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

Notes: see it's Friday - and the next chapter has arrived! My trip was nuts - and then 6 hours of nonstop travel to get home. :-(UGH. anyway - thanks for your patience and as always, the very generous comments!

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

CHAPTER 6

More than three hours later, the team was silent and morose as they held vigil at TAMC and waited to hear any word about Danny. Rotating in and out of the somber waiting room, were the likes of Duke Lukela, Master Sargeant Adler, and Lieutenant McRaney with young Erin firmly in hand. Looking no worse for wear after the terrible scare, Erin only seemed to be disappointed as she looked around the room and then tugged on her father's hand.

"Where is he?" She asked with a frown. "He's not here?" Her father shushed her as he explained to the team that his daughter wanted to officially meet Doctor Ramirez.

Chin shook his head tiredly as the child fairly bounced on her toes in frustration. "You have your hands full with this one, don't you?" He said with a quiet chuckle as McRaney made a half-annoyed face. Remembering his earlier comments, Chin asked about the baby. "And .. how's your latest addition? Has she arrived?"

"You really have absolutely no idea." Referring to Erin, he stared down at his daughter before continuing to make a point that she would be undoubtedly hearing for years to come. "Erin is grounded .. indefinitely .. until she's forty. Or longer." The fresh warning made tears well up in her eyes as she looked up at him sadly and it was all the father could do to not give in so soon.

"She's fascinated by Doctor Ramirez and she wants her own stethoscope because now my Erin wants to be a doctor. She was hoping that he would be here even though I told her that he was helping patients." Softening slightly and studying the quiet team, McRaney ruffled her hair and then reminded her that the doctor was a very busy man. "We'll come back at a better time, okay?"

But then McRaney provided the only real distraction as he gaped over the birth of what would should have been a new second daughter. "Ah, well .. she's here without any complications. But she is actually a he." He reported as he shoved his cell phone full of baby pictures under their noses.

"That he-she thing seems to happen a lot around here." Steve stated dryly as he recalled the issue of Grace's pregnant rabbit - in reverse - where the male rabbit was found to be a very pregnant and agitated doe. He waved off the Lieutenant's quizzical look as the memory made him smile because the incident had been extremely funny at the time. But he sobered quickly as he glanced at his watch and then tried to dutifully look at the newborn's pictures.

"All this time we've focused on girl's names and pulling Erin's things out of storage. His room is full of pretty frilly things." McRaney began to smile happily. "But I have a son! Well, a son named Megan. So I guess we'll have to improvise a bit."

And then before leaving, he asked to privately meet with Steve in the corner of the waiting room. "I'll be back to see how Detective Williams is doing. I thought there would be word by now and I sincerely hope that everything goes well. But I need to thank you again. And please, don't interrupt me.' He shifted his feet and then warmly clasped Steve's arm. "Thank you for listening and allowing me in on this .. for trusting that I would keep it together with my daughter involved. Someone else might not have - certainly would not have - done that."

Tears lurked in the back of the Lieutenant's eyes and it was all Steve could do to merely nod in understanding. Because he did get it and he did completely understand the caliber of man he had dealt with.

It was a welcome diversion but that had now been another long hour ago and Steve was sitting rocked back against the wall with his eyes closed. He officially had a headache but in actuality, it was a nauseating migraine of monstrous proportions. Seemingly asleep, he was failing at willing the pain away and acutely aware of every sound and murmur taking place around him. And when the Surgical Intensive Care Unit doors opened, he was the first person standing.

"Ponch?" Steve breathed as he virtually stalked into Ramirez's personal space. The doctor was clearly exhausted as he took Steve's arm and moved him back where everyone was gathered. "You were in there a long time."

The doctor rubbed his face with both hands before shoving them deeply into his pockets. It was a habit that he'd adopted especially when stressed and Steve groaned inwardly as the man dropped his eyes before answering. "The good news is that Danny's holding his own. He's damn lucky with the amount of blood he's lost." Unexpectedly, Ramirez sat heavily in a spare chair next to Kono. The doctor was clearly worn out and still on edge by the events of the day as he gathered his thoughts.

"The bullet just missed penetrating his stomach. It passed through the muscles surrounding his abdomen, and I never could have hoped for it. But it never entered his true abdominal cavity ..at all." Ramirez shook his head with evident relief as he repeated a few words.

"He's got a fight ahead over the next few hours, but honestly he's damn lucky." Steve blinked in confusion; between the migraine and the stress, he didn't actually understand a single word the man was saying so Ramirez offered them a half-smile as he patiently summarized it once more. "We repaired the damage done by the bullet, and the path of travel did blessedly less harm than we thought."

He paused as the good news sunk in slowly around the group before explaining the more challenging portion. And he could tell by their solemn faces that they each understood that he wasn't yet done. "We lost precious time with Carter." Ramirez was not one to mince words and though he was kind, he was almost too blunt.

"That time .. and I had supplies .. so I had some things to at least try to keep him stabilized. But it was a damnable long time." The waiting room was eerily quiet as each team member looked to the other in complete surprise and it was Kono who spoke first.

"Hey Doc .. you aren't blaming yourself for any of this are you? Because that would just be .. ridiculous."

"Utterly ridiculous." Steve softly added. "None of us, including Danny, would have wanted anyone else backing us up. No one else could have done what you did in that room." The doctor sighed without saying a word because he didn't know how to voice his frustration; frankly, that was something he never did nor a problem he was known to have. He did what he had needed to do. But he'd had tools and a great deal of expertise to draw upon and yet, Danny was still in critical condition.

"Fine." Ramirez said, though it wasn't entirely the right word to use. "Fine. He came through surgery but we're having trouble stabilizing him now. With the damned long amount of time to put this situation with Carter to rest .." His voice trailed off as he shook his head again and slapped his knees with both hands. "The blood loss and shock ... the surgery was technically easy .. but Danny's been sorely taxed and is very weak."

Almost unable to stop, he was rambling from fatigue and stress; so he purposefully got to his feet and motioned for them to follow. "We got some good news. But the next few hours will be telling since we're struggling to maintain his vital signs."

And then he was taking a deep breath and they were almost jogging to keep up with his longer legs as he recovered his normally acerbic attitude. "I might be soft in the head when it comes to you four, but I am putting my foot down tonight."

The remark got a dry chuckle from Kono but he turned quickly to point to each one of the close friends. "You can see him for five minutes and then you are all leaving to go home. Not a word of complaint. Not a single argument. Trust me .. I am not in the mood."

Ramirez's tone was firm and unyielding as the three faces became even more disappointed. "From the anesthesia and pain killers alone, Danny would be sleeping for the next many hours post surgery. But he's critical and we are intentionally keeping him sedated and quiet. Five minutes .. then I insist you all go home and get some rest. Visiting hours begin at nine tomorrow morning and I do not want to see any of you before then."

A few short seconds later, they all convened around the bed and tried to do exactly as Ramirez demanded. Danny was either unconscious or asleep and to Steve, he hardly looked much better than when he had last seen him lying so still on the hospital floor. The only differences being that he was now in a bed and surrounded by machines. Still draped in blankets and shivering, Danny's face was partially obscured by an ever-present oxygen mask. And he was as colorless as before; as pale as the sheets and Steve felt his migraine go up a notch when his eyes followed the various intravenous lines.

Kono put a hand on his arm so that they would all leave together, but Steve lingered a few extra minutes until he was completely alone in the room.

"You're going to be fine .. how could you not be? But even Ponch is worried .. and I don't like that." He whispered quietly as he put his hand over the top of Danny's lax fingers. They were dry and cool to the touch but completely still and Steve paused one last time since he was completely unwilling to leave. "Danno, you have a lot of people in your corner. And Ramirez is the best. Don't disappoint the man; he's actually .. upset."

He waited knowing full well that nothing would happen and he rubbed at the spiking pain behind his eyes in his forehead. "Alright. We'll be back in the morning." And he continued to stand there even after saying the words out loud unable to turn and get his feet moving. But he finally forced himself after once more eyeing Danny from head to foot under the blankets. Besides the mandatory intravenous of fluids, he was also receiving a transfusion and a nurse had come in to check his blood pressure, heart rate and respiration all of which were on the low side. She gave Steve a kind but tolerant look and he offered a small distracted smile in return. Under the blankets, Steve could only guess at the bandaged wounds and he glowered unhappily when he briefly recalled the damaged ribs from so much earlier that morning.

Leaving the room, he was deep in thought and staring at the floor so much so that he crashed into Chin who was waiting for him in the corridor. "I'm taking you home. You're dead on your feet."

Kono was nearby and tossing his truck keys nonchalantly in her hand. Steve patted his pockets and then frowned at his youngest team member. "How did you get those?"

But she merely shrugged and started to walk away. "Just did. I'll take your truck and you take my car. And then I'll meet you and Chin at your place after I pick up something for all of us to eat."

"I'm not sure I approve of that." Steve muttered as Chin guided him out of the SICU. And then he realized he was still geared up and wearing his camo. Kono had rifled through his civilian clothes or his duffel bag hours ago to come up with his truck keys. "I'm not hungry either." But she was already out of sight.

None of them were in a laughing mood, but he registered the amusement in Chin's voice and totally at his expense when he saw the sluggish wheels turning in Steve's head. "She's bossy and she took my keys, Chin."

"She's good. What can I say?"

"Nothing." Steve griped quietly as he slid into the passenger seat of Kono's car. But then he was glad for the reprieve as he closed his burning eyes and leaned heavily into the bucket seat. The migraine was officially out of control and he had to keep his eyes shut for the entire trip back to his house.

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Ponch had openly watched the team from the nurse's station to ensure they left the property as he'd demanded.

"I'm impressed you got them to leave. All of them .. not a single straggler." Ellen noted with a quiet chuckle. "But I assume you're staying the night." And he nodded without looking at his wife before striding back towards Danny's room. She fondly watched him almost stalk away with shoulders hunched and hands habitually buried in his white coat.

Over his shoulder he stated the obvious as he disappeared through the doorway and she smiled."Yes. Yes I am."

Ellen was still smiling but with a knowing expression as she made her way to the cafeteria for a small tray of coffee and food that she would bring back up for him. Just as he hadn't needed to look at her, Ellen really hadn't really needed to ask that particular question.

Her husband was more soft-hearted than anyone could ever guess and most especially when it came to the members of the Five-0 team. The surgery had also been a mix of unexpectedly good news marred by the stress of Danny's weakened system. In addition, Ellen knew that afternoon's events had unsettled him greatly. The situation itself had brought back a series of bad memories from a long ago time and he needed to do certain things for himself. He needed to be sure that he stayed exactly where he might be needed the most.

Those fortunate souls that he considered "his" would always have his full attention for as long as he could offer it. And now, he needed to be at Tripler and actively monitoring Danny through the tedious night ahead. Not only was it his job, his responsibility .. it was his right; there would be no arguing with him - and why would Ellen or anyone else even want to?

And as Ellen made her way downstairs, she accepted without passing judgement or shedding an ounce of resentment, that she would be staying as well.

~ to be continued ~