A/N: So. I hadn't planned on finding any story ideas for a while, but I was digging through a folder of fic notes, and found some information that didn't work for another fandom, but really seems to work here. There will be DannyWhump, along with Team and Grace angst. I hope you enjoy!

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The scene on the small plane looked like something out of a disaster movie. There were bodies scattered in every available seat, trying to rest from what almost was a tragic end to a tough arrest.

Chin had a small bandage over his left eyebrow, and was holding a cold pack to his temple. Steve was taping the final corner of gauze covering a painful gash on Danny's arm. He tried to take a look at the rapidly swelling lump on his friend's head, but as soon as he was finished with his arm, Danny shrugged him off. Danny turned the tables and grabbed the scissors, slicing through the fabric on Steve's sleeve, revealing a large bruise just below his shoulder.

Kono limped towards the back of the plane, trying to walk the stiffness from her knee. She had landed wrong on the concrete, bruising the bone just enough to be horribly painful, but not leave any lasting damage. She was one of the lucky ones.

"Damn, that was too close." Steve shook his head as he tossed Danny another cold pack. "I hate being blindsided like that."

Steve winced as he pressed his own icy gel pack onto his upper arm. "Shit. That hurts."

While Kono took a quick peek at the bruise, Danny quipped, "You think? That's bound to happen when you get nailed with a metal pipe."

Steve shot him a wave, minus four fingers, while Chin sat back in his seat, chuckling with a hidden sigh of relief. Even though they were banged up and bruised, they had made it out alive.

One by one, the team started to try to relax, and the plane became quiet, save for the roar of the engine. They still had about twenty minutes left of their flight back to Oahu, so they all figured they'd try to relax a little before landing. They hadn't slept much in the week leading up to the bust, so they were all running on fumes.

Steve shook his head as he stared at his best friend seated across from him. This could have ended so badly. They had gotten screwed over by bad intel, and it had nearly cost them their lives. While Danny had his eyes closed, he leaned over and took a closer look at the lump on his best friend's head. It was still very swollen, and he knew that it had to hurt.

All too soon, the plane started its descent into Oahu. Danny felt the change in cabin pressure and took a deep breath to try and chase the fuzziness from his mind. He blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the cabin lights.

Kono saw him stretching his neck and figured he was sore – hell, they all were. She lightly started rubbing his shoulders, but stopped as she felt Danny cringe and pull away. "Are you okay?" She didn't think she had used too much pressure.

Danny nodded slowly. "Yeah. I don't know…I think maybe my head was just in a weird position while I was resting? My neck is sore and I've got a headache of moderate poundage."

Steve reached down to stow his bag and asked, "Do you want some Advil?"

Danny shook his head as he slipped his water bottle back in his bag. "I think it'll be okay. I'll just get something when we get back to headquarters."

Steve wasn't convinced, but he let it go for now, vowing to make him see the doctor as soon as they landed, if he wasn't feeling any better. He couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, but he could tell that Danny was in more pain than he was letting on.

As they had started their descent, Chin had stood up and headed to the galley for a bottle of water. By the time he had gotten back, the rest of his team was fully awake, their gear packed back up.

Steve looked worried, but shook Chin off as he caught his eye. Chin knew that Steve would talk if he needed to, so he didn't push things.

It took just a few minutes before they were wheels down. Steve had caught Danny rubbing his neck a couple of times, but each time Danny noticed Steve watching him, he gave him what he thought was a reassuring smile.

Steve wasn't fooled, though. He could tell that something was off. Maybe it was just a headache, but he figured he would recruit Chin and Kono if he had to. Danny might be pissed, but the cousins would make sure that he got checked out.

He shouldered his gear and started towards the front of the plane, stooping to grab one of Danny's bags on his way past his seat. He kept walking quickly, knowing that Danny was probably flipping him off right about now. His friend hated when people did things for him, but Steve could tell that he was hurting.

Steve stood on the tarmac and waited for Danny, Chin, and Kono to join him. They had taken a smaller prop plane to island hop – it was supposed to just be a fly over trip to grab their suspect. Fortunately, because of the landing configuration of the airport, they were able to land and deplane right next to the parking lot.

While he was standing there, he replayed the details of the bust in his mind. The more he thought about the last twelve hours, the more he realized that there was nothing else that they would or should have done differently. It didn't stop him from worrying about his team, though.

They came out of this mission more banged up and bruised than normal. Thanks to his attempt at screwing the team over, Kai Markea would not be enjoying freedom any time soon, and would become intimately familiar with the walls inside of Halawa Prison. He had tried to be the big man setting Five-0 up for an ambush, but it backfired - he would spend the vast majority of the rest of his life staring at the same four walls. The team would make sure of that.

Steve caught sight of Danny walking down the steps of the plane. He could see that his face was pinched in pain – much worse than even five minutes earlier. Kono was in front of him, and Chin had a hand on his shoulder, steadying him as he slowly plodded down the steps. Steve quickly jogged back to meet Danny at the bottom and immediately pulled one arm over his shoulder. He quickly became alarmed when Danny didn't complain about the assist.

Chin quickly took his other arm, and between the two men, they practically carried him the short distance to the truck. He tossed the bags into the back and helped Danny into the passenger side as Kono and Chin climbed into the back seat. Once they were secure, Steve quickly sat behind the wheel and started the car into traffic.

He drove quickly yet carefully towards Queens Medical Center, knowing that Danny needed to get to the hospital as swiftly as possible. In hindsight, he wondered if he should have called an ambulance, but Danny kept insisting it was just a headache. Glancing to his right, he could see Danny with his eyes closed and his head resting on the back of the seat. Subtly, he pressed on the gas just a little more, wanting to get him to the ER sooner, rather than later.

Thankfully, it didn't take them too long before they were at the entrance. They had to park at the end of the sidewalk, thanks to the two ambulances right in front. Steve didn't even bother with the bags as he hurried to open the door, doing a double-take as he caught sight of Danny. He was unnaturally pale and sweaty, seemingly from the pain in his head.

Steve helped him out of the car, and he took one side, while Chin took the other. Gingerly, they started towards the Emergency Room doors, feeling Danny start to sag with every step.

"Fuck, Steve…my head…" Danny's voice was barely a whisper.

"I know, D. We're almost there." Steve was becoming more and more anxious – he needed Danny to hang on just a little while longer…they were almost inside.

"Steve, I…" Without warning, his knees buckled and he nearly hit the floor. Steve managed to catch him before he dropped, and as Kono hurried ahead for help, he and Chin quickly followed her through the doorway. Danny's eyes remained closed; his head dropped forward, and Steve and Chin both wished that he would have groaned from the way he was jostled about, but he stayed still.

They burst through the doors and were immediately met by a bevy of medical personnel. As quickly as they could, they relayed what information they knew. There had been an altercation during the bust; they never saw specifically what happened to Danny, but knew that he boarded the plane with a knot on his head, which seemed to get a little bigger over time. He had been conscious and talking on the way home, and only complained of a headache right before they landed.

The doctors quickly ushered the team from the room as they started the numerous tests that would be run. They hurriedly got Danny changed into a gown, and an IV started. They pushed fluids, as his blood pressure was lower than they would have liked. They also tightened an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, trying to stabilize his vital signs.

They readied him for an immediate CT scan, and Steve was not surprised when they wheeled him from the room not too long after Danny had been rushed in. He could only stand and stare down the hallway. They could ask him to wait in the waiting room, but there was no way he was leaving. He wanted to be able to see when his teammate returned.

He must have stood there for close to twenty-five minutes before the feel of Chin's hand on his shoulder startled him momentarily. He had been so focused on what was happening with Danny that he never heard his friend come up behind him. He turned to where Chin and Kono were standing and shook his head. "This never should have happened…I should have seen…"

Chin held up one hand. "Don't even finish that sentence. We all saw him. He seemed fine on the plane. He's had bumps and bruises before – we all have – and never had anything like this happen. This was not your fault, and there was nothing that you should have done differently, so stop beating yourself up."

"I know, but…" Steve just turned and faced the hallway again. He didn't even want to imagine an ending to that sentence.

"He's going to be okay, Steve. He has to be." Danny had a hell of a lot to fight for. Rachel had recently relaxed their custody agreement, and Danny now had Grace at least three days a week, sometimes more. So now he had to fight some unknown medical battle of his own, just when he had some happiness in his life? It just didn't seem fair.

Before he could dwell on that too much, they were wheeling Danny back from his scan. The doctor motioned for Steve to follow them, knowing that he held his medical proxy. He left, tossing Chin and Kono an anxious look before he followed the gurney inside.

"How is he? Is he going to be okay?" Steve hated how pale Danny was – he practically blended into the sheets.

"I won't lie to you, Commander McGarrett. He's suffered a fairly severe concussion and is still unconscious. He does have some swelling in his brain that we're concerned about. The next twelve to twenty-four hours are going to be crucial for him." Dr. Keane glanced at the monitors and wrote the numbers down in her chart.

"I don't understand…he seemed fine on the plane; he only complained of a headache as we started to land…how did this happen?"

The doctor finished her assessment of Danny and turned to face Steve. Her eyes were sympathetic. "It could have been any number of things, Commander. Head injuries can worsen over time, which seems to be what happened in this case. The change in cabin pressure could have exacerbated the headache, although I think the injury itself is more at fault here. We'll know more when he wakes up."

Steve swallowed thickly as he latched onto her use of 'when' and not 'if'. He had to grab onto something. "Is he moving to the ICU?"

Dr. Keane nodded. "With his head injury, he needs very close monitoring. Normally, you would only be allowed to see him for brief periods every hour. However, I have a feeling you and your team would cause more issues in the waiting room than you would if I let you sit with him, so as long as you keep things very quiet, you may stay with him." She was teasing – they had met her a few times before, and she had gone out on a limb and bent a few rules for the Five-0 team on occasion, knowing just how loyal they were to one another. In a case like this, Danny was bound to need his family around.

Steve motioned for Chin and Kono to stay with Danny while he went and called Rachel. The doctor had shown him to a small family room, so he didn't have to go far. Once he had filled her in on what he knew, he heard Grace in the background asking to talk to him.

He could hear Rachel's unspoken question, and told her to put Grace on the phone. He would do this for his friend. "Hi Gracie."

"Hi, Uncle Steve. I heard mommy talking about Danno – is he okay?"

Steve took a deep breath. "He got a pretty bad bump on his head today. He'll be in the hospital for a little while until his head stops hurting him. You won't be able to see him until they move him into a different room, but I promise that once that happens, I'll come and pick you up, okay?"

He heard Grace's voice hitch, and knew that she was crying. Grace was a smart girl. She knew that if it wasn't too serious, she would have been allowed to come and see him right now, but the fact that nobody was letting her, meant that Danno was hurt really bad. "Uncle Steve? Is Danno going to die?"

"Aww, Gracie, no. He's just going to need some time to get better. Where he is right now, you have to be twelve to visit – you're only ten, so they won't let you in just yet. But sweetheart, I promise you – the minute he can have visitors your age, you'll be the first to get to see him, okay? You can even spend the whole day, if you want. I'll clear it with your mom once Danno's feeling better."

Grace took a couple of breaths and tried to calm down. She knew that Uncle Steve wouldn't lie to her, so maybe Danno would be okay?

Steve reassured her a bit more before seeing Kono out of the corner of his eye. She was gesturing that they were ready to move Danny, so he quickly disconnected the call and rushed into the hallway.

"They're ready to take him up – he'll be in Pod 5 on the third floor. He's still unconscious, and Dr. Keane said that his vitals haven't really changed any."

Steve swore softly and took a deep breath. He really had hoped that with a little time, Danny would have woken up. He and Kono waited as the nurses pushed the gurney down the hall and into the elevator before joining them. Chin had the bag with Danny's things in it, and it didn't take them long before he was settled into his room in the ICU.

Dr. Keane had briefed the ICU physician, Dr. Makah, on Danny's status. She also shared with him Steve's plan to stay with Danny for the foreseeable future. Dr. Makah was fine with it as long as Steve understood the need to clear out should anything happen. He also had dealt with Five-0 over the months, and had seen their fierce loyalty first hand. In medicine, he never doubted the power of family and friends – and he wasn't about to start now.

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Steve wasn't sure just how long he had dozed off once they had settled into Danny's ICU room, but he knew that his neck and back were not going to be too forgiving for a while. Sitting up slowly, he stretched the muscles in his neck until he felt the bones pop back into place. He stayed quiet, noticing that both Chin and Kono had dropped into a restless sleep, but at least it was some rest.

He glanced at the numbers on his watch, pressing the button to illuminate the face. It had gotten quite dark in the two hours since he had gotten up here and eventually dozed off. He could see that Danny hadn't moved. He hadn't really been expecting him to, but he had hoped.

He figured that he'd take a short walk and find some coffee. He knew that he would need the caffeine to get him through the rest of the night. Steve lightly squeezed the back of Danny's hand, and whispered as he stood up. "I'll be right back, Danny. I'm going to go and find some coffee – I'll just be right outside the door, but Chin and Kono are right here." You just keep fighting, okay? We need you back with us, man. I don't want to have to talk to your daughter again and tell her you're not any better, so you just go ahead and wake up.

Just then, Steve felt the briefest of contact against his fingers, making his heart pound in his chest. "Danny? Can you hear me?" The answering squeeze was more deliberate, although very weak. "Danny, that's great. I'm just going to call for the doctor, okay?"

Steve quickly pushed the button and relayed that Danny seemed like he was starting to awaken. Reassured that help was on the way, Steve again grabbed Danny's hand. "Danny, you're okay. I've got you. You're at Queen's. You hit your head pretty hard, and they're just waiting for you to wake up."

Danny's eyebrows furrowed, as if he was in pain; and appeared to be getting more agitated as he awoke.

"Are you having pain right now?" Danny squeezed his hand much harder this time, and a miniscule tear leaked from his eye. Chin and Kono had woken up with the sound of Steve's voice, and were now standing next to Danny's bed. Kono handed him a tissue, and he wiped the tear away placed a hand on Danny's forehead. "Hang in there, brah. The doctor is on his way."

Steve kept up a conversation of familiar words meant to ground Danny, while they waited for the doctor to arrive. It only took a few minutes, but knowing that Danny was in pain, it felt like it took him forever to get there.

Finally, Dr. Makah rushed into the room and flipped on the lights. After questioning Steve about what had taken place over the past few minutes, he approached the head of Danny's bed. He took his penlight and gently lifted each of Danny's eyelids and shone the light into them. He seemed pleased when Danny flinched and deliberately tried to move his head away.

"Danny? My name is Dr. Makah. Can you open your eyes?" When that didn't get a response, he motioned for Steve to try. He leaned closer to Danny's ear.

"D? Open your eyes, man. This whole lazy thing? We're all kind of over it. We really need to see that you're with us. Come on, Danny. Open your eyes."

After a few moments, Danny's eyes began to flutter. He took a deep, sighing breath; groaned softly, and finally managed to get his eyes open and keep them open. He turned towards the sound of Steve's voice and blinked a few times.

Seeing that he was awake, Steve stood up and grinned. He couldn't describe the relief he felt at seeing Danny's eyes opened. Chin and Kono's expression mirrored his, as they were both smiling widely at the sight of Danny's blue eyes blinking and trying to make sense of things. He saw Danny reaching up to grab onto something…anything…and solidly locked his fingers around the thumb on Danny's hand.

Danny's return squeeze was weak, but it was there. "Steve…?" Danny's voice was barely a whisper. "Can you do me a favor?"

Steve was so happy that Danny was awake, he would have done anything he asked. "Anything, Danny. You name it."

Danny closed his eyes for a second. "Can you turn the lights on? It's hard to stay awake in the dark. And I really want to see you guys – make sure I'm not having one of those dreams where you swear you're awake, you know?"

Steve simply stared at him. "Danny…"

"Steve, the lights…can you turn them on, please?" He had turned towards him, but he wasn't staring directly at him. He seemed to be staring near him, instead.

"Danny…brah…"

Something in Steve's voice coolly gripped his heart and slammed it into his gut.

"Danny…the lights are on."

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