I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: Vacation was nothing short of wonderful despite being careful and still getting sick - one can lay on a beach in the sun and sleep just as easily as in a bed. Nothing but positives here about Punta Cana!
The muse kicked in poolside near the end of the week through a blurry umbrella-drink sun-soaked daze. The muse rallied to append (actual) words by hand (on REAL paper using a PEN!) to what has been drafted thus far.
Continued thanks to CinderH, TheDogo and Komodo Queen for endless patience through a few revisions. I am assured the below series of words actually make sense!
Chapter Twelve
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The frenetic murmur of clashing sounds so different from the unit's normalcy woke Danny. He'd slept deeply, probably from the earlier change in position which had required a sudden onslaught of activity inflicted upon his injured body to move from bed to side chair and ultimately back again. That, combined with a judicious amount of prescribed analgesics, worked in consort to make him comfortable. He felt rested and fairly well, yet the odd timbre of divergent voices just outside his room was perplexing. He lay there trying to make sense of it and assuming at first there was an emergency with another patient inside the specialized unit. But the curtains to his bed were closed shielding him from truly seeing and providing just enough of an obstacle to muffle true words. Eventually though, he did hear the unmistakable sounds of Steve's voice. The angry tone was pronounced which further served to deliver the underlying warning to whomever he was speaking to. None of what Danny sensed suited the hospital's safe sanctuary though and his waking state moved from peaceful to a more disturbing realm.
"Steve?" Danny carefully sucked in a purposeful mouthful of air. His voice went literally nowhere and he rolled his eyes in mock personal disgust as he pushed the oxygen mask aside. He wondered if Grace was nearby and so tried calling to her next, confused when there was no reply to that soft query either.
"Grace? Grace ... Monkey? Are you here?" The lack of answer was a distressing antithesis to the louder voices outside and Danny winced as he tried to squirrel himself more upright. "Grace!" He gasped in pain as one awkward movement shifted the chest tube and pulled thickly on his right side. He was now worried about Grace but the sharp ache brought a pang of nausea so strong, Danny needed to close his eyes to swallow hard. The unwise attempt at moving without help was distinctly worth abandoning as a heated flare of pain warned him of his current limitations.
"Hey." Closing his eyes, Danny diligently drew in a deeper breath and pushed out harder, with a much stronger effort. He ignored the harsher pinch by the chest tube, gently palming the area near the bandages below where the tube had been inserted.
"Steve?" he tried again with more success in that he felt he was finally heard. Disappointment followed much too quickly though when he not only wasn't answered, no one showed up at all. Two female and one male voice continued in rising and falling swells of sound, none of which was pleasant. Danny thought he heard his nurse's firm voice demanding something which sounded oddly like an ultimatum. The strident rebuke from the second female was nearly instantaneous, rising to an inappropriate volume. Holding his breath for two or three shallow heart beats, Danny wondered if he heard her complain about the Honolulu Police Department followed by the words negligence and even children.
"Damn it." A light throaty cough covered the whisper and Danny ignored the sight twinge of ache inflicted upon his chest. He trusted that Steve would never subject Grace to such a negative, frightening situation. Yet, there was doubt and concern that Grace was still too close especially when Danny imagined hearing words which sounded suspiciously like the argument was pertaining to Mark, the beach cleanup and the accident which had put them both in the hospital. Pressing harder near a lower rib, it took him a few seconds to regain his resolve, but Danny fought for it winning with a belligerent tinge to his own voice.
"Steve!" One handed and limited by the few painful scrapes and bruises on his fingers earned in his failed attempt to lunge across volcanic rock, he groped for the nurse's call button. Aiming his voice towards the doorway, he became annoyed when the long beige colored cord became mired in the bedding. The tiny metal prong meant to adhere to a convenient portion of material snapped and then broke away on his final tug. His thumb found the button but then his bruised fingers slipped and he cursed more vehemently as the remote tumbled completely to the floor.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Danny cough-whispered into the air. Wholly disgusted, his worry only grew in conjunction with what he now knew was an argument. It made no sense and he struggled in vain to both get attention and to hear what precisely was happening.
"Don't even!" Danny's eyes widened in surprise when he clearly heard Steve's next two words. He was stunned into silence by the unwelcome and sheer anger of his partner's tone. Unable to figure out whom Steve might be arguing with, Danny had trouble even managing a response of his own when finally ... finally ... something was specifically aimed his way.
But it in no way eased his mind because Steve's voice was forced into an insincere calm. And then there was Grace ... where was she in what was sounding like a terrible situation? "Danny, everything's fine ... just hang on one minute and I'll be right there."
"Yeah ... okay." Unconvinced, Danny pushed out the two words with an effort that left him breathless. Ignoring everything except the sounds from the hallway, Danny frowned when he only heard Steve continuing once more on a tact which was angry and every bit accusatory. It told him nothing about his daughter, leaving an ever-widening gap in his knowledge-base. With no recourse, he lay there stranded without even the bed remote to lift himself taller. Helplessly stuck in place and listening hard while scowling even more deeply in confusion, Danny's mind whirled unpleasantly when he clearly heard Mark's name mentioned.
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Though the why remained elusive, Danny thought he had it mostly figured out when Steve finally swept through the curtain just a few seconds later. Taken aback by the blatant concern marring Steve's features, Danny gave pause to any of his own questions about Mark's parents or even regarding the immediate welfare of his own daughter. Steve's expression spawned a tingle of doubt or possibly even a feeling of trepidation, either of which made Danny remain uncharacteristically quiet.
"Are you okay?" The darkness in Steve's eyes communicated his concern while sweeping over every square inch of his partner only to land heavily on Danny's right side where the chest tube peeked out. He noted his partner's fingers which dared to closely trace near the lip of the white bandages which was clue enough to indicate pain. In his haste though, Steve's shoe hit the plastic remote sending it skittering ever more under the bed and he disappeared from view to retrieve it. The rush of blood suffused his face making him look more stressed as he reappeared seconds later and just as anxiously to ensure that Danny hadn't inadvertently re-injured himself.
"Where's ... Grace?" More of harsh whisper, Danny didn't try to hide the effort it took to ask his rejoinder. Breathing in carefully through his nose, Danny frowned at the much too brief reply and Steve's obvious distraction.
"She's fine, Danno. Are you alright? This is out of hand ... totally out of control." Steve continued in his examination, barely giving Danny time to nod. Other than appearing to be alarmed and no doubt confused, Danny seemed fine if not slightly perturbed for having lost the remote in the first place. Placing it now on the bed within easy reach, Steve huffed a quiet rebuttal when Danny replied while laying his palm over the plastic buttons.
"I'm fine, I just need to sit up ... and understand what's going on. Steven. Where ... is ... Grace?" Tiredly using the remote, Danny motioned to himself and then the bed. He was more than uncomfortable as his chest pinged in response from the episode of erratic breathing. He was worried about Grace despite understanding Steve had ensured her safety. Blinking back a few tears from a threatening cough, he closed his eyes briefly willing his lungs to ease their painful strain. Modulating his tone to whisper, he peered up at Steve to insist he continue. "Help me sit up. Then ... tell me ... what happened ... out there? Where's ... Grace?"
"With Kono. Grace is with Kono; they went for a walk downstairs," Steve replied to the latter question and opted to act on the first demand. Both allowed a momentary lull in discussing Beth Paquin; delay tactics also for Steve to better organize his thoughts on where to begin and what to say. He didn't miss the twinges of pain at every minor movement as he helped to carefully shift Danny in the bed. He was relieved though to see a visible change in the high level of stress in his partner's face. Moving from high to a more acceptable level of moderate, deep lines of tension lessened making Steve want to stay even longer on the topic of his daughter. The safe zone was an easy place to let it all ride, but his frayed emotions were wreaking havoc. For a moment, Steve busied himself with the bed and linens to avoid meeting Danny's gaze as he continued to repeat himself. "They went for a walk. I'm sure that they'll be back soon."
Quickly but carefully, he raised the head of the bed to the point where Danny was comfortably coping and able to see more of the room. A look to the hallway confirmed that the contingent carting away Mrs. Paquin had departed, so Steve opened the curtain. Danny's nurse was holding a small tête-à-tête with her peers and she glanced up meeting Steve's eyes with a definite query. His exaggerated exhale and nod communicated the satisfactory reply and she nodded in kind to indicate she'd soon be over to check on her patient.
"Your nurse will be here in a minute and trust me ... Grace is fine." Mired in the immediate present and not realizing that his distracted behavior was fueling Danny's concern, Steve literally shook his hands out because even his fingers were tense from the recent experience.
"Ridiculous." Preoccupied by Beth Paquin's loathing, his soft snort was rueful and full of disdain, but he still didn't provide enough of the most important details for Danny's liking. Steve knew that too, but was blatantly on edge and then kicking himself for saying too much in a final rush of emotion. Talking under his breath, Steve gave a final twitch to a blanket. "I have never met anyone like that in my entire life. I have no idea what she thinks is going to happen. None."
When he looked up, Danny's eyes were narrowed in a stealthy scrutiny. Even if he just hadn't mumbled a single word in error, there was no way in which Steve would be controlling the pending conversation. He sniffed in self-recrimination as he wiped sweaty hands on his jeans and aimlessly shoved them in his pockets. Regardless of best efforts, he was read with the veritable ease of a preschooler's picture book.
"Before you tell me about the Paquins and what's going on between them, Mark and HPD, plus what sounds like a lawsuit ... where exactly are Grace and Kono?" Danny asked. "Start at the top."
The time it took for Danny to gather energy for the long sentence left him winded again, but he was determined. Two fingers bore near his side as if they'd alleviate the uncomfortable ache from the tube as he stared into Steve's face.
"Well? Steve?" Prompting with barely a whisper, Danny waited. Steve needed what seemed to be just as long to recover from his own surprise. Something which Danny found somewhat amusing though it was an unsettling sight to behold. He raised his eyebrows as if goading Steve's momentary inability to reply as he reacted to hearing the Paquin name in the same sentence as lawsuit. All these things were undeniable signals indicating that Danny was quite correct. Things which Steve's mannerisms were shouting out loud to the heavens as a finger merely twitched or a body-wide fidget forced movement.
"We're still waiting on Webber for the last ultrasound results, so I took Grace down to the cafeteria for a break. When we got back, Kono was already here and dealing with Beth Paquin. Hospital security took over but before this whole debacle started in the hallway, Kono took Grace either back down to the cafeteria or even to the gift shoppe. They really are due back any minute." Steve's mental kick was solid as he forced himself into a shuddering immovable halt. Growling then because cessation of movement, too, was another not so subtle hint as Danny's lip quirked in reaction. Realizing finally that his partner had heard much more than he thought, Steve pursed his lips unhappily about Danny's obvious perceptions. "She wasn't here for any of what just occurred outside, Danno."
"Good. Thank you." Not even knowing more about what had gone down Danny relaxed, sinking into the bed with a relieved murmur. His eyes closed with a renewed purpose to regain energy stores only to fly open at a terrible thought. Swallowing hard as he searched Steve's face for the truth, Danny physically felt the emotional pang ring through the center of his body. He winced as he forgot to control his breathing, panting though a new fear. "He's ... not dead? Mark's alive, right? Tell me ... that boy didn't ... die, Steven."
"God. No, Danny. Mark's fine ... he's not dead." Heaving in a huge deep breath and letting it out in a single rush, Steve closed his eyes for a moment while shaking his head. The next rueful shake was nearly imperceptible. Meant completely for Danny, the accompanying sigh was in due consideration of his partner's oftentimes impossible ability to consider others first. Forcing himself to calmly focus, Steve genuinely smiled about the initial good news. He watched as each word allowed the flare of worry to leave Danny's face and an anxious slightly off-kilter way of breathing returned to more normal. "No, in fact there's a bit of good news there. Mark actually woke up a few hours ago. He's going through some tests but I don't know more than that."
"That's great," Danny smiled on the shallow exhale. But there was more which so obviously wasn't on the brighter side of stellar, and he drew in a careful breath before nervously tapping the remote on the bed. "So. What's wrong?"
With great trepidation and some minor editing related to Grace and the beanbag toy, Steve explained the Paquins' allegations and threats of potential legal action making it clear that nothing would hold up in the courts. There was no more prompting on Danny's part as he listened and absorbed what Steve related regarding blame placed on everyone from the hospital to HPD and even the school system or the County for failure in maintaining proper signage.
"You left someone out," Danny murmured, as he felt the tension returning through the stiffening of his shoulders and involuntary tightening of his stomach muscles which drew on his healing wound. With Kono's help, Steve had been and still was protecting both Grace and him. He was full of gratitude for what Steve had deflected because the Paquin attack was much more personal than potential legal action against a County or some other entity. Danny was indeed grateful but there was potential fallout from which no one could help.
"None of this is going to stick. Not at any level." Swearing under his breath, Steve frowned in the direction of the hallway wondering and hoping that the nurse would return that very instant. She was clearly leaning in their direction showing intent, but still involved in conversation with staff. He had never seen Danny's eyes suddenly so dark and he didn't know what to think. For the first time, Danny's expression was nearly unreadable and devoid of emotion.
"If Rachel gets wind of this," Danny began, but hesitated as he lost cadence in breathing calmly. He had to stop to remind himself that things were fine between them, but as the past had well proven, tides could change terribly fast. Danny found himself verbalizing those dire facts even as Steve hesitantly attempted to offer more optimistic opinion.
"I thought you and Rachel were okay, Danny?" Worried about the change in tact, Steve was still confused by it. The more positive he suggested, the more Danny seemed to close in upon himself and he simply didn't understand the unexpected response. "Things have been great; seriously, look at these last almost two weeks, Danno. This entire special time with Grace was Rachel's idea. It was a surprise ... for you and for Grace."
Eyes closed, Danny tried to find solace in that truth but real life experience had burned him. And it had burned him badly. With his eyes still shut, he shook his head to prevent Steve from continuing. "Because it's fodder."
"For what?" Steve whispered, hoping his tone would provide a means to calm a rising distress since Danny could ill-afford getting worked up.
"Future fuel," Danny muttered around a light cough. "Fuel to be thrown in my face." There was the inevitable negativity ingrained in his very personality preventing him from thinking otherwise. The crisis was not that Danny might be sued, the big issue was how it might affect his future parental rights should something go wrong between him and his ex-wife.
"There's no basis for a complaint let alone a case. Why are you thinking that way? This thing with the Paquins will not go anywhere, Danny," Steve soothed, seeing the grimace as pain fractured another shallow inhale. The counter-argument was silent at first, merely communicated by a temperamental wave of Danny's hand which was still attached to the bedside remote.
"You don't understand. All it takes ... is innuendo," Danny ground out. "Just a seed ... just a seed ... to lay blame." He didn't need to win or lose; the act of blame alone could be enough to spell an imminent failure impacting his relationship with his daughter. The hint of negligence would be all the court would need and Danny simply could not stop himself from going down that path. "They're stateside for a reason. A very big ... reason ... related to Stan's work. Suppose ... just suppose ... there's another ... challenge?"
With his eyes still closed, Danny missed the flash of anger in Steve's eyes. He allowed the bedside remote to be unwound from his fingers, not realizing that his partner had depressed the call button for help.
"No, Danny, it is absolutely nothing," Steve vowed hotly as Danny paled from inconsistent breaths. Refusing to relinquish his place by his partner's side as the nurse arrived on a run to reinstate his partner's comfort, Steve was undeniably angry. He quietly acknowledged his partner's fondness for unfortunate negativity and silently lay his own blame on feelings of weakness and illness which exacerbated the same.
However, Steve had also borne personal witness to Rachel's depth of argument in the past; the one time Grace was inadvertently exposed to seeing her father shot during an Aloha Girls camping trip. The details had been dressed down in court and used as the fodder Danny so noted. Forewarned was definitely fore-armed and Steve completely understood.
"I promise you aren't going to have to worry about this." Needing to grasp Danny's searching hand to help steady him through careful ministrations as the nurse gently evaluated the chest tube, he couldn't help leaning down closer to make his own final point. Steve didn't expect a reply as he tightened his hold to relay the personal assurance behind his words. "It's nothing because they can try whatever the hell they want, but it's defamation of character. I dare them to prove anything otherwise. These threats won't be going any further."
~ to be continued ~