Steve/Danny Pre-slash/angst/h.c. Yesterday When I Was Young, part 2 of 4
Title: Yesterday when I was young, part 2 of 4
Pairings: Steve/Danny
Genre: pre-slash/angst/h.c.
Rating: 14+ for language
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: Danny’s attempt to try to be more young and carefree ends in disaster.
Word Count: 3,400ish
Author's note: I’ve decided to make this pre-slash because, as we all know, Steve and Danny belong together. Who am I to keep them apart?
Yesterday When I Was Young
Kono sat on the steps to Danny’s apartment building for more than an hour waiting impatiently for the older man to return home. She checked her watch again. It was almost 8 p.m. and still no sign of Danny. She wondered if he might have gone to Steve’s home after dropping Grace off at her mother’s house. Kono pulled out her phone and dialed the boss.
“McGarrett.”
“Steve? Is Danny with you?”
“No Kono, I haven’t seen him since this afternoon.”
“I’m here at his place and he’s not home. I’ve been waiting for over an hour.”
“Is his phone off?”
“No, but he’s not answering it. I’m a bit worried.”
“Maybe he’s just spending a bit of extra time with Grace. You know how he hates to be interrupted during Gracie time.”
“No, I called Grace and she said Danny dropped her off a couple of hours ago.”
Kono could hear Steve opening and closing the front door of his house then the beep of his truck’s alarm system being turned off.
“OK, I’m sure he’s fine - maybe he’s out for a few drinks or something - but I’ll run over to the office and trace his phone.”
**********
Just over 45 minutes later, Steve and Kono converged at Ewa beach and the Commander used his spare key to open the Camaro and glance around inside. Seeing nothing to be concerned about, he popped the trunk and used another key to open the strong box Danny had had installed. The detective’s gun, badge and cell phone were all found in the box. The phone was blinking with a voice mail message.
“I can see him leaving his gun and badge when he’s off duty but why would he leave his cell?” asked Kono, worry beginning to grow inside her.
Steve shook his head and looked around the area.
“I don’t know. Maybe he went into that bar and decided the phone was safer in here. It’s unusual for him though I agree.”
“Let’s check the bar,” encouraged Kono beginning to walk towards the still noisy bar. She looked over her shoulder a few seconds later to see that Steve wasn’t following her.
“Steve? Let’s go.”
The SEAL slammed the trunk of the car and looked back at the young officer dubiously.
“Kono, maybe he’s in there having a good time. Maybe he met someone. He might get upset if he sees us come waltzing in.”
The young officer put her hands on her hips and gave her boss a look of exasperation.
“We’ll just look around and see if he’s there, we don’t need to interrupt him or anything, now come on!”
Steve blew a heavy breath through his lips.
“Fine. But if he sees us and flips out, you’re the one who’s going to explain to him why we’re here.”
**********
Steve snagged the bartender’s sleeve as the Hawaiian man hurried by. The SEAL held his iPhone up to show the man a picture of Danny.
“Have you seen this man here tonight?” he yelled to be heard over the pounding music.
The bartender leaned closer and squinted at the photo.
“I think so. If it’s the same guy he left maybe an hour or so ago.”
“Alone?”
The bartender shook his head and pulled on a beer tap to fill a glass.
“Nah, he left with a girl.”
Steve felt his stomach clench at that but pressed on.
“Do you know who she is?” asked Steve.
The bartender shook his head again.
“She just started hanging around here recently. She comes in like two or three times a week and leaves with a different guy each time: usually haoles,” the bartender slid the beer towards the waiting customer and grabbed another glass.
“What’s her name?” Steve pressed.
“I don’t know; don’t think I ever heard it.” The bartender picked up a drink shaker and began filling it with a variety of ingredients. “Look man I’m really busy ok? I don’t know where the guy is.”
Steve nodded his thanks and turned to face the crowded room as Kono made her way back to him weaving in and out between the crush of people.
“I can’t see him,” she yelled in Steve’s ear.
“The bartender said he was here and he… left with a girl.”
Kono suppressed a small smile.
“Guess he did meet someone.”
Steve folded his lips together and gave a quick nod.
“C’mon let’s go. I’m sure we’ll hear all about it tomorrow.”
**********
Danny woke to searing pain. His back felt like it was on fire and his entire body felt battered and brittle. He groaned loudly as he rolled over on his back and regretted the action immediately when a wave of nausea flooded him. He pushed himself on his side again just in time to vomit violently into the sand. When his stomach was empty he struggled to sit up but his vision swam and his eyes rolled back in his head. He thudded back to the ground sinking once again into darkness.
**********
Steve flopped over onto his back his arms spread wide on the mattress, and stared at the ceiling with a frustrated sigh. He couldn’t sleep. He was worried about Danny. It was stupid, he knew that. His partner was a big boy and an experienced cop. He could more than take care of himself. There was no reason to think anything had happened to him. Steve told himself this several times and castigated himself for being a mother hen but it didn’t help; his gut told him something was wrong.
The SEAL sat up in bed and looked over his shoulder at the clock: 11:18 p.m.
He supposed he could get up and make himself some herbal tea. Maybe that would help him sleep. Or he could read for a while. That usually did the trick. The Commander slid out of bed and walked over to the dresser and pulled out at tee shirt and a pair of jeans. If anyone knew he was going out to look for his partner they would think he was nuts - especially when all signs pointed to that partner having met a girl and gone home with her, much as that pained Steve. But one of the reasons Steve was not only a good SEAL but also a SEAL who was still alive was that he trusted his gut and right now his gut was telling him Danno was in trouble.
**********
Steve stood next to the Camaro in the darkened parking lot. Despite the fact that it was almost midnight on a Wednesday, the bar he and Kono had visited earlier was still rocking. Such was the life of a tropical paradise.
Steve glanced up and down the beach hoping to see some sign of his partner. He knew Danny had been here and he knew he’d left with a girl but Steve doubted Danny would go home with her. The Commander wasn’t being naïve. Danny was a good looking man and could easily pick up a girl in a bar but somehow he doubted his friend would do that. As a father of a young girl, Danny was always conscious of how he treated women and with all of the sexually transmitted diseases out there, Steve didn’t think Danny would take the chance of having sex with a stranger he met in a bar - condom or no condom.
The SEAL made one more pass through the bar in the hopes that Danny had returned but the blonde man was nowhere to be seen. Steve couldn’t think of anything more to do than walk down the beach in each direction for a mile or so and see if he could spot his friend. Maybe Danny had gone for a walk with the girl or maybe he got drunk and passed out in the sand.
**********
The Commander glanced at his watch again. The luminescent hands told him it was almost 12:30 a.m. He’d walked some distance down the beach east of the bar but had seen no sign of his friend. Now he was going west but still no Danny. He’d told himself he’d turn around at the stand of palm trees just ahead. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Danny had gone home with the girl. Kono’s comments about him being old and a stick-in-the-mud had upset Danny. Perhaps they pushed him into doing something he wouldn’t normally do.
Steve reached the stand of trees and stopped then turned around. This entire exercise was pointless. He might as well go home and try to sleep. If Danny didn’t turn up in the morning he’d put out an APB for him. Steve began the walk back to his truck but stilled suddenly. There was a sound, he was sure of it: very faint but there. The SEAL glanced around but could see no one on the beach. He turned back to the stand of trees and entered the thicket, his flashlight sweeping left and right.
He reached an area where the sand had been churned up as if someone had been rolling around in it. He continued to sweep his flashlight around the area until a reflection of something white caught his eye and he moved carefully across the sand stopping for a moment to pull the gun from his ankle holster. With his weapon and flashlight trained on the white patch, Steve moved quietly. As he approached the beam of his flashlight caught a glimpse of blonde hair and Steve gasped in horror, “Danny!”
Making a quick visual sweep of the area, Steve concluded that Danny was alone. He shoved his weapon into the waistband of his jeans and ran the last few feet to his friend. Steve dropped to his knees beside his partner who was curled into the fetal position, his body bruised and bloody and a large blood stain spreading across his lower back.
Steve put one hand on Danny’s shoulder and the other on his face.
“Danny? Hey partner can you hear me?”
No response.
With shaking fingers Steve reached out and felt Danny’s neck for a pulse. It was there but very weak.
“Hang on Danno,” Steve urged. “I’m here now. You’re going to be ok.”
Steve sat back on his heels and pulled his phone from its holster and dialed 911. After giving the operator instructions on their location, Steve disconnected the call and dialed Chin’s number. The Hawaiian detective sounded groggy when he answered the phone but was alert immediately when Steve told him he’d found Danny injured.
“Chin, I need you to get CSU out here and go over the place with a fine-toothed comb. If there’s even the tiniest shred of evidence here that will help us find who did this to Danny I want it immediately. Understood?”
“Got it Steve,” replied Chin firmly. “I’ll send Kono and Lori to the bar with some HPD officers and start getting witness statements. Someone must have seen who Danny was with.”
“Good,” replied Steve. He perked up suddenly at the wail of an ambulance. “Chin the bus is here, I’ve got to go guide them in. Keep me apprised of what you find ok?”
“I will Steve. You’ll let us know how Danny is?”
“I’ll call you as soon as I know anything,”
**********
Steve paced the hospital waiting room like a caged animal. It was hard as hell to let the hospital personnel take Danny into a room where he couldn’t follow and now he was expected to sit quietly with his hands folded on his lap as he waited to hear if his best friend was dead or alive.
The Commander stopped his pacing when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
“Chin? Anything?”
“We didn’t find any useful evidence at the scene,” Chin reported, “but Kono and Lori have found a couple of witnesses who saw Danny dancing with a young girl in the bar and another who saw the two of them on the beach talking. They are with the HPD sketch artist right now.”
“Good. I guess the question now is did the girl set Danny up or is she a victim too and if so, where is she?”
“My gut tells me she set this up,” replied Chin immediately. “You said the bartender told you she met a different man every night; it sounds like she’s a hooker or she’s running some sort of scam.”
“Have we heard anything from HPD about attacks on male haole’s.”
“No, but I’ll get Lori to check with them.”
“Yeah ok good,” sighed Steve tiredly.
“How is Danny?” Chin asked.
“I don’t know, they’re still treating him and no one has come out to talk to me yet. A few more minutes and I’m going to bust into that room.”
“Take it easy Steve,” Chin spoke calmly. “I know you’re worried about Danny but they’ll talk to you when they get a chance. They need to focus on him right now.”
Steve released a pained sigh and dropped heavily into a nearby chair.
“I know I just…he was out there so long. He…lost so much blood...” Steve’s voice cracked slightly.
“I know but he’s a tough guy, he’s going to be alright,” soothed Chin,
“He will,” Steve agreed, his voice getting stronger as he climbed back to his feet. “And we’re going to find the bastards that did this.”
“I have to finish running background checks on the bartender and some of the others. You’ll call when you know anything?”
Steve ran a hand through his hair.
“Yeah, I’ll let you know Chin, thanks.”
After disconnecting the call, Steve wandered over to stare out the windows lining the waiting room. It was after two in the morning and he was exhausted but there was no way he’d set foot out of this hospital until he knew his partner was going to be ok.
“Commander McGarrett?”
Steve spun to see a small, female doctor standing in the waiting room doorway. The woman was in her mid-50s and sort of reminded Steve of his late grandmother. He half expected her to offer him a cookie.
“How’s Danny?” The SEAL asked hurrying over to stand in front of the doctor.
“I’m Dr. Tian and I’m looking after your partner. He was critical when we brought him in - he’d lost a considerable amount of blood - but we’ve been giving him transfusions and fluids and he’s stabilizing. Now we need to operate and fix any damage caused by the knife wound.”
The doctor held up a clipboard with several forms attached to it.
“Since you have his medical power of attorney, you’ll need to sign this consent to operate.”
Steve took the clipboard from the doctor and read the papers quickly before scrawling his name on the places she indicted.
He handed the board back to Dr. Tian and gave her a worried look.
“Will he…is he going to be alright?”
The kindly doctor took Steve by the elbow and gave it a squeeze.
“He’s young and healthy so if anyone can survive this I think he can. We’ll do our best.”
Steve nodded mutely and watched the doctor walk away. Tears stung his eyes and he lifted his hands to his face to rub it roughly. He loved Danny. He’d only just allowed himself to accept that and he just…he couldn’t lose him.
**********
Kono handed Chin her iPad containing the completed sketch of the young woman last seen with Danny. The Lieutenant took it from her and uploaded the sketch to 5-0’s main computer system. The sketch showed a young woman, probably not more than 21, with curly, shoulder-length brown hair and a slightly rounded face. She was pretty and Chin could certainly see why Danny would be attracted to her but he was more than a little surprised Danny would go off with such a young girl.
Chin stared at the sketch for a moment committing the face to memory before realizing his cousin was being unusually quiet. He glanced over at Kono and his heart constricted with the devastated look on the young woman’s face.
“Kono…” he began softly but the young officer began shaking her head back and forth as tears spilled from her eyes.
“It’s my fault,” she choked, “He heard what I said, I hurt him so bad that he decided to go to that bar and…he could die and…”
“Kono!” the older man repeated moving over to his cousin and wrapping his arms around her. “Danny is a grown man who decided to go to the bar for a drink - that’s all. It’s not his fault he got stabbed and it certainly isn’t yours.”
“But I was so cruel…” she sobbed.
“You weren’t cruel you were just a little thoughtless. We’ve all said stupid things we don’t mean.”
Chin stepped away from his cousin and put both hands on her face.
“Kono, Danny decided to let his hair down a little tonight and got caught up in a lousy situation. It’s nobody’s fault except that girl and whoever helped her attack him. They are the only ones to blame and we’re going to find them, but we can’t do that without you. I need you on the job and on your game ok?”
Kono took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped the backs of her hands across her wet face before nodding at her cousin more confidently.
“Yeah…ok. I’m fine and I want to catch this bitch - for Danny!”
Chin nodded proudly at his young cousin and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead before releasing her.
“OK. I need you to go over all the statements from the people in the bar. Someone must know something about this girl,” he ordered turning back to stare at the image of the angelic-looking girl on the screen.
**********
Steve almost jumped out of his skin as he felt a hand shaking his shoulder, waking him from a light doze. He was on his feet reaching for his gun before he remembered he was in the hospital waiting room.
Dr. Tian looked up at him worriedly for a moment before seeming to accept that he wasn’t going to shoot her.
“Doc?” Steve asked apprehensively.
“He came through the surgery quite well,” the Doctor assured Steve with a warm smile. “The knife wound nicked his liver and part of his bowel so we needed to irrigate the area after patching him up. We’ll be watching for infection and giving him high doses of anti-biotics. The detective also has a broken left wrist, two cracked ribs, a concussion and numerous bruises and lacerations on his body.”
Steve squeezed the fingers of his left hand with his right nervously.
“Is he going to make it?”
The doctor folded her lips together for a moment.
“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Detective Williams should make a complete recovery.”
Steve sagged in unspeakable relief and had to sit back down in the hard plastic chair he’d been napping in earlier.
“Thank god,” he whispered.
“Detective Williams is a lucky man,” continued the doctor, “we saw evidence of what appeared to be an older knife wound in his abdomen.”
Steve nodded and licked his dry lips.
“Yeah, he was stabbed eight years ago when he was a cop in New Jersey. He almost died that time.”
“A very lucky man,” repeated the doctor, whistling softly.
Steve looked up at her again, his eyes red-rimmed and tired.
“When can I see him?”
“They’ll be bringing him down from recovery in about a half hour. You can see him for a few minutes then but I want you to go home after…”
Steve shook his head firmly and stood up towering over the doctor.
“No, I need to stay with him. We haven’t found the person who did this and until we do, Danny will be guarded at all times.”
“I understand that Commander but you can send a uniformed officer to do that. You’re exhausted and…”
“I’m staying with my partner doc,” Steve replied firmly. “He is not waking up alone in this hospital.”
Steve and the doctor glared at each other for a moment engaged in a silent battle of wills. Finally the older woman sighed in frustration and nodded.
“Fine but I’m going to have a cot set up in the detective’s room and I expect you to use it and sleep do you understand.”
A small smile twitched at the edge of Steve’s mouth.
“Yes ma’am."
Yesterday When I Was Young 3
Pairings: Steve/Danny
Genre: pre-slash/angst/h.c.
Rating: 14+ for language
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: Danny’s attempt to try to be more young and carefree ends in disaster.
Word Count: 3,400ish
Author's note: I’ve decided to make this pre-slash because, as we all know, Steve and Danny belong together. Who am I to keep them apart?
Yesterday When I Was Young
Kono sat on the steps to Danny’s apartment building for more than an hour waiting impatiently for the older man to return home. She checked her watch again. It was almost 8 p.m. and still no sign of Danny. She wondered if he might have gone to Steve’s home after dropping Grace off at her mother’s house. Kono pulled out her phone and dialed the boss.
“McGarrett.”
“Steve? Is Danny with you?”
“No Kono, I haven’t seen him since this afternoon.”
“I’m here at his place and he’s not home. I’ve been waiting for over an hour.”
“Is his phone off?”
“No, but he’s not answering it. I’m a bit worried.”
“Maybe he’s just spending a bit of extra time with Grace. You know how he hates to be interrupted during Gracie time.”
“No, I called Grace and she said Danny dropped her off a couple of hours ago.”
Kono could hear Steve opening and closing the front door of his house then the beep of his truck’s alarm system being turned off.
“OK, I’m sure he’s fine - maybe he’s out for a few drinks or something - but I’ll run over to the office and trace his phone.”
**********
Just over 45 minutes later, Steve and Kono converged at Ewa beach and the Commander used his spare key to open the Camaro and glance around inside. Seeing nothing to be concerned about, he popped the trunk and used another key to open the strong box Danny had had installed. The detective’s gun, badge and cell phone were all found in the box. The phone was blinking with a voice mail message.
“I can see him leaving his gun and badge when he’s off duty but why would he leave his cell?” asked Kono, worry beginning to grow inside her.
Steve shook his head and looked around the area.
“I don’t know. Maybe he went into that bar and decided the phone was safer in here. It’s unusual for him though I agree.”
“Let’s check the bar,” encouraged Kono beginning to walk towards the still noisy bar. She looked over her shoulder a few seconds later to see that Steve wasn’t following her.
“Steve? Let’s go.”
The SEAL slammed the trunk of the car and looked back at the young officer dubiously.
“Kono, maybe he’s in there having a good time. Maybe he met someone. He might get upset if he sees us come waltzing in.”
The young officer put her hands on her hips and gave her boss a look of exasperation.
“We’ll just look around and see if he’s there, we don’t need to interrupt him or anything, now come on!”
Steve blew a heavy breath through his lips.
“Fine. But if he sees us and flips out, you’re the one who’s going to explain to him why we’re here.”
**********
Steve snagged the bartender’s sleeve as the Hawaiian man hurried by. The SEAL held his iPhone up to show the man a picture of Danny.
“Have you seen this man here tonight?” he yelled to be heard over the pounding music.
The bartender leaned closer and squinted at the photo.
“I think so. If it’s the same guy he left maybe an hour or so ago.”
“Alone?”
The bartender shook his head and pulled on a beer tap to fill a glass.
“Nah, he left with a girl.”
Steve felt his stomach clench at that but pressed on.
“Do you know who she is?” asked Steve.
The bartender shook his head again.
“She just started hanging around here recently. She comes in like two or three times a week and leaves with a different guy each time: usually haoles,” the bartender slid the beer towards the waiting customer and grabbed another glass.
“What’s her name?” Steve pressed.
“I don’t know; don’t think I ever heard it.” The bartender picked up a drink shaker and began filling it with a variety of ingredients. “Look man I’m really busy ok? I don’t know where the guy is.”
Steve nodded his thanks and turned to face the crowded room as Kono made her way back to him weaving in and out between the crush of people.
“I can’t see him,” she yelled in Steve’s ear.
“The bartender said he was here and he… left with a girl.”
Kono suppressed a small smile.
“Guess he did meet someone.”
Steve folded his lips together and gave a quick nod.
“C’mon let’s go. I’m sure we’ll hear all about it tomorrow.”
**********
Danny woke to searing pain. His back felt like it was on fire and his entire body felt battered and brittle. He groaned loudly as he rolled over on his back and regretted the action immediately when a wave of nausea flooded him. He pushed himself on his side again just in time to vomit violently into the sand. When his stomach was empty he struggled to sit up but his vision swam and his eyes rolled back in his head. He thudded back to the ground sinking once again into darkness.
**********
Steve flopped over onto his back his arms spread wide on the mattress, and stared at the ceiling with a frustrated sigh. He couldn’t sleep. He was worried about Danny. It was stupid, he knew that. His partner was a big boy and an experienced cop. He could more than take care of himself. There was no reason to think anything had happened to him. Steve told himself this several times and castigated himself for being a mother hen but it didn’t help; his gut told him something was wrong.
The SEAL sat up in bed and looked over his shoulder at the clock: 11:18 p.m.
He supposed he could get up and make himself some herbal tea. Maybe that would help him sleep. Or he could read for a while. That usually did the trick. The Commander slid out of bed and walked over to the dresser and pulled out at tee shirt and a pair of jeans. If anyone knew he was going out to look for his partner they would think he was nuts - especially when all signs pointed to that partner having met a girl and gone home with her, much as that pained Steve. But one of the reasons Steve was not only a good SEAL but also a SEAL who was still alive was that he trusted his gut and right now his gut was telling him Danno was in trouble.
**********
Steve stood next to the Camaro in the darkened parking lot. Despite the fact that it was almost midnight on a Wednesday, the bar he and Kono had visited earlier was still rocking. Such was the life of a tropical paradise.
Steve glanced up and down the beach hoping to see some sign of his partner. He knew Danny had been here and he knew he’d left with a girl but Steve doubted Danny would go home with her. The Commander wasn’t being naïve. Danny was a good looking man and could easily pick up a girl in a bar but somehow he doubted his friend would do that. As a father of a young girl, Danny was always conscious of how he treated women and with all of the sexually transmitted diseases out there, Steve didn’t think Danny would take the chance of having sex with a stranger he met in a bar - condom or no condom.
The SEAL made one more pass through the bar in the hopes that Danny had returned but the blonde man was nowhere to be seen. Steve couldn’t think of anything more to do than walk down the beach in each direction for a mile or so and see if he could spot his friend. Maybe Danny had gone for a walk with the girl or maybe he got drunk and passed out in the sand.
**********
The Commander glanced at his watch again. The luminescent hands told him it was almost 12:30 a.m. He’d walked some distance down the beach east of the bar but had seen no sign of his friend. Now he was going west but still no Danny. He’d told himself he’d turn around at the stand of palm trees just ahead. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Danny had gone home with the girl. Kono’s comments about him being old and a stick-in-the-mud had upset Danny. Perhaps they pushed him into doing something he wouldn’t normally do.
Steve reached the stand of trees and stopped then turned around. This entire exercise was pointless. He might as well go home and try to sleep. If Danny didn’t turn up in the morning he’d put out an APB for him. Steve began the walk back to his truck but stilled suddenly. There was a sound, he was sure of it: very faint but there. The SEAL glanced around but could see no one on the beach. He turned back to the stand of trees and entered the thicket, his flashlight sweeping left and right.
He reached an area where the sand had been churned up as if someone had been rolling around in it. He continued to sweep his flashlight around the area until a reflection of something white caught his eye and he moved carefully across the sand stopping for a moment to pull the gun from his ankle holster. With his weapon and flashlight trained on the white patch, Steve moved quietly. As he approached the beam of his flashlight caught a glimpse of blonde hair and Steve gasped in horror, “Danny!”
Making a quick visual sweep of the area, Steve concluded that Danny was alone. He shoved his weapon into the waistband of his jeans and ran the last few feet to his friend. Steve dropped to his knees beside his partner who was curled into the fetal position, his body bruised and bloody and a large blood stain spreading across his lower back.
Steve put one hand on Danny’s shoulder and the other on his face.
“Danny? Hey partner can you hear me?”
No response.
With shaking fingers Steve reached out and felt Danny’s neck for a pulse. It was there but very weak.
“Hang on Danno,” Steve urged. “I’m here now. You’re going to be ok.”
Steve sat back on his heels and pulled his phone from its holster and dialed 911. After giving the operator instructions on their location, Steve disconnected the call and dialed Chin’s number. The Hawaiian detective sounded groggy when he answered the phone but was alert immediately when Steve told him he’d found Danny injured.
“Chin, I need you to get CSU out here and go over the place with a fine-toothed comb. If there’s even the tiniest shred of evidence here that will help us find who did this to Danny I want it immediately. Understood?”
“Got it Steve,” replied Chin firmly. “I’ll send Kono and Lori to the bar with some HPD officers and start getting witness statements. Someone must have seen who Danny was with.”
“Good,” replied Steve. He perked up suddenly at the wail of an ambulance. “Chin the bus is here, I’ve got to go guide them in. Keep me apprised of what you find ok?”
“I will Steve. You’ll let us know how Danny is?”
“I’ll call you as soon as I know anything,”
**********
Steve paced the hospital waiting room like a caged animal. It was hard as hell to let the hospital personnel take Danny into a room where he couldn’t follow and now he was expected to sit quietly with his hands folded on his lap as he waited to hear if his best friend was dead or alive.
The Commander stopped his pacing when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
“Chin? Anything?”
“We didn’t find any useful evidence at the scene,” Chin reported, “but Kono and Lori have found a couple of witnesses who saw Danny dancing with a young girl in the bar and another who saw the two of them on the beach talking. They are with the HPD sketch artist right now.”
“Good. I guess the question now is did the girl set Danny up or is she a victim too and if so, where is she?”
“My gut tells me she set this up,” replied Chin immediately. “You said the bartender told you she met a different man every night; it sounds like she’s a hooker or she’s running some sort of scam.”
“Have we heard anything from HPD about attacks on male haole’s.”
“No, but I’ll get Lori to check with them.”
“Yeah ok good,” sighed Steve tiredly.
“How is Danny?” Chin asked.
“I don’t know, they’re still treating him and no one has come out to talk to me yet. A few more minutes and I’m going to bust into that room.”
“Take it easy Steve,” Chin spoke calmly. “I know you’re worried about Danny but they’ll talk to you when they get a chance. They need to focus on him right now.”
Steve released a pained sigh and dropped heavily into a nearby chair.
“I know I just…he was out there so long. He…lost so much blood...” Steve’s voice cracked slightly.
“I know but he’s a tough guy, he’s going to be alright,” soothed Chin,
“He will,” Steve agreed, his voice getting stronger as he climbed back to his feet. “And we’re going to find the bastards that did this.”
“I have to finish running background checks on the bartender and some of the others. You’ll call when you know anything?”
Steve ran a hand through his hair.
“Yeah, I’ll let you know Chin, thanks.”
After disconnecting the call, Steve wandered over to stare out the windows lining the waiting room. It was after two in the morning and he was exhausted but there was no way he’d set foot out of this hospital until he knew his partner was going to be ok.
“Commander McGarrett?”
Steve spun to see a small, female doctor standing in the waiting room doorway. The woman was in her mid-50s and sort of reminded Steve of his late grandmother. He half expected her to offer him a cookie.
“How’s Danny?” The SEAL asked hurrying over to stand in front of the doctor.
“I’m Dr. Tian and I’m looking after your partner. He was critical when we brought him in - he’d lost a considerable amount of blood - but we’ve been giving him transfusions and fluids and he’s stabilizing. Now we need to operate and fix any damage caused by the knife wound.”
The doctor held up a clipboard with several forms attached to it.
“Since you have his medical power of attorney, you’ll need to sign this consent to operate.”
Steve took the clipboard from the doctor and read the papers quickly before scrawling his name on the places she indicted.
He handed the board back to Dr. Tian and gave her a worried look.
“Will he…is he going to be alright?”
The kindly doctor took Steve by the elbow and gave it a squeeze.
“He’s young and healthy so if anyone can survive this I think he can. We’ll do our best.”
Steve nodded mutely and watched the doctor walk away. Tears stung his eyes and he lifted his hands to his face to rub it roughly. He loved Danny. He’d only just allowed himself to accept that and he just…he couldn’t lose him.
**********
Kono handed Chin her iPad containing the completed sketch of the young woman last seen with Danny. The Lieutenant took it from her and uploaded the sketch to 5-0’s main computer system. The sketch showed a young woman, probably not more than 21, with curly, shoulder-length brown hair and a slightly rounded face. She was pretty and Chin could certainly see why Danny would be attracted to her but he was more than a little surprised Danny would go off with such a young girl.
Chin stared at the sketch for a moment committing the face to memory before realizing his cousin was being unusually quiet. He glanced over at Kono and his heart constricted with the devastated look on the young woman’s face.
“Kono…” he began softly but the young officer began shaking her head back and forth as tears spilled from her eyes.
“It’s my fault,” she choked, “He heard what I said, I hurt him so bad that he decided to go to that bar and…he could die and…”
“Kono!” the older man repeated moving over to his cousin and wrapping his arms around her. “Danny is a grown man who decided to go to the bar for a drink - that’s all. It’s not his fault he got stabbed and it certainly isn’t yours.”
“But I was so cruel…” she sobbed.
“You weren’t cruel you were just a little thoughtless. We’ve all said stupid things we don’t mean.”
Chin stepped away from his cousin and put both hands on her face.
“Kono, Danny decided to let his hair down a little tonight and got caught up in a lousy situation. It’s nobody’s fault except that girl and whoever helped her attack him. They are the only ones to blame and we’re going to find them, but we can’t do that without you. I need you on the job and on your game ok?”
Kono took a deep, shuddering breath and wiped the backs of her hands across her wet face before nodding at her cousin more confidently.
“Yeah…ok. I’m fine and I want to catch this bitch - for Danny!”
Chin nodded proudly at his young cousin and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead before releasing her.
“OK. I need you to go over all the statements from the people in the bar. Someone must know something about this girl,” he ordered turning back to stare at the image of the angelic-looking girl on the screen.
**********
Steve almost jumped out of his skin as he felt a hand shaking his shoulder, waking him from a light doze. He was on his feet reaching for his gun before he remembered he was in the hospital waiting room.
Dr. Tian looked up at him worriedly for a moment before seeming to accept that he wasn’t going to shoot her.
“Doc?” Steve asked apprehensively.
“He came through the surgery quite well,” the Doctor assured Steve with a warm smile. “The knife wound nicked his liver and part of his bowel so we needed to irrigate the area after patching him up. We’ll be watching for infection and giving him high doses of anti-biotics. The detective also has a broken left wrist, two cracked ribs, a concussion and numerous bruises and lacerations on his body.”
Steve squeezed the fingers of his left hand with his right nervously.
“Is he going to make it?”
The doctor folded her lips together for a moment.
“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Detective Williams should make a complete recovery.”
Steve sagged in unspeakable relief and had to sit back down in the hard plastic chair he’d been napping in earlier.
“Thank god,” he whispered.
“Detective Williams is a lucky man,” continued the doctor, “we saw evidence of what appeared to be an older knife wound in his abdomen.”
Steve nodded and licked his dry lips.
“Yeah, he was stabbed eight years ago when he was a cop in New Jersey. He almost died that time.”
“A very lucky man,” repeated the doctor, whistling softly.
Steve looked up at her again, his eyes red-rimmed and tired.
“When can I see him?”
“They’ll be bringing him down from recovery in about a half hour. You can see him for a few minutes then but I want you to go home after…”
Steve shook his head firmly and stood up towering over the doctor.
“No, I need to stay with him. We haven’t found the person who did this and until we do, Danny will be guarded at all times.”
“I understand that Commander but you can send a uniformed officer to do that. You’re exhausted and…”
“I’m staying with my partner doc,” Steve replied firmly. “He is not waking up alone in this hospital.”
Steve and the doctor glared at each other for a moment engaged in a silent battle of wills. Finally the older woman sighed in frustration and nodded.
“Fine but I’m going to have a cot set up in the detective’s room and I expect you to use it and sleep do you understand.”
A small smile twitched at the edge of Steve’s mouth.
“Yes ma’am."
Yesterday When I Was Young 3