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It takes Danny Williams two floors and nine different nurse’s stations to eventually locate his partner. He knows because he counts them. Nine different stops. Nine different cheery faces telling him no, sorry, they haven’t seen the tall, musclebound, man-child Danny came in with.
The longer he looks, the madder he gets. So much so that when one nurse finally points down a hall and towards the silhouette of his partner standing in a doorway 30 minutes later, Danny is all but ready to pop. He thanks the woman curtly, then stalks down the hall with finger poised and the rant he’s been preparing since nurse station #1 sitting ready on his tongue. He’s sick and tired of these antics and he’s going to make sure his partner knows about it.
“Jesus, Steve! Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all…” Steve turns slightly in the doorway, eyes meeting Danny’s over his shoulder. He puts a finger to his lips in a sign for Danny to lower his voice, but the audacity of it all only adds fuel to Danny’s fire.
“Oh no! You don’t get to tell me to shut up! You just left me with that guy! How…” Steve takes a step towards him, grabbing him by the elbow, trying to steer him away. Danny rips his arm from Steve’s grasp and glares. “What is it, Steve, huh? What was so important up here that you had to go and ditch me in the middle of an interview? I swear to god, if it’s some nurse…”
Danny side-steps Steve, heading towards the doorway his partner just vacated, avoiding McGarrett’s outstretched hand as it flies out to try and stop him again, “…I’ll kill you myself.”
Danny stops dead in the doorway, his last statement still hanging in the air. He blinks at what he sees before him, understanding in an instant exactly what’s going on. When he finally manages to look back over at his partner, Steve lets his head fall forward, issuing a weary sigh.
The room is large; an open, airy space with high ceilings and plenty of light. The walls are covered with inspirational posters, the ones offering saccharine affirmations about strength encouragement and everything is painted in primary colors. There are several comfortable looking reclining chairs spread around the room and each one is occupied by an individual in various states of disease. Some of the patients still have their hair. Some of them are as bald as newborns, and some don’t look like they’ll be making it out of this hospital alive.
“Tell me you’re not sick,” Danny demands quietly, unable to look over at his partner quite yet.
Steve is silent for a moment before he answers, “I’m not sick.”
The not yet hangs in the air between them.
“You promise? You’re not just saying that?”
“I promise, Danno. I just…” Danny makes himself look over at Steve then. “I don’t know. I guess… I just wanted to see.”
Steve hangs his head in shame. Danny wants to offer him some comfort, to tell him that he gets it. But he doesn’t. Not really. Why in the hell would his partner want to do this to himself? Why would he want to subject himself to… this?
Danny glances back into the room. Some of the patients have people with them; family, maybe even friends. Others are alone. He makes a decision.
“I’ll be there with you.”
Steve looks at him funny.
“If it happens. I’ll be in there with you.”
Danny inclines his head towards the room and Steve gets it. He looks away and down at the floor.
“Now, can we please go?” he asks when it becomes apparent his partner is no longer capable of speech.
Steve gives the room one final look before following Danny down the hall.
It’s awkward in the car on their way back to the office. Neither of them are ready to talk about what just happened. Danny guesses he’s fine with that. He’s not entirely ready to entertain the idea of a Sick Steve. He imagines he will have to eventually, but for now he’s fine with pretending it never happened.
Steve seems to agree and they make the entire trip back to HPD headquarters in silence.