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Steve stood his hip resting on the edge of Grace’s bed. Long fingers brushed her bangs back from her face, a fond smile on his face.
“Looks like you need a haircut, Graceface.” He spoke softly. “I’ll remind mommy when I talk to her tonight.”
He nestled his hip higher on the bed, taking the weight off one foot and settled in to chat with his favorite little lady.
“I guess you’re wondering why I’m here now, right? I’m way earlier than I should be.” he slipped his fingers under Grace’s small hand and lifted it onto his knee, his other hand moving to stroke hers softly. “The others are all on the other side of the island chasing down a bad guy. I couldn’t go with them I was in a meeting with the Governor.” He shrugged as if he had forgotten she couldn’t see him. “I had to pass the hospital on my way to see Danno, so I thought I’d stop by to have lunch with my favorite girl.”
“I can’t lie to you baby.” Steve sighed softly. “That’s not entirely true, Grace face. I’ve been difficult.” He looked down at their hands, “Your Danno and I have been going through a rough patch lately. It’s my fault. Danno has been really patient with me. I’m sad that I have kept you away from him….”
He sat ramrod straight, his body perfectly still, watching closely. “Gracie baby.” He murmured in awe as he watched her fingers moving across the rough skin of his palm. “Can you hear me? Can you hear Uncle Steve?” he leaned down, the fingers of his free hand moving across her fingers. They weren’t moving much, just tiny fluttering strokes, but they were moving. His heart was beating so rapidly he thought it was going to burst out of his chest. Leaning over he pressed the call button, desperate to have someone come into the room and wake her up.
He let her little hand rest in his hand watching her fingers sporadically move against his palm as he continued to talk to her softly, murmuring little things about how much he missed her, and how much he needed her to open her eyes.
“Commander, is everything alright?” Nurse Kelly Hanalea asked as she walked through the door.
“Kelly, she’s waking up.” Steve looked over his shoulder a wide grin splitting his face.
“Her vitals haven’t changed, Commander.” Kelly responded stepping to the other side of the bed, her fingertips on Grace’s other wrist, “What makes you say she is waking?”
“She was stroking my hand.” He lifted his hand a little, indicating Grace’s hand still lying in his.
“Is she still doing it?” Kelly asked as she lifted one of Grace’s eyelids and flicked her pocket torch across it, watching studiously.
“No she’s stopped.” Steve frowned, “But she was doing it for a good minute, maybe two, I didn’t notice straight away.”
“Maybe it was a muscle spasm.” Kelly speculated as she smoothed Grace’s hair back off her forehead.
“It wasn’t a muscle spasm, Kelly, it was Grace, she’s coming back.”
“Well she’s gone back to sleep again now, but I will get Dr Farragut to look her over on his rounds this afternoon.”
“Thank you, Kelly.” Steve murmured. He stood and leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Grace’s forehead. “I’ll be back after work Grace Face, we need to find out what Frodo is up to tonight.”
With that he turned and walked out of the room, a spring in his step and a song in his heart for the first time since the accident.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Steve was in such a good mood he was whistling as he walked into HQ, the oppressive weight that had been suffocating him lifted until he almost felt like himself again.
“You got anything you want to tell me, Babe?” Danny asked from his seat on the sofa in Steve’s room.
“How long have you been back?” Steve frowned, his hands jammed into his pockets as he leaned on the edge of his desk.
“To answer your question, long enough for Rachel to call.” Danny answered, his eyes searching Steve’s face carefully.
“Grace is waking up.” Steve stated with a grin.
“Babe, the doctor has looked her over. Her condition hasn’t changed.” Danny responded flatly.
“It has, D, she was moving her fingers in mine.”
“Sometimes, Steven, if you want something badly enough, you can think yourself into them happening.”
“I did not imagine it, Danny.” Steve moved to sit on the sofa beside him. “I know what I saw and felt.”
“I’ve had Rachel on the phone, Steven.” Danny sighed. “She wanted to know about the audacious claim my boyfriend was making about her daughter.”
“It’s not a claim. I felt her fingers moving.”
“Well if you did, she’s not doing it now.” Danny shrugged.
“Why are you so keen to write her off?” Steve stood and asked angrily.
“I’m not writing her off, I’m looking out for you babe.”
“I’m sorry, you’re looking out for me?” Steve stood straighter.
“You’ve been under a lot of stress lately; I know how badly you want her to wake.” Danny cajoled him.
“I. Did. Not. Imagine. It.” Steve gritted out through clenched teeth.
“No but maybe you wanted it so badly that you convinced yourself that it happened.”
“You know what?” Steve stated his voice flat and emotionless. “Don’t even bother. I can live without the lecture. Don’t you have work to do?”
“I’m not doubting you, Steve.” Danny stood and crossed the room to lay his hand on Steve’s forearm. “I just don’t like seeing you hurt.”
“So the one thing that has made me happy, you tell me I am imagining. Yeah that makes so much sense.” Steve walked around his desk and dropped into his chair. “You’ve got work to do detective.” Steve spoke with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Danny stood watching Steve for long minutes, wondering just how long it would be before Steve really fell to pieces.