Chapter 10:
"Sorry, I really can't remember anything else," Steve said exhaustedly as he threw his teammates a look out of tired, glazed eyes.
Noticing the lines of fatigue on his partner's face, Danny was just about to repeat his earlier suggestion that they could easily postpone their conversation when Steve suddenly breathed out a faint moan and leaned his head back onto the pillow. Danny watched with growing concern how Steve's already pale complexion became ghastly white and his eyes seemed to lose all their focus. His eyelids started to droop and he only blinked sluggishly when Danny called his name.
"Hey, you alright?" Williams wanted to know as he stepped closer to the bed and placed a hand on Steve's shoulder.
"Don't know…"
Steve's answer was slurred and barely audible, he seemed to have trouble forming the correct words.
"Dizzy… headache…" he added in a hoarse whisper, his face contorting with pain as he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Steve? What's wrong?" Danny asked worriedly, gently shaking Steve's shoulder. "Steven? Hey man, come on, answer me. Can you hear me? Steve?"
Tightening his grip on Steve's shoulder Danny tried to rouse his partner but the only answer he got was a weak sigh and then Steve's body went slack, but the lines of pain on his face stayed when his head rolled limply to the left.
"Oh shit," Danny exclaimed, forcefully shaking Steve's shoulder. "Steve? Can you hear me?" Briefly turning his head toward his two teammates he ordered anxiously, "Call a doctor, hurry up. He's not responding."
Immediately returning his attention back to his unconscious partner, Danny ignored the hectic activity around him when Chin pressed the emergency button and Kono raced outside to call for help. The next few seconds seemed to stretch to eternity when Danny could do nothing else but helplessly stare down at Steve's pale face and call his name over and over again.
He breathed out a shaky sigh when finally the door burst open and a bunch of people hurried in but the tiny touch of relief soon turned into a mixture of annoyance and panic when he, Chin and Kono were forcefully kicked out as soon as Dr. Pierson had entered the room.
"I need you to leave immediately," the young doctor's voice was stern and relentless, but his eyes showed a great deal of sympathy. "Please! We need space to work," he explained quickly as he noticed the concerned expression on the faces of his patient's friends. "I'll inform you as soon as I know what's wrong with the Commander."
And before Danny could utter his objections he found himself in the corridor outside of Steve's room, pacing agitatedly in front of the closed door.
"What the hell just happened there?" he asked hoarsely, thinking sarcastically that this question seemed to be the only one he asked lately. Nervously running his hands over his hair he threw his teammates a fearful look. "He was alright when he talked to us, wasn't he? He… I mean… damn," Williams exclaimed, clenching and unclenching his fists as he stared into Chin's and Kono's equally worried faces.
"I don't know what's happened, brah," Chin answered quietly, shaking his head as he stared at the closed door to Steve's room. Taking a deep breath he wrapped his left arm around Kono's shoulders and at the same time grabbed Danny's upper arm with his free hand. "All I know is that it won't help Steve if we're hanging out here in front of his room, blocking the whole corridor while we're waiting." He slowly took a few steps, forcing his teammates to come with him. "Come on, let's go to the waiting room and have some coffee," Chin suggested, as always the voice of reason in the team.
"But…" Danny started, waving his free arm toward Steve's room.
"Dr. Pierson will know where we are," Kelly interrupted Danny's objection, gently shoving the younger man in front of him toward the waiting room at the end of the corridor. "He'll find us and he promised to inform us as soon as he knows what's going on."
"Chin's right, brah," Kono threw in softly, wiggling herself free out of her cousin's embrace and placing her hand on Danny's shoulder. "Let's sit down somewhere more comfortable."
Seeing the sympathy and fear in Kono's dark eyes, Danny nodded weakly in agreement when he felt all his remaining energy fleeing his body, leaving him empty and a bit shaky on his legs.
Silently the three friends made their way to the familiar waiting room, silently they sat down in the much too comfortable chairs, silently they stirred their cups of coffee, only now and then taking a small sip – and silently they waited.
They waited without a word on Steve's condition and despite the worry for his partner, Danny's exhaustion slowly gained the upper hand and he dozed off a few times. The cousins tried to make his surroundings as comfortable as possible, knowing that spending the night in a chair at your friend's hospital bed didn't allow a healthy portion of sleep. But no matter what they did, Danny always jerked awake a few minutes later, pressing his palms against his red-rimmed eyes before he ran his hands through his tousled hair, sitting up straight and staring silently at the white walls.
And then, finally, almost two full hours later, the door opened and an exhausted looking Dr. Pierson entered the room, making a beeline for the three waiting people. Much the same as the day before Danny, Chin and Kono immediately jumped to their feet, anxiously expecting the news about their leader.
"Sit down, please," the young dark-haired doctor said tiredly, this time allowing no contradiction as he plopped down in a chair face-to-face with his patient's friends. Resting his elbows on his knees he clasped his hands, bending forward slightly as he started to talk. "Okay, first of all, Commander McGarrett is stable at the moment, but nevertheless we moved him back to ICU, mainly for the purpose of continuous monitoring."
"Is he back on the ventilator?" Kono asked timidly; not able to ban the deep concern for her boss out of her voice.
"No," Dr. Pierson replied swiftly with a brief shake of his head. "His breathing is no longer a cause for concern, the only thing that we're worrying about at the moment is the intracranial injury."
"But I thought…" Danny stammered, blinking in confusion as he cleared his throat. "You said yesterday evening the bleeding was under control. I don't understand…"
"That's correct, the CAT scans from tonight indeed showed that the epidural bleeding was not growing," the doctor said, breathing out small sigh as he unfolded his fingers and locked eyes with Danny. "Unfortunately the latest scans – which had been scheduled for this morning anyway – showed an unexpected complication. Next to the bleeding, a cerebral edema had developed which had led to a dangerous increase of the intracranial pressure. At the moment we're trying to reduce the edema by keeping Commander McGarrett's blood pressure as low as possible, for example by administering diuretics to increase the excretion of water from the body."
"Is he still unconscious?" Chin asked quietly when Dr. Pierson paused for a short moment and leaned back in his chair.
"He's sedated at the moment," the doctor answered, briefly shifting his gaze to Chin before he looked back at Danny. "The sedation reduces the metabolic needs and as a result the cranial blood flow and therefore the intracranial pressure," he explained patiently. "Plus, I don't want him to experience any kind of agitation, that's why I also cannot allow any visitors for the next few hours."
Sensing the growing displeasure of his audience, Dr. Pierson raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I know you all want to be at his side and normally I absolutely encourage that kind of support for my patients but you have to understand the seriousness of the current situation." He interrupted himself and let his gaze travel over the three people in front of him until he was sure that he had their fullest attention. Throwing a brief glance at his watch he explained, "It's almost noon now and we hope that later this afternoon we'll be already seeing the first signs of improvement and we'll be able to cut back the medication as well as the sedation." He made another short pause and when he continued after having breathed out a tired little sigh his voice was soft and sympathetic, "However, if there is no improvement by tomorrow morning we have no other choice but to relieve the intracranial pressure by performing a craniotomy."
"Craniotomy," Danny repeated hesitantly, furrowing his brow in a mixture of confusion and horror. "That means you…" His voice trailed off mid-sentence when he stared wide-eyed at the young doctor.
"We will drill a small hole in his skull to relieve the pressure from the brain," Dr. Pierson answered straightforwardly, grimacing in sympathy when he noticed the expression of terror on Danny's, Chin's and Kono's faces. "Sorry, but there's really no way to sugarcoat the procedure. But I'm sure you understand now why we're doing everything within our power to avoid surgery."
"Yes doc, we do," Chin answered as he wrapped his arm once more around his cousin's slender shoulders.
"Good," Dr. Pierson answered contentedly, "that's good." Slowly standing up from his chair he threw another look at his watch. "There's nothing you can do here at the moment, so I suggest you all go home for a few hours and get some rest." Frowning at the lines of exhaustion on Danny's face, he watched closely how the other man struggled to get up, swiftly grabbing Danny's upper arm when the cop swayed dangerously on his feet. "And that goes for you too, Detective," the doctor growled angrily, keeping his grip around the smaller man's bicep until he was sure that Danny was steady on his legs.
"He's right, brah," Chin's calm voice filled the silence of the room. He placed a hand on Danny's shoulder and squeezed gently. "You aren't much use to Steve if you're collapsing of exhaustion."
"Go home, Danny," Kono chimed in with a little nod of her head. "We'll hold the fort until you come back."
"Excuse me, but didn't I just say I want you all to go home?" Dr. Pierson asked, shaking his head in disbelief about the open display of mutiny in front of him.
"If you want him to go home," Chin replied matter-of-factly, briefly pointing his thumb first at Danny, then at Kono and himself, "at least one of us stays."
"Yes doc," Kono added, flashing a bright, seductive smile at the young doctor. "He goes, we stay."
Seeing the absolute determination on the faces in front of him, Dr. Pierson raised his hands in defeat. "Alright, you two can stay," he sighed indulgently with a look at Kono and Chin before he turned toward Danny. "But I want you to go home, take a shower, change your clothes, eat something and get at least four hours of undisturbed sleep. Is that understood?"
"Yes doc," Kono repeated before Danny even had the chance to open his mouth.
"Good," the dark-haired doctor replied, satisfied for now that his orders would be obeyed.
"Hey, do I have a say in this, too?" Williams asked hoarsely, tiredly waving his hands through the air.
"No," Kono, Chin and Dr. Pierson exclaimed in unison.
"Oh," Danny said, slightly stunned at the forceful answer. "Okay." He blinked slowly, actually much too tired to come up with any kind of witty objection.
"We have fixed two more CAT scans for this afternoon, the first one at two o'clock, the second one at five o'clock," Dr. Pierson explained. "I don't want to see you back here before six o'clock, Detective. By then we should be able to tell if the medication had the desired effect and I promise you can visit the Commander no matter the outcome of the scans." He gave Danny's arm a gentle squeeze and nodded toward the door. "Six o'clock, Detective, not a minute earlier, okay? That should give you enough time to get a decent portion of sleep. You look like you can use it."
"I promise to go home, doc, but before I leave… can I… can I see Steve just for five minutes?" Danny pleaded softly. "Please?"
Staring down at the smaller man and seeing the genuine concern and fear in the pale blue eyes, Dr. Pierson took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes. "Alright," he finally agreed quietly, answering Danny's question with a hesitant nod. "Five minutes – and then you go home. Do we have a deal?"
"Deal," Danny replied with a tired smile as he grabbed the doctor's outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "Thank you."
It was half past five when Danny pulled his silver Camaro into an empty parking space in front of Tripler Army Medical Center. He shut down the engine and stared at the huge hospital complex that towered above the city of Honolulu, surrounded by soft green hills. He stayed sitting in the car for a few more minutes, mentally preparing himself for whatever Dr. Pierson would soon tell him about Steve's condition.
The short visit to his partner's sick bed a few hours ago, before he had been forced to leave the hospital, had not really helped to calm his frayed nerves, but Danny had to admit that a bit of sleep, a decent meal, a nice long shower and a change of clothes had definitely done him good.
Taking a deep breath, Danny gave his reflection in the rear mirror an encouraging nod and exited the car. With forceful steps he walked into the hospital building, now and then throwing a short glance over his shoulder as he headed for the familiar waiting room. He had no intention of running into Dr. Pierson before six o'clock because he was sure the young doctor wouldn't be too enthusiastic if he saw him here earlier than agreed.
A few minutes later he had reached his destination and silently sneaked into the small waiting room, where Chin still sat in the same chair as the last time he'd seen him, absorbed in something he was reading on his tablet PC. Kono was lying on a row of chairs next to her cousin, curled up in fetal position and obviously sleeping soundly. Her cheek rested on her right hand, dark tousled hair covered most of her face and she was wrapped in a light blue blanket.
Softly closing the door behind him Williams sat down next to his teammates, careful not to wake up the young woman.
"Hey," he greeted quietly, immediately asking the most important question that was bothering him. "Any news on Steve?"
"No, nothing," Chin answered equally quietly, sadly shaking his head.
"Okay," Danny sighed frustrated, but it was almost six o'clock and he guessed that after all those hours of waiting twenty more minutes were only just bearable. His gaze fell on Chin's small computer and after noticing the names on the screen, he asked curiously, "What are you reading?"
"Claire and Roger Sacotte's files," Kelly answered, turning the display a little bit so that Danny had a better view of it. "Kono and I went through everything we could find yesterday evening, but to be honest there wasn't much we didn't already know."
He briefly looked up when Kono moved slightly in her sleep, lowering his voice even more when he continued his explanations, "Roger's Navy files were indeed all classified, all we can hope for is that Steve can shed light on some of the details."
"Well, maybe he can, but the question is, will he tell us something?" Danny mumbled with a wry smile.
Ignoring Danny's interruption, Chin swept his finger over the display of his tablet PC to activate another file. "We already knew that Claire was in psychiatric treatment from 2003 to 2011," he said, looking up at Danny who nodded affirmatively. "I spoke to her attending shrink but of course he was bound to his doctor-patient confidentiality and all he could tell me was that he indeed treated her for depressions after the death of her son and that she suddenly didn't show up any more for her sessions about a year ago. Obviously he hadn't seen her since." Putting the tablet PC on the empty chair next to him, Chin slightly shrugged his shoulders, "That's all we found."
Danny raised his eyebrows as he breathed out in a long quiet sigh. "That's not very helpful. I guess we really have to wait and see if Steve can tell us more about Roger and Claire."
The two men sat in silence for a short while until Chin finally threw a look at his watch and slowly stood up. "I promised to wake her before six o'clock," he said with a tender look at his cousin. Crouching down next to her head he gently placed a hand on her shoulder and asked calmly, "Kono?"
To Danny's immense amazement that one quiet word was enough to wake the young woman. Kono opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she gave Chin a small smile. Then she sat up in one swift move, smoothed down her top, forcefully shook her head and ran her slender fingers through her hair a few times until the dark strands lay perfectly around her head and she looked nothing at all as if she had been deeply asleep only moments ago.
"Hey," she said, flashing Danny a bright smile as she rolled her shoulders to relax her cramped muscles.
"Fascinating," Williams replied, raising one eyebrow to accentuate the famous Star Trek quote.
"What?" Kono asked as she stood up and walked across the room toward the vending machines at the opposite wall. "Do you want anything?"
"Women," Danny answered her first question while he totally ignored her second one. "I don't get it." He turned toward Chin and waved his hands through the air. "I really don't get it." He mimicked Kono's gestures, running his hands first down his shirt and then over his hair. "Just like that and they look perfect. Why do they spend ages in the bathroom when everything is totally fine after just two seconds?"
"I have absolutely no idea, brah," Chin replied with a laugh. "But if you find it out, let me know, okay?"
"I can give you that answer," Kono said as she sat down between her two teammates. She opened the can of coke she just bought and took a swig from it before she leaned back in her chair and gave the two men a conspiratorial wink. "That's because we're women," she whispered, chuckling about the slightly frustrated look on Danny's and Chin's faces.
Luckily Dr. Pierson's appearance – at exactly six o'clock to the minute – prevented any further discussion about the mystery that is woman and immediately the cheerful mood in the room made way for a tense and at the same time expectant atmosphere.
"I see you took my advice to heart, Detective," the doctor said as he sat down opposite the three people, nodding contentedly when he noticed Danny's still slightly damp hair and the change of clothes. "You look much better than a few hours ago."
"How's Steve?" Williams asked as friendly and patiently as possible, after all he wasn't here to discuss his own state of health.
"The latest CAT scan showed a slight regression of the edema," Dr. Pierson slowly explained his recent findings. "If the medication continues to operate as it did the last few hours then we're cautiously optimistic that Commander McGarrett won't need surgery." He quickly raised his hands when he noticed the happy smiles on the faces of his audience and said earnestly, "The medication is not working as efficiently as we hoped; these are just very small steps we're making at the moment. You have to understand that it's still too early to definitely tell if there will be surgery or not."
"But they are small steps in the right direction, right doc?" Kono asked, playing nervously with the half-empty can of coke in her hands.
"Yes, they are definitely steps in the right direction," the young doctor affirmed Kono's question. Clapping his hands, he let his gaze travel over the three people in front of him as he said with a soft smile, "If you have no more questions, I think your friend is ready for some visitors."
Danny stopped his nervous pacing and forced himself to stand still. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the clock on the display for at least the hundredth time in the last few minutes.
Since Dr. Pierson had allowed only one visitor at a time, Danny had agreed that Kono and Chin went in first for a short visit just like the day before, giving Danny as much time as he wanted at his partner's side. Danny knew that this solution was probably the best for everyone but the longer he waited the more nervous and impatient he became.
At least he knew what to expect when he entered Steve's room, because he'd already seen all the different machines by Steve's bedside during his short visit a few hours ago. There would be the annoying beeping of the obligatory heart monitor but at least Steve was breathing on his own. Seeing someone you care for intubated and attached to a ventilator was one of the most disturbing things Danny had ever experienced and that meant a lot because being a homicide cop leads you to a lot of really ugly things. So, needless to say Danny was more than glad that there was no tube sticking out of his partner's mouth. However, there would be two IV lines snaking their way into both of Steve's arms, delivering the medication cocktail that kept him sedated and at the same time the required drugs to keep the blood pressure as low as possible.
A little bit further south there would be another small tube and Danny knew with absolute certainty that Steve would hate the fact that a Foley catheter was necessary. But the diuretics not only decreased the blood pressure but also increased the urination and it was important to monitor the work of the kidneys very closely.
A small display next to the heart monitor constantly showed Steve's blood pressure which was not measured by a traditional cuff around his bicep but rather by another IV catheter that was securely attached to the back of his left foot. Danny had learned earlier that the cannula had been inserted in an artery, which provided a more accurate reading of the patient's current blood pressure by directly measuring the arterial pressure. However this kind of invasive arterial monitoring required very close supervision, as there was a danger of severe bleeding if the line became disconnected.
But the strangest thing of all was the fact that the head of Steve's bed was raised to an angle of about thirty degrees. Patients in the ICU were normally lying flat on their backs but Steve's special clinical picture made it necessary to elevate his head in order to further relieve the intracranial pressure.
Danny was so engulfed in his thoughts, clearly visualizing his partner inside the small ICU cubicle that he didn't see nor hear that Chin had left Steve's room. Startling when the older man put a hand on his shoulder Williams whirled around and stared wide-eyed at his teammate. He needed a moment until he'd gathered his thoughts, then he mumbled sheepishly, "Hey Chin, didn't see you coming."
"It's alright," Chin answered quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you." He pointed over his left shoulder toward Steve's room and said, "You can go in now. Kono and I will be back tomorrow morning. If you need anything or if there's any change in Steve's condition, you call one of us, no matter the time, okay brah?"
"Okay," Danny nodded in agreement, anxious to finally get to his partner's side. "Thanks Chin. See you tomorrow."
Three hours of uneventful vigil and another CAT scan later, Dr. Pierson decided to cut back the sedation and let Steve slowly wake up, yet he wasn't entirely happy with this decision. The latest scan had revealed that the edema and the bleeding were slowly shrinking but it wasn't exactly at the rate he had been hoping for. The sedation and the low blood pressure had to be handled very delicately and despite the continuous monitoring Steve's body had begun to show more and more signs of stress, his vitals slowly reaching some dangerous limits.
"It will be at least another twenty or thirty minutes until he starts to wake up," Dr. Pierson explained as he gently closed off the IV line that was attached to Steve's right arm before he turned toward Danny who stood silently at Steve's other side, staring pensively down at his unconscious partner.
"Why don't you help yourself to another cup of coffee," the young doctor suggested softly, already having accepted that Danny wouldn't leave Steve's side. "I think you probably won't get very much sleep during the next few hours."
Keeping his eyes glued to his friend's pale face for another long moment, Williams finally raised his gaze to look at the other man and nodded slowly. "Okay," he agreed quietly and with a last squeeze to Steve's shoulder he turned around and left the room.
Outside in the corridor he leaned his back against the wall and breathed out a deep sigh. Tiredly sucking on his lower lip he just stared at the door to Steve's room for almost two minutes before he forcefully shook his head and slowly headed for the elevators that would bring him down to the cafeteria. Remembering Dr. Pierson's words Danny figured that not only a strong coffee would be in order but also a quick sandwich or something similar to fill his rumbling stomach.
Quickly texting Chin and Kono about the recent events, Danny tried to make the best out of his late lunch despite the strange circumstances and after the second cup of coffee he indeed felt better and more awake than before and ready to face whatever was ahead of him.
When he returned to the ICU barely twenty minutes later he found Dr. Pierson and an elderly nurse by his partner's side. Slightly frowning, the doctor looked at the ever-changing figures on the monitors while the nurse checked the bandage around Steve's left foot to make sure that the arterial needle still sat tightly in place.
"Is everything alright?" Danny asked hoarsely when he noticed the doctor's expression, not able to hide the concern he was feeling.
"Everything's fine," Dr. Pierson answered with a little smile as he nodded toward Steve's left hand. "I think he's starting to come around."
Danny's eyes followed the doctor's movement and he made a tentative step closer to the bed when he saw Steve's fingers restlessly twitching on the white sheets.
"You can talk to him, dear," the nurse said softly when she noticed Danny's hesitation. "Most of the patients find it easier to wake up when there's someone familiar around." Smiling motherly at him, she gently pushed him nearer to Steve's bed. "And a little bit of physical contact certainly won't do any harm."
Seeing Dr. Pierson's encouraging nod, Danny swallowed his reservation and awkwardly sat down on the bed, careful not to touch any of the tubes that were attached to his friend's body. He took a deep breath before he placed one hand on Steve's right bicep and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Steve?" he asked quietly, closely watching for any signs of awakening. "Steve? Can you hear me?"
Leaning a little bit forward he reached for Steve's left hand and took the faintly moving fingers in his own, furrowing his brow when he noticed the iciness of the skin. He released his grip around Steve's arm and wrapped both of his hands around Steve's larger one, hoping to give off a little bit of his own body heat.
"Steven?" Danny asked again as he took in his partner's appearance.
McGarrett was pale with dark smudges under his eyes, the area around the stitches on his left temple still swollen and discolored. His lips held a slight tinge of blue, as is the case with a child that spends too much time in a swimming pool, freezing from the long stay in the cold water despite the hot summer sun. From time to time a shiver ran through Steve's body, trying to preserve the precious body heat. The splinted right hand lay perfectly still on the white sheets but the fingers between Danny's hand twitched and curled, obviously reacting to Danny's voice.
"Why is he so cold?" Williams asked hoarsely over his shoulder without taking his eyes from his partner's face. "Can't you give him an additional blanket or turn on the heating or something?"
"It's a direct consequence of the low blood pressure," Dr. Pierson explained patiently. "And besides, the decreased body temperature also reduces the metabolic needs, which in turn is good for the intracranial pressure."
A faint moan from the bed cut Danny's reply short. Deep lines formed on Steve's forehead and Danny saw his Adam's apple bobbing when he tried to swallow.
"Steve?" Danny tried once more, moving one of his hands back to Steve's shoulder while the other one maintained its grip around Steve's left hand. "Come on, partner, it's time to wake up."
He started to grin when he felt the fingers curl around his own, weakly returning the encouraging squeeze. Steve's eyelids began to flutter and after a few more seconds McGarrett finally managed to open his eyes.
"Hey sleepyhead, good to see you," Danny said gently, looking into his partner's tired, dull eyes. "You with us?"
Blinking slowly, Steve licked his dry lips and nodded hesitantly. He laboriously cleared his throat, swallowed again and rasped weakly, "Hey Danno."
"How many times have I actually told you not to use that name, you goof?" Williams asked in faked annoyance. Noticing the hint of a smirk on Steve's face he good-naturedly rolled his eyes and tightened his grip on the other man's shoulder. "How do you feel?" he wanted to know, shifting his weight a little bit when he felt Dr. Pierson approaching the bed.
"Commander McGarrett?" the doctor asked calmly, also placing a hand on Steve's arm to get his attention. "Do you remember me?" Smiling contentedly when the injured man nodded his affirmation after brief consideration, he said slowly, "That's good. I only have a few short questions then I'll leave you alone, okay? Can you answer Detective Williams' question? Can you tell us how you feel?"
Furrowing his brow even more, Steve took a deep breath and weakly wiggled his fingers in Danny's grip. "Dizzy, cold, tired, headache," he whispered, not wasting any of his precious energy to form a complete sentence. Locking eyes with his doctor he heaved a tired sigh and added with as much emphasis as he could muster, "And I absolutely want to get rid of that Foley."
Danny's amused chuckle interrupted Dr. Pierson's answer and caused Steve to shift his gaze back to his partner. "Not funny," he exclaimed hoarsely, narrowing his eyes as he glared at the blond man.
"No, sorry babe, it's not," Danny said apologetically, but he was not able to hide the bright grin from his face. "Well, maybe just a little bit."
"I'm sorry, Commander," Dr. Pierson quickly chimed in when he saw the expression on Steve's face. "But I fear the catheter has to stay in place for a little longer. Now I have one other question for you… how's the headache on a scale from one to ten? Can you describe the pain a little more precisely?"
Swallowing once more, Steve tensed his muscles in an attempt to ride out the new shiver that ran through his body. "'S actually not that bad," he slightly slurred the answer to the doctor's question. His eyelids started to droop and Danny literally felt the amount of energy that Steve summoned to stay awake. "A three… maybe four… dull pressure… mainly behind left eye." His voice trailed off with a small sigh and he allowed his eyes to slowly close.
"Steven, for once just be honest, okay?" Danny scowled, knowing about his partner's passion to play things down. He gave Steve's shoulder a gentle shake and pleaded earnestly, "No sugarcoating things, do you hear me?"
Opening his eyes to mere slits, McGarrett shook his head ever so slightly. "Not lying… headache's really not bad," he said, shifting his gaze from Danny to his doctor. "Really, doc, I swear…"
"Okay," Dr. Pierson answered with a content nod of his head. "That's good to hear. Now try to get some more rest and the next time you're awake we can maybe talk about removing the Foley, okay?"
"Thanks," Steve said, sighing in relief when he closed his eyes again. After a few deep breaths he tightly curled his fingers around Danny's hand and whispered without bothering to look at his partner, "Danny… you don't need to stay."
Squeezing back, Danny studied Steve's face for a long moment before he answered gently, "I know, you moron… and now sleep."
(tbc)
See, I can be nice... no cliffhanger this time ;-)
