A/N: Well...this is the end of this story. I am so appreciative of all of your reviews and kind comments, your follows, and your favorites. The muse took this journey on a few unexpected twists, but I think it ended up working well. There is a new doctor introduced in this chapter. His name and what he treats is real, but his background is made up.

I have my usual request: If you've read but never reviewed, would you mind letting me know what you thought just this once? If you are a regular reviewer, would you mind one more for the road?

I do have another idea in the works, but have no clue when it will get posted. I would like to have it finished before I start posting, so we'll see. Just know that there will be another story at some point in the near future.

Mahalo!

H50 H50

Chapter 14

Steve quietly entered Danny's room, in case the detective was sleeping. Looking around, however, he was surprised to see the bed empty. The bathroom door was open, so Steve knew he wasn't in there. Looking back at the bed, he started to get an uneasy feeling in his chest. This was too much like his nightmare for his taste. The sheets were thrown aside, as if Danny had left in a hurry, or had to leave in a hurry due to a medical emergency.

Setting the food down on the rolling table, he avoided the pile of towels on the floor and poked his head outside. Kaimi was at the computer station, working on her charting. "Hey, Kaimi? Where's Danny? Did he have to go somewhere for testing?"

Kaimi looked at him like he had two heads. "What do you mean 'where's Danny'? He didn't have any tests scheduled. I got caught up in an emergency when one of my other patients started to crash, but he was in his room before I got called away." She got up and quickly went into Danny's room and saw the destruction he had left behind.

She tipped her head back as she remembered what had taken place before that. "Crap. He had a nightmare earlier. I heard him call out for his daughter, but when I checked on him, he assured me he was okay. Right after that, I got called to the other room. He must have left during the commotion."

She hurried to the unit secretary with Steve hot on her heels. "Hey Meg? I need you to call security, and ask them to check cameras to see if they can spot Danny Williams. He's not in his room and we need to find him."

Just then, Abby got off of the elevators and walked over to where Steve was standing. "Hey, Steve. How's our boy?"

He didn't even have time to answer as she caught his and Kaimi's expressions. "What happened?"

Steve took a deep breath. "I'm not completely sure. Kaimi said that he had been dozing, but had another nightmare. Danny being Danny, he told her he was fine. She was called to an emergency, and when I came back a couple of minutes ago, he was gone. His bedding was on the floor, and it looks like he knocked some towels over as he left. He's also without his oxygen…not sure what that will do to him, but the tubing was on his mattress. I was gone less than fifteen minutes, and Kaimi saw him about ten minutes ago."

Abby shook her head. "Shit. The prazosin helps at night, but I guess not so much with a nap, then. Okay. Regrouping…Any word from security yet?"

Kaimi turned to Meg, who was still on the phone with security. Meg held up one finger, imploring them to wait a moment, and finished her conversation. "They aren't sure, but they thought they had a glimpse of him on the roof camera. If it's him, he was barely in view of that camera angle – and nobody is really supposed to be up there right now anyway, so it's worth checking."

Steve nodded, immediately heading for the stairs. "I'll head on up and meet you there."

Abby nodded, knowing that if Danny was in a bad place, Steve would have the best shot at bringing him back around. "I'll grab a wheelchair and portable oxygen. Kaimi, can you page Dr. Reese for me? Just let him know what's going on and have him meet us back down here when he can." Abby hoped she wasn't overstepping her bounds, but she had been treating Danny longer and had grown to care for him.

Steve opened the stairwell door, prepared to run up all six flights if he had to. But before he could get going, he nearly ran over Dr. Teleia and Riley, who were on their way down.

"Steve? Is everything okay?" She moved to the side, but was glad he stopped for a moment.

"I'm not sure, Jane. They think Danny had a nightmare and bolted from his room. Security thought they saw him on the roof, but didn't have a good angle to know for sure. I don't know where his head is now, but the one thing I can think of that would completely freak him out if he dreamed about it is losing Grace." He scratched Riley's head as the Golden Retriever nudged his hand.

"Do you want me to come up? I don't know that there's much I can do, but Riley's always a calming influence when things are rough."

Steve nodded, but glanced up. "That sounds good. I'll meet you up there, okay?"

She waved him off, knowing by his look that he needed to get up there and check on Danny. As he pounded up the stairs, Dr. Teleia and Riley started up at a slower pace.

It took Steve all of about a minute and a half to cover the distance, and knowing how much an abrupt sound could make anxiety worse, he forced himself to slow down as he opened the door to the roof.

Stepping carefully through the door, he visually did a quick sweep of the area, unable to see Danny at all from that vantage point. He kept his footsteps silent as he started around the perimeter.

When he came around to the other side of the electrical tower, his heart nearly got stuck in his throat. Danny was leaning against the ledge, shaking like a scolded puppy.

Keeping his movements slow, he approached his best friend. "Danny? You okay, man?"

Danny didn't even move. His focus was miles away, and if Steve had to guess, it would be on whatever had happened to Grace in his nightmare.

Steve scrutinized Danny more closely, as he subtly moved himself between Danny and the ledge. One hand was gripping the concrete so hard his hand appeared locked in place. The other hand hung down, trembling like a leaf blowing in the wind. His t-shirt was drenched with sweat, and his face was pale. His breaths were very shallow, and Steve was afraid that he would pass out if he didn't get things slowed down.

Steve could see movement out of the corner of his eye – both Dr. Teleia and Dr. Kuwada had arrived at the same time. They kept their movements very small and nonthreatening; not wanting to spook Danny any more than he already was.

"Danny? Talk to me, buddy." Steve had seen soldiers in the grips of a nightmare, and right now, Danny very much reminded him of one of those men.

Dr. Teleia normally didn't treat adult patients, but knew that Riley could work sometimes like nothing else could, and hoped he could help unlock Danny's mind from its nightmare. She crouched down next to Riley and gave a soft command. "Riley. Slow. Go to Danny." She pointed, and Riley slowly walked to Danny's side and turned around, waiting for his next command.

"Sit." She waited until he had complied, before issuing one more command. "Riley, lean." She was hoping that the weight of Riley leaning against Danny's legs, combined with the feel of Riley's fur under his hand might get through to Danny. They wanted Danny to come out of whatever he was locked in on his own, rather than being yanked out by well-meaning adults.

Riley was not a dog who normally licked patients when he was working, but he had shown an uncanny ability to read people. In this case, he gently started licking the hand that was hanging by his side.

Steve, Abby, and Jane all stood as Riley continued until eventually, Danny's fingers twitched ever so slightly at the sensation. Riley kept at it until Danny eventually moved his hand to rest on top of the dog's head.

Blearily, he looked around, visibly surprised to realize where he was and that Steve was standing next to him. "Steve…?"

Steve placed his hand on Danny's shoulder, subtly moving him back from the ledge. "Hey D. It's good to have you back."

Danny heard footsteps and turned to see Abby moving towards him with a wheelchair. "Back? I don't…"

Danny was still a little fuzzy on the details, but Abby could see that the physical effects were still running through Danny's system. The shaking hadn't subsided, and she would feel much better once he was sitting down and she could take a look at him. "Why don't we get you sitting down and we'll see about figuring everything out."

She didn't really leave him much room to argue as she essentially manhandled him very carefully into the chair. "Just relax for a minute Danny. I'm just going to grab a set of vitals, and then we'll try to piece things together."

She was none too thrilled with Danny's pulse or his respiratory rate but knew that they would normalize once the emotional aftershocks had worn off. More concerning, at least for this minute, was his oxygen level. She knew that he had taxed himself by climbing the stairs, and hoped he wouldn't balk at putting the oxygen back on.

"Danny, I'm going to put your oxygen back on for a while. You're lower than I'm comfortable with, but this will help." She looped the tubing over his ears and turned on the portable tank, making sure the prongs were comfortable.

Satisfied that he was relatively stable, she leaned back against the wall. "I'm a big believer of just ripping the Band-Aid off and jumping right in, so to speak. What do you remember about all of this?"

Danny wiped at the sweat that was beading on his forehead. "I remember hanging out with Grace most of the day. After we met with Ryan in the garden, we came back to my room. Chin and Kono brought pizza, so they ate. I had a couple of bites. The cousins left to take Grace home, and I guess I dozed off."

Steve nodded at his account. "I figured I'd grab a protein shake and a few snacks that you might like from the cafeteria while you slept. I wasn't gone that long. Long enough, I guess."

Danny looked lost in thought for a few seconds before uttering, "Fuck." He suddenly remembered his dream and the fear and helplessness that went along with it.

Jane motioned for Riley to move closer to Danny's chair, seeing that he was starting to get anxious again. As the dog rested his chin along Danny's legs, she stood in front of him. "At the risk of making this too simple, it wasn't real. Keep reminding yourself that the dream wasn't real. It very well may have felt like it, but it absolutely didn't happen."

Danny absently scratched Riley behind his ears as he nodded. "I know it wasn't real, but damn – it sure felt like it. And if it ever came true, there is no way I could be okay with it."

Steve looked sympathetically down at his friend. He had a feeling he knew what – or who – the dream was about. "Grace?"

Danny closed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah. She was…I was walking down the hallway downstairs. I wasn't sure where I was going, but all of the nurses kept waving me on. I got to a room, finally, and went inside. When I got there…"

He paused to steady his voice. "I heard her calling for me, but I couldn't see her. For a long time, I couldn't find her. She was so upset – she really wanted me to figure out where she was."

Danny spent a few moments staring out into the darkness before shaking his head. "It was storming like crazy, and the power went off. When the lights came back on and I finally saw her…she was stiff as a board. She had a hole in her throat, and a tube in her stomach. Her hands were clenched, and her toes pointed down. Freaked the hell out of me seeing her like that. She asked if the reason I didn't save her was because she wasn't worth it. When I woke up, all I could think about was getting out of that room…the walls felt like they were closing in on me, and I just had to go. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Steve caught Danny up in a hug, knowing how absolutely gutted Danny must feel. "It's okay, Danny. Grace is fine. It's all going to be okay."

Danny tried as hard as he could, but could not stop the tears from falling. And shortly after that, Steve just held on tighter as Danny's shoulders started shaking from the force of his sobs. Steve could feel the shoulder of his shirt quickly becoming damp, but understood that Danny needed to get it out. He also knew that Danny would probably feel guilty over this, but there was no way in hell Steve would let that happen.

Abby knew that Danny had stored up a lot of stress as he worried about not only his own health, but his daughter's as well. Being apart from her hadn't done either of them any favors, but his condition hadn't allowed anything different to happen. It was now that he was recovering that a lot of the emotions were being purged from his system, whether he liked it or not.

Danny pushed back from Steve and wiped at his eyes. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head.

Abby stepped forward. "Danny?"

He shook his head. "Nauseous."

She gently squeezed the back of his neck, knowing that they needed to get him back down to his room. Catching Steve's eye, he held up one finger and motioned for her to wait just a second.

"Hey, Grace. How are you doing?" He listened on his phone for a few moments before smiling and nodding at whatever she was telling him. "That sounds perfect. I'm just sitting here with your dad, and I think he wants to tell you goodnight. Hang on, okay?" Her reply was exuberant, which made Steve grin.

Danny had to swallow a few times before gingerly sitting up and reaching his hand out for the phone. At Steve's inquisitive look, he nodded, took the phone, and cleared his throat. "Hey, Monkey."

"Danno! Uncle Chin brought his bike over and let me help him work on it a little bit. He had to change the plugs and he let me help. Don't worry – I had a shower after that 'cause I was a mess." Her giggle soothed him like nothing else could, and he closed his eyes and just soaked it in.

"Did you have fun?" Danny tried desperately to keep his voice even as he talked to his daughter.

"I did, Danno. I can't wait to help you like that, too. I think that would be really cool to do something like that together." Grace's voice was light, but there was just a tinge of sadness underneath that stemmed from her just missing having her dad around.

"Once I'm all cleared, we'll find a project to do together. Okay? Maybe you could use the computer or ask Chin and Kono help you find something that we could do?" Danny was flagging as the adrenaline finished dumping from his system and he knew he needed to get off the phone soon.

"I will, Danno. I love you. Try to get some good sleep tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?" Grace sent a kiss through the phone that Danny wished was real.

"I'll try, Monkey. I love you, too. Sweet dreams and I'll see you in the morning." He deflated in the chair as he ended the call. Once he hung up, Danny threw the phone off of the top of the roof in frustration. Even the clattering of the plastic on the top of the air ducts wasn't even remotely satisfying.

All four adults stood in silence for a moment before Steve quipped, "You know that was my phone, don't you?"

Danny replied "Fuck you" with a nervous giggle, but it was enough to finally break the tension and allow Danny to relax a little as they got ready to head back to his room. Abby made sure the portable oxygen tank was secure on the wheelchair before Steve turned Danny around and followed Abby and Jane to the staff elevator, as it was the only one that went up to the roof.

It was a short ride back down to Danny's floor, where Dr. Teleia and Riley parted ways. "I'm going to get out of your hair, but if you need anything, you guys know where to find me. I know I'm not your physician, but I'm going to go out on a limb and ask you to think about talking to someone about this. I have a name for you, if you decide you're interested. His name is Dr. Ralston, and he deals specifically with anxiety and posttraumatic stress. He's from New York, and did quite a bit of work with veterans before switching to private practice. I've known him for years, and really respect his work. He's a no bullshit kind of doctor, which I think will work with your needs and your personality. I can get you his information, if you all feel that it's a direction you'd like to go. But my honest opinion, Danny, is that talking with someone will go a long way to resolving some of these stressful feelings. Think about it, okay?"

He nodded as she gave him a one-armed hug. Riley took his turn, resting his muzzle on Danny's lap, clearly enjoying the attention that followed. After Danny had scratched his fill, Riley grudgingly returned to Jane's side, and the two headed down the hallway to hit the stairs once more.

Dr. Reese was waiting at the charting station outside Danny's room. He and Abby worked quickly to get Danny settled; a full set of vitals, and an overdue dose of pain medication later, and he was finally resting quietly.

Steve was sitting next to his bed, trying to talk Danny down from his guilt-fueled conversation. "I just feel like a complete idiot. Running away like I did? Freaking everyone out? I know it was a nightmare – but I can't get over how real it felt, you know?"

Steve nodded. "I know. The dream I had where Grace stepped in and took care of me? I had come to visit you, and Abby had to tell me that you had some complications, and you were gone. So I get how something like that can feel real, even if your head tries to tell you that it's not."

Danny shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "I just…I want this over with. I'm tired of jumping at shadows, so to speak."

Steve leaned forward and clasped Danny's forearm. "I never thought I'd advocate for talking it out, but it probably was one of the best decisions I ever made. I hated it at first…bringing up some of the most painful experiences I've ever been through flat out sucked. But I don't want to even think about where I'd be without having Mark to bounce things off of. I promise you, Danny, one day soon, you will be able to look back at this as just a shitty event that happened."

Danny blew out a frustrated sigh. "I know. I hope so. I need to do this for me…and for Grace. She deserves to have me all in, you know?"

Steve squeezed Danny's arm. "You both do, Danny. You both do."

H50 H50

Danny clutched the steering wheel, trying desperately trying to calm his breathing. This, by far, had been the most grueling of his month-long sessions with Dr. Tyler Ralston yet. He had grown to appreciate the no nonsense demeanor of the counselor. He had that stereotypical "New York" brashness that rubbed some people the wrong way, but that Danny actually responded well to.

He had done his debriefing and breathing regimen before he left the office, but as he sat in the car, random flashes of the dream that he had just rehashed to death started poking at him again. He knew that this afternoon would likely leave him feeling drained. Dr. Ralston had done what he called "flooding", where he essentially made Danny remember as many of the bad memories as he could, one after the other, again and again. The premise behind that was to help him learn not to feel so overwhelmed and anxious over one particular thought or emotion. It had worked, as Danny was not able to focus all of his attention on just one feeling. The bad part of this particular therapy was that Danny had essentially relived the entire nightmare over and over again, leaving him exhausted and drained.

He and Dr. Ralston had taken time at the end of the session to work on the calming breathing techniques that he was finding successful. It wasn't unlike Grace's "belly breathing" that she had learned from Dr. Teleia.

He shut his eyes and had to take himself through the calming routine once again, eventually (and thankfully) driving the negative thoughts from his mind. In the nearly five weeks he had been out of the hospital, he had been forced to realize that the accident was in no way his fault, and the fact that he had developed complications that had kept him from his daughter was something completely out of his control, and he simply couldn't justify the guilty feelings that had followed. There was not one single rung on the ladder of every event that had happened that Danny could have changed himself.

Danny took his job as Grace's father very seriously, and any deviation from the quality of parenting he expected from himself was a tough pill to swallow. It was partly his history with Rachel that had led to some of these thoughts. From the time that their marriage had started to go south, she had never shied away from telling Danny when he screwed up somehow. She also knew that any criticism of his being Grace's father was a particularly sharp barb – and when the two were at their worst, she flung that one whenever it suited her best.

Dr. Ralston had reminded him that despite what Rachel would have had him believe in the past, it was most certainly not true right now. The two parents currently had an amicable relationship. Danny had primary custody of Grace. She was happy here, living among her ohana and her friends. Danny had a lot to do with that, and Dr. Ralston was pushing him to remember that.

Health wise, he had recovered from the pneumonia and broken ribs and sternum without any further complications. He had only needed the epidural for those last three days that he was in the hospital. Dr. Reese had stayed true to what Danny had been told – and after proving that he had suffered no ill effects from his trek up the stairs following his nightmare, Danny was released after three days.

The first week he was out of the hospital, Grace had cajoled him into staying with Uncle Steve. By that point, he would have done anything in his power to make her happy, and truth be told, he was in no hurry to be alone with his nightmarish thoughts. He knew his limitations, and the truth was, he still needed help from time to time.

He had lost weight while he was in the hospital – to the tune of almost ten pounds. That didn't sound like a lot, but when you were as muscular as Danny, that ten pounds took time to put back on. He had met with Ryan before discharge and had gotten a home regimen that he was able to work on since his discharge. He was slowly starting to see some progress, which went far in putting this whole event behind him.

He had been completely benched from work for that first week, as his energy level hadn't recovered quite like he wanted it to. Weeks two and three found him and Grace back at home, and him back at work on restricted duty, before finally progressing to light duty. Week four had found him excessively ill-tempered with everyone around him, who only wanted to help. Danny couldn't fault them – he just was tired of needing help of any kind. Every single one of them was hoping that he would be cleared for full duty after he met with his primary care physician next week.

Doing a quick mental scan, Danny was satisfied that the anxious moment had passed and that he could head over to Steve's to pick up Grace. His weekly appointments with Dr. Ralston were always on Saturday mornings – and Steve had been more than happy to keep an eye on her while Danny was otherwise occupied.

As his eyes opened, he took a deep breath and let it out, blowing the anxiety into the wind, so to speak. He started the car and made sure his seatbelt was buckled before pulling out into traffic.

His phone rang, and he used the hands-free bluetooth in his car to answer. "Hey, Monkey. What's up?"

He listened and felt his shoulders relax as the love from his daughter washed over him like a gentle wave. "I should be at Steve's in about fifteen minutes. I'll need time to change, but after that we can head for the beach. I won't be cleared to surf for a few more weeks, but Uncle Steve can get out in the water with you, while I cheer from the sand. Sound good?"

After another round of conversation on her end, Danny nodded his head. "I love you too, baby girl. Tell Kono and Chin and Steve to keep their pants on - I'll be there soon, okay? See you in a bit."

As he ended the call to the sounds of his daughter's laughter, Danny felt a sense of peace slowly trickle through him, warming him from the inside. He and Grace had been through an awful event, and Grace and the rest of the ohana had shown their patience in waiting for him while he clawed his way out. He smiled as one thing was certain. They would be okay.

fin