More Than Just a Broken Arm Chapter 38/38
Title: More Than Just a Broken Arm 38/38
Author: softballchic34
Characters: Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams
Spoilers: Season 1 episode 20
Rated PG-13 for language.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters, nor do I make any profit from this.
Summary: A broken arm is the least of Steve's problems.
Epilogue
“You really don't remember anything about that day?” Danny asks Steve as he pulls Steve’s Silverado into the parking lot at the base of the Ko’olua Mountains. Today Danny is finally making good on his promise to hike back up to the petroglyphs with Steve now that Steve is finally back on his feet.
Steve shakes his head, “No I don’t. The last thing I remember is leaving work the day before. We had wrapped up a case and you and I went to Side Street for wings and a couple beers and made plans to go hiking. I went home and went to bed but I don’t remember waking up the next morning, much less hiking up to the petroglyphs or falling off a cliff.”
Danny doesn’t know what to say so he finally settles for, “I’m sorry man.”
Steve shrugs, “It’s alright. Probably better that I don’t remember it.” It used to bother him that he lost an entire day of his memory, especially since there was a case involved, but he’s made his peace with it. Talking with Dr. Tyson made him realize that he doesn’t need to remember that day, he has had enough traumatic events in his life to give him nightmares. He really doesn’t need to add nightmares about falling off a cliff and breaking his neck into the mix with the nightmares he still has about his dad dying and all the stuff he saw and did as a SEAL. Steve looks at Danny and slides out of the passenger seat, “You ready to go?”
“Yeah, I’m ready whenever you are.”
Steve opens the back door and clips a long lead onto Bo’s collar. The dog waits patiently, tail wagging excitedly as Steve fastens Bo’s hiking pack on his back that holds a couple bottles of water, a collapsable water dish, some baggies, and a few other supplies for the dog. “Come on, Bo!” Steve steps back so Bo can jump out of the truck. Bo jumps out and waits semi-patiently for Steve and Danny to get ready. Bo is looking more like an adult and less like a puppy now at almost a year old. His shoulders come up just past Steve’s knees and according to Dr. Adams, Bo’s lack of nutrients as a puppy didn’t hinder his growth at all once he started getting regular meals. He is as tall as he is going to get but he will fill out more in the next year or so; right now he is just tall and lanky.
Steve takes his own backpack from Danny and shuts the door. “Thanks, you got everything?” when Danny nods he says “Alright, lets get going.”
They keep a good pace as the they make their way up the mountain, stopping a few times for water breaks. Bo is having a blast running ahead of them and sniffing at everything. Neither of them talk too much. Steve occasionally says something to Danny about hiking up to the petroglyphs with his dad but other than that they hike in silence, both reflecting on the subsequent events from their previous trip up the mountain.
“I remember the first time I beat my dad to the summit.” Steve says suddenly. “I was 12. We hiked up here every summer at least once. Mom and Mary would go shopping or do something girly for the day and dad and I would hike up here. This is the one thing on the island that never changes. Everything else has changed, but not this.”
Danny decides not to tell Steve that he said almost the exact same thing a year ago as they keep hiking. He just listens to Steve reminisce about his childhood, grateful that Steve is alive and able to do this. For a while he didn’t think he would ever see Steve get back to his normal active self. Back when he first woke up from the coma and was suffering from the weakness on his right side and slurred speech, Danny was afraid Steve wouldn’t recover fully despite Dr. Freeman’s assurances that he would. Then when the seizures started Danny was afraid Steve wouldn’t be able to come back to Five-0. But Steve hasn’t had a seizure since he had his status epilepticus episode six months ago. Tomorrow morning he has an appointment with Dr. Freeman where he will officially be declared fit for full duty and fit to drive again. He has already passed the physical and re-qualified with firearms so now all he needs is for his neurologist to officially give him the ok to drive and return to unrestricted duty.
A few hours later they reach the petroglyphs. Steve grabs a bottle of water from his pack for himself and gets Bo’s water dish out for the panting dog.
“The ancient Hawaiians called this Ki’i Pohaku.” Steve explains after he takes a drink of the water.
“Images in the stone, right?”
Steve nods, “Yeah, did I explain that last time?”
Danny points to the turtle, “This is honu. And those are symbols of the hunt right?” Steve nods in the affirmative. “That was as far as you got before you noticed the broken branches on that bush and saw the body.” Danny points to the edge of the cliff where Steve went over.
“How did it happen?” Steve asks curiously as he walks over to the edge of the cliff to look down.
“When we found the body, you rappelled down to check if he was still alive. He wasn’t, then we came to the conclusion that he was dumped from a plane or helicopter. On your way back up you reached for a rock a little over half way up. It came loose, hit you in the face and you fell. I tried to hold the rope and stop you from falling but then the clip on your harness broke and the rope came free. There was nothing I could do to stop you from falling. You hit the ground and slid towards the edge, I thought you were going to go over that ledge too. But you came to a stop on the very edge with your head hanging over and your left arm pinned under your body. You were unconscious and I had to run up to the summit to get cell reception. That is the rock that hit you.” Danny points to the boulder off to the side of ledge.
“That’s what hit me?” Steve exclaims. He is shocked by the size of it. He knew the rock that hit him in the face was big but he never imagined it was that big.
“Yeah. It is amazing you are still alive, much less completely healthy between that and the fall.”
Steve is too shocked to say anything. He’s heard the story about his accident before but seeing where it happened and the boulder that caused all the havoc of the last year is overwhelming. It makes him realize just how lucky he is to not have any permanent damage worse than the epilepsy. And even that is now controlled by the medication.
After a few minutes Steve swallows and turns away from the ledge, “Let’s keep moving. If we want to get to the summit and back down in time to clean up before we meet up with Catherine, Grace, Mary and the rest of the team at the Hilton we need to keep going.” He collects Bo’s water dish and packs it back into the dog’s pack. Cath, Grace, and Mary were having a shopping and spa day today. The girls were spending the morning shopping and then after lunch they are having massages and mani pedis at the spa. Chin and Kono had a family gathering so they were both unable participate in the planned activities for the day prior to supper at the Hilton.
They continue their hike in companionable silence. Every now and then Steve will stop to point something out to Danny but for the most part they both just keep quiet with their thoughts. Steve finds himself lost in thought, reflecting back on the events of the last year.
The new medication has worked wonders for Steve since he started taking it 6 months ago. The first few days after he got home from the hospital he was tired and had zero energy. Dr. Freeman assured him that that was completely normal between the new medication and recovering from the SE episode. It took about 2 weeks before he started to feel more like himself. The first two weeks out of the hospital after starting the new medication he just felt drained of all his energy and exhausted all the time. Gradually though, his body began to adjust to the new medication and now he doesn’t have any side effects aside from a mild burning sensation when he injects it. He still doesn’t like having to give himself an injection every morning but if it gives him his life back he is more than willing to do it.
About three weeks after getting out of the hospital he went back to work full time on desk duty. Steve was still stuck in his office all day, which he hated, but after he went two months without having another seizure he and Dr. Freeman decided it would be ok for him to do a little more extensive work; meaning he monitored and directed raids from the surveillance truck, always with Bo at his feet in case he did have a seizure.
It was after Thanksgiving before Steve was able to start working up to getting back into his regular exercise routine. It took months for his brain to recover from the traumatic brain injury. He had to slowly ease himself into exercising again because of the intense headaches he would get from running or over exerting himself. It was frustrating for Steve but once he and his neurologist felt it was safe for him to start swimming on his own after three months seizure free things got easier for him. The water is where Steve has always felt the most comfortable and at ease so being able to swim again was great therapy for him. He eased himself into exercising with swimming and in December he finally was able to start going for short runs without getting a headache. Once Steve could start working out again he felt much more comfortable with himself, more relaxed and less on edge, and just started to feel more normal again in general. Running and swimming have been such big parts of his life for the last 15 years that he felt a little lost not being able to do either for such an extended period of time.
At the start of the new year he was even able to stop taking the anti-depressant that Dr. Tyson prescribed after his fall. That alone was a huge step for him. Working out again has really given him an outlet for his stress and has helped him cope with everything so much better. He is down to seeing Dr. Tyson only once a month. Dr. Tyson wants to continue to see Steve after his return to field duty for a while to make sure he is still coping well with everything but Steve is sure it won’t be too much longer before he no longer needs to go for regular sessions.
A couple hours later Steve, Danny, and Bo reach the summit of the mountain.
“So this is it?” Danny says as he looks out over the treetops below them. The view is breathtaking. Last year Danny made it about three quarters of the way up the summit before he got cell service to call for help. He didn’t exactly take the time to stop and take in the view while he was up here.
“Yeah, actually follow me a little further. There’s something I want to show you.” Steve motions to a path that leads into the trees. He whistles at Bo, who is sniffing around the trees a few yards away. Bo happily trots over to his master and he and Danny follow Steve into the forrest.
The walk for about twenty minutes down a steep and winding path that wasn’t cleared very well, obviously not used often, before they come to a small clearing with a beautiful pond filled with crystal clear blue water with a ten foot waterfall feeding into it. Danny has never seen anything so majestic and despite the noise from the rushing water it is a very peaceful sight.
“Not many people know about this place.” Steve explains, “My dad and I found it when I was ten. We used to bring camping gear up with us and camp over night here before heading back down the next day.”
“I can see why you like coming up here.” Danny says, taking in the scenery around him.
Steve slides his backpack off and drops it on the ground by his feet. “Bo, come ‘ere.” Steve commands of the dog who is busy sniffing around. Bo happily trots over to his master and stares at him adoringly. “Good boy!” Steve praises as he scratches Bo’s head. He grabs the collapsable water dish and a bottle of water from Bo’s pack and pours some water in the dish. “There ya go, Buddy.” Steve says and places it in front of the dog. Bo greedily laps up the water until he has had enough.
Steve then takes a seat on a large rock near the water and digs a couple sandwiches out of his pack. “Here, Danno.” He tosses one of the sandwiches at his friend before opening his own. He’d made a couple PB&J sandwiches and packed a couple apples for lunch for Danny and himself since they are spending all day out hiking.
Danny sits on the rock next to Steve and pulls an unopened bottle of water from Steve’s pack.
“You ready to go back to unrestricted duty tomorrow?” Danny questions, taking a bite from his sandwich.
Steve nods, “It’s been a really long year. I’ll be glad to finally be completely back to normal once I can drive and go out in the field again.” Steve pauses as he absent mindedly runs his hand over Bo’s back. The dog is laying by his feet panting contently after drinking his fill of water. “I was beginning to think I would never get to this point.”
“Well I’m glad you did. Five-0 hasn’t been the same without you there in full capacity. It will be good to have my partner back at 100 percent. Plus I am sick of dealing with the Governor and all of the bureaucratic BS. I don’t know how you did it all the time.”
Steve laughs, dealing with the Governor and all her politics is definitely his least favorite part of his job and it is something he hasn’t missed but it is also something that he had a little experience dealing with when he was in the Navy working with Naval Intelligence and the higher ranks. “But you have gotten so good at it, Danno.”
“Yeah well I will gladly let you take over again.” Danny finishes his apple, placing the core in the sandwich bad, and downs the rest of his water before compressing the plastic bottle down and tucking it back in Steve’s backpack to throw away later.
“You ready to head back down?” Steve asks as he gathers his things and tucks everything back into his pack.
“Yeah, just let me snap a few pictures to show Grace later and I will be all set.” Danny pulls out his cell phone and activates the camera app. He takes a few pictures of the water fall and the little pond and a few more of Bo standing on a fallen tree trunk, peering into the water intently as Steve skipped rocks next to him.
-H50-
The hike down is uneventful and a little faster than the hike up the mountain. By the time they reach Steve’s truck they have an hour and a half to get back to Steve’s house and get cleaned up to meet the girls at The Hilton for supper.
“Maybe next year we can get Gracie and Catherine to join us in coming up here.” Steve suggests a few minutes into the 45 minute drive. “Mary came up with me and Dad once when she was 10 and swore she would never do it again. She’s not really into the whole outdoor nature thing.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I know Catherine will love it but I don’t know how much Grace will enjoy the actual hiking part. She will like spending time with you and Catherine though so I’m sure she would have fun.” Despite his claim that Grace would rather get a manicure and a pedicure than go for a hike, he knows for a fact that she would jump at the chance to do anything with her Uncle Steve and Aunt Cath. She seems to lose some of her girly-girl pretenses when she is around Steve and Catherine. Their influence brings out some of the rough and tumble tomboy tendencies in her. Danny may complain about it but in truth, he can’t think of better people for Grace to spend time with.
Danny glances at Bo in the back seat through the rearview mirror, the dog is sound asleep, sprawled across the back seat. “Bo is really tuckered out back there.”
“Yeah, the hike wore him out. He will sleep good tonight. At least it will keep him from destroying another dog bed.” Bo has chewed and torn up four dog beds in the last six months, he gets bored and starts chewing on things when his humans are sleeping. “All the indestructible toys he has to chew on and he goes for the dog bed.”
Danny laughs, “He’ll grow out of it eventually.”
Steve shakes his head and glances back at the dog stretched across the back seat. He may be a trouble maker at times but Steve is grateful to have Bo in his life. He made things much easier when he was still having seizures. Now that he his medication is controlling the seizures Bo doesn’t really need to go everywhere with him. It doesn’t sit right with Steve to take Bo everywhere with him as his service dog when he doesn’t really need Bo’s services anymore. He hasn’t decided yet what to do with Bo when he is at work. Catherine and Mary schedules won’t always allow them to run home and take Bo out and feed him if he has to work late or a case takes him to the other side of the island. He thinks he will likely take Bo to the office with him on days they don’t have active cases and he knows most of his day will be spent in the office. Bo has managed to charm everyone in the building and Charlotte, one of the receptionists in one of the offices downstairs who has a soft spot for Bo, has offered to take him for walks and give him some love on her coffee or lunch breaks whenever needed. The woman lost her husband a couple years ago and her only son is deployed in Afghanistan so she has always been very motherly to the Five-0 task force members. Kekipi, the woman who Bo’s owner was neighbors with, has also offered to stop by the house and take care of Bo once he is back at work if Mary and Cath are unable too, so he does have options, he just needs to figure out what will work best for Bo and himself. He hates to rely too much on others to take care of Bo but he knows there will times that, due to his job, he will be unable to give Bo the attention he needs and deserves.
After a quick stop back at Steve’s house to get cleaned up the men walk into the Hilton only a few minutes late. Catherine, Mary, and Grace are already seated at a table with Chin, Kono, and Kamekona.
“Hey, how was your hike?” Catherine asks as Steve takes a seat at the end of the table between her and Grace.
“Well we didn’t stumble across any dead bodies and nobody fell off a cliff today, so I will count that as a win.” Danny jokes, as he sits down beside Grace.
“Very funny, Danny.” Steve grins in spite of himself. “It was great. I’ve missed hiking, you guys will have to join us next time.”
“Once was more than enough for me.” Mary says, remembering her trip up with Steve and her dad when she was 10. She ended the hike with more bug bites than she could count and several large and painful blisters on her feet.
“I’d love to hike up there with you again sometime.” Cath says, “It has been way too long since I’ve been up to the petroglyphs.”
“I’d be game.” Kono says, Chin echoes the sentiment with “Me too.”
“I want to see the petroglyphs too!” Grace pipes up. She will go along with almost anything if it means she can spend time with her Uncle Steve and Aunt Cath. “Did you take pictures, Danno?”
“Did I take pictures? Of course I took pictures.” He pulls out his phone and pulls up the photo library. He swipes to the pictures from the hike and shows them to his daughter.
Grace giggles when she comes across the picture of Steve and Bo when Steve was skipping rocks. “Bo looks like he can’t decide if he should go after the rocks or not!”
Steve leans over to look at the picture over Grace’s shoulder. He smiles at the image of Bo staring curiously into the water with his head cocked. Steve had given Bo the stay command prior to skipping the rocks and Bo had obeyed almost perfectly. He’d inched forward hesitantly once but one look from Steve and Bo had remained where he was for the duration.
“Can I see, Gracie?” Catherine asks and holds her hand out for the phone. “Thanks, Kiddo.” she replies when Grace passes her the phone. Catherine scrolls through the pictures with a smile, she selects a couple of them and sends them to herself. The couple with Bo are really good pictures and she wants to have them printed and framed for Steve.
Danny’s phone gets passed around the table so everyone can see the pictures from the hike.
“How was your day, Gracie?” Steve asks the little girl after their waitress came to take their orders.
“It was a ton of fun. We went shopping and I bought a new sun dress with my birthday money and then we went to the spa and got manicures and pedicures.” She flashes her right hand with lavender finger nails for her dad and uncle to see. “We all got glittery pink for our toes.” Grace says with an excited smile, in her eyes, having matching nail polish with her honorary aunts was the coolest thing ever. Grace goes on to tell the table about all the things she did with Mary and Catherine today while they wait for their food to arrive.
The evening wears on with lots of laughs and conversation. Everyone is happy and relaxed as they sit around the table enjoying their food and drinks. When both Grace and Danny are finished eating, Grace crawls into Danny’s lap and is asleep in minutes. Shopping and getting pampered with her aunts wore her out completely. It is nearly 8:30 when Danny stands with Grace in his arms, careful not to wake her up and excuses them for the night. Grace has school tomorrow so he needs to get her home and into bed.
“I’ll pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow?” Danny confirms with Steve.
“Yeah, my appointment with Dr. Freeman is at 8 so that will give us plenty of time to get to the hospital. See you tomorrow Danny.” Steve bids goodbye to his friend.
Not long after Danny leaves with Grace, the rest of the group go their separate ways for the night. They all need to be up early for work tomorrow.
Steve falls into bed next to Catherine, after taking Bo for a quick walk, completely exhausted. He is excited about getting cleared for unrestricted duty tomorrow. This past year has been long and trying for him and he can’t quite believe he is at the point where he can finally return to work. It is a good thing he is so worn out from the hike because he knows without it he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight due to the excitement.
It doesn’t take long for Steve to drift off to sleep snuggled up against Cath.
-H50-
Steve wakes up slowly shortly before 5 on Monday morning. He stretches and rolls over, Catherine is still sleeping soundly next to him. Careful not to wake her he slowly sits up on the side of the bed and quietly grabs a syringe and an alcohol pad from his night stand. He swabs a patch of skin near his belly button and swiftly injects the medication into his abdomen. He disposes of the syringe in the sharps container in the bottom drawer of the night stand and gives Bo a good pet when he lifts his head. “You want to go out?” he whispers to the dog. Bo stretches and waits expectantly for his master to get ready.
Steve stands and changes into a pair of athletic shorts and throws on one of his old Navy tank tops. He grabs a pair of socks and his running shoes and quietly makes his way downstairs with Bo on his heels. Steve sits at the bottom of the stairs and dons his socks and shoes. He clips the leash to Bo’s collar and sets out for a jog. When he takes Bo with him, he jogs rather than runs, not because Bo isn’t capable of running but because Dr. Adams suggested he wait until Bo is closer to two years old before they go for long and strenuous runs due to his still developing joints.
The pair jog at a slow but steady pace, stopping every so often for Bo to do his business. The pace isn’t what Steve normally likes to keep but he likes having Bo with him and it kills two birds with one stone, taking Bo with him on a jog makes more sense than walking Bo and then going for a run afterward, especially on a work day.
An hour later they arrive back at the house, Steve switches Bo over to the long lead that is hooked to the clothes line in the backyard so he can hang out in the yard while Steve goes for a quick swim. He grabs a towel from the house before heading for the ocean.
Steve cuts through the water at a quick, even pace. It feels good to be able to start the day with a swim again and clear his mind. He manages to, however briefly, push his impending meeting with Dr. Freeman out of his mind. Steve knows that he will be cleared for duty but there is a nagging little voice in the back of his head saying ‘what if?’. What if for some reason he can’t be cleared for field work? His worries are unfounded since he hasn’t had a seizure since starting the injections 6 months ago and he doesn’t have any more lingering effects from the traumatic brain injury; and at his appointment last wednesday Dr. Freeman basically told him that today’s appointment is mostly just a formality. His last appointment consisted of blood work, an EKG to check his heart, an EEG, and a CT scan of his head, which the first two were needed to check for complications from his medication and the latter two were necessary tests in order for him to be cleared for duty.
Half an hour later Steve is toweling off in the grass while Bo sniffs around the backyard. After he has mostly dried off and gotten rid of the sand on his feet he calls Bo and heads for the house and starts a pot of coffee. “You hungry, Buddy?” Steve asks the dog as he fills Bo’s food dish with a couple scoops of kibble.
Bo lets out a woof and excitedly spins in circles a few times. With as excited as he gets at meal time one would think that the dog never gets fed. Next to playing in the water, meal time is Bo’s favorite thing ever.
Steve waits for Bo to calm down and sit before he sets the dish on the ground. Bo waits, eyes flickering between the food dish and Steve for the command to eat. After a few seconds Steve says, “Ok, Bo!” and the dog dives into his food dish almost before Steve is done saying the 3 syllables.
Steve then grabs a few things from the fridge for breakfast, he scrambles a few eggs and puts some bread in the toaster for himself and Catherine. He can hear her moving around in the bathroom upstairs and knows she will be down soon for breakfast.
“Good morning, Sailor.” Catherine greets Steve with a quick kiss five minutes later, dressed in her BDUs.
“Good morning, Lieutenant.” Steve answers after they break apart from the kiss. Catherine snags his coffee cup and takes a couple sips. “There is coffee and scrambled eggs with toast in the kitchen.”
Catherine disappears into the kitchen and returns a few minutes later with a plate and a cup of coffee.
“Are you ready for today?” Catherine breaks the silence after a few moments.
Steve shrugs, still a little nervous that he won’t be cleared for some odd reason, “Yeah, I guess so. It will be good to be able to drive again. I’m so sick of being chauffeured around everywhere.”
Catherine can tell that Steve is nervous for his appointment, they both know that he will be cleared but after it having been so long and having so many complications pop up over the last year she can understand his reservations. She tries to lighten the mood with a grin, “I’m guessing Danny isn’t going to be driving the Camaro any time soon after today.”
“Not a chance.” Steve replies with a smile. He knows what Cath is trying to do and he is grateful for it. “How long are you on duty for today?”
“I’ll be home around 6. We can have a celebratory dinner when I get home.” Catherine waggles her eyebrows at him in a suggestive manner.
“Looking forward to it!” Steve waggles his eyebrows in return.
“Go shower and get ready for work. Danny will be here in 20 minutes. I’ll take care of the dishes.” Catherine says as she snags his empty coffee coffee mug and plate and leans over for another kiss.
Steve makes his way upstairs, Bo follows behind. The dog goes pretty much everywhere Steve goes. “Go lay down.” Steve tells Bo as he gets ready to shower. Bo picks up his rubber Kong bone before he obediently plops down on his dog bed and proceeds to chew on the indestructible toy.
Steve is out of the shower and done shaving in less than ten minutes. He slips his medical alert dog tags over his head and heads for the bedroom to get dressed. Even though the PTE is under control with the injections, Dr. Freeman suggested that he continue to wear the dog tags just to be on the safe side. When Dr. Freeman suggested Steve get a medical alert bracelet he balked at the idea of it at first, but Cath and his doctor talked him into it. Catherine managed to find him a set of dog tags that he can wear under his shirt so they aren’t visible to the whole world but won’t be missed by the EMTs or paramedics should the need for them arise. She had them engraved with his name, medical condition, emergency contact information, and his doctors number. The tags also have a phone number that the paramedics or ER can call that will give them all his medical records and current medications in the event that he is taken to a different hospital or is alone if something happens. It is just a safety precaution that fortunately hasn’t had to be used. Now after nearly a year Steve doesn’t mind wearing them anymore; he just thinks of them like his military dog tags that he wore every day for over fifteen years.
Steve pulls on a pair of khaki cargo pants and a black polo before sitting on the edge of the bed to put on his combat boots. He is downstairs again with five minutes to spare before Danny is supposed to arrive to pick him up.
“Have a good day.” Steve gives Catherine a kiss before she heads to the base.
Catherine returns the kiss and lets her lips linger against his for a moment. “You too. Good luck with your appointment. I’ll see you at home tonight.” She gives him another kiss before they reluctantly pull apart. Catherine needs to get going and Danny just pulled up to take Steve to his appointment.
Steve fastens Bo’s service dog vest and the leash and heads out side to meet Danny after locking up and setting the alarm. Steve is going to take Bo to work with him today and will have Charlotte take him for a walk if he gets called out.
Steve folds the passenger seat down so Bo can hop in the back seat before getting in the front. “Hey Danno.” Steve greets his partner.
“Morning Buddy. You ready for today?”
“Yeah, lets get a move on.” Steve is anxious to get to the hospital. He is hoping that the sooner he gets there the sooner he can be seen and get it all over with. They drive to the hospital is mostly silent, the only sound is the rock station playing quietly on the radio and Bo happily panting in the back seat. His is sitting on the middle seat so he can see out the windshield.
“I’ll wait out here with Bo.” Danny says as he pulls into the parking lot. “I’ll take him for a walk and we can play a game of fetch or something.”
Steve nods, “I shouldn’t be too long. I don’t think there are any tests that I have to do or anything.”
Danny watches Steve disappear into the hospital and fold his seat down so Bo can jump out of the Camaro. “Come on Bo. Lets go for a walk while Steve is inside.”
-H50-
Forty minutes after Steve went inside he comes back out with a big smile on his face.
“I take it you are cleared for unrestricted duty now?” Danny asks with a smile. He is happy to see Steve looking so happy.
Steve’s smile grows even more if that is possible. “Unrestricted duty and driving. Keys.” Steve holds out his hand for the car keys.
Danny tosses him the keys without complaint. “It’s good to have you back, Partner.” Danny replies, opening the passenger door and folding the seat down for Bo to jump in back.
Steve peels out of the parking lot before Danny even has the door completely closed. It has been way too long since he was able to get behind the wheel. They arrive at the Palace a short time later and are greeted by Chin and Kono in the main area. There is a ‘Welcome back!’ banner hanging over the door to Steve’s office and they have coffee and a box of coco puffs on the table.
“Welcome back, Boss!” Kono greets Steve with a hug. They are all thrilled to have their fearless leader back in action.
“Good to have you back, Brah!” Chin pulls Steve into a quick man hug. “We’ve got coffee and coco puffs from Liliha Bakery.”
“Thanks guys. It’s good to be back.” Steve takes the offered coffee from Chin and grabs a coco puff from the bakery box. He doesn’t normally indulge in coco puffs but today he will make an exception since they are celebrating his return to full duty.
They are in the office for about twenty minutes before Steve’s cell phone rings. “Yes, Governor? Yes ma’am, Dr. Freeman signed off on it earlier this morning……Yes Ma’am understood.” Steve disconnects the call and addresses his team. “Well I hate to cut this short but we have a case. Dead body found in an abandoned warehouse out in Waimanalo. Lets head out.”
THE END
Author: softballchic34
Characters: Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams
Spoilers: Season 1 episode 20
Rated PG-13 for language.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters, nor do I make any profit from this.
Summary: A broken arm is the least of Steve's problems.
Epilogue
“You really don't remember anything about that day?” Danny asks Steve as he pulls Steve’s Silverado into the parking lot at the base of the Ko’olua Mountains. Today Danny is finally making good on his promise to hike back up to the petroglyphs with Steve now that Steve is finally back on his feet.
Steve shakes his head, “No I don’t. The last thing I remember is leaving work the day before. We had wrapped up a case and you and I went to Side Street for wings and a couple beers and made plans to go hiking. I went home and went to bed but I don’t remember waking up the next morning, much less hiking up to the petroglyphs or falling off a cliff.”
Danny doesn’t know what to say so he finally settles for, “I’m sorry man.”
Steve shrugs, “It’s alright. Probably better that I don’t remember it.” It used to bother him that he lost an entire day of his memory, especially since there was a case involved, but he’s made his peace with it. Talking with Dr. Tyson made him realize that he doesn’t need to remember that day, he has had enough traumatic events in his life to give him nightmares. He really doesn’t need to add nightmares about falling off a cliff and breaking his neck into the mix with the nightmares he still has about his dad dying and all the stuff he saw and did as a SEAL. Steve looks at Danny and slides out of the passenger seat, “You ready to go?”
“Yeah, I’m ready whenever you are.”
Steve opens the back door and clips a long lead onto Bo’s collar. The dog waits patiently, tail wagging excitedly as Steve fastens Bo’s hiking pack on his back that holds a couple bottles of water, a collapsable water dish, some baggies, and a few other supplies for the dog. “Come on, Bo!” Steve steps back so Bo can jump out of the truck. Bo jumps out and waits semi-patiently for Steve and Danny to get ready. Bo is looking more like an adult and less like a puppy now at almost a year old. His shoulders come up just past Steve’s knees and according to Dr. Adams, Bo’s lack of nutrients as a puppy didn’t hinder his growth at all once he started getting regular meals. He is as tall as he is going to get but he will fill out more in the next year or so; right now he is just tall and lanky.
Steve takes his own backpack from Danny and shuts the door. “Thanks, you got everything?” when Danny nods he says “Alright, lets get going.”
They keep a good pace as the they make their way up the mountain, stopping a few times for water breaks. Bo is having a blast running ahead of them and sniffing at everything. Neither of them talk too much. Steve occasionally says something to Danny about hiking up to the petroglyphs with his dad but other than that they hike in silence, both reflecting on the subsequent events from their previous trip up the mountain.
“I remember the first time I beat my dad to the summit.” Steve says suddenly. “I was 12. We hiked up here every summer at least once. Mom and Mary would go shopping or do something girly for the day and dad and I would hike up here. This is the one thing on the island that never changes. Everything else has changed, but not this.”
Danny decides not to tell Steve that he said almost the exact same thing a year ago as they keep hiking. He just listens to Steve reminisce about his childhood, grateful that Steve is alive and able to do this. For a while he didn’t think he would ever see Steve get back to his normal active self. Back when he first woke up from the coma and was suffering from the weakness on his right side and slurred speech, Danny was afraid Steve wouldn’t recover fully despite Dr. Freeman’s assurances that he would. Then when the seizures started Danny was afraid Steve wouldn’t be able to come back to Five-0. But Steve hasn’t had a seizure since he had his status epilepticus episode six months ago. Tomorrow morning he has an appointment with Dr. Freeman where he will officially be declared fit for full duty and fit to drive again. He has already passed the physical and re-qualified with firearms so now all he needs is for his neurologist to officially give him the ok to drive and return to unrestricted duty.
A few hours later they reach the petroglyphs. Steve grabs a bottle of water from his pack for himself and gets Bo’s water dish out for the panting dog.
“The ancient Hawaiians called this Ki’i Pohaku.” Steve explains after he takes a drink of the water.
“Images in the stone, right?”
Steve nods, “Yeah, did I explain that last time?”
Danny points to the turtle, “This is honu. And those are symbols of the hunt right?” Steve nods in the affirmative. “That was as far as you got before you noticed the broken branches on that bush and saw the body.” Danny points to the edge of the cliff where Steve went over.
“How did it happen?” Steve asks curiously as he walks over to the edge of the cliff to look down.
“When we found the body, you rappelled down to check if he was still alive. He wasn’t, then we came to the conclusion that he was dumped from a plane or helicopter. On your way back up you reached for a rock a little over half way up. It came loose, hit you in the face and you fell. I tried to hold the rope and stop you from falling but then the clip on your harness broke and the rope came free. There was nothing I could do to stop you from falling. You hit the ground and slid towards the edge, I thought you were going to go over that ledge too. But you came to a stop on the very edge with your head hanging over and your left arm pinned under your body. You were unconscious and I had to run up to the summit to get cell reception. That is the rock that hit you.” Danny points to the boulder off to the side of ledge.
“That’s what hit me?” Steve exclaims. He is shocked by the size of it. He knew the rock that hit him in the face was big but he never imagined it was that big.
“Yeah. It is amazing you are still alive, much less completely healthy between that and the fall.”
Steve is too shocked to say anything. He’s heard the story about his accident before but seeing where it happened and the boulder that caused all the havoc of the last year is overwhelming. It makes him realize just how lucky he is to not have any permanent damage worse than the epilepsy. And even that is now controlled by the medication.
After a few minutes Steve swallows and turns away from the ledge, “Let’s keep moving. If we want to get to the summit and back down in time to clean up before we meet up with Catherine, Grace, Mary and the rest of the team at the Hilton we need to keep going.” He collects Bo’s water dish and packs it back into the dog’s pack. Cath, Grace, and Mary were having a shopping and spa day today. The girls were spending the morning shopping and then after lunch they are having massages and mani pedis at the spa. Chin and Kono had a family gathering so they were both unable participate in the planned activities for the day prior to supper at the Hilton.
They continue their hike in companionable silence. Every now and then Steve will stop to point something out to Danny but for the most part they both just keep quiet with their thoughts. Steve finds himself lost in thought, reflecting back on the events of the last year.
The new medication has worked wonders for Steve since he started taking it 6 months ago. The first few days after he got home from the hospital he was tired and had zero energy. Dr. Freeman assured him that that was completely normal between the new medication and recovering from the SE episode. It took about 2 weeks before he started to feel more like himself. The first two weeks out of the hospital after starting the new medication he just felt drained of all his energy and exhausted all the time. Gradually though, his body began to adjust to the new medication and now he doesn’t have any side effects aside from a mild burning sensation when he injects it. He still doesn’t like having to give himself an injection every morning but if it gives him his life back he is more than willing to do it.
About three weeks after getting out of the hospital he went back to work full time on desk duty. Steve was still stuck in his office all day, which he hated, but after he went two months without having another seizure he and Dr. Freeman decided it would be ok for him to do a little more extensive work; meaning he monitored and directed raids from the surveillance truck, always with Bo at his feet in case he did have a seizure.
It was after Thanksgiving before Steve was able to start working up to getting back into his regular exercise routine. It took months for his brain to recover from the traumatic brain injury. He had to slowly ease himself into exercising again because of the intense headaches he would get from running or over exerting himself. It was frustrating for Steve but once he and his neurologist felt it was safe for him to start swimming on his own after three months seizure free things got easier for him. The water is where Steve has always felt the most comfortable and at ease so being able to swim again was great therapy for him. He eased himself into exercising with swimming and in December he finally was able to start going for short runs without getting a headache. Once Steve could start working out again he felt much more comfortable with himself, more relaxed and less on edge, and just started to feel more normal again in general. Running and swimming have been such big parts of his life for the last 15 years that he felt a little lost not being able to do either for such an extended period of time.
At the start of the new year he was even able to stop taking the anti-depressant that Dr. Tyson prescribed after his fall. That alone was a huge step for him. Working out again has really given him an outlet for his stress and has helped him cope with everything so much better. He is down to seeing Dr. Tyson only once a month. Dr. Tyson wants to continue to see Steve after his return to field duty for a while to make sure he is still coping well with everything but Steve is sure it won’t be too much longer before he no longer needs to go for regular sessions.
A couple hours later Steve, Danny, and Bo reach the summit of the mountain.
“So this is it?” Danny says as he looks out over the treetops below them. The view is breathtaking. Last year Danny made it about three quarters of the way up the summit before he got cell service to call for help. He didn’t exactly take the time to stop and take in the view while he was up here.
“Yeah, actually follow me a little further. There’s something I want to show you.” Steve motions to a path that leads into the trees. He whistles at Bo, who is sniffing around the trees a few yards away. Bo happily trots over to his master and he and Danny follow Steve into the forrest.
The walk for about twenty minutes down a steep and winding path that wasn’t cleared very well, obviously not used often, before they come to a small clearing with a beautiful pond filled with crystal clear blue water with a ten foot waterfall feeding into it. Danny has never seen anything so majestic and despite the noise from the rushing water it is a very peaceful sight.
“Not many people know about this place.” Steve explains, “My dad and I found it when I was ten. We used to bring camping gear up with us and camp over night here before heading back down the next day.”
“I can see why you like coming up here.” Danny says, taking in the scenery around him.
Steve slides his backpack off and drops it on the ground by his feet. “Bo, come ‘ere.” Steve commands of the dog who is busy sniffing around. Bo happily trots over to his master and stares at him adoringly. “Good boy!” Steve praises as he scratches Bo’s head. He grabs the collapsable water dish and a bottle of water from Bo’s pack and pours some water in the dish. “There ya go, Buddy.” Steve says and places it in front of the dog. Bo greedily laps up the water until he has had enough.
Steve then takes a seat on a large rock near the water and digs a couple sandwiches out of his pack. “Here, Danno.” He tosses one of the sandwiches at his friend before opening his own. He’d made a couple PB&J sandwiches and packed a couple apples for lunch for Danny and himself since they are spending all day out hiking.
Danny sits on the rock next to Steve and pulls an unopened bottle of water from Steve’s pack.
“You ready to go back to unrestricted duty tomorrow?” Danny questions, taking a bite from his sandwich.
Steve nods, “It’s been a really long year. I’ll be glad to finally be completely back to normal once I can drive and go out in the field again.” Steve pauses as he absent mindedly runs his hand over Bo’s back. The dog is laying by his feet panting contently after drinking his fill of water. “I was beginning to think I would never get to this point.”
“Well I’m glad you did. Five-0 hasn’t been the same without you there in full capacity. It will be good to have my partner back at 100 percent. Plus I am sick of dealing with the Governor and all of the bureaucratic BS. I don’t know how you did it all the time.”
Steve laughs, dealing with the Governor and all her politics is definitely his least favorite part of his job and it is something he hasn’t missed but it is also something that he had a little experience dealing with when he was in the Navy working with Naval Intelligence and the higher ranks. “But you have gotten so good at it, Danno.”
“Yeah well I will gladly let you take over again.” Danny finishes his apple, placing the core in the sandwich bad, and downs the rest of his water before compressing the plastic bottle down and tucking it back in Steve’s backpack to throw away later.
“You ready to head back down?” Steve asks as he gathers his things and tucks everything back into his pack.
“Yeah, just let me snap a few pictures to show Grace later and I will be all set.” Danny pulls out his cell phone and activates the camera app. He takes a few pictures of the water fall and the little pond and a few more of Bo standing on a fallen tree trunk, peering into the water intently as Steve skipped rocks next to him.
-H50-
The hike down is uneventful and a little faster than the hike up the mountain. By the time they reach Steve’s truck they have an hour and a half to get back to Steve’s house and get cleaned up to meet the girls at The Hilton for supper.
“Maybe next year we can get Gracie and Catherine to join us in coming up here.” Steve suggests a few minutes into the 45 minute drive. “Mary came up with me and Dad once when she was 10 and swore she would never do it again. She’s not really into the whole outdoor nature thing.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I know Catherine will love it but I don’t know how much Grace will enjoy the actual hiking part. She will like spending time with you and Catherine though so I’m sure she would have fun.” Despite his claim that Grace would rather get a manicure and a pedicure than go for a hike, he knows for a fact that she would jump at the chance to do anything with her Uncle Steve and Aunt Cath. She seems to lose some of her girly-girl pretenses when she is around Steve and Catherine. Their influence brings out some of the rough and tumble tomboy tendencies in her. Danny may complain about it but in truth, he can’t think of better people for Grace to spend time with.
Danny glances at Bo in the back seat through the rearview mirror, the dog is sound asleep, sprawled across the back seat. “Bo is really tuckered out back there.”
“Yeah, the hike wore him out. He will sleep good tonight. At least it will keep him from destroying another dog bed.” Bo has chewed and torn up four dog beds in the last six months, he gets bored and starts chewing on things when his humans are sleeping. “All the indestructible toys he has to chew on and he goes for the dog bed.”
Danny laughs, “He’ll grow out of it eventually.”
Steve shakes his head and glances back at the dog stretched across the back seat. He may be a trouble maker at times but Steve is grateful to have Bo in his life. He made things much easier when he was still having seizures. Now that he his medication is controlling the seizures Bo doesn’t really need to go everywhere with him. It doesn’t sit right with Steve to take Bo everywhere with him as his service dog when he doesn’t really need Bo’s services anymore. He hasn’t decided yet what to do with Bo when he is at work. Catherine and Mary schedules won’t always allow them to run home and take Bo out and feed him if he has to work late or a case takes him to the other side of the island. He thinks he will likely take Bo to the office with him on days they don’t have active cases and he knows most of his day will be spent in the office. Bo has managed to charm everyone in the building and Charlotte, one of the receptionists in one of the offices downstairs who has a soft spot for Bo, has offered to take him for walks and give him some love on her coffee or lunch breaks whenever needed. The woman lost her husband a couple years ago and her only son is deployed in Afghanistan so she has always been very motherly to the Five-0 task force members. Kekipi, the woman who Bo’s owner was neighbors with, has also offered to stop by the house and take care of Bo once he is back at work if Mary and Cath are unable too, so he does have options, he just needs to figure out what will work best for Bo and himself. He hates to rely too much on others to take care of Bo but he knows there will times that, due to his job, he will be unable to give Bo the attention he needs and deserves.
After a quick stop back at Steve’s house to get cleaned up the men walk into the Hilton only a few minutes late. Catherine, Mary, and Grace are already seated at a table with Chin, Kono, and Kamekona.
“Hey, how was your hike?” Catherine asks as Steve takes a seat at the end of the table between her and Grace.
“Well we didn’t stumble across any dead bodies and nobody fell off a cliff today, so I will count that as a win.” Danny jokes, as he sits down beside Grace.
“Very funny, Danny.” Steve grins in spite of himself. “It was great. I’ve missed hiking, you guys will have to join us next time.”
“Once was more than enough for me.” Mary says, remembering her trip up with Steve and her dad when she was 10. She ended the hike with more bug bites than she could count and several large and painful blisters on her feet.
“I’d love to hike up there with you again sometime.” Cath says, “It has been way too long since I’ve been up to the petroglyphs.”
“I’d be game.” Kono says, Chin echoes the sentiment with “Me too.”
“I want to see the petroglyphs too!” Grace pipes up. She will go along with almost anything if it means she can spend time with her Uncle Steve and Aunt Cath. “Did you take pictures, Danno?”
“Did I take pictures? Of course I took pictures.” He pulls out his phone and pulls up the photo library. He swipes to the pictures from the hike and shows them to his daughter.
Grace giggles when she comes across the picture of Steve and Bo when Steve was skipping rocks. “Bo looks like he can’t decide if he should go after the rocks or not!”
Steve leans over to look at the picture over Grace’s shoulder. He smiles at the image of Bo staring curiously into the water with his head cocked. Steve had given Bo the stay command prior to skipping the rocks and Bo had obeyed almost perfectly. He’d inched forward hesitantly once but one look from Steve and Bo had remained where he was for the duration.
“Can I see, Gracie?” Catherine asks and holds her hand out for the phone. “Thanks, Kiddo.” she replies when Grace passes her the phone. Catherine scrolls through the pictures with a smile, she selects a couple of them and sends them to herself. The couple with Bo are really good pictures and she wants to have them printed and framed for Steve.
Danny’s phone gets passed around the table so everyone can see the pictures from the hike.
“How was your day, Gracie?” Steve asks the little girl after their waitress came to take their orders.
“It was a ton of fun. We went shopping and I bought a new sun dress with my birthday money and then we went to the spa and got manicures and pedicures.” She flashes her right hand with lavender finger nails for her dad and uncle to see. “We all got glittery pink for our toes.” Grace says with an excited smile, in her eyes, having matching nail polish with her honorary aunts was the coolest thing ever. Grace goes on to tell the table about all the things she did with Mary and Catherine today while they wait for their food to arrive.
The evening wears on with lots of laughs and conversation. Everyone is happy and relaxed as they sit around the table enjoying their food and drinks. When both Grace and Danny are finished eating, Grace crawls into Danny’s lap and is asleep in minutes. Shopping and getting pampered with her aunts wore her out completely. It is nearly 8:30 when Danny stands with Grace in his arms, careful not to wake her up and excuses them for the night. Grace has school tomorrow so he needs to get her home and into bed.
“I’ll pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow?” Danny confirms with Steve.
“Yeah, my appointment with Dr. Freeman is at 8 so that will give us plenty of time to get to the hospital. See you tomorrow Danny.” Steve bids goodbye to his friend.
Not long after Danny leaves with Grace, the rest of the group go their separate ways for the night. They all need to be up early for work tomorrow.
Steve falls into bed next to Catherine, after taking Bo for a quick walk, completely exhausted. He is excited about getting cleared for unrestricted duty tomorrow. This past year has been long and trying for him and he can’t quite believe he is at the point where he can finally return to work. It is a good thing he is so worn out from the hike because he knows without it he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight due to the excitement.
It doesn’t take long for Steve to drift off to sleep snuggled up against Cath.
-H50-
Steve wakes up slowly shortly before 5 on Monday morning. He stretches and rolls over, Catherine is still sleeping soundly next to him. Careful not to wake her he slowly sits up on the side of the bed and quietly grabs a syringe and an alcohol pad from his night stand. He swabs a patch of skin near his belly button and swiftly injects the medication into his abdomen. He disposes of the syringe in the sharps container in the bottom drawer of the night stand and gives Bo a good pet when he lifts his head. “You want to go out?” he whispers to the dog. Bo stretches and waits expectantly for his master to get ready.
Steve stands and changes into a pair of athletic shorts and throws on one of his old Navy tank tops. He grabs a pair of socks and his running shoes and quietly makes his way downstairs with Bo on his heels. Steve sits at the bottom of the stairs and dons his socks and shoes. He clips the leash to Bo’s collar and sets out for a jog. When he takes Bo with him, he jogs rather than runs, not because Bo isn’t capable of running but because Dr. Adams suggested he wait until Bo is closer to two years old before they go for long and strenuous runs due to his still developing joints.
The pair jog at a slow but steady pace, stopping every so often for Bo to do his business. The pace isn’t what Steve normally likes to keep but he likes having Bo with him and it kills two birds with one stone, taking Bo with him on a jog makes more sense than walking Bo and then going for a run afterward, especially on a work day.
An hour later they arrive back at the house, Steve switches Bo over to the long lead that is hooked to the clothes line in the backyard so he can hang out in the yard while Steve goes for a quick swim. He grabs a towel from the house before heading for the ocean.
Steve cuts through the water at a quick, even pace. It feels good to be able to start the day with a swim again and clear his mind. He manages to, however briefly, push his impending meeting with Dr. Freeman out of his mind. Steve knows that he will be cleared for duty but there is a nagging little voice in the back of his head saying ‘what if?’. What if for some reason he can’t be cleared for field work? His worries are unfounded since he hasn’t had a seizure since starting the injections 6 months ago and he doesn’t have any more lingering effects from the traumatic brain injury; and at his appointment last wednesday Dr. Freeman basically told him that today’s appointment is mostly just a formality. His last appointment consisted of blood work, an EKG to check his heart, an EEG, and a CT scan of his head, which the first two were needed to check for complications from his medication and the latter two were necessary tests in order for him to be cleared for duty.
Half an hour later Steve is toweling off in the grass while Bo sniffs around the backyard. After he has mostly dried off and gotten rid of the sand on his feet he calls Bo and heads for the house and starts a pot of coffee. “You hungry, Buddy?” Steve asks the dog as he fills Bo’s food dish with a couple scoops of kibble.
Bo lets out a woof and excitedly spins in circles a few times. With as excited as he gets at meal time one would think that the dog never gets fed. Next to playing in the water, meal time is Bo’s favorite thing ever.
Steve waits for Bo to calm down and sit before he sets the dish on the ground. Bo waits, eyes flickering between the food dish and Steve for the command to eat. After a few seconds Steve says, “Ok, Bo!” and the dog dives into his food dish almost before Steve is done saying the 3 syllables.
Steve then grabs a few things from the fridge for breakfast, he scrambles a few eggs and puts some bread in the toaster for himself and Catherine. He can hear her moving around in the bathroom upstairs and knows she will be down soon for breakfast.
“Good morning, Sailor.” Catherine greets Steve with a quick kiss five minutes later, dressed in her BDUs.
“Good morning, Lieutenant.” Steve answers after they break apart from the kiss. Catherine snags his coffee cup and takes a couple sips. “There is coffee and scrambled eggs with toast in the kitchen.”
Catherine disappears into the kitchen and returns a few minutes later with a plate and a cup of coffee.
“Are you ready for today?” Catherine breaks the silence after a few moments.
Steve shrugs, still a little nervous that he won’t be cleared for some odd reason, “Yeah, I guess so. It will be good to be able to drive again. I’m so sick of being chauffeured around everywhere.”
Catherine can tell that Steve is nervous for his appointment, they both know that he will be cleared but after it having been so long and having so many complications pop up over the last year she can understand his reservations. She tries to lighten the mood with a grin, “I’m guessing Danny isn’t going to be driving the Camaro any time soon after today.”
“Not a chance.” Steve replies with a smile. He knows what Cath is trying to do and he is grateful for it. “How long are you on duty for today?”
“I’ll be home around 6. We can have a celebratory dinner when I get home.” Catherine waggles her eyebrows at him in a suggestive manner.
“Looking forward to it!” Steve waggles his eyebrows in return.
“Go shower and get ready for work. Danny will be here in 20 minutes. I’ll take care of the dishes.” Catherine says as she snags his empty coffee coffee mug and plate and leans over for another kiss.
Steve makes his way upstairs, Bo follows behind. The dog goes pretty much everywhere Steve goes. “Go lay down.” Steve tells Bo as he gets ready to shower. Bo picks up his rubber Kong bone before he obediently plops down on his dog bed and proceeds to chew on the indestructible toy.
Steve is out of the shower and done shaving in less than ten minutes. He slips his medical alert dog tags over his head and heads for the bedroom to get dressed. Even though the PTE is under control with the injections, Dr. Freeman suggested that he continue to wear the dog tags just to be on the safe side. When Dr. Freeman suggested Steve get a medical alert bracelet he balked at the idea of it at first, but Cath and his doctor talked him into it. Catherine managed to find him a set of dog tags that he can wear under his shirt so they aren’t visible to the whole world but won’t be missed by the EMTs or paramedics should the need for them arise. She had them engraved with his name, medical condition, emergency contact information, and his doctors number. The tags also have a phone number that the paramedics or ER can call that will give them all his medical records and current medications in the event that he is taken to a different hospital or is alone if something happens. It is just a safety precaution that fortunately hasn’t had to be used. Now after nearly a year Steve doesn’t mind wearing them anymore; he just thinks of them like his military dog tags that he wore every day for over fifteen years.
Steve pulls on a pair of khaki cargo pants and a black polo before sitting on the edge of the bed to put on his combat boots. He is downstairs again with five minutes to spare before Danny is supposed to arrive to pick him up.
“Have a good day.” Steve gives Catherine a kiss before she heads to the base.
Catherine returns the kiss and lets her lips linger against his for a moment. “You too. Good luck with your appointment. I’ll see you at home tonight.” She gives him another kiss before they reluctantly pull apart. Catherine needs to get going and Danny just pulled up to take Steve to his appointment.
Steve fastens Bo’s service dog vest and the leash and heads out side to meet Danny after locking up and setting the alarm. Steve is going to take Bo to work with him today and will have Charlotte take him for a walk if he gets called out.
Steve folds the passenger seat down so Bo can hop in the back seat before getting in the front. “Hey Danno.” Steve greets his partner.
“Morning Buddy. You ready for today?”
“Yeah, lets get a move on.” Steve is anxious to get to the hospital. He is hoping that the sooner he gets there the sooner he can be seen and get it all over with. They drive to the hospital is mostly silent, the only sound is the rock station playing quietly on the radio and Bo happily panting in the back seat. His is sitting on the middle seat so he can see out the windshield.
“I’ll wait out here with Bo.” Danny says as he pulls into the parking lot. “I’ll take him for a walk and we can play a game of fetch or something.”
Steve nods, “I shouldn’t be too long. I don’t think there are any tests that I have to do or anything.”
Danny watches Steve disappear into the hospital and fold his seat down so Bo can jump out of the Camaro. “Come on Bo. Lets go for a walk while Steve is inside.”
-H50-
Forty minutes after Steve went inside he comes back out with a big smile on his face.
“I take it you are cleared for unrestricted duty now?” Danny asks with a smile. He is happy to see Steve looking so happy.
Steve’s smile grows even more if that is possible. “Unrestricted duty and driving. Keys.” Steve holds out his hand for the car keys.
Danny tosses him the keys without complaint. “It’s good to have you back, Partner.” Danny replies, opening the passenger door and folding the seat down for Bo to jump in back.
Steve peels out of the parking lot before Danny even has the door completely closed. It has been way too long since he was able to get behind the wheel. They arrive at the Palace a short time later and are greeted by Chin and Kono in the main area. There is a ‘Welcome back!’ banner hanging over the door to Steve’s office and they have coffee and a box of coco puffs on the table.
“Welcome back, Boss!” Kono greets Steve with a hug. They are all thrilled to have their fearless leader back in action.
“Good to have you back, Brah!” Chin pulls Steve into a quick man hug. “We’ve got coffee and coco puffs from Liliha Bakery.”
“Thanks guys. It’s good to be back.” Steve takes the offered coffee from Chin and grabs a coco puff from the bakery box. He doesn’t normally indulge in coco puffs but today he will make an exception since they are celebrating his return to full duty.
They are in the office for about twenty minutes before Steve’s cell phone rings. “Yes, Governor? Yes ma’am, Dr. Freeman signed off on it earlier this morning……Yes Ma’am understood.” Steve disconnects the call and addresses his team. “Well I hate to cut this short but we have a case. Dead body found in an abandoned warehouse out in Waimanalo. Lets head out.”
THE END