No Kau a Kau (For Eternity)

by Irene Claire

"Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you. Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you. And without feet I can make my way to you ... " A one-time obsessed fan from Kono's surfing past comes unexpectedly back into her life with some very personal motives. Team Fic. Danny Whump. Kidnapped Kono and much Angst/Hurt/Comfort/Friendship for all.

12. Chapter 12

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

Notes: thank you to everyone who is reading or has left a comment - including, my thanks to the wonderful Guest reviewers whom I can't personally reply to - for such encouragement and kind reviews.

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Chapter Twelve: No Kau a Kau ~ For Eternity

Chin strode almost angrily into the hospital, in the lead of Kono's gurney. By appearance alone, he looked as if he might tear the place from top to bottom for no apparent reason when in fact he was truly distraught. He'd of course taken his cousin from Steve's arms and carried her the rest of the way through the large house and on to the waiting ambulance. The riot of lights, noise and activity had only served to heighten her emotional stress instead of find its peacefulness. His own presence seemed to do the same and he didn't understand until he'd seated her on the gurney and the emergency medical technicians got to work.

"He's dead ... it's my fault that he killed Danny," her eyes were saucer-shaped and her tears wouldn't stop. Her sobs had only worsened when she'd managed to choke out that she was sorry that Danny had been killed ... entirely because of her. Because she hadn't listened to him in the first place.

"No, no. He's not dead, Kono," Chin had pulled her hands down from her face insisting and the pleaded with her to listen. He had continued to hold her hands as the EMT's worked around him to take her vitals and run fluids into her arm. "Danny is not dead; Reid lied to you. He lied." She'd been nearly inconsolable though, exhausted from her ordeal and stubbornly stuck in her own mind while she trembled badly from drugs and stress, her teeth had literally clacked inside her head. The EMT's had also gently cajoled and attempted to coach her to a more placid plane, but she'd tuned them out entirely.

"It's the drugs," each technician had explained to Chin. Their combined looks of concern had questioned other things - other injuries or issues that might be hidden from them all, and at the time, Chin could only stiffen in a sudden sense of agitation. Of course, he'd worried that Reid had touched Kono but no one had dared to even look in a questioning way about that frightening concern. Voicing it - even as gently as it had been done - had nearly beyond his ability to cope.

"Shit," he'd murmured softly. "I don't know." Steve had been behind him and Chin had glanced over this shoulder, their expressions blatantly mirroring that potentially tragic question more openly. There had been a moment of distraction though when Chin had watched Steve use the back of his hand to wipe a smear of blood from his lip. With the black gloves stowed away and the remaining dampness from their joint dive into the ocean, the smear had been mottled against white skin. He had frowned at the swelling along Steve's cheekbone, too. The question had altered slightly and Steve had shrugged helplessly, a lame gesture aimed directly at his cousin and Chin had actually almost laughed. Almost, but not quite.

"Sir?" The EMT had cocked his head and questioned again, but Chin could only wince as his mouth opened then soundlessly closed. "We'll need to know and you know that the ER docs will need to know, too. But for now, I'd guess that our major concerns are the drugs that she's been exposed to. That, plus the mental fatigue and dehydration."

"Yeah," Chin had muttered. The EMT's had briefly paused and Steve had joined him. Just the three gathered in a circle of sorts. Steve's hand had fallen in encouragement to his shoulder. And for that, Chin had been beyond grateful as he found the courage to ask as gently as possible.

"Kono? Did he touch you?" She had blinked wildly at first. Confused by the question and the change of course from her focus on grasping that Danny hadn't been killed. "Did Reid do anything to you?"

"What? What ... what do you mean?" Kono had looked innocently at her hands now tightly held inside her cousin's before looking directly into Steve's face. She'd frowned at their dark expressions, thought hard on what was being asked, and then had shaken her head to the negative as something finally made sense. "No, no ... he didn't ... he ... was ... might have ... tonight. But, no."

Chin had been so sick with relief, he'd felt like sitting right on the pavement of the driveway. He'd barely felt Steve's hand now drilling reassuringly into his neck again or heard the loud exhale which compounded their mutual release. However, that important question and her short answer had been entirely irrelevant to her. She'd frowned again, switching her fingers from inside Chin's to grapple for his. Her eyes had anxiously searched his face in askance, flying then to Steve's to make sure she had heard correctly the first time. "But Danny? He's okay? Really? Where is he then? Where's Danny?"

It was Steve who had cautiously replied in such a way as to minimize her fears and he'd done a good job. At least in the short term. "He's resting in the hospital, Kono. Let's get you over there and find out how he is. Alright?"

However, neither he nor Steve had truly been in contact with the hospital, Doctor Fratelli or even with Doctor Ramirez. So, on the ride over in the ambulance, Chin couldn't answer any more of Kono's continued ramblings. On edge and refusing to relax, she had caught his quiet evasive responses and slightly devolved again with her emotions much too close to the surface.

"I want to see him," she asked and then demanded it, tears coursing down her cheeks and her voice rising despite a raspy dryness. "Chin! I want to see him! What aren't you telling me?"

With that, he'd been forced to find something else to say. Something that still wasn't enough and resulted in him admitting that neither he nor Steve knew much about Danny's current status after have had surgery. "Ponch is with him, Kono. He's been such a help in filling in gaps about what happened early on; and now, he's at the hospital and acting as one of Danny's primaries." Chin had patiently explained with as much care as humanly possible. But only the fact that Doctor Ramirez was there seemed to offer some consolation, because she never once agreed to relax from that moment on.

Tight-lipped and feeling his levels of stress escalating again as they arrived at the hospital and he now bolted through the doors, Chin knew that only one more remedy existed - allowing Kono to see Danny with her own two eyes. However, Topher Reid's ambulance had arrived first and a number of HPD officers ranged the emergency room in an organized fashion to provide the proper level of security and visibility. Chin wended his way through the throng, aware that Kono's gurney was being wheeled rapidly behind. Without a doubt, Steve was there, too, but likely closely hovering over the seriously injured criminal as medical staff attempted his care.

"Doctor Lennon!" Chin honed in on the emergency room physician, relieved to see someone familiar but unconsciously making a face when he spied the blood-stained attire. Before he could coordinate any kind of reunion, he not only needed for Kono to be seen herself first, he needed to know about Danny. Another argument would soon be sparked with Kono about the order of affairs, yet it was apparent that Lennon was dealing with Reid as he conferred with another doctor.

At the sound of his name, the younger man whirled around. "Lieutenant Kelly, we've been waiting for you. Your suspect is on his way to emergency surgery."

"Okay," Chin replied quickly as sweat literally dripped down his cheeks. His clothing was sticking to his body uncomfortably from salt water and he fidgeted, pulling on his damp t-shirt for his hasty change seconds before diving into Kono's ambulance. Upon the discharge of his weapon, Topher Reid had instantly become the very last person on his mind. "Listen, do you know anything at all about Danny? Kono's right behind me and she's having a rough time ... any word?"

Lennon's face morphed into an interesting field of expressions as he concluded what Chin was actually saying. He'd been asked the very same thing by the Five-0 Commander and could only share an identical but much too brief update for the second time. "I can only tell you that he's in recovery or he could be in a room by now. That's all ... I don't know anything else. Commander McGarrett is looking for either Fratelli or Doctor Ramirez."

"It's not going to be enough," Chin whispered worriedly. The doctor didn't know what else to say though as his latest patient came his way. He measured her quickly, noting the pale expression and yet the splotchy redness of her cheeks. He harrumphed under his breath as he replayed his initial altercation with the injured detective so many days earlier, brought in when Officer Kalakaua was first abducted. Now it was her eyes which sought him out seeking answers, pupils dilated and her body physically thrumming from drugs and stress.

"Detective Williams is upstairs," Lennon offered as honestly as possible. It was a fact that he wasn't known for his bedside manner. Something which his father's friend and his self-appointed mentor, Doctor Ramirez, had seen fit to bluntly inform him of that same week. That part of his introverted personality caused words to fail and he sought refuge in clinical language. He was smart - almost too smart - and for that, his social skills had always suffered. But this time, he tried harder and struggled with his tongue as the gurney poised under his very nose.

"I know you're upset about Detective Williams," Lennon went there first even though his medical tendencies to treat the patient screamed in his head. He wanted to act and do his job, but therein lay his issue related to an inability to be outwardly empathetic. The officer before him was clearly distressed and her hands were balled into wadded fists. If her cousin and two EMT's hadn't ranged around the gurney, he was positive that she would have tried to launch herself from its center. She would have tried and undoubtedly, failed.

"I know that he's upstairs resting in recovery and that Doctor Ramirez is with him. Commander McGarrett is there now. I'm sure we'll all know more soon," Lennon added, perturbed when he witnessed what her cousin had already warned him about. His answer was certainly not good enough based on the level of stress she was exhibiting. He glanced at the Lieutenant before taking in another breath and trying to smile reassuringly.

"I need to see him," Kono resorted to whispering her demand as her upper body swayed where she sat. The remnants of adrenalin were barely keeping her eyes open and she probably couldn't walk if her life depended upon it. She knew that and she knew that she was being terribly unreasonable. But she did know one additional thing: she needed to see Danny with her own two eyes.

"I'd ... ah ... like to make sure you're okay?" He asked, rather than demanded it as he skirted around her declaration. His automatic retort to deny her request was swallowed down hard as he focused on finding a method to begin evaluating her condition. "I'd like to check you out," he repeated and then waited as the female officer stared blankly at him and said nothing. Her muscles were bunched and her skin seemed eerily translucent in the bright overhead lights of the emergency room corridor. By sight alone, she was dehydrated and fighting the effects of whatever drug had been forced into her system. Even if he'd known more about her friend, he felt very strongly that she wouldn't be able to remain upright long enough to see the man.

"Not yet. I need to see him," Kono dug in harder. Doctor Lennon saw the quick shake to her head, too. It was nearly imperceptible and he wasn't even sure if it was for him or the beginnings of a stellar argument against proper treatment. Another quick glance towards her cousin yielded the same concern which was compounded when the Lieutenant's hand fell sturdily to her shoulder as if she might indeed lurch wildly off the gurney.

Lennon didn't know where he found the words. If he'd put more thought into what he was going to say, it probably wouldn't have had the desired effect. "If I may speak plainly, I think Detective Williams might want us to help you, first."

With that unexpected observation, Kono paused to consider Lennon's compromise. She looked down at her fisted hands and forced each to unfurl, however her fingers refused to stop their frenetic shaking. Her vision wavered and she realized what she must look like, or even sound like. She was upset, being completely unreasonable and knew that a great of her reaction was due to being drugged. She simply couldn't seem to help herself. She also knew that Lennon was perfectly correct about Danny's wishes, but more so, she realized that she didn't want Danny to see her this way.

"I'd like to check you out and then the nurses can help you clean up," Lennon quietly recommended as he gestured the EMT's to guide the gurney to the closest available room. "You'll feel better and maybe we'll also know more about Detective Williams by the time we're finished."

Kono looked at Lennon and then back down to the sheet covering her legs. White petals lay strewn across her lap and she roughly pushed them aside. They floated to the floor and were left behind as the gurney began to move. Her hair was now hanging loosely down because she had insisted that Chin help her pull the flower out and then untangle her braid while still in the ambulance. Now, her hair hung in a stringy ponytail of sorts over one shoulder.

She wanted Reid purged from her mind and she wanted the damnable red dress off; if Danny was in the hospital and resting, then she could do the same. Steve was there with him, along with Ramirez and Chin would remain stalwart by her side.

"Yes, okay. Fine." She nodded once, daring to smile with a look that turned into a weary type of sneer. It was her way of fighting yet another tide of tears that threatened to overwhelm her now that she was safe. And because ... Danny was indeed alive.

"Wait," she suddenly whispered. The gurney had been positioned now inside the private exam room and she had both Chin's and Lennon's undivided attention. They were instantly on guard again but she'd merely had another thought and her eyebrow lifted in a type of mock humor.

"I want something else," she said as she picked in disgust at the red fabric clinging to her skin. Combined with the sparkle of attitude, her next words prompted Chin to find an equally relieved grin as he stood by her side. "Before I let you do anything Doctor Lennon, I want something else done. Get this damned dress off me first. Then ... burn it."

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Topher Reid's assigned HPD detail had followed the medical team to the operating room. The man wasn't expected to survive, but until he expired, the doctors would be doing their very best - but so would the authorities. Those were facts which Steve absorbed and similarly to Chin, nearly discarded from a medical viewpoint at least.

At that moment, he had one other goal and that was to find Doctor Ramirez ... and therefore, Danny.

It was very late at night. Nearing three thirty, it was in reality, more morning than night and the halls were distressingly empty. Staff was light beyond the emergency room and Steve winced as his boots thudded loudly along the hallway. But his rapid walk faded and he literally stumbled over a nonexistent speed bump in the hospitals hard linoleum floor when he saw the distant silhouette. He'd been told that Danny had successfully gone though his own surgery and had been moved from recovery to the post surgical intensive care unit. Now as he strode into the somber specialty unit, he forgot what he'd just been told. Instead, he lurched to a hard stop as his mind took in a particular doctor's slouched posture and what it could mean.

Seated, alone at the farthest possible place in the silent corridor, Doctor Ramirez's face was hidden in hands that were rocked on busily jouncing knees. It was completely out of character for the big doctor and that spiked his worry so high that Steve couldn't move as he stared at the older man.

Long seconds ticked by before Steve thought to move because he vaguely realized he was afraid. He'd seen Danny at his very worst and had been forced to leave him in order to save Kono. It was necessary and all very right, but Steve could compartmentalize his worry - and fears - for his best friend for just so long. In fact, as soon as Kono was safe, everything had come rushing back with a startling vengeance.

When he did eventually move, it was someone else who finally found the strength to walk forward, albeit slowly and in a reverent silence. Now, his boots hardly made a sound as he narrowed the distance to Ramirez. He sat down silently next to the man, studying the bowed head and the thick streaks of gray wending their way back from a sparse brow.

"Doc?" Steve breathed in and then out. His heart was hammering in his chest by that moment as he fell silent again when there was no response. He knew though, that the doctor knew he was there, yet the man hadn't budged nor offered a single comment. More long minutes passed and Steve anxiously waited. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but again that other person inside Steve dared speak the man's name on a harsher, louder exhale. "Ponch?"

The older doctor looked up then, an expression of utter guilt was plastered across his face. He sniffed quizzically as he looked at the dried blood on Steve's lip and the now vivid bruise on his cheek. The ex-SEAL's hair was oddly damp and sticking up in a ruffled mess. His shirt was also dank and smelled decidedly like salt water.

"What happened to you?" Ramirez asked around a raspy voice that wreaked from exhaustion. Steve blinked at the oddity of the question and his voice failed until Ramirez led him forward to easier ground. "I assume that you got that Reid-fellow? And tell me ... is Kono ... here? Is she alright?"

"Yeah." Steve nodded as his eyes searched the doctor's face for signs of trouble. All he could see though was a deep fatigue and an odd look of self-conscious guilt or personal reproach. What he saw meant that something was wrong in Ramirez's mind, but Danny was alright. Still, Steve struggled to breathe as he rubbed a spot over his t-shirt pocket. He took a moment to think and then nodded again before a short purge of words flew from his lips. "Yeah, we got him and he's in surgery. Kono's here; downstairs getting checked out. And, if you must know, Kono happened to me. What's wrong? What's bothering you?"

"Kono? Seriously?" There was a soft snort of laughter as Ponch astutely strung the unspoken dots together. His knees ceased their senseless jiggling as he wiped his palms across his slacks. He stared at Steve and cocked an eyebrow towards the brightly bruised cheek and had the gall to grin. The brief bout of amusement made Steve smile in kind along with what was becoming an almost habitual shrug that night.

"She was a little confused," Steve admitted with a small dose of chagrin for his own error earlier that evening. Ponch chuckled again with an awed shake of his head until Steve pushed to know more. "If Danny's okay, Doc, what's bothering you?"

"Me?" Ramirez sobered quickly after that. He approved of Steve's own perceptions but paused before answering. He was disappointed in himself; a feeling he wasn't used to having and wasn't entirely sure he could properly describe. Nonetheless it was the truth and he eventually answered Steve's question with an obvious relcutance. "Danny's going to be fine, Steve. But this never should have happened. Three of us didn't do the right thing and all of this could have likely been prevented. Three doctors - three consults and we all missed it. If we 'd done more tests - run more scans; triple-checked our findings ..." his voiced ended with another snort. But this one was for himself and self-imposed a significant amount of disgust.

Steve didn't know what to say about the doctor's admission. He remembered Doctor Fratelli briefly griping about something similar when Danny had first been brought back into the hospital. Evidently, the medical trend concurred early on. But when things played out differently, it only proved that there was little to be done about their hindsight now. Plus the counter-argument that three medical professionals had originally agreed to their patient's initial treatment was equally sound. So instead of putting the man's feet to the fire or trying to soothe him with words he'd deny, Steve got to his own feet to stand over the older physician.

"Can I see him?" Steve asked. His hand was nervously tapping his thigh as he gazed down at Ramirez. "I know it's late ... but I need to see him."

Ponch's lip quirked upwards. He heaved in a deep breath of air before audibly sighing as he leaned back in his chair somewhat confused by the sheer lack of judgement on Steve's part and his shrewd gaze stared intently into the younger man's eyes. "You know. Danny as much said the same thing," Ponch groused again. He considered his mess to be a complicated one, yet neither Five-0 officer would allow him to wallow.

"There it is then," Steve murmured softly before giving the doctor something he visibly winced over. "Thanks, Ponch. Seriously. Thanks for staying around and being here for us - for Danny, but you should get out of here. Unless you have more to do. But I'd like to see Danny."

Steve paused as the doctor looked at the floor. Embarrassed. Upset and a multitude of other things flew across the man's face. He was beyond exhausted and could leave now that the team had returned with good news. It was the genuine thanks and the lack of blame he was finding issue with.

"Alright." He graciously accepted Steve's thanks despite what he personally felt his due based upon an oversight. Ramirez sniffed in amazement at that fact before waving down the hallway to a distant room. "Go see Danny. He's in room 309 and he'll be very pleased to see you, too."

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Steve found the room just a few steps away, partially darkened to indicate the hour yet illuminated enough for him to clearly see Danny's face. He was surprised to see the sparkle of blue despite the lack of other obvious light.

"Hey, buddy," Steve smiled fondly, much more confident now when he spied Danny's shadowy grin. "I just saw Ponch but I didn't realize you were really awake. How do you feel?"

For the last few hours, Danny had had many starts and stops as he regained awareness. He vaguely recalled being in Reid's house each time, but couldn't quite remember what had happened after that point. Without Doctor Ramirez's presence, he never would have been able to calmly focus as he was gently reminded of Steve's and Chin's ongoing work to bring Kono home. Time had begun to worryingly merge as he lost hour after hour to unconsciousness, surgery and then murky awakenings where nothing made sense. That latest journey had first begun in the recovery room and had eventually progressed to the ICU. Through the entire process, Ramirez had prodded, coached and gently supported his ailing friend. The good doctor urged him to sleep too, but Danny needed to know - he needed to wait.

So now, as Steve entered the room, Danny was better than he would have otherwise been. It was easier to force his eyes to stay open as he had for the last many minutes once his friend arrived, too. Steve possessed an interesting air of fatigue, relief and cocky self-assurance. Without needing to ask, he knew that Reid was in custody and Kono was home ... she was safe.

"Tired but better," he replied in all honesty, a smile deepening to match Steve's own. He was sore and recovering from a number of original woes, but he was no longer assaulted by pain so severe, he could barely see or dare even to speak. What bothered him the most, while lying in bed, was his jaw which forced him to carefully enunciate his words so that they were nearly slurred. "Doc says I only have to stay another day or two."

"That's great news," Steve answered. While such a short stay was a surprise, he sadly noted the white bandage along Danny's temple and was distinctly displeased by what lay hidden under it. When he caught Danny's eye with his worry so evident, Danny merely gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"It's okay," Danny whispered. "Except ... Ponch said they shaved a few inches of my hair." At that admission, which included an accompanying roll of an eye, Steve rediscovered his grin. Their short dance continued as they acknowledged each other and shared their combined relief in having Kono home without actually saying her name.

Utterly at ease with his team whole once more, Steve pursed his lips to blow out a long steady stream of air. His partner did indeed look tired and he was deliberately forcing himself to remain awake. It was another risk which he couldn't afford to take and now, certainly didn't need to take. A number of leads attached Danny to various monitors and one lone intravenous was likely pushing antibiotics or even pain medication into his blood stream. Nonetheless, Danny had been impatiently waiting for the mission to end; for either Chin or himself to come marching through the door.

Steve studied Danny closely. Not much had changed when it came to the purpling-greenish bruises layering his friend's cheek and scoring his chin from Reid's first attack. Interestingly, his right arm was sling-free. Something which Steve assumed was only because Danny was bedridden for the time being. The sling would be back in place to support the damaged shoulder as soon as he'd be allowed to stand. Without a doubt though, the sallow and ashen pallor were both gone along with the severely pinched expression.

"You look better, Danno, but you're exhausted and need your rest." Steve carefully sat on the edge of the bed so as to not jostle it too much. He was distinctly relieved by his friend's level of awareness and respite from what had been a frighteningly debilitating pain. With a cautious inhale, Steve's pulse rate slowly resumed a more normal beat. "Maybe you should try to sleep now that everything's taken care of," he quietly suggested.

"Maybe," Danny replied, easily understanding Steve's message that their mission had been a complete success down to the smallest of details. He wanted to sleep but now he absolutely needed to know about all of those details down to each minute fraction. "Tell me ... is Kono alright? Is she here ... did he hurt her?"

"She's downstairs and getting checked out," Steve replied. "Reid kept her fairly drugged up in a room he'd barricaded off from the rest of the house. It was on the blueprints when we reviewed them before going in, but I'll get into that later with you. For now, it's good enough that Kono's home; she's a little confused and needs a decent meal or two. Chin's staying with her for the foreseeable future."

"And? Did he?" Danny prompted warningly. The slurred nature of the word 'he' clearly indicated that he meant Topher Reid. As worried and upset as both Chin and Steve, his unspoken question revealed a concern related to a very particular threat. Steve's fast negative shake had an immediate affect as Danny literally wilted back into his bed. His eyes blinked rapidly and he used one hand to rub idly at the unexpected rise of an weary ache. "That's good ... so good."

"Reid's in emergency surgery," Steve volunteered that final update. "The doctors aren't quite sure he's going to make it."

Danny nodded, his eyes dropping to half-mast as everything he'd prayed to hear finally was delivered. The fingers on his left hand found Steve's knee and he tapped it once and then twice. "Thank you," he whispered softly and totally without a need. But Steve knew precisely what he meant by the gesture. The news about Kono was what he'd hoped and what he precisely needed to hear before he could willingly allow himself to rest. But as for Reid? Danny had about as much concern for the man's welfare as his other two friends.

"Kono will probably be staying the night," Steve added softly as he watched his friend argue against his body's needs. He frowned at Danny's obvious discomfort brought on by sheer stubbornness. "Get some sleep now, Danno. Everything's under control."

However, Danny was blearily eyeing Steve's damp clothing, mussed hair and damaged lip and cheek. Much like Chin had, Steve had barely hesitated to change his clothes from the dip in the ocean. Danny gathered that reason quickly enough, but his assumption for the bruises was that his partner had a direct confrontation with their suspect.

"Reid resisted arrest," Danny murmured around a short yawn. His eyes opened and then closed briefly, only to stubbornly open again. Half-mast certainly, but Steve could see the defiant sparkle of blue.

"He did," Steve confirmed almost too defensively as he got to his feet. Once more he pursed his lips and his face slightly colored in the dim light of the room. His cheek tingled at the memory of Kono's stunning head butt and it was all he could do to restrain himself from touching his swollen lip. "He didn't leave Chin a choice in what happened next. We can talk more later. Get some sleep, Danno. You need it."

"You... you didn't ... duck," Danny pushed out his accusation, his eyes closing briefly before mulishly rebounding open. His brow squinted as he briefly paused to ponder what Steve had said a bit longer. "Wait ... Chin?"

Steve's face blushed a bit more, however, Danny's gaze had become glassy and unfocused so he wisely held his tongue. He smirked in amusement when Danny's left hand weakly waved through the air before it dropped passively to the bed as his eyes skidded shut. "Go to sleep, buddy," Steve whispered softly. Seconds later, Danny was sound asleep and if he had more to say or even question, it would have to wait.

~ to be continued ~