Disclaimer: Ideas are fictional; not making any money on this. Hawaii 5-0 belongs to CBS. That's okay because none of this would work on TV.
Steve heard Grace in the hall bathroom early Sunday morning. Normally, she would go back to her room for a little while, but he didn't hear her leave the bathroom. Curious, he went down the hall to check on her.
Steve found Grace sitting on the bathroom floor, shivering and looking miserable. He could tell from the odor that she had been sick. "Grace baby, why didn't you call us? How long have you been sitting here?" Steve sat on the floor and pulled her on his lap. She was so cold, and he held her close to give her some of his body heat.
"Daddy, I'm sorry. I made a mess in my room. My head and my tummy hurt." She leaned against Steve and cried.
"Hey, I can clean your room. I'm worried about you. Let's get you in a warm tub of water and clean you up." Steve stood with Grace still in his arms and turned on the tap. When the tub was half full, he pulled her jammies off. "Why don't you get in the tub? I'll get Danno to help you."
Danny was just waking up when Steve walked in. "Danny, Grace is in the hall bath. She's been sick. I'll get the laundry together if you'll help her out in the tub. She doesn't seem to have a fever, but she's complaining of a headache and an upset stomach." Steve realized that his clothes needed to be added to the pile of laundry.
Danny was in to help Grace quickly. Grace was sitting in the warm water; she was finally warming up. Danny helped her wash off the sour smell and had her dried and dressed before she caught a chill. "Daddy tells me that you're sick. Does your head still hurt?" Danny found a clean pillow in Grace's room and carried her downstairs.
Grace's head was resting on Danny's shoulder. He remembered walking the floor with her like this when she was much younger. "It hurts a little. My tummy feels yucky."
"Do you want to lie down on the couch for a little while? I'll get you some ginger ale. It usually helps your tummy." Danny went into the kitchen to get Grace's drink and some Tylenol just as Steve was coming out of the laundry room.
"How's she doing? I stripped the sheets and blanket off her bed and opened the window to air out the room. The sheets are in the washer now. I'll wash the rest of the clothes with her blanket."
"She's on the couch now. As long as we can get some fluids in her, she should be okay. I'll give her some Tylenol for her headache. Sorry, it looks like our day is pretty busted." Danny knew that Grace would probably bounce back quickly, but today wouldn't be much fun.
"Hey, no need to be sorry. You and Grace have taken care of me enough. I just want her to feel better. I'll get some chicken out of the freezer. I can make some chicken noodle soup for us." Steve made the coffee while Danny went back to Grace. He thought for a minute, and then brought a small trash can out of the half bath downstairs. He emptied it and carried it out to Grace.
"Sweetheart, you can use this if you feel sick again. Do you feel like eating anything?" Steve didn't know how to help. He wanted Grace to feel better.
"Thanks, Daddy. Do we have any Jell-O?" Grace just wanted something cool to eat for now.
"I don't think we have any in the fridge, but I'll make some for you. What flavor do you want?"
"I want red Jell-O." Grace was curled up under a throw Danny pulled from the back of the couch.
"Okay, red Jell-O it is." Steve checked the pantry, but all he found was peach and apricot Jell-O. He grabbed his keys and wallet and ran to the store to buy some Jell-O. He found the pre-made gelatin cups in the refrigerated section of the store and additional boxes to make up later in the baking aisle. He picked up the latest movie release at the checkout counter and was home in twenty minutes.
Grace was resting comfortably for the moment, and she accepted a cup of cherry Jell-O from Steve. "Here you go baby. I bought a movie in case you're feeling better later." Steve was feeling a little ragged. He needed some caffeine and something to eat. "Danny, I'll fix us some oatmeal. It won't smell up the house and upset Grace's stomach even more."
Danny sat with Grace while Steve worked in the kitchen. Steve poured coffee for them but put them in travel mugs to keep the aroma down. He remembered that even the smell of food made him feel worse the last time that he was sick. Danny came in a few minutes later. "She ate the Jell-O and now she's napping. Is breakfast ready? I'm starving."
Steve and Danny ate quickly, listening for Grace in case she needed something. After breakfast, Steve moved the sheets to the dryer and the blanket and other soiled clothes to the washer. Then he went up to check on Grace's room. The fresh air had dissipated the sick smell from the room so Steve closed the window. Then he went in to change the linens on their bed and gather the towels for the laundry. It would be a good day to catch up on household chores since they couldn't do much else.
Grace slept most of the morning. She was feeling a little better after a bowl of Steve's soup. Danny checked with Emelina and discovered that Ali was suffering some of the same symptoms. Apparently, a bug was going around the school and both girls had caught it.
Steve finished with the laundry, remade Grace's bed, and hung fresh towels. Danny sent him out for a while for a run and swim. There was no point in both of them sitting with Grace. She was getting a little whiny; she hated being sick. Danny was trying to keep his cool, but Grace was being difficult.
Steve came back in from his workout and could see trouble brewing. He hurriedly washed the salt water off and went to down give Danny a break. He picked up a bottle of lotion and their Christmas story book on the way downstairs. "Danny, I think we need some milk and a few other items. Do you want to run to the market? You know what Grace might like to have until she's feeling better. I can take over here for a while."
Danny was hesitant to leave Grace even though he knew Steve was more than capable of taking care of her. "Yeah, I can do that. Are you sure that you don't mind?"
"Go on and take your time. I can sit with Grace for a while." Steve took Danny's place at the end of the couch and winked at Grace. "How are you doing, Grace? Do you have that achy feeling?" He remembered how he felt when the infection hit him.
"Yeah, I feel yucky all over now." Grace squirmed, trying to get comfortable.
"Roll over and I'll rub your back. This stuff feels pretty good when you're feeling bad." Steve lifted the back of Grace's shirt and smoothed the cool lotion on her back. He was gentle because he knew she was already aching. He worked on the muscles on her neck and shoulders. When she was resting more easily, Steve pulled the book out and read the next story to her. Grace ended up on his lap, drowsily trying to follow the words on the pages. They were both napping when Danny came home a couple of hours later.
Danny appreciated the time outside after trying to soothe a sick little girl most of the day. Rachel usually did better at this sort of thing, and Danny suspected that part of the problem was that she was missing her mommy today. He was pleased that Steve managed to calm her down. They both looked so peaceful sleeping on the couch.
Danny unloaded the groceries and cut up some fresh fruit. He thought Grace might eat a little when she woke, and he bought all of her favorites. After months of counting every penny, it was still a luxury to walk into Nino's and buy whatever looked good. Grace enjoyed sweets like any other child, but she loved a lot of the fresh fruit available on the island.
A few minutes later, Steve came in carrying Grace. "Danno, someone here wants to apologize for giving you a hard time."
Danny smiled at Steve and told him, "That's okay Steve. I'm used to getting a hard time from you."
Grace giggled; she knew that Danny was trying to make her feel better. "It's not Daddy; it's me Danno. I'm sorry that I was whining. I love you Danno." She reached over to hug Danny.
Danny took Grace from Steve and returned her hug. "That's okay, Monkey. It's no fun being sick. I bought you some popsicles. Do you want one now? It's still early enough that it won't spoil your dinner."
"Can I have more Jell-O instead? It helped my tummy feel better before." Grace took her Jell-O back into the living room. She was ready to watch some football with her dads. She was feeling a lot better since her nap.
"I bought a chicken pot pie at Nino's. Grace likes it a lot, and we can have a salad to go with it. Grace seems better. How did you get her to settle down?" Whatever it was, Danny wanted to add it to his bag of tricks for dealing with a sick Grace.
"I gave her a back rub. I found this stuff that's good for that achy feeling. Then we read until she fell asleep."
"You mean until you both fell asleep. You were both snoring when I came in." Danny couldn't resist teasing Steve. He was so adorable with Grace sometimes.
"I was not snoring, but I may have been resting my eyes." Steve pulled Danny in for a hug. He hated that Grace was sick. It wasn't taking care of her that was the issue; he hated that she was so miserable earlier. "She's going to be okay, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she's already feeling better. It's something going around the school. Emelina said that Ali was sick yesterday but feeling better today. She will probably be able to go to school in the morning. If not, Emelina said that she would watch Grace as long as she's keeping her food down." Danny rested his head on Steve's shoulder. He wouldn't mind a back rub when Grace went to bed tonight. He knew that Steve would be happy to oblige.
"Emelina has been great. I'm glad that we opted for the deluxe day at the spa and the gift card for her favorite restaurant. Ali can stay with us so she can have a proper date with her husband." The Christmas gift for Emelina had been easy. The woman deserved all the pampering they could give her.
Steve and Danny watched the Giants game while the pot pie heated in the oven. Grace was able to eat a little and had a small bowl of fruit for dessert. The family watched a Christmas movie to end the evening. It was a chick flick but Grace liked it. Grace went to bed a little early despite sleeping a lot of the day.
Danny was rolling his shoulders, trying to work out the kinks. Steve steered him to the bedroom, took his shirt off, and motioned for him to lay face down on the bed. Steve straddled him with the bottle of lotion in his hand. He smoothed some between his hands to warm it before kneading it into Danny's tense muscles.
Danny moaned with pleasure. "Oh babe, that feels great. That is good stuff; I can see why Grace was feeling better. Thanks for helping with her this afternoon. I was losing patience, and I hate to do that when she's not feeling good anyway."
"I didn't mind Danny. I just wanted her to feel better the same way I want you to feel better now. How am I doing?" Steve moved to flip Danny on to his back and then shifted so he could lay a line of wet kisses from Danny's jaw down his chest. Danny pulled Steve back up for more kissing. After the stress of the day, this was what Danny needed now.
"You get a 10 for technique and a 10 for artistic presentation." The Olympic scoring thing was an old joke between them.
Steve pulled the rest of Danny's clothes off. "Even from the Russian judge?" Steve knew Danny's body quite well by now. He went for the money spot.
"Babe, the Russian judge gives you a 12." Danny's eyes almost crossed with pleasure. He wanted a piece of the action. He pulled Steve's shirt off and reversed positions so he could get the rest of Steve's clothes off. Danny considered Steve's body his own little amusement park. His favorite part was Fantasyland. For the moment, there was only the two of them.
"Danno, don't ever leave me. It would kill me if you did." Steve needed Danny so much, now and forever.
"Steven, you just try to get rid of me. You're stuck with me. I am not going anywhere unless you're with me. I promise babe, I promise." No one would ever understand Danny the way that Steve did. No one would ever love Grace as much as Steve did. This was it for him.
Later, Steve realized that their ceremony in less than three weeks was just a formality. They were already joined in every way that mattered.
