Note: Apologies that I have t had time to reply to reviews but I am reading them and love every single one.
Now your reward for sticking with me, time for Danny to wake up.
Chapter Fourteen
Thankfully the rest of the day went without a hitch. Dawn barely left Danny's room, constantly checking and rechecking his sedation level. It was obvious she still felt bad about the situation, even though she had been helping with another patient and wasn't to blame. It was just unfortunate that Danny had chosen that moment to fight the sedation.
Danny's lungs continued to improve and the ventilator support was gradually reduced. Dr. Pearce was confident in her assessment that they would be able to fully remove the ventilator come morning, and when Dr. Yokes reviewed Danny he also agreed.
With Danny's sedation levels now much more stable, Dr. Pearce excused herself and headed home. Steve forced Kono to go home too. Ignoring the cot that had been set up for him, Steve instead chose to remain in the chair beside Danny. His hand resting on Danny's arm in the hope he would be able to detect any movement from his friend, Steve slept the whole night that way.
When Dr. Pearce and Dr. Yokes arrived to review Danny, Steve was still sleeping. Dawn had returned for another shift and gently woke Steve. She had learnt to keep her distance when rousing the sleeping ex SEAL.
"Morning, Steve. I see you didn't make use of the cot we arranged." Dr. Pearce scolded.
"I'm fine in the chair. I've slept in much worse positions. How's he doing?"
"Very well, we feel that he is ready to extubate now. He will still need High flow oxygen, and stay another 24 hours in the ICU, but hopefully he should be able to be moved back to the CCU tomorrow." Dr. Pearce smiled.
"That's great news. Grace will be so relieved she can see him again."
"Why don't you take a moment to stretch your legs and make those good news phone calls? We will stop the sedation completely and get that tube out. Given what happened yesterday I expect he'll wake fairly fast. We will have to manage his pain more carefully then. Dawn could you set up a PCAS for him?" Dr. Yokes requested.
"Of course, Dr. Yokes," Dawn immediately left the room to get the supplies needed. Steve reluctantly left the ICU but decided to wait in the waiting room so he wouldn't be far away in case Danny decided to wake immediately. The team were all relieved to hear the good news, and Grace was over the moon, but impatient for her dad to be moved from the ICU so she could see him.
Steve was right not to go far. It wasn't long before Dr. Yokes exited the ICU. "He's showing signs of waking already if you want to go back in. Dr. Pearce will be taking lead on his case again from now on."
"Thanks for everything Dr. Yokes." Steve hurried back to Danny's side just in time to enter the room and see Dawn push Danny's hand away from his face.
"Steve, I'm glad you're back. He's waking up and doesn't like the mask, but he isn't awake enough for me to get through to him. You try, he responds well to you."
Steve took his position on Danny's left side and took over holding Danny's hand. "Danny, wake up. You need to open your eyes now."
Danny responded by pulling his right hand away from Dawn's grip and attempted to dislodge the mask once again. Grabbing hold of the offending arm Steve scolded. "Hey cut it out, the mask needs to stay. Come on Danno. First you wake up when we want you asleep and scare the hell out of us, now we want you awake you're napping, quit being so stubborn and open those eyes. Come on Danno, open your eyes."
Finally Steve was rewarded for his persistence, and Danny prised his tired eyes open. "There you go." Steve encouraged and Danny's eyes slowly tracked around the room and finally settled on his friend's face.
"Where?" Danny croaked and immediately winced as his throat burned like he had swallowed a red hot poker, and his chest seized causing him to cough.
"Here, Danny." Dawn lifted the mask and allowed Danny to sip the water she offered him through a straw.
Realising he still had hold of his friends wrists Steve cautiously let go, ready to catch them again if Danny fought the mask. Dawn placed the mask back over Danny's mouth and nose and explained that it needed to stay put. Danny nodded in acceptance and Steve relaxed a little.
"What ..appended?" Danny was relieved to find the burning pain had settled down leaving only a scratchy feeling.
"Do you remember getting shot in the vest?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, and..." Danny's eyes exploded in panic as he remembered what had happened in his hospital room, and Steve realised that the doctors had been right and Danny didn't remember his premature awakening the day before. "Andrea, is she ok? Where is she?"
"She's fine, Danny. Calm your breathing down. I promise she's ok."
"Really?" Danny seemed unable to accept what he was being told. The sound of the gun going off, and seeing his friend drop, replaying in his mind, he tried to sit forward to look for her.
"Really." A voice repeated from the doorway. Dr. Pearce entered the room and moved closer to the bed so Danny could see her. "You need to relax and calm down. Your fight with that guy caused your contusions to worsen, and you needed surgery on your abdomen, and support with your breathing. Behave for us and do as you're told, and hopefully we can move you out of the ICU tomorrow."
Sinking back against the bed a smile spread across Danny's face, but soon turned into a frown when he saw the sling supporting is friend's damaged shoulder.
Misunderstanding the frown she quickly asked, "Danny are you in pain?"
"No, are you? Are you ok?"
Realising he was focusing on her shoulder, she replied, "What this? It's just a graze. I'm fine."
"Is she telling the truth?" Danny looked at Dawn for confirmation.
Dawn rolled her eyes, "she is as bad as you two. No, it's not a graze, it's a through and through. But yes she will be fine."
"Doc's made of strong stuff, Danny. She took out Abello even with a hole in her shoulder." Steve smiled. "Then she took care of you."
Danny seemed to consider this information, the drugs still in his system making him sluggish.
"Well I did have help in that department. Danny I'd like to just give your chest a quick listen to if that's ok?"
Danny nodded. He was already exhausted from just the short burst of activity, and now that he had been brought up to speed he was beginning to become aware of the deep ache in his abdomen, and the grating of his ribs each time he breathed. Then there was the constant pain in the centre of his chest that was beginning to grow.
Satisfied with her patient's vitals Dr. Pearce then picked up the button for the pain pump in her good hand. "Danny we have a pain pump set up for you again, do you remember how to use it?"
Danny nodded, too tired to speak, and his throat had started to ache again. As if by magic Dawn removed the mask and offered him a sip of water. "Use the pump Danny. We can all tell you are in pain now. We'll leave you to rest, but the oxygen needs to stay on."
Danny fumbled with the button and heard the beep of the machine by his bedside that signalled the release of the drugs. A feeling of warmth spread through his body, and he closed his eyes.
Dr. Pearce looked at Steve and smiled. "He's doing well. Right on track to be moved to CCU tomorrow. You can let Grace know she should be able to visit tomorrow afternoon.
The sound of his daughter's name suddenly roused Danny from his doze, "Grace, where is Grace? Is she ok?"
"She's fine Danny. Worried about you obviously, but Rachel is back on the island and has her. She will bring her to visit as soon as she's allowed." Steve informed his friend.
"Tomorrow?"
"All being well, yes, tomorrow, Danny." Dr. Pearce confirmed. Danny's eyes slid closed again. Steve pulled out his phone and sent off a message to everyone, including his niece that Danny had woken and was now resting comfortably.
5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0
Danny slept for two hours solid then spent the rest of the day cat napping. The rest of the team had arrived at various points of the day, staggering their visits so not to overtire Danny. Kono was the last to arrive, and insisted Steve take the opportunity to go home to shower and eat before returning to stay the night again. With Danny's encouragement, and a few jokes about how ripe Steve was starting to smell, he reluctantly left, leaving Kono with instructions to ring if anything happened.
"You still mad at me?" Danny asked once they were alone.
"What?" Kono asked confused then remembered back to the last time she had really spoken to Danny, and her shouting at him for taking a bullet for her. "Oh, no Danny, I'm sorry I shouted at you. I was just scared for you and felt responsible."
"It wasn't your fault, babe. I chose to get in the way, I know it seemed crazy but I knew I had two vests on. I had the better chance."
Tears had formed in Kono's eyes and she carefully took hold of Danny's hand. "Thank you Danny. I'm so glad you're ok."
"Me too, babe. Thanks for taking care of Grace for me."
"It was no problem. It was the least I could do after what you did for me. We had fun anyway, we watched The Notebook."
"You sat through The Notebook? Now we are definitely even." Danny joked.
Kono smiled and relaxed back in the chair, relieved that Danny was going to be ok and that there was no tension between them.
The two continued to talk, Kono more than Danny as he focused on his breathing. He found if he didn't breathe too deeply the pain wasn't as bad. Danny's eyes had finally slipped closed, and Kono was confident her friend was sleeping again. Hearing Steve's voice outside the room she stood and leaned over, placing a soft goodbye kiss on her sleeping friend's forehead. She was surprised to find an unnatural heat to it, and concern rose in her chest as she remembered back to the several small coughing fits Danny had had throughout her visit. They had been warned that Danny was high risk of developing pneumonia. Kono only hoped that she was being paranoid and more trouble didn't lie ahead for her injured friend.
TBC