Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters that are used in the story.
A/N: Hi everyone, this is my first ever fanfic so it probably is really rookie. I just needed an outlet to share my thoughts and fix the ending of the series finale for myself. Sharing it here for anyone who wants to give it a read :)
...
"Danny, brother, you want to go inside now? You've been sitting here for a couple of hours now." Lou's voice broke the silence that was torturing Danny.
Steve had left 2 hours ago and Danny hadn't moved from his seat in front of the beach. He couldn't. His chest ached and honestly he couldn't tell if it was from his physical wound or from the fact that Steve had left.
"Lou," Danny said weakly. "Give me a couple more minutes, will you? Just want to watch the sunset for a bit." He continued, remembering the conversation he had with Steve on the horseback a few weeks back.
"Admit it Danny, you're gonna miss this when it's done."
Boy, was Steve right. It hadn't even been a day since Steve left, scratch that, the plane probably hadn't even taken off yet but he was already missing it.
"Danny, you alright?" Lou asked, concerned.
"Yeah, yeah. You should head on home Lou. I'm fine. And anyway Junior will be here with me." Danny tried to reassure Lou. He knows that only his sarcastic sense of humour would do that but right now, he had neither the energy nor the mood to make jokes.
"Okay buddy, take care and don't stay out here too long, you hear me?" Lou stood up and left.
It was getting darker and the crashing waves which Danny used to hate so much was providing him with some comfort. He stifled a laugh, thinking about how far he had come since his first time on the island. Danny whipped out his phone and decided to send Steve a message: miss you already.
He waited a couple minutes for a reply but none came. Maybe the plane had already taken off, Danny thought dejectedly. He grabbed the cane next to him and put every ounce of energy he had into hoisting himself off the chair. He couldn't help the groan that came with it. He slowly turned to walk back to the house when he saw Junior running towards him.
"Let me help." Junior was quick to place his hand on Danny's back.
"Have you been stalking me the whole time?" Danny asked, amused.
"Maybe." Junior answered slightly sheepish.
They made the rest of their way back into the house silently.
"Do you want something to eat, Danny?" Junior asked.
"No, I'm not hungry. I just want to go to bed, really." Danny panted. The walk back to the house already took up all his energy. Honestly, he wasn't supposed to be out of the hospital yet. But he had begged the doctor to discharge him when he found out Steve was leaving so soon. Of course everyone had protested but Danny being Danny, he had gotten his way anyway.
...
It had been three days now since Steve left. No calls, no texts. Danny checked his phone every few minutes, hoping Steve had called or replied his texts.
The team was getting worried about Danny. He looked weak and was not eating well either. They made it a point to have someone with Danny all the time. Everyone saw the difference in Danny. He was not talking much and spent most of his time in his room.
"Junior, I'm really worried about Danny. He looks really ill but each time I ask, he says he's fine." Tani confided in Junior.
"I know, I've noticed too. I tried to get him checked out at the hospital but he brushed it aside." Junior replied.
"How about Steve? Has he called yet?"
Junior shook his head.
...
"Yo, Eddie! What's wrong mate?" Junior called out as he ran down the stairs. It was 2 a.m. and Junior had been awakened by Eddie's sudden, incessant barking.
As he entered the kitchen, where the barking came from, Junior froze for a second. "Danny, hey, hey Danny, stay with me buddy!" Danny was sprawled on the kitchen floor, with Eddie by his side.
"I'm o..kay." Danny managed to say between breaths.
"No, you're not. We're heading to the hospital right now. Come on I got you." Junior was firm. Danny's skin was warm to the touch and he was sweating profusely. He was definitely not okay. Junior supported Danny as they walked to Steve's truck parked outside.
As they drove to the hospital, Junior kept glancing at Danny. He had called Dr Lea on the way to the hospital. She was the doctor in charge of Danny's recent surgery and had given them her number when Danny was adamant to be discharged.
As junior hung up the call, Danny stirred in the seat next to his. "Ste..Steve, you're back? So good to see you buddy," Danny muttered, breaking into a slight smile at Junior.
Junior looked at Danny, the alarm on his face was apparent. This wasn't good. Not good at all. He stepped on the accelerator.
Reaching the ER, a team of doctors was waiting for Danny. Junior had described Danny's symptoms to the doctor on the phone. They placed Danny on the gurney and wheeled him in.
Junior whipped out his phone and called the rest of the team one by one. He knew it was late, or rather early but Danny's condition worried him. He needed to let the rest know.
Lou and Tani were the first to arrive, followed by Adam and Quinn minutes later. The worry written all over Junior's face signalled to them that whatever happened to Danny was serious.
"Hey Junior, where's Danny? He alright?" Lou questioned.
"I don't know, the doctors are still with him." Junior replied.
"What happened?" Adam chimed in.
"I was asleep and then Eddie started barking non-stop from the kitchen and I rushed down to find Danny on the floor, half-conscious. I dont know what happened. He must have come down to get a drink for his painkillers because his meds were tipped over on the counter." Junior recounted what he saw earlier.
"Oh god. He must've been in a lot of pain. Why didnt he tell us?" Tani cried out.
"Doctor, how is he?" Lou called out when he saw Dr Lea approaching the group.
Dr Lea looked tense, "I'm afraid it's bad news. Looking at his symptoms and from the preliminary test results, we suspect Detective Williams may be suffering from sepsis." She started. "I had warned him that it was too early to be discharged but on his word and yours, I trusted that he would be brought back at the first sign of distress."
The team fell silent. Indeed they had promised to look out for Danny when he was discharged and to ensure he was doing well. Maybe they should have been more adamant about bringing him back to the hospital after seeing his decline.
Sensing their guilt, Dr Lea continued, "Right now, Detective Williams is in the hands of my best team. We're running more tests on him as we speak and will be deciding the best course of treatment for him. " She reassured.
"Thank you, Doctor. Keep us updated, will you?" Lou said solemnly. Dr Lea nodded and disappeared behind the doors.
...
It has been two hours since Danny was brought into the ER. He had been transferred to the ICU due to his low blood pressure and unstable heart rate. The team sat outside the ICU in silence, neither knowing what to say.
"I should have brought him in sooner. He definitely didn't look well at all the past three days. I.." Junior started.
"Hey Junior, don't do that. We all promised to look out for Danny, it's on all of us. Don't blame yourself." Adam stopped him mid sentence.
"This is not fair. Why does he have to go through this again?" Tani blurted out. Just over a week ago they were in the same spot after Danny was shot.
"Earlier on the drive here... Danny was delirious. He thought Steve was back, h..he thought I was Steve." Junior muttered.
Tani inched closer towards Junior and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Did anyone manage to reach Steve?" Quinn asked.
"I tried calling but it went to voicemail." Lou said. Same as the rest. No one had been able to reach Steve since he left.
Doctor Lea who had just emerged from Danny's room approached Adam "It's going to take some time for his condition to stabilise, I think it would be best if you all let him rest. Maybe just one of you should stay and the rest can come back tomorrow?" She suggested.
Adam nodded, "Can we see him before we go?"
"Sure, but just five minutes okay." The doctor said.
Lou was the first to see Danny. As he entered the room, a sense of deja vu overwhelmed him.
He stood by Danny's bed and took in the man's appearance. To say he looked bad was an understatement. His face was as white as the sheets and his breathing haggard. In fact he looked worse than when Lou saw him after the surgery. "Hey, buddy. You'll be alright. We're here for you. Always." Lou managed to say, his voice breaking. Danny's eyes fluttered open and he smiled weakly at Lou, not having the energy to say anything.
Outside, Adam had offered to stay the night to be with Danny. He sent the rest of the team home, promising them to update every single detail about Danny's condition.
...
Five excruciating days have passed since Danny was warded in the hospital. The doctors have been trying their best to treat Danny but his condition was not improving. In fact, it was getting worse. The doctors has even recommended asking his family to be around. The antibiotics he had been prescribed were unable to fight the infection and his blood pressure had not recovered.
"I called Danny's family in Jersey. They'll be taking the next flight out." Lou informed the team.
Lou dialled Steve's number for what must be the 100th time. He couldn't understand. Steve had promised to keep in touch. To call and check in on them. Steve had left too suddenly, no one expected him to leave merely a week after Danny got through a major surgery. And now, Steve had completely gone off the grid. Lou's confusion was mixed with tinge of anger and disappointment in Steve's behaviour. Steve, I hope when you finally reach us, it won't be too late, Lou thought.
...
Steve stood in the balcony of the hotel room he was in, staring out into the distance.
"Steve.." Catherine hugged Steve from the back as she rested her face on his shoulder.
"Hey," Steve replied.
Catherine went to Steve's side and looked him in the eye. "Hey, what's wrong? Everything okay?"
"I don't know Cath. I don't know." Steve answered. His expression was unreadable. Steve and Catherine had spent the past two weeks catching up on each other and just spending time with no distractions. It had been great. They were happy, which is why Catherine couldn't understand Steve's change in mood.
"I.. uh.. You know Cath, for the longest time, this was all I wanted, what I hoped for. To be with you, just us building a life together..." Steve stated solemnly.
"I sense a but coming," Catherine let out a nervous laugh.
"I left Hawaii, to look for peace. I thought if I left, I could close that chapter for good and forget all the trauma I had been through with all the people I had lost in the past 10 years. But being here with you... don't get me wrong Catherine, I was happy, really I was. It's just, stopping contact with everyone in Hawaii, I realise my peace was right there. In my Ohana that I left behind." This conversation was difficult for Steve. He didn't want to hurt Catherine but he had to go back to his Ohana. "The past two weeks have been a dream, Cath. I'm so sorry.."
"It has, Steve. But I guess now it's time to go back to our realities?" Catherine was understanding. They hugged each other, knowing this might be the last.
...
Steve dug around in his bag for his home keys for several minutes before finally finding them. He had rung the doorbell several times but no one had answered. He hadn't called to say he was coming home as he wanted to surprise everyone, especially Danny.
"Danny, Junior? I'm home!" He exclaimed as he entered the empty house. No response. "Danny? Junior?" He tried again. This time, Eddie's barking replied him as Eddie ran towards Steve.
"Hey buddy! How're you mate? Where's everyone huh? Where's Danny?" At the mention of Danny's name, the dog looked visibly upset. "What happened? Did he give you a hard time? Don't worry now I'm back I'll make sure he treats you right," Steve joked.
Steve played with Eddie a bit more then headed upstairs to shower. He decided to drop by the headquarters. Maybe Danny's back at work already, he thought.
...
"Yo anyone missed me yet?" Steve called out as he entered the Five-0 office.
Tani who was standing at the big screen with Quinn ran towards him and enveloped him the tightest hug. "It is so good to see you, boss!" She cried out.
"Woah kid calm down, it's only been 2 weeks." Steve laughed.
"Welcome back, sir!" Junior said as he joined the trio.
Adam and Lou emerged from their offices at the same time. Lou wrapped Steve in a hug, "You go running off like this with no contact again, I swear to god, I will find you and drag you back here, you hear me?" Lou warned.
Steve smiled goofily. How could he have left these people that were his family. But one person was still missing.
"Uh where's Danny? I dropped by my house and then his but he wasn't there. Is he here?" Steve asked.
Everyone fell silent and Lou's face turned grim.
"Hey.." Steve was nervous. Something did not seem right. "He's okay right? Where is Danny?" Steve raised his voice.
"Steve... Calm down." Adam started. "A few days after you left, Danny's condition deteriorated. We tried telling him to go to the hospital but you know how stubborn he is."
"Danny collapsed, Steve." Lou continued.
Steve's heart dropped. Danny collapsed. The words reverberated in his head.
"The doctor confirmed sepsis. They've tried everything Steve. Nothing worked."
Steve could no longer stand. What was Lou saying. This had to be a lie. Danny was fine when he left, yeah he was still hurting but the doctors had cleared his discharge. Steve placed a hand on Lou's shoulder. "Lou, tell me he's fine." Steve's eyes were red now.
"I wish I could, Steve. I wish I could."
...
To be continued