CHAPTER SIXTEEN

ROOM FIVE-SIXTEEN

PACU - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

Danny scrunched his good eye at the bright light that was sipping through his slightly opened eyelid. It felt intense and sharp, opposite from the dark and obscure place he came from. He couldn't think clearly. His head felt heavy and foggy as the world was slowly swinging into focus. Danny knew somehow that he was under the influence of drugs. He recognized the feeling but could not figure out why he'd be drugged. After several minutes his other senses began to report one at a time. They began to explore his body from head to toe and reported reluctantly to his brain.

First off, something was tied around his ears, and under his nose, it itched. After a moment, he began to feel a cool gas tracing into his nostrils — oxygen? Next, some unseen things were taped to his chest because he could feel them pulling at the hairs on his torso. His chest felt… he didn't really feel his chest at all. Coming to think of it, his entire body was far too heavy to move even an inch. Stiff, too, like he had been asleep for an extended period and hadn't changed position. The taste in his mouth told him most of those hours had been chemically assisted. That could only mean one thing. A hospital. Why would he be in a hospital…? It took quite some concentration to remember why he was here, but everything came crashing in all at once when he did.

"Hey," a calm voice said, somewhere far in the distance. "You with me, buddy?" It was Steve's voice, closer than before. It was coming from the left side of him. Danny swallowed a few times to get rid of the dryness in his throat, then turned his head slowly to the left. With apparently only one functioning eye, he blinked, and his partner's face came into view.

"Hey," he said with a voice that sounded far from his own. Steve responded with a thin smile. It was the kind of smile that represented relief combined with emotional hurt. Watching Steve sit beside him, Danny could tell, the hurt outweighed the relief.

After a beat, Steve said, "You had me really worried there, man."

Steve's words matched his defeated posture, so Danny tried to lift his partner's hurting spirit. "Worried? No need to worry— about me. M'fine."

That was a stupid thing to say. Obviously he wasn't fine. They both knew he wasn't fine, but both of them didn't say so, instead, they looked at each other for a long beat. Then Steve said. "You're my best friend, Danny. Of course, I was worried."

"It's usually my job to worry about you, you know." Danny mocked the emotions away.

He felt Steve squeeze his left hand. "Not this time, buddy."

Danny wanted to make a witty comment, but before he could, he suddenly felt nauseous, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Danny could feel the blood draining from his face, so he closed his eyes again, and as he was fighting the medical remnants, he mumbled. "What day's it?"

"Monday," Steve informed. "Eight-fifteen in the morning. You've been in surgery for a couple hours. It was a pretty close call. You lost a lot of blood, but the doctors fixed the damage,"

Danny flicked his good eye back open and took a peek at his chest. He couldn't see much. His ribcage was covered with bandages and bruises. He flicked his eye back at Steve, who was now standing. He probably got spooked and had jumped up the minute Danny lost facial color and had closed his eyes. His theory was confirmed when Steve asked. "You want me to get the doctor?"

"Nah, m'good," Danny waved his left hand, weakly to the vacant chair and mumbled. "Sit down."

"You sure?" Steve questioned, slowly sitting back down again. "How's the pain?"

For some reason, Danny had to think about that question. It was strange because he should be in pain from whatever they did to fix him. Or from what had been done to him, but there was none. Meaning whatever pain meds he was on right now were strong. He couldn't even feel his busted face, let alone the pain from his chest. "Flying high on painkillers, babe," he smiled, reassuring. However, Steve still didn't smile. There's just that haunted look on his face. "Can't even feel my ears."

Steve's eyebrows hit his hairline. "Can you ever feel your ears?"

Danny noted. "That's interesting,"

"This is good." And finally, Steve's mouth curved a little. If Danny hadn't been staring at his partner, he would've missed it because the smile slipped faster than it had appeared.

"What's up?" Danny breathed out. His eyelids felt heavier than ever before. "You bummed I made it or what's with the sad face?" It seemed that none of Danny's banter could lift the weight of Steve's heavy guilt. Instead, it only seemed to hit him harder.

"You know that if I'd been home, I would've realized they had taken you, right?"

"It's a little foggy, but I'm guessing you showed up right on time."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry I didn't show up sooner," Steve let his head down for a second, then he looked back up. His eyes now glistened with tears. "We could've lost you, Danny."

"Stop, please," Danny honestly didn't see the point of dwelling on it. He hadn't felt this good in hours or days, or maybe that was the medication talking, but Danny was feeling, all things considered, okay. "I'm just glad that I for once didn't have to save your ass and fly all the way to Somalia or wherever you went."

"Nigeria," Steve rolled his eyes, finally a sign of relief. "And you can say all you want, but I know for a fact that if they captured me, you'd be on the first flight out there."

"Trust me, they would release you before I can even arrange a flight. That's how annoying you are." Danny muttered, making Steve grin.

Danny knew he had just woken up, but he was exhausted. Steve knew too.

"Go back to sleep," he said and added. "I'm glad you're okay, though."

With the little energy he had, Danny moved his left hand. He lifted it with much effort and placed it gently on the railing that was clicked into place. He made a fist and waited for Steve to bump it. When he did, Danny said. "Me too." The answer was just a whisper of breath as Danny succumbed to sleep.

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

Two hours after Danny first regained consciousness Tani stepped out of the elevator, carrying two cups of coffee in a pressed cardboard tray. One for her and one for Steve. Tani hadn't seen her boss since the doctor had asked to speak with him in private. Nor hadn't they received an update from him or anyone else. At least not until ten minutes ago when Dr. Keller had come back to the waiting area, with the request if one of the other members of the task force, might be wanting to visit Danny. More importantly, to give Steve a break.

And therefore, Tani had made her way to the ICU. Getting off the elevator, she went left and followed the corridor around to a pair of tall glass doors. The doors were all the way covered with frosted window film, except for the letters ICU being cut out. The doors slid apart as she approached and a stream of noises hit her ears. As silent as the waiting area had been, As loud as it was in here. There was chatter, PA announcements, electronic beeps, and other machinery sounds she couldn't locate. The ICU seemed to be divided in two. Probably to keep an all-time watch on the patients. Rooms on the right side. Nurses station on the left. All the cubicles had a sliding door that parted in three. Some were closed, but most were wide open, hence the loud volume of machinery sounds.

Tani went over to her left. To the nurses' station and said to the woman sitting behind the desk.

"Hi, I'm here for Daniel Williams."

The nurse looked up. She had a kind face, seemed caring too. She pointed at the room a little more down the row. "He's right in there, room five-sixteen."

"Thank you," Tani said, but suddenly got nervous to go see her friend. She looked back at the nurse. "Is it all right if I go sit with him?"

"Sure thing, honey," the nurse smiled comforting, and as if she could feel Tani's anxiety she added. "Don't worry, he's in good hands."

Tani inhaled deep and tried to brace herself for whatever condition she might find Danny in after having emergency surgery, but she had no idea what to expect. Tani managed to walk over to the bay without looking at Danny or Steve, but as she entered she was forced to do the inevitable.

Tani's breath got stuck in her throat as her eyes landed on Danny's pale, but bruised and busted face. He looked horrible. His left eye was completely beaten shut. His nose smashed. Blows to his head had cracked the skin above his eyebrow, and he had a deep gash on his cheekbone. Both cuts were stitched up with black thread and therefore his face was no longer covered in blood. A good sign. Yet Tani felt terrible staring at all the machines, tubes, lines, and wires that were connected to her coworker but importantly, her friend.

For a whole minute, Tani just listened to the hum and beep of medical equipment. It made her realize Danny was alive. Other than those sounds there was nothing lively about him. His chest went up and down, slowly, but the light blue hospital gown, with a somehow happy pattern, seemed big and loose and it made it hard to notice he was breathing at all. Danny had his eyes closed, which in turn didn't help to look alive. Tani took it that he was sleeping and tried to remind herself that, rest is key to recovery. Yet, it didn't take away her worry.

She couldn't imagine how Steve must be feeling. Tani had known Danny for almost a year now and that was nothing compared to the nine years Steve and Danny had known each other. And even though Tani couldn't imagine, she could tell that Steve was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He hadn't even noticed Tani coming in. Steve just sat there, with his back facing the door, on a chair on the right side of the hospital bed. He had his head cradled in his hands, his elbows on his knees and he stared down at the floor.

Tani closed her eyes for a brief second, trying to find her voice. "Hi, boss," she said and knocked on the glass sliding door as she didn't want to startle Steve. "Doctor K sent me up, so you could have a break. Stretch your legs, or go home maybe."

Steve looked up over his shoulder and tried to convince her by smiling. "It's okay. I'm good." He failed. Drastically.

Tani walked over slowly to the bed. "Yeah, I figured you would say that," she handed over one cup of coffee to Steve. "That's why one of these is for you."

Steve gladly accepted the caffeine shot. "Thank you, Tani."

"How's he doing?" She asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"He's hanging in there."

"That's good, right?" Tani wondered while looking at the wounded and resting detective. "Did he wake up yet?"

"He did, for a couple of minutes," Steve said and added "High as a kite."

Tani cracked a thin smile. "Ah, that explains why he seems so relaxed while looking this horrible."

Steve stared at her with a blank expression for a few moments before nodding his head. "Yeah, they got him pretty good."

"I'm just—," Tani sighed and let her eyes down briefly. "I'm so sorry, Steve. We wouldn't be here if I would've checked upon him. You asked me to look after him and I failed. I'm really sorry."

"Just make sure you tell him that," Steve vocalized his thought, but instantly put his hand up. "I apologize, I didn't mean it like that," he said sincerely and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm— I'm just tired I guess," he sighed heavily. "Nobody could've known this was going to happen,"

"Maybe," Tani doubted. "And I get it. It's okay, we're all tired and on edge."

Steve sighed again. "Take the day off, okay? I mean it. Go home. All of you. I'll let governor Mahoe know we are not taking any cases today, or tomorrow."

ICU - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

Not long after Tani left, Steve did too. He didn't go far, just down to the parking, to his crew cab. Tani had driven it to the hospital after Steve had jumped into the back of the ambulance to ride along with his partner. And as he was still wearing a bloodstained button-up Steve went down to his car to grab a spare clean navy blue t-shirt. One he kept in there for emergency's.

After he changed he went back up to the ICU. Steve pulled out his cell phone. He was not allowed to use it inside the ICU, in case its signal upset delicate medical equipment, so he remained in the hallway. And made a few phone calls — with the governor and Sgt. Duke Lukela and eventually Rachel Edwards. Steve didn't know what to say to her, but he didn't get long to think about it either.

Rachel had been waiting by the phone, eagerly because the call connected immediately. "Hello?"

"Rachel? It's Steve."

"Did you find Daniel?" She asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"We found him, Rachel. I'm with him at the hospital right now."

Rachel let out a relieved sigh. "Will he be all right?" she sounded worried. Especially when Steve didn't answer her initial question immediately. "Steven? How bad is it?"

"It's not good," Steve sighed. "He's in the ICU. Stable, but still in critical condition."

Steve could hear Rachel gasp. "Oh god, the ICU? What happened?"

"It was a blowback from a case," Steve answered, then swallowed before he could continue. "They— they beat him up, viciously. The doctor said that the next 24 hours are crucial."

"Oh goodness, what do I do?" Rachel asked afraid, then she answered her question by herself. "I'll pick up the kids right now, and bring them to visit him. They should come see him, right? I feel like they deserve to see him. In case… — he's gonna make it, right?"

"Rachel, he's stable," Steve reassured, but that was a tough thing to do over the phone. "The doctors are taking care of him and they're saying optimistic things. He's not going anywhere. He just can't, okay?"

Rachel wasn't reassured by any of that.

"But what do I tell the kids?" in fact, she spiraled. "Grace already worries so much about him, even more after he took that— bullet. And Charlie's too young to start worrying like that. He keeps asking me why he can't call Danny and I just keep saying that he's at work. That he's busy, but that's not fair," she tried to keep it together, but Steve could tell by her voice she was having a hard time. "I can't keep lying. I got to tell them, right— I don't know what Danny wants me to do?"

Steve sighed. "I know it's hard," he hated this part of the job. He tried his best. "And, I don't know it either."

"I just want to protect them, Steven," Rachel said with a soft sob. "They're finally doing okay after a long time. They're happy."

"Rachel, listen to me, there is no right or wrong answer here. There just isn't," Steve comforted.

Rachel paused a beat. "You're right," then she said. "I'll wait. A day. Or two? To give Daniel some time to heal. Maybe I'll wait 'till he's out of the ICU?"

"Sounds like a good decision."

"Will you keep me updated?"

"Of course."

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

A voice saying detective pulled Danny out of his deep, post-surgery sleep. He was still sleepy, but the drugs had worn off enough that his head didn't feel like paper. Instead, his head was pounding, that being the downside of the worn-off drugs. His chest also hurt this time and every muscle in his body ached. However, his eyes felt less heavy to open, so he tried. Badly enough only his right eye opened slightly and he needed to blink a few times before everything came back into focus. Once it did, Danny's good eye snapped open frantically and a wave of panic rushed through his veins. There were two people standing next to his bedside. Two people he never wanted to see again. Ever.

Startled, Danny scrambled upright but was halted by pain ripping through his chest. It withheld him from moving even as much as an inch. Danny slacked and grunted and gritted his teeth as the pain of surgery radiated across his entire body. For sure the drugs had worn off. The pressure in his chest was nearly unbearable. He couldn't move. He couldn't defend himself. He was completely vulnerable. Which flipped his panic mode switch in his brain. They could do whatever they wanted. No one was around. Not a nurse. Not Steve. Nobody, except for the head of the Chinese Triad and his grandson.

Breathing heavily and trembling with discomfort, Danny gave it another go. He tried to scramble upright, to face the men standing next to him, but he failed. Blinding pain shot across his body. His chest suddenly felt tight and his heart started pounding. The steadily beeping heart monitor confirmed the distress as its beep picked up its pace. Danny felt nauseous and dizzy again.

"Get out. Both of you," Danny breathed out as he leaned his head back on the pillow. And as he closed his good eye to deal with the pain, nausea, and dizziness, he ordered. "Leave,"

The opposite of that happened.

Jin Leung took place on the edge of the hospital bed. "Now, that's a rude way to greet your visitors."

Danny snapped his eye back open. "Visitors are people you invite," he said looking first at the grandson, then back at Jin Leung. "I don't recall inviting you two."

Jin Leung laughed as he enjoyed himself. "The attitude hasn't changed I see."

The old man was right about that. But something else hadn't changed either. Danny didn't trust the man at all. Jin Leung could sit there, laughing all he wanted, but Danny was no fool. What fathers do, children will do and therefore Danny had his eye locked on the oldest visitor.

"Yeah, well, if that's why you came here, you can take off." He said, trying to get a hold of the alarm button.

"No, that's not why I'm here," Jin Leung stated as he took hold of the alarm button faster than Danny could reach for it. Jin Leung narrowed his old eyes. "Do you remember me? Detective Williams?" people really have to stop asking that. Danny thought to himself. "I think you do," Jin concluded. "I'm not here to upset you. I'm here to make sure you understand my son and I are no longer on the same page. I do not allow any member of the triad to assault an officer of the law."

"And why would I believe a word you say?" Danny grumbled as he let his head fall weakly back onto the pillow. His entire body was aching, so screw the term assault. This felt worse.

"You have kids? Right, Detective?"

Danny's heart pounded ever faster in his chest. "Leave my kids out of it."

"What I'm trying to say, Detective is that I'm not responsible for my son's actions. I can only influence his choices. As a parent, you must agree that we can only influence their choices. What my son did to you, he did on his own. There's nothing I could've done to stop that," he seemed sincere. "My apologies."

Danny pointed at Jin's grandson. Standing as silent as a monk. "Why's he here?"

"I took my grandson with me, not so he can take his fists out on you, but I wanted him to see what it looks like to hold yourself responsible. He would like to apologize for his father's behavior, but he can't speak. The doctors had to wire his jaw after you knocked him off his feet."

Danny looked aside at the boy. "Again, I'm sorry."

Jin Leung bowed his head, courteous. "All is good and forgiven, in fact, if you ever need anything in return, you know where to find me."

Now that was an opportunity Danny didn't want to waste. "Who'd he get in business with?"

Leung's mouth curved into a smile. "He's still my son, Detective. I will not turn on him, no matter what he does. Believe me, you'll do the same for yours," he got off the bed and stood up straight. "Like I said before, you're an intelligent young man. You'll figure it out yourself, Detective." And with that said, he and his grandson left Danny alone.

Danny heaved a sigh of relief. Exhaling, the adrenaline rushed out of his body, making him instantly exhausted again. He had burned through the entire energy that he managed to build up with his previous nap. There was zero left. Danny dropped his head on his pillow. Figured he should sleep off the last bit of the fogginess and try to gain some energy. But before he shut his eyes close, he made sure to watch the two men disappear.

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

After Steve hung up on Rachel, he got a call back from Duke Lukela. The HPD sergeant called to notify about the release of Kim Leung. Despite Steve's personal vendetta with the guy, he had no other choice. He had made a deal and he would do it again in order to save his friend.

Tiredly, Steve pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. "No, I understand. Just have a unit shadow him and tail him where ever he goes. He's not getting off this easy. I wanna know what he does all day. I wanna know where he eats. I wanna know where he sleeps. Every person he meets. I want it all, all right?" Steve commanded and as he listened to the sergeant's response Steve looked up at the nurses' station down the hall. He blinked but was almost certain he just saw Jin Leung together with his grandson leave by elevator.

"Duke, I gotta go," Steve disconnected the call and rushed back to the ICU bay.

Steve swished through the door. His gaze immediately went to the high-pacing cardiac monitor next to his partner's bed. The number was flashing in red and marked a heart rate of 100. Alarmed, Steve shot a look at Danny. Who lay worryingly still. Ghostly pale and exhausted like Steve had never seen him before. But he seemed awake.

"Hey, yo, you okay?"

Danny looked up at Steve. His good eye was a mere slit, a testament to exhaustion. "Yeah," and nodded weakly.

"Did I see Jin Leung and his grandson just walk out of here?" Steve pointed back to the elevator.

"Mm-hmm." Danny blinked groggily.

By the looks of it Danny could drift off at any second, so Steve quickly asked. "What were they doing here? What did they want?"

"Peace, I guess," Danny mumbled.

Steve frowned. "Peace?"

"Yeah, you know, bury the hatch," Danny said. Too drained for a more extensive explanation.

"And you believe them?"

"No, of course not," Danny answered and gazed back at Steve bleakly. His eye-lid was getting heavier with each blink. "You have a face. What aren't you telling me?" He managed to ask while his exhaustion got the better of him and made him close his eyes.

"I-I just got a call from Duke," Steve breathed out and sat down in the chair at Danny's bedside. He had tried to avoid this moment. "HPD had to release Kim Leung from custody."

Danny's good eye flicked back open. "You didn't charge him?"

"I did not," Steve confessed. "But if it's any consolation, I don't like this either."

"Then why didn't you charge him?" Danny snapped and instantly added. "What'd you do?"

Steve stared at his partner for a moment. He should've known Danny would figure it out. "I made a promise and if I don't keep it, we're both gonna be in trouble."

Danny lifted his head up with an effort. "A promise? To who?"

"Jin Leung," Steve paused, seeing the evident confusion on Danny's face. "He told me where to find you and in exchange, I would let Kim off the hook," Steve leaned forward. "I didn't have much of a choice, okay? Time was running out and I wasn't gonna lose you."

"You don't hear me complaining about that. But why'd you put him in custody if you weren't going to charge him?" Danny asked mumbling.

Steve glanced at the floor for a beat. "I wasn't exactly sure you'd pull through, you know."

Exhausted Danny dropped his head back on the pillow. "Fair enough."

"Don't worry, he won't be coming back for you. I won't let him."

"I doubt that. The guy's a complete psychopath," Danny said and his face changed. Blood drained out and fear swarmed in. "Where are my kids?" He asked, sucking in a deep breath and grunted doing so. It sounded painful to Steve, and it probably was as Danny's left hand went up to his chest.

"Easy," Steve cautioned and shot a glance at his watch. "Grace and Charlie are in school. Why?" Then he realized. "Did Kim threaten to hurt them?"

"Something like that."

Steve was up in an instant. "I'll have HPD put a unit outside their schools and guard Rachel's house, okay? You okay with that?" He checked.

"Yeah, I—," Danny went rigid with pain. Closed his eye and remained silent, which scared Steve a little, but he allowed Danny to take his time with whatever he needed to tell him. "I just want this guy behind bars or in the ground."

Steve gave his friend a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. "I know you do. So do I. We'll get him."

Danny didn't say anything after that, and Steve took it as a sign that Danny had lost the battle of exhaustion and drifted off. Steve fished his cell phone out of his jeans pocket when Danny suddenly grabbed Steve by the wrist.

"You have your gun?"

Startled Steve said. "What?"

Danny let go of Steve's wrist. "Give me your gun."

"Why?!" protectively, Steve put his hand on his holstered gun. "What do you need my gun for?"

"To shoot the next nut-job coming in here."

Steve rolled his eyes and sighed. "All right, tough guy. You can barely move or lift your arm, so who are you going to shoot anyway?" he remarked and put his phone back in his pocket. "I'll stay with you."

Steve could see how Danny was losing focus and how the energy was being drained right out of him. Yet he managed to say. "Ah, that's good." Then the rhythm of the heart monitor spiked a little.

Steve immediately looked at Danny. "You sure you're okay?" Danny didn't answer. His breathing quickened and he was perspiring profusely; it showed on his forehead. "Yo, hey, relax. We'll get him. He'll pay for what he did to you. We're gonna tear into this man's life and we're gonna rip it all apart, all right?"

"Good," Danny stated and his breath left him as he stammered. "We should— contact— the CIA."

"The CIA?" Steve frowned, confused. But before he could get an answer out of Danny, more numbers started to flash in red on the monitor. "Hey, Danny? What's going on?" Steve could see Danny was having a hard time breathing. "Buddy, slow down. Take a breath," Steve felt the panic tighten inside him as he could tell Danny was slowly slipping into unconsciousness. "Danny!" Steve feared as his eyes meet a barely moving chest. Then all kinds of muted bells went off and signs went on to announce the distress. Steve turned to the door and shouted. "Hey, I need help in here!"

And whether it was his cry for help or the alarms going off, nurses and doctors came running in. Dr. Keller was one of them. He directly started to examine Danny. He opened up the hospital gown and moved his stethoscope around Danny's chest.

A female nurse quickly provided the doctor with crucial information. "SATS are in the 80s. Blood pressure is dropping."

"JVD and muffled heart sounds." Dr. Keller concluded after listening.

A younger doctor questioned. "Delayed cardiac tamponade?"

"Ultrasound, please," doctor Keller requested and a nurse handed him the device and applied a dot of gel onto Danny's chest. Dr. Keller moved the probe back and forth and watched the recording whooshing. "Looks like the pericardium's about to burst," he stated. "He's not going to make it to the OR. We need to aspirate him right here. 18 gauge needle and a syringe and beta-dine."

With those words, Steve was whisked away by a nurse and sent out of the ICU cubicle. His heart ached painfully at the thought of actually losing his best friend for real this time.

— TBC / HAWAIIFIVE0 —

A/N: Whoops, hopefully you guys manage until next Monday...

Always love to hear what you think of the story!

Mahalo for reading, it's being appreciated!