Chapter 49 "Crashing"

A/N: (7 April 2017) You people are so great! I know the juxtaposition of the chapter and the episode last week were so enormous, it had to have been odd to make the transition. I really love the way Rachel is played on the series, and think the actress is amazing. She and Danny have an undeniable chemistry. And here I am portraying the AU Rachel as a sociopathic, personality disordered (w)itch! I adore Scott Caan working with Clair Van Der Boom. So thank you for working through the strange dichotomy of my AU-verse crazy Rachel and the show's canon Rachel! Your reviews were wonderful! Thank you!

CBS owns all things Five-0, except our plots and our OCs! (And I cannot wait for tonight's episode!)

Chapter 49 "Crashing"

(Monday, 26 December 2016, 10:15 a.m.)

Steve McGarrett sat in the waiting room after interviewing Rachel Edwards, consumed with worry that their conversation might have even made things worse while all he had wanted to do was improve things. Now it sounded like Rachel was going to push the case against her to trial unless Danny himself was able to talk her out of it. The Danny she had been unfaithful to while married to him. She had aborted a daughter that might have been his if she hadn't been unfaithful, and therefore didn't even know who the father was. Steve was not sure that the possibility the baby wasn't his would make much difference to him. Someone had lost a child. It might be his.

If it wasn't his, it was proof that Rachel had been unfaithful. It was one more thing to make Danny feel kicked in the gut. 'What a mess,' thought Steve, knowing there would be no way after all this time to prove one way or other if that child had been Danny's, or some other man's.

It sure wouldn't help Danny feel better to know his wife hadn't even been faithful to him. Steve knew he would have to tell Danny, because if he didn't, Rachel would. Which had him springing to life to call Kono, to ask her to make sure all Danny's calls were held, and to hold onto Danny's personal phone until they could tell the lawyer not to try to get through to Danny. It would be just like Rachel to slide in with her poison before Steve thought to render her efforts useless.

"Will do, Boss," said Kono, who actually had already taken possession of Danny's phone so it wouldn't ring and disturb the already troubled sleep of her Five-0 brother. "I'll tell the nurse's station right away. I'm guessing things went badly?"

Steve let out a discouraged breath he had not even realized he had been holding. "Things went badly. Rachel is a bitch. I got it all on tape, so you'll hear as soon as I get back. Speaking of which, I'm going to call Duke and see if there is an officer out this way who can pick me up and bring me back to Tripler. I don't want Danny left alone. Is he sleeping any better?"

Kono had witnessed two nightmares, the second of which had almost awakened Danny, and so distressed Angel that she had sat on Danny's Santa-hatted sternum, meowing sadly until Kono had called the nurse, who did an assessment, and called Dr. Cornett, who had increased the sedative. "Danny's fever is up a little. The Doc is on his way in as soon as he drops his son and daughter-in-law at the airport, so call it an hour from now. He already called in a ton of bloodwork, which is being processed now."

This did not sound like good news at all. Steve's mood fell a bit lower than it already was. "Okay. Let me know if anything else changes. I'll probably be an hour getting back, too. Can I bring you anything to eat or drink?"

"I'm good," said Kono, watching Angel sleep on Danny, who was currently sleeping deeply. She had to resist the urge to pet Angel and run her hand soothingly up and down Danny's arm. "Boss, it's the day after Christmas, and I don't think a nurse in this hospital hasn't brought in some goodie or other. The problem is that it's all sweet stuff. This gal needs protein. I'll call down to the cafeteria and get a sandwich." But Steve heard the hesitation in Kono's voice when she asked the question he could tell was really on her mind. "It really went badly? Should we worry?"

He nodded to the air. "Yeah," he answered, considered explaining, but did not wanting to go into it when he still had Rachel's poison ringing in his own ears. He wanted to get back to Tripler. "I'll tell you when I get there. Don't let Danny take any calls. Give Danny my love. Kono? Love you too."

H50 H50 H50 H50

Steve managed to get a ride from Officer Pua Kai, the object of Charlie Williams' abject hero worship, after his Dad and Steve, of course. Naturally, the cop asked about Danny, and listened to the abbreviated litany of his ailments, which was much shorter than the actual list. Steve did admit that he had seen photos of his house, and was taking it hard, to which Pua Kai nodded in complete understanding.

So Steve changed the subject to Pua's Christmas. It turned out the officer who had at one time had a charmingly awkward (and persistent) crush on Kono Kalakaua had spent the day before meeting his girlfriend's parents. "I was so nervous!"

"I'll bet! That's quite the milestone! How did you meet, uh, Cynthia?" Steve had been distracted when her name was mentioned so quickly at the beginning that he just hoped he wasn't too far off the mark.

"Sylvia. Her mom is Cynthia. Anyway, she works as a clerk in the paper shop I frequent since I started writing my novel. She's the nice -"

Steve did the physical equivalent of saying "whoa!" "Wait a second, a novel? You're writing a novel?"

"Yes. It's about my academy days, and what it's like to be a cop. I'm kindof aiming it at school-age kids, who might want to know what it's like. Of course, I leave out the gore and death and tetanus shots and stuff like that. But there's a character in there based on you, Commander McGarrett, who drives like a maniac and -"

Steve frowned, mystified, and instantly interrupted, with words Danny would have been reciting silently in his head in his Steve-voice, had he been riding with them. "Whoawhoawhoa! I don't drive like a maniac. I drive like a cop."

Pua Kai was not one to back down. But he held his ground gently. "You drive legendarily like a maniac. Detective Williams is right."

Steve was so comforted, he had to be quiet for a moment as he felt Danny's presence with him, something he missed so badly, he had to blink a few times. But then the gentle cargument was on, and Steve felt so much better afterwards, he bought Pua take-out lunch at Kamekona's shrimp truck, and even got a small serving of rice for Danny, in case he was allowed to have it.

With Kamekona's best wishes for Danny still fresh in his ears, and more information about Pua's book and girlfriend, Steve was dropped off at Tripler, where he hurried inside, just as his phone rang. It was Kono. She sounded terrified.

"It's Danny! Hurry! He's having a terrible reaction to some drug that was confused for the one he was supposed to get. He can't breathe! He's –it's bad!"

"Is the Doc there?" Steve's blood pressure had skyrocketed, and he thanked the Lord that he was fleet of foot and Danny's room was near. He ran the way he drove.

"Yes! Oh God, Steve! He keeps crashing!"

He arrived just as Danny was being rushed down the corridor to the ER, amongst a hive of hospital personnel and equipment, and Cornett didn't even look at him as he paused the gurney on which lay Danny, his chest bare. The Doc called, "Clear!" and applied the paddles to Danny's chest, trying to shock his heart back into beating, almost right in front of Steve. Danny had never looked so pale. One of the monitors was showing a flat line. "Again! 3 – 2 – 1 clear!" Danny's body jolted upwards as the paddles were applied a second (or was it a third or fourth?) time. His limp body settled. The line fluttered back to life.

"Got a pulse! Go! Go! Go!" barked Cornett. And they were off and running for the ER. Steve was absolutely certain the doctor never even realized he was there.

Steve walked unsteadily to Kono's side, and wrapped his good around her shaking shoulders, for she was crying, and Steve didn't even realize he was too. Danny had been unconscious, intubated, and it seemed like every machine in the hospital was attached to him. He felt Kono's racing heart, and knew his was racing too, the opposite of what Danny's had been doing.

"Stay with us, Danno, stay with us," he whispered, terrified.