Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0 or any of its character.
Almost half an hour later Steve started to wake very slowly. He could hear sounds out on the corridor as the nurses went about their daily duties. He could hear the traffic out in the parking lot. He could hear...wait, he could hear somebody else breathing steadily just by his ear. He immediately started to panic. Someone was there, too close to him, they were going to place a pillow over his face again. He felt so heavy, he didn't think he could move and fight this unknown attacker off. He started to struggle but could feel hands trying to hold him in place. He wasn't going to escape, he didn't know where anyone was, and he hadn't the strength to call out. His chest felt like a cinder block was sitting on it. He needed to get free. Danny, where was Danny? He was always the voice of reason; if a little shrill as times. He'd help, but he couldn't call out. He then remembered the cold storage room and how Danny had saved him even though he was the one who had been abducted. Then later when he had woken the first time with the pillow pressed against his face, he thought he remembered Danny's voice before the darkness completely took him. But now, where was Danny? The attacker was back, right beside him, getting ready to finish him off and he could do nothing. In one finally attempt to escape, he swung his cast arm out and up and connected with flesh. Yesss! Smack on target, as he heard a yelp of surprise and pain.
"Damn it, Steve. It's me, it's Danny. Calm down. It's ok, you're in the hospital…still. Calm down." Laying his left hand on Steve's forehead and his right on his chest he kept up a soothing litany, trying to keep out of the way of the flailing limbs, until Steve stopped struggle.
Opening his dark blue eyes he found concern in Danny's sky blue eyes. The next thing he noticed was the blood coming from Danny's nose.
Thinking to himself, "Damn, did I do that?" he said out loud, "Hey Danno, your voice is back!"
"What the hell just happened there, Steven? I mean one minute you're sleeping like a baby and the next you are thrashing around like a prize bull!"
"I…I don't know. I just panicked. I thought the attacker was back. God, I 'm sorry," Steve said looking at the blood again.
"It's no biggie. I think a bloody nose is the least I should have after being abducted. I mean you have a broken wrist and was nearly smothered. All I got was really really cold."
"Hey hey none of that. If I'm not allowed play the guilt game you sure as hell aren't allowed play. Maybe you should get someone to look at your nose," Steve said realising that the blood was still sluggishly flowing.
"Yeah maybe, but they're going to have to deal with me in here. I really can't leave you alone for a minute," Danny grinned back.
With that the door opened and Dr. Thompson walked in, "Ah good you're both finally awake, although I think the bed would have been more comfortable for you detective. I'll just…" seeing the blood and Danny going to get a tissue, the doctor became agitated again. How did these men keep getting hurt in his hospital?
"Hey doc, it's ok. Rambo here had a little...eh...issue as he woke up and I was the only one within reach," Danny explained.
Steve watched the conversation between the two men and wondered what the doctor meant about where Danny had slept.
"Right young man, let's see how we are this morning," the doctor said as he approached Steve's the bed. Taking out his little pen light, he proceeded to check Steve's pupils.
Involuntarily, Steve flinched when the little light was shone in his eyes; he really hated those little lights.
"How does the head feel? Any headaches?" the doctor continued.
"It's good," Steve started to say until he heard Danny clearly his throat and give him the look that said "Really?!"
"Mmm well I've a slight headache, nothing I can't handle," he then replied honestly.
"Doc maybe you'd want to check his wrist, that's what did this," Danny grinned, while using the tissue to try and clear the drying blood from his nose.
"I'll check it in a minute. Come over here and sit down, I'll have a look at that for you now," Dr. Thompson beckoning Danny over to the chair beside the window.
Danny obediently sat down and the doctor started examining his nose. Danny winced as the doctor touched the bridge of his nose but he felt a calming hand on his lower arm that rested on the bed and took comfort from that. After a minute of pressing and pushing and generally prodding, he announced "Well, it's not broken but you're going to bruise and probably end up with two black eyes as the bruise radiates out the way. Once again you are a very lucky man."
Walking back around to the right side of the bed, the doctor took a look at the cast on Steve's wrist. It seemed to be perfectly intact.
"How does it feel? Any pain? Will you wiggle your fingers a little for me?...good." Dr. Thompson did not bother waiting for a reply because he was pretty sure with it was sore or not, the Commander would not say. "And what happened a few moments ago that Danny deserved a bloody nose for?"
Looking down at the sheets, "I don't know. I woke up and could hear someone really close and I guess I panicked. I just thought the person was back to finish me. When it happened the last time I didn't even hear them come in, I just felt the pillow and I couldn't breathe. Then just now…"
"It's ok buddy," Danny returned the reassurance.
"Well everything is ok now. So just relax," the doctor said as he listened to Steve's heart through his stethoscope. Happy that everything sounded ok he folded it back into his pocket.
"Ok gentlemen, I'm going to continue on my rounds. I'll get someone to bring in some breakfast shortly, the last time they came in I believe they said you were both too cute to wake!" grinning he walked out the door, leaving the partners looking at his retreating form as the door closed behind him.
Danny looked at Steve seeing the same expression of confusion mirrored on his partners face.
"What did he mean by that?" Danny asked.
"I don't know. Hey where did you sleep, if not in your bed?" Steve queried.
"Mmm I was worried about you, alright? When I woke around dawn and saw you were back up again I came and sat there," he pointed at the chair to the right of the bed. "I musta fell back asleep," he said self-consciously.
"Thanks," Steve replied just as sheepishly. "You saved me yesterday. Twice! I don't know what to say but thank you. Actually, who exactly was trying to do me in the second time?"
Not able to hide the grin, Danny replied "The same guy from the first time! Seems he was a lot savvier than we thought and he managed to free himself from the cuffs and get past HPD and get up here."
Steve just shook his head, "but Tommy's in custody, right?"
"Yup the cousins apprehended him at the shrimp truck. He gave up immediately," he replied as his voice started to break.
"Hey brah, maybe you should take a break. I don't want you losing your voice again."
"I thought you said you wanted to see what it would be like to have me silent for a while."
"Nah, decided yesterday that I like hearing your voice, it means you're ok. But maybe just give it a chance to heal properly, ok?" Steve said looking at his partner.
"Yeah ok."
"Where did you get the cool pjs,"Steve grinned.
"Hey if I hadn't first been left out in the rain all day the other day and then locked in a damn oversized refrigerator with a million pineapples…"Danny stopped himself a split second too late.
"What?!" Steve yelled as he burst out laughing. "You were locked in with the pineapples? Now that's a punishment I would never have thought of."
"Shut up, Steven," Danny grumped as he climbed into his own bed pulling the covers up around him.
Moments later, the door open and Chin and Kono walked in, followed by a nurse carrying two trays with breakfast.
Walking over to the two beds Chin muttered to his younger cousin, "Ok do we have a deal, they don't find out about any photos until it's absolutely necessary."
Kono nodded in agreement.
"Hey guys, yer awake. We were along earlier and found you hadn't woken up yet. Ye looked kinda cute," Kono giggled and the nurse nodded her head.
"Why do people keep saying that today?" Steve asked.
"I just don't know," Chin remarked with a slight hint of sarcasm.