Written for an anonymous prompt on the livejournal h/c comment-fic meme.

This started out as a short oneshot but quickly grew into the longest thing I have ever written.

Prompt: Steve/Danny or gen - Steve goes away to reservist duty and comes back hurt, but refusing to talk about it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.

Rated T for language

-H50-

Danny Williams was rudely awakened at 5:30 on a Saturday morning by his cell phone ringing. Early morning phone calls had become more common ever since McGarrett had been called up for active duty with his old SEAL team and Danny was the interim head of Five-0 until Steve's return, but that didn't mean Danny enjoyed them-or was used to them.

Danny grabbed his phone and hit answer without evening opening his eyes and grumbled, "Williams. This better be good."

"DannyitsMaryOhmygod!" Mary was speaking in a panicked rushed. "SomeNavdudesjustcametovisitme!Steve'sbeenhurt!"

Danny was instantly more alert at the sound of Mary Ann McGarrett's panicked voice. "Mary slow down and take a deep breath! I can't understand what you are saying. What's going on?"

"I just got a visit from a couple of Naval officers. They said Steve was injured in the line of duty!"

"Oh god. What happened? When? Is he ok?"

"I don't know! They wouldn't tell me what happened! Only that he was injured in the line of duty and had been flown to Landstuhl hospital in Germany and that they would let me know more about his condition at a later time."

"Shit. Ok, Mary, I'm going to call the Governor and see if he can make some calls and get us some information on Steve. I'll call you as soon as I know something."

"Thanks Danny." Mary's voice is quivering and Danny can tell she's about to breakdown.

"Hey Mary, listen to me. Steve is strong and I'm sure he will make it through whatever he's up against."

Mary took a deep shaky breath. "I know Danny. He's the strongest man I know. Besides, he promised me that we'd see each other again and Steve never breaks a promise. He has to be ok."

"Good. I will call you as soon as I know something."

Danny hung up and ran a shaky hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. He glanced at the clock, it was almost six, too early to call the governor. Danny hoped that the governor would be able to get them some information on Steve's condition. Governor Denning and Steve had gotten off to a rocky start with Governor Jameson's murder and Steve's subsequent incarceration; but after almost a year the two had come to a grudging respect for one another. Five-0 still had some issues dealing with the new governor so Danny decided he'd better wait until a more acceptable time to call the governor, meaning he would call at 8 am sharp.

Danny sighed and flopped over onto his back. Steve had been called up to active duty over four months ago. He had gotten the call when the team had been out for lunch together one afternoon. Four days later Steve was boarding a plane at Pearl Harbor that would take him to San Diego for training and briefing with his SEAL team before proceeding on with the classified mission. Danny and the team had seen Steve off at Pearl. Danny shook Steve's hand and pulled him into a quick man-hug telling him to keep him is head down and come back in once piece after Chin and Kono said their goodbyes. Steve responded with an "I'll do my best Danno. Watch out for the team and stay safe."

He remembered watching Steve walk toward the plane in his BDUs with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Danny didn't know anything about the mission Steve was going on with his former SEAL team but he knew it was serious if they were calling up a reservist for it. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong.

The only contact with Steve they had was a couple short emails he'd been able to send before he shipped out from San Diego; that had been two weeks after he'd left Hawaii. Danny had been worried about him ever since. Now this phone call from Mary was one of his worst nightmares coming to life, second only to something happening to Grace. He could only hope that Steve would be ok and he wasn't hurt too seriously. He knew though that if Steve had been flown to Germany that it was pretty serious.

He decided to get up and shower and shave now before calling Governor Denning since there was no way he would be able to get back to sleep now. After getting ready for the day, Danny paced in his small apartment. It was taking all his restraint not to pick the phone and call the governor at 6:30 on a Saturday morning. While relations with Governor Denning had improved, Danny didn't want to do anything that may upset him while Danny needed this important information.

8 am finally rolled around and Danny couldn't hit the dial button fast enough.

"Detective Williams. What can I do for you this morning?"

"Good morning Governor. I received a phone call from Mary Ann McGarrett, Commander McGarrett's sister, this morning. Mary told me she was informed this morning that Commander McGarrett was injured in the line of duty and was flown to Landstuhl in Germany."

Danny heard the governor take in a large breath, "How badly is he hurt?"

"I don't know, Sir. I was hoping you could make some calls and find out. All Mary was told was that Steve's been injured and is now in Germany. They wouldn't tell her anything else. Just that they would be in contact with her when they could tell her more."

"I'll make some calls and see what I can find out."

"Thank you Governor." Danny disconnected the call and proceeded to inform Chin and Kono that Steve was hurt and he would let them know more when he could. While he was waiting to hear back from the governor, Danny decided to go into the office and get some paperwork done since he didn't have Grace this weekend and he needed something to pass the time waiting.

Danny had been in the office for about an hour before Chin and Kono showed up.

"Hey Brah, you look like you need some company." Chin said as he came into his office.

"We brought malsadas." Kono stated and as she followed Chin into Danny's office. The cousins settled in to wait with Danny. They spent the waiting time talking about some of their latest cases that they were still trying to close but had no new leads on.

After two more hours, Danny's cell phone rang again; he checked the caller ID and switched it to speakerphone after seeing Denning's name on the screen.

"Yes, Governor."

"Detective Williams," The governor greeted, "I made a few calls and wasn't able to find out much about what happened to Commander McGarrett, apparently whatever McGarrett and his SEAL team were up to was highly classified. What I did find out is that Steve is in critical condition at Landstuhl. I don't know much about his injuries but his left leg is pretty mangled and he suffered some severe internal bleeding. Right now he's in an induced coma but the person I spoke to said his doctors hope to bring him out of the coma in the next week."

"Do they know his prognosis?" Chin asked.

"I'm sorry I don't have much more information on his condition. My source said his doctors sound hopeful but that is all I know. I'm sorry I couldn't get more information. Steve is a good man and I will keep you updated on his condition if I find out more."

"Thank you Governor. We really appreciate you doing this."

"You're welcome, Detective. Please let Miss McGarrett know that we will be keeping the Commander in our thoughts and prayers and tell her that if she needs anything at all she can contact me at anytime."

"I'll be sure to let her know. Thank you again Sir." Danny hung up and dropped his head into his hands. "I need to call Mary."

"Do you want me to do it Danny?" asked Kono quietly.

Danny took a deep breath and lifted his head to face the team, "No, I'll do it. Thanks though Kono."

The cousins left Danny alone in his office so he could speak to Mary in private.

-H50-

It had been four weeks since Danny got the phone call from Mary that Steve had been injured in the line of duty. Mary had gotten a little more information on Steve's condition from the Navy. Steve's left tibia was shattered and his femur was broken, he'd also had his spleen removed and suffered some damage to his liver, kidneys, and lungs. The doctors had brought him out of his coma about two weeks ago but they'd been keeping him sedated ever since due to the amount of pain he was in. Over all, Steve was in pretty rough shape.

Danny was sitting at his desk in his office starring at his computer screen, lost in thought. Over the last two years that he and Steve had been partners, they'd become very close. Danny considered Steve a brother; he was always there for Danny when he needed him and would do anything for Danny and Grace. Steve was the one who got Danny through losing Matt, his biological brother. For all intents and purposes Steve was Danny's real brother now. It was killing Danny that his friend, and brother, was badly hurt and he couldn't be there for him. He hated that he didn't know how Steve was and that he was alone in a military hospital in another country without his ohana there to help him through it. Danny was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of a phone ringing.

"Williams."

"Danny."

"Steve? Oh my god, it's good to hear from you finally! How are you feeling?"

"Hey partner. I'm doing ok. How are things at home?" Steve sounded tired and his voice was pinched like he was in pain.

"Ok? Steve you sound terrible. You are most definitely not ok! How are you really? What happened? Are you still in Germany?"

"No, I'm not still in Germany. I arrived at Bethesda last night."

Danny noticed that Steve was deflecting most of his questions. "You've been in the States for almost 24 hours and nobody thought to inform us? What the hell? Does Mary know?"

"Danny, nobody informed you because I asked them not to until I could talk to you. Mary knows and is flying out tomorrow." Steve sighs into the phone.

"What the hell, Steve? Why didn't you want us to know?" Danny can feel himself getting worked up into a rant but is doing his best to stay calm. He doesn't think Steve is up for a long rant at the moment.

"Because I knew that as soon as you found out I was stateside, you would be on the next plane here."

"Of course I would! I want to be there for you, Steve. You shouldn't be without your ohana right now."

"Which is why Mary insisted on coming out here. Danny, I'll be back in Hawaii in like two weeks. I don't want any of you wasting your money on a plane ticket here when I'll be home in a couple of weeks."

"You're coming home soon?"

"Yea, my doctor thinks I'll be released in two weeks or so."

"That's good to hear, but a plane ticket wouldn't be a waste of money." Danny could hear Steve's breathing through the phone but he didn't make any other sound.

"What happened over there Steve?" Danny asked softly, "All they told us was that you were hurt and messed up your leg pretty bad and lost your spleen."

"That about sums it up." Steve sighed, "Look Danny, I can't do this right now. I'm tired and I just had another dose of morphine. I won't be able to stay awake or coherent long enough to tell you about it."

"Alright, but you are doing ok?"

"As well as I can be I guess. How're things going there? The team all doing ok?"

"We're all fine, just worried about you. Things here haven't changed much, been a little quieter without you hanging people off roofs. It's almost boring."

Steve chuckled, "I knew you'd miss that. Glad to hear your keeping everyone in line. Listen Danny, I've got to go but I'll call you in a few days and I'm sure Mary will be in touch with you."

"Alright, take care, Steve. Good to hear from you. Don't give the nurses a hard time."

Steve laughed again, "Bye Danny."

After saying goodbye, Danny disconnected the call and threw his phone down on his desk with a heavy sigh. He was glad he finally heard from Steve and was even happier that Steve was back in the States and would be back in Hawaii soon; but he was still really worried about Steve.

-H50-

Steve sighed as he put the phone back on the rolling over-the-bed table. He pushed the table away and leaned back heavily against his pillows, staring at his left leg. It was hanging in a sling about foot above his bed, effectively keeping him from leaving his hospital bed or even moving more than a few inches in bed. He was tired and in pain, and although he hadn't lied to Danny about just taking another dose of morphine, he knew that by the way he was feeling he wouldn't be able to sleep any time soon. Talking to Danny had taken a lot out of him but he was glad that he finally got talk to him. He missed Danny, Hawaii, and the team more than he was willing to admit to anybody; and while there was a part of him that wishes Danny was coming, there's another part that knows it best for Danny to stay in Hawaii. Danny would ask too many questions about what happened. Steve wasn't ready to answer those questions yet. He was glad Mary was coming though. He hadn't seen her since she went back to LA after the Noshimori fiasco, although he wished it were under better circumstances. He knew Mary wouldn't pry about what happened. Mary had always known when to push and when to let him be when it came to that stuff. The two siblings had become closer since Mary had visited Hawaii. They talked every week up until Steve was deployed. She also knew how to handle him when he was injured, whether it be giving him space and letting him do stuff on his own that he probably shouldn't but was stubborn to accept help for and when to help him.

Steve shifted in bed and grimaced as a wave of pain shot through his leg and abdomen. He attempted to get more comfortable before laying back and closing his eyes in hopes of getting some sleep.

-H50-

Much like they had been five and a half months ago, Danny, Chin, and Kono were standing on the tarmac at Pearl Harbor. Only this time they were waiting for a plane to arrive that would bring their injured friend home. The plane had landed five minutes ago and now they were just waiting for it to taxi off the run way and open up. After fifteen more minutes of waiting, the cargo door was lowered. Danny held his breath as he waited for Steve to emerge. Finally Danny saw Steve for the first time in over five months. He was being wheeled down the ramp in a wheelchair. His left leg was stretched out in front of him, encased in a white fiberglass cast that went from his toes to his hip with his knee bent at a slight angle. He was pale and it was obvious that he'd lost quite a bit of weight too, his cheeks were hollow and his features were sharper than they had been when he left Hawaii.

Once they were at the bottom of the ramp, the corpsman locked the brakes on the wheelchair and handed Steve a pair of crutches before helping him slowly get to his feet. Steve thanked the corpsman quietly and slowly made his way to the group waiting to welcome him home.

Danny stepped forward and put a hand on Steve's shoulder as he came to a halt in front of the group.

"Good to have you back partner."

Steve gave him a tired smile, "It's good to be back finally." He'd ended up having to stay three weeks at Bethesda instead of the original two due to an infection he'd developed.

"Hey Boss!" Kono moved to hug Steve but thought better of it when she remembered the crutches.

"Hey Kono," Steve let go of a crutch and put his arm out, "Come here!"

Kono gave him a quick, gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to have you back Steve."

Chin stepped forward and shook Steve's hand, "Good to see you, brah."

"Good to see you too, Chin. Thanks for coming to get me guys."

"Any time brah."

The same corpsman that helped Steve out of the plane came over carrying a duffle bag with Steve's belongings, "Here's your bag Commander McGarrett."

"I'll take that." Danny took the bag from the corpsman.

"Thank you, Johnson."

"You're welcome, Commander. I hope you have a speedy recovery, Sir." Johnson saluted Steve before returning to the plane.

"Alright, you ready to go home Steve?"

"Definitely."

Danny put his duffle bag in the back seat of the Camaro before helping Steve get settled and stowing the crutches in the back seat as well.

"So Mary is flying in next week?"

"Yeah, she had to go back to LA to take care of a few things and get some more of her stuff before coming to Hawaii. She's thinking about coming back here permanently now since we have things with Wo Fat more or less taken care of."

"How do you feel about that?" Danny glanced at Steve, knowing that when Mary had mentioned coming back to Hawaii six months ago he hadn't been that receptive to the idea.

"I'm ok with it now. She's not in any more danger here than she is in the neighborhood she's living in in LA. And it will be nice having her around more often."

"That's good. Do you want to stop for some take out on the way back to your place?"

"No thanks. I'm not really hungry Danny. I just want to go to bed and get some sleep."

"Chin and I moved some of your stuff down to the guestroom for you. Mary said your therapist said no stairs for a few weeks."

"Yeah, not for at least four weeks. Thanks Danny."

"You're welcome. I'm going to stay with you until Mary comes. I'm supposed to have Grace this weekend but if you aren't feeling up to having her around Rachel is willing to switch weekends with me."

"Danny, Gracie is more than welcome here anytime. This weekend included. She can stay in Mary's old room and you can either have my room upstairs or my old room. I don't want you sacrificing any of your time with her because of me." Steve's tone left no room for argument.

Danny nodded, "Ok good because Grace is really looking forward to seeing her Uncle Steve. She really missed you while you were gone."

"I missed her too."

"What am I chopped liver? You didn't miss me while you were gone?" Danny asked with mock outrage.

"It was kind of nice not having anyone ranting at me all the time." Steve said but the smile on his face let Danny know he was joking.

Danny pulled into Steve's driveway; he got out and handed Steve the crutches, making sure to stand close enough so that if Steve needed help he could help him right away but far enough away so that the SEAL could get out on his own. After Steve was out of the Camaro, Danny followed Steve to the house to open the door for him.

Steve hobbled inside and looked around, the place looked exactly like he'd left it only it was missing the thick layer of dust that should be there after 5 and a half months of no use. He headed toward the back of the house and out to the lanai. Steve lowered himself into one of the wicker chairs and took a deep breath. Danny followed him out and took a seat beside him.

They sat in a comfortable silence as the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon. Danny took time to study Steve; he was starring out at the ocean with a look of longing on his face, like he really wanted to go out for a swim. Danny could understand Steve's desire for it, after being cooped up in a hospital for nearly 2 months Steve was probably itching for a long swim and some fresh air. Well at least he could get the fresh air. Swimming would have to wait for a while. Danny studied Steve's features. There was a healing pink scar on the left side of his forehead, near his hairline and another new scar on the curve of his jaw.

Danny was burning to know what happened to Steve to cause all this damage but he got the feeling that Steve wasn't going to talk about it anytime soon. Danny would have to work to break down the walls that Steve had built up around himself again.

Danny noticed the pinched look on his face, like he was in pain. Danny asked quietly, "Hey, do you want another chair to put your leg up on?"

"No thanks. I should probably just head inside and go to bed. It's been a long day."

"Alright, can I get you anything?"

"Can you get my meds out of my duffle bag? They should be in the front pocket in a white paper bag."

"Sure, I think I left it in the Camaro but I'll go bring it in."

"Thanks Danny."

Steve hoisted himself out of the wicker chair and slowly made his way into the house. He first went into the bathroom and took care of his business before going into the guestroom that would be his for the next few weeks to get ready for bed. He managed to change his shirt without a problem but he was still trying to figure out how he was going to get his sleep shorts on over the cast. His broken ribs were healing nicely but he was sore from sitting up for twelve hours for the flight and couldn't bend far enough forward to get his casted leg through the hole. He finally said screw it and decided to sleep in his boxers. He was adjusting the extra pillows to put under his leg when he hears a knock on the door and Danny peaks his head in before entering. He's carrying the duffle bag, the white paper bag with Steve's meds, and a glass of water.

He sets the water on the night stand, "Here're your meds. Which ones do you need for tonight?"

"Just the Vicodin right now." There are five different pill bottles in the bag: a pain killer, two antibiotics, Ambien, and an anti-nausea medication. Danny handed Steve the bottle with the Vicodin and set the others on the night stand.

"Anything else Steve?"

Steve shook his head as he swallowed two of the pills.

"Alright, good night then."

"Hey Danny," Steve spoke as Danny was leaving. Once Danny had turned and given him a questioning look, Steve continued, "Thanks for everything today, brother."

Danny smiled. "You're welcome. If you need anything else just yell."

Steve nodded and Danny left. Steve got as comfortable as he could and settled in for the night hoping that it would be nightmare free.

-H50-

It was a few minutes past noon the next day when Steve finally emerged from the bedroom. Danny was in the kitchen fixing sandwiches for lunch.

"Good afternoon sleepy head. Did you sleep good last night?" Danny grinned at Steve who was still only clad in boxers and a t-shirt and had a pretty bad case of bed head.

"Hey. Yeah, I was wiped out after trip home yesterday."

"Good. You hungry? I'll make you a sandwich."

"Sure." Steve Settled himself at the kitchen table and put his leg up on the opposite chair.

Danny set roast beef sandwich and a glass of orange juice down in front of Steve before sitting down next to him with his own sandwich.

"This is good, thanks Danny." Steve ate a little more than half his sandwich and finished his glass of orange juice before pushing it away. He still didn't have a very good appetite but it was slowly getting better. "Are you going in to work today Danny?"

"Nah, we don't have any open cases right now and we are all caught up on paperwork. Besides since you're home now, the governor gave us a long weekend. He wants to stop by this afternoon to see you, by the way."

"When?"

"Around 2:30 I think."

Steve sighed and glanced at the clock on the stove, it was almost 1. "I suppose I should probably get cleaned up and dressed then."

"Do you need some help?"

"Probably. I need to shower but I can't really get in and out on my own with the cast and my other injuries that haven't fully healed yet. I always had a nurse or Mary help me when I was in the hospital."

"You just tell me what we need to do and I'll help you out."

"Thank you. I need to get some stuff from my room and I'll be ready." Steve slowly made his way back to the guestroom and proceeded to take his medications.

"What all do you need Steve?"

"Uh, there's a cast cover in my duffle bag and some clean clothes. There's a pair of black athletic shorts in there that I guess I will wear." Danny unpacked the bag and grabbed all the items Steve listed off while Steve took a clean pair of boxers and a clean gray t-shirt out of the dresser.

They moved into the bathroom where Steve deposited the clean clothes on the counter top. Danny started the water in the shower. Steve leaned against the counter for support as he carefully pulled his shirt over his head.

"What do you want-Jesus Steve!" Danny had turned around to face Steve after getting the water running. He was shocked to see a nasty eight inch long, jagged scar running across the left side of Steve's abdomen. The ends of it were much cleaner looking; Danny could tell the cut had been extended during surgery. There was another smaller surgical scar on the right side of his chest. "What the hell happened?"

Steve averted his eyes and simply stated, "Shrapnel."

Danny could tell that was all he was going to get out of Steve about it now. He could tell Steve was closing himself off emotionally. Danny was worried about him. Whatever had caused all this physical damage to Steve had also caused a lot of emotional damage as well. It also concerned Danny to see Steve so compliant and so willing to ask for help. The Steve he knew wouldn't have asked for help with this so easily. Danny composed himself. He decided not to push Steve about this right now.

"Alright, what do you need me to do?"

"I can do most of it right now on my own. I just need you to put the cast cover over my foot far enough so I can reach it. And then I just need help standing and getting into the shower."

After Steve sat down on the closed toilet lid, Danny pulled the cast cover up over Steve's leg so he could reach it and secure it around the small portion of his upper thigh that wasn't covered by the cast. Steve then stood, using the countertop and Danny for support and hopped over to the ledge of the tub. Steve pulled his boxers down and let them slide down to his ankles before sitting on the ledge of the tub and toeing them off with his good leg. He then swung his good leg over into the tub and gently moved his broken leg in after it. He grabbed the plastic bar on the wall of the shower with one hand and held onto Danny with the other to pull himself up carefully. His foot started to slip as he stood but Danny caught him.

"You ok?" Danny asked in concern

"Yeah, I'm good."

"You should get a shower mat for in here so it's not so slippery."

Danny helped him stand all the way without incident this time. Steve carefully shifted his body so he was further under the hot spray. "I can take it from here Danny. I don't need any more help until I get out."

"Ok, I'll be here if you need me though." Danny moved away from the shower and hoisted himself up on the countertop to wait for Steve to be done. Ten minutes later the water shut off, Danny reached in the curtain and handed Steve a towel to dry himself off with.

Steve pulled the curtain back after he'd wrapped the towel around his waist. Once again, holding onto Danny and the shower bar, he carefully sat on the ledge of the tub and lifted his legs over the ledge to rest in front of him. He unfastened the cast cover and Danny pulled it off and hung it in the shower to dry before helping him get his shorts and boxers on over the cast.

Steve stood and grabbed the crutches, "Thanks, Danny. I can do the rest on my own."

"I'll be in the kitchen cleaning up so holler if you need more help." Danny left the bathroom, giving Steve some privacy.

Steve is standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at his reflection. His eyes automatically drift down to the scars marring his torso. The long jagged one is from a piece of shrapnel and the subsequent surgery to remove the shrapnel and repair the internal damage it caused. The small scar on his chest was from the surgery to repair his collapsed lung and stop the bleeding. Steve's mind started reliving the memories of what happened. He shook his head to clear away the memories, he couldn't do that now. He pulled on the clean gray t-shirt and put deodorant on and brushed his teeth. After he finished, he eyed the new razor sitting on the counter. He has a day's worth of scruff on his face but right now he just can't muster the energy and time it will take to shave. Besides that, his leg and ribs are starting to ache. He goes into the bedroom to put on his single tennis shoe then heads into the kitchen where Danny is singing an off key version on the Bon Jovi song that is currently playing on the radio as he cleans up the kitchen.

Danny doesn't turn around or acknowledge Steve when he comes into the kitchen, which is fine with Steve so he bypasses the kitchen table and head out onto the lanai. After spending the last month and a half breathing in manufactured and or recycled air, he can't seem to get enough of the fresh Hawaiian air. He sits in one of the wicker chairs with his injured leg up on the chair opposite of it him and lets the soft sound of the rolling waves wash up on the beach lull him into calming state.

Danny comes out to the lanai a few minutes later and is surprised to see Steve asleep in the chair. He gently puts a hand on Steve's shoulder to shake him awake, "Hey Steve, the governor will be here in like ten minutes."

"Not sleeping." Steve says as he opens his eyes slowly and shifts so he is sitting up straighter.

"Sure you weren't Rambo."

"Rambo was in the army Danny. I am in the Navy. There is a big difference. And I was resting my eyes, not sleeping. I was completely aware of your presence."

"Right. I think the governor just arrived. Do you want me to bring him out here?"

Steve nodded. He pulled himself up so he was sitting up straighter and looked down at his appearance. He wished he could have at least put on a pair of cargo pants or jeans rather than athletic shorts but his heavy cast wouldn't allow that unless he cut a slit in the leg of his pants. He needed to find an old pair that he could do that with or buy a couple pairs of cheap pants for that purpose. Steve sat up straighter and ran a hand over his face before Danny returned with the governor in tow.

Steve moved to stand when Governor Denning came through the door to the lanai.

"Please stay seated Commander McGarrett. It's good to have you back in Hawaii."

"Thank you sir, it's good to be back." Steve shook Denning's hand before he took a seat across from Steve.

"I won't stay long but I wanted to come by and see how you are doing."

"I'm doing fine sir. I'll be ready to return to work in a few days."

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about that too. Your doctor contacted me this morning and said you need to get some more rest before you can return to light duty. You have been placed on medical leave for the next two weeks."

"Sir, I don't need two weeks off before I can sit behind a desk and do paper work." Steve protested.

"It's not up for negotiation Commander. Your doctor said you are still healing from your last surgery and are going to need more rest before you are fit enough to be at work. I want the leader of my task force to be healthy when he returns to work and not have a relapse." Governor Denning stated firmly.

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now, your doctor didn't give me a time line for you returning to field duty."

"It depends on how quickly my leg heals. I'll be in the cast for probably 8 weeks and then at least another 4 weeks of physical therapy. I have an appointment with a doctor here on Monday. So hopefully then I will have a better time line." To anyone who didn't know Steve he appeared to be confident in what he was saying but Danny could see the uncertainty on his face. Danny made a mental note to find out more.

"There's no rush Commander. Detective Williams is doing a fine job of leading Five-0 in your absence but I'm sure he will be more than happy to return the reins to you when you are back full time."

"You got that right," Danny said, "I don't know how you put up with all the crap you do."

"In the mean time, the HPD officer that I assigned when you were deployed will remain with Five-0 until you are ready for field duty again. It will then be up to the two of you, Detective Kelly, and Officer Kalakaua to decide if he will remain at Five-0 or go back to HPD."

Steve shot a glare at Danny; he didn't know there had been an HPD officer assigned to help out, "Thank you sir. Who did you assign?"

"Officer Jamie Akiro. He was at HPD for 3 months after graduating the Academy before I reassigned him to Five-0."

"He's still pretty green but he's doing ok."

Governor Denning checked his watch, "I have to be at a meaning in half an hour so I'll get out of your hair. Take care of yourself Commander. Take it easy and get some rest."

"Thank you, Sir. I will." Steve started to get up again.

"Stay put, Commander. Detective Williams can show me out."

Steve nodded and settled back in the chair. He waited for Danny to return.

A minute later Danny was back out on the lanai and seated next to Steve who was looking really tired.

"I have to go get Grace in half an hour. Why don't you go in and take a nap?"

"Why didn't you tell me there was an officer assigned to Five-0?"

"We haven't exactly had a lot of time to talk in the last 5 months Steve. We didn't get Jamie until after you left San Diego. I'm sorry that telling you how things are going here was the last thing on my mind after I found out you were injured! That I was more concerned about your well being than letting you know we had a temporary fourth member in your absence!" Danny is working himself up into a rant.

"I'm sorry, you're right Danny."

"Thank you. Wait, did you just say I'm right? Can I get that in writing?"

"You must have miss heard me."

"Steve, what was with the uncertainty on your face when you were telling Denning about getting back to field duty?'

Steve sighed and ran a hand down his face. "It is going to be a long time before I'm back to where I was before I left Danny. If I can even get back to where I was."

"What do you mean 'if'?"

"With all the damage to my leg and knee, they aren't sure that I will be able to return to field duty. There is a lot of damage to the bones in my leg and the ligaments in my knee. I may not be able to walk without a limp after I'm done with therapy. If that's the case, I won't be able to go back in to the field. I'll have to stay behind a desk."

"Shit, Steve. What are the odds that you get away without a limp?"

"I don't know, fifty-fifty is their best guess. It depends on how well everything heals. That's why I was taken to Bethesda instead of Tripler here in Hawaii. They have the best orthopedic surgeon in the country there. Hopefully I won't have to have another surgery on my leg after the one I had two weeks ago. Dr. Paulson doesn't think I will need another one but it's too soon to tell. He also thinks that with the right therapy and hard work I should be able to return to field duty."

Danny could tell Steve was pretty upset about all this but was trying not to show it. "Well you work harder than anyone I know so that shouldn't be a problem for you. But don't worry about it now. You just have to take it one day at a time. I have to go get Grace though. You look like you need a nap. I'll go do some things with Grace then bring back Chinese for supper later. Give you some peace and quiet and some time to get some rest."

Steve nodded then hauled himself up out the chair and got his balance before taking the crutches from Danny and heading inside. Danny leaves to get Grace after Steve goes into his room to take a nap. What Steve told him early about the possibility of not being able to return to the field scares Danny. Not that he'd ever admit it; but he can't imagine Steve being stuck behind a desk for the rest of his career. Steve doesn't do stationary. And even though Danny may bitch about Steve's antics, he really does miss having him backing him up and he even miss being the back up.

-H50-

Steve wakes with a start. His heart is racing, he's breathing heavily, and he is covered in sweat. A glance at the clock tells him that he was asleep for not quite two hours before a nightmare woke him up. He lays there for a few minutes, waiting for his breathing and heart rate to return to normal. He knows he needs to talk to someone about what happened but he's not ready for that yet. He can't think, let alone talk, about what happened.

Steve sits up on the side of the bed. His leg is throbbing but he knows that if he takes the pain meds now he won't be able to keep them down unless he eats, even if he does take the anti-nausea meds with it. He grabs his phone and shoots Danny a text. "I'm awake now. You can bring Gracie over anytime. Ps get me some chicken lo mein."

A minute his phone beeps, he opens the text and reads "b there in 30."

After Steve washes his face he goes back out to the lanai to wait for Danny and Gracie. He lets the sound of the waves lull him into an relaxed state but comes out of it as soon as he hears the purr of the Camaro out front. A minute later Danny and Grace emerge from the house.

"Uncle Steve! I missed you!" Grace comes running over to him and throws her arms around him. She does it gently so as not to hurt him, but he can feel the enthusiasm in her hug anyway.

"Hey Gracie! I missed you too!" he returns the hug. "Did you keep Danno in line for me while I was gone?" Steve asks as he pulls away.

Grace nodded. "Danno said you got hurt. Are you ok, Uncle Steve?"

"Not quite yet Gracie, but I'm getting there. Another one of your hugs will make me feel a lot better though." Grace gave him another hug.

Danny came out carrying a bag of Chinese carry out and a stack of plates with forks. "Ok, we have chicken lo mein, sweet and sour chicken, moo shu beef, and fried rice."

Steve managed to eat most of his plate of food before he took his meds and called it good. After supper, the three went inside and watched Despicable Me with Grace. Halfway through the movie both Steve and Grace were asleep. Danny nudged Steve in the shoulder to wake him. Steve looked at him bleary eyed. "You should go to bed."

"Yeah. Night Danny." he mumbled sleepily as he got up to head to bed.

"Night." Danny spoke quietly as he picked up Grace to carry her to bed.

-H50-

The weekend passed quickly. They had the team over Saturday afternoon. Danny and Chin tag teamed the grill for steaks and Kono gave Grace surfing lessons on Steve's private beach while Steve sat on the lanai and watched his ohana. Sunday had Steve and Danny sitting on the lanai as Grace built sandcastles for Dolphin Trainer Annie and G.I Joe.

As the weekend passed, Steve could feel some of the tension that had been plaguing him ever since he returned to the States slowly bleed out of him. He was finally able to relax completely and quit worrying.

Danny however, was only becoming more and more worried about Steve as the weekend passed. He would wake up at night and hear Steve having nightmares. The first time Danny heard Steve having a nightmare Danny had gotten up and gone downstairs to get a glass of water for Grace. Danny heard Steve muttering "No, get back! Down!" over and over again. Danny also thought he heard him saying a name but couldn't quite make out what it was. He'd been contemplating going in and waking him up but by the time Danny had made up his mind, Steve had stopped muttering. The second night Danny woke up to Steve screaming in his sleep. He stopped suddenly and a couple minutes later Danny heard the water running in the bathroom downstairs. Danny had gone down to see if Steve wanted to talk about it but when he'd opened the door to Steve's room, he could tell Steve was pretending to be asleep. Danny decided not to call him on it for now. He knew Steve wouldn't talk until he was ready but Danny was worried that his friend wasn't getting the sleep he needed to heal.

Danny watched Steve over the weekend. He appeared to be putting on a good show, acting happy and relaxed but his eyes showed how tired he truly was. He decided that tonight, if he heard Steve having another nightmare, which odds were that we would, he was going to approach Steve about it.

Danny took Grace back to Rachel's after they ate supper on Sunday night. He returned to once again find Steve sitting out on the lanai, seemingly staring off into space.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just tired I guess." Steve sighed.

"You know, you should probably go to bed. Get some rest; you have that doctor's appointment in the morning so you can't sleep 'til noon like you have been."

"It's the meds. I wake up around 2 or 3; take another dose and go to sleep for another 8 hours. I can't help it Danny." Steve sounds defensive.

"Hey, I know. I was teasing. Besides, you obviously need the sleep."

Steve goes into the bedroom and closes the door to get ready for bed. Danny follows him inside. He stops in the kitchen for a beer then sits down heavily on the living room couch. It's only 8:30; there is no way Danny can go to bed now. He'd be up at 4 if he did. Which actually he may be up anyway but that's beside the point. Danny channel surfs for a while and ends up watching a replay of last night's Yankees vs. Rays game. He finally goes to bed around 11. He hasn't heard a sound from Steve's room since he went to bed.

Danny isn't sure what wakes him two hours later. He lies in the bed in Steve's old bedroom listening intently. He can hear waves crashing into the beach and wind rustling the trees outside but the house seems silent. He rolls over to go back to sleep and is about to drop off when he hears a strangled scream followed by a thud. Danny practically flies down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Danny pushes the door to Steve's room open and finds Steve lying on the floor tangled in the covers. He's covered in sweat and breathing hard. Danny rushes to his side.

"Steve! Are you ok?" Danny puts his hand on his shoulder. Steve doesn't acknowledge his presence. His eyes are squeezed tightly squeezed shut and he appears to be trying to breathe through the pain. Danny grabs the bottle of pain medication from the night stand and shakes two pills into his hand and grabs the bottle of water on the night stand. "Here, take these Steve."

Steve shakes his head, "Fuck. Give me a minute." he grates out.

Danny ran his hand comfortingly over Steve's shoulder as he breathed through the pain. After what seemed like an eternity to both Steve and Danny, but was actually only about three minutes, Steve finally gets the pain under control and is able to move again. He sits up and takes his pain pills and the water from Danny. He swallows the pills and leans back against the bed.

"You ok?"

"I'm good."

"Right. You want some help getting back in bed?"

Steve nodded and Danny helped Steve stand and get settled so he was sitting with his back against the headboard.

"What happened, Steve?" Danny asks in concern as he takes a seat beside Steve on the bed.

"I had a nightmare. About what happened." Steve said quietly, not meeting Danny's eyes.

"Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"

"No, I don't think so. Nothing hurts worse than it did before now; except my pride."

"Hey, Steve, there isn't anything to be ashamed about. I don't know what happened but I'm sure it was horrible and nightmares are to be expected. I'm here to talk about it if you want though."

Steve nodded, "I don't know if I can talk about it right now."

"Is it classified?" Steve just shrugged. "You don't have to talk to me about it, but you should talk to someone, whether it be Chin, Kono, Mary Ann, Cath, or even a professional. It helps, trust me."

Steve nodded again, "Yeah, I know. I just don't know if I can right now." He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

Danny thought he may have fallen asleep after several minutes of silence. He was about to get up when he heard Steve speak softly.

"I can't give you any details about where I was or what I was doing but I can give you the basics of what happened."

Danny sat quietly and waited for Steve to continue in his own time.

"It was an explosion…several actually. We were doing recon on a terrorist compound. The compound was supposed to be empty when we raided it but somehow they found out that we were going to be there and returned a few minutes after we breached the compound. It was a pretty nasty firefight; we were outnumbered five to one." Steve stopped to take a deep breath and shift to a more comfortable position. "We'd managed to take out most of them but then they started using IEDs and grenades. Me and two of my men, Petty Officers Jason Steele and Nathan Owens, had taken cover behind an old Suburban. It ended up getting hit with I think 3 IEDs. Owens was the closest, he got 3rd degree burns over like 40 percent of his torso and arms and a couple shrapnel wounds. Steele had some pretty severe shrapnel wounds on both his legs; he lost his right leg below the knee."

"And you?" Danny probed gently.

Steve leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "I was turned slightly away and blown backward by one of the blasts so my left side took the brunt of it. As you know I took some shrapnel to my abdomen and lost my spleen, it also caused a bunch of internal bleeding and it nicked my liver. My lung collapsed from being blown backwards into the wall. The blast, plus a couple pieces of shrapnel, caused most of the damage to my leg. They put a titanium rod in my tibia and a plate with a few screws in my femur."

"Were you the only three hurt?"

"No, Hendricks was shot just below his vest but everyone else made it out more or less unscathed. The eight guys who weren't hurt managed to take out the rest of the terrorists and got us out of there. Owens was taken to Bethesda at the same time I was. He's still there; he's having his first skin graft surgery next week I think. And Steele went to Texas from Landstuhl about a week before us since he's from San Antonio and didn't need any further surgeries." Steve took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He felt better after telling Danny about what happened. The drugs were also making him sleepy.

"Thanks for listening, Danny."

"You're welcome, Steve. Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah, I do actually. I know the dreams aren't going to just stop because I told someone about them but hopefully they won't be as bad."

"You look like you're about to fall asleep. Lie down and get some rest." Danny ordered with a smirk.

"Yes Danno." Steve slid down so he was lying on his back and closed his eyes. "Thanks again, Danny."

"Any time brother."

End