasm and pointed stare aimed at Steve demanded a reply and he back-pedaled in confusion.

"And? So?" Danny had two towels in his hands as he turned to go back down to the beach. Steve couldn't help the snide dig as he realized immediately where he was going. "You would actually encourage a new friend of yours to live on this pineapple infested hell hole as you so aptly put it? Often I might add. With his own little girl? Frankly, I'm shocked, Danno."

Steve began to chuckle almost in disbelief as Danny glared at him and refused for once to take the bait.

"So, you have friends don't you? Ones that might have a job in that very field for a well-educated guy?"

"He said he was going back to Virginia. Why are you interfering?" Steve hissed out the question quickly with a nod towards Becca who was just out of hearing range.

A rolled up towel was leveled in his direction as Danny walked back two steps. "Ellen and I think he just needs some prompting to stay here. A little help and direction. With so much going on, he's not had a real chance to think about what he's doing. He's stuck in rewind."

"Oh come on, Danny! Do you really think that?" Steve shook his head to disagree completely. "He's got things figured out."

"He doesn't. Trust me on that. I would have done the same thing in Jersey if I got custody of Grace but we have family there, obviously. He's thinking that he can find what he once had. It's not going to work and when it fails, it's going to fail spectacularly.'

Danny was adamant and very serious as he drew on his own experiences. Steve sobered immediately as Danny's tone darkened and became almost too brooding. "Everything is a knee-jerk reaction and he's going to regret this decision. Plus Rebecca doesn't want to go and she'll never say it out loud. Ellen's about to implode and she said Ponch won't get into it with him because he's afraid to push him away. Ponch is hoping that Mike will come to his senses and just realize what he has here."

"You want me to find him a job?" Steve frowned as he registered the fact that Becca's call was winding down behind him. "Danny, I can't guarantee him a job. What am I supposed to do?

The dramatic eye-roll indicated that Steve might be over-reacting slightly to Danny's suggestion. "No. Options. Just options. Make a few connections and see if trolling brings back anything." Danny sensed Becca's pending return too and whispered quickly.

"Just a nudge. In the right direction."

Then he was gone. Turning quickly, Danny timed it to the second of Becca's voice calling out to Steve to share whatever she and her father had spoken about. Steve grinned when she bounced back. Happy, beaming and he swore, even a bit taller already from decent care. He almost grumbled to himself when he realized that he would also desperately miss Rebecca if she were to leave.

He smiled at her as she threw her arms around his waist and his hand wound up on top of her head. "Are they okay? I bet they're done for the day, too."

"Uh huh! It's late there and they are going to sleep." Becca's cheeks were a healthy glowing pink and her hair was tied back in a loose pony tail. Steve couldn't resist tweaking it as she threw her arms around his waist for a second big hug. Danny and Ellen were right; just like the plan to create a family calendar, Mike needed some helpful guidance. Between basic contracting work and his connections on the military base where there could feasibly be opportunities for civilian experts, Steve began to mull over some of those work related options.

He grinned at Becca and pointed to the beach for her to go.

"The foods going to be ready in ten minutes. Why don't you run down and tell them to get out of the water?" Becca nodded happily and took off at a run towards the beach. A few seconds later she was out of sight but Steve clearly heard her voice shouting back up to him.

"Uncle Steve! I thought Uncle Danny wasn't allowed to go swimming yet?"

His muffled curse was on the heels of the spatula dropping to the ground. She was absolutely right about Danny and swimming or any other type of moderate exercise as he healed; regardless on a good day, he'd shun a real swim most times. There was only one very good reason he'd opt to take a dip and it would be only because someone - or Grace - was in trouble.

Steve bypassed Becca on a run towards the beach. He saw Ellen swimming casually out just past the breakers and then his eyes settled on Danny who was chest deep and going out farther. A series of rollers were coming in one after the other and Danny bobbed once before intentionally diving once and then twice to disappear from view.

"Grace." Steve didn't need to say her name. She would be the one primary reason Danny would defy doctor's orders or his own discomfort to so willingly take on the ocean. By the time Steve entered the water, Danny was treading on the surface with Grace in his arms. He could hear her crying and see that her arms were wrapped around her father's neck As they slowly swam back.

"Good. Crying's good." Steve muttered to himself as he plunged ahead to intercept them. He got to Danny as his partner's feet touched sand and he almost lost his footing against another short series of waves that he couldn't plan for from behind.

"Give her to me, Danny. Get back to shore." He was shoulder to shoulder now and could see Danny was struggling from the way his face was set against the pain from trying to catch his breath. At first, he seemed to refuse, but as another wave caught him off guard and he stumbled with the two almost going under, Danny nodded to accept the help.

"Come here, Grace. Let's get out of here." Steve reached out to take her in the chest deep water as Danny finally relented.

"Grace. Go to Uncle Steve, Monkey." He took her quickly then, noting the bloody scrape on her chin and the dual scratches on her knees as he wrapped her arms around his neck. Nothing looked terribly bad, but she was frightened and Danny was wheezing as he determinedly kept pace directly behind them.

"We're almost there. Too many hand stands I think, Gracie. The waves must have caught you by surprise? Were you upside down when it happened?" He tried to calm her choked sobs with a light tone of voice, plus keep an eye on Danny simultaneously. He was relieved to see that Ellen had noticed the mishap and was actively on her way back to shore. Becca was standing there forlornly already, uncertain of what to do or how to help.

"I think .. she's okay." Danny panted heavily and then groaned as this chest seemed to seize on the spot. His arms were crossed protectively in front of himself as he staggered behind and gasped at the pain.

"You're right .. about the waves. She was doing .. one last hand stand and .. then didn't come up. The waves came in .. too fast."

She was crying and nodding in agreement with one hand now on her most painfully scraped right knee. "I was upside down and then I don't know what happened."

"It's okay, Grace. I think you only got rolled around on the bottom a little bit." Steve smiled at her as he cradled her in his arms and strode quickly out of the water. As soon as they hit the dry sands, Steve was about to settle her on her feet to check her out when Danny fell to his knees.

"Danno!" Grace was trembling as Steve tried to hold her and get to Danny when Ellen jogged up from the water. She paused when she saw Danny's face and torn by who to help first, silently gathered Grace in her arms. Mindful of her chin and scraped knees, Ellen glanced again at Danny to be sure before insisting that she carry Grace back to the house.

"He's okay, sweetie. Let your Uncle Steve help him back. I have my things in the car and can check you both out before we make any decisions. Come on, Becca, you can help me. Okay?" With the girls occupied and cared for, Danny sagged weakly into the sand as Steve dropped down next to him to support his upper body.

Steve didn't say a word as Danny miserably tried to control his breathing which seemed to be the reason for the pain flaring up in his chest. Wringing the front of his wet t-shirt with one hand, Danny erratically heaved in bits of air - some too deep and some shallow - as he fought for control around the deep ache. Diving through the waves hadn't been very pleasant as the water washed strongly into his body, but needing to hold his breath to grab Grace had been the most painful. Surfacing with her in his arms, he was already feeling a deep painful heaviness as his limited stamina made treading water difficult though he wasn't too far from shore.

He was starting to have difficulty when Steve reached them. After passing Grace off, getting just himself back to shore had become a monumental effort. "Steve." He winced and shook his head dismally at what nearly had happened. He couldn't catch his breath as every inhale seemed to painfully tighten the knot in his chest.

"Don't talk. Breathe slowly. In through your nose and much slower." Steve quietly tried to coach him as he panted too heavily through his mouth only to wince and close his eyes. "Concentrate, Danny."

"Steve." But upset by what had happened, Danny shook his head as he coughed out the words and refused to listen to Steve's furious whispers to not speak yet. "Steve ... she just disappeared .. she was fine and then .. I couldn't see her."

Unable to help himself, Danny let all his worries out in a panted rush as soon as Ellen, Becca and Grace were out of earshot. Steve tightened his hold around Danny's shoulders as his voice broke in a garbled cough. "So .. fast."

"I know." Steve vainly tried to calm him as a pained shudder shook his shoulders. "She's okay though, Danny. You need to think about slowing your breathing down."

"She could have ... drowned. It was so .. fast. She was there ... and then wasn't. And then she didn't come up ... and for a minute, I couldn't find her." There had been no time for him to think at that point. No time to call out for help. Her feet had disappeared just as a larger wave rolled over the top of where she had been doing yet another hand stand. Unable to find her footing, Grace had been tossed around under water when a second and third wave came one after the other. Scraped on the sandy bottom and disoriented, she couldn't get her bearings and had been in real trouble.

"You got to her quickly, Danno. She's fine and just scraped up like you said. Ellen's with her and will fix her right up." Steve's eyes were filled with worry as Danny vitually sagged in front of him. His face was pale, with red-rimmed eyes as he fought against his own feelings of panic which he had valiantly hidden from Grace. Combined with that, he couldn't quite get past the pain as he breathed too deeply and much too erratically.

"It's you I'm worried about, pal. Slow down, stop talking and concentrate." He pleaded softly as he held Danny's upper body and waited for some kind of signal that his partner was ready to try and walk.

"Take your time. Go slow. Ellen's already got Grace on the lanai and she's wrapped in a towel. She's fine. You're going to scare her if you don't calm down."

Danny's eyes were closed and he only nodded at that point. As his breathing eased, so did most of the pain but he was left with a dull ache that settled in the middle of his sternum. He felt weak and worn out but forced his eyes open to find Steve an inch from his nose.

"Ready to try?" Danny nodded again, not trusting his voice for the lack of air in his lungs and high emotions. The trip back to the house was slow, quiet and purposeful as Danny leaned more and more into Steve for support.

"Sit here. I'll get a towel." Danny sank into the closest lounge chair in the shade and missed Steve's concerned look and quick whisper to Ellen. With adrenalin waning, his eyes were half open as he watched the talented nurse take care of Grace who had finally stopped crying. She had a large bandage on her chin and one on her right knee. Ellen was checking the last scrape on her left knee and smiling about how Grace must have done one million hand stands but had to make trouble for everyone on the very last one. Becca was helping by ripping open the small packages to the large bandages and holding them out to her Aunt one at a time.

The kidding tone got Grace to smile as the last of her tears dried up. Her knees would be sore and stiff, but she was perfectly fine as Ellen helped her off the edge of the table to check on her father. She gave them a well-earned private moment as Becca also seemed to need a hug; something Ellen found she needed desperately too as her niece's arms wrapped firmly around her waist.

"I'm getting you all wet and sandy!" Ellen complained with a laugh as Becca grinned up at her. Bending down, Ellen gave her a loud kiss on the top of her head to make her laugh. "You are a goose sometimes." They watched quietly as Grace limped over to Danny with tears glistening in her eyes again. But where Becca was happy to see Danny sitting safely in the chair, Ellen was studying him closely with an educated eye.

"Danno." Danny held out his hand as Grace curled into him and hid her face in his shoulder. Her voice was tearfully upset once more about what had happened. Rubbing her back with his other hand, Danny smiled into her hair.

"It's okay, Monkey. It was just an accident. Does it hurt?"

She nodded but then admitted it wasn't too bad anymore. However, his mouth fell open at her next comment. "It's just sore, Danno. Aunt Ellen said the bandages were waterproof so I can go swimming tomorrow."

"Can you now!" Danny groaned and rubbed his chest as shock elevated his voice and he tried to level an annoyed stare at the nurse who merely shrugged. Tweaking her wet pony tail, he shook his head in awe at his daughter while raising a warning finger to tap her nose. "One day at a time, Monkey. Let's not talk about swimming, okay?"

Wearily Danny leaned back into the chair pulling Grace closer to his side. She fit perfectly cuddled into his arm and shoulder even though she was standing next to his chair. Where he was mortified still, Grace was truly fine as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, Danno." Her whisper held a glimmer of a fresh smile but also a great deal of worry for him. She only moved away when Steve came back with two towels which he draped over Danny's legs.

"I should change." Danny lamely picked at his wet t-shirt but Steve wanted him to wait as he watched a particularly uncomfortable inhale.

"No, you should let Ellen check you out before you do anything else."

As soon as Steve mentioned her name, Ellen was kneeling down with her ample medical supplies. Danny was almost speechless when she pulled a portable blood pressure cuff and stethoscope from the bag. She answered his unspoken questions for him with a wry smile.

"Yes, I do come well-prepared for any possible emergency. I always travel in style, Danny!" Ellen became quiet though as she checked his vitals and made mental notes.

"Well?" He asked quietly and then grimaced as the one word brought a pang of discomfort. Holding her finger up, she made him carefully lean forward to listen to his lungs.

"Your blood pressure is understandably sky-high but your lungs sound clear. You need to concentrate on your breathing so you don't hyperventilate. Where's your medication? Are you carrying it with you? You need both your pain medication and the anti-inflammatory right now. I don't think either of you need a hospital, but you especially are not moving for the rest of the evening."

Steve sighed in relief as Ellen finished her evaluation and lobbed demands at his partner to stay seated and rest. Disappearing into the house, Steve found the pill bottles in Danny's bag and poured a glass of water. He and the girls watched as Ellen handed Danny three of the pills before rocking back to sit on her heels. She kept a gentle hand on his shoulder and then addressed everyone. "So, are we all hungry now? I think we've worked up quite the appetite if I do say so myself!"

She was intentionally keeping things light for Grace who still seemed a bit scared, as well as for Becca who was more than startled by the frightening change of events.

"I agree." Steve took a measured breath and let it out slowly. He could smell the food on the grill and some would undoubtedly be ruined. "Let's eat before all the food totally burns up."

He hesitated by Danny when he saw Ellen grab a large plate and utensils to rescue the best remaining burgers and hot dogs. She smiled at him and motioned for him to stay exactly where he was.

"You okay?" He whispered quietly to Danny as Grace limped off with Becca to sit at the table. She had a towel wrapped around her shoulders and was already telling her grand story detail by exciting detail to her wide-eyed friend. Steve sniffed ruefully at her resilience and very quick recovery. It was something the adults envied, especially Steve as he tried to read Danny's wan face.

"Really, hey .. are you okay?"

Danny's eyes were dark and locked on his daughter's back, but he nodded. It was an accident and Grace was fine except for a blow to her dignity and for some minor scrapes. He was probably more petrified by what could have happened than she. Steve knew that too, as he sat down on the edge of the same lounge chair. Danny's eyes closed tiredly as the pain slowly began to abate from the medication; Steve had already guessed correctly, he was wishing the memory of Grace's accident would disappear as quickly and easily.

"Danny?" He pushed again and Danny forced his eyes open as a third towel was draped over his legs. Though his breathing had finally calmed, a cold chill made him tremble briefly. He was bone-tired and still a bit haunted but he managed a small smile when Grace began to giggle with Becca at the table.

"I will be." The honest words were so quiet, he wasn't certain that Steve had heard him until he felt the warm supportive hand on his shoulder.

~ to be continued ~