I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: you can all thank the liquor be-sotted, poolside vacationing muse for what comes next!
Chapter Fourteen
H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*
"I understand you moved here from the mainland?" Kono cocked her head inquisitively, hoping her question didn't seem odd after asking about Mark's progress. At first met by silence and then given a hesitant update about his son, Roger Paquin glanced up from studying his hands which cradled a cup of coffee long gone cold. When he returned to studying his fingers, Kono was sure that her attempts at engaging him had failed. But after a moment, he did begin to speak in an unnaturally soft tone of voice.
"Everything was so much better in Michigan. Moving here hasn't solved a single thing. There's no starting over." A small smile flit across his lips at a distant memory he seemed hesitant to explain. He paused again and then offered a small explanation, but it was still disjointed and completely out of context.
"I was on a business trip and Beth was home when it happened. She's always been home and able to mind the kids. A rarity in this day and age. We've been lucky in that regard; at least, we were at one time. Lucky, that is."
His hands were shaking as he finished speaking. Sympathetically, Kono covered them with her own, surprised to find them ice-cold. The monster which Steve had described had dissolved into a grief-stricken man, slump shouldered and hardly antagonistic. Unable to sleep and worried about Danny despite Doctor Webber's assurances, Kono had returned to the hospital in the earliest morning hours. She had woken only to read her cousin's detailed email which further drove her to do something or at least make mental plans on what she might do later that Sunday morning. Now, as she sat across from Mark's father, she was glad of her impulsive mood.
Only fifteen minutes earlier, Kono had poked her head into Danny's room, relieved to find him sleeping. Not even dawn though, she had traipsed down to the cafeteria rather than risk disturbing him. The area was closed but for the most desperate of the coffee and tea aficionados who were undoubtedly craving even the saddest of offerings from machines. It was here she found Mark's father sitting alone in the middle of the otherwise barren room. What had started as a cautious introduction was now yielding a very erratic purging and as Kono merely sat across from the man, tears began to stream down his face.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're talking about. Kids?" Confused, Kono hid her frown to gently coach him. Her initial question about his son's condition and then the inquiry about their migration from the mainland had resulted in the briefest purge of disconnected thought, of which, she couldn't hope to follow. "I thought Mark was an only child? Can you tell me what happened?"
He was deeply lost in the past though and soon shaking his head while choking down a deep sob. Astounded by the rapid change, Kono could only watch spellbound as Roger Paquin completely shut down.
"I'm sorry; I can't do this right now and I've been away from Mark too long. He doesn't like to be alone." Pushing the chair away from the table in a loud screech of noise, Paquin lurched to his feet. His body accidentally bumped the table hard enough that the harsh vibration sloshed cold untouched coffee over the top of his cup to smear the linoleum table top. Before Kono could say another word, he was gone, stumbling back towards the elevators and the intensive care unit to see his son.
Left dumbfounded in the silence of the dimly lit hospital cafeteria, Kono distractedly dabbed at the spilled coffee with a rumpled napkin. Her idle activity didn't last for long though as she pulled her cell phone out from a pocket to send a detailed email to both Chin and Steve. With the sun now rising, she couldn't sit in the confines of Danny's room while he safely slept when such a lead was dropped so teasingly into her lap.
H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*
Dozing uncomfortably, Danny focused on listening to the conversations taking place around him. The murmurs alternated from Grace's soft patter, to deeper more serious tones as Chin and Steve quietly discussed the Paquins. He had trouble keeping his eyes open and difficulty paying attention, falling into a light sleep only to jerk awake when he sensed a change in the room as a nurse checked on him or he heard an accidental noise emanating from the hallway. Despite what Kono thought she had witnessed during the dark pre-dawn hours, Danny had been awake most of the night. His difficulty in sleeping peacefully had increased exponentially and his eyes were un-characteristically red-rimmed that morning. Over-tired, he had dwelled on the Paquins and their threats. Using his best imaginings, he had created various scenarios which preyed relentlessly on his mind about Rachel, custody arguments and his daughter. In all, none of his self-created exaggerated stories had ended well. Making these mental ramblings worse, his night had also been a fitful one for the discomfort that the smallest of movements sometimes caused him. Now as the morning wore on and Doctor Webber was due to arrive, his anxiety grew regarding the pending ultrasound and likely removal of the chest tube.
While Grace slowly quieted, Danny dozed more deeply listening to her turn an occasional page in a magazine. The rustling sound of paper against paper was oddly soothing as Steve and Chin continued their soft discussion. The sounds ebbed and flowed to an extent where they merged nonsensically and Danny finally did fall asleep.
"He's sleeping," Grace mouthed to Steve as her hand froze mid-turn of her next page. As worried about her father as both Steve and Chin, she abandoned the magazine to watch his face. He had fallen asleep a few times earlier, only to wake with a start followed by a grimace of pain. Afraid that her movement would disturb him, Grace sat quietly hoping he would truly sleep this time. Instead, his hand moved idly across the white sheets and his face adopted the tell-tale sign of discomfort.
Seconds later, Danny forced his eyes open when the hum of conversation fell into a lull. "What?", he asked while tiredly quirking an eyebrow for emphasis when he found three pairs of worried eyes staring directly at him. "What did I miss?"
"We should go so you can get some sleep," Steve replied, frowning in disapproval when Danny waved off the suggestion. "Seriously, you're exhausted. We can come back in a few hours, Danny."
"No, I'm fine," Danny said, groaning just under his breath as he slightly shifted his shoulders and a sharp pain flared through his chest. He had figured out how to move his legs without too much of a burning pull, but his upper body was an entirely different challenge. Without having to verbalize it, he wouldn't be able to sleep even if left alone. Plus, now that breakfast had been accomplished, there was a promise of soon needing to move from the bed for a prescribed change of pace. He both resented and looked forward to the daunting chore after having managed it twice the prior day. Tiredly tugging on Grace's shirt sleeve, he tried to reassure her worries as her smile faded.
"Stay. I'd rather have the company." Rubbing his face, Danny resigned himself to his current state of affairs. He remembered hearing something about Kono talking to Mark's father and a possibility that there were other children in the household. Rather than dealing with another belligerent confrontation, the man's spontaneous emotional release, as limited as it was, was fascinating and Danny pressed to hear more. "So, tell me. What were you saying about more kids? What did Kono find out?"
"She won't say anything yet," Chin replied, with a great deal of editing since Grace was present. "You know that she won't until there's no doubt in her assessment and she's gathered as much as possible."
He, Steve and Grace had converged at the hospital down to the very second. Together in Danny's room, they had briefly been discussing Kono's somewhat odd email from much earlier that morning. Listening closely in order to distract himself, Danny made a decision as he looked over to his daughter. There was no harm in asking if she'd ever heard of Mark having a sibling.
"So, Monkey. Do you understand what your Aunt Kono is trying to find out?" Danny asked, as Grace sat on his left side content to simply be with him. He grinned when she nodded and murmured a soft yes of understanding. "Have you ever heard Mark mention having brothers or sisters?"
"No, never," she replied easily enough. "He started school here sort of when I did. We were both new together." Stroking her hair with one hand, Danny made a helpless face before wincing as the subtle fidget pulled on the chest tube. Regardless of his physical woes, they'd have to wait until Kono could figure out what a very upset Roger Paquin exactly had been referring to. Closing his eyes tiredly, Danny sank back into the bed unable to control the waves of fatigue which wracked his body. Shortly after, his hand stilled on Grace's hair to land limply by her knee and she grinned at both Chin and Steve.
"He's asleep again," she whispered tolerantly. "He's tired a lot. Should we try to go for a little while?" Quietly, Steve beckoned and Grace slipped off the bed to stand by his side. Grace's idea of going meant a trip to the cafeteria for a snack which included a fairly quick return. Once Danno was out of sight, the urge to stay away similarly dissipated as Grace became antsy to once more get back to the hospital room.
"Danno had a very bad night," Steve whispered back. Though they'd all been told that Danny would indeed sleep often, it was still a disconcerting experience for the catnaps to come upon him with such ferocity. Witnessing the added pressures caused by an obsessive worry over unfounded threats rankled Steve's mood on his friend's behalf and he itched for Kono's call to happen sooner, rather than later. Sighing regretfully under his breath as they were all forced to wait on their youngest team member, Steve paused as Danny's hand twitched and then lay still next to his side. Despite being given prescribed pain medication, his face was heavily creased by fatigue and an ongoing aura of being generally unwell.
Moving closer to place Grace in the middle of them, Chin murmured in kind as he studied Danny's wan complexion. "He's hurting," he frowned sympathetically when a skittish pained grimace flit across the lined forehead. He paused, but this time Danny remained sleeping. "He's going to be out for a while I think. Hopefully."
The three left together, sneaking out as one with plans to ramble the hospital grounds. Instead, they met Doctor Webber who was pulling along a portable ultrasound machine. Behind him was a nurse toting a variety of medical supplies on a wheeled cart. "He's sleeping, Doc. He had a bad night," Chin explained as he eyed the impressive array. "We were just going for a short break downstairs."
"I'll wake him gently then," Webber noted with a reassuring wink aimed at Grace. "He's going to be so much more comfortable when he gets rid of that chest tube. He won't mind this little interruption. Plus, I was going to ask that you step out for this procedure so the timing is quite right."
Urging the three to leave as planned, Webber and his nurse entered the room quietly to efficiently setup their equipment. For privacy, the nurse closed the door waiting for the doctor's subsequent direction. Patiently waiting, Webber smiled when their presence and activity roused Danny from the short doze. "So, Danny, are you ready for us?"
Bleary-eyed, Danny was surprised to find the two new visitors in place of his friends and daughter. "Hey, Doc." He was sure that he hadn't slept that long as he forced a yawn to be shallow for the sharp ache a deeper inhale caused. Then his reply was simple as he focused on the ultrasound equipment along with the cart of medical supplies indicating what would be to come. "Sure."
"Just as I thought." Only a few minutes later, the doctor was happily humming to himself as he finished the ultrasound. "It's good, Danny." Webber handed the ultrasound wand to his attending nurse. "Are you ready to be rid of your pesky little friend?"
"More than," Danny agreed with an abstract kneading of his shoulder. Now fully reclined in the bed so that the ultrasound could be completed, the tube was rubbing even more harshly against his pleura to send near constant signals of pain into his shoulder, diaphragm and lower back. The doctor had described an instantaneous relief from the aggravating pain once the tube was removed and no longer able to inflame the sensitive membrane. However his concern was the remembered agony experienced at its initial placement.
As the doctor worked, the nurse had neatly arranged what Webber would need next. A simple cutting blade to remove the sutures had already been setup off to the side with clean 4x4 squares of bandages for placement afterwards. Gloves, official looking eye shield, and a clean surgical type gown sat nearby; all of which were for Doctor Webber's use. The man in question smiled reassuringly as he folded his arms to study Danny's face. He'd already explained the process in detail, yet his patient was dubious of it being truly pain free and completed within seconds.
"It hurt like hell going in," Danny remarked warily as Webber continued to smile. "All I have to do is hold my breath and bear down ... just that?"
"I'll tell you when," the doctor affirmed. "I have to remove the old dressing and the sutures which are holding the tube in place. Then, the idea is to not allow air to go in once it's removed; so I'll be very fast. I promise that you'll hardly feel a thing."
"Hardly? How much is hardly?" The wry sniff remained disbelieving, but Danny signaled his readiness as Webber donned his gear and the nurse finally assisted with his gloves.
"No going back now," Webber noted dryly as he carefully removed the old bandages, supporting the tube gently with one hand as he cut the sutures with an uncanny dexterity. He smiled as Danny screwed his eyes closed at the onset of his work, knowing that his patient likely wouldn't look until the entire procedure was accomplished. "Hold your breath for me and bear down now, Danny."
Steadfast and calm, Webber waited the space of two heartbeats to ensure Danny was accomplishing the prescribed tasks. He was patiently at the ready with a Vaseline-silicone 4x4 piece of gauze in hand to cover the small wound. This first layer would then be backed with an even thicker protective piece of gauze padding which would be held in place by industrial strength bandage tape. Watching Danny, his approving nod coincided with the tube being duly pulled out and the clean bandages instantly swiped into place to seal the wound.
Eyes still closed, Danny held his breath and bore down the best he could and waited for the onslaught of pain. There was an odd sensation of movement, a strange tugging, and then ... nothing. He peeked up through his lashes, swearing that Webber was humming his happy senseless tune again as a few pieces of tape were smoothed into place against his skin.
"Done. You can breathe now, too. Normally, please," Webber smirked as Danny blinked oddly up at him. His grin increased as his patient ever so slowly relaxed to expel the weak breath of air he'd been holding. "You'll still have some discomfort but more of an ache as if you've coughed a lot from a cold or flu. Residual soreness so to speak but nothing like what you've had to cope with. And those breathing exercises are critical, Danny. Absolutely critical!"
"Uh huh." Danny eyed the plastic incentive spirometer placed now in his hands after the head of the bed was raised to a comfortable incline. The ridiculous looking device was more toy than tool and yet he was required to inhale from it hourly moving its colorful contents up to prescribed levels marked on its outside. Left without further explanation, he watched in continued awe as the nurse gathered the old chest tube equipment together, along with the original bandages and Webber's now used medical gear which he'd stripped himself of with a practiced ease.
"Ready for visitors? I'm positive that they didn't go far." The smugness continued as Webber opened the door, allowing the nurse to leave ahead of him. He didn't even double check the hallway to confirm that the three had never left the floor for their planned trip to the cafeteria. "Yes?"
"Uh huh," was the unapologetic rejoinder which made Webber chuckle in appreciation.
"Can I say that I told you so?" The physician teased pleasantly. His patient was still doubting the easy completion of what he had anticipated to be a terrible ordeal.
"You can," Danny sniffed, utterly relieved now as he carefully experimented at finding a more comfortable position in bed with scarcely a flicker of biting pain. Catching the doctor's eye as the grievous equipment left his sight, he tentatively tested his ability to take a deeper breath. Inhaling slowly, he noted the continued feeling of tightness accompanied by a more manageable ache and smiled. "It's better. And ... uh ... walk later, right?"
"Short trips would do you well, Danny. After lunch would be a goal and please ... please ... use that hourly," Webber confirmed while again pointing to the incentive spirometer. But recognizing his patient's level of fatigue, he dimmed the room in favor of the natural light coming in from the one window. "Get some rest now though."
Upon leaving, the doctor instantly came face to face with Steve, Chin and Grace who had all remained huddled impatiently in the corridor outside Danny's room. They had seen the nurse leave and were obviously loitering to hear the affirmative results. As worried as their friend, Webber had to comically roll his eyes towards the ceiling before taking Grace's hand, himself.
"Well, go on," Webber gently urged Grace towards the room first. Surprised when she hesitated uncertainly, he bent down to her level with a warm smile. "What are you waiting for? He's probably going to take a nap. But first, he has this nifty toy to show off called an incentive spirometer. Make sure he uses it every hour he's awake, alright, Grace? It's very, very important."
"Okay. Spy-ROM-eter. Got it," she quickly agreed, disappearing down the hall with a happy bounce which sent her ponytail flying behind.
"She's a pistol that one," Webber chuckled before turning towards Steve and Chin. "Now, you two. Shoo." The doctor dramatically waved his hands at both Steve and Chin, earning him a dual set of pleased grins. "I'd like you to encourage him to get some sleep now. But he's fine ... go see for yourselves."
~ to be continued ~