Chapter Text
“OK, call me if anything changes.” Danny got back in his car where Steve had been waiting for him, the pair where about to head back to the pallace when Danny had receved a call from his mum. The call had only lasted about five minutes, but in that time Danny had tensed up massively and was tapping his fingers in a pattern, something he only did when something bad was happening out of his contol.
“What was that all about?” Steve looked over todanny. It was clere the frustration and concern on his face, he looked like he was trying to figer out an impossable puzzle. After a minute or two of silece steve started the car and started to drive off.
After taking a deep breath Danny replyed “It’s my dad. He had a fall earlier today and fractured his hip. Both my sisters are away at my cousin’s bridal party, and Mum didn’t want to ruin it for them, but she needs help.”
“I take it you’re flying over then?” It seemed like the simple answer, but he could tell there was something else in the mix.
“I wish I could, but I’ve got Grace for the next two weeks.” Steve had forgotten Rachel had taken Charlie to visit her family back in England, and as much as Grace was old enough to take care of herself for a couple of hours, she couldn’t stay home alone for as long as Danny’s mum needed help. “I can’t just take her out of school. I could be out there for weeks depending on how much help my dad is needing, and that’s not fair on her. I just wish there was a way for me to be in two places at once.”
“What’s the plan with your parents?” Steve took the slower-moving chance to look back over at Danny, who was clearly racking his brain for ideas.
“I think they’re going to call my sisters and ask if they can cut their trip short. But even together i think they might strugle if they have to help move him around.” Danny was stairing out the rindow fingeting with the hems of his sleaves.
“Why don’t you phone Rachel and ask if she’s OK with me and the team watching Grace?” It seemed like the obvious answer to the problem. Grace had been dating Will for almost a year, and she had grown close to Lou and his family in that time, and she had known Chin and Kono since Danny joined the team all those years ago. And Steve liked to think Grace enjoyed spending time with her Uncle Steve as much as he enjoyed being around her. “She’s known us for years, and I’m sure she’d like to spend some time with Will-with me or Lou there as well, of course.”
“That’s really nice of you to offer, but what if a case comes up? She’s got school and activities. Honestly, Steve, I feel like you’re attacked in your house at least once a month, and I really don’t want Grace to have to see something like that.” That last one felt like a bit of a low blow, but he understood why Danny was concerned. Steve did have a knack for pissing off the wrong person and it leading to a not-so-friendly home visit.
“It’s not once a month. The last time someone broke in was in September.” Not until the words left his mouth did he realise how strange that sentence was. The fact that Danny probably hadn’t been joking about his conserns about Steve being atacked while watching grace dawned on him and so Steve changed his approach. “Anyway, I’m sure Ranee wouldn’t mind taking her to school if a case came up, as long as you where ok with. Same with any other activities, and I’m happy to stay at yours until you’re back, it wouldnt be the first time i’d crashed on you’re couch. Just think about it. But maybe decide before your sisters get called back from their trip.”
“You know how I get with Grace it’s not that i don’t trust that she would be ok with you but she’s never been withough me or Rachel for more than a night at a time and I have no idea what help my dad will be needing or how long I’d need to stay with him.”
“Thats a shit excuse and you know it,” Danny moved to interupt him but steve grabed dannys arm shutting him up. It may have been blunt but Steve knew about Danny’s tendancy to get in his own head about things and sometimes he just needed to be told bluntly. “Gracy is competent and responsable, she can take care of herself, however with everyone we know, and trust, who all see you and you’re dughter as ohana there is going to be no point where she will need to.
“I can’t ask this of all of you,”
“First of all dipshit, you at no point asked.”
“I Know, but-” Steve lowerd his hand from Danny arm to his hand shitting Danny up once agein.
“No! no buts just listen. If you go into the palace and say to the team ‘I wouldnt want to burden you by asking you to spend time with my amazing daughter who you all love,’ Kono and Lou both most likely will punch you and Chin would have a long, stern conversation with you about the meaning of the word team. Family help each other even if one of them is to stuborn to ask for help when they need it.” After saying this Steve let go of Dannys hand as if giving him permition to respond.
Danny relises it would be an impossibale arugument to win, not only because hes arguing with Steve, but also because Steve was right. Somehow, since moving to this island Danny had maneged to seround himself in some of the most caring, family driven people he had ever met, people who would be offended he is doubting there ability to be there for him and his daughter. “Thank you, Steve. I’ll call Rachel when it’s a better time for her time zone, and I’ll let you know.” Danny turned to face steve for the first time since they got in the car. They pulled into the pallace carpark before hedding for the lift.
“All right then, let’s go in and we’ll tell the rest of the team whats hapening.”
Later that night
Danny made the call to Rachel. He was paceing the length of his living room, he had prepared himself for a fight for Rachel to tell him that there was no way Danny was to leve their teenage daughter in the care of his work buddys. That was probably what he would have siad if the situation was reversed however, he took time to consider there new dynamic. Since Charlie had been born the pair had been much more civil that right after their divorce, wether it was the time they spent together while Stan and Rachel where on a brake or somthing compleatly diferent Danny didnt know but he hoped it would matter in this situation.
Luckily for Danny there was no fighting at all, Rachel did need a bit of reasurance that they had coverd all basses and there was a plan for if somthing came up where all of five-0 was needed for a task, but onece she had been reasured she told Danny to go help hus parents. Danny’s mum and Rachel had got on like a house on fire ever since they met they adored eachother, a dinamic verry diferent that the one between Danny and his ex mother-in-law. Before Danny had hung up Rachel had him assure her that he would call with updates on his dad and send her love to his mum before they when next they talked.
Feeling much beter now that coversation was over with he made a call to his mum. Due to the diferent timezones he was unsiprised to get her voicemale and decided it would be easyer to leve her a text mesage. After what felt like a million times of deleting and rewrighing the same sentance he finaly sent it. “I’m flying home after I drop grace at school tomorow morning, she’s going to stay with Steve while I’m with you’s. I’ll get a taxi from the airport to the hospital and meet you’s there. Also, Rachel and Charlie send there Love”. He hoped that would be enugh that his mother wouldn’t fret over Grace to much and wouldnt think she had to leve the hospital to meet Danny.
After settiling all of that, he ordered all of Grace’s favourite foods from the local 24-hour supermarket, then sat down to make a list of her homework, chores, and after-school activities. That way, when Steve got there the next day, all he would have to do was spend time with Grace and cart her around to her various activities. Somthing Danny knew his partner would have no issue doing for Grace. by the time he had done all this and packed his bags it was closer to 2 AM and danny was nocked out for the rest of the night.
It was a rush in the morning. To be fair, it always was. Grace and Danny were both not morning people, and they both liked to get as much sleep as possible. This almost always led to the two of them running about like headless chickens, trying to make sure they didn’t forget anything before getting in the car—and today was no different.
Today, once the two of them had gotten themselves ready and into the car, Danny had to let Grace know what was going on. Grace had always been able to read Danny. He supposed he must be a pretty easy person to read, as it wasn’t just Grace that had that skill, and once Grace got in the car, she immediately asked what was going on.
“You remember what I said yesterday about how Grandad had been hurt and needed a bit of extra help for the next little while?” he asked, receiving a nod. He knew his daughter was no longer a little kid and would be fine if he told her more in depth what was actually happening; however, he didn’t want to burden her with the worry of how serious an injury like this could be. “Well, both your aunties are away on holiday, and Granny asked if I could come help her make the house better suited for Grandad so she didn’t need to interrupt their holidays.”
“Am I going with you then?” Grace interrupted him. “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologise—that’s what I was getting at anyway. Would you be OK if Uncle Steve came to stay with you here for a bit while I’m gone? It may be a week or two, depending on how Grandad is, and you can come if you’d prefer that. But just letting you know in advance, it’ll be incredibly boring, and I don’t think either of us want you to fall behind at school.”
“I’m happy to stay with Uncle Steve, but you need to phone every day, and I want to talk to Granny and Grandad when you’re with them. Deal?”
“It’s a deal.”
“While I’m gone, can you keep to your normal routine? You’re welcome to go to Will’s a bit more if Uncle Lou and Auntie Ranee say it’s OK, and Ranee has agreed to take you to school if Steve gets held up with a case—but hopefully that doesn’t happen.”
“That sounds good.” Grace was nodding her head, but her hands were mimicking what Danny had been doing yesterday, a nervous habit she had definitely picked up from her dad.
“If anything comes up, I’m only a phone call away, OK? If you want me to, I’ll get on the next plane home, or we can arrange for you to come to New Jersey—up to you.” This seemed to reassure Grace at least a bit as she nodded her head. “I’ve made a list for Uncle Steve on the fridge with the things you need to do, and I stocked the fridge with some food you like, but there’s money in the kitchen drawer if you want to get takeout. I think that’s everything.”
A couple of minutes later, Danny pulled into the school car park, and before getting out, Grace turned to hug her dad.
“I love you, Danno. Make sure you call if something comes up.”
“’Course I will, Monkey.” He pulled Grace into a closer hug, accepting this was the last time he’d see his daughter for at least a week. “I love you, Gracy. I’ll phone you as soon as I land to check up.”
He let go of her and waved as she headed into school.
“Hey, Steve,” he got his voicemail. It’s not uncommon for Steve to not be able to answer his phone, especially while working, but it did worry Danny slightly that they might be on a case. “I’m on my way to the airport now. Grace has the spare key at school with her, and I put a list of her homework and extra-curriculars on the fridge. She’ll probably do the homework herself, but if you get the chance to remind her, sometimes she really does just forget. And Grace knows everything she needs for all her activities, so she just needs a lift there and back. Oh, and I stocked the fridge before I left, and Grace quite likes to cook her own dinner. All right, love you, and give Grace a hug for me when you pick her up. Phone me if anything at all comes up, and I’ll call you once I’ve got my dad situated. Thank you for this—I really do owe you one.”
The message he had left had everything running through his head again. He really hoped Steve and Grace would be OK. Of course they would be OK—it was a stupid thing to think. This was Steve he was on about. Mr Super SEAL. The man who would go around checking on the rest of his team with an untreated gunshot wound to the shoulder. He had gotten Danny through the devastation of learning Charlie wasn’t his, along with all the other things their rollercoaster of a friendship had brought up. If Danny had to trust anyone with the safety of his daughter, realistically Steve would be his first choice by a mile. Despite the mental reasurance he was trying to give himself his deathgrip on the stearing weel continued.
Now that Danny had partialy convinced himself Grace would be OK, he had his dad to worry about. It was only now dawning on him that the information he had got from his mum had been minimal. He didn’t know anything other than the fact his dad had fallen, fractured his hip, and was required to stay in hospital for a couple of nights. What had caused the fall? Had he just tripped, or was there something else going on? He spent the rest of the drive worrying about his dad, trying to figure out why he had to stay in hospital for so long—whether it was just because his dad was older, or whether the fall had resulted from, or been the result of, other issues. Wow, Danny hated his brain. He knew his overthinking had kept him, his family, and his team out of potentially harmful situations, but God, he really did hate the fact that all he could come up with were the worst possible outcomes for every situation life put him in.