Coloring, Tents, or Racing Yaks

Steve was frowning at his computer screen, trying to figure out how they were going to build the centrifuge for John’s science fair project. Not that he and Danny were planning to build it by themselves, but they still needed all the parts required to make it work. John said that the 4^th grade science fair was a battleground, all of them contending for the title of ‘coolest geek alive.’ Steve could understand that mentality although he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about John thinking it. He could imagine Danny’s rant in response which was why, Steve felt sure, John had told him about the epic geek war instead of Danno. Whatever the reason it was so important to John, both his fathers were determined to help him make his science fair project the best ever.

Although he’d had some minor experience with centrifuges, not that he could discuss any details or particulars, finding all the appropriate parts for a 4^th grade version was proving to be beyond his capacity. He glanced over at Chin’s office, knowing Chin would be able to supply the expertise required for this reconnaissance.  As he was crossing the very short distance between their offices, a glance over at Danny’s office showed it to be empty. Wait. What? It was still empty? Danny had left at least an hour and a half ago to pick up coffee and malasadas. Why wasn’t he back? What sense did that make?

“Hey, Chin,” Steve said as he entered his office.

“Yeah?” Chin responded automatically, looking up at Steve.

“Didn’t Danny leave over an hour ago?” Steve asked, glancing from Chin to Danny’s deserted office and back.

“Yeah,” Chin agreed with a small frown. “You call him?”

“Not yet,” Steve admitted, taking out his phone. After ringing eight long times, it went to voice mail. That wasn’t like Danny at all. “Can you track his cell?”

“Sure,” Chin agreed, leaving his office for the bullpen, Steve close behind. Chin typed into the magic keyboard, frowning at the results that appeared on the table. He typed in a few more commands, the frown deepening.

“What?” Steve asked, recognizing that the look on Chin’s face was not a good one.

“It seems to be out of service,” Chin said, frowning up at Steve.

“Out of service,” Steve repeated slowly. “What precisely does that mean?”

“Best case, it has been turned off.”

“No,” Steve breathed. “Danny would never turn it off.”

“Kono,” Chin called quietly but urgently. When she was in the bullpen, Chin explained about Danny’s phone.

As one, they left the building, climbing into Chin’s SUV. Steve reminded Chin the route Danny always took to his favorite bakery, berating himself silently for not telling Danny one more time to vary his habits, to alter his routes, to make it harder for anyone to track him. But Danny being Danny never listened. It took him exactly 8 minutes to drive to the bakery and he wasn’t going to add unnecessary distance between him and his favorite morning treat.

“Stop. Stop,” Steve ordered when he spotted the Camaro in the parking lot adjacent to the bakery. Steve was out of the SUV and standing by the Camaro even before Chin had come to a full stop. When Chin and Kono joined Steve by Danny’s car, Steve was pointing at the smear of blood on the driver’s door that went all the way down, a small blotch of blood on the curb right next to the car.

Kono took one look at Steve’s face and knew someone had to say something before he tore apart half of Honolulu to find Danny. “Okay, Boss. I know this looks bad. But….”

“But what, Kono?” Steve asked, voice frighteningly calm, face a mask. He’d gone into warrior mode, a particularly undesirable state of Steve. Especially when there was no Danny to counteract it.

Before Kono had a chance to respond, to hopefully talk Steve down a notch, Chin straightened from where he had squatted to examine the underside of the car. In his hand were the remains of a cell phone, smashed beyond repair. Steve looked at it, his expression even more grim. Kono felt a little sorry for the perps who had done this. They were as dead as Danny’s cell phone. It was only a matter of how and when.

“We’re going to find him,” Kono promised quietly. Maybe it should have sounded patronizing but Kono did not make promises she had no intentions of keeping. Steve stared at her, barely breathing. They could see the wheels turning in his head and were afraid for those who had done this.

“I need to inform the Governor,” Steve said.

“I got it,” Chin responded. “Kono, get HPD here to secure the site. Tell them to bring Fong. This is our only priority.”

Steve turned away from Chin and Kono, his long strides taking him across the parking lot.

“Whoa, Boss,” Kono said, when she had run to stand in front of him. “Where are you going? Talk to me.”

Steve stared down at her, wondering why she didn’t get out his way. Couldn’t she see he was in a hurry?

“Talk to me,” Kono repeated, one hand on his forearm.

Something about the warm touch of her skin to his gave him some clarity and lifted a little of the rage that had taken over his body. “Emma and John. I need to go get them. Whoever has Danny could go after them next.”

“Okay,” Kono said, calling to Chin to toss her his keys. “I’ll drive you.” There was no point in trying to argue with him. The investigation into Danny’s disappearance was being handled. Steve needed to make sure the children were secure.

Steve automatically followed Kono back to Chin’s SUV, getting in the passenger seat as Kono climbed into the driver’s side. “I should call the school,” he said, sounding far away even to his own ears. And maybe it sounded a little like a question. Calling the school made sense strategically, right? Shouldn’t he know? Shouldn’t he know automatically what was best for his own children? Why couldn’t he make that decision for himself? He glanced over at Kono when he heard her talking, not too surprised that she had the phone to her ear.

“Yes, Commander Williams-McGarrett is on his way… yes, sir, I appreciate it. We should be there in 9 minutes….thank you,” Kono said before disconnecting. “The kids will be brought to the principal’s office. They should get there about the same time we do.”

Steve nodded. Kono had that part handled. That was good. That was very good. He could concentrate on the recovery mission. He would be getting Danny back. There was no other possible outcome.

When they got to the school, Steve and Kono both left their guns in the car before hurrying in and straight to the principal’s office. John and Emma looked understandably worried, both of them hugging Steve as soon as he was inside.

“What’s wrong?” John asked, looking up at Steve.

Steve squatted down so he could see them both, one hand of each shoulder. “Someone has taken Daddy.”

“Taken Daddy where?” Emma asked.

“We don’t know, Em. We don’t know where he is,” Steve explained with more calm then he felt.

“You lost Daddy?” Emma asked, her wide eyes filling up with tears. Steve didn’t think she completely understood but she did know her Danno was missing.

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Steve agreed. “He left headquarters and when we went to find him, he wasn’t where we thought he would be.”

“Will you find him?” Emma asked, some tears spilling over.

“Of course we will. We just don’t know how long it will take,” Steve said. He glanced over a John who looked scared but was trying to contain it. He wanted to be strong and brave but it looked like he was on the verge of losing it completely. “You know Daddy can take care of himself. He’ll talk the bad guys into letting him go just so they don’t have to listen to him rant any longer.” 

“What bad guys?” John asked.

“We don’t know yet. But we’ll find out soon enough,” Steve promised them. It broke his heart to see John’s eyes fill with tears. Steve hugged the kids tight to his body and stood up, one in each arm. “We need to go back to headquarters. Do you have homework?”

“Not to worry, Commander,” Principal Greer assured him. “We’ll have it sent via email. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help. And we will see John and Emma when you determine that it is…appropriate for them to return.”

“Thank you,” Steve agreed.

“We’ll keep you posted,” Kono told the principal before following Steve out to the car. He had Emma buckled in, using his handkerchief to try and dry her tears. She was crying quietly, not entirely understanding what was wrong. She only knew that John and Daddy were upset about Danno not being where he was supposed to be. That was enough to make her cry.

John was holding tight to Steve, his face buried in Steve’s shoulder. Steve was trying to talk him into letting go so they could get into the car but John wasn’t loosening his grip.

“All right, Bud. I’ll sit in the back seat with you and Em. Will that help?” Steve asked gently. John managed to nod, sitting on Steve’s lap when Steve had climbed in.

“Daddy will be okay won’t he Daddy?” Emma asked, tears still streaming down her face.

“Yes, Baby. Daddy will be fine,” Steve promised. Because Danny would be okay. Steve would make sure.

~o0o~

Danny knew pain. And darkness. Mostly pain. In his head. And his groin. That was new. The darkness he was used to. As he clawed up closer to the surface and out of the black, he knew the pain in his head was from being hit with an object harder than his skull. Which Steve would point out was nearly impossible since Danny was the most hard-headed person Steve had ever known. True, he meant it as stubborn but Danny had been assaulted enough times to know a head trauma when he felt one.

Fortunately this one didn’t seem to come with the usual unfortunate side effects like nausea and blurred vision. As he allowed his eyes to open, he was grateful for the subdued light in the room where he was being held. It seemed to be a hallway of some type, closed off on the end he was facing. The back wall was about 20 feet in front of him. There was a grimy skylight over his head which was the only illumination in the room. There didn’t appear to be any sources of artificial light.

He tried to twist to check the area behind him but he was immobilized, his wrists and ankles duck taped to the hard chair which he quickly discovered was bolted to the concert floor. And he was naked. Naked. What kind of bad guys kidnapped a cop and then stripped him naked before binding him to a chair? Seriously? The bad guys needed to learn some manners. Plus they had wound duck tape around his chest to secure him even further to the chair. Oh God. The pain that he would be forced to endure when Steve found him was going to be off the scale. All that body hair that was going to come off with the tape.

Because, yeah, he knew Steve would find him. There were absolutely no doubts in his mind. It was just a matter of how long it took. And then the guys who had taken Danny would be dead. Really and truly dead. They were already. They just didn’t know it.

But naked? That was a new low. It wasn’t like he could escape from the chair. And even Steve would not have been able to reach the skylight to get out. It was at least 25 feet above his head.

He had no idea who it was that had taken him. He did suspect that his groin hurt because when they had hit him on the head, he had dropped like a rock and landed on his ass on the curb next to his car. A bruised pelvis. A headache from hell. Duck tape pulling his body hair. What a fine mess this was.

He remained completely still as the door behind him creaked open. The person who came around to stand in front of him wore a bandana like a bandit from a bad Western. And sunglasses. Danny supposed that was as good a disguise as any. Not like it mattered. They’d identify the bodies once Steve was done with them.

The general appearance of the person didn’t look at all familiar so Danny didn’t think he had encountered him (or possibly her) before. Didn’t much matter. Kidnapping him was the last thing he would ever do.

“I am calling Commander McGarrett,” his abductor informed him. A man. Definitely a man. “You will tell him you are fine.”

Danny stared at the disguised man, not responding to his orders. He watched impassively as the man dialed the phone, waiting as it rang.

“Commander. I have something that belongs to you.”

Danny could hear Steve’s response. It was pretty much what Danny had expected.

“Detective Williams is awake. I will allow to speak with him. To prove he is unharmed.” The man drew closer, holding the phone to Danny’s ear.

“Danny?” Steve said, his tone stern.

“Hey Babe,” Danny replied.

“Are you okay?”

“Pretty lousy,” Danny said.

“I’m sorry. I have Emma and John.”

“Watch all the early risers,” Danny requested.

“I will,” Steve agreed. “I’ll get you out of there.”

“Never doubted it,” Danny said, waiting as the man snatched the phone away.

“You know he is safe. Here are our demands,” the man told Steve.

“Yeah?” Steve prompted.

“$20 million in cash. And a helicopter. You have 36 hours.” With that, the man disconnected, putting the phone in the pocket of his jeans.

“He’ll never be able to get that kind of cash,” Danny said, looking up at his captor.

“Then he’ll never see you again,” the man said, leaving the room and locking the door behind him.

~o0o~

“Watch the early risers?” Chin said when the phone call had terminated. “Does he have a concussion?”

“No,” Steve said. “It means he’s near water. He can hear it.”

“Water,” Kono repeated.

“He said ‘watch all the early risers.’ The first letter of each word spells water,” Steve explained.

“Water,” Kono said with a nod. “How does that help us?”

“It doesn’t yet. But if he has a chance to talk to me again, he’ll tell me everything he knows.” Steve stopped when Fong entered, all their attention going to him. “You get the surveillance tapes?”

Charlie nodded, pulling them up on the computer table. “These are from three different angles. This one shows Danny going down. But not who did it. This one shows him being shoved into a truck. We can’t see the license plate.”

“And it’s black. There are probably only 2000 black trucks on the island,” Chin said.

“Okay,” Steve said, his agitation manifesting itself in his inability to stand still. “Okay. It had to be someone who knew Danny’s habits. And someone with a beef against him or me or both. Have there been any recent releases? Guys who said they would come after us?”

“They want $20 million,” Kono said. “Do you think maybe it’s someone who knows about the asset forfeiture locker? No way the Governor is going to ransom Danny.” She was careful to keep her voice low, not wanting to risk upsetting the kids who had finally fallen into a fitful sleep on Steve’s couch.

“There are only a handful of people besides us that know about that,” Chin reminded them, glancing over at Charlie. “You don’t need to know.”

“I don’t,” Fong agreed. “I’m going back down and analyze the tapes again. Maybe I missed something.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, watching him leave. “What time is it?”

“Nearly six,” Chin said, checking the clock on the computer.

“Okay. Rachel should be here soon to get the kids. Kono, cross reference all the recent releases with our cases. Chin and I are going to go back to the bakery once Rachel gets here.”

“Don’t you want to take the kids home?” Kono suggested gently.

Steve shook his head. “I need to stay here. I’ve asked for a uniform to be stationed at Rachel and Stan’s. Zacchary and Alicia are on a school trip. Otherwise…well. Zacchary doesn’t need to know.”

“Any news?” Rachel asked as she hurried into the office, looking frantic and worried.

“I talked to him briefly. He sounds okay,” Steve said, taking Rachel into his arms to hug her. There was a time when he couldn’t have imagined doing such a thing but now it was second nature for them both.

“I know you’ll find him, Steve,” Rachel said, looking up with tears shining in her eyes.

“We will. Take care of the kids. The uniform will be at your house until we find Danny.”

Rachel nodded. “The kids are going to need to see you. Come for breakfast.”

Steve agreed, promising to be at Rachel’s by 8:30 the next morning. “Come on, you two,” Steve said when he was in his office, squatting next to his couch. “Wake up so you can go to Rachel’s.”

John slowly opened his eyes, frowning at Steve. “I want to stay here with you.”

“Me too,” Emma said.

“I know, Babies. I want nothing more than for you to stay too. But I can’t leave here and you need to eat.”

“Let us stay, Daddy,” John requested, his bottom lip quivering.

“You need to go with Rachel. I’ll come see you in the morning. We’ll have breakfast together,” Steve promised.

John studied Steve for a long moment before finally nodding. He took Emma’s hand, standing up. “Find Danno, Daddy.”

“I will, Bud,” Steve promised, kissing John and Emma on their heads. “Call me when you’re ready for bed.”

They both nodded, looking utterly miserable as they followed Rachel out. Steve tried not to think about their expressions as he turned back to the computer table.

~o0o~

Danny was bored. That was the worst part of being held captive in his opinion. Sure, the whole I may die before I’m rescued thing was a real bummer. But Steve was not going to allow that to happen. So all Danny had to do was sit in a dark hallway/room with a sore head and a sore ass and wonder why he thought going into law enforcement in the first place was a good idea. He had a beautiful husband and three incredible children. He could have quit years ago. He didn’t need this bullshit.

Not only was he bored, he was hungry. And thirsty. Worse, he needed to pee. He wondered if the kidnappers had considered that bit of bodily need. He doubted it. And he sure didn’t want to relieve himself without something to put it in. That was inhuman. But then so was putting duck tape on someone with as much body hair as he had. Seriously. They had all the power. What was with the humiliation? Something to drink. Maybe a blanket. That wasn’t too much to ask was it?

Rather than consider his uncomfortable circumstances what with the pins and needles in his hands and feet and the fact that his bruised ass made it feel like he was sitting on white hot coals, he concentrated on his surroundings. There was a very faint smell in the air that was not unpleasant and vaguely familiar. What was it? He knew he should know but he couldn’t place it.

He looked up at the skylight as it grew brighter, noticing that the wall on his right was also getting brighter. He suspected he’d been kidnapped about 20 hours earlier, more or less. Which meant dawn was breaking. The guy who had called Steve said he had 36 hours to come up with the $20 million and a helicopter. So Danny was about half way through this stupid ordeal. More than half way if Steve found him before the exchange was supposed to take place. And Danny wasn’t stupid. He was pretty sure that even if the kidnappers got the $20 million (which would never happen since the HPD had closed the asset forfeiture locker and put all the money and drugs and guns in a vault in an empty bank they had purchased) they still intended to kill him. That’s the way it always worked out. Except when you put Super SEAL in the mix. Then all bets were off except the one where Steve would find him and the kidnappers would be dead.

Seriously, though. Something to drink? That wasn’t too much to be asking. He’d really like some coffee but he wasn’t going to be picky. Water. Even pineapple juice. And an empty jar.

He was brought out of his fantasies of coffee and malasadas by the slow increase in noise coming from his left side. The factory in which he was being held was coming back to life. Nice change of pace, that. He’d expected to be in a deserted warehouse rather than an active factory. The sounds were distant and indistinct so he knew shouting would only make this throat hurt and bring him no closer to rescue. And he sure didn’t want his mouth duck taped in addition to what was already being used on him.

As the factory came more and more alive, the faint smell he noticed earlier became stronger. Still not clearly identified in his brain but he knew if he thought about it calmly, it would occur to him what exactly it was.

He waited impassively as the door behind him opened slowly, the same Wild West kidnapper stopping in front of him. Danny stared up at the sunglasses, hoping some of Steve’s intimidation factor had rubbed off on him.

“Good morning, Detective Williams,” the man said.

“Right,” Danny sneered. “I need to pee.” No point in dancing around the truth. This was just ridiculous.

The man considered his words momentarily before nodding once and leaving. When he returned, he was carrying an empty jar and a glass of water. He awkwardly put the jar where it needed to be, Danny trying to quell the additional humiliation the man’s nearness and assistance was causing.

His business done, the man backed up to put the jar on the floor before returning to give Danny some water. Danny wanted to gulp it down but knew that would be a mistake. Instead he drank it slowly, savoring each sip. The kidnapper allowed him to drink it all before backing away.

As Danny watched, the man took his cell phone out, speed dialing. “Commander McGarrett,” the man said with far too much confidence. “Detective Williams is fine.”

Danny waited as the man held the phone to his ear. “Hey Babe.”

“How are you?” Steve asked.

“Probably live,” Danny replied. “I haven’t been this nervous since I proposed to you.”

“I’m going to get you out,” Steve assured him.

“I know. Keep an eye on the kids. Find activities – coloring, tents, or racing yaks. Emma acted strange Thursday.”

“Got it,” Steve assured him.

“Love you, Babe,” Danny said before the man took the phone back.

“How romantic,” the kidnapper said. “You have the money?”

“Not yet. We’re working on it,” Steve said.

“You have 14 hours, Commander. If you want to see Detective Williams alive you won’t be late.”

~o0o~

“More code?” Chin asked when the phone call was finished.

“’Emma acted strange Thursday’ means he’s being held on the East side of the island,” Steve agreed.

“’Keep an eye on the kids’?” Kono asked.

“Not sure. I don’t think that was part of it,” Steve said, looking at the words that Chin had typed into the computer as Danny had said them. “’Find activities – coloring, tents, or racing yaks.’”

“Racing yaks?” Chin asked, staring at the words and trying to make sense of what Danny had said.

“Racing yaks,” Steve repeated. “Wait. Find activities – coloring, tents, or racing yaks – factory.”

“He’s in a factory on the east side of the island,” Kono said. “What factory? Where?” That she was frustrated was abundantly clear, just like the guys.

“Okay. East side. Factory. What factory?” Chin asked.

“’Since I proposed to you….’” Steve read.

“Didn’t you propose to him, Boss?” Kono asked, looking at the words too.

“Yeah,” Steve said, considering it. “I asked him four times. Until he finally said yes.”

“What did you say the fourth time?” Kono asked.

Steve shook his head, sighing. “That was 13 years ago. I really have no idea.”

“It’s got to be important,” Chin reminded him. “He wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t a clue.”

Steve had to nod at that, thinking back to the night Danny finally said yes. “We were on our beach. He…uhm… said ‘not yet’ like he had the first three times. I finally made him tell me why he wasn’t agreeing.” Steve frowned, his face all lines of concentration.

“What did he say?” Kono prompted.

“He couldn’t understand why I wanted to marry him,” Steve admitted.

“We knew that,” Chin agreed. “What did you say to change his mind?”

“That I loved him. He finally believed me,” Steve said, shaking his head. “That’s no help.”

“There has to be something else, Boss. Why did he think you wouldn’t want to marry him?”

“He said people eye-humped me all the time,” Steve said, recreating the conversation in his head. “I told him they did the same to him. He didn’t believe me so I said he should ask you. You’d tell him the truth,” Steve said, frowning at Kono in concentration.

“Okay,” Kono said. “They did. They do. Eye-humping Danny is some people’s only hobby.”

Steve nodded at that, trying to remember exactly what they had said that night. “Danny said it couldn’t be true because I was hot like the sun. And he was….” Steve stopped, typing furiously into the computer. Almost instantly on the screen was a picture of a factory located on the east side of the island.

“The Heimpaok Candle Factory?” Chin said, staring down at it.

“Danny said I was hot like the sun and he was a tealight on the ocean,” Steve said, pointing at the candle factory. “He can smell the wax. He’s being held in the factory.”

“Doesn’t that factory belong to Vincent Fryer’s brother?” Kono said, the proverbial steam rising from her ears.

The muscle on Steve’s jaw was working overtime. Vincent Fryer, the man who had tried to make their lives a living nightmare, was one again rearing his ugly, stupid head. “We’re taking the factory.”

“Right,” Chin agreed. “How do you want to do this?”

“We have to do it with just us. If Fryer’s behind it, he could be tipped off by any insiders with HPD,” Steve said. “Chances are good that there’s only 3 or 4 guys guarding Danny. And we have to be careful with the factory workers. We don’t want collateral damage of innocents.”

“Right,” Chin agreed, going to the lockers for their TACT vests. They strapped them on, getting extra armaments from the safebox.

~o0o~

Finding and releasing Danny was almost comically easy. He was being held in a loading bay that had been walled up on one end. Once they had determined where he was being held, which was simple enough because it was the only loading bay being guarded, Steve shot the lookout before he could radio anyone that they had been made.

Breaking into the loading bay was accomplished with a well placed bullet in the center of the lock. The two kidnappers inside were dispatched with one gun shot each. Chin and Kono were not even going to comment that Steve left them alive. Danny had had a calming influence on Super SEAL even in his absence.

Steve slammed the door open, kneeling next to Danny before Chin and Kono could climb over the stray pieces of wood that had once been the door.

“Danno,” Steve breathed, kissing him roughly in a need to know that he was alive.

“I’m okay, Babe,” Danny said, leaning toward him for another kiss. “I knew you’d find me.”

“Your codes were perfect,” Steve told him, ripping off his TACT vest and pulling off his outside shirt. He draped it over Danny’s body, shaking his head. “I’ll cut you loose and the hospital can remove the duck tape.”

Danny nodded at that, not bothering to argue. “My head’s okay. But I think I bruised my pelvis falling.”

“Your pelvis?” Chin asked, looking down at the strain on Danny’s face.

“It feels like I’m sitting on hot coals,” Danny said, using his newly free right hand to cradle Steve’s cheek. “Nobody touched me, Babe. It happened when I fell.”

“You hit the curb pretty hard,” Kono agreed.

“Yeah. One foot was up and one was down,” Danny said. He made to stand up, collapsing in Steve’s waiting arms. “Not good,” Danny announced unnecessarily, Steve easing him back into the chair.

“EMS is on the way,” Kono said, squatting next to Danny. “They should be here in 3 minutes.”

Danny nodded, focusing back on Steve. “You call the kids?”

Steve shook his head, taking out his phone and handing it to Danny. Danny pressed John’s speed dial, smiling at his son’s voice.

“Daddy?” John asked tentatively.

“Hey Buddy,” Danny said, making John squeal in delight. “I’m okay.”

“Are you, Danno? Are you really okay? We were so scared. Daddy didn’t know where you were. Is Daddy there?”

“I’m fine, John. I promise. Daddy’s here. So are Kono and Chin. Ask Rachel to bring you to the hospital, okay?”

“If you’re okay, why do we have to come to the hospital?” John asked, Emma squealing in the background.

“It’s standard procedure, Bud. I’m fine. Tired and hungry but otherwise okay,” Danny assured him.

“We’ll be there shortly, Daniel,” Rachel said, the smile in her voice warming Danny.

“Thank you, Rachel. We’ll see you there,” Danny agreed.

“Of course,” Rachel said before disconnecting.

Danny returned Steve’s cell phone to him, smiling tiredly. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have anything to thank me for, Danno,” Steve said, kissing him lightly. Steve reluctantly backed away when the EMTs wheeled the stretcher into the loading bay. He would not allow them to pick up Danny, Steve lifting him onto the stretcher himself and making sure Danny was fully covered. Steve kept a tight hold on Danny’s hand as he was wheeled out to the ambulance where Steve automatically climbed in with him.

“We’ll meet you at the hospital,” Kono promised, going with Chin to Steve’s truck.

~o0o~

Danny was diagnosed with a facture of the pelvis. While it wasn’t serious, it was still very painful. He would have to walk with crutches for several weeks to prevent the damage from worsening. The break did not require surgery, for which he was grateful. But he would need to have physical therapy to make sure the muscles could support him with the fracture.

The first 24 hours he was in the hospital were a blur of tests and exams and the good drugs. At some point, they used a magic dissolving solution to get the duck tape off. Even in his drug-induced haze, he was very grateful that they hadn’t had to simply rip it off like a bizarre Brazilian wax gone wrong.

Every time he managed to surface through the haze, Steve was right there, the kids sitting on Steve or laying in the bed with Danny or playing quietly on the floor. Danny didn’t care as long as they were all present and accounted for.

The second day, the doctor agreed Danny could go home. Bed rest was required at this point and he could get more of that at home than in the hospital. The doctor did request that Danny not go up or down the steps, which Steve agreed was for the best. Steve would move a bed in to the office on the first floor, not ideal but workable. The half bath wasn’t too far from the office and Steve could carry Danny upstairs when he absolutely needed a shower.

Certain all the necessary arrangements were made, the doctor signed Danny out, Steve pushing him to the car in the wheelchair, John and Emma each holding tightly to Danny’s hands.

Chin and Kono were at their house, lunch ready once Danny was safe in the bed Chin had moved down for them. As hungry as he was, Danny didn’t think he was going to stay awake long enough to eat. The kids said they were going to eat on top of the bed and Steve did not have the heart to argue with them. And if any of their lunch spilled on the covers, he would change the bed as many times as it took. The TV that had been moved into the office was perfect for playing the kids’ favorite movies, Danny sleeping through most of them. When he did wake up, Steve helped him to the bathroom before settling him back into bed.

The third day, Danny woke up to find himself laying practically on top of Steve, Emma behind him and John on Steve’s other side. He couldn’t tell what time it was but the office was flooded with sunlight so it had to be fairly late in the day.

He smiled when Steve stirred beneath him, raising up on one elbow to smile at his husband. “Hey Babe,” Danny whispered, kissing him gently.

“Hey yourself,” Steve said, his fingers buried in Danny’s hair. “I can’t believe the doctor said we can’t ….you know, for six weeks.”

“I do know. And we definitely can’t. I’d die if we tried,” Danny reminded him.

“But what a way to go,” Steve said with a laugh.

“Yeah,” Danny said, love shining in his eyes. The love only grew when the children slowly sat up, sleep making their faces soft and younger. They very carefully piled up on Steve who wrapped his arms around them all. Because they were all right where they belonged. And he knew better than to ever take that for granted.