Firstly, I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed, and secondly, I'm terribly sorry I haven't reacted to any of you yet.
I know it's not a very good excuse, but I haven't had time yet. I'll try to respond to all of you!
Please continue to review, I really like to hear (well, read) what you think.
Enough talking, here's the next chapter, enjoy!
Steve arrived at the school a little before Grace's class did, so he just waited leaning against the Silverado. As soon as Grace saw him she ran to Steve. She gave him a quick hug and asked, "Uncle Steve! Where's Danno?"
"Well Gracie, your dad has been in an accident, and he needed to have surgery to fix his leg. I'll take you to the hospital so you can see him. He has already been awake, and I'm sure he'll wake up for his monkey."
"Is he going to be alright?" she asked, her face very serious.
Steve wanted to reassure her, but he also knew Danny thought honesty was very important, especially in his relationship with Grace.
He told Grace that the surgery went well, and the doctor was optimistic, but he also told her that Danny had a long and difficult recovery ahead of him. Grace seemed to be reassured by that, but he could see she was still worried.
They both got in the car. ''You know what, Gracie, we can go to your place and get some stuff for your dad, I'm sure he'd like to have something to read, and some T-shirts to wear," Steve said, trying to cheer her up.
A smile lit up Grace's face. "We can also bring his laptop, and some games! And Danno really likes malasadas and cocoa puffs."
Steve grinned at that. "He really does, doesn't he?"
It was almost 5 P.M. when they arrived at the hospital, Steve carrying a duffel bag with Danny's stuff and Grace carrying a bag filled with her Danno's favourite pastries.
Steve had called Chin on the way to the hospital, who had told them that Danny had been moved to a regular room. Chin was waiting for them in the lobby. Steve asked him to take Grace to the hospital shop so she could buy something for Danny. He gave Grace a kiss on the top of her head and then went to Danny's room.
When Steve entered the room, Kono sat in the chair next to Danny's bed. The nasal cannula had been removed, and the only monitor Danny was hooked up to was a heart monitor.
Danny was just waking up again. He looked around the room, a little confused. His gaze lingered on Kono for a while and he gave her a weary smile. ''Hey," she simply said.
Danny looked around again until he saw Steve standing at the foot of the bed, his smile brightened a little. "How did it go?" Danny blinked his eyes sluggishly and looked at Steve again.
"Doctor Taylor already talked to you in recovery, don't you remember?" Steve knew it wasn't uncommon for people who had been under general anesthesia to have a gap in their memory, so he didn't worry about it too much.
"I remember being in recovery, I just don't remember that conversation. It's all a bit fuzzy," Danny said.
"They had to remove part your spleen, but you'll live," Steve said while emptying the bag with Danny's stuff.
Danny nodded and then asked, "My leg?"
"They put a rod in your tibia. The doctor is pretty optimistic about your chance to fully recover, but time will tell."
Danny tried to lift his head to see his leg, but he was still too tired to do even that.
Steve grabbed the remote and raised the head of the bed a little and moved the sheet aside.
Danny could see his leg was in a plaster cast that ran from his toes all the way up his leg. The leg was elevated on pillows and his toes sticking out of the cast were black and blue.
"Great, now there's no way I can drive my own car," he joked. "Well, I'm not in any pain at the moment, so I'll take that."
He shifted slightly and let out a groan. "At least I wasn't in pain until I decided to move." The pain in his abdomen that made itself known was sharp and his leg was throbbing.
Kono pointed at the pain pump and explained to him how it worked. Danny seemed reluctant to push the button, so Steve did it himself. Danny glared at him, but Steve didn't care. He knew Danny wouldn't want Grace to see that he was in pain, so Danny would probably be thanking him later.
''Where's Grace? Did you pick her up?" Danny panicked a little when he realized Grace wasn't there. Steve gave him a reassuring smile, and he didn't have to say anything, because Grace choose that moment to enter the room, a get well balloon in her hand. Danny's face immediately brightened when he saw his daughter and he held out an arm for a hug.
Grace hurried to his side and carefully hugged her dad. He pressed a kiss on top of her head and pressed his nose into her hair to smell the familiar scent. Steve and Kono smiled at the sight in front of them. When Danny released Grace from his embrace after a while, she tied the balloon to his bed and left the room.
Danny watched her leave the room, a little puzzled, but she came back almost immediately, followed by Chin who was carrying the bag with the pastries. "Surprise," she said, giving Danny one of her beautiful smiles. Danny looked at her, amazed by her beauty, inside and out. He and Rachel both had made a lot of mistakes, but there was one thing they'd done right: they had raised an amazing daughter. He could only hope that Charlie would turn out like Grace.
He cleared his throat, surprised by the emotions flowing through him. Steve handed him a glass of water, and Danny took a few long gulps, thankful for Steve's attentiveness.
"Hey brah, glad to see you're awake," Chin said, putting the bag on the nightstand. He sat down in a chair and motioned to Steve that he too should sit down.
"Nice to be awake," Danny said. "Although I do think I'll have to wait a while before I eat some of those delicious things you brought, as much as I regret it." Seeing Grace's face fall a little, he hastily added, "As soon as I feel up to eating anything, these are the first things I'm going to eat. Now I just want a hug from my monkey, so come here."
Grace was happy to comply and sat next to him on the bed. Danny clearly relaxed and minutes later he was asleep again.
Note: I'm not a medical professional, so I've probably made a lot of mistakes in my description of anything medical in this story so far. Sorry if you noticed any mistakes and probably cringed reading them!