I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: hoping to wrap this in 2 or 3 more chapters. But that's just me talking ... and I have little say amongst the muses.
Chapter Thirteen
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Steve would have put his knee-jerk reactions into play right then and there if not for Doctor Webber's arrival. Not precisely unexpected, the doctor's descent into the room was still somewhat of a surprise. In mid turn to leave to call Chin, Steve stumbled over his own two feet to give way to the grim-faced Webber. Briefly arm in arm, the doctor set Steve physically straight before he could reel backwards into the bed.
"No, wait," the doctor patted Steve's shoulder reassuringly. It was apparent that he'd been filled in by staff about the recent goings-on with the Paquins as a hand went up between both he and Steve to prevent what the physician considered unnecessary questioning.
"Doc, we need to talk ...," Steve's mouth flapped and then shut as he was interrupted.
"That will not be necessary, Commander. Let me cut to the chase." Webber pursed his lips while both speaking and absorbing the various mechanical readings humming around his patient. His displeasure was apparent with a few lower than preferred readings, still he continued on his original course of action. "In short, the test results are quite good and I'm having Danny moved to a regular room in another wing before dinner this very afternoon."
"Thank you," Steve's face relaxed, draining nearly of all its recent tension. It in no way replaced his private plans, but the move would separate his partner from the Paquins by a significant buffer space. Then he smiled as the doctor's words sank fully into his brain. "The results are that good then, Doc?"
Interest piqued, Danny eyed the two men while focusing on Webber's face before the physician had time to answer Steve. To him, the approving smile spoke volumes before a satisfied word was uttered into the very air. Yet it took him a few minutes to understand what the doctor was actually describing.
Gesturing towards the chest tube and its companion canister settled below the bed, the smile never left Webber's face as he met Danny's eyes. "The lesion is resolving quite nicely. We'll reconfirm tomorrow with another ultrasound before pulling the tube. I see no reason to believe we'll need to do otherwise, though."
"Seriously?" Danny sighed in relief at the concept of the dreaded chest tube being removed. His fingers continually traced the space near the tips of the white bandages and he felt an almost anxious pang at being rid of the life-saving contraption. The experience had been short of miserable going in and he could only imagine the angst of its removal. Regardless, it would be gone and then he'd be one step closer to going home as well.
"What's going on? Daddy?" The soft lilt echoed lightly from behind all of them and Danny smiled before he even could catch sight of his daughter. Taller figures parted to permit Grace access to her father as she released Kono's hand, her eyes full of a dark concern. Relieved to find no evidence of Mark's mother anywhere in the vicinity, she was still overly cautious about her father's health and the number of people surrounding the bed, especially one very important doctor and a familiar nurse. "Danno? Are you okay?"
"Perfect, Monkey. Doctor Webber says I get a regular room today. Before dinner." Once again Danny's voice was muffled under an obtrusive oxygen mask. But having removed the device himself and upon getting worked up over Beth Paquin's threats, his oxygen saturation levels had dropped considerably. Calmer now and able to regain his breath much more easily, the mask moved along with his ever-growing smile.
"A regular room?" Grace asked with a tentative grin. "You're better then? Nothing ... happened?" Her astuteness made Steve frown unhappily, as did her attempt at a circumspect glance for reassurance in his direction. However, the confirmation of her question came from Doctor Webber's broad hand being placed happily on the top of her head and all worry left her eyes. Understanding now that the test results had indeed been very good, Danny's next explanation validated that fact to bring a beaming smile to her lips. But Grace's mouth fell open when he told her that the frightening tube would also soon be gone.
"It could be gone. Maybe tomorrow after a test like today's to make sure things are healed up," Danny said, much to her delight since she had given the intimidating equipment a very wide berth.
"Then your dad has to continue his breathing exercises, as well as walk a bit more. With any luck, he can go home as early as Monday," Webber added, with an amused introspective sniff as all surprised eyes turned his way.
"Monday?" His disbelief more than evident, Danny breathed out the word at the suggested milestone. Unconsciously, his fingers found the edge of tape near the chest tube which he began to worry at again. He glanced to Steve who by now, was also openly smiling. All the recent tribulations of Beth Paquin were duly swept under the proverbial table as Doctor Webber calmly offered what seemed like reams of good news.
"You'll be discharged after a final x-ray along with my orders which I expect you to follow to the letter," Doctor Webber blithely explained. His attitude made it clear that said breathing exercises, careful activity and follow-up visits would be on his personal docket. Danny nodded to indicate full agreement while the date was fairly confirmed. "But yes ... I'm setting Monday as that tentative goal."
"Monday." Danny repeated to Steve whose silent response was purely a nonchalant shrug in Grace's direction indicating his apparent ease in caring for the little girl. But that only brought another thought to mind and Danny suddenly frowned. Beth Paquin's threats were raw, as were his own concerns should any come to legal fruition. He fought the tightness across his neck and shoulders again forcing himself to remain calm wholly for Grace's sake. Because of his daughter though, Danny was obligated to care for her needs first and foremost. Contacting her mother about his current state of affairs was an unfortunate necessity, especially if the media reports about the accident reached Nevada. Dealing with his daughter first, he would compartmentalize the 'Paquin issue' to manage that as a completely separate problem.
"Did you call Rachel for me? About ... you know ... what happened here? On the beach?" Danny's questions were aimed entirely at Steve who stammered awkwardly for a long moment. Coming on such close heels to their private conversation, Danny forced his tone to be normal and his face to move from a scowl to something resembling a benign pleasantness entirely with Grace in mind.
"Umm. Well, no. Not yet." Thrown briefly, Steve admitted the gaffe with a pained wince. "I ran out of time, Danny. I'm sorry."
To be fair, the prior day had been a total bust requiring Steve to focus not only on Danny's welfare, but Grace's as well. Difficult verbal attacks by the Paquins had been a complete and utter distraction thwarting any other plans he might have originally looked into. Now Saturday afternoon, things again were rapidly changing as Danny's condition was upgraded in lightning speed. He was surprised though by Danny's calm, approving nod.
"Okay. It's fine." Holding his hand out to Grace, Danny smiled reassuringly as he rubbed her knuckles to take away her equally guilty expression. It wasn't as if Grace had forgotten to call her mother; once more, time and unexpected obstacles were merely getting the best of all them. The task was for him to manage now and Danny kissed her fingers to make her grin more.
"Grace and I will call her mom together; but I'm thinking that as of right now, Rachel doesn't have to rush home? I mean Stan and Rachel were coming back to Oahu late on Monday anyway. It's a holiday and Grace has school on Tuesday. If I'm out of here on Monday, what's a day going to do?" Gazing steadfast at Steve and hoping he derived his meanings, Danny nodded in relief as his partner carefully couched his reply.
"I agree, Danno. Grace can stay with me. As can you once you're released. There's no need for Rachel and Stan to change their plans only to get here one day early; it makes no sense. Who knows what flights they'd be able to get with everyone traveling." Contributing now to the wise train of thought, Steve quickly chimed in to set expectations. His agreement with Danny about the rest of the weekend put Grace entirely at ease. Mentally too, Steve was eagerly absorbing the free time for himself and what he planned for Chin to additionally focus on. "Monday's a holiday so no foul there. We'll get her to school on Tuesday morning. With time zones and length of travel, it's a hassle for Rachel to try to manipulate flights to just gain one day when you're going to be released so soon. It makes no sense to upset the apple cart."
Danny was smiling under the oxygen mask as Steve finished a rush of words that had slowly picked up their speed at a nearly inappropriate pace. But the mood had lightened as priorities were established and order was put to what had once been an emotional disarray.
"You know, you guys, I'd love to take Grace to school," Kono chimed in. "We can have more girl-talk. Right, Grace?" Her sly wink made Grace giggle at whatever mild private joke the two had going on amongst themselves and Danny softly chuffed in amusement.
"Do not make my child a champion surfer, Kalakaua," Danny warned around a smile. His finger strayed into the air to scold his friend, causing Grace to giggle even louder. "It's much too dangerous!"
"No way, brah," eyebrows raised mockingly, Kono chided back lightly. Her coy comment kept Grace in giggles and briefly left Danny speechless as he wondered what subject matter could be so secretive. "Surfing is child's play compared to what we were talking about."
"Child's play? Surfing?" Pursing his lips under the oxygen mask, Danny looked to Steve for help as his daughter laughed out right. The dramatic plaintive returned shrug was just as perplexed though and Danny wound up tapping the air in Grace's direction. "You. No boys. No makeup. No bikinis. Piercings ... and definitely no tattoos!"
"Danno!" Grace gasped, laughing into her hand. Kono was laughing too now as the laundry list of forbidden activities continued until Danny needed to stop talking to retain his air and Webber clucked dramatically over his head when his oxygen saturation levels slightly dipped.
"Good, it's settled then." Smiling broadly as the conversation naturally ceased in the room, Steve finally felt as if a few things were reaching a satisfactory state. The mood amongst them all seemed freer and less strained as Webber completed his instructions and explained the orders to come which would get Danny back on his feet.
Steve sensed Danny staring at him again, but this time he held his tongue. The smug smile aimed at his partner as the final member of the Five-0 team swung lazily into the room was telling. Chin rocked to a halt as certain eyes turned his way.
"Uh. What did I miss?" Chin queried, torn at maintaining his smile by the multiple grinning faces which were neutralized by Steve's obvious severity despite an outwardly relaxed posture.
"Settled, Danno." Steve reiterated his last statement despite the mixed company. The double meaning behind what might be settled was clearly communicated between the two friends. Not so far below the surface, Steve's plans to have Chin Ho investigate the Paquin family were soon to be put into motion.
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"It's odd," Chin drawled into the speaker phone at the Five-0 offices. He had stayed at the hospital through the afternoon and into the early evening hours. By then, Danny had been settled into his new room. While he and Grace called Rachel together, Steve had brought the cousins up-to-speed on every aspect of the ugly confrontations.
Each had been incensed by the depth of the woman's hatred; stunned and then alternately worried for Grace when Steve told them about the purple beanbag toy. Anxious to do more, still the team and Grace had been reluctant to leave; only drifting away as Danny lost his battle to remain awake compounded by Doctor Webber's personal vows that no one untoward would be disturbing his patient's rest.
The office had been Chin's first stop despite the late hour. The obstacles he was running into related to the long holiday weekend and a significant lack of human resources available wherever he turned. Certain public record were obvious, but others required human intervention and besides the time, the federal holiday was proving to be a challenge.
"What's odd, Chin?" He was on the phone with Steve who had quietly put Grace to bed after what had turned into another long day. As Danny had anticipated, things were fine with Rachel in the short-term and they both agreed that there was no need for her to rush back for a lone twenty-four hour block of time. Even Grace had chimed in happily with her full agreement about staying with her Uncle Steve. Now those other issues preying so heavily on Danny's mind were to be put to bed long before they might metastasize.
"'I'm going to ask Kono to help in the morning. What's strange though is this offshore account in Beth Paquin's maiden name with a respectable amount of cash squirreled away." Once the situation had been explained to him, Chin had been hard at work dissecting each of the two adult Paquins. Roger Edward Paquin was coming across as clean in every possible way. A college graduate with a degree in mathematics, he'd earned his Master's in financial math and statistics. His job for the City as a Financial Manager provided what could be construed as a nefarious reason for the offshore account, yet Chin was dubious of the man's involvement. Background checks showed nothing out of the ordinary and the man was evidently a good citizen with a solid employment history.
"Deposits are made quarterly and I'm tracing their origin. I'm not sure what I'll be able to turn up," Chin added, before Steve could ask. The enticing carrot had been dangled soon after he'd begun research on the wife and he'd moved quickly away from the family's personal makeup to focus on what appeared to be a truly questionable arrangement. "The deposits are not large enough to draw attention, yet they've added up over a four-year period."
With a deep sigh, Chin hesitated to palm eyes that were now burning from hours of online research. "Four-years means something, too. The Paquins moved here from Michigan shortly after the account seems to have been established. I need Kono to look into their Michigan dealings tomorrow."
It was nearing midnight, and he'd started with the individual adults first. The investigation of Roger Paquin had been straight forward, but Beth's information had diverted a number of times and interestingly so with the advent of the offshore bank account. Hoping to gain ground here, Chin had intentionally remained focused on this most difficult of tasks; asking for assistance through emails and voicemails from State-side resources now no longer in their offices.
"It's a holiday weekend, Steve. I don't know what kind of help I can get even before Tuesday." He didn't mean to sound as if he were lodging an excuse. Chin had sound methods and most were in play, but the timing was more than poor as important contacts vacated the stresses of their normal jobs for the promised relaxation of time with their families.
"It's good work, but go home, Chin." Steve was intrigued by the findings because the bank account clearly meant something. Like Chin, he was now anxious to learn more, proven when he failed at hiding the disappointment in his voice. Yet, he too was tired after attempting similar tasks in the privacy of his home and meeting obstacles created by a federal holiday.
"This is definitely something though and we'll get more." Agreeing to end the evening on an optimistic note, Steve made a decision to finally put an end to their long day. Through their shared connection Chin clearly heard the top of Steve's laptop click shut with a solid snick. "Go home and we'll continue this tomorrow; maybe some of your inquiries will be returned by then."
~ to be continued ~