Chapter 33 "Emotional Roller Coaster"
A/N: (17 December 2016) You are the best. You are THE best. Thank you for so many kind words. I appreciate you more than I can say, so I keep writing for you. This is my thanks to you. That and hugs!
((GYAH for the Winter Finale cliffie! They simply have to get Chin back, and let Sarah go home with him and be adopted by him! But was there any more palpably ewwwww-ick scene than Danny and Grover working with Max on that phone autopsy of the burned guy? I mean…..I love how they've been working in a lot more scenes with those two, and will miss Max when he leaves.))
CBS owns Hawaii Five-0, and lets us play with it.
Chapter 33 "Emotional Roller Coaster"
(Saturday, 24 December 2016, 10:30 a.m.)
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A very few hours before, Danny had not thought he would live to see the minute, even the second he was released from the box. And now, it was Christmas Eve morning, and he was being readied to be carried from it, wrapped in blankets, on a litter being carried by people he knew, and others he did not know but kept trying to thank until his voice had nothing left, and a deep cough was beginning to jar him when it happened. He smiled brightly though, as he was slipped through the opening cut in the box, and he saw the outside for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.
It did not slip his notice, while he was again enjoying being reunited with Chin, Kono and Abby, that CSI agents were quietly entering the box, to begin their investigation. The falling rain, now more of a heavy mist, was obscuring the sun, but no longer was Danny at the mercy of the cold. He was simply happy to be outside and free again.
He also knew that it meant bad news for when he found out who had locked him in the box. He would find out when he was more capable of dealing with that information. In the meantime, he knew that he was safe, because everyone was acting like he was, rather than darting their eyes up and around to make sure there was no danger lurking.
He was still clutching his kitten, Angel, who was very clingy while showing intense curiosity for the world outside the box. Steve was by his side as soon as he stepped out right behind him, and then he was again engulfed by well-wishers, especially his Five-0 teammates, who again hugged him, then stepped back as Dr. Cornett kept pulling the litter and its carriers towards the medevac. But Danny managed to stall him for a moment. "I need to see where this is," he said, and coughed until he thought his lungs would either explode or be expelled. When he coughed, someone pulled the oxygen mask off his face, and when he stopped, the same set of hands carefully put it back in place.
Dr. Cornett understood, and a half minute would not hurt. Danny could see that he was almost timing that thirty seconds, so he made best of it. He saw how almost desolate the area was. In such a paradise, how had he ended up where the trees were largely missing, the shrubbery scrawny and sparse, as if something bad had happened to the land around what was apparently the half-finished roof of an abandoned building equally only partially constructed?
Steve watched Danny look around, very much as Angel was, except that Angel was still focused on Danny, and Danny was now troubled. "How did you find me here? Is this still Oahu?" he asked. He shook his head. He had no recognition of this place at all.
Steve caught Cornett's subtle shake of his head. "Uh," Steve said, striving for and not quite succeeding in finding a neutral tone, which told Danny more than worry or fear or whatever defined emotion Steve was trying to avoid. "We will get into all the details when you have satisfied your doc here that you are ready to hear them. I think he's anxious to get you back to Tripler to begin the poking and prodding."
This meant that whatever he wasn't being told was very bad. Danny began to try to dredge up the energy to hear it. He was safe and out of the box, which was very good. But there was going to be a very bad soon.
"No one has mentioned Charlie. Is he okay? You are not tippy-toe-ing because of Charlie, are you?"
Steve was quick to assuage Danny's worries. "Charlie's fine, Danny. He's not quite sure what is going on, but that means he brightens us all up with his Christmas excitement. He's fine, and misses his Danno. Soon as you are in a room, we'll bust rules and bring him up to see you."
One fear put to rest. Danny felt his sudden tension ease. "I get to see Gracie?"
Steve nodded. They were moving now toward the helicopter. He glanced back at Kono, who was calling Becca. "Grace will be waiting for you." And he saw the CSI people entering the box. It was, after all, a crime scene.
"Rest, Danny," said the gentle Dr. Cornett. "Rest now and let us run some tests and get you cleaned up to see her."
Danny nodded, lay back, and closed his eyes. The middle-of-nowhere feel of the area around the box told him nothing except that he would not like the answers to all his questions of how he had come to be here. He felt Angel snuggle against him, and he knew at least she had survived with him. That had been his last worry, that he would die before he could get Angel to safety. In the box, she could break into the food packets, if he grew too weak to open them. But it had all been a terrible fear, that he would be unable to give her water, provide for her survival. He could not stand the thought that the kitten he had come to love might die because he had failed to get them out of the box.
But he had survived. Steve and his team had found him, with Angel, in time. Angel, too, was safe.
He hugged her with one hand, and whispered Steve's name. "You have to take care of Angel. Promise me I can keep her."
"You bet, Danny. We'll work it out."
"Becca has a cat, Clarence, a few months older than your little lady here," said Dr. Cornett, as the litter was lashed in place inside the helicopter. He was now wearing a mask and gloves. "She sent me a text just now that she'd be happy to look after Angel. She and Grace are almost to Tripler already."
"Clarence, the angel from 'It's A Wonderful Life'?" wheezed Danny, breaking into another cough.
Cornett grinned with his eyes. "You got it, Danny. I'm glad your cough is nicely productive. It will clear out those lungs, and medicine will make sure you feel better in a few days. Now, let us get busy with our medical stuff, and you rest. Steve, could you take Angel?"
That simple request of Steve let Danny know that the show was now beginning for real. He felt the chopper lift off, and the medevac's personnel went to work.
Danny did rest, even as a whirlwind of activity happened around him and to him. Steve asked someone to tie the leash for Angel's harness to the wrist of his cast, so he could use his good hand to alternately pet her - once again perching in his sling - and hold Danny's hand. He talked soothingly to him about how glad they were to have found him in time for Christmas. "If your doc gives the clearance, maybe we can bring Christmas to you in your hospital room."
Cornett replied optimistically. "So far, Danny, I'd say that's a possibility, even if it may have to be a very short party, and only if you are not in ICU. I am cautiously optimistic, and willing to grant you special privileges, as long as they do not compromise your recovery."
"Uh oh, you're starting to sound like a doctor," muttered Danny, steeling himself as best his lack of strength could.
Dr. Cornett stilled, and his brows furrowed. "Er, sorry?"
Danny's burst into laughter was cut short by another productive cough. "Go for it, Doc," grinned Danny, then gave in to fatigue.
Danny closed his eyes and held Steve's hand as his clothes were cut from him and bagged, and certain medically undignified and quite personal tests were performed that he normally would have questioned, or at least complained about. He was saving his energy, and his doctor had to do what his doctor had to do, and Doc Cornett was being brow-raisingly thorough, even for him. Danny's entire body was washed twice with medical wipes, before he was dressed in a knee length gown and the kind of pants given to patients. He got a fresh pair of socks, but his chained right ankle inhibited that half of the pair from being pulled up to his mid calf. The little burn was given a light dressing, as that was all that could fit under the tight chain. His head was covered with another cap, and he was warmed by more blankets, after which the testing began in earnest. A pulse oximeter was clamped onto his index finger on his good hand, and the doctor was unhappy with the reading of 87, when the number should be 98 or above. Oxygen was increased in the mask until the level was at 92, but that was as high as it would go. Blood was drawn, and two IV lines inserted, one with saline, another with electrolytes. His ability to inhale was tested with an incentive spirometer, which he would get accustomed to using in the following days as he recovered and was able to take deeper breaths.
Danny heard words and phrases like 'dehydrated', 'fever 101.4, down from 101.6 fifteen minutes ago', 'electrolytes out of balance', 'pneumonia' again, 'early stage sepsis' as they were again looking at his thumb. His knee was carefully medicated and bandaged. Every time he coughed, the sputum was saved to be cultured. He would open his eyes now and then and glance up at Steve, and Angel peering at him from Steve's sling. His eyes smiled for him. Steve smiled back, and Angel would begin her happy purr.
"Five minutes from Tripler," someone said. His litter was secured, and Steve had to sit and strap in, with Angel, protectively wrapped in a towel. Danny's anticipation grew, for he would be seeing Grace. He needed to see Grace.
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H50 H50 H50
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Danny thought the most beautiful vision he had ever seen was his daughter, flanked by Becca, both in hospital gowns and masks. She was radiant, and the hug they shared lasted a long time. He had been wheeled on a gurney from the chopper to the receiving room in front of the elevators which would take him down to the ER. There, he was able to hug Gracie, and she was crying, but smiling. He was crying, but smiling. "Gracie, Monkey. Best Christmas Eve present ever," he whispered, and held her. "I love your pink cast! I know I look funny with the hair, uh, well, that hat is bad but the no-hair look is worse." His ankle had been draped in blankets so his daughter would not know about that.
"I'm so glad I get to see you, I was so worried. I've seen the no-hair look, but it will grow back," sniffled Grace. "I'm the one who overheard mom and Step Stan and figured out it was them when I saw the pictures," she rushed on, "and I called Uncle Steve, and he did everything else. He got Step Stan to lead everyone to you. I missed you so much. I was so scared."
Danny froze, but only briefly, for Grace's sake. Rachel and Stan? They had done this to him? His ex-wife? Her husband? They had locked him in a box and … to die? Rachel?
His emotions did a complete flip flop and nosedive, and he knew Steve and Dr. Cornett, and even Becca, realized it, though he would not let on to Gracie. He did not feel ready to know what he now knew. This was the bad that Steve and everyone else had kept from him. It was much worse than he had expected the news to be.
Much worse.
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H50 H50 H50
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"You did right, and you were very brave," Danny said, hoping it was the right thing to say to Gracie as he shoved his flat-lined, numb emotions into the place he hid the pain from his children. "How is Charlie? Wh-where have you two been staying?"
"Happily oblivious, and excited about Christmas. We've been staying with the Cornetts. They are really really nice."
"Yes, they are," whispered Danny, definitely realizing how much he wish he was still happily oblivious about Rachel and Stan's attempt to murder him. "Why didn't you stay at our house? No offense, Doc; it was really kind of you to take in my kids."
Steve shook his head, and the tension on his face told Danny not to pursue questions about his house. More pain to come. Okay. Danny was beginning to feel light headed and sick. He shut down his mind. "Hey, Monkey, meet my kitten! I hope you and Angel will become best friends."
Gracie immediately went coo-ingly nuts over Angel, and it was mutual. While they got acquainted, Danny sought Steve's eyes, which were worried and apologetic as he whispered, "I'll explain everything later." Translation: Not in front of Grace. Danny knew this was really going to be bad.
Danny shoved the information he was unprepared to cope with aside, for now, and thanked Becca for bringing Grace. He gave her a hug that lasted a few seconds longer than he had meant. But her hair smelled so nice, and he needed some comfort, and her eyes were full of understanding for him. "Thank you, Becca. Thank you. You look beautiful," he commented, noticing the very Christmas sweater under her gown. "Are you sure you don't mind looking after my kitten?"
"Thank you, Danny," responded Becca, and her eyes were glowing with unshed tears. She had noticed the change in Danny, how he had held her so tenderly, and her heartrate sped up and she dared to hope he might be finally noticing her the way she noticed him. But there was tension as well, for she knew Grace had slipped up telling Danny too soon who had tried to kill him. "And Angel will be no trouble at all. The kids have been staying at my Dad's house, while we were looking for you, and they've all met and approve of Clarence. I'll run Angel to the vet for a quick check, if that's okay with you? She sure looks good, and that purr is huge!"
Danny was shaking again, try as he might not to. Dr. Cornett finally halted the reunions. "We need to get you into the ER," he said, apologetically bit firmly. "There will be lots of time for more reunions after we get you checked out."
"Can … can I just hold Angel for a few seconds before …?"
Gracie relinquished the kitten back into Danny's arms, and she snuggled against him, rubbing his neck.
Becca, watching the two interact, sighed without meaning to. "She sure is one … lucky … kitten." Danny smiled and glanced at Becca, then did a double take, for he could see things in her eyes, hear them in her voice. He remembered what he had thought about her while he was in the box, how they might have a future together.
How Danny needed to think of a future right now. Maybe he and Becca had a lot of their own talking to do later. And it would not just be about Angel.