Holding Hands

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

The characters of Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua, Adam 'Toast' Charles and anyone else within the story who might sound familiar do not belong to me in any shape or form, I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.

The character of Danni Williams could probably be considered mine by now. Although the character was originally based on male Danny Williams I think it's probably to say that she is now her own individual character. She has her own story and her own individual background now, a background and story which is different from male Danny's story. This also means that Grace is different as well since not only does she live full time with her mother but also because Danni and Duncan have a fairly civil relationship with each other. Grace's surname is also Taylor in this saga as Williams is Danni's maiden name while Taylor was her married name.

The characters of Special Agent Jack O'Connor, Doctor Landon Clayton, Nyla Leon, Hunter Leon and Duncan Taylor do belong to me though.

I should also add that if a character is mentioned who you don't recognise from the show then they probably belong to me as well.

Author Note

Welcome to the last chapter of Holding Hands

This chapter is done from Danni's point of view.

I just like to thank you all for reading my story and would like to give an especially large thank you to anyone who left a review or followed the story or made it into a favourite. I really appreciate the support.

This story was a lot of fun for me to write so I'm hoping that it was just as much fun for you all to read as well.

Anyway, please enjoy this chapter.

Overall Summary

He should have listened to Chin and Danni when they had warned him to step back and look at the situation at hand carefully, instead he hadn't and now both of them were in hospital and it was his fault.

Chapter Summary

"So" Danni murmured huskily, slowly moving her eyes away from the door which her daughter and ex-husband had just walked out of and focusing her attention on her partner instead. She could tell he was anxious about something, his tense body language almost screaming it out but he remain silent, simply staring back at her with a look in his eyes which Danni would almost have called fear if the idea of Steve being afraid of telling her something wasn't almost impossible.

Overall Romance

Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Nyla Leon / Hunter Leon (Hunla)

Past Danni Williams / Duncan Taylor (Dunni)

Chapter Romance

Hints of Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)

Past Danni Williams / Duncan Taylor (Dunni)

Other note

Nearly all the places I have stated within this story are either made up or have been gotten from google so I'm sorry in advance if I've got anything wrong or anything.

Other, other note

There are plenty of other McDanni stories exploring different saga and different ways of how things happened. If you're interest in any of them then please check them out. I'm regularly updating so you shouldn't be waiting too long

Chapter Six

"So" Danni murmured huskily, slowly moving her eyes away from the door which her daughter and ex-husband had just walked out of and focusing her attention on her partner instead. She could tell he was anxious about something, his tense body language almost screaming it out but he remain silent, simply staring back at her with a look in his eyes which Danni would almost have called fear if the idea of Steve being afraid of telling her something wasn't almost impossible.

She was torn, one part of her wishing he would speak and simply tell her what was on her mind while the other larger part of her was enjoying the silence. Her head was aching badly, every slight movement causing a piercing intense pain through her brain as though someone was stabbing it with a sharp instrument of some kind. It hurt and all she wanted to do was to close her eyes and drift back into sleep but she couldn't, at least she couldn't while Steve was clearly in the state he was in.

She shifted unable to hold back the wince the simple action caused her.

"Try not to move Danni" Steve said, reaching and placing his hand on her shoulder, gently easing her back down on the pillow. "I can get you anything which you need." She blinked, watching as he looked towards the door with a frown before he moved back, reaching down and grabbing the nurse button. "Where are they? I saw Taylor press the button" He muttered, pressing hard on the button.

"Steve, they're probably busy" She told him softly, her eyes closing to half mast.

"Yeah well I doubt anyone else here who needs them as much as you do" He retorted the answer causing Danni to sigh before she reached out and covered his hand with hers, using the grip to peel his fingers away from the call button until it fell from his grasp to hang harmlessly to the side of the bed.

"They'll come when they come" She told him, curling his fingers into his palm and patting it gently before pulling her own hand back and letting it fall on top of the starch sheets with a sigh.

"Do you need anything? A coffee? I can go and get you one, there was a machine in the waiting room I think, at least I assume there was because Jack had one earlier on" Steve told her.

"No coffee" She replied. "Just stay Steve, relax" She said, ignoring the way the words were hurting her dry throat making her wonder just how long she had been unconscious for.

She frowned, trying to piece her fragmented memories back together. She could remember a feeling of anxiety which had plagued her for days, anxiety that something would happen to Grace, anxiety for the team and definitely anxiety that Steve would end up doing something which he wouldn't be able to come back from. She remembered working on the case and them gaining a break on it, a break which had seemed too timely to her. She must have said something but there was still a memory of being in her car with Steve, pleading with him to rethink as they headed over to the house. He had ignored her, too wrapped up in whatever thoughts had been plaguing him. She had followed him into the house, gun in hand and then there was nothing, just a blackness in her head.

What had happened in that house?

Were the others okay?

She could see that Steve looked fine if she ignored the look in his eyes and he had mentioned Jack to her and him drinking coffee which meant that the blond man must have been okay as well but he had made no mention of the other members of the team. Were Chin, Kono and Toast okay?

She forced her eyes open and slowly tilted her head to the side, her gaze landing on Steve who was sitting in the chair beside her bed watching her quietly.

"Did I fall asleep again?" She asked him feeling confused.

"Just for fifteen minutes or so Danno" Steve responded, leaning forward. "The nurse came in and said she would be back shortly with the Doctor, he's going to want to ask you some questions." Steve explained before he twisted in the seat and took a plastic cup from the side, the sort of cup which a toddler would use with a straw already attached. "She said you could have some water if you woke and I'm guessing you're probably thirsty. I should have got you to drink the first time round" He admitted, leaning forward and holding the cup out to her. "Small sips Danni"

Danni blinked at the cup, briefly considering whether it was worth arguing with him and pointing out that she was more than capable of holding the cup herself but she pushed the idea away. Steve was already on edge, starting a pointless argument with him would only result in three possible outcomes; either he would storm out of the room and not return or he would remain but go into shutdown mode or he would just pretend she hadn't said anything and do it anyway.

Sighing silently she simply opened her mouth, capturing the straw and took a few sips aware of Steve watching her carefully. She released the straw and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you" She remarked

"You're welcome" He replied, placing the drink back on the surface of the table before he reached out and took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers and holding on tightly as his eyes searched her. She wasn't sure what he was looking for exactly but whatever it was caused him to sigh. "You want answers from me" He stated, a flat tone to his voice.

"More like I have questions and I'm hoping you can answer them for me" She corrected, her voice coming out as a croak.

She heard him swallow, his eyes moving away from hers as he shifted in the chair so he could stare towards the windows. The blinds had been pulled down, leaving the room in a darkness which she was grateful for. She waited patiently, used to the way Steve was when he was gathering his thoughts together.

"Danni, I-"

Danni almost groaned when there was a knock at the door before it opened revealing a good looking man dressed in a white lab coat, underneath he wore a simple pair of black trousers and a crinkled white shirt which looked as though he had slept in it, something which he probably had if he had been on a long shift. Short, dark blond hair covered his head while kind green eyes swept the room before they landed on her.

"Detective Williams it's good to see you're awake" The man stated as he moved into the room followed by two dark haired nurses who came straight to the bed and started checking the readings on the machine. "I'm Doctor Clayton, I've been treating you since you've arrived here" He told her as he picked up the chart from the end of the bed and glanced at it.

"How long have I been here?" Danni asked in confusion, aware of Steve's hand tightening on hers again. Doctor Clayton glanced at the watch on his wrist before he looked back at her.

"You arrived here at two forty in the afternoon and it is now nearly seven in the evening, you've been unconscious for the majority of that time though given your head injury that is little surprise. We're keeping you in hospital for at least three days under observation. I know it may seem like a long time but we like to be through when it comes to any head injuries. We're not too worried about your shoulder injury though, the bullet was a through and through and did little damage. It shouldn't scar but if it does then we can put you in contact with a cosmetic surgeon who could deal with that if need be." Doctor Clayton stated with a tired smile at her.

"I have a head injury" Danni repeated, slowly bringing her hand up towards her head, her fingertips brushing the rough material of a bandage before Steve reached out with his other hand and caught it.

"Don't touch it Danni" He told her, bringing her hand back down before reluctantly letting go though she couldn't help but notice that he kept his grip on her other hand.

"What do you remember about this afternoon Detective Williams?" Doctor Clayton prompted as he moved to the other side of the bed, bending down slightly to listen to whatever it was that the nurse said to him before he nodded and turned his attention back to Danni with a questioning look.

"It's Danni" Danni correctly tiredly.

"Danni it is then" Doctor Clayton said with another flash of his smile. "So this afternoon? What do you remember?"

"I remember the case and going to the suspect's house. We entered and… and then nothing. I don't remember anything after that point" She admitted, tilting her head to look at Steve when he shifted in his seat.

"That's normal, you'll find that as time goes on your memory will come back. How are you feeling in general? Do you feel sick? Is your vision blurry?" He prompted.

"I don't feel sick, my vision is slightly off but I don't know whether that's tiredness, I'm really tired" She told him.

"That's the concussion, you can sleep but we will be doing checks with you every hour which I know from experience can be frustrating but it's something which we have to do. Visiting hours normally end at eight but I get the feeling that your partner here will be staying with you until you're out of hospital. Am I correct Commander?" He questioned, his mouth quirking up when Steve nodded, a stubborn look on his face. "Well in that case I'll see whether the nurses can bring in a gurney that you can sleep on. The last thing any of us needs, especially your partner, is you collapsing through not looking after yourself Commander" Doctor Clayton said. "Your readings are currently good Danni so I'll leave you to rest. I'll be back in about two hours to check on you" He told her, nodding towards the two of them before he turned and left the room, one of the nurses going with him while the second one remained behind.

"Doctor Clayton is happy for you to eat something tonight so I'll bring you a menu later on and you can make a choice about what you can eat. You won't be on solids food until tomorrow but there are a few things on the list which are surprisingly tasty which you may enjoy" She said with a smile at them both. "If you need anything then press the button and one of us will be with you as quickly as we can."

"Thank you" Danni called after her as the nurse moved around the bed and to the door.

"You're welcome" She replied back over her shoulder before she exited the room leaving Steve and Danni alone together.

"Do you want some more water?" Steve asked her before Danni could say anything. She nodded, letting him hold it again as she took a few more sips before she leaned back on her pillow and spoke.

"What happened in that house Steve?"

Steve remained silent for a moment as though he was considering her question before he spoke.

"What happened was the fact that you and Chin were right" He told her, leaning back in his chair. "The whole thing was a set up to get us all there in the building just like you thought it was. Minutes after we arrived we were ambushed and you were…" his voice trailed off for a moment before he set his shoulders and continued his explanation. "You were shot in the shoulder like the Doctor said, the impact staggered you back and you slipped and fell back. There was a marble fireplace behind you and your head struck it hard. You've been out cold since that moment until you woke up a short time ago. We were beginning to think…" He shook his head, his thumb stroking her back of her hand though Danni had the feeling that her partner was unaware of the slight action.

"If we were ambushed then how are the others? Are they all safe? As anyone else injured?" She demanded, unable to keep the fear from her voice.

"Everyone made it out of the building alive or rather the people who mattered did" Steve assured her. "Chin was shot in the leg while he was covering Kono. They had to perform surgery on it but he came through it with flying colours and is currently down the hall from you bemoaning his fate. Turns out that Chin isn't the greatest of patients. He's in for a tough few months with physio but he'll make a full recovery. Kono, Jack and I are fine though, none of us had any injuries from the encounter."

"Good" Danni said tiredly, allowing some of the tension to ease out of her. "I'm glad that no one else was seriously hurt. I need to see Chin though, I need to know he's okay with my own eyes." She told Steve who nodded at her, leaning forward in his chair as he placed his free hand on her uninjured shoulder and pushed her back down again like he had done earlier.

"I'll speak to Doctor Clayton next time he's here and ask him if we can visit him tomorrow. I'll wheel you down in a wheelchair or something. He's not alone though, Kono was with him and his sister has probably joined them as well, she was coming off shift when we arrived" He answered in response to her questioning look.

"It could have been a lot worse from the sound of it, maybe next time you'll listen to us when we tell you something" She remarked, her mouth curving into a smile which quickly disappeared when she caught sight of the look on anguish which crossed Steve's features before it was hidden beneath his usual Seal mask, the same one which revealed nothing of what he was thinking. "Hey now, I was just joking with you" She said, squeezing his hand with a look of concern.

"Joking or not Danni you're right" Steve said stiffly. "I should have listened to both you and Chin when you spoke up back at the Headquarters. I picked the two of you for my team because I knew how good you both were at your jobs. I chose you because I respected you and your opinions and yet when push comes to shove I ignored what you were telling me. I decided that… well it was my decision which caused this situation to happen. I'm the reason you and Chin are where you are now. If I had just listened then none of this would have occurred and we wouldn't be here in the hospital."

Danni watched him for a second before she sighed.

"If that's how you feel then I'm glad that this happened, it makes getting hurt almost worth it." She told him, unable to keep the small smile which came to her face when he swung his head round so fast that for a moment she thought he may have suffered from whiplash. A rare look of disbelief on his face as though that had been the last thing he had expected her to say to him.

"Danni? What are you…?" He began to say, stopping when she interrupted him, lifting her hand and holding it up in a classic stop sign.

"You heard what I said Steve" She stated tiredly. "If things had remained the same then we would have found ourselves in the same situation countless more times and that's not a good thing Steven, the last thing we want is to end up with our own room in the hospital where everyone knows our names. That would mean the Governor would have to give the hospital money and then we would all have to attend benefits and we both know how you feel about having to dress up in a monkey suit and go to that sort of thing." She remarked, relieved to see the almost unwilling smile which came to Steve's face at her comment.

"I could do benefits if it meant you getting the best care" He responded, squeezing her hand.

"You're amazing when you're out in the field" She told him as she changed the subject, a serious note coming to her voice. "There is no one I know who I would rather follow into battle than you Steve. I'm always going to have your back for as long as I can and when we're out there, doing our thing, then what you say goes without question"

"But?" Steve prompted when Danni fell quiet for a moment.

"But the rest of what our job entails… that you're not so good at" she admitted with a shrug, wincing when her shoulder gave a stabbing pain at the simple movement. She ignored it and continued speaking. "And it's okay that you aren't because that's why you have me as your partner and your second in Command. You don't get the behind the scene stuff and you don't have the patience that it takes to build up the connections needed to get it done but I do. That's why we fit so well as partners because we can balance each other out. I'm not as big or physically strong as the rest of the team are. I know that and I know on that side of things I'm a big liability and the team's weakest link but I know it and I'm trying to improve so that I can hold my own if the need to ever arose. The fact that you can acknowledge your weakness and where you went wrong is a big thing because even a month ago you wouldn't have done that. I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me" Steve repeated with a shake of his head. "You should be kicking my ass Danni, not telling me that you're proud of me. I'm the reason you're in here"

"Partially you're the reason" Danni corrected. "But unless you were the one who shot me then you're not responsible for my injury, as for me falling and hitting my head. Well that was more dumb luck than anything else. Yes, you should have listened to Chin and I when we told you that this was a trap but you didn't and as a result we were hurt but we're both going to be fine. Just take this lesson to heart and the next time something like this happens where someone we're chasing does his homework on us and attempted to use it against us then just come and talk to Chin or me and listen to what we're telling you instead of going on a one man crusade. If we say that it's not a good idea and that we need to look for another solution then that is what we'll need to do. There's no need for you to throw yourself onto the pyre of martyrdom quite yet okay?" She stated softly.

Steve remained quiet for a moment, watching her face closely with a look she hadn't seen before, before he nodded at her.

"Okay Danni" He answered.

"Good" Danni responded. "I feel like I should warn you that once Chin and I are both back at the office, we'll be sitting the rest of you down and giving you another training session on proper police procedure and this time Commander McGarrett you are going to attend the whole thing. I don't want to hear any excuses from you saying that the Governor needs you or anything. I will call her directly if I have to, to warn her what is occurring" She said.

"I'll be there" Steve stated dryly, squeezing down on her hand.

Danni glanced towards the door when it opened, a smile coming to her face when Grace peered around the corner of it before her face lit up and she entered the room, holding a small bag carefully in her hands.

"We're back now Mamma, how are you feeling? Any better? I got you a chocolate muffin. Me and Daddy asked the nurse outside and she said that if you were good you may be able to eat it for brekkie tomorrow, how cool is that. I never get muffins for breakfast" Grace stated as she ran to the side of the bed.

"You do get to eat pancakes on Sunday often with chocolate chips" Duncan pointed out from where he stood in the doorway, watching the scene with a raised eyebrow.

"Pancakes aren't muffins Daddy" Grace stated seriously before she turned her attention towards Steve. "I got you a muffin as well Mr Steve, yours isn't chocolate though because there was only one chocolate one left so I got it for Mamma but I got you a blueberry one because I remember Mamma saying once that you liked blueberries" She told him, opening up the back and taking out the chocolate muffin which she placed carefully on the table to the side of Danni before she held out the bag to Steve with a waiting look.

Steve took it from her, staring down at it with a surprised look before he spoke.

"Thank you Grace, I do love blueberries" He admitted quietly.

"Danni, the office called while I was in the canteen, they need me to drop into the office for a couple of hours to clean things up. I'm going to take Grace over to the Hanamoa's place then pick her up from there. We'll be back tomorrow as soon as the school day is over to visit you." Duncan commented as he stepped into the room.

"Grace could stay here with me for a couple of hours Duncan. Even if I drift off then Steve would still be here. He could keep an eye on her until you return. Grace can always play cards with him." Danni remarked, her eyes flickering to Grace hiding her grin with difficulty at the sudden, almost calculating look on the younger girl's face. She looked back at Duncan, frowning slightly when she caught sight of Duncan's clenched jaw. "Is everything okay?" She asked him.

"Everything is… fine" Duncan said after a pause. "I won't be long and then I'll be back to get Grace. Doctor Clayton says you'll be in here for at least three days so I'll take Grace back to mine. She's already told me that we're going to spend tomorrow evening baking since I am apparently terrible at it" He said with a sigh, his eyes moving to Grace and softening when she beamed at him.

"You are Daddy" Grace said with a nod. "But you're willing to learn and mamma says that that is half the battle."

Danni choked down the laugh which was threatening to escape at the look of bemusement on Duncan's face before he moved to the bed on the same side as Grace and leaned down, planting a kiss on Danni's cheek before he leaned back.

"I'm glad you're going to be okay Danni. I'll see you tomorrow during the visitors hours with this little monster" He said, nodding his head towards Grace before he scooped the small girl up in his arms and gave her a bear hug which she returned, burying her face in his neck. "And you missy, make sure you're on your best behaviour for your Mamma. Don't leave the room under any circumstances until I get back. I'll be back before you know it" He promised her, kissing her on the cheek as well before he placed her down and headed out of the door reluctantly.

Time flew after that, the small room filled with the sound of Grace's sweet voice as she told Danni about her day and what she had done at school. Danni answered her questions the best she could, aware that for the whole time Steve hadn't let go of her hand.

She leaned back against the pillow, her gaze on her daughter and felt a wave of contentment come over her when Steve squeezed her hand again, his thumb still stroking her skin as he laughed at something which Grace was saying.

This, she decided as her eyes drifted close, was something which she could get used to.

Author Note

Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it.

I really appreciate it