A/N: Apologies for the minor delay!

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

FOR ABOUT TWENTY-ONE SECONDS

DANNY'S ROOM - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

"We're almost done." Dr. Keller said and palpated his gloved fingertips along the arched-shaped incision line. Then the doctor checked the chest tube that had been inserted into the cut Steve once had provided. Dr. Keller pulled at it a little. Danny groaned and winced and the vital monitors started beeping erratically. Both Steve and Doctor Keller's eyes shot up to the monitor. Numbers flashed in red on the screen. Then the monitor abrupts its beeping as Danny's blood pressure took a dive. Danny slacked entirely. Every tensed muscle in his body went limp.

Dr. Keller acted quick and was in time to catch Danny. "All right, lie back down. It's okay, nothing to worry about," the doctor coached and helped Danny lean back. Danny collapsed back on the pillow. Eye barely open and no facial color. "Danny, you with me?" Dr. Keller asked and as he didn't get an answer he took away the nasal cannula from underneath Danny's nose. He quickly placed an oxygen mask over Danny's mouth and nose and pulled the elastic band over his head. Together with the doctor, Steve watched the numbers climb up and they let out a breath them selfs.

As color steadily flushed back on Danny's cheeks, Steve checked in. "Buddy, you good?"

"Mm-hmm," Danny mumbled, but it didn't reassure Steve and apparently Dr. Keller either.

"Can you inhale and exhale for me? Slowly," the doctor requested, taking the stethoscope from around his neck and placing it on Danny's back. He listened for about twenty-one seconds, then the doctor moved the stethoscope to the chest and said. "Now try and take a deep breath," Danny obeyed the request, but not with pleasure. It seemed to hurt him. "One more." The doctor instructed and listened as Danny took another deep breath. Then Dr. Keller slung the stethoscope around his neck again, and said, "That's it, you did great."

Danny said nothing in return.

Dr. Keller turned to the machines standing next to the bed and pushed a few buttons. He checked the IV drip and faced Danny again. The surgeon took hold of the PCA device and asked. "I'm gonna push the pain medication for you, is that okay?"

Danny closed his eye and muttered under his breath. "Mm-hmm."

"All right, here you go," the doctor pushed the button and placed his hand on Danny's shoulder. "Try to rest."

Steve shared a brief look with the surgeon as the man stepped over to the door and leaned out of the cubicle. "Jodie? I need an extra pair of hands in here."

The nurse came jogging toward the unit and slowed down as she entered. She directly put on a pair of gloves and informed. "What happened?"

"Blood pressure dropped," the doctor stated. "The numbers are back up again, just need some help packing up the incision again."

Nurse Jodie didn't need to hear anything else. This was probably like a routine for her. She instantly grabbed the right supplies, from the right drawer up to the right size of bandages. Steve watched her and Dr. Keller work well together, in no time they had covered the harrowing incision with a clean dressing.

Dr. Keller pulled off his gloves and tossed them in the destined trash bin. "Let's do a quick echo as well."

Nurse Jodie pulled the portable machine closer and grabbed a bottle. "This might be a bit cold," she warned, but Steve doubted Danny was awake and would even notice. Nurse Jodie applied a dot of gel onto Danny's upper chest and handed the doctor the transducer. Dr. Keller moved the probe back and forth and watched the recording displayed on the video monitor. Steve couldn't make anything out of the black-and-white images of sound-wave echoes. Instead, he listened to the pulsing whoosh, waiting for the doctor to share his findings.

Dr. Keller pressed a few buttons and studied the pictures. "Everything looks good. No fluid in the pericardial sac," he stated and handed the transducer back to nurse Jodie. The doctor wiped the gel from Danny's chest with a paper towel, carefully checked a few other machines including the fluid outcome of the thoracic drainage, and updated the medical chart on the tablet. After a beat Dr. Keller said. "Let's go ahead and move him to Medium Care a little later today."

Nurse Jodie buttoned up the hospital gown on both sides. "All right, I'll put in the transfer."

"Great, I'll check in once he's settled there." Dr. Keller gave a firm nod and as he was about to leave the unit he suggested, "Commander, let's give him a minute."

"Sure," Steve obliged and left the room as well. Dr. Keller went up to the nurse's station. Steve didn't go that far. He stationed himself outside the unit and in front of the partially closed glass door. He was fine with giving his partner a minute, but Steve was not about to take his eye off him.

Obviously, Steve was glad that according to the doctor things were going the right way. Yet there was something Steve couldn't let go of. During the exam, the doctor seemed concerned about the troublesome arm movement. Now, Steve didn't want to get ahead of things, but humans use their shoulders more than multiple times a day and therefore Steve had his suspicions about the seriousness of the situation.

After a beat, Dr. Keller circled back and joined Steve at the glass door. The surgeon put his hands on his back while he observed the situation. With a comforting voice, he asked. "What's on your mind, Commander?"

Steve sighed but decided to take his worries straightforwardly. "How serious is the reduced mobility in his shoulder?"

"Well," the doctor sighed. "I'd rather see him having no trouble at all. However, a thoracotomy requires a very painful incision involving multiple muscle layers, widening the intercostal spaces and rib resections and therefore, reduced mobility in the area of the shoulder joint is a complication we see often. It's called Ipsilateral Shoulder Pain or ISP in short and is caused by strain during surgery and positioning."

That was not the answer Steve was hoping for. "But there's something you can do about it, right? I mean, he can't even lift his arm an inch without being in pain," Steve said and put his hand out in defense. "And don't get me wrong, I know he had major surgery barely 24 hours ago, but how else is he ever going to pick up a gun again?"

Dr. Keller lifted both eyebrows. "That's your biggest concern right now?"

"No—," Steve shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a little— yes."

"All right, in your line of work, I understand where your concern is coming from," the doctor acknowledged. "Just keep in mind that the significant operative trauma, usually alone already hurts tremendously during recovery, as there is continuous motion as the patient breathes. On top of that, add three broken ribs on the surgery side as well as the removal of scarring tissue from previous trauma," he summed up and questioned. "Now, how do you think it would feel to move your shoulder?"

A bit embarrassed Steve said. "I feel like an idiot."

"That's right," Dr. Keller stated and put his hands in his scrub pockets. "Unfortunately my options of treatment are limited because, despite excellent pain relief in the dermatomes related to the incision, many patients still experience severe ipsilateral shoulder pain. Most pain medications are ineffective because these blocks don't cover the area relevant to ISP, which is the ipsilateral shoulder and the phrenic nerve. So it's going to be tough."

"Can it subside?"

"Yes, although, ISP occurs on the operated side and develops up to 97 percent of the time within two hours after surgery. In many cases, the pain also resolves or minimizes after the first few days. However, it can persist for over 72 hours and it can become chronic, mainly due to intense pain, resulting in functional disability."

"Are you saying there might be a chance he can't return to duty?"

"If Detective Williams is considering returning to active duty, he's definitely going to need PT for his arm, to help the muscles heal and prevent long-term problems or disability."

Steve locked eyes with the surgeon. "He can or he can't return to duty?"

Dr. Keller shook his head. "I can't tell for certain. I'm sorry, and I apologize if I haven't made myself clear before. The fact that Danny made it through the critical hours, doesn't mean he's all there. He has a hard and long road ahead of him and our main goal is full recovery, but I can't guarantee it," he said and put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Let's try and stay positive, okay? I'll check if there's a physiotherapist available for later today and with the right exercises and help there might be a completely different medical picture in three to four days."

"And if it doesn't?" Steve asked and switched his gaze across to Danny.

The doctor spoke. "I'm sure there are other things to do around the office that doesn't involve the protection of a weapon. Besides, if I remember correctly, the two of you are opening a restaurant. That sounds like a reasonable backup plan."

"Yeah— well, that's his retirement plan, not his backup plan," through the glass, Steve looked at his resting, but still gravely injured partner. "If he wants to retire that should be his decision. Not a decision that's made for him."

DANNY'S ROOM - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

Later that day, around four in the afternoon, the Five-0 Task Force, minus Jerry, filled the Medium Care unit. And by saying filled, Danny wasn't exaggerating. The unit was significantly larger than the ICU, yet a general room couldn't be compared to it. The room felt cramped, and not just because of the room's meager square footage. Every inch seemed to be occupied by medical machinery and it didn't leave much space for anything else, let alone four visitors. Danny hadn't been moved for less than an hour, yet the word had spread and suddenly his friends' semi-co-workers had shown up one by one. They all had greeted Danny with a handshake, except for Tani, who had given him a gentle hug.

Lou pulled up a chair, while the others remained standing. Even though there were four individuals surrounding Danny, their facial expressions were identical. They all looked at him with sorrow and concern and worry. Especially Steve which surprised Danny the most. Danny knew he felt miserable and probably looked miserable as well as bruised and misshaped by his closed eye and swollen nose. The medical equipment attached to him and standing around him wasn't helping either and he had expected the look from the others, but he was not sure why Steve was looking at him like that. Maybe it had something to do with the examination earlier, but after 24 hours you might say he had gotten used to the bruises or the swelling or the shut-eye or whatever it was that had them all looking at him like they did.

It messed with the group dynamic. It seemed like nobody dared to say something. Or maybe they were afraid to say the wrong thing and rather say nothing at all. But looking at his friends, Danny didn't think that was it. There was something else written on their faces. There was something much worse than the sorrow and worry combined. Guilt.

Eventually, Lou was the one verbalizing his concern and asked. "How are you doing?"

"Fantastic," Danny joked as he tried to lift the worried spirit of everyone in the room. His first attempt failed. The four pairs of eyes kept looking at him with sorrow and concern and worry. Feeling uncomfortable with the undivided attention, Danny rolled his eye and sighed. "Please, don't look at me like this. It's not as bad as it looks, all right. I just bruise like a peach." He mustered a smile, though it probably resembled a grimace as sorrow in the four pairs of eyes increased.

Gracefully, Steve helped him out. "It is true, I can uphold that."

With big eyes Tani questioned. "Do we even wanna know?"

"No, probably not," Steve admitted, and just like that the group dynamic was restored. Steve focused his attention back on Danny. "However, you do look horrible, buddy."

Danny leaned his head back and stared at his partner. "And what's your excuse?" he asked and looked around the room and stopped at Junior. "Why does he look this terrible?"

Junior took up station like a sentry, feet apart, hands clasped behind his back. "I don't think he has been home longer than thirty minutes since we got back from Nigeria, Sir."

Danny's good eye flicked at Steve. "You're crazy. What's the matter with you?"

Steve peered annoyed aside at Junior and then back at Danny. "It's called being concerned."

Danny let it slide, he was getting too exhausted to keep arguing.

Steve picked up the cue. He rested his hands on his hips and checked with the rest of the group. "Did Jerry find anything yet?"

Junior scratched the top of his head. "You might wanna go by the office for that."

Steve's aneurysm face popped up. "Why? What's going on?"

A smile beamed on Tani's face. "Let's just say Jerry has made himself at home."

Steve shared a look with Lou and Lou put up both hands. "Go see for yourself, you won't believe me if I told you."

Steve's gaze shot at Danny. "Did you put them up to this?"

"Me?— No? When would I have done that? You've been here non-stop," Danny pointed out the truth. Steve had been by Danny's side non-stop and honestly, Danny felt safe and at ease with his partner by his side. Especially after Jin Leung had paid a visit. But it was to Steve's disadvantage. He seemed sleep deprived. On edge. And carrying guilt. Danny wanted none of those things for his partner. "Please go by the office and maybe home after that? I'm fine," he assured but knowing his partner, Danny knew he had to go the extra mile to assure him he was fine. "All right, you know what, I'll take HPD officers if it will get you out of here."

Steve stayed silent for a beat, but Danny could tell he was thinking the situation through. Eventually, Steve said. "Junior, do me a favor and call HPD. I want two uniforms at Danny's door. And hospital security at every exit."

The kid gave a firm nod. "Sure thing," and left the unit to make the call.

Lou looked at Danny and shook his head with a contagious smirk on his face. "I'm just gonna say this once, but I missed that Jersey attitude of yours."

Tani taunted. "You're gonna regret saying that,"

They laughed. Not even that loud or amicable but a nurse entered the room anyway. "Sorry for the interruption, but there are a little too many people in this room. Detective Williams needs his rest. Doctors order." She ended with a strict tone.

Lou nodded once. "Yes, Ma'am," he stepped over to Danny and held out his fist. Danny bumped against it and Lou said. "I guess we'll come back another time."

Danny locked his eye with Steve's. "Go, get out of here."

Steve had his arms across his chest and he was standing firm. He wasn't going anywhere.

Tani put a hand on his shoulder. "Boss, I can stay until HPD gets here."

Steve stayed silent for a whole minute. Didn't move. Then he let out a big breath and unwound his arms. "Okay, fine. I'll go," he agreed. "I'll swing by your place, and pick up some stuff."

Danny said. "You know where to find the key."

Steve pointed out the door. "Tani, a word?" Saying so, he left the room and Tani followed him straight. As those two exited, Junior walked back in.

Danny eyed the kid. "Junior, do me a favor and make sure he eats something, maybe takes a nap too?"

"I will, Sir," Junior smiled and gave a firm, Navy-like, nod. "Get well soon, Sir."

Lou said. "Take it easy, all right?" And exited the room together with Junior.

Danny breathed out and sagged back on his pillow. He had the room to himself for a brief moment. Steve came back in, paused in the doorway and looked up at Danny, and asked. "You sure?"

Danny forced a smile to comfort the anxious gray eyes staring at him. "Go, get out of here,"

— TBC / HAWAIIFIVE0 —

A/N: I'm afraid time has caught up, currently I'm trying to finish writing the next chapter, but I've been struggling with a major writer's block on that chapter and the ones that follow. Also, life's been a bit hectic on my part, and I truly did believe I would have this story finished before time caught up once I started uploading. I'm sorry for that miscalculation.

There's absolutely more to come. More bromance. More action. More whump. More angst.

Stay tuned and I appreciate your support.

Mahalo X Danno7576