A/N - Not a doctor, don't play one on TV. Please read and accept with a grain of salt.

Chapter 6

Danny paced frustratingly familiar steps across the room; around the squeaky, plastic visitor's chair and on to the mocking night view framed in the window. He tried again to focus on the flickering stars, the dim hope of distraction as faint as the light they provided. But it was not to be, they merely winked mockingly back at him, as if to remind him how much of a mess the night had become.

For maybe the twentieth time, he turned away from the window and trekked back across the room. His arms rose up in a full body shrug, as he muttered "Suppose I should be grateful." He paused by the ugly chair, "Coulda been worse." His thoughts quickly covered the possibilities. "So much worse."

With a sigh, he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and finished the short distance back to the closed door. He paused and glared at it. He'd been told to wait here. His constant motion and quiet mumblings had brought him to the attention of the charge nurse who recognized him from previous visits. It's possible she had true sympathy for him but Danny suspected she really just wanted him away and out of sight of all the other people waiting with concern in the emergency room. It was fine by him. Only, if he had to wait much longer he'd be the one admitted with blood pressure medication dripping through an I.V.

He could feel his impatience growing as he stared at the door that remained stubbornly closed. So he turned back on yet another circuit across the room. After eight steps he found that chair blocking his direct path to the window yet again. He grabbed hold of it with the intent of just shoving it towards the wall but instead pulled his arms back, one hand reaching up to rub at his tired eyes. With a sigh, he took the half step to the left and continued on his way.

The sudden commotion behind him made him pause. Spinning around, he watched two orderlies wheel his partner in on a gurney. They were followed by a nurse toting a tablet computer. With a sigh of relief Danny stayed out of the way, but kept his hands free and was ready to rush forward if he was needed to grab a wayward limb.

The orderlies were quick and efficient in settling Steve in his new bed and hanging the I.V. bags. One of them nodded to Danny as he grabbed the end of the empty gurney, pushing it out of the room. Not sure if he was being thanked for the offer of help or only recognized as being in the room, Danny moved to hold the door open, happy to have it snick shut behind them now that he had his partner back under his watchful eye.

"You must be Detective Williams," the nurse smiled at him as she finished adjusting one of the dials on the monitor tracking his partner's vitals.

"That'd be me," Danny agreed. "I assume the charge nurse told you I'd be here and you're not some distant relative of the Great Carnac?"

The nurse smiled again, "It's a quiet night, seems to be plenty of time between tasks for us nurses to gossip. I'm Beth," she stuck out her hand, "I'll be watching the Commander over-night."

Danny catalogued the quick but firm handshake as confident and sure. His head tilted slightly to indicate the man in the bed, "So how is he?"

A rough voice mumbled, "He's fine."

Danny's eyebrows lifted, a little surprised to see Steve awake – assuming the slight bit of hazel peering from between mostly closed lids could count as awake.

A warm smile crossed Danny's lips. "I'm glad to hear that. But I wasn't asking you, so hush."

"Oh, that's real nice." Steve's voice was still raspy from his medicated sleep. His eyes drifted closed.

Danny placed a calming hand on Steve's arm. Looking back to Beth, "So really, how is he?"

Beth looked mildly amused, if her grin was anything to go by. "He's going to be fine."

"Told you so."

Beth placed a gentle hand on Steve's knee. "Do you need anything for pain, Commander?"

"No. Really, m'fine."

Danny gave a soothing pat to the bicep below his fingers. "Sure you are. I'm going to listen to the lady with the stethoscope now. So you just keep those eyes closed and go back to conducting army manoeuvres in your head."

Steve gave a soft snort, "Navy, Danny," but didn't open his eyes.

Danny let the correction go without a snide comeback. He had plenty of time to inform his partner on the safety procedures of HPD versus the obviously lacking military protocols, if Steve was anything to go by.

"He's really going to be okay," Beth repeated, whispering, not wanting to disturb her patient. "The surgery to remove the bullet from his shoulder went smoothly, no complications. He'll be staying with us for a day, maybe two. We need to replenish his fluids and monitor him for infection." She motioned to the two I.V. bags hanging near the head of the bed.

Danny's shoulders relaxed for the first time since leaving his apartment earlier that evening. "So the hospital's taking responsibility for him for the next twenty four hours?"

"Between the anesthetic, pain medication and antibiotics, I expect he'll sleep for most of his time with us," Beth answered, matching Danny's grin.

Wrinkles appeared across Steve's forehead as his brows furrowed but his eyes remained closed. "We're not finished with our case."

Danny chuckled at the annoyed frown, "Shhh, Steven. You're mumbling. Go back to sleep."

Beth tucked the sheet up around her patient. "I'll give you boys a few more minutes, but he really does need his sleep. If you need anything, you know how to work the button." She gave another smile as she exited, pulling the door closed behind her.

Danny couldn't help himself; a large grin took over his face. "You think I should ask for her number tonight or wait until she gives it to me tomorrow?"

"What are you talking about?" Steve's eyes blearily opened, managing a little further than before. "She had her hands all over me. If anyone's getting her number it'll be me."

Danny gave a short bark of a laugh, "You're her patient. It's her job; she's paid to touch icky people like you. Besides she couldn't take her eyes off me."

"Icky people? Really, Danny?"

"Yes, icky people. All that blood. Body fluids leaking everywhere; not to mention the pale skin tone. Oh, then there's all that bitching and moaning. So not attractive."

Steve's good arm lifted from the bed, his hand fisted. "Come a little closer and I'll give you leaking body fluids. And all you do is bitch and moan – and you're not even in a hospital bed."

Danny frowned, going through his bank of witty replies only to shrug, "Yeah, but she doesn't know that."

A short guffaw had Steve gripping his chest below the bandages on his shoulder. "Shit. That really hurts."

"Then don't do it."

The menacing glare only made Danny grin. "You heard your nurse," Danny stepped back from the bed and stuffed his hands back into his pockets. "You should get some sleep. You have fluids to replace and the good drugs to fight for you."

Steve pushed his head further into his pillow, his good arm returning to his side and eyes closing. He managed a smile and sighed, "Thanks, Danno. I want to know what Duke finds at Terashima's office." His hand rose slightly from the bed again, "And let me know what you get from the ones that made it to lock up, too."

Danny pushed the hand back down, leaving his own hand resting on top until he was sure it wouldn't rise again. "Thanks, Steven, but this isn't my first rodeo. I'll see that it's all taken care of. You go to sleep."

There was a deep, settling sigh then a quietly murmured, "See you tomorrow, Danno."

Danny turned down the lights. "See you tomorrow." He pulled the door closed behind him, only to settle into a chair a few feet from the door and start making some phone calls.

~H50~

Friday morning Danny was humming with the radio as he made his way to the office. It wasn't a Bon Jovi song, but that didn't seem to be a requirement on this bright and beautiful start to the day.

After leaving Steve's room last night his first call was to Duke and was told everything was under control. All the books and files from Terashima's office were being bagged and tagged as evidence. HPD would have a qualified accountant go over everything and there were high hopes of finally having the necessary evidence to put Terashima away for a long time. Once he got out of the hospital anyway. He was one of the men taken away by ambulance.

The captain from narcotics division wanted to have first go at the men in lock-up. He had waged war against Terashima for over five years and that Thursday night, as Danny had been almost too tired to form coherent thought and yet unwilling to leave his partner's side, Danny was happy to allow him the privilege. Captain Tanaka promised Danny access to the transcripts, and a phone call if he got anything relating to the death of Akino Salvator.

Danny had waited outside of his partner's room for another hour, periodically checking that the man inside was truly resting. The friendly nursing staff kept feeding Danny cups of coffee and offering understanding smiles as they worked around him. Finally with the firm knowledge that Steve was sleeping peacefully and being taken care of by the very capable Nurse Beth, the men in lock-up were being tackled by one very determined Captain Tanaka and Duke was in charge of the crime scene; Danny had gone home and slept.

Arriving at the office, Danny entered with a flourish, a bag of fresh malasadas swinging from his hand, "Good morning everyone."

Kono's smile grew to match the blond detective's. "You're in a good mood. Did you get extra sugar on your donut this morning?"

Danny held up his bag of baked goodness. "I've got the breakfast of champions right here."

Chin took a break from typing on the touchscreen tabletop to lean his hip against the edge. It looked like he and Kono had already been busy this morning doing their technical magic. Duke had a busy night, as all the screens held information relating to Terashima and his business. Chin and Kono were breaking it down into leads for further investigation.

Chin had one of his relaxed grins well in place, "So you're saying Hawaii has Jersey beat in the food department."

Danny placed the paper bag on the edge of the computer table, "Why don't we just see what lunch time brings before you turn your delusions of grandeur on me."

Both Chin and Kono laughed, accepting Danny would never admit to his home state as being anything less than perfect.

"You stop in and see Steve this morning?" Chin asked.

Danny's smile returned, "I called and spoke to his nurse. Our little Destructo-boy slept peacefully through the night and was still resting this morning. Things are going so well, he'll probably be released this afternoon."

"That is good news," Kono's smile reflected how happy she was to hear the news.

With a wave of his hand Danny indicated the opened windows on display on the computer screen, "What have we got?"

"The lab sent over their initial findings from Terashima's tour office," Chin explained. "The weapons used last night can be traced back to one or two open cases that Captain Tanaka will be happy to follow up on."

"Today just keeps getting better and better," Danny grinned.

There was another 'bing' from the table alerting them to more new documents. Chin opened them and quickly scanned over the contents. "We have the fingerprints from the tour office and the men we arrested last night. Duke just sent over a list of open files HPD suspects are related to Terashima. We should also run comparisons to other outstanding cases from other states... "

Danny stepped back from the table. It wasn't that he couldn't do the work; rather he just didn't want to spend the rest of his day staring at computer screens and reading someone else's case files. He knew he could get Chin, or even Kono, to send him the relevant files, but he hated days with too much computer face time.

Luckily for him, Kono interrupted, "Oh, I almost forgot. Mrs. Salvator called this morning. She was asking if she could get into her office. The Salvators' building is still sealed with police tape," she was prepared to call the sweet older lady back with an answer and make the expected arrangements.

"You know," Danny latched on to a way out of the office, "I would like to meet Mrs. Salvator. Maybe go over her statement about the vandalism."

Kono didn't reply, only raised one well sculpted eyebrow.

Danny took a few more steps towards the glass doors, "You could always use some additional practise with the less exciting, yet practical aspects of police work." A hand twirled in the general direction of Kono and the computer table with all its incoming files. A few more steps were taken towards the exit. "You'll let Mrs. Salvator know I'm on my way? I'll meet her at the tour office."

Kono had a serious look on her face as she replied, "Of course. She'll be happy to know a detective is on his way to help her."

Danny was gone. He missed his co-workers chuckling at his expense.

~TBC~