Note: Thanks for all the reviews, now let's see how bad Danny is.
Chapter Five
Steve reached Danny's side and thought for a second his heart was going to stop. Danny's eyes were wide open, staring, and empty. He could see the hole in his partner's vest, dead centre. The bullet hadn't been stopped by his vest, proving Steve's theory of amour piercing bullets being used. He knew it would have torn right through and hit Danny in the heart, killing him instantly.
Dropping to his knees beside his best friend he jumped when Danny suddenly gasped for air and arched his back off the floor.
"Danny, oh god, Danny, hold still." He started to release the straps on the vest, noting a second bullet hole to the right side of Danny's chest, and a third lower down on the same side.
Steve's hands were shaking as he ripped open the vest expecting to see his best friend's chest covered in blood. He wasn't sure how Danny was still alive but he was going to keep him that way until the EMT's arrived. He was not going to let his brother bleed out. Steve's breath caught as he let out a hysterical giggle then looked Danny in the eye.
"Two vests! You're wearing two vests?" Three shiny mushroomed bullets were imbedded in the second vest.
Danny coughed weakly and grabbed at his chest, struggling to get air in. Steve decided to hold off giving Danny shit for scaring him half to death, and focus on helping his friend.
Undoing the second vest released the pressure on Danny's chest and he was finally able to get some air into his lungs.
"Ambulance is two minutes out." Kono dropped down beside the two partners and ripped off her outer shirt ready to help stem the blood flow. Seeing no blood she asked, "What the hell?"
Danny was concentrating on breathing, his chest was burning, and every breath sent waves of pain rippling from his breastbone out, so Steve explained. "He had two vests on. The second vest stopped the bullets."
Chin and Lou marched the now cuffed suspects closer to the rest of the team, anxious to see how Danny was doing.
"Sit your arses down there now." Lou directed the men and stepped closer. "How's he doing?"
"He took three to the vest." Steve replied, opening Danny's shirt and wincing at the red welts that were already forming.
"I'm ok." Danny finally managed to get out. "Just hurts like a bitch."
"What the hell was that Daniel Williams?" Kono screamed, punching him in the upper arm.
"Ouch. What was...that for?" Danny was obviously in pain and Steve moved around to help raise his friend up a little to ease his breathing.
"What the hell were you thinking breaking cover like that?" Kono continued to yell.
"He was headed...right for you." Danny managed to explain before a coughing fit left him struggling to breathe again, and racked with pain.
"You shouldn't have done that Danny. Those bullets were meant for me."
"What?" Danny gasped confused at his teammate's anger. "You think I could...just let...you get shot?"
"You have Grace to think about Danny." Kono's anger was beginning to deflate.
"That doesn't mean I...I'm more important than you." Danny attempted to take a deeper breath but found it too painful.
"Ok, Kono enough. As someone who has personally taken a bullet to the vest, I know it hurts like hell. Danny just took three high power rounds to the chest. Just slow your breathing down Danny. The EMT's will be here soon." Chin instructed.
Steve was busy examining his partner with concern. The initial relief that the bullets hadn't made it through the vest was now being replaced by panic as Danny struggled to draw a breath. The bullets may have been stopped from entering Danny's body, but the impact could have caused some serious damage.
Danny closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing, only managing to take shallow, fast breaths as the pain in his chest refused to settle. Each team member couldn't help but notice the slightly blue tinge that had started to appear around Danny's lips, and were relieved when Ani and Jonah, the EMT's showed up.
Steve explained to them what had happened and they quickly set about examining Danny. Jonah started checking Danny's vitals while Ani carefully palpated his rib cage and abdomen, causing Danny to wince and groan.
Steve watched anxiously as Ani secured an oxygen mask over Danny's face to help improve his oxygenation. "Danny, I'm pretty sure you have some busted ribs. We need to take you in to be checked out and rule out any serious injuries."
Danny nodded in understanding, truth be told he was in a lot of pain. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, and his ribs grating with every breath he took.
"Danny, your BP is on the low side. I'd like to start an IV then we can get moving." Jonah explained.
"Ok, but..." Danny paused and coughed.
"But what, Danny?" Ani asked while listening to the detective's chest.
"You got any of the good stuff you can throw in with that IV?"
"Sure we can do that." Ani reached into her bag and pulled out some morphine and handed it to Jonah who dumped it into the newly established IV he had just finished inserting.
Steve, who was still supporting Danny, felt his friend's body relax a little, "you good to move now Danny?"
"As I'll ever be," Danny sighed before slowly attempting to move with assistance onto the waiting gurney.
Grunts, groans and a few profanities filled the air as the rest of the team watched Steve help Danny. Once Steve was happy Danny was safely settled on the gurney he turned to the rest of the team.
"I'm gonna go with him, can you guys stay here and take care of this? See if you can find out what they were planning. Once Max and HPD arrive they can take care of everything so you can meet us at the hospital. Let those guys stew for a bit."
Lou turned and started hauling up their prisoners, informing the guy with a hole in his shoulder and a gash to the back of his head that he didn't give a rats arse about his booboo when he yelped in pain.
Safe in the knowledge that his team had everything under control Steve hurried to join his partner in the ambulance.
5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0
Danny had kept his eyes closed, focusing on his breathing the whole time they were moving the gurney to the ambulance and securing it ready for the ride to the hospital. The morphine had helped him find the strength to move onto the gurney, but now the pain was increasing again. As the ambulance started to move and the sirens sprang into life Danny felt warmth flush through the IV and up his arm. The intense fire in his chest started to ease again making it easier to breathe.
Finally he was able to open his eyes. As expected Steve was sat on the seat by his side, however he was surprised to see Jonah riding in the back with him. Normally Ani drew the short straw on that one with her being the more senior of the two EMT's. Jonah was usually in charge of the driving.
"Thanks." Danny acknowledged the extra shot of painkillers. "Don't you usually do the driving?"
"She's letting me take the lead on this one." Jonah smiled, indicating towards Ani.
"He's growing up, got to take the training wheels off sometime." Ani joked.
"He's not as tight with the good stuff as you, I think I like him better." Danny bantered. Then as they hit a pothole, and the jolt caused his chest to burn, he added. "Changed my mind, I prefer him driving."
"Did I just get insulted, twice? Watch yourself Detective Williams or I may find a few more potholes."
Danny gave a small laugh then looked at Steve who had been very quiet since the whole thing went down. "Hey, babe. You've got aneurism face."
"Aneurism face? Danny, of course I have aneurism face. I just watched you be shot three times. I though you were dead. When did you put on the second vest? I didn't know you had two vests on. Jesus, Danny." Steve dropped his head into his hands.
"When I went back to the car."
"What?" Steve looked up at Danny.
"You asked when I put on the second vest." Danny paused and took a few breaths. "I went to get extra ammo, and saw the spare vest." Danny rubbed at his chest as it started to feel tight once more, and he wondered if Jonah had been too generous with the pain relief as he felt a little light headed. "I promised Grace I'd do everything I could to get home to her...she was worried, last night."
"That was good thinking. I should have made us all wear two." Steve had never been so relieved at Danny's cautiousness before, and he would have to remember to give Grace an extra big hug.
Jonah started fussing over Danny's vitals, frowning as the detective rubbed a hand over his abdomen. "Danny, does your abdomen hurt?"
"Yeah, but it's better since that last shot of the good stuff. I feel kind of dizzy though."
"He took a bullet low down in the vest." Steve informed the EMT.
Jonah carefully examined Danny's abdomen, apologising when his patient groaned at a tender spot. Rechecking Danny's vitals again he quickly grabbed the cardiac monitor leads and started connecting Danny up to the monitor.
"Ani, you might want to step on the gas, but I'm sure Danny would appreciate it if you at least tried to avoid the potholes." Jonah said calmly.
"Everything ok back there?" The senior EMT asked.
"Yeah I got it, I'm gonna start another line as his BP is bottoming out. We got blunt force trauma to the abdomen, as well as chest."
Steve felt the ambulance speed up and looked at Jonah for answers.
"I'm concerned his BP is dropping. He might have some internal bleeding."
Within minutes, Jonah had another IV established and had increased the oxygen flow. Danny's eyes had slipped closed to help combat the dizziness, and the rocking of the ambulance. Steve moved forward in his seat and placed his hand on Danny's leg. His heart was racing for the second time that hour. Danny had gone from being dead, to being ok but in pain, to now being in trouble again. Steve felt like he was on an emotional roller coaster, one that he was more than ready to get off of.
TBC