236A/N: This chapter is all about Danny. Enjoy. I know Qweb will love it. I hope you do too. I'll catch you all again when I can. Please know that I adore you all, you are the reason I write these stories and if things were less complicated I would devote my time to you. Sadly, things have gone really wrong really fast and I need some time. I'm sorry. I'll miss you.
Chapter 19: Alive
Steve sat in the waiting room, his head between his knees as he waited for news about his partner. They had been split up again as Danny was rushed into the emergency department, but he had been awake and alert when they arrived. Steve was shown into the emergency waiting room by one of the nurses and there he sat until the Doctor came to him, tapped him on the shoulder and smiled.
"He's going to be fine," Doctor Robinson smiled, "we've moved Detective Williams to a private room, for observation, with HPD guards and he's demanding that you and his friends be allowed to see him.
Steve stood and smiled, "That sounds like Danny."
"Let me take you to him," Doctor Robinson laughed as she turned and headed through the halls of the hospital.
5-0
"I don't ever, ever, want to find myself in that situation again, do you hear me Steven?" Danny stated forcefully as Steve walked into the room. "In all my life I never imagined that kind of torture, that darkness and then sand and water? Oh my God I swear I am going to kill someone as soon as I am out of this bed, and all these IVs. I'm trapped again!" Danny ranted.
"I don't ever want to see you like that again either, partner," Steve smiled and Danny could see the relief that seemed to melt away from Steve's body.
"What the hell took you so long?" Danny asked still trying to ease Steve's mind.
"He put you in a coffin, inside a shipping container, filled that container with beach sand that we have no idea how he got up to the mountains and then he sealed that container and buried it in six feet of jungle soil," Steve stated throwing his hands up. "Sorry it wasn't the easiest job I've had in my career."
Danny sighed, "He had to have had accomplices."
"The two baddies that were with him when they took you are both dead." Steve sighed.
"Does the extent of my burial sound like a three man operation to you?" Danny asked sarcastically.
"It took two excavators and a crane and then a whole SEAL team, Five-O and HPD to dig you out, so to answer your question, no your burial took way more then just three people." Steve stated and fell into the chair in Danny's room as the exhaustion started to hit him now that he knew his partner was safe and sound and his sense of humor was coming back to him.
"I need you to do one more thing for me, Steven, before you pass out from exhaustion because I know that's what is happening to you right now," Danny said after a long moment of just letting Steve breathe and relax his clearly exhausted mental and physical self.
"What's that Danny?" Steve asked.
"I need you to change the paper work so that I never, ever, end up in a coffin again. I want to be cremated when I die and if anyone argues that fact, tell them this story." Danny ordered.
Steve laughed heartily, "I will make sure you never lie in a casket again, I promise."
"Good," Danny sighed and fell silent.
"Are you ok?" Steve asked after waiting in silence again.
"Let's just say, once this whole thing is over and McMahon is either dead or behind bars awaiting the death penalty, I'm going to need so much therapy the Governor may have to hire six more guys to take my place on this team. But until then, I'm fine." Danny explained.
"How do you feel?" Steve asked with a smile.
"How do I feel? What kind of a question is that? Look at me. I was trapped for two days in a tiny space with nothing, no food, no where to relieve myself, nothing but this horrible voice inside my head and psychopath talking to me via some form of technology which I have added to my list of things to hate. Then, if that wasn't torture enough I was nearly drowned in that same tiny space. Sure the drink of water was nice in the beginning but my lungs are killing me, my throat hurts from vomiting and some male paramedic had to do mouth to mouth on me. Why couldn't it have been a cute female paramedic? I don't have SEAL training Steven; I can't hold my breath for a million years. I'm not a fish! Then the thing started swinging and sloshing the water all around and whatever little air I had left was elusive because of the motion. It sucked! Now, you ask me how I am, when clearly you can see that I am stuck with all kinds of needles with bags of who knows what draining into me because I am dehydrated…ha funny…and I need nourishment, plus pain killers and soon I'm sure they will sedate me as well. So really Steven, how do you think I feel?"
"I can't imagine how you feel."
"I feel like crap, but I'll be ok. I'm alive aren't I?" Danny tried to smile.
"I missed your rants," Steve chucked.
"I know you would, that's why I just pulled out one of my best just for you. But now, if you don't mind, I'm a little tired."
"You rest. I'm going to stay right here."
"And hover?"
"If you don't want me to hover, I'll just sit."
"Just sit Steven."
5-0
Steve ran from Danny's room as he spotted his counterparts coming down the hallway. He has strategically positioned the chair so he could see not only the room but out the door and slightly down the hallway. He was still on high alert even though he was exhausted, but he knew he had to protect Danny now that he finally had him back in his sights.
"He's okay!" Steve smiled. "The doctor is doing some tests but she's sure that Danny is going to be just fine. Danny is awake, but exhausted. He's dehydrated but he's responding well to the treatments for that, and he's going to have some more test done in the morning to make sure that the lack of oxygen to his brain hasn't done any lasting damage, but judging by the rant and the wise cracks, I'd say Danny is Danny."
"What about you?" Chin asked.
"I'm going to kill McMahon for doing this to him." Steve growled.
"I think we all want a piece of that guy!" Kono stated passionately.
"But for now, we just wanna see Danny." Lori added and her counterparts nodded.
"Danny's demanding it," Steve smiled and led team into the room.
5-0
Danny truly looked like he had been through an ordeal. His face was pale, his lips were chapped, and his hair was an absolute mess but his blue eyes shown with life and determination and grew even brighter as his team flooded into his hospital room.
"I knew you guys had it in you!" Danny said his voice horse but a smile spread across his features as Kono and Lori attacked him with hugs, one on each side of his bed. "Thanks for saving my life. I owe you one. I was never supposed to live through that, McMahon told me so just before he cut the power and the oxygen." Danny confessed.
"You know we'd do anything for you," Kono smiled a tear and a twinkle in her eye.
"Oh come on, don't get all mushy on me now Kono!" Danny stated and the young woman giggled.
"Now fill me in on the case!"
"Doc says you need to rest!" Steve stated silencing the girls.
"Besides there really isn't a case anymore," Chin said as he clasped Danny's hand and Danny pulled him into a hug.
"What do you mean?" Danny asked, and then spotted Max hovering at the door. "Come on Max, you're part of this too!" Danny added and the Medical Examiner came in and hugged the rescued Detective.
"The case was to find you and we did," Steve explained, "Now we have to start all over again to try and find McMahon."
Panic flashed in Danny's eyes.
"Be calm, HPD are on Rachel, Stan and especially Grace." Steve stated to try and calm Danny before he erupted like Pele. "They have been moved off the island and are being given presidential treatment by the governor who has also gone into hiding for safety sake."
"Who was that other man working with Catherine?" Danny asked remembering the strange voice.
"You mean our new best friend, Toast?" Chin laughed.
"That guy has some mad, mad skills," Kono added.
"He's pretty great!" Lori agreed.
"I don't make friends with just anyone you know!" Danny laughed.
"He's safe too," Steve said as he saw the worry in Danny's eyes again. "Charlie is in the field with a detail of navy SEALs while Toast is back at HQ with Cat and naval intelligence and about a million HPD officers. We also have Admiral Winchester overseeing the whole process."
"Not admiral Winchester," Danny stated sarcastically.
"He's only the man in charge of the SEALs," Steve shrugged playing along.
"Friends in high and low places, good for you, but I still don't think you understand the lengths McMahon will go to. Once he finds out I'm still alive his whole plan will have fallen apart and he'll have to start all over to save his own life. He told me why this happened. Wo Fat is behind it all." Danny said.
"We know." Steve sighed.
"I was always supposed to die, so that you would be distracted and so that Wo Fat could take you out. McMahon is probably long gone already." Danny sighed.
"If he is, he'll be found, if he's still here he's soon to know that you're alive," Steve stated. "It's now time for him to play at our game, and that game involves his failure to accomplish Wo Fat's wishes. Who is really in danger here?"
"We are," Danny practically yelled.
"We're always in danger, but now we're together and we know what they were really trying to do, and we have McMahon's sister in custody," Steve explained.
"We're wide awake to McMahon and we aren't letting our guard down Danny," Kono said as she reached out and took his hand again, "we'll catch this guy because we have each other and now we have our secret weapon."
"Oh yeah, what is that?" Danny asked skeptically. "You don't know McMahon like I do."
"You're the secret weapon, you moron!" Steve laughed, "Although we do have the navy too."