**** This chapter includes graphic descriptions of violence ****
On the fifth day after surgery the Doctor stopped the medication and they waited for Steve to wake. They had removed the breathing tube from his throat, replacing it with a nasal cannula and he had been moved to a large private room. Danny, Chin and Kono were there, as were Tyler, Amber and Sam.
Kono was holding his hand and Ty was at his other side wiping his head with a damp cloth as his eyes fluttered open slowly.
Kono smiled down at him saying softly, "Hi boss, welcome back"
Steve grinned, the pain evident on his face as he whispered hoarsely, "Tthirstty…."
Danny moved next to Kono, handing her a glass of water. He then lifted Steve's head off the pillow saying softly, "Just small sips partner" Steve's eyes closed and Kono brought the straw to his lips.
Once done the SEAL's eyes re-opened and he met Ty's gaze, "Ty….are yyou ookay?"
"I'm good Dad…I promise you, I'm good"
Danny placed a hand on his shoulder, "How bad is the pain partner?"
"Not too bad…..what happened D?"
"Your infection spread to your pancreas and you developed some internal bleeding. Doc Preston took good care of you though and you're going to be fine. You need to rest and get your strength back babe, were all right here"
"Danny…..is everyone else okay?"
Danny sighed deeply before responding, "Javier didn't make it Steve…..we lost him"
Steve's eyes closed and he said quietly, "Shit….."
"JJ and the rest of the team, other than Ty and Owen, took Javier, David and Dino home"
"How's Owen doing?"
Tyler replied, "He's doing well Dad…..he's going to make it"
Steve grasped his son's hand tightly, "Good Ty…how are you son?"
"I'm feeling better every day. You're looking a lot better, you had me pretty scared"
"I had YOU scared?"
Tyler smirked, "Uh yeah….hey, thanks for coming after me"
Steve squeezed Ty's hand tighter, "I'm grateful that you're okay. Buddy…I'm so sorry that you lost your brothers"
"I know….Thanks Dad"
"How long have I been out?"
Danny replied, "Four days"
"Four days?"
Danny squeezed his shoulder, "The Doc's been pumping you full of antibiotics and pain meds, you need to relax"
"I'm so damn tired Danno"
"Sleep then man…..your body's telling you to rest…..close your eyes" Danny ran his fingers across Steve's forehead, saying softly, "Sleep Steven….ssshhhhhhhhhh"
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Danny had been watching Ty carefully and the kid was recovering well physically, though mentally…he wasn't too sure. He had witnessed Owen mourn the loss of his brothers, but not Tyler. He knew that Ty's thoughts were mostly on Steve's condition but the boy was going to have to grieve for those loved ones he had lost.
At about ten o'clock everyone headed home leaving Danny alone with his sleeping partner.
Steve woke a little after midnight to find Danny smiling down at him, "Hey sleeping beauty"
Steve smirked, "You always were jealous of my good looks and charm"
Danny smiled and grasped his hand, "How are you feeling babe?"
"I've felt better Danno….I….I feel so weak"
"You've had a lot happen to you buddy, but you're really doing great"
"Danny…..I almost lost him…when I saw him in that shed, beaten and bloodied….My God D', I almost lost him"
"But you didn't lose him. You saved him. You had said you were going to bring him home and you did that buddy"
"No, we did it. Danny those men are fucking amazing"
"Yes they are. Watching them execute that mission, doing everything they had to do save those boys…..it changed me forever Steve. I've listened to you tell me about your missions and hearing it is one thing….but seeing it…..seeing it brings a whole new perspective, and a new appreciation and awe of what they, of what you...do"
"We do our jobs Danno"
"It's much more than that partner. Each and every one of you are hero's and this country is forever indebted to you. You never get the credit you deserve for what you've done"
Steve's voice dropped as he spoke, "We don't do what we do for glory Danno. We do what we do because it's the right thing.
We see the most evil there is to see in humanity but killing anyone is hard, even if they're evil it's hard and you know that. Taking any human life brings torment Danny" He closed his eyes and sighed before continuing, "I'm worried about Ty"
Danny replied, "I know you are….I am too"
"Why? What have you seen?"
"He's been concentrating on you and I haven't seen him mourn for his friends at all"
"I need to talk to him Danny. Can you get him here?"
"Are you up to it right now?"
"I HAVE to talk to Ty partner"
"Okay….you close your eyes and sleep until he gets here"
"Yeah, hey Danny….Thank you…I love you man"
"I love you too Steven, rest now"
As the SEAL's eyes closed, Danny phoned Ty.
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Steve fell asleep and when he woke three hours later, Ty was there at his side.
"Hi Dad"
"Hey buddy, thanks for coming"
Tyler smiled, "Of course…how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine Tyler"
Danny then said, "I'm going to go and give you guys some time alone"
Steve nodded, "Thanks Danno"
After Danny left the room Tyler stood at his Dad's bedside, "He's quite a man Dad, he hasn't left your side this whole time"
"Danno's very special"
"Yeah he is"
"Tyler…how are son, really?"
Tyler's hand began to shake and Steve grasped it tightly, "Sit down Ty"
"No…..no….I'm okay"
The men were silent for several moments before Tyler started, "When they shot Dino and took us into that damn shed, I thought we were all going to die. Owen and I had never been in this kind of situation before and David kept us calm. He stressed to us to not quit, that no matter what happened to us not to quit. He said that the rest of the team would be there to rescue us…that they would never leave without us. He kept us going Dad...those words kept us going"
Steve responded softly as he ran his thumb across Ty's hand, "You knew that son. You knew that your team would never leave you"
"I did know that, but when you're there….you have doubts about if they can find you in time" He sighed deeply and continued, "They left us alone in there for a couple of hours. It was so damn hot and we had no water. They had taken all our weapons and stripped us down to our t-shirts and boxers. There was no way out of that box Dad. The floor was hot metal and the door was the only opening. We could hear several voices out there…..we had no weapons and there was nothing we could do"
He paused for a moment and Steve encouraged him, "Go on son"
"When they opened the door we all lunged for their weapons but there were just too many of them. They beat us and then stripping us naked the tied Owen and me to chairs. David…..David saved our lives Dad. He spoke to them in Spanish telling them that he was our leader and to deal with him. They laughed at him but he wouldn't back down….he kept telling them that he wanted to see their leader, to bring him to General Cepeda. One man left to get Cepeda while three others secured David. David kept arguing with the men as they started to beat me and Owen. They continued to hit us until Cepeda entered the shed" Ty bowed his head and his voice shook as he resumed, "Cepeda was armed with a Steelcraft Qama knife…the blade was about seventeen inches long. He started to slash at our chests and David was screaming at him to stop. Then without warning Cepeda turned and swung the blade at David….." Steve squeezed Ty's hand as the emotions began to flood over the boy. Ty was shaking and tears were streaking down both men's cheeks as Ty continued.
"In one quick motion David was killed" Tyler's eyes closed as the horrific memory crashed in on him, "Oh God Dad….. his head rolled over to my feet…his eyes were open and staring up at me….."
Steve held out his arms and leaning over the bed Tyler laid his head onto his Father's shoulder as he sobbed.
Steve cuffed his arm around his child's head and he whispered into his ear, "It's okay Ty….let it out buddy"
They stayed like this for a long time and eventually Tyler pulled away.
He ran his forearm across his eyes, "I'm sorry Dad"
"Tyler…..son don't you EVER be sorry about being human and showing your emotions. The things we do as SEAL's, we do out of love and honor for our country and for our fellow man. When we lose a brother we have to take time to mourn him, time to honor him. Remember what I told you when we first met Ty, you cannot keep these things inside or they will eat you alive and drive you crazy. I'm here for you and I ALWAYS will be….so are your brothers. JJ is a hell of a good man and a great leader, he did everything he had to do to bring you home and I will forever be indebted to him"
Tyler said softly, "From what I've been told, you're the one who was not going to leave Colombia without us. I almost lost you Dad…" He turned from the bed saying, "I could never have forgiven myself if you had died saving me"
"Tyler…..God son….I love you. I love you more than life itself…..if I had died saving your life, it would have been worth it. I'm so proud of you son" Tears were streaming down Steve's cheeks as he repeated the words, "I'm so proud of you son"
Tyler looked at his Father, "I love being a SEAL Dad and I truly believe that I am meant to do this. Can you tell me…. does the pain ever go away? Does the sense of loss ever ease?"
Steve reached out and took Tyler's hand in his and he said firmly, "No…..it never goes away. You'll think of your brothers constantly, but over time you won't remember them for how they died, you'll remember them for the brave and wonderful men that they were. Tyler…..have you been having nightmares?"
The young man shook his head, "Yes…every night I wake up to David's face…..the vacant stare of his dead eyes. He was such a great guy, I loved him Dad. He didn't deserve to die like this"
"Of course he didn't buddy, but it happened. It's not going to be easy and you need to trust me on this. DO NOT let this bottle up inside you. Talk to me, talk to Sam, JJ and your other brothers and talk to Amber. We all love you and we're here to help you through this"
Tyler leaned over and hugged his Father again saying quietly, "Thank you Dad…I love you"
*** More to follow – I hope you're still enjoying - ENJOY THE BEGINNING OF 5-0 SYNDICATION TONIGHT ON TNT ! ***