I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: tough chapter to get right so I hope it's satisfying.
H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*
Chapter Five: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity
It was an understatement to note that Chin was beside himself with an all-encompassing fervor to locate his cousin. Thirty-two tediously long hours had gone by with no news. No leads. No kidnap demands.
Nothing but a grieving silence.
It was as if Kono had been swallowed whole by the very earth. Anything and everything he had ever been exposed to or had experience with in the line of police work had come to a screeching halt.
"What next?" Chin had to restrain himself from demolishing the Smart table under the strength of his fist. "Where the hell do we go next?" Instead of giving in to that urge, driven by frustration and no small amount of fear, he chose to strangle the small teddy bear he'd retrieved from Kono's house just the day before. The plastic bag it was encased in for delivery to the crime lab crinkled warningly - as if it might pop - when he squeezed the poor plush animal nearly in half.
But he scowled as something sharp poked through the faux chocolate-colored fur and perplexed, he rotated the toy in his fingers.
"Where the hell could she have gone and how, in god's name, did no one see a damned thing!?" He rasped angrily while simultaneously examining the small bear, surprised to see a tiny hidden zipper in the comical red heart it held between its fluffy paws. He glanced up pensively to eye the man standing across from him. There was no acknowledgement that he'd said anything at all though or had possibly found a small clue inside Kono's stuffed bear. Chin paused for a moment, concern mounting, yet he was at a loss to find a way to engage him. Instead, he put the bagged evidence on the Smart table to pull a spare pair of gloves out from his pocket. The toy, along with a few other things from his cousin's home, would be delivered within the hour to the Crime Scene Unit's busy lab. But first, he needed to see what had poked his fingers from inside the hidden pouch.
Emotionally distressed by his own failings, it was Danny who stood so silently across from his friend, already rocking wearily against the same large computer table. He was only half-watching Chin's fingers pull the toy from the evidence bag to unzip the small pouch. Lost in thought about what he had allowed to happen, he was resentfully trying to manage the sickly ache in his body. Sensitive scabs had formed on the right side of his face, across his knuckles, and more dotted his chest and ribcage in an ugly pattern. The same scattering crusted under his loose-fitting slacks where his thigh and knee had connected with coarse rocky sand earned when tossed mercilessly under water. All of those areas were bruised, touched by swelling and boasting fresh darkish purpling colors to add insult to skin which was already badly abused.
However, these were not the worst of his physical injuries. A white bandage covered the deep wound on his left temple from the photographer's first stunningly hard blow. Now stitched, it remained sore and the resulting concussion was a main culprit behind a drilling headache which refused to quit. Another blackish bruise drew a swollen line across his jawbone, under which a painful bone bruise made it difficult to talk or eat comfortably. And to top off his discomfort, Danny's shoulder had been relocated back into its joint and the appendage was strapped firmly to his chest, leaving him with the use of only one arm.
Miserable both body and soul, he had stayed in the hospital for twenty-four hours while his team focused on locating Kono. And as he'd promised, Ponch had played the part of liaison by keeping the team informed and offering constant reassurances that Danny's condition was typical based upon physical stressors and the drugs prescribed to get him through the painful events. On the positive side, x-rays of Danny's face and skull appeared normal; as did follow-up films of his shoulder that proved he'd not sustained any additional fractures. And if there was one blessing, because of the prescribed midazolam, Danny didn't remember his shoulder being moved back into its rightful place upon waking.
Only released that morning from the hospital, he was strongly advised by his physicians to go home to recuperate. Ten days worth of total rest aided by a battery of prescribed medications. What he did though was precisely the opposite. Since he did remember portions of the attack and fully blamed himself for Kono's abduction, Danny immediately insisted upon joining his team at 5-0 headquarters.
"Sketch artist?" Danny softly slurred his question, needing to pick words and keep his sentences short in order to avoid moving his jaw too widely. He had met with an artist and she had rendered a very rough rendition of the photographer based on his best description. A description which wasn't very good. In fact, the end result was far from impressive, but they were all pulling at straws and Danny had needed to try something ... anything to move the investigation in a positive direction.
"Nothing," Chin ground out, scowling even more deeply as he pulled a small gold ankle bracelet out from the teddy bear's toy heart. Briefly distracted by his find, Chin still understood with just those two simple words what Danny meant. He glanced up, meeting the complex field of pain in Danny's eyes with sympathy.
"No, nothing's come of it yet, Danny." Chin softened his tone when he saw the flare of hope fade just as his own had done. But the sketch was raw at best, and they hadn't been any hits in the system; meaning it was much too imperfect of a rendering, or their unknown subject had no record.
"What the hell is this though?" He muttered thoughtfully under his breath, returning to study the small chain. He held it high, dangling it gently in his fingers where it swayed between them. The gold sparkled in the light and was no doubt of a very real intrinsic value. He paused, a deep crease causing a homely array of wrinkles to mar his complexion. Something stirred in his mind and his head unconsciously cocked to the side.
Still deep in thought, he was slow to place the bracelet in the plastic evidence bag along with the small teddy bear. He hung his head head, thinking, eyes closing while heavily leaning against the table's coldly dispassionate surface.
When Chin offered nothing else but that pensive lull, Danny's eyes dropped to the table after briefly lingering over the stuffed animal and its pricey treasure. Neither of which made a real impact because he was just as distracted and hardly able to stay on his feet. He couldn't conjure the energy to utter a single word to boost Chin's fortitude or find a way to improve any of their moods. Frankly, he'd been frantically trapped within the confines of the hospital doing precisely the same as his team: worrying, chasing mental ghosts and angrily reacting to the smallest of interruptions.
But he'd at least had hope there; within the sterile walls of his hospital room, he had hope that he'd be released to find that Steve and Chin had discovered something of value. Or, even better ... that Kono had come home. He sighed in a hopeless sense of frustration, grimacing when a stray painfully sharp ping in his shoulder joined the unrelenting thump in his head.
"It's not your fault, Danny." The solemn whispers were completely unexpected, as was the intensity behind the words. "It isn't your fault, brah. You can't blame yourself."
Despite a flare of agony, Danny's head shot up at the soft utterance to come eye to eye with his friend. He'd no idea that Chin had reopened his eyes and altered his focus to study his flagging body.
"Danny?" Chin's soft prompt was filled with compassion. An emotion which Danny didn't deserve, especially coming from Kono's cousin. He stared at Chin for a long moment before shaking his head to dismiss the statements, object to the entreaty, and to simply turn away to hobble soundlessly back to his office.
As he watched him go, Chin measured the hunched posture and the way Danny cradled his wounded arm to his body. His voice remained concerned as it followed the escape down the short hallway. "You should be home … resting. Give yourself a chance to get back on your feet, Danny."
Whatever else Chin said was lost in Danny's slow departure. As far as he was concerned, what had happened to Kono was entirely his fault …. his responsibility. It didn't matter if they'd been on a beach or in the midst of an investigation. As a seasoned professional, he simply knew more and had seen more; he knew better and because he didn't act sooner, the worst thing imaginable had happened. Danny's steady but uncomfortable gait, tripped away from the main room as he simply hobbled away to dwell in his own brand of misery.
Losing Kono was unforgivable.
Steve watched the two from his office, paying scant attention to the Governor who was expressing as much concern about Kono's disappearance as they were experiencing first-hand. From where he sat, Chin had yet to move from the Smart table though his hands were suddenly flying with an astonishing dexterity. Oddly, the small teddy bear sat innocently center stage and the toy seemed to now have captured Chin's full attention. Though he'd heard of it, Steve hadn't seen the toy bear before that morning and he frowned when Chin leaned over to examine it again before resuming whatever he was working on.
"Damn it," Steve muttered softly. The Governor was still speaking, but Steve wasn't suddenly listening as he rubbed eyes which burned miserably in his head. Then he attacked his face one-handed, accidentally heaving a sigh into the phone to the Governor's instantly voiced consternation. His apology was quick, perhaps even too much so, and Steve ended the call before he could make matters worse. He was on his feet and through his office door, already forgetting what the Governor had to say, to chase down his wayward partner.
None of them had eaten or slept since the abduction, however his partner looked bad and Steve was highly concerned when he saw Danny slump behind his desk.
"Damn it," Steve murmured under his breath for a second time. Upon release from the hospital, Danny had insisted upon returning to the offices despite the freshness of his wounds and apparent exhaustion.
It clearly wasn't a good idea.
Danny was sick and in significant pain. Ponch disapproved the decision, as well as Doctors Lennon and Fratelli. Both Steve and Chin understood the medical recommendations and perhaps even agreed. Nonetheless, there was no arguing amongst the three members of the team as they all redoubled - actually now tripled - their efforts in earnest.
"If not a recent case, an old one," Danny slurred carefully when Steve showed up in his doorway. He pointedly ignored the disapproving look, as well as the bone deep aches embedded around his entire torso which competed with an ongoing migraine. Meds would make him more tired than he already was, so other than the antibiotic and taking a regular over-the-counter analgesic, Danny had no intention of taking anything prescribed unless absolutely necessary.
"We tried, Danny," Steve gently reminded him. "You know that." Torn once more about the decisions being made, Steve studied his friend's weakening posture. There was a very real physical ache deeply seated in his injured body, but the bruised chin remained set with a dogged level of defiance.
"More," Danny slurred as way of demanding they look again to review everything they had at their combined disposal with a fine-toothed comb. "We look again."
"Don't waste your time," Chin said. Trotting nearly on Steve's heels, he interrupted the two, glowering in frustration at Danny's obvious level of discomfort. His jaw clenched before relenting with an understanding sigh. As Steve now felt, he also disapproved Danny's participation in the office. However, neither saw fit to verbally object Danny's presence.
At least, not yet.
"I found something else and it relates to what we have from the crime scene," Chin stated. "I really think I'm right about this and you're both going to be very surprised."
After investigating the crime scene themselves and getting the final disappointing report from forensics on Kono's car, he and Steve had spent an endless number of hours scouring their case files and questioning as many people as possible. That was what they had committed to at least up until the moment that the CSU lab had called with an interesting find. Something which coincided with Danny's gut instincts in regard to the existence of their elusive photographer. What they had now was a broken plastic casing and a piece of glass found literally underneath the impressive bulk of the dumpster. A very special piece of plastic and a portion of a unique thick glass which the CSU lab confirmed as being associated to a rather expensive brand of professional camera equipment.
The damaged photography equipment and Danny's adamant convictions combined to prompt Chin with a long-lost memory. It was something only he could know and so, Chin had completely changed gears to further ransack his cousin's house. It was there he had rediscovered the small plush teddy bear and something else which he'd taken on a whim - Kono's large personal scrapbook which practically burst at its well-worn seams. Since taking the bear and now having discovered the ankle bracelet, he knew why his brain had begun to make a connection before he even realized it was happening. Now, that old musty memory solidified and his conviction grew with a determined vengeance.
"He gave this to her and it's our next biggest clue." With a soft thump and a crinkle of plastic, he plopped the seemingly benign teddy bear on Danny's desk and then thumbed the gold chain inside the bag off to the side. "Check out this bracelet."
"I know that, but what the hell's that thing doing here?" Danny glowered from were he sat, shifting uncomfortably in his chair and ready for an argument. They were each on edge with frayed tempers and stumbling over themselves to rehash and second-guess the merest hint of a clue. He was only upset and his annoyed question was more rhetorical than anything else.
"I'm sorry, Chin," Danny sighed apologetically. He knew the toy was pegged to be delivered to the CSU lab but it was a blatant reminder of his failings and of the kidnapper's skillful game. He found the plush toy difficult to look at despite the fact that Chin seemed newly intrigued. "The bracelet was inside?" He asked after eyeing the teddy bear's rude cross-stitched grin and blood-red heart.
Steve's face fell unhappily as his partner painfully leaned back in his office chair. Danny's face was lined with fatigue, an ongoing depression and a myriad of obvious physical woes which did nothing to aid in his own condemnation.
"Are you okay?" Steve whispered softly. His eyes bore into Danny's, begging him to rest. However, the result was an ingrained fury and Steve pursed his lips worriedly before he dropped his gaze in defeat.
"Just ... You need to listen to me. We've been going down the wrong path. We've all been wrong by thinking we need to focus on case work." Having shouldered past Steve to enter the office, Chin worriedly weighed Danny's expression, yet he almost couldn't hide his excitement.
"What do you mean?" Steve asked. "What do you have?"
Besides bringing in the bear, he was holding a thin file folder and the scrapbook, which they were indeed surprised to see stored a number of old newspaper clippings and articles from Kono's early competitive days. "I think this guy is from when she was surfing, Danny." Where Chin had once been guessing, the idea felt entirely right and at first, he intentionally engaged his injured friend. In every way imaginable, his supposition simply felt perfectly correct.
"The bracelet was inside the heart. There's a small zipper across the back which Kono never noticed," Chin explained. With pride, he shuffled through the old articles which included a number of professionally taken and published photographs. He scattered a number of them across Danny's desk as if he were shuffling an expansive deck of cards.
"Nice." Though he remained upset, Danny couldn't help grinning back at the deep selection of articles and memorabilia. "She's about Grace's age here?" "She's … so good."
He chuffed an amazed sound mixed with sadness because a twelve-year old Kono was battering a wave sans fear and with only a triumphant smile plastered across her face. "No wonder she's always yelling at me," Danny murmured under his breath, earning a wry grin from both his friends. The waves she'd been coaching him on were nowhere near the caliber of what she was capable of and he made another weary noise before rubbing his face with one hand.
"She was better than good, brah," Chin continued with a gentle proud smile. "She was outstanding for her age and had developed quite a following. Mostly kids - young girls - around the same peer group. But, there were a couple of odd, standouts who showed up. A couple of one-off admirers who simply didn't fit the mold."
"It's been years, Chin," Steve noted as he rounded on the desk to stand over Danny. However, his comment was only mildly disbelieving of where Chin's hypothesis was taking them since he was quite interested in the possibilities.
Steve looked up as Chin pulled one picture out from a standard looking office file folder. It was an older police report focusing on a gangly older teenage boy with shoulder-length dreadlocks and cocky sneer.
"He looks pleasant. Who's this?" He asked sarcastically, frowning in momentary confusion when Chin lined it up against the artist's rendition of Danny's incredibly limited sketch.
"I just printed that from our archives. Meet Christopher Reed." Chin was sure now as he closely watched for Steve's reaction, then glanced towards Danny who was nearly inhaling the faint similarities. As limited as the sketched rendition was, they almost didn't need it now as three pairs of eyes met in rapt consideration. With an agreeable smile, Chin made it clear that Reed was the man on his very short list of possible subjects. "He went by Cristo on the streets … and he was a lot of trouble. Long story short, he gave Kono a gold necklace,very much like this ankle bracelet, on her fourteenth birthday."
"Seriously?" Danny struggled to his feet to better view the iffy comparisons for himself. There was no way he could be sure; he simply had never seen their stalker face to face and any judge or jury might even laugh at the exaggerated allegations.
"Damn it," Danny grimaced at his weaknesses. He wobbled unsteadily, forced to lean into Steve as his left hand crab-walked the old photo of the teenager closer so he could study it. Chin was asking for affirmation and he couldn't give it. Regardless of that, Chin's theory could very well be a sound one.
"It's a start and maybe a damned good one. Where is this guy today?" Danny stared at the boy's eyes and then closed his own to think. He fought to remember the blackness that was the depths of his brain before he'd been put down by the photographer. He shook his head in disgust causing a flux of dizzying vertigo to dim his vision with a vengeance. "Damn it," he moaned for a new reason as his office tilted and he tipped dangerously off-kilter.
"Danny, sit down," Steve had a firm hold of his bicep, keeping him upright and then guiding backwards to the chair as his partner paled and wobbled unsteadily.
"No, wait. I think it's him." Despite briefly arguing, Danny allowed himself to be eased back down while insisting on pulling the pictures along with him. He had to sit regardless because it was either that or fall as he lost his sense of balance.
"There's no way to be sure off this sketch," Chin admitted softly. "We all want it to be someone. But you never were close enough to see him face to face." He grimaced because Danny wanted it to be someone; they all wanted it to be someone and this person worked on first blush. Yet he knew they were all grasping desperately at any straw as each minute ticked by.
"We can't be positive. But ... but I agree that Reed's a decent start and even more than a darn good one," Chin concurred.
"I'm sorry," Danny suddenly muttered, feeling nauseous and swallowing hard while he palmed the space between his eyes. He was sorry for not seeing the photographers' face, for being taken by surprise and worst of all, for losing Kono.
"Chin, I'm so sorry." He ignored the soft soothing rebuttals of both his friends as he fought to make incomplete images whole as he so badly wanted them to be. His voice was low and even raspy as he rubbed his eyes in vain. "I think it is … he's close … could be him. Take the dreadlocks away and age him up … it could very well be him."
"We discussed this and I don't blame you at all, Danny." Chin ghosted a smile as he glanced worriedly towards Steve. "You could have been killed, brah. Besides, this is entirely my fault if I'm right. No one else's fault but my own."
Danny snorted in derision, the sound resonating into his jaw and making him wince. "How exactly does that work?"
"Because I never told her," Chin simply stated. He shrugged helplessly as his eyes darkened with a watery foreboding. "It was my job to protect her and I chose to do that by completely shielding her."
"She was a child at the time," Danny murmured. "What else were you supposed to do?"
"Instruct and guide her better than I did. Especially as she got older because she could have handled knowing about the likes of Cristo Reed," Chin softly added, shaking his head with a rueful blame. "Forewarned is forearmed, right?"
Steve sucked in a worried breath as his two teammates slowly berated themselves. But there was something worse which Chin was on the cusp of verbalizing and Steve cursed in understanding. "So if this Reed guy is back, then she was no idea who he is?" Steve asked.
"Not a single clue," Chin admitted. For a moment, he looked as if a few tears might escape and then it was gone. If he was indeed correct, he had no time to wallow.
"Anyway, I think this is the right way to go. Reed fits my hunch and we have nothing else at this point. The age would be right and it's a good enough lead," Chin agreed, the left corner of his mouth twitched in concern and his next words were hesitant because his initial search didn't yield anything positive. "He hasn't been on Oahu for years … he left after the restraining order was put into place. Obviously, I haven't had enough time to dig in; but we need to dig deeper on this."
"What did he do? What happened?" Steve cautiously asked, one hand left to rest supportively on Danny's shoulder. To his increasing dismay, stress was seeping from every fiber of his friend's body. Any one of the three physicians who had managed Danny's case would be up in arms at that very moment. Their orders were remarkably consistent in that he go home and rest for at least a full week. But Danny couldn't rest and he simply wouldn't until Kono was found.
"He showed up when Kono was about twelve … and overstayed his welcome," Chin mused in remembrance, not entirely surprised when Danny looked up to show an unabashed flush of anger.
"Twelve?" Danny blurted, unsure if he'd heard correctly. "That young?"
"Yeah, brah. Twelve." Chin's confirming reply was curt and solidified by a firm nod. "It was never quite right because he was easily five or so years older. Then … he stayed. I saw him everywhere; on the beach during practice, near her grammar school, and on our block. You tell me why a seventeen or eighteen year old would ever be interested in a child?"
His voice had accidentally increased in volume as his emotions took the better of him and Chin stopped to regain composure and gather his own thoughts. What had occurred was so long ago, he'd practically forgotten about it.
"Danny, if this is Cristo or someone very much like him, it's not your fault." He tried to instill a calmness, though his own heart was breaking in two. "It's mine."
Chin had protected Kono all those years ago and to some extent, still did. But now, his head was telling him that a certain threat he though long gone was back. He was morbidly worried about his cousin once more, but with Danny constantly lambasting himself in similar guilt and now reacting emotionally in kind, he found himself searching for better words.
"We couldn't trace all the anonymous gifts … but a great deal of the cards, flowers and a few inappropriate gifts were thought to have come from Cristo. Bracelets, necklaces; expensive ones. Three were identified as stolen articles and returned to their rightful owners. That was all bad enough, but the biggest issue became Cristo's penchant for taking pictures of Kono … constantly … everywhere. Like the worst paparazzo you can imagine."
"Pictures?" The word caused an instant reaction as Danny physically jolted under Steve's hand.
"Yeah. The kid didn't seem to realize that I'd noticed him; but I had. When you see the same person showing up at every single competition - someone so out of place and who clearly doesn't belong - you tend to notice. It's another valid reason to consider this guy," Chin sneered in disgust as he recounted the occasion in the hospital after Kono's career-ending surfing accident.
"Cristo also staked out the hospital when Kono got hurt. In short, there was an altercation and he was bodily removed from the facility. After that, I had a restraining order slapped into place."
Steve groaned aloud. "And Kono never knew about this?"
"Never," Chin grimaced. "She was devastated by the accident. Why ever would I lay this Cristo issue on top of all of that?"
It was a truthful and honest admission. It even sounded reasonable saying it again, but Chin couldn't find peace. "I should have told her. At some point after all this time, I should have told her."
"This is how a stalker is born? I'm going to be sick," Danny held the sling to his body, his good arm cradling it protectively. "So this maniac is older …. still has this sick obsession … and now he's come back for Kono?" It was all too much to consider and he didn't want to think what an old pedophile-like stalker might do after years of perceived rejection.
"Let's go … we need to check him out," Danny stumbled up again, ignoring Steve's quiet hiss of objection and subsequent refusal to remove a sturdy hand from his elbow. "Smart table … it's better."
He was impressed that neither of his friends had yet to initiate the pending argument about his participation, especially when he inelegantly sagged in place to hit his own desk with a hip.
"I'm okay," Danny whispered when Steve literally put a steadying arm around his shoulders. Obstinance required that he not look up, so Danny stared at the scrapbook. He inanely studied how a young Kono had proudly decorated the cover with faux flowers. Faded in color and worn with love, pinks and yellows were now dusky and fragile. But in spite of the moody silence he received in return, he could feel the spike of worry mushrooming around him as Steve held him upright. It was only then that Danny realized that Chin was less than an inch from his nose.
"I'm fine. Let's look this guy up," Danny insisted as they regarded each other for a long moment. Bent over to peer up into his face and with a rock-hard expression, Chin was about to break the original unspoken promise.
But it was indeed Steve who made the ultimate decision.
"No. Not you. If you plan on staying here, you're going to lay down in my office," Steve announced with a finality that wasn't too be argued. Under his hand and only a few brief hours post release from the hospital and Danny's body was beginning to break down from stress.
"We need to find her," Danny breathed around a plaintive, helplessly broken voice. Chin was equally as wrecked as he joined Steve in helping their sick friend to the larger office.
"Oh, we will find her," Steve made the vow for the trio as they made the short trek down the hallway with Danny propped between them. If Danny collapsed just hours from being discharged, it wouldn't even be classified as a relapse. "We will. But you can write off Ramirez this time, because Kono would have your head for risking yourself like this, Danno." The threat combined a number of emotions amongst them. And though Danny's mouth fell open, he found nothing to say or object to.
However, he faltered noticeably and they paused for a long moment before he began moving just barely under his own steam. The distressed looks shared over the top of the bowed blonde head added to all of their ongoing levels of anxiety. Chin's expression communicated a sincere message. In return, Steve could only silently agree that his partner risked a relapse but continue with the quiet support based on Danny's wishes to remain involved. His guilt and need to help were things which not one of them could truly argue, though they would each rally to protect the other as much as humanly possible.
"We'll check out this Christopher Reed, we'll find her, and then … make no doubt, we'll bring her home," Chin concurred as he helped ease Danny to the couch in Steve's office. With Kono missing, they were too soon to have another friend in such dire physical straits as Danny's eyes scrunched closed against the threat of a very real migraine. Looks were shared again when two pairs of hands guided him back and Danny didn't object their insistent care. "But you need to take it easy, too. Seriously, Steve's right - you know you can't kickstart your first day out of the hospital like this, Danny."
"It doesn't matter," Danny muttered, tormented at seeing the pain so clearly marking Chin's eyes. He didn't care if he ran himself into the ground if the end result brought Kono home.
"Yes it does," Chin replied firmly. "It definitely matters."
But something else was being communicated and Danny narrowed his eyes defensively. Both men were finally calling it quits on his behalf.
"No," Danny said out loud, verbalizing what he saw not only in Steve's face, but finally in each of his two friends. "No, I'm staying. I'm good and I can't … I just can't sit at home, doing nothing." He shook his head, entirely refusing the no longer subtle plea communicated by Steve to go home; to allow the rest of his team to manage without him. "We get Kono back … we get her back. Now. Today."
"We will," Steve reiterated firmly. He was standing behind Chin who was still crouched low as Danny's eyes closed despite what he'd just stated. Without asking permission, he returned to Danny's office for anti-inflammatories and other prescribed drugs.
"But if you stay here, then I'm not letting you say no. Take them," Steve demanded, dropping two of the prescription pain relievers into Danny's palm before handing him a small cup of water. "I know what you said about falling asleep, but you need them, Danno. At least for today, you need them. Please, take them."
The silent response was laced with frustration when Danny looked from Steve to Chin. Their mutual respect was there, as was their combined appeal, and so Danny swallowed the medication without further argument.
"Get some rest, Danny. One of us will let you know as soon as we find something out about Reed," Steve sighed in relief as Danny acquiesced to their pressure. "We're right here and we'll wake you if we get a hit or find anything out that we can act on."
"Okay, okay," Danny muttered, part of him relieved at the compromise as he sank into the couch.
"We'll get her back," Steve reiterated firmly. Based upon the significant nature of tone alone, the promise was clear that Kono would be rescued in one whole, safe piece. However what he saw in Chin's expressive eyes was ten times more telling.
Danny watched them working together, shoulder to shoulder, for as long as he could before his own eyes decided they were throwing up a white flag of surrender. He fell asleep confident in at least one thing.
What happened to their subject in the end - whomever he or she might wind up being - their personal fate would likely be an entirely different affair.
~ to be continued ~