Chapter 41 "Christmas, Continued"

A/N: (28 February 2017) (Aaaaand I got the equivalent of the flu. *sigh*) The reviews are so lovely; thank you all! I am convinced I have the nicest, kindest readers on this site! (And, Cubit, you are right, the A/N was kinda long :-D …) I'm glad so many enjoyed the adventure of Angel's first hairball! I knew all along that this would happen somewhere, and just waited for it to fit. And I have the utmost respect for nurses, knowing quite a few, but I needed this one to be a little prickly. (This nurse must consider the repercussions from both Steve and Dr. Cornett, should she fail to take good care of Danny. HE has connections.)

Tiny bit of info: Becca and Hanna do have playbys, tho you are free to make up your own. I always knew Becca was Melanie Moore, dancer/actress, most famous for winning season 8 of So You Think You Can Dance. (Youtube her SYTYCD Melanie and Marko Turn to Stone, or her audition, or SYTYCD Melanie and Marko I Got You, or Melanie and Neil Total Eclipse of the Heart to get an idea of her looks, personality.) I knew from her audition that she was going to be a playby someday. I was not surprised she won her season, in part because she has a naturally sweet personality and a very strong work ethic. She's been doing Broadway shows lately, most recently Chava on Fiddler on the Roof, and is going to be in the reprise of Hello Dolly which comes out sometime this year. She's still just as sweet and nice. She is Becca Cornett.

Hannah was harder to find, but she is Jessica Capshaw, who was (is?) on Grey's Anatomy, and I've never watched the show. I had no idea she existed, but found a photo online that worked, and looked her up. Her younger photos are the ones I think Steve is Stiff McGritting for. Her personality is entirely my creation, as I know absolutely nothing about the actress except that she is Cate Capshaw's daughter, and Cate was in one of my favorite westerns of all time (The Quick & The Dead starring the omgosh sublime Sam Elliott), and I can see Cubit starting to tap tap tap….. :-D

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0 but our plots and our OCs. (Episode 7.18 was *beyond* fantastic! It goes into my top 3!)

Chapter 41 "Christmas, Continued"

(Christmas 2016, continued. Noon.)

Danny, wearing regulation patient pajamas since the Santa jammies had been, uh, soiled by Angel's unexpected hairball, and Becca had taken them and Angel back to the Cornett's house, so the kitten could rest, the jammies be washed, and Dr. Cornett could have time to have the official records of his patient, Danny, reflect that Angel was in fact a Therapy Animal. To do that, the doctor would have to have the kitten evaluated by those hospital personnel who could make the determination official enough to allow Angel to spend a lot of her time with her Daddy-human.

Danny continued to rest and reflect on his incredibly busy Christmas morning. His engagement and Angel's hairball hadn't been the only events of note. He was allowed to eat real food, albeit still very mild and in portions small, but ever increasing, as his digestion got used to doing its job again. An hour ago, Danny had lunched on a half-bowl of chicken noodle soup, oyster crackers, another tiny fruit cup and a third of a banana. Since his stomach had not done any unhappy theatrics, dinner was going to be a little bit of turkey, mild stuffing, actual vegetables, and a dinner roll with just enough butter on it that he could tell it was there, with a few bites of apple pie for dessert. He was looking forward to it very much!

He missed Becca. He missed Angel. He missed Steve and Hannah. He missed his doctor, who was more and more becoming a friend. All had gone back to their respective houses to prepare for the Christmas gift exchange in Danny's room, a half hour away. Steve had slipped the St. Michael's medal into his hand, all shiny from the buffing Steve had somehow given it one-handed, and which was for Charlie. Becca had slipped him her pearl necklace and earrings in a pretty red velvet jewelry case, topped with a little gold mylar poofy bow. Danny loved them because he could picture Gracie opening the case and seeing those pearls, and knowing the tradition of jewelry from her father continued, even though she thought this year it couldn't happen because the house had been blown up by Stan.

Becca, Hannah, and Steve had all spoken together for awhile before they had to leave with Angel. They had a natural ease with one another, and even though Steve had yet to officially ask Hannah to marry him, it really was a formality, so they had found themselves jumping forward to June, and decided they might all have a double wedding, since the guest lists would be the same, and why do everything twice? Each would have the same bridesmaids, the same groomsmen, and nobody wanted anything overly fancy. One simple double-wedding would do quite nicely.

Then the topic had switched to how to tell Gracie and Charlie, and things turned serious. They had to be very sensitive to the feelings of Danny's children, because it was so recent that their mother and step father had been charged with a mind-boggling list of crimes, and they did not know yet that Step-Stan had died suddenly.

They would figure it out together, and while they would see if they could tell Gracie today, they would not tell Charlie until they had spoken to the child psychologist.

Before Steve had slipped away, Danny had asked him quietly if he could call the chaplain or priest to come talk with him, because he felt the need. Steve had gladly consented. It was amazing that Danny and Steve now had a closeness even more pronounced than before. They were brothers already, but after June (date as yet undecided), they would be legally brothers-in-law. Steve felt settled in a way he never had before, because his niece Gracie would in fact be his niece, Charlie his nephew, he would have a sister-in-law he loved, and the ache of a mother he had realized he could never trust had become one of a mother-in-law he already trusted, and his father's death was eased by knowing his father-in-law was a man he had already bonded with, long before they would become real family. He wasn't alone at all anymore. He had found his soulmate in Hannah, and he had seen none of it coming.

Danny had loved watching his partner realize how much his life would change soon, for the better. He had watched as a weight of loneliness Steve bore with unspoken stoicism had been lifted right off, replaced with an openness of expression, a gratitude that brought tears to Danny's eyes, because it brought tears to Steve's. The two men had embraced, and each had whispered, "Love you, brother."

It had been hard to say goodbye even temporarily to Becca and Angel, but Danny had needed some rest by then, which he got, even if he didn't sleep, and it didn't last long. Danny's list of visitors and calls had grown long.

Calls: Danny's family in Jersey (a happy call, on speakerphone from their end, full of joy and cheer), his insurance agent with Christmas greetings and the promise to call the next day and start sorting out the mess of things that needed sorting out, his lawyer who called to say Happy Holidays and another promise of a call the next day, Max, Kamekona, Dog, and other friends Danny had not expected to hear from. When Tony Archer* called, Danny asked how on earth he even knew he was in the hospital?

"Son, ya made da news! You let me know when I can bring you a real pizza pie. Tell yer boss, McGarrett, he can have one slice!" His New York / New Jersey accent had been thick as ever.

"You'll have to wear shoes. Can my fiancé have one too?"

"Fiancé? Yeah, sure, ya mutt! But only if I get to come t' da weddin'! Maybe I should bring two pies. Do flip flops count as shoes in de hospital?"

"Call the front desk and ask. I'll ask my fiance about the wedding." He sighed barely. A slice would be real nice, but he knew it was not on his menu for awhile. A week or so, maybe. He told Tony.

"Kid, you okay?" The concern was real.

Danny thought of all the things wrong with him, even if they seemed to be improving, and thrust aside feeling sorry for himself. He was a lucky man, so he should act like it.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna be fine, doing better every hour. But come by for the gathering today. Starts at 1 p.m. My kids will be here, others too. No curse words at all, got that?"

"Free speech is a right, kiddo. But yeah. Okay. My Goddaughter is on da Big Island wit' her boyfriend, so … 1 p.m., shoes, no cussin'."

"Good. It will be real good to see you."

Then Danny got another call, this time from Rachel Edwards' lawyer. "She has a message for you."

Danny had a bad feeling, but since he would from now on about his ex, he was not surprised. "You cannot imagine how this has made my Christmas, knowing that my ex who tried to kill me has a message for me. So spill it quick, I need to rest."

Rachel's lawyer was a man without any discernible changes of expression, unless he was performing before a judge or jury. So in the flattest voice possible, he said, "Rachel Edwards, newly widowed, asked me to tell you that, and I quote, 'If you do not promise to take me back and adopt my baby son when he is born, I will abort him.' What reply should I give Mrs. Edwards?"

.

* Tony Archer was the main guest in an episode of the show, 2.18. He was played by Scott Caan's father, James Caan. He played a former NYPD bomb expert, relocated to Hawaii upon retirement, and lives on his boat and doesn't mind his own business. I always wished they'd brought him back as a guest a few more times.