Chapter 61 "The Abominable Help"

A/N: (10 July 2017) *HUGS* everyone! You have all been so supportive, riding this crazy coaster which this story is! I am grateful! I didn't write thank emails on the 8th, or anything, since it is the anniversary of when my mom died, and thus a difficult day, so I waited. And then we are back on the coaster, but I do thank you all so much! I love that you love Dr. Cornett, and Angel!

Chapter 51 "Doing Better" is the one that re-introduced Lou into this story.

TiaReh, yes you are my friend! And I am your friend! Happy belated birthday! I can and do call many of you friends. 😊

I like this momentum, and will do my best to keep it up, tho this is a lot of chapters in a short time.

CBS owns all things Hawaii Five-0.

Chapter 61 "The Abominable Help"

[What is a lie? A lie is an abomination unto the Lord, and an ever-present help in times of trouble.]

(Friday, 30 December 2016, 2 p.m.)

Dr. Cornett was sitting at his office desk, rubbing his sore temples, feeling for all the world like he had a bad head cold. All that crying! He just hoped Danny and Steve had finished that part of their complicated, emotional day, because he had been crying right along with them, and he had to be prepared to meet any emergency that might come up until he could clock out and escape, which meant today he would be sticking around off the clock, in case Danny's test results came in. He had been expecting the results for over a day, that would tell him if any unusually harmful bacteria or viruses had infected the man's burned thumb, setting him up for sepsis.

Even with the rollercoaster of emotions the past few days, Danny was steadily improving, and his doctor had high hopes that his patient would dodge any more complications. If the reports came back as he hoped, he could go home.

Except that Danny didn't have a home right now. It had been destroyed in an arson explosion.

Dr. Cornett smiled a watery smile then. He knew Steve would invite Danny to stay with him. Danny's kids could share the spare room, Danny was well acquainted with the couch, and Angel ….

He didn't know if Steve's house was kitten-proof; he had never been there. He glanced at his clock. Steve would be waking up in another half hour or so, thanks to the tiny sedative he had slipped him which had him resting peacefully in Danny's room, along with the slightly more sedated patient whose kitten was standing guard over him.

There was a knock on the doctor's door, and it was the lab reports he was expecting. He tore open the envelope and looked them over. YESSSS! No sepsis showing at all, and all the other worries about Danny's thumb and injuries evaporated. Some good news!

The phone rang while he was doing a silent happy dance. It was the nurse's station nearest Danny's room. He swooped on the phone. "Yes, Janice?" He listened closely, his sore brows doing their best to not knit a sweater. In a clipped voice, he said, "Send that reporter away this instant, and keep Mr. Grover out of sight! I'll be right there. Don't wake Danny!"

.

H50 H50 H50 H50

.

Dr. Cornett practically bi-located to the nurse's station, delighted to see the slim, female reporter disguised not quite properly as a nurse being escorted to the elevator, complaining, being shushed. She didn't know it, but she had come within two rooms of Danny's.

Janice produced Lou Grover from the coffee room the nurses used. "Hello," Cornett said, offering his hand. "It's good to see you again. You asked to see me?"

Lou Grover was happy to see the doctor and soon-to-be father-in-law of his former co-workers. He was trying to do this whole thing right, holding the jury-rigged evidence bag tightly in both hands. He switched it to his left hand so he could shake Dr. Cornett's hand. "Yes, Doctor, I did. I'm not exactly sure what to do. I have what I believe is evidence against Stan Edwards here, but I looked in and saw that Steve and Danny were sleeping, and I don't want to disturb Danny, since I got a bad feeling about this. But Steve needs to see this as soon as possible. Say, do you have a cold? Your voice is a bit, you know, nasal."

"No, I've been …," he started to say, distractedly, before halting and saying firmly, "Yes. Yes. I have a head cold. So does Steve. So does Danny. It is going around." He changed the subject back. "Lou, er, what is this evidence?" he asked, unable to see what was in the flimsy bag wrapped around something thin and the color of mustard.

Lou hesitated. "I'm not sure I should say, uh, you know, since I'm not on the task force or the police force anymore."

The doctor nodded. "Of course. Right. Um, let me go see if Steve is waking up. Uh, just hold right here for a second."

Steve was on the verge of waking up, and Angel meowed welcomingly at Dr. Cornett as he slipped past Danny's bed after checking the readouts. He gave the kitten a pat and touched Steve lightly on his arm, awakening him the rest of the way. With a finger to his lips, he shushed Steve and then beckoned him to follow him out into the hall.

Steve nodded, untangled himself from the blanket, and gazed for a few intense seconds at Danny, still peacefully sleeping with his kitten curling and uncurling her little white front paws before rolling onto her back and making herself as long as it was possible for a small kitten to become as she stretched out across his stomach. Steve made an "Awwww!" sound which Dr. Cornett had been about to make, before both whipped out phones and took a picture of Angel in relaxed glory atop her sleeping human.

Once in the hall, Steve immediately saw Lou and they too shook hands. "Good to see you! Danny's sleeping, but he'd be –"

Lou, of an equal height with Dr. Cornett, but weightier, shook his head quickly. He proffered the 'evidence bagged' manila envelope. "No, don't disturb him. Steve, I got this in the mail about 1 o'clock today, and brought it right over. I didn't touch the paper, or the thumb drive. Steve, it's from Stan Edwards, and it's gotta be evidence. I figured you would want to be the one to take it to the lab and give it the works. The envelope may not prove useful, but the contents inside should."

Steve slipped over to the nurses station and grabbed some blue gloves from the box on the desk, then unwrapped the dry cleaning bag from around the manila envelope. "Misdelivered on the 22nd. Hm." He felt the envelope, and could just feel the outline of the thumb drive. He felt his stomach surge and drop at the same time. If this held a copy of what Steve had destroyed on Stan's phone -!

"Lou, excuse me." He turned to Dr. Cornett. "Danny shouldn't be alone, and you are the only other person who knows … uh, that, uh," he ground to a halt. But the doc picked up right away, and saved him any explanation. "I'll sit with him. Besides, I've got some good news for him anyway. He doesn't have sepsis. He's going to be just fine. He can go home tonight if he feels ready."

Steve jumped at the doctor and gave him a hug, smiling his megawatt smile.

"Oh, that's excellent news! Except for his cold, poor guy," said Lou, making the lights look dim beside his own smile.

"Cold?" Steve looked confused. Then his eyes widened and he expression turned exceptionally earnest. He nodded vigorously, stepping hastily back from the doctor. "He does have a head cold. Poor guy. And so do I! So do we!" he corrected, pointing at the doc. "We got them today."

"Well, don't give it to me," said Grover, his eyes acting like Steve and the doctor were a tennis match in very active play, while they did their best innocent acts, until Lou shrugged and pointed meaningfully to the re-bagged manila envelope. "Do you need a lift to the lab?"

In something between excitement and dread, Steve answered, "Yes, thanks! Uh. Let me call Duke and have him meet us there, and he can also take your official statement, though I'd like to ask you about this while we drive over." He turned back to the doctor. "When Danny wakes up, and you give him the news about his tests, but not about this thing here," he said, pointing to the envelope, "tell him he's going to be staying with me. Him, the kids, the kitten, the works. If he objects, tell him Hannah and I need a chaperon."

Dr. Cornett laughed approvingly.

Danny stuck his sleepy head out the door of the room and asked what he'd missed. Steve gave him a gentle hug, and improvised. "Doc C will tell you! Uh! Lou and I have to go and kittenproof my house! He's going to help me."

"Oh, hi, Lou!" Danny was holding Angel. Angel leaned her nose out to sniff Lou's proffered hand, and she gave him her Headrub of Love, which turned Lou into mush. "She is the sweetest kitten in the whole world!"

"Right, Lou? Kittenproofing?" said Steve, smiling like his cheeks were starting to hurt. He was holding the wrapped envelope behind his back, so Danny wouldn't see it or his blue gloves.

Lou said in his best car salesman voice, "Why, yes, Steve, I am."

"I'll be back soon, Danny!"

"K," said Danny, groggy, giving Angel a Danny Headrub of Love. "Good to see you again, Lou. Give my love to Renee and the kids, and come visit me next time." He turned and shuffled into his room, while saying to Dr. Cornett, "That antihistamine sure made me sleepy."

"Did it? Hey, are you hungry, because I sure am," said the doctor as Steve and Lou snuck over to the elevator.