Danny opened the passenger door and after adjusting the bench seating and buckling Gracie in he turned to Steve who handed him his keys.
Danny laughed, "Well this certainly a change of pace isn't it?"
"You're only driving 'cause I can't see straight right now partner so don't get used it"
"A guy can dream can't he?"
Once in the truck Gracie asked, "Are you okay Uncle Steve?"
"I'm going to be fine now" As Danny jumped in and started the car Steve added, "Danny, Gracie was very brave today. She listened to me and she took really good care of me. I'm very proud of her, she was a great partner"
Danny leaned over and kissed his daughter on the top of her head, "Of course she's a great partner"
Steve replied, "She's learning from the best, that's for sure"
The men's eyes connected and they smiled at each other as Gracie giggled.
It was a long half hour drive to the hospital for Steve. He was struggling with horrible nausea and dizziness as the motion of the truck escalated his symptoms. Continuing to hold the now bloodied towel to his head he closed his eyes and leaned back listening to Danny and Gracie chat.
A short time later Danny pulled into the parking lot at King's Medical Center.
"Steve, we're here"
Opening his eyes Steve said shakily, "Okay, just give me a minute"
"Take your time babe" Nudging Gracie he added, "Climb out this way Monkey"
The HPD squad car had pulled in next to him and as Danny exited the truck he asked Natua, "All clear buddy?"
"Yeah, everything's good. How is he?"
"He'll be okay, he just needs a minute"
Once inside the hospital Steve was brought back to be examined and Danny bought Gracie an orange soda and some Reeses Pieces from the vending machine in the waiting room.
"That's not a very good lunch Gracie, you're sure you don't want a sandwich or a cup of soup?"
"No, I'm not very hungry Danno"
"Okay"
Danny then grabbed a cup of coffee and they moved over to a table to wait.
As Gracie popped a couple of pieces of candy into her mouth Danny asked, "Can you tell me what happened out there Monkey?"
"Two men followed us but we didn't see them until we got to the caves. They snuck up on us and one of them hit Uncle Steve on the back of the head with his gun and the other one grabbed me. I was screaming for them to leave us alone..."
Danny reached across the table and took hold of her hand, "Did he hurt you Gracie?"
Her voice shook as she said softly, "No, he didn't hurt me"
"It's okay honey, you're safe now"
"I know Danno. I was a little bit scared but Uncle Steve was amazing. He knocked out the guy and then he fought with the other guy. He knocked the gun out of the bad guys' hand and then they punched each other a few times. Steve was knocked down but he got up and he rammed into the guy with his head. The guy was knocked backwards towards the edge of the cliff and he fell off...he screamed a lot when he fell Danno. Did he die?"
"I don't know yet Monkey, but you know that Uncle Steve did what he had to do right?"
She nodded her head, "Oh I know that Danno. Uncle Steve is a hero...he's my hero. He saved my life"
Danny smiled, "Yes he did but you helped him by being so brave and listening to him. I'm very proud of you baby girl"
"At recess last week a group of us kids were talking about our Dad's jobs and some of the kids didn't know that you worked for 5-0. Lucy told them and they asked me lots of questions. Then they told me how lucky I was to have a Dad that saved people's lives every day but I already knew that. I'm so lucky that you're my Daddy and that Steve is my Uncle. I'm so proud of both of you and I love you very much"
Tears welled in Danny's eyes as he said softly, "Wow...you really are growing up fast Gracie. Everything I do is for you Gracie, I love you with all my heart"
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About an hour later Steve entered the waiting room accompanied by an ER Doctor.
The two men joined them at the table and Steve grimaced as he sat.
Danny spoke first, "So I guess the fact that you're here and still dressed means that we're taking you home?"
Doctor Frank Sayers then stated, "He's refusing to stay"
Steve rolled his eyes, "Doc, I told you it's nothing personal and your accommodations are lovely but I need to be home and in my own bed. I'll lay low and take it easy, I promise"
Danny lifted his hand, "Steve, stop...Doc, talk to me"
Doctor Sayers began, "Commander McGarrett has a severe concussion and he SHOULD remain hospitalized at least overnight for observation"
Before the Doctor could continue Gracie spoke up, "Uncle Steve you HAVE to do what the Doctor says. I listened to you and you kept me safe. The Doctor wants to keep you safe and you should listen to him"
Steve looked at Danny who smiled and said, "Don't look at me partner, I agree these two"
"I thought you guys were on my side?"
Danny grinned, "We are on your side Steve. We love you it's our job to watch over you and to protect you from yourself!"
Steve sighed and ran a hand across his face.
Gracie then said softly "Please Uncle Steve"
Steve nodded his head slowly, "Okay...okay, you win...but just for tonight and ONLY if you two promise me something"
Danny replied, "What Steve?"
"I want you to leave now and go enjoy the rest of the day together...I don't want you staying here. I'm fine...I promise. And anyway, I could use the sleep"
Danny nodded, "Okay, but you'll call me if you need anything?"
"You know I will Daniel"
"Give him a hug Gracie, the man needs to rest"
Gracie moved to Steve's side and he leaned over and embraced her. "I love you Uncle Steve. Thank you for saving my life today and thank you for letting the Doctor take care of you"
He kissed her forehead, "You're welcome Gracie, I love you. And thank YOU for taking such good care of me. You go have fun with Danno and I'll see you tomorrow"
Danny then said, "Monkey, I need to talk to Steve and the Doctor alone for a minute. Can you go wait on the couch for me?"
"Sure...bye Uncle Steve"
Once she had stepped away Danny looked to the Doctor, "You know we're members of 5-0 right?"
"Yes"
"Steve's life is in danger. There's an HPD unit assigned to protect him"
"Alight. I'll make sure they get to his room"
Steve then said, "Danny the unit needs to stay with you and Gracie. You're both in danger as well"
"Steve, don't worry. I'll talk to Grover and we won't leave here until a security team arrives to shadow us. We'll be fine, all you need to do is rest and get better"
"Okay Danny, and thank you partner"
The men stood and embraced and as they parted Danny said, "We'll be up here in the morning"
"Hey bring me a change of clothes when you come, will you?"
"Will do. Get some sleep now okay?"
"I will...I'm beat and my head is killing me"
"I bet it is. Call me..."
"Danny, I plan on sleeping all day. I'll see you in the morning brother"
As Steve and the Doctor left the room Danny called Grover as he watched his daughter. His hand began to shake as the realty of what happened in the jungle suddenly hit him...Gracie could have been killed. Steve could have been killed...what would he have done if he had lost them?...
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Danny spoke with the HDP Officers explaining that they would be staying at the hospital to protect Steve. He and Gracie then drove to a little restaurant across the street to wait for the new unit to arrive.
As they waited for their salads and sandwiches to arrive Danny called Chin.
"Hey Danny, how's he doing"
"His diagnosis was correct. He has a severe concussion. Gracie was able to convince him to stay in the hospital for observation"
"Gracie was?"
"Yeah, he sure in the hell wasn't going to listen to me"
Chin chuckled, "We'll have to remember this, we'll probably need to use her in the future"
Danny laughed softly, "Unfortunately you're probably right brother, but she's our secret weapon. He's going to sleep and be monitored overnight and the Doctor will re-evaluate his condition in the morning"
"Okay good. How did he seem?"
"He's coherent but he's got a hell of a headache and he's tired"
"At least he's safe now and he's where he should be"
"Yeah. So what have you found out?"
"The men are both known affiliates of Wo-Fat. Steve broke the one guy's neck and they're still working on recovering the second body but he appears to have died from trauma...he fell about sixty feet off the cliff. These are big men Danny, both over 250 pounds...I don't know how Steve was able to take them both out alone in his condition"
"He's damn tough Chin"
"He's as tough as they come Danny but he wasn't fighting for just himself. As we said before, he would have died to keep Gracie safe"
"I know...I know"
"I've got the first man's cell phone and I'm heading back to headquarters to run a trace on it"
"Maybe we can use it to help pinpoint Wo-Fat's location"
"That's my hope brother"
"Can you handle this alone for now? I need get Gracie away from everything for a while, I think I'll take her to the mall and a movie"
"That's a good idea Danny. How's she doing? She's been through a lot"
Glancing across the table at his daughter he replied, "She's good buddy" She smiled at him as he added "She'll be even better after we get to the mall, I've owed her a shopping trip for a long time and she's got lots of plans on how to empty my wallet. Call me if you find anything okay?"
"I'll keep you posted. Just make sure HPD backup stays with you"
"Back at you babe. Have a good time"
******** More to follow – THANKS for reading and reviewing and I hope you all had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS *******