TW: Venomous critters.

Dennis Morgan, Part Two

May 11, 2023

Arthur went upstairs with his cobra. He had raised Stella from the day she hatched. She was his best friend. "You're such a good girl," he murmured to her. He opened up the terrarium where she lived and lowered her in. He almost dropped her, so he squeezed her hard. Suddenly she hissed. She spit venom into his eyes. He had no time to cover them or close them. The venom blurred his vision. Then Stella bit him on his arm. The pain was horrific. He'd never felt anything like it. He stumbled and knocked a jar off the table. It shattered. Soon he had bullet ants crawling on him and stinging him over and over again. He stomped his feet and swatted at them. An ant crawled up into his pants and stung his leg. He'd never felt such pain.

He was struggling to breathe. If he could get downstairs, he could take his specimen's ventilator, but he couldn't walk. The pain was excruciating. He fell to the floor, his whole body shaking. Perhaps the bullet ant stings caused the cobra venom to work more quickly, or perhaps he'd had enough stings to kill him. Within ten minutes, Arthur Anderson was dead.

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Junior and Lou met Officer Kamaka of the Pearl City Police Substation at the helipad. Kamaka drove them to Awanani Street. Junior saw Steve's truck, then found the small blue house a couple doors northwest of it. "That's got to be it. Remember, don't let the doors close when we go in." He heard the ambulance coming, its sirens blaring.

"They're in the basement," Lou said as the paramedics stepped out of the vehicle. "They'll need medical care immediately."

The door was locked. Junior gave it a hard kick to open it. Lou made sure it couldn't close. Inside, they found Arthur Anderson dead on the floor. There were ants crawling all around him. Junior pulled Lou back. "Those are bullet ants. You don't want to get stung. Let's find Steve and Danny."

They found another locked door in the kitchen. Again, Junior kicked it hard. Lou and Junior led the paramedics down the stairs. Officer Kamaka followed them. They found Steve and Danny strapped to lab tables. While the paramedics worked, Junior looked around the large room. At the house in Kahuku, many of the bodies had been animals. Here, they were all human, and there were many of them. "Damn," Junior whispered. HPD was going to have a job cataloging this and figuring out who the victims were.

Junior went back to Steve and Danny. Danny had his eyes squeezed shut and his breathing was ragged. "Cobra venom. Sprayed with it. Left eye burns. Steve might be rejecting his liver. Missed his meds."

The paramedic got Danny on oxygen, then cleaned the venom off of his eyelids. She told him to open his eyes so she could pour clean water over them. "Don't close your eyes, Sir," she said when Danny resisted. "I need to rinse them out." She spoke to the other paramedic. "We have to flush them for twenty to thirty minutes."

Junior put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "We've gotta get these cuffs off them. Look how swollen their arms are."

After the rinsing was done, Danny blinked a message in Morse code. Junior interpreted. "He says there's a cobra bite on his stump. Anderson gave him the antivenom. Steve has a cobra bite on his stump too. No antivenom for him. He also got sprayed in the eyes."

"Sir, can you tell me what these other bites are?" She was looking at the spider bites on his stomach.

Again, Junior interpreted. "Redback spiders. Lots of them. And the Commander had a rattlesnake bite. They both got antivenom for those."

The second paramedic cleaned the venom off Steve's eyelids. "You have to open your eyes for me," he said. "Let me rinse them out." Steve didn't respond, so the paramedic held his eyes open and cleaned them.

Junior looked at Danny. "Do you know where Anderson kept the keys?"

STRING AROUND NECK, Danny blinked. GOT ANDERSON?

Junior patted Danny's arm. "He's dead upstairs. I'm not sure how it happened, but he's got bullet ants crawling all around him."

STELLA, Danny blinked. HIS COBRA. His eyelids began to droop. He wasn't able to blink anymore. He groaned.

"Hey, you'll be OK," the paramedic assured him. "Cobra venom disrupts the nerves and weakens your muscles. It's temporary. You had the antivenom."

Danny's eyes darted towards Steve. The paramedic understood.

"We'll let the doctor know he needs antivenom. There's a chopper on the way here now."

"Take them to Tripler," Lou said.

The paramedic nodded. "OK. We'll make sure you both go to Tripler."

Junior nodded. "I'm going up to get the keys." He went back upstairs, leaving Lou with Danny and Steve. A cobra was inside a terrarium, staring out at him. Junior lifted the terrarium lid and put it in place. He didn't want Stella to escape. He used his phone to get a picture of the cobra. It might help the doctors. He stomped on the ants he saw crawling around. They couldn't sting through his shoes.

Then he bent down and looked at Anderson. He reached under his shirt to find the string with the keys. An ant crawled out of the collar and up Junior's right arm. It stung him just below the elbow.

The pain was worse than getting shot. Junior screamed. He grabbed the keys with his left hand. His arm was already starting to swell around the sting. His heart was beating too fast. He shook the ant off before it could sting again, stomped on it, and backed away from Anderson.

Lou came running upstairs. "Are you OK?"

"Bullet ant sting. I'll survive." He handed Lou the keys. "Gotta sit down."

Lou guided him to a chair at the kitchen table and helped him sit. "I'll send up a paramedic."

Junior shook his head. "No. I'm OK. Steve and Danny need them more."

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Lou took the key ring down to the basement. The paramedics were still flushing Steve and Danny's eyes. Lou went through the keys to find the right ones for Danny's cuffs and for Steve's, and to unlock the rings from around their stumps.

After they finished flushing their patients' eyes, the female paramedic said, "We need to apply a pressure immobilization bandage above the bite wound."

She started wrapping a bandage around Danny's stump. He groaned. Lou was pretty sure the bandage was increasing the pain of the stings. Steve didn't respond as the other paramedic applied a bandage to his stump.

Soon, they were ready to go upstairs. "Notify Doctors Kaether and Kowalski that they're coming in," Lou said.

The paramedic nodded. "We'll put in the call."

They transferred Danny and Steve into Stokes stretchers. Upstairs, they moved them to gurneys.

Junior was still sitting in the kitchen. Lou tapped a paramedic on the shoulder and took him into the kitchen. "I need you to look at Junior. He got stung by a bullet ant."

Junior shook his head. "I can wait. Take care of Steve and Danny."

The paramedic shook her head. "We've done all we can for them here. You're coming in the chopper too. There's plenty of space."

Junior sighed. "Fine. I'm dizzy and nauseous." The paramedics got him on a gurney, too. The chopper had landed in the street. Lou backed away. Officer Akama would drive him back to the helipad and he'd take a police chopper to HPD headquarters.

Before they could leave, Lou went looking for antivenom. He was afraid that Tripler wouldn't stock it because there were no cobras in Hawaii. Anderson's body had been moved away. There was a refrigerator by one wall labeled "antivenom," so Lou looked through that. He found a case labeled "cobra antivenom." Inside there were forty vials. He also grabbed the case labeled "rattlesnake antivenom." He hurried outside where the paramedics were loading Danny and Steve on the chopper. "Here's antivenom. Tripler might not stock any."

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Junior couldn't believe how much the sting hurt. "Which arm was it?" the paramedic asked.

"The right." Junior pointed to the sting. He couldn't move his right arm. He was starting to feel nauseous.

The paramedic touched the back of her hand to his forehead. "You're running a fever." She got rubbing alcohol out of the medical kit and rubbed it over the sting. Then she put a compression bandage on it. Finally, she took his temperature. "A hundred and one."

Junior groaned. Most likely, he would be kept at Tripler overnight, leaving Tani alone with two active kids. Then again, the pain was bad enough that he wasn't up to helping take care of the kids.

"Are you going to give the Commander the antivenom?" Junior asked.

The paramedic nodded. "Yes, I can." She opened the case of cobra antivenom and pulled out a vial. She diluted the medicine in a saline solution and attached the bag to Steve's IV. Then she prepared another bag for Danny and started an IV on him.

Junior breathed easier after that. He didn't like seeing Steve so still. Danny either. The two of them should be bickering the way they usually did. Danny hadn't moved since he was loaded onto the chopper. "They're so still."

"Cobra venom can cause temporary paralysis," the paramedic said. "It contains neurotoxins that prevent acetylcholine from binding, and that paralyzes the muscles. The antivenom will help them."

When the chopper landed, Junior pulled out his phone and called Ralph. "We found Steve and Danny. We're at Tripler. They're both on oxygen, so they can't talk. Steve's unconscious." He paused briefly. "I'll probably be admitted too — I got stung by a bullet ant."

Next, Junior dialed Tani. "Hey, love. We found Steve and Danny. We're at Tripler. I got stung by a bullet ant. I'll be OK, but I'm in a lot of pain. Running a fever, too. They'll probably keep me overnight."

"Joons, I'm sorry." Tani gasped. "I just googled bullet ants. Wow. That's awful."

"I love you, Tani. Kiss the kids for me." He hung up the call.

An ambulance was waiting to take them to the ER.

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The first thing Danny saw when the ambulance doors opened was Doctors Kaether and Kowalski alongside the surgeon who had performed Steve's liver transplant.

Dr. Kaether came alongside Steve. "We don't stock cobra antivenom. I've sent out a message across the islands. If anyone has some, they'll get it to us."

The paramedic handed him the two cases. "Here you go. There are nine vials. I injected one."

"Good," Dr. Kaether said. "Time is of the essence." He looked in the case. "If they need more, we have time to order some."

Danny managed to say a few words. "Stay with Steve."

Kowalski chuckled. "I know better than to try separating the two of you. You'll stay together, but you have to cooperate with Dr. Kaether and me, or we'll move you to another room."

"OK." Danny didn't have the strength not to cooperate at the moment.

The surgeon drew blood from Steve and sent it to the lab with an orderly. "Tell them I need the results stat." Danny watched him numb an area on Steve's abdomen. He took a long needle from his tray. "If he's in the early stages of rejection, it can be treated with stronger immunosuppressants. He may not need a new transplant. I'm going to do a biopsy now." He inserted the needle into Steve's abdomen.

When the surgeon had the results of the various tests, he nodded approvingly. "Good news," he said. "We don't need to do another transplant. I'll put him on a stronger immunosuppressant. Eventually we can work him back to the medication he was taking."

Steve already had an IV going. The surgeon added a medication to it. "I'll start it intravenously for now. When he's off the ventilator, he can start taking it orally."

Dr. Kaether removed Danny's oxygen mask and intubated him. Then he drew blood. Meanwhile, Dr. Kowalski inspected Danny's stump. He shook his head solemnly. "I understand that you were bitten by a cobra and redback spiders, and that bullet ants stung you, Detective Williams." He cleared his throat. "Sorry. I know you're not a detective anymore. Still, you're a private eye, and that's essentially the same thing." He put a hand on Danny's shoulder. "The pain shouldn't last more than twenty-four hours after the stings. I did a little research after the paramedics contacted us. I'm afraid I'll have to take a couple more inches from your arm. I'll do a CT scan to be sure. I'm also going to x-ray your left hand before I put a splint back on it."

Danny's heart sank. He didn't want to lose his wrist. He would need a new prosthesis. And his left hand was still broken. He would be helpless for a while.

Alani poked her head in the door. Danny looked at her longingly. She came over and kissed him. Olina came in behind her and went to Steve's side. She kissed him and rubbed her hand through his hair. He blinked open his eyes and gazed at her. He was still on a ventilator, so he couldn't talk, but he managed to raise a hand and lightly brush it down her cheek. That was more than Danny was able to do. His hands hurt too much, and he was too weak to move his head.

Dr. Kowalski moved over to Steve and looked at his stump. "Commander, I need to do a CT scan of your residual limb as well. There's a possibility I'll have to take another inch or two. I'm hopeful that we can save your knee."

Steve's eyes wouldn't stay open. Olina kissed him again. "Sleep, my love," she said. "Sammy is fine. He's with Ralph and Maria. You know how much he loves his Damma."

Steve's eyelids drooped shut. Danny was worried about him. He seemed awfully weak and tired. Danny was wide awake. The pain kept him that way. He wondered that Steve could sleep through it.

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The CT scans confirmed what Kowalski had suspected. Enough time had elapsed between the bites and his patients' rescue that tissue had begun to die. He would have to take two inches off of the Commander's residual limb and three from Williams' residual limb. Cobra bites often led to amputation. At least it hadn't bitten them anywhere else. Thankfully, Kowalski would be able to save the Commander's knee. He wished he could save Williams' wrist, but the damage was too severe. The x-ray of Williams' left hand showed that his captor had broken his index and ring fingers.

The doctor sighed in frustration. These two men seemed to have one trouble after another. He'd heard Williams joke that the Commander needed the frequent flier's discount at Tripler. Well, it seemed Williams needed it too.

Kowalski had met Anderson. Now he was dead, and deservedly so. Kowalski sighed. He shouldn't think that way, but it was hard not to. Considering what Anderson had done to McGarrett and Williams, the doctor hoped he had suffered before he died. He glanced at the sky outside his office window. "I hope you can forgive me, God. But Anderson nearly killed two good men."

He gathered up the printed images and walked to the room that the Commander and Williams were sharing. When he got to the room, both of his patients were on ventilators. The Commander's fiancée was sitting at his side.

Kowalski sat down by Steve's bed. Steve didn't move his head to look at him, but that was probably because of the muscle weakness caused by the cobra venom. "Commander, I've just been going over your CT scan. Unfortunately, I will have to take two inches off of your residual limb. You've experienced quite a bit of tissue death, and the venom has damaged the bone, as well. and I want to do the surgery before it can spread. Thankfully, I'll be able to save your knee. Have you had anything to eat or drink in the last twelve hours?"

Steve managed a slight shake of his head. Kowalski could see the disappointment in his eyes. He felt a measure of guilt. He wished he could avoid this surgery, but it wasn't possible. Too much tissue had died. He took a deep breath. "I'd like to talk with you about osseointegration. I'm aware you haven't been happy with your current prosthesis. Usually when I see you, you're using the wheelchair or your crutch. Osseointegration involves inserting a titanium implant into the bone of your residual limb. Your prosthesis would connect directly to that. You wouldn't need a socket any longer. It could also improve your gait and your balance. I think you'd find it much more comfortable."

The Commander's eyes brightened. He managed a slight nod.

"I can't do it right now. We have to do a medical evaluation to make sure you're a good candidate. If everything looks good, as I suspect it will, we can do the surgery in six to twelve months, once your limb has stabilized. After that, it can take three to six months for the bone to integrate with the implant."

He squeezed the Commander's shoulder. "We'll take you up for surgery in about half an hour. Now I need to talk with Williams."

He moved over to Danny Williams' bed. "Mr. Williams, I need to take three inches off your residual limb. I'll do it as soon as I finish the Commander's surgery. If you want it, osseointegration is possible for you, too. It would be on the same timeline that I would use for the Commander. Is that something you would be interested in? I think you'd find it more comfortable than a socket prosthesis, which I notice you rarely wear."

Danny's forehead narrowed.

Alani Williams gave her husband another kiss. "I know that look. You think you can do everything you need to one-handed. But can you change diapers one-handed?"

Williams stared at her. Dr. Kowalski chuckled. It was fun watching the understanding sink in. Williams' droopy eyelids lifted a little. He smiled around the breathing tube. This news seemed to wash away the pain.

His wife nodded. "I'm six weeks along."

Williams' gaze met the doctor's. He managed a slight nod.

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After Olina and Alani had left, Steve lay in bed feeling depressed. He was so weak. His hands hurt. He had chills from his fever. The rattlesnake bite on his abdomen was painful. He didn't remember getting it. It would probably scar. Well, he had plenty of scars already.

He had scars all over his abdomen and chest thanks to Wo Fat's affinity for the cattle prod. One more scar wouldn't matter that much. The stings from the bullet ants shouldn't scar. The one he'd gotten in Brazil hadn't. But it would be a while before the swelling went down. He was still having spasms in his hands from the neurotoxin and sometimes his whole body trembled. He just wanted the pain to go away so he could go home again. He missed Sammy.

He was disappointed about his leg. His swim fin required four inches below the knee. Now he would have two. Hopefully there were swim fins that could work with the osseointegration. He needed to be able to swim.

The IV of morphine helped with the pain some, but it didn't wipe it out completely. He was also on an IV antibiotic because Dr. Kaether thought some of the bullet ant stings looked infected. It's not like Anderson had been all that careful about keeping things clean. He didn't intend for them to live long.

Lou came in shortly before the visiting hours ended. "I've just visited Junior. He's still in a lot of pain from his bullet ant sting. I can't imagine how you two must be hurting."

Steve stared at him. He didn't know Junior had been bitten. Lou seemed to understand because he explained. "Anderson was bitten by the cobra. Somehow he knocked the jar of bullet ants off the counter, and it broke on the floor. They started stinging him. Noelani says he died shortly before we arrived. Junior was getting the keys from around his neck and got stung by an ant that crawled out of his shirt collar."

Steve felt bad that Junior was hurt helping them.

"I'm sure he'll visit you tomorrow after the pain is gone," Lou said. "Oh, you know what? The kid you were looking for — Dennis Morgan. He forgot to tell his roommate he was taking his girlfriend to Maui over the weekend. They ended up with food poisoning and stayed there while they were recovering. Craig found out the night before last and forgot to tell you." Lou rubbed his face. "I'm ready to throw him in a holding cell if you want me to. And I'll make sure he pays your fee."

Steve groaned. None of this had to happen if Craig had just thought to contact them. A tremble went through his body. He was exhausted. He closed his eyes and managed to shake his head slightly. He didn't want Craig to go to jail. As long as he paid them, that would be enough.

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May 13, 2023

Steve woke up around ten in the morning to find Olina sitting next to him. She had brought his contacts, and she helped him put them in. She was there when Dr. Kaether came in. "I'm going to take out the respirator and see how you're breathing," he said.

Steve nodded. When the tube came out, he drew in a deep breath. It felt good to be breathing on his own again. "Olina, I love you." He'd been wanting to say it since he opened his eyes and saw her yesterday. He was still feeling weak from the cobra venom. It was hard to move. At least he was able to talk. He also managed to kiss Olina when she lowered her lips to his.

Ralph came around lunchtime with Sammy in his arms. Danny was back from surgery, but he was sleeping.

Sammy brightened at the sight of his daddy. "Dada!" Ralph put the little boy on the bed. Sammy snuggled in close.

"Do you know how many stories I have to read this kid to get him to go to sleep?" Ralph asked. His eyes were sparkling, so Steve knew he didn't mind.

Steve chuckled. "I think we're up to five now. This little man loves books."

"He also loves running circles around the house." Ralph chuckled. "I wonder if you were that wild as a kid."

Steve shrugged. His dad used to tell stories about Steve's childhood and all the scrapes he got into. "I guess I was pretty wild. Dad said after I started walking, they visited the ER at least once a month."

Ralph nodded. "No different from now, hmm? I mean, we're almost two weeks into May and you've been here three or four times this month."

"Three," Steve said. "And I only got admitted this time." He brushed a hand against Sammy's back. "Hey, Buddy. I missed you. I love you, little man."

Ralph sat in the chair by Steve's bed. "It sounds like you and Danny had a really rough time."

"Yeah. Can't move much at the moment. And I lost a couple more inches of my leg yesterday. Danny lost three inches from his arm. It's a shame he lost his wrist."

Ralph shook his head. "I'm sorry, Son. Are your hands painful?"

Steve shook his head. "Not anymore. They're kind of numb at the moment, but the feeling should come back. It was the same way the first time I got stung by a bullet ant."

His whole body started shaking. Sammy looked up at him, confused. Gradually, the tremors stopped. "Sorry. The shaking lasts longer than the pain."

"Dada otay?" Sammy said.

"Yeah, Buddy," Steve said. "Daddy's OK."

Ralph nodded at Steve's lunch tray. "Do you need help to eat that?"

Steve nodded. "That would be great. Thanks."

Ralph fed him his lunch. Sammy watched his daddy eat. When Ralph got to the dessert, a chocolate brownie, Sammy said, "Me eat?"

Steve laughed. "Sure, Sammy. You can have it."

Sammy took one bite, then spit it out. "Icky!"

Ralph laughed. "I guess he shares your opinion of hospital food!"

"He's a smart kid." Steve yawned. He was too weak to hug his son. "Hold him where I can kiss him, Pops."

Ralph picked Sammy up and held him close to Steve's mouth. Steve kissed his little boy. "I love you, Buddy. I need a nap. I'm really wiped out. Can you help me take out the contacts?"

Ralph helped him, and he put the contacts in their case. "There you go."

"Great. Thanks for bringing Sammy."

"See you later, Son." Ralph carried Sammy to the door.

"See you later, Pops."

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Danny gasped as he woke up from a nightmare. He looked around. He was safe. He was in the hospital. Steve was asleep in his bed. Danny looked at his bandaged stump. "Dumb cobra," he muttered. He stared at his lunch tray. He was hungry, but with one broken hand and no prosthesis, he couldn't feed himself. He managed to hit the call button with his stump.

It took the nurse ten minutes to come in. "I need help eating," Danny said.

"Of course." She sat down and fed him his meal. It was hospital food, not very tasty, but he ate it anyway. Anderson hadn't fed them anything, and yesterday he couldn't eat much because of the nausea caused by the pain of the stings. Now that nausea was gone, and he was hungry.

"Thank you," he said when the food was gone.

"Of course. How is your hand feeling?"

"It aches, but it's not too bad." It hurt more than he would admit to her. He didn't want any more morphine. It made his brain feel fuzzy and he didn't like that. He was also having nightmares, and he wasn't interested in sleeping.

"Would you like some acetaminophen?" the nurse asked after looking at his chart.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, that would be good."

She left the room and came back a few minutes later with a couple of pills. She refilled his water cup and placed it back on his table where he could reach the straw without using his hand.

She put the pills in his mouth, then he took a drink of water and swallowed them. "Thanks."

It was only after he started getting drowsy again that he realized the pills were a mixture of acetaminophen and codeine. He tried fighting sleep, but he couldn't fight it long. He slipped back into dreams about spiders and snakes and bullet ants.

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Steve woke up when Danny shouted in his sleep. He must have had a nightmare. Steve rang his call button. The nurse came a few minutes later. "Yes, Commander?'

"Can you help me into a wheelchair?"

She shook her head. "You shouldn't be getting up yet, Commander."

Steve glared at her. "Either you help me into a wheelchair, or I'll find a way to get up myself and hop over to my brother." He wasn't actually sure he could manage that right now, but he would try. "And I probably can't bring this IV with me when I do it. My hands are too clumsy right now."

"I'll be right back with a chair." To her credit, she hurried. She was back within a minute. She helped him into the chair and then slid an amputee board under his stump.

"Thanks. Now, please take me to Danny."

She parked his wheelchair beside Danny's bed. Steve managed to lay his hand on Danny's arm. "Hey, Danno. You're safe," he said. He knew what dreams Danny was having. He'd had them himself.

Gradually, Danny calmed. He didn't wake up, but Steve was pretty sure his words had gotten through.

The nurse was waiting nearby. "Do you want to go back to bed now, Commander?"

Steve shook his head. "I'll stay here. My brother needs me. You can go. Please close the door." He heard the door close a moment later.

He sat there for an hour before Danny said something. "What are you doin' outta bed?"

"I'm helping my brother get through the nightmares," Steve said.

"Thanks." Danny opened his eyes and looked at Steve. "They were bad."

"I know. I had them too." Steve would never admit that to anyone but Danny.

"I never would have guessed," Danny said.

"I learned not to show it when I was a SEAL. You can't let a nightmare betray you to the enemy."

"Makes sense," Danny said. "You didn't really mean it about getting desk jobs, did you?"

"I don't know. Might be nice working a job where people aren't trying to kill me."

"You'd be bored stiff." Danny chuckled. "So would I. We survived this. We can get through anything."

Steve was surprised. He had been sure Danny would want to give up being a private eye. "You're sure?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. We won't get rich, but we can help people. I'm still feeling good about saving Micah Fisher. There are other people who need our help. Besides, even if we were at desk jobs, there are plenty of people on this island who hate us because of 5-0. It's just our life, Steve."

"That's true." Steve patted Danny's arm. "All right, then. Let's keep doing this job. It's definitely exciting."

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Junior and Tani came to visit after Junior was discharged. "Hey, Boss. Hey, Danny," Junior said as he sat next to Steve. Steve was back in his bed now.

"Junior. How are you feeling?" Steve had a little more movement now. He managed to turn his head to look at the younger man.

"Better. My arm is still swollen, but it's not too bad. How are you doing?"

"OK," Steve said. "Able to move a little more, so that's good. I'm glad I don't need another liver transplant."

"Good," Junior said. "I hope you're home in time for Sammy's birthday. Lina is really excited about his party."

"We should be," Steve said. "If not, we'll postpone a few days. Sammy won't know the difference."

"Sounds good. We've got to go pick up the kids from Renee," Junior said. "It's good to see that you're doing better today."

"Bye, Joons. Bye, Tani."

Tani gave Steve and Danny quick hugs. "Bye, Boss. Bye, Danny."

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May 17, 2023

Three days before Sammy's second birthday, Steve and Danny were finally discharged. Sammy loved dinosaurs, so they were having a dino party.

Auntie Mary was making a t-rex cake, and Uncle Hugo was building a dino cave in the backyard. It would have all sorts of stuffed dinosaurs that Sammy could give to his guests. Steve would have built it if he'd been home. His hands were still stiff and swollen, so he was thankful for Hugo's help.

The biggest dino was for Sammy. It was a triceratops that he could ride on. Steve had found it online. Sammy would absolutely love it when he saw it. Right now, it was hidden under a tarp in the garage.

Sammy came running out of the house when Steve got home. Olina came out after him. "Dada!" he squealed. Steve was using his wheelchair, so Sammy climbed up and sat in his lap. Steve wrapped his little boy in a big hug. "I love you more than anything, little man."

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Danny got out of Alani's car at home. Charlie and Makai came running out. They both hugged him. "Danno!" Charlie said. "We're so glad you're home!"

"Yeah," Makai agreed. "And Mama said we have to help you until your hand is better. We'll do whatever you need us to."

The love of these boys melted Danny's heart. "I love you guys so much," he said. "Let's go inside. I want to sit down and put my feet up and relax for a while."

They opened the door for him. Charlie got him a soda out of the fridge and poured it into a cup with a straw. Makai helped him raise the footrest on his recliner. Alani came inside and kissed him. Then she went to make lunch. Danny had never imagined that life could be this good.