Chapter Text
Naturally it fell to Danny whenever there was a suspicion that Steve was out of sorts. Because Danny had the misfortune (at least that what he claimed to any who would listen) of being Steve’s partner. It was a partnership so far contained exclusive to their work relationship. There were times when Danny secretly held a faint glimmer of hope that it would expand to their personal lives. But that time hadn’t come. With Steve being king of the Commitment-Phobs, Danny despaired the time never would arrive.
Kono didn’t bother to enter Danny’s office – just raised one slim, deceptively delicate arm and pointed at Steve’s office from the doorway. The scowl on her face conveyed her unhappiness and, worse, dampened her innate joyfulness.
“What?” Danny asked, trying to keep the resignation out of his tone. In truth he knew what she was telling him. Steve had snapped at each of them already and it was barely 10:00 o’clock. Snapping was bad in itself. For it to occur when they were each in their office tackling paperwork was worse. It meant something was way off-kilter and Danny was the designated team member to confront the lion with a thorn in his paw.
“Do something,” she said, flipping her ponytail as she marched unhappily back to her own office.
Danny looked through the glass and empty space between his office and Steve’s. Steve was trying to stare holes into his computer. From his expression, Danny knew he hadn’t yet succeeded.
With a sigh, he stood and as casually as he possibly could, wandered over to Steve’s office. He could feel Chin and Kono’s combined unhappiness spearing him in the back. He only hoped Steve didn’t spear him in the front.
Danny knocked and entered at the same time, Steve ignoring him. “Hey, big guy,” Danny said in an easy tone.
“What?” Steve barked, turning his dark frown on Danny. “What do you want?”
“Whoa,” Danny said, one hand up to ward off the verbal attack. “Can you talk to me with less snarling, please?”
“Snarling? What the hell are you talking about?” Steve demanded in the same tone.
“Babe,” Danny said, entering the office the rest of the way. He stood next to Steve’s desk, leaning one hip on the edge. “What’s going on?” No point in dancing around it.
“Nothing’s going on,” Steve said, alternating between glaring at his computer and glaring at Danny. “I’m busy. What do you need?”
“Did your computer do something to offend you?” Danny asked, ignoring Steve’s remarks. “You can’t kill it with your mind, you know.”
“What?” Steve snapped. “What do you want?”
“To find out why you are acting like a snapping turtle. Snap, snap, snap,” Danny said, his hand making a biting motion to illustrate each snap.
“There are no snapping turtles in Hawaii,” Steve said without having to think about it.
“A – so not the point. And B – you are doing an excellent imitation of one.”
“Please get to the point, if you actually have one,” Steve said in exasperation.
“Why are you acting like a bear with a sore tooth?” Danny asked, enunciating each word clearly and distinctly.
“How did you know?” Steve said before catching himself. “There’s nothing wrong except I can’t work with you staring at me.”
“How did I know what?” Danny asked, leaning a little closer to study Steve. Something was definitely off. He was pale and there were inky circles around his eyes.
“I’m trying to get some work done,” Steve replied. “Don’t you have any you can do?”
“Babe,” Danny sighed. “Come on. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee. Or a disgusting green smoothie.”
“No,” Steve said refusing to take his eyes off his computer to look up at Danny. “I’m busy.”
“Steve,” he said in return. “Something is wrong. Stop being a mighty warrior and tell me.”
“A mighty warrior,” Steve repeated with the first thawing of his anger.
“A super SEAL. A walking armament. Whatever. I know something’s bothering you so why don’t you cut to the chase and tell me. As much as I love these little dances of ours, it’s not getting us anywhere.”
“I’m fine,” Steve lied.
“No you aren’t,” Danny said, grabbing Steve’s wrist and tugging him up. Steve allowed it, looking down at Danny’s hand while hitching up his pants. “Huh,” Danny said, reaching for the waist of Steve’s jeans. There was a gap of a couple of inches that wasn’t filled by Steve’s firm, lean body. “Why are you losing weight?” He looked up at Steve who was trying to avoid his gaze, still staring down at Danny’s hand wrapped around his wrist. Steve made no move to escape Danny’s touch. “Why is mouth swollen?” Danny asked, reaching up to lightly touch Steve’s inflamed right cheek, not surprised when Steve flinched away. “Did someone hit you? Is that why you are being so cranky? I don’t remember you getting clocked in the past week. Did I miss something?”
“Would you please stop talking?” Steve requested much less snappishly.
“Would you please tell me what’s wrong?” Danny parroted.
Steve sighed from the bottom of his souls. “Fine, fine,” he said. “I have an infected wisdom tooth.”
“Oh,” Danny said, standing on his toes to better see Steve’s cheek. “Wow.”
“Yeah.”
“How long has it been hurting?” Danny asked in sympathy.
“It started Friday. I hoped it would…you know…go away.”
“That you could will it into submission with your all-mighty SEAL powers.”
“Sort of. I guess,” Steve said with a shrug.
“Did it occur you to call your dentist?” Danny asked sensibly. He could only watch as a shiver ran through Steve’s body. “Don’t tell me. You are dentist-phobic.”
“Not exactly,” Steve hedged.
“Okay, then let’s call the office and get you an appointment. Wisdom teeth don’t spontaneous extract themselves, you know.”
“I don’t have a dentist. Not here, anyway,” Steve admitted quietly.
“What?” Danny asked. “You’ve been away from the Navy for five years and you don’t have a civilian dentist?”
“I haven’t needed one,” Steve said.
“You haven’t had your teeth cleaned in five years?” Danny asked as though it wasn’t possible.
“No? I brush and floss.”
“Babe,” Danny said, shaking his head. “Can you go to a VA dentist?”
“I could. Or I could go to a civilian dentist. But I don’t need a dentist,” Steve said firmly.
“You do,” Danny said. “You aren’t eating. Your face is swollen. And you are yelling at your ohana. How do you think any of that is gong to change if you don’t have your wisdom tooth extracted?”
There it was again. The full body shudder. “You are scared of dentists, aren’t you?” Danny said, carefully keeping any signs of amazement out of his voice.
“Of course not,” Steve said. But Danny knew better.
“You are a lying liar who lies,” Danny said, taking out his phone. “Okay. I’m going to call my dentist. She’s very, very nice. She can provide anesthesia so you won’t know what’s happening.”
“Nitrous oxide?” Steve asked.
“Yep,” Danny said, pressing the correct speed dial. “Hi Angela. This is Danny Williams…I’m great, thanks…I have a sort-of emergency. My partner, Steve McGarrett, has an impacted wisdom tooth. When is the soonest Dr. Songe can fit him in?... In 90 minutes?... That’s perfect…Okay. I’ll tell him. Thanks, Angela. You’re the best.” Danny hung up to turn back to Steve who looked like he was about to bolt – from the room, the building, possibly the planet. “She had a cancellation. Angela is fitting you at noon.”
“I don’t need a dentist,” Steve tried again.
“Kono, Chin,” Danny called as he left Steve’s office, ignoring Steve’s protests.
“What’s up?” Chin asked, glancing at Steve and his unhappy expression with some trepidation.
“Turns out Super SEAL has an impacted wisdom tooth,” Danny said, pausing to let Steve speak for himself. Steve studiously ignored him. “I called my dentist who had a cancellation. I’m taking Steve home so he can swim off some of his anxiety then I’ll be taking him to have his tooth extracted. We won’t be in tomorrow.”
Chin and Kono nodded approvingly.
Steve was frowning even harder. “You don’t need to come. I’m perfectly capable of taking myself to the appointment.”
“No you aren’t,” Danny said. “You can’t drive yourself home afterwards. You’ll be too dopey. And I can’t be sure you’ll go if I leave you to your own devices.”
Steve considered his words, clearly wanting to argue. “We’ll be in tomorrow,” Steve finally said to the cousins. He could at least argue about that.
“No we won’t. You won’t feel like doing anything more strenuous than lying on the couch. Trust me. And I will be at your house to make sure you don’t do anything unbelievably stupid.”
“We’ll be in tomorrow,” Steve repeated like Danny hadn’t spoken.
“Sure Boss,” Kono said with a solicitously pat on his arm. “Thank you, Boss #2.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll call the governor on the way to Steve’s house,” Danny said as he drug a reluctant Steve out of the office by a hand once again circling Steve’s wrist.
“Stop pulling me around like a dog,” Steve protested.
“You sure couldn’t get away from me if you really wanted to,” Danny said. “I had my wisdom teeth out in Jersey. You go to sleep, they’re pulled out, you wake up and eat oatmeal for a couple days. Then – boom – good as new.”
“I hate you,” Steve said, going to the driver side of the Camaro.
“I know, Babe. But one of us has to be an adult.”
“I’m an adult,” Steve protested.
“Uh huh. You’ve harbored a toothache since Friday. Not only did you not tell us, you didn’t do anything to have it relieved. How is that acting like an adult?”
“Shut up,” Steve finally said as he drove them toward his house.
“Whatever,” Danny said, waving away his words. “You can have water to drink but you shouldn’t eat anything before your appointment.”
“I haven’t eaten today,” Steve admitted reluctantly.
“Yeah, there’s a big surprise,” Danny said.
“Shut up,” Steve repeated.
“Stop pouting,” Danny replied. “It’s not a good look. And it’s certainly not an adult thing to do.” He ignored Steve’s attempts to protest that he was in fact acting like an adult as Danny called the Governor’s office, explaining that he and Steve would be out the rest of the day and all day tomorrow. After receiving acknowledgment, he disconnected watching the scenery whiz by.
“It’s not the dentist per se I don’t like,” Steve said, startling Danny. He’d expected the drive home to be completely silent as Steve stewed over his impending appointment.
“What is it?” Danny asked.
“It’s being immobile,” Steve said. “Because I can’t move the entire time.”
“You feel claustrophobic,” Danny said in understanding.
“Yeah,” Steve admitted. “I know it’s stupid.”
“No it isn’t,” Danny said. “You are always on the go. To keep still for any amount of time goes against everything you are.”
“I feel trapped,” Steve confirmed. “And I guess I start to panic.”
“Well, frankly, it’s good for my well-being to know that there is something you are actually afraid of,” Danny told him.
“I’m just not scared of everything like you,” Steve said.
“I am not scared of everything,” Danny huffed.
“The ocean…”
“Too big. Full of man eating prey.”
“Mushrooms…”
“I’m not scared to eat mushrooms. I hate the way they feel in my mouth,” Danny said.
“Flying…”
“I am not,” Danny said. “I get bored.”
“Bored,” Steve repeated. “Too much sunshine.”
“Skin cancer. Blisters. Dehydration.”
“Bugs….”
“Any reasonable person is afraid of bugs,” Danny said.
“Reasonable,” Steve said with a great deal of mockery. “Storms.”
“We could all be washed away in a tsunami. I’m sure you and Kono would grab up your surfboards and have the time of your life.”
“Horses,” Steve said, smiling at the idea of surfing a tsunami. Not that they ever could but what a rush it would be.
“I’m not scared of horses. I call full and complete bullshit on that one.”
“You won’t let Grace learn to ride,” Steve reminded him.
“I’m not afraid of them. I just don’t want my precious daughter to risk falling off of one.”
“How is that different from being scared of them?” Steve asked as he turned into his driveway.
“Shut up,” Danny replied.
“Very adult,” Steve said. “And I’ll shut up when you admit you’re afraid of everything.”
“That day will never come,” Danny said as he followed Steve into his house. “I’ll be by the shore when you’re ready to swim.”
“Be right down,” Steve said as he ran up the stairs two at a time.
Danny shook his head and went into the kitchen for two icy bottles of waters. He drank from one as he wandered down to the shaded chairs right above the slope to the water. It was beautifully tranquil here, as much as he loathed to admit it.
He turned and looked when he heard the backdoor close. The sight of Steve in only his boardies made his breath hitch, as always. Could the man be any more gorgeous? Danny didn’t know how it would be possible.
In an effort to distract himself and disguise his hunger at Steve’s approach, he screwed the lid off the water bottle and held it up to Steve.
Steve shook his head, giving Danny the towel he’d carried out with him. “It’s too cold. I’ll drink it when it’s warmed up.”
“Right. Okay,” Danny agreed, leaning over the arm of the chair and putting the water in a sunny patch. “Don’t swim too long.”
“I know you won’t let me,” Steve said, jogging down to his beloved ocean and driving in to disappear beneath its crystal blue surface.
The stretch of muscles over his brown back and arms was even more enticing to Danny’s bubbling brain. Should he do something about all this latent desire that consumed him every time he was near Steve? Danny considered all the possible ramifications of telling Steve the truth as he waited for Steve to emerge from his watery element, keeping a close eye on the time. Another five minutes and he’d have to call Steve ashore. Before he had to yell out to him, Steve swam up, slowly emerging from the ocean, the water as reluctant to leave his body as he was to leave its comforting waves.
“Hey,” Danny said, squinting at him as Steve dripped on him. Danny handed up his towel, scrutinizing Steve’s face for signs of pain. They were barely there, in the lines around his slightly swollen mouth and the shadows under his eyes.
“What?” Steve asked, slowly and methodically drying himself.
“What what? You need to take a shower and get dressed,” Danny said, reaching down for the bottled water that was no longer ice cold. “Here.”
“Mmm…” Steve grunted in thanks before loping up to the house to disappear inside.
Danny knew Steve had intentionally used the towel while standing right next to the chair where he was sitting. Did that mean that Steve was as drawn to Danny as the reverse? Steve was the proverbial flame that drew the moths with no effort expended on his part. Danny had known a handful of people in his life who exuded that magnetism but it was the strongest from Steve. Danny thought that was a mark against his chances – Steve could have anyone he set his fancy to. Danny drew enough appreciative looks to know he wasn’t hideous to look at. But compared to Steve? Almost anyone would fade away in comparison to him. Not Chin or Kono though. It was like he was the designated ‘normal’ one of their ohana. Attractive but not breathtakingly so, not in the same league as his teammates.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Steve asked as he strolled down the lawn dressed in jeans, a black tee shirt, and his favorite flip-flops. “I called you three times and you didn’t answer.”
“Oh,” Danny said, standing to face him. “Lost in thought.” Danny waved it away, studying Steve. He was wound less tight as was often the case after a therapeutic swim. He had deposited the stress in the water. Danny wished he had a surefire method to wash away his own concerns as effectively.
“About what?” Steve asked, carefully sipping from the water. He flinched as he swallowed but Danny decided to leave the reaction alone. Talking about it would only ramp up the tension again.
“Not important. You ready?” Danny asked.
“I guess,” Steve said with a shrug.
“All right,” Danny said, leading the way back toward the house. If Steve’s steps were slower than usual, Danny put it down to understandable reluctance to keep the appointment.
He didn’t argue when Steve went directly to the driver’s seat, knowing he’d be driving the Camaro back to Steve’s. “While you’re under, I’m going to run to my house for a couple of changes of clothes.”
“Yeah,” Steve agreed.
“I’ll also pick up your prescriptions.”
“What prescriptions?” Steve asked.
“Antibiotics and pain relievers. It’s standard procedure after an extraction.”
“Oh,” Steve said.
“Is nitrous oxide you going to make reveal your double top secret classified secrets to Dr. Songe?”
“Double top secret secrets?” Steve repeated, glancing over at Danny.
“You know full well what I’m asking,” Danny informed him. “Do you talk when you’re sedated?”
“I don’t think so?”
“With all the injuries you’ve had, you haven’t been under anesthesia?” Danny asked.
“A couple of times. But no one ever said anything about me talking. You talk when you’re under, don’t you?” Steve asked knowingly.
“I’ll have you know I only talk when I’m starting to wake up. Apparently I talk to the Tiny People who live in my pockets,” Danny said.
“Tiny people live in your pockets? I’ve never seen them when I’m doing your laundry.”
“I only see them when under the influence of strong drugs,” Danny said.
“Other than nitrate oxide? You are an officer of the law.”
“I was prescribed oxycodone when I crashed my knee. Mom finally refused to let me take them after I told her to stop stepping on the Tinies.”
“Were they taking over your house?”
“They were having a party in the living room. She had no respect for their celebration,” Danny said.
“Huh,” Steve said.
“Yeah. I don’t really remember much about it but I’ve been regaled with my tales of the Tinies.”
“Do you talk in your sleep?” Steve asked.
“Medically induced sleep or regular sleep?”
“You just said you don’t talk when you’re sedated,” Steve said.
“Rachel didn’t say anything about me talking. Since she never shied away from enumerating each and every one of my flaws, I’m confidence it would have come up.”
“What flaws?” Steve asked, looking surprised that the words had come out of his mouth.
Danny laughed, letting him off the hook. He knew it was nerves that was making Steve speak without thinking. It didn’t mean anything. Not. One. Thing.
Any backtracking Steve might have tried was forestalled when they arrived at the building that housed Danny’s dentist. Steve turned off the car, staring at the tidy white office building.
“She’s not going to come out here,” Danny said, opening his door. Steve was still in the car and Danny thought for one minute that Steve might drive away. Finally, with reluctance in every line in his body, Steve got out of the car.
“I blame you.”
“I didn’t impact your tooth,” Danny said, opening the front door to the refreshing coolness of the interior, his hand resting on the small of Steve’s back, like always. Danny led him directly to the front counter, informing Angela that Steve McGarrett had arrived for his appointment. “Insurance card,” Danny said, extending his hand toward Steve. Steve extracted it from his wallet, standing to the side as though he was in no way involved in this visit.
“It’ll be just a minute,” Angela told them, handing Danny a form which needed to be completed. Danny accepted the clipboard and pen, guiding Steve wordlessly to a pair of chairs in the waiting area.
“’Emergency contact’ – me. ’Known allergies’ – none,” Danny ticked off. “’Medical issues’ – I guess stubborn and hard headed don’t count.”
Steve remained absent from the completion of the form, staring at the front door while silently plotting his escape.
“Sign here,” Danny said, pointing at the bottom of the form.
Steve accepted the pen, signing as instructed.
“Just like the paperwork at the office. You didn’t even glance at it.”
“Do I need to?” Steve asked watching him return the clipboard to the receptionist.
“Of course not,” Danny said when he was seated next to him. He watched Steve’s right leg bounce in a nervous staccato.
“What are we doing with Grace this weekend?” Steve asked, looking for a distraction.
“She has that school project she wants your help with. She texted you, didn’t she?”
“Oh right,” Steve said. “Sea turtles.”
“Not snapping turtles,” Danny said.
“Are you guys spending the night?”
“I’m not sure you’ll be up to it,” Danny said.
“Today’s only Tuesday. I’ll be fine by then. I’ll be able to go to work tomorrow.”
Danny sighed, shaking his head. “No you won’t be at work tomorrow. And we’ll spend the night over the weekend if you are feeling up to it.”
“I will,” Steve said. He jerked when Angela called his name. Danny stood to follow him into the back.
“He’s a little nervous,” Danny confided quietly to Angela.
“There’s nothing to worry about, Commander,” she said reassuringly. “Dr. Songe is the best.”
“That’s what Danny said,” Steve said, standing rigidly beside the dental chair.
“You have to sit down, Babe,” Danny said in coaxing.
Steve took a deep breath and slowly lowered himself to the paper covered chair. He was clinching the arms so tightly Danny worried they would snap.
“This is Hannah,” Angela said for Steve’s benefit. “She’s the hygienist that’s going to be helping out Dr. Songe.”
“Detective,” Hannah said to Danny with a smile. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. Steve’s…well,” Danny said with a shrug.
“I understand,” Hannah said, moving so she was in front of Steve. “I need to take x-rays of your mouth. It’ll only take a few minutes. Do you want Detective Williams to stay?”
“No,” Steve said stiffly, finally acknowledging her presence.
“I’ll be right out in the waiting room,” Danny said, a hint of warning in the words.
Steve grunted, looking up at Hannah with an expression that Danny rarely saw on Steve’s face. It was generally reserved for international terrorists and bartenders who tried overcharging them for drinks.
“I’ll let you know when he’s ready for surgery,” Hannah said. If she saw Steve’s jerk in reaction to the word, she made no comment.
“Right,” Danny said, returning to the waiting area. He took out his phone and called the office, Chin and Kono assuring him that everything remained calm. Steve’s crazy-magnet wasn’t attracting any trouble. “Keep me posted.”
“You do the same,” Kono said before they hung up.
With nothing else to do, Danny picked up a nearby issue of Sports Illustrated, surprised it was the latest edition. He wasn’t especially interested in who was predicted to win the Heisman trophy but reading the cover article kept his thoughts safely away from the want simmering under his skin.
“Detective,” Hannah said.
“How’s he doing?” Danny asked, standing to approach. She didn’t have a murderous gleam in her eye so he had reason to believe Steve had been reluctantly cooperative.
“He’s nervous but agreeable. From the looks of it, two of his wisdom teeth are impacted. Dr. Songe will make the final determination, of course. But in most of these cases, it’s best to have all four extracted at once.”
“That makes sense. What did Steve say?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Can you speak to him?”
“He’s gone into a monosyllabic fugue state,” Danny said to her nods. “All right.”
He followed her into the room where a stiff and unhappy Steve sat, rigidly staring out the window. “Hey Babe.”
Steve frowned at him. His expression told Danny everything he needed to know. Steve was angry and unhappy and two seconds from making a break for freedom. He had been staring at the window to determine if it was a viable exit route.
“Do you want to go ahead and have all four extracted while you’re here?” Danny asked, a grounding hand on Steve’s shoulder.
“Mnble…”
“What?” Danny said. “Once again in English. We don’t speak seal.”
“Maybe. I guess,” Steve said unhappily.
“There you go,” Danny said with a nod to Hannah. “Can Dr. Songe give me the prescriptions before she sees Steve?”
“Of course,” Hannah said. “I’ll be right back,” she assured Steve with a pat on his shoulder. She led Danny to the office off the reception area, explaining to Angela what they needed.
“I’ll ask Dr. Songe to sign these right before she begins,” Angela said.
“Thank you. There aren’t many things that affect Steve like this,” Danny said quietly.
“It’s not unusual,” Angela said. “We’ve found that most servicemen don’t like having to sit still long enough to have treatment.”
“That’s about it,” Danny agreed.
“I’ll bring you the prescriptions when they are signed.”
Danny nodded and retreated to the waiting area to return to his disinterested reading of the magazine.
He didn’t know exactly how much time had passed when Angela came out with the prescriptions.
“How’s he doing?” Danny asked, glancing back at the area with the exam rooms.
“He’s doing everything he can to ignore Dr. Songe,” Angela said. “She’s very patient, as you know, and doesn’t take it personally.”
“Good thing,” Danny said, looking down at the prescriptions.
“Does the Commander have trouble with either of these medications?” she asked.
“No. He’s taken them before. Why?”
“You look…worried,” Angela said.
“No, no. I’ll go get these filled.”
“All right,” Angela agreed. “It will take about 45 minutes for the procedure.”
“Right,” Danny said, going to the door. “You have my cell phone number in case you need me.”
“He’ll be fine,” she assured him.
He nodded and left.
~0~
“I’m back,” he told Angela when he’d returned to the office.
“Hi,” she said.
“How’s Steve doing?”
“Knocked out cold,” she said. “Dr. Songe is finishing up. You’ll be able to take him home in about half an hour. Hannah will come and get you when the coast is clear.”
“I’ll need to be there when he wakes up.”
“It’s a common concern with veterans,” Angela agreed.
“Thanks,” Danny said, sitting back in the chair he’d left before his errands. He nodded to an older man waiting in the chair across the way.
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” the man asked kindly.
“What’s that?” Danny asked.
“Waiting for someone you love. When there’s nothing you can do to help.”
“Yeah,” Danny agreed, wondering if it was written on his forehead: Blindly in love with a giant doofus.
“My Myrtle is having a root canal,” the man said with a shake of his head. “Tried to pretend it wasn’t hurting her.”
“But you knew better,” Danny said.
“Naturally. You always see when you look through the eyes of love.”
“Mine is having his wisdom teeth extracted,” Danny said.
“Then he’ll be just fine,” the man said knowingly. He studied Danny for a moment, tilting his head to one side. “Have we met?”
“I don’t believe I’ve had the privilege,” Danny said, standing and offering his hand. “Danny Williams.”
“Theodore Hermann,” the man said with a firm handshake. “You look awfully familiar.”
“I guess I have one of those faces,” Danny said with a smile.
“Possibly,” Mr. Hermann said. He nodded toward Hannah when she came to the door of the reception area. “She’s here for you?”
“She is,” Danny agreed, turning to look down at Mr. Hermann. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Thank you,” Mr. Hermann said.
“How’s he doing?” Danny asked as he approached Hannah.
“Still asleep. He’ll be coming around very soon. Angela reminded us that you need to be with him.”
“I’m pretty sure he won’t go into SuperSEAL mode but he might be confused about where he is.”
“You don’t have to explain,” she assured him as they went into dimly lit recovery room. “We’ve had plenty of experience with veterans.”
“That’s what Angela said,” he agreed, looking down at Steve who was sleeping slack jawed. He was drooling a little, his breathing deep and steady. He looked a bit like a chipmunk with all the gauze packed into his mouth. “Thanks,” he said to Hannah.
“Angela will hear you if you need anything,” Hannah said, handing him a small soft cloth. He waited until she’d left the room to wipe up the drool, glad it wasn’t bloody. Not that he’d mind the blood but knowing Steve wasn’t bleeding was reassuring. Choking was a real threat he had to watch out for.
After cleaning up Steve’s chin, Danny sat on a stool next to Steve’s chair. Steve’s right arm was on the arm of the chair and Danny picked up his hand to hold it in his own. Even slack from medically induced sleep, Steve’s hand felt powerful and sure. Strong and protective. Danny stroked the back of it, careful to avoid the Band-Aid that covered where the drug had been inserted.
Steve’s jerk transmitted through their hands, although Danny hadn’t needed to feel it. He’d been watching Steve for the first sign of returning consciousness.
“You’re safe, Babe,” Danny said soothingly. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Steve blinked sleep-heavy eyes, trying to focus on his surroundings. Danny knew the tension in Steve’s hand was from uncertainty.
“I’m right here,” Danny assured him.
Steve blinked again, turning his head enough to look up at Danny. His face relaxed minutely even his body remained on red alert.
“Do you know where you are?” Danny asked.
“Uhn,” Steve grunted. It sounded a little like a yes. There was no question in it.
“You know who I am,” Danny said, sure he was right.
“Uh-huh,” Steve agreed, tentatively moving his jaw.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were,” Danny warned.
“Uhn,” Steve grunted. He flinched, the pain flaring up from the combination of the surgery and the fact that his mouth had been held wide open for much longer than normal. “Uhn?” Steve was pointing at his watch, trying to focus on it.
“You were out for about 40 minutes,” Danny said. “We can go home in 20 minutes or so. As soon as Dr. Songe and her staff are sure you’re not going to choke on your own blood. And you aren’t going to have any reaction to the anesthesia.”
“Uhn.” Steve closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose.
“Overall, how are you feeling?”
Steve managed to open his eyes enough to glare up at Danny.
“I’ll take that as ‘I feel like shit,’” Danny translated.
“Uhn,” Steve confirmed, pointing at Danny’s chest with his left hand.
“My fault. You’re right. I should have let you pull out your own wisdom teeth with a wrench and garroting wire.”
“Uhn,” Steve agreed. Amazing how smug he could sound when he was unable to talk.
“How are we doing?” Dr. Songe asked brightly when she came it. She was a tiny Hawaiian native, as chipper and bright as the infernal sunshine that tried to drive Danny insane.
“He woke up about five minutes ago,” Danny said.
“Right on time,” Dr. Songe said in approval. She held her fingers to Steve’s left wrist, counting with her watch. “Pulse is a little fast. That’s understandable. May I check your pupils?” she asked Steve, showing him her pin light.
He nodded, trying not to react when she shone her light in his eyes.
“Good. Equal and responsive. Any nausea? Dizziness?”
Steve shook his head with each question.
“Very good. You’ll need to return in three weeks to have the sutures removed.”
“Sutures?” Danny repeated, Steve glaring up at him.
“The bottom two teeth were very deep. We had to put in several stitches so the gums would heal properly.”
“I see,” Danny said. “Does that complicate recovery?”
“Not for someone as healthy as the Commander,” Dr. Songe said. “It will make eating difficult for a couple of days. Soft foods only. It will all be in the aftercare instructions Hannah will provide.”
“Right,” Danny said.
Dr. Songe looked back at Steve, checking his pulse one last time before nodding in satisfaction. “Detective Williams will be able to take you home in 20 minutes.”
Steve nodded, closing his eyes in order to pretend he was no part of the conversation taking place above him.
“Do you have any questions or concerns?” she asked Danny.
“No. I remember what I have to look for. Fever, sweating, dizziness, bleeding.”
“Exactly. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any concerns.”
“I will,” Danny assured her. “I’ll keep a close eye on him.”
“You are a good friend,” she said, patting his shoulder before sweeping out of the room.
“Uhn,” Steve said, pointing over his shoulder with his left hand. He’d made no effort to extract his right hand from Danny’s, curling his fingers more tightly around the smaller ones.
“What?” Danny asked.
Steve shifted before pulling his phone out of his pocket. She’s right you are good friend
“Thank you, Babe. It’s not anything you wouldn’t do for me.”
TAKE ME HOME
“You heard Dr. Songe. You’ll be released in 20 minutes.”
m fine take em homw
“I’m sure you are fine but you aren’t a member of the medical profession. Dr. Songe said 20 minutes so we’re waiting 20 minutes.”
:-(
“Very adult,” Danny laughed when he saw the emoticon.
Steve reached over for Danny’s phone, going directly to his photos. He almost smiled when he got to the photo album, thumbing through the photos of Grace.
“I put them on your phone, you goof,” Danny said, taking Steve’s phone from his lap.
“Uhn,” Steve said, showing Danny the first of three pictures that hadn’t yet been transferred.
“I only took them this weekend. Which you would have known if you’d answered your phone instead of pretending you didn’t have a toothache.”
Shutup Steve texted from Danny’s phone to his own.
“Stop being cranky,” Danny said.
Im recovering no tcrankyh
“I see,” Danny said. “I automatically have to put up with it because you had surgery.”
Yep
“You’re going to be insufferable, aren’t you?”
yep
“Well at least you’re honest about it.”
Yep
Danny could only laugh and shake his head. “I’m going to call Chin and Kono and let them know.”
Grace?
“She’s still in school. I’ll call when she’s home.”
Steve nodded, watching as Danny called the office. Danny relayed all the information to Chin and Kono, assuring them that Steve was fine. “Hold on a second,” he requested, frowning at the phone when it buzzed to indicate a text message. Tell them come to dinnner mororw “Steve says to come to dinner tomorrow,” he told them.
“Is he going to be up to it?” Chin asked.
“Does it matter?” Kono answered. “It’s Steve. Even if he doesn’t eat, he needs to see us.”
“Yeah,” Chin agreed. “All right. We’ll come unless you call and tell us not to.”
“Sounds good,” Danny said. After a few more words, they hung up. “They’ll be at your house at 6:30 unless you don’t feel up to it.”
Steve gave him a thumbs up, twisting to try and look over his shoulder.
“What? What are you doing? Planning an unauthorized escape?”
Steve’s frown confirmed that Danny had guessed correctly.
“You are something special,” Danny said with a disbelieving shake of his head.
Steve tried, unsuccessfully, to look innocent as he shrugged.
“How are you doing?” Hannah asked as she bustled into the room. “Dr. Songe said you are making excellent progress.”
Steve gave her a thumb’s up, pointing over his shoulder at the door and freedom.
“He’s ready to leave,” Danny told her unnecessarily.
“I can understand,” Hannah said as she pulled on a pair of gloves. “Let’s get some of this gauze out of your mouth and you can leave very shortly.”
Steve nodded enthusiastically at that.
“Do you want Detective Williams to stay?” Hannah asked, retrieving a small metal basin.
Steve nodded again.
“All right then,” she said. “I know your mouth is sore but open as wide as you comfortably can.”
Steve did it, allowing her to reach in with forceps to gently pull out a roll of blood soaked gauze. Danny looked away. If it had been his blood, he could have handled it. Seeing that much of Steve’s blood out of his body was much harder.
Danny looked down when Steve patted him on the chest, a concerned look on Steve’s face.
“I’m okay,” Danny assured him and Hannah who had paused. She looked a little worried as well. “I’m not going to fall out. Or pass out.”
“If you’re sure,” Hannah said, studying him.
“Positive. We see worse every day on the job.”
“But it isn’t his blood,” she said in understanding.
“It is more often than I’d like,” Danny said.
“Uhn,” Steve grunted in disagreement. Or possibly agreement. It was a little hard to translate, even for Danny.
Sure Danny was all right, Hannah resumed gently pulling out the bloody gauze. Danny averted his eyes as much as possible while still keeping an eye to Steve to make sure he was okay.
“There we go,” Hannah said, setting aside the basin. “How does that feel?”
Steve experimented with carefully moving his mouth. “Bedder.”
“Good,” Hannah said, removing and throwing away her gloves. She pulled a sheet of folded paper from her pocket to hand to Danny. “Aftercare instructions. Pretty straight forward.”
“Right,” Danny said, putting them in his pocket.
“If you aren’t feeling lightheaded, you are free to go,” she told Steve. “Stand up slowly. Don’t rush.” She and Danny helped lever him out of the chair, Danny keeping hold of his hand as he gained his feet. “How’s that?”
“Bedder,” Steve said with a nod. He took a tentative step that turned into enough steps to take him to the far side of the room. He looked solid and in control.
“Very good,” Hannah said. “Remember to call if you have any questions or concerns.”
“We will,” Danny said. With a steadying hand at the small of Steve’s back, Danny led him out of the exam room and into the waiting area. “Still waiting on Myrtle?”
“I am,” Mr. Hermann said. “I see you’ve recovered yours.”
“We’re on the way home,” Danny agreed. “Hope you are soon.”
“Me too,” Mr. Hermann said. “Here. Let me get the door.”
Danny smiled his thanks as the older man pulled the door open, allowing Steve and Danny to enter the bright afternoon sun.
“Ugh,” Steve grunted, holding his hand up to shield his eyes.
“I know, Babe,” Danny said in sympathy as he helped Steve fit into the passenger seat. He opened the glove compartment, taking out a pair of dark sunglasses. “Here. These will help.”
Steve slid them on, resting his head against the rest. “Fanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Danny said, entering the driver’s side. Danny pulled into the street, content to let Steve decide when he wanted to break the silence. Danny could have filled the car with conversation but with Steve having some trouble talking, it didn’t feel right.
“We fid,” Steve said, staring out his window.
“Fid?” Danny asked, glancing over at him.
“Fid,” Steve repeated, interlacing his fingers to demonstrate how they slotted together.
“Oh. We fit,” Danny said.
“Uh huh.”
“This realization just came to you?” Danny asked, a laugh in his voice.
“Shuddup. ‘M recoverin’.”
“Yes you are,” Danny agreed, the laughter still in his voice.
“Shuddup,” Steve repeated. But there was a hint of a smile on his face.
“Whatever you say, dear,” Danny said, patting Steve’s left arm. To Danny’s surprise, Steve entwined his fingers with Danny’s, not letting go. That was fine by Danny. He’d like to have more of them entwined together. And maybe that wasn’t so farfetched an idea as he had thought earlier in the day.
They remained in easy silence in the short amount of time it took to arrive at Steve’s house. Danny rushed around the hood, glad Steve had sense enough to wait before trying to storm the front porch. “Here,” Danny said, extending his hand to help Steve stand.
“Fanks,” Steve said, keeping his grip tight as they walked up to the house. Danny unlocked the door and punched in the code, leading Steve directly to the couch. Steve tried to half-heartedly veer toward the sunroom but Danny successfully stopped him.
“You’re not going outside. Not yet. Antibiotics and the sun don’t mix. Plus you have a headache,” Danny reminded him before depositing him on the couch.
“Wader?” Steve asked, squinting up at Danny, the sunglasses discarded on the end table.
“Coming right up,” Danny agreed, going into the pantry for a bottle that hadn’t been refrigerated, knowing from personal experience it would be easier for Steve to drink it at room temperature. “Here you go,” Danny said when he returned with it. It was with some relief that he found Steve laying down, his feet still on the floor.
Steve took the bottle and allowed Danny to remove his flip-flops and put his feet up with the rest of him. Danny covered him with a light blanket before sitting on the coffee table to study him.
“Whad?” Steve asked.
“Nothing,” Danny said. “You want to watch a movie as you recover?”
“Die Haad,” Steve requested.
“Of course,” Danny agreed with a laugh. “Yippee ki yay.”
“Mudder fudder,” Steve said.
“Mudder fudder,” Danny repeated as he started the familiar movie. “I’m going to go…”
Anything he was going to say was cut off by Steve strong-arming him onto the couch. “Ay down.”
“You’ll rest better by yourself,” Danny said.
“Nuh uh,” Steve said, pulling Danny down so the top half of him was on the couch. “Ay down.”
“All right,” Danny said, kicking off his shoes and pulling his legs up. “That better?”
“Bedder,” Steve said, his chin resting on the top of Danny’s head. “We fid.”
“Yes, we do fid,” Danny had to agree, giving into the inevitable and relaxing back against Steve’s warm, hard, delicious body.