Work Text:
So, it turned out to be a kind of wild night. The team had rounded up an entire crew of Chinese gunrunners who were branching out into human trafficking and they were all on an adrenaline high afterwards. They all went out to a surf bar and toasted their success and got more than a little shit-faced. After Chin and Kono headed out, Danny and Steve had taken a little moonlit stroll along the beach near Steve’s house and somehow ended up rolling around in the surf like a hot porno scene right out of From Here to Eternity.
This thing he and Steve had going was still brand new and exciting and they both knew they were clean, so what if they forgot the condom? It wasn’t as though either of them could get pregnant, right?
Wrong.
*****************************
Two months later, a queasy Danny sat on an exam table in a paper gown with his ass hanging out in the breeze, a plastic basin clutched in one white-knuckled hand and a fat brochure labeled “Hidden Womb Syndrome” in the other. He was here because he had bumped his head in a fall yesterday, running a perp to ground on the docks and Steve had hauled him to the emergency room because he had been throwing up all morning.
It kind of felt like the time he busted up a Frat party in Jersey and got beaned in the head with a ball bat for his pains, kind of floaty with only snippets of the Doctor’s conversation actually filtering through and being comprehensible.
“Blah, blah, very rare, blah, blah, anti-nausea drug trials for pregnant women in the 70s, blah, male pregnancy, blah, blah, blah. Congratulations!”
Congratulations, his ass. Danny put down the basin, took a deep calming breath and pinched the bridge of his nose hard.
“Excuse me Doc, I think I got a concussion from that fall, but I thought I just heard you say I was pregnant.”
He waited patiently for the doctor to chuckle and deny it. Instead, Dr. Ming beamed kindly and patted him on the shoulder.
“Detective Williams, although it is very rare, it does happen. You have nothing to worry about, we’re more than equipped here at Queen’s Medical to aid in a healthy delivery. It will have to be via caesarian section, of course, since you, err, don’t actually have a viable birth canal, but I foresee no real problems. You’re young and healthy and I expect your baby will be as well.”
Danny opened his mouth only to discover that for the first time in his life he couldn’t talk.
Dr. Ming continued prattling on, talking about the importance of pre-natal check-ups and scripts for vitamins and recommendations for pediatricians as he busily put together an information packet and wrote out a script for pre-natal vitamins while Danny sat on the table making mute fish faces at his own panicked reflection in Dr. Ming’s shiny steel filing cabinet. The good doctor was a nice enough, but seemingly oblivious to the fact that his patient wasn’t particularly thrilled to be pregnant.
By the time Danny was given back his clothes he had managed to pass from Stage One: Disbelief to Stage Two: Total Denial. He yanked on his clothes and barreled out the door past Steve, who was not-so-nonchalantly leaning against the wall outside wearing Worried Face, and left the obviously insane physician behind him. If he had stayed long enough, he would have seen Steve’s Worried Face morph into Pole-axed Face when Dr. Ming called after him,
“Detective Williams! You forgot your pre-natal vitamin prescription!”
The diminutive physician blinked up at Steve and sighed.
“Oh, dear. I was so excited for the opportunity to work with this case that I forgot to suggest a counselor. This must be quite a shock to you both.”
It was McGarrett’s turn to make stunned fish faces.
There was no way in hell he could go back to work now, so he jumped in his car (glad that he had the keys for a change), turned off his phone because Steve would have Chin tracking him in a heartbeat otherwise, and drove straight to a place where he was fairly sure he could get some straight information and where Steve would never think to look; the Hawaii State Library.
He had spent a lot of time in the library in his off hours when he’d first moved here because he was a cop on a budget and checking out books and DVDs was free. He parked the car out of sight under the Kalanimoku and hurriedly ducked inside, found an unused computer in a quiet corner and went to work. Two hours later, he had his head down on his desk practicing his deep breathing to keep from hyperventilating and well into Stage Three: Full Blown Panic.
Finally, he gulped back the nausea and slowly and carefully went over the facts again. He was a detective, so he would detect, dammit. Unfortunately, the facts remained the same—male pregnancy although rare, was possible and Danny wasn’t the only unfortunate sucker to get knocked up. Grimly, he scrolled through all the websites, magazine articles, and medical journals again.
Apparently in the late 70s a major drug company, Vitex Inc., had come out with a line of anti-nausea drugs and prenatal vitamins with an extra kick—some kind of freaky growth hormone supplement supposed to guarantee fat, healthy babies. Said vitamins had also gifted twenty percent of the male babies born after their mothers used them a little something extra in the reproduction department. Fortunately, the company had limited distribution to the eastern seaboard. Unfortunately that included New Jersey.
HWS, or Hidden Womb Syndrome, only hit the news a mere five years earlier when the first documented male pregnancy freaked out the nation and scared men shitless worldwide. (Danny vaguely remembered the story and how sorry he had felt for the poor beleaguered bastard whose face was plastered all over the news for weeks.) Apparently you only had to worry if you were gay and in an active sexual relationship. Straight guys didn’t have a damned thing to worry about, as the unused uterus eventually was reabsorbed into the body when they hit their late thirties.
Danny clunked his head down on the desk again. Why the hell couldn’t he have kept his hands off McGarrett for a few more years? By then his unnoticed and more importantly, unwanted womb would have quietly given up and reabsorbed itself and he would never have been the wiser. Still, Daniel Williams was a stubborn man who never gave up easily, so he manned up and did the only thing he could.
He hid in the Men’s room and called his mom.
He knew he was in trouble the instant she murmured a regretful “Oh, honey,” after he babbled a slightly hysterical inquiry about Vitex and her use of pre-natal vitamins during her pregnancy. An hour later, he was still sitting in the handicapped stall, phone in hand, staring into space. He had detected and had his answers. His only consolation was that at least his asshole brother had HWS too and he now knew where his college fund had come from.
Danny felt kind of like a refugee from the Jerry Springer show (and no doubt would be if they ever caught wind of a male member of 5-0 being knocked up). He was, he realized well into Stage Four: Resignation. Now what to do? He was aware that he had the option of a discreet termination of the pregnancy, his research had listed at least three testimonials of guys who had gone that route, but in his heart of hearts he knew he couldn’t do that. Hesitantly he slid a hand under his shirt and spread it over his still flat belly.
There was a tiny baby in there about the size of a kidney bean and Danny couldn’t, wouldn’t do anything to harm it. He was going to have a baby, he realized in wonder. He was going to be a dad (and if anyone ever called him mommy they were shark bait) again, Grace was going to be a big sister, and God help him Steve McGarrett, Super Ninja SEAL was the baby daddy. He put his head down again, breathing deeply, at that particular revelation. Steve was going to stroke out for real now and Danny was going to be a widower before he ever got married again.
He couldn’t go so far as to say the thing he had with McGarrett was more a fuck buddy thing despite the fact that he was self aware enough to know that he loved the crazy son of a bitch. He knew for certain it must be a casual thing for McGarrett because Steve still hooked up with Catherine whenever she was in town…what was he going to tell his boss, partner and best friend?
Hey boss, you knocked me up, but that’s cool, I can handle it? Don’t worry about it, my bad. By the way, how about coughing up some child support?
Danny groaned and buried his face in his hands. This was his life, undeniable confirmation that he was a born freak. He realized he couldn’t hide in a toilet for the rest of that life, so he packed up his printouts and headed back to his apartment. He wasn’t surprised to find Steve’s truck in the parking lot and the man himself pacing restlessly up and down outside on the lanai. Reluctantly, Danny left his car and went to face the music.
Steve nearly pounced on him, “Where the hell have you been? Why did you turn your phone off? I’ve been worried sick!”
Steve looked more than a little wild-eyed and white-faced, as he got right up in Danny’s space, hands clenched into tight fists. Danny dropped his keys and involuntarily flinched back, wary eyes on Steve’s fists. He sure as hell didn’t feel like fighting right now. Steve’s eyes widened at his reaction and his angry expression crumpled into hurt confusion and he stepped back, carefully holding his hands out, palms up.
“Danny…God, Danny. I’m not going to hit you!”
Danny pulled himself together, bent and scooped up his keys, fumbling for the one to his apartment, and gave a snort as he shouldered roughly past Steve and opened the door.
“Like I’d let you McGarrett.” he answered gruffly.
He stepped into the door and hesitated only a moment before stepping aside to let Steve in as well. Better they not have witnesses for whatever altercation that followed. Steve followed him in, eyes boring into the back of his head, silently demanding answers to unasked questions.
Danny rubbed his hands tiredly over his face. He really, really wanted a shower and a nap right now, but better to get this over with so they could move on. He turned to face Steve, who was leaning against the door; all coiled tension with arms folded waiting, and reluctantly raised his eyes.
Steve swallowed hard, eyes intent on Danny’s.
“Is what Dr. Ming said true?”
“Yeah. It looks like it, yeah. My mom took the Vitex supplements when she was knocked up with me.”
“So, you’re actually…”
“Yes, McGarrett! Knocked up! Pregnant! A bun in the oven! With child! Congratulations! You’re going to be a daddy!”
Danny exploded into motion from the tension, voice rising and hands flailing wildly as he paced in the living area of his tiny apartment, eyes still locked challengingly on Steve’s. He wasn’t sure what he expected, a punch in the face, angry denial, total outrage and revulsion, whatever. What he never anticipated was the sheer joy on McGarrett’s face as he whooped and pounced on Danny, lifting him off his feet and whirling him around and knocking Danny’s one functional lamp off the end table with a crash.
“Put me down, you Neanderthal!”
Steve did, but he didn’t let go, hugging Danny close and beaming down into his surprised face.
“We’re going to have a baby!”
Reluctantly amused, Danny found himself smiling reluctantly at his partner’s sheer happiness. This was totally unexpected. He gently pried himself out of Steve’s arms and stepped back, one hand going up to rub at the nape of his neck.
“Yeah, we should probably talk about that. And why exactly aren’t you freaking out?”
He was kind of peeved at that. Typical of McGarrett, to take in stride situations that had normal men shitting their pants. Still, the relief he felt at not having to deal with a major McGarrett freak out left him queasy and little dizzy. He turned towards the kitchen to get a glass of water and swayed on his feet.
“Whoa.”
Steve grabbed him and had him seated on the couch before he could turn around, arms protectively around him.
“Danno?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine! I just need a drink of water and I turned around too fast.”
“I’ll get it!”
Steve leapt across the room and into the tiny kitchen and was back almost before Danny could lean back against the couch. Amused again despite himself, Danny eyed his partner as he took a sip and nodded thanks.
“You never answered my question.”
“Oh, there was a guy in my unit that turned up with HWS a few years ago. He caught a lot of shit for it, even though he was straight. He nearly got kicked out of the Navy because of his medical ‘condition’.”
“Oh, that must have sucked.”
Danny could only imagine how hard it must have been on someone with HWS planning a lifelong military career.
“So, I guess we should talk about this or something.”
Steve nodded decisively.
“You can move in with me after we get married. I can take care of you.”
Danny choked on a gulp of water, then sputtered.
“What? What? Are you mental? I can take care of myself, McGarrett! Not the little woman here! I’m not moving out of my apartment and I am not marrying you!”
He gestured wildly, the rest of his water splashing over the couch and Steve, who merely blinked and wiped his eyes.
“Why not?”
He honestly sounded confused and more than a bit hurt.
“Hello? Are you for real? No sane couple gets married just because one of them gets pregnant! They should have more in common than adrenaline highs and firefights! There should be love and mutual respect; there should be basic commonalities! You don’t marry your fuck buddy, or guy-on-the-side or whatever while you keep screwing your lieutenant-with-benefits! Also, we work together! You’re technically my boss!”
Danny jumped up from the couch well into rant mode, hands wind-milling angrily as he listed all the reasons why it would be impossible for them to coexist in matrimony. How could Steve be so goddamned dense? Danny could practically feel his blood pressure rising.
Steve folded his arms and glared back.
“What about what’s best for the baby?”
Danny’s mouth slammed shut in mid rant. He glared at his asshole of a partner, who was looking a little too pleased with himself. Danny jabbed a finger at Steve’s nose, watching in satisfaction as Steve’s eyes nearly crossed as he tried to keep a wary eye on it.
“You are not normal, Stephen, you know this, right?”
In the end, all they ended up doing was bickering, Steve was still stubbornly set on the marriage thing, until Danny finally had enough and tossed McGarrett out so he could get some rest. He had so much shit going on in his head that he didn’t think he’d sleep, but he was out like a light the second his head hit the pillow and didn’t wake until his alarm blared the next morning.
*****************************
After spending a few minutes hurling in the bathroom, he briskly rinsed his mouth, brushed his teeth and took a nice hot shower before shaving and dressing with care for work. Charcoal gray slacks, crisp white shirt, the gray silk tie Grace gave him for Father’s Day, and polished black shoes. Danny would never ever admit how much he took comfort from his dress routine. It was like armoring up for battle—presenting a wall of professionalism against a sea of Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops. He spent the usual time taming his hair with product, smoothing it into its usual neat, slick style---because no one took blond ringlets seriously—especially on a cop.
He stopped at a gas station on the way in and picked up a pack of crackers and a bottle of ginger ale, figuring that would tame the nausea until he could stomach some actual food, because by this time he was starving. He also mourned the fact that he was doomed to be alcohol free for the next seven months because God knew; dealing with McGarrett on a daily basis was more than enough to drive a sane man to drink.
He was actually feeling pretty good about himself when he walked into work, despite the fact he still had no clue how he was going to tell Grace that she was going to have a baby brother or sister. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to dealing with Rachel, either. His good mood began to evaporate when he saw the expressions on Chin and Kono’s faces. What the hell, had Steve sent out fucking I-Knocked-Danno-Up announcements? Chin wore his bland ‘cop’ mask and Kono kept shooting him covert, subdued glances out of the corner of her eye, and it nosedived completely when he read the sheet of paper left prominently in the center of his desk.
Two minutes later he was barreling into McGarrett’s office, form crumpled in one angry fist.
“What the fuck is this, McGarrett?” he ground out between clenched teeth.
Steve tilted his chair back; arms folded, and regarded him calmly.
“It’s the paperwork for your medical leave.”
“I’m not sick!”
“No, you’re pregnant.”
“That does not mean that I am made of glass! I can still do my job!”
“I know that. But not in the field anymore, it’s too dangerous. You can still work in the office for a few months…”
And he was talking to empty air as Danny turned and stormed out.
“Danny!” Steve flung up his arms in frustration, huffed out a breath and ran his hands over his face.
“Here. File this, McGarrett!”
Danny was back and he tossed a sheet of paper on Steve’s desk, and then slammed down his badge and gun. He pivoted and stalked right back out, shoulders stiff with outrage, this time headed straight for the exit.
Warily, Steve slid it over. It was a signed resignation form. Alarmed, he bolted after his partner. This was not how his plan was supposed to go. The plan was that Danny would listen to him and stay safe—he and their baby would stay safe.
“Danny! Stop!”
A pissed off Danny was a fast moving Danny and Steve didn’t catch up with him until he was in the parking lot, then he had to leap out of the way as he was nearly clipped by the Camaro as Danny roared out of the lot.
Swearing, he headed for his truck to follow, only to be stopped by his ringing phone. It was the Governor and she wanted him in an emergency meeting now. Resigned to speaking with his recalcitrant partner later, he went to the meeting. Four hours later he returned to headquarters to find that Danny had returned, boxed up the personal belongings in his office and left again without a word to either Chin or Kono, both of whom were looking more than a bit pissed at Steve. Chin folded his arms and waited, while Kono glared.
“I know, I know! I’ll go talk to him now!”
“Go easy on him, brah, this can’t be easy for him,” Chin said quietly.
“He feels pretty threatened right now," Kono chimed in.
“I know. I should have handled that better. He’s scared and shaky and I just wanted to make things easier.”
Steve rubbed his tired eyes. He hadn’t slept much last night, mood veering widely from jubilation to sheer terror.
“Just talk to him. Tell him that. Once he calms down he’ll be easier to reason with.” Chin gave him a small smile. “Congratulations, man.”
Steve huffed out a laugh.
“It’s kind of unreal, you know?”
Kono grinned at him. “Oh, it’ll become real when you change that first crappy diaper!”
“Thanks, Kono,” he responded dryly. “I’m taking the rest of the day. I’ll go talk to him.”
Kono followed him out into the hall.
“Boss, you might want to take some food. I don’t think he’s been able to keep anything down today, and he’ll feel better once he’s eaten something.”
“Thanks, Kono,” he said gratefully.
He headed out the door, feeling marginally better now that he had a loose plan. Feed Danno, talk to Danno and if he was really, really lucky cuddle Danno a little too. Steve was still determined to get Danny to marry him, and not just for the baby’s sake. He loved the stubborn bastard, he just wasn’t good at showing it.
They were good together, he’d just have to prove that to a skeptical Danny. Danny was a traditional type of guy, and once Steve got a ring on his finger, he knew Danny would be in it for the long haul. Steve pulled out his phone. One of the first things he needed to do was break things off with Catherine, and he really needed to convince Danny that what he and Cat shared was more about friendship and convenient sex then a long-term relationship.
***************************
Danny had changed out of his professional clothes to his thin cotton sleep pants and tee. He had come home simmering with rage, which had left him exhausted and teary. Goddamned hormones. Impulsively, he pulled up cheap ticket sites on his laptop. His first instinct was to retreat to the one familiar safe place he knew; Jersey. He could stay at his folks’ until he got his shit together.
He wouldn’t be able to see Grace for a while anyway; Rachel and Stan were planning a month’s vacation in London. Dully, he tried to think of a job he could find that would enable him to afford to stay in Hawaii. All he knew was how to be a cop. He slumped on his open sofa bed and ran shaky hands over his face and hair. He was just so goddamned tired. A knock on the door brought his head up. He could see McGarrett’s tall frame through the window.
“Go the fuck away.”
“Danny, I just want to talk.” There was a moment’s silence, then a hopeful
“I brought food?”
Danny’s traitorous stomach rumbled approvingly.
“Shut up,” he mumbled reprovingly as he shuffled over to the door. He had had quite enough of his body betraying him. He may as well let the idiot in, or Steve would probably camp on his doorstep. As he opened the door the rich aroma of cheese and meat wafted through, and he swallowed hard. He had forgotten that he had eaten nothing but crackers today.
Steve edged cautiously inside, white take-out bag held in front of him like a shield.
Danny perked up. “Is that from Donato’s?”
“Yeah, I brought lasagna and risotto Milanese.”
Eyes fixed greedily on the bag, Danny made ‘gimme’ hands.
Once the fragrant bag of food was safely clutched in his hands he scowled up at Steve.
“This doesn’t mean I forgive you for acting like an asshole or anything.”
“Of course not.” Steve answered dryly as he rolled his eyes. He took a few more steps inside, biting back a smile at the sheer pleasure on Danny’s face as he dug through the bag and sniffed containers happily. Kono was a genius. If their kid was a girl, they might have to name her after her.
They settled on opposite sides of the tiny kitchen island, food between them and Steve watched patiently as Danny ate hungrily. This was one of the reasons why Steve wanted Danny to move in with him—Danny needed someone to look after him. He had such a big heart he was usually too busy looking after others to think of himself. Finally, Danny pushed his plate back with a contented belch and gave Steve a sheepish glance.
“You, ah, want some coffee?”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
Danny put a pot on and leaned against the counter while it burbled, one hand rubbing his full stomach contentedly. Looking up, he noticed Steve’s eyes fixed hungrily on Danny’s exposed belly. He remembered feeling the same way when Rachel had been pregnant—wanting desperately to share the experience any way he could. He sighed in resignation. There was no way he could keep Steve at arms length during this, no way he could force the man into a custody agreement like the one Rachel had forced on him.
“It’s not very big yet,” he offered, feeling ridiculously shy, “only about the size of a kidney bean.”
“Yeah?” Steve’s voice was soft, almost reverent and suddenly he was up in Danny’s space, big eyes asking permission before he gently slid a large hand over Danny’s stomach, rubbing gently. Danny swallowed, mouth suddenly dry as he felt a surge of heat flow up his face. His skin felt tight.
“You can’t feel anything now. Not until around the fourth month or so.”
“Yeah?” Steve answered again, hoarsely, eyes now intent on Danny’s face, the need there unmistakable. His hands slid around Danny’s hips, fingers sliding under his waistband and drew him close, eyes suddenly pleading.
“Danno…let me.” Let me hold you. Let me love you. Let me take care of you. I need to do this.
Danny understood, he had gone through the same thing with Rachel. Unable to deny Steve anything at the moment, he tilted his head back as Steve bent and tentatively brushed his mouth with his.
“Yeah, yeah. Okay” he mumbled, mouth already opening under Steve’s gentle kiss, hands sliding up to grasp Steve’s shoulders.
Things went from slow and easy to hot and dirty within seconds, and Danny forgot about talking in favor of climbing his partner like a tree, hands clutching at broad shoulders. Steve grunted and slid an arm under Danny’s ass and blindly hauled him across the room to crash in a tangle of grunting, flailing limbs onto the creaky bed, mouth never leaving his as they exchanged deep, wet kisses.
The coffee pot burbled on unnoticed.
“This is what got us in trouble in the first place.”
Danny felt compelled to point this out sometime later to the man currently sprawled like a warm, tanned blanket across his chest. He snorted when all he got in response from Steve was a sound akin to a cross between a purr and a snore, and a sleepy nuzzle. Chuckling, he yawned, closed his eyes and drifted off himself. He awoke some hours later to find Steve sitting up naked in bed scowling down at Danny’s open laptop.
“You’re going to leave Hawaii?” And me? The hurt was audible.
Danny sighed and rubbed his eyes, then pushed up to sit beside his partner.
“I thought about it” he admitted. “I was pretty pissed off.”
He scowled at Steve, arms folded defensively across his chest.
“We still need to talk, sort some shit out.” He looked Steve right in the eye. “I am not going on desk duty for another couple of months, Stephen, so you can deal or I can walk. I got a job waiting for me in Jersey City.”
It was a low blow, but he meant every word and Steve knew it and responded with Constipated Aneurysm face, then folded his own arms and glared down his nose at Danny.
“Fine. But you move in with me, and you start taking my marriage proposal seriously.”
Reluctantly charmed by the stubborn asshole, Danny grinned up at him.
“What marriage proposal? As I recall, it was more of an order, Commander.”
“I’m working on it,” Steve responded, nose now haughtily in the air. “The next time I ask, I want a real answer.”
Danny chewed his lip and thought for a minute. He did want to stay in Hawaii and at 5-0 and, he reluctantly admitted to himself, he wanted Steve. Even if he had to marry the crazy son of a bitch, after all, Steve needed a keeper, so he might as well go for broke. Feeling deliciously reckless, he grinned up at McGarrett.
“Okay. Yeah, okay.”
Steve’s head whipped around and he squinted suspiciously at Danny.
“Okay, what?” he asked cautiously.
Danny slid back down and made himself comfortable against the pillows, stretching his arms above his head, back arching lazily, and snickered when Steve’s eyes went automatically to where the sheet had slid down to pool around his hips. He eyed Steve right back and ran his tongue lightly over his lips, watching as Steve’s pupils dilated at the movement.
“Okay, I’ll marry you. Just a ring and a quiet civil ceremony, no fuss and no flowers and crap like that. So you work on that proposal McGarrett.”
Satisfied, he closed his eyes, and prepared to go back to sleep.
Steve pounced.
Danny squeaked.
“Ack! Get off me you Neanderthal!”
As usual, Steve happily ignored him.
****************************
Steve woke up the next morning smiling. The reason was curled naked, snoring against his side, one arm and fuzzy leg thrown carelessly over Steve’s torso, blond hair standing up in every direction in a spectacular case of bed head. Steve beamed down at his sleeping partner. He was so happy he felt like he could explode with it. His mind was already brimming with plans. Arrange for the ceremony with Chin and Kono as witnesses. Buy Danno a ring. Move Danny’s stuff into his house. Ease Danny out of fieldwork as sneakily as possible. Fix up a room for the baby. Start a college fund for the baby. Maybe he should start thinking of names?
He grinned goofily at the ceiling for a few minutes. He dropped a kiss on the blond head, nuzzled happily into Danny’s hair, and gently laid a palm on Danny’s belly. Steve was so proud he could burst. That was his baby growing there, his and Danny’s. He couldn’t get over the miracle of it. What were the odds? He made a mental note to do some research a.s.a.p. He frowned at a sudden thought and decided to speak with Dr. Ming as soon as possible.
Was Danny in danger from this pregnancy? Disturbed at the thought, he wrapped both arms around Danny and pulled him close, tucking the blond head under his chin, loving the way the smaller man fit perfectly against him. No, Steve wouldn’t allow any negative thoughts about this. Danny was smaller than he was, but he was broad-shouldered and compact and sturdy in a way Steve wasn’t, and more than strong enough to safely carry a little baby to term. Not a damned girl, McGarrett! Determinedly, he closed his eyes and willed himself back to sleep for a while longer.
******************************
So Danny came back to work and things progressed nicely over the next couple of months, and if there was a suspicious lack of car chases, gun battles and explosions, he pretended not to notice. He was a bit disgruntled at his growing belly, but he figured most would see it as a typical male beer gut. Buying new clothes had been a pain and McGarrett couldn’t seem to keep his hands off Danny’s belly. More than once Danny awoke with Steve spooned behind him, one hand splayed protectively across it, and Danny often caught him just grinning like an idiot at it.
Dr. Ming had explained that men tended to show less and carry smaller babies, which relieved Danny greatly. It was embarrassing enough (and God, how Rachel had howled with laughter when he told her) to be pregnant, although Grace was thrilled despite being sworn to secrecy.
It had felt odd to actually marry Steve. They had been forced to invite the Governor to the ceremony after Steve had sat stiffly in her office and mumbled a scarlet-faced explanation as to why his partner was going to require medical leave—specifically maternity leave in the near future—anyway, a couple of stiff drinks later she had an invite and she and Steve had apparently bonded. The marriage had been kept on the down low as much as possible. The team did not need the media circus that would follow if any journalists got their hands on the story.
There had been flowers at the brief ceremony (performed in the Governor’s office) courtesy of Kono’s insistence on wedding leis, but Danny quickly forgave her when she also produced a large Chocolate Raspberry Silk cake. Steve had proudly presented two heavy gold rings and ten minutes later they had tied the knot. Danny had the photos as proof, of him and Steve, both standing shoulder to shoulder in the Governor’s office, with Steve looking pleased and a little shell-shocked.
So they settled into a surprisingly cozy domestic partnership. Danny cooked and Steve did most of the cleaning, they bickered over the grocery shopping and laundry and had phenomenal sex. It felt good to settle on the sofa with Steve in the evening with the sports channel on and doze off against his husband’s shoulder. Danny’s stuff intermingled with Steve’s, his car was parked in the drive next to Steve’s truck, and Grace had her own lavender painted room.
Tonight they were watching a football game, Danny was lying flat, bare feet in Steve’s lap, well on the way to the Land of Nod as Steve absently rubbed his feet, when he felt it-the tiniest of flutters. His eyes popped open and he stiffened. Steve, who was hyper alert these days to Danny’s slightest discomfort was instantly attentive, and set his beer aside.
“What? Are you okay?”
Danny crooked a finger at him and grinned.
“Come here.”
Puzzled, Steve slid down beside him.
Danny took his hand and pressed it against his bump. It was only a few seconds before the baby moved again, definitely a kick this time. Steve’s eyes were wide as saucers and he eagerly placed both palms on Danny’s belly.
“Wow.”
“He’s gonna be a football player,” Danny said contentedly.
Steve raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, yeah, he? How do you know it’s a he?”
“Because the little shit is kicking my bladder like it’s a damned football. Lemme up, McGarrett, I gotta go piss again.”
Steve chuckled and gave his husband a hand up and watched fondly as Danny shuffled off to the bathroom, yawning widely. He grinned happily. Maybe it was okay to admit to Danny now that Steve already had a little boy’s set of furniture squirreled away in the garage complete with a racecar bed. He wondered if Danny would object to naming their kid after Steve’s dad.
Things progressed nicely and Danny ambled into his eighth month without much fanfare. Except for some weird food cravings that kept
McGarrett scrambling out on search-and-obtain missions at odd hours ---seriously, mayo and bacon sandwiches on white bread? Kiwi and banana slices with honey? Danny blamed that one on the McGarrett genes, at least it wasn’t frigging pineapple. Also, he had to pee about forty billion times a day. The kid was going to be a football player, confirmed as a boy via ultrasound, and constantly kicked Danny’s insides like a miniature mule, so things were fine.
‘Perfectly healthy,’ to quote Dr. Ming. Danny suspected the old fart was writing a paper on the subject.
Steve had nearly rolled off his chair with joy in the exam room when the baby’s sex was determined, and had immediately started decorating the baby’s room in bright, bold primary colors with lots of sports motifs. The room was packed with small plush footballs. Danny wasn’t too surprised at that; after all he had found the brand new stash of baseball bats, footballs, soccer nets and miscellaneous sports equipment stashed under the stairs weeks ago. He had patiently pointed out that is was gonna be a while before their kid could even walk, much less join Little League and Pee Wee Football. He also spent a happy weekend heckling Steve’s determined attempts to assemble a jungle gym in the backyard. Chin had saved the day because he could actually read the directions, which were in Korean.
Danny was working half days in the office now, and doing most of it from home as well. He was horribly self-conscious of his growing belly, although Steve constantly reassured him it wasn’t that large. Still, better to stay out of the public eye as much as possible, so basically Danny went in to work in the mornings with Steve to catch up on the mounds of paperwork then went home at lunch, where he and baby took a long nap and then worked from his laptop for the rest of the day.
So, everything was fine until the first weird letter arrived on Danny’s desk. It was a plain, legal sized envelope with his name typed in the middle. When he opened it, the vitriolic contents of the single page nearly made him hurl. Steve, always with an eagle eye on his partner, must have seen something on his face through the glass wall, because he was there in seconds, gently taking the letter from Danny’s unresisting hand. Steve’s face darkened as he read the contents and in minutes he had Chin taking the envelope and letter to the lab, then he followed Danny to the Men’s room, where he was shakily splashing his face with cold water.
Wordlessly Steve drew his husband into a hug, holding the shorter man close, bright head tucked under his chin.
“I guess we picked up a nutter, huh?” Danny was trying for cheerful, but it came out shaky, and his hands were knotted white-knuckled into Steve’s shirt.
Steve leaned down and pressed his lips to Danny’s forehead.
“I’m on it,” he answered simply.
“Yeah. Yeah, you are.” Danny sounded reassured, and he relaxed a bit in Steve’s arms, but he made no attempt to leave their comfort.
So, Steve held him close, rubbed his belly, then gently teased him about his numerous bathroom breaks and Danny rallied with a mini rant about Mutant McGarrett Spawn with giant clodhopper feet, Baby gave Steve’s palm a stout kick for good measure, and they went back to work.
The lab came up with nothing of use. No fingerprints, no DNA. The paper was common, as was the computer font used. It became an exercise in frustration, because the malicious letters kept coming. Some were mailed, others simply appeared in Danny’s office. The sender was obviously disturbed, one of the worst kinds of religious nuts. Not only did s/he rail against Danny as an abomination on the earth, but stated he was guilty of the sin of sodomy and worse, and that the child needed to be ‘saved’ from the atrocity that carried it. Saved with a very sharp knife wielded by a righteous hand.
After a while, Steve and Chin simply kept Danny from reading them, whisking them away before he could find them, while they grimly planned how they could locate the sender. It rankled that this person had access to their offices, so that was the angle they went with first. Chin pulled the records of all the support staff and he, Steve and Kono started the meticulous process of weeding through them. Steve installed cameras in the offices, but shortly after, all the envelopes began to be mailed, so no luck there. It was like trying to trace a ghost.
Then, three weeks before he was due for his caesarian, Danny disappeared on the way home from the office.
The team had been out on an arrest, which had gone fairly easy. When confronted with the evidence, the man had confessed to his wife’s murder on the spot. The woman had been having an affair with his business partner. They turned him over to HPD and headed back to the office. As they walked through the parking garage, Steve stopped with a frown.
“Danny’s car is still here.”
He walked towards it, and then swore. Chin and Kona watched as he swiftly knelt beside the driver’s door. Danny’s gun lay under the car, and there was blood smeared on the side panel. The face Steve turned towards them was so anguished, they immediately stepped forward to comfort him, but he was already rising to his feet, features smoothing into a calm, professional mask.
“Chin get the lab down here, and the tapes from the garage cameras. Hopefully, this time they caught something of use. Kono let’s get back to those records, and this time let’s cross match with employee records from Dr. Ming’s office. The only way this freak would know about Danny’s pregnancy is if he has access to our records.”
He turned, back ramrod straight, and strode for the elevator, clenched fists the only outward sign of his terror for his partner and child. Kono fell into step beside him.
“We’ll find him boss,”
The face he turned to her was terrible to see. Face white and eyes as cold and implacable as those of the huge tiger shark she had once come face to face with while surfing.
“Yes, Kono, we will” he replied quietly.
She shivered as she followed him onto the lift. She almost felt sorry for the perp. Almost.
A half hour later Chin burst into the conference room with a flash drive in hand.
“We’ve got something!”
Steve and Kono crowded close as he popped it into the computer table port. Chin tapped the menu and a grainy vid appeared on the main screen. They watched as Danny emerged from the elevator and walked towards his car. He unlocked the passenger door and put his laptop case and a pile of files inside, shut the door, then moved around to the driver’s side, distractedly rubbing his belly.
Before he could open the door, a slim figure darted from behind the car and rammed something against his back. Danny jerked and collapsed, trying to shield his belly even as he fell against the car, head slamming against it. The woman, and it was clearly a woman, pulled his gun from his holster and kicked it under the car, then quickly dragged him back into the shadows behind the vehicles. A few minutes later, a black van roared out of the garage.
“That bitch tasered him!” Kono growled.
“Chin, see if you can get a close up of her face and cross match it with those I.D. photos from personnel.”
Steve’s voice was cold as an arctic wind. He paced back and forth across the room, face expressionless, hands clenching and unclenching while Chin and Kono worked. He knew what it felt like to be tasered. Would it hurt the baby? Suddenly Kono gave a triumphant cry and pounced on a stack of folders, as Chin enlarged the suspect’s face.
“Here! I knew I saw that face recently! She works as a receptionist in Dr. Ming’s office.”
She yanked out a sheet of information, which Steve quickly read over her shoulder.
“Hannah Koeljo. Get her current address and let’s move!”
Danny woke to a world of pain. His head hurt and he ached all over. Groggily, he tried to move, relieve the painful muscle spasms, but quickly found his hands cuffed above his head to a sturdy lead pipe. He was lying on his back like a short beached whale, on a large plastic tarp spread out on the concrete floor of what was apparently a home basement. His mouth had been duct taped shut. He flinched at a particularly vicious cramp across his stomach, and drew up his knees in a futile attempt at relief. He had been tasered, he realized, he had felt the same after that incident at Halloween in 2002. He had also, he realized, humiliated, pissed himself as well. Lovely.
He turned his head trying to get his bearings as he tugged gingerly at the cuffs, probably his, from the feel of them. A low murmur caught his attention and he froze as he realized he wasn’t alone. He kept quiet, unwilling to draw further attention to himself. He craned his neck and saw a thin, frizzy-haired woman standing with her back to him across the room.
She was bent over a workbench holding a metal tray, and as he watched, she muttered to herself as she pulled on a pair of surgical gloves and lifted a scalpel from the tray. She examined it for a moment, frowned, then rummaged around in the tray of instruments for a new blade. So far, she didn’t seem to realize Danny was conscious.
Danny took a deep breath and closed his eyes and thought hard. Okay, it looked like he was about have some unscheduled surgery sans anesthesia. He had only one chance to buy himself some time, he realized. His legs weren’t tied down yet, although he suspected that came next. There was a small coil of rope lying at his feet. All he could do was feign unconsciousness and hope to hell Steve was on the way. His belly cramped viciously again and he fought to keep silent beneath his gag. He hoped his baby was all right. He hadn’t felt him move at all yet.
The woman took her time with her preparations; humming lullabies under her breath as she changed the blade of the scalpel, then donned a heavy plastic apron. She turned to check on what appeared to be a pile of sterile towels and a blue baby blanket, then threw a quick look over her shoulder at Danny. He kept still, limbs limp, and watched her through his lashes.
Reassured, she picked up her tray of instruments and the pile of towels and knelt by his side. Quickly, she unbuttoned his dress shirt and spread it open exposing Danny’s stomach. Then she opened a bottle of Betadine and swabbed Danny’s belly. He kept still, heart pounding, forcing himself to wait for his chance. Muttering with distaste, she unbuckled his belt and worked his slacks down his hips to pool around his knees. Then she hesitated, obviously unsure of her next step.
Finally, she stood and moved farther down and straddled his feet and bent over to yank his boxers down. The moment she was within range Danny quickly drew his legs up and kicked her viciously in the face, putting every ounce of strength he had left in that one effort. She shrieked in pain and reeled back against the wall, head colliding with a hard thud, clutching her bloody face and mouth. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to knock her unconscious, and she swayed jerkily back to her feet, her eyes murderous.
“Filth! Obscene abomination! Give me my child!”
She staggered over to the tray and dodged Danny’s second desperate kick to grab the scalpel and lunge at him, blade held high to stab at his throat.
That was when Steve dove from the top of the stairs, coming down swift and hard like the wrath of a particularly vengeful god, and quickly, efficiently cracked her skull against the concrete floor. He dropped her unconscious body, stepped over it, and moved immediately to Danny.
“Kono, bring me a blanket! And get those goddamned EMTS here now! “
Crooning gently under his breath, he quickly unlocked the cuffs and pulled a shivering Danny carefully into his arms. He held him close and yanked the tape off his mouth, wincing at the small hurt sound Danny made.
“I’ve got you baby, I’ve got you.”
He carefully tugged his husband’s clothes back up to decently cover him and help keep him warm, then thanked Kono as she draped a thick fleece blanket over Danny. Danny was rapidly going into shock, Steve realized. He was shivering, his color wasn’t good and his compact body was wracked with muscle spasms.
“S…Steve,” Danny was fading fast, losing consciousness as Steve watched, blue eyes pleading, his hands clutching clumsily at Steve’s shirt.
“Steve, baby…take care of the baby…hurts,” he slurred and slumped against Steve’s chest, blond head lolling.
“Danny! Stay with me Danny!”
Steve didn’t dare wait for the EMTs; he scooped his unconscious husband up with a grunt of effort and carried him up the stairs to where he could hear the siren of the arriving ambulance.
After that, it was a blur of chaos. Steve remembered the ambulance ride, snarling at the EMT who tried to separate him from Danny, and the arrival at Queen’s Medical, where Dr. Ming waited with an emergency obstetrics crew and a ready gurney. Steve held hard to Danny’s hand and walked with him as far as the surgery doors, where Chin and Kono gently pried him loose. All he could do was wait. He sat grimly in the waiting area, hands clenching and unclenching, hollow eyes fixed on the doors that kept him from Danno and his baby.
Chin and Kono came and went, largely ignored. When Chin quietly reported that Ms. Koeljo has a closed skull fracture and was unlikely to regain consciousness all he got in return was a thin, feral smile. Her sister worked on the 5-0 janitorial staff, which explained how she gained access. She had stolen a key and copied it.
Kono brought him food and coffee as the hours lengthened and he mumbled thanks, but he never took his eyes off the doors. It was well after midnight, and Steve was rubbing his face wearily when the doors opened and a tiny nurse emerged with a well-wrapped bundle.
“Commander McGarrett, would you like to meet your son?”
Steve lurched to his feet, eyes wide. He stared into the woman’s kind brown eyes.
“It’s too early…isn’t it?” he asked, confused.
“He’s a little small, but healthy. We’ll keep him in the nursery for a while to make sure everything is alright.”
She tilted the little bundle invitingly, and heart in his throat, he timidly reached for his son. He swallowed hard as he peered down into a tiny red face beneath a shock of dark hair that was typically enough, standing on end. His baby, he thought, uncharitably, looked a little like a troll doll. Awed, he reached for the miniscule hand, which immediately clamped tight onto his finger. His son yawned toothlessly and squinted back at him with cloudy blue eyes, Danno’s eyes. Holding his baby close he turned to the smiling nurse.
“Danny…is Danny alright?” he asked, heart in his throat.
Her smile dimmed, and she laid a compassionate hand on his arm.
“He lost a great deal of blood, Mr. McGarrett, and there were complications. Dr. Ming is still working on him. I’ll find out what I can. Why don’t you sit here and hold your baby for a while?” She gently steered him back to a chair.
Silently he obeyed, barely noticing Kono as she cooed over the baby. If he lost Danny, none of this would be worth it, he realized. He suddenly had a glimpse of what his father must have gone through when his mother was killed, because Steve had never felt so lost in his life. Numbly he sat, cradling his son, eyes locked again on the doors separating him from his partner. Life without the loud, bright whirlwind that was Danny was unthinkable.
It was nearly dawn before a weary, but smiling Dr. Ming emerged. Baby boy was tucked safely away in the nursery. Steve stood, afraid to ask.
“Mr. McGarrett, you have a extraordinarily tough husband. Danny lost a lot of blood during surgery, his body was treating his womb as a foreign object and trying to expel it, probably because of the trauma of the electrical shock, so he hemorrhaged badly. We were able to deliver the baby, stop the bleeding and remove the uterus safely, however Danny is very weak and it will take him quite a while to recover fully. We have him heavily sedated now, so he can rest and heal. We will let you in to see him in a few hours.”
Steve scrubbed his hands over his stubbled face, his eyes were burning with unshed tears.
“But he’ll be alright, won’t he? He’ll be okay?”
Dr. Ming patted his hand gently.
“Yes, Mr. McGarrett, I think I can safely say that with plenty of rest and barring complications, Danny will make a full recovery.” He beamed up at the taller man. “Tell me, Mr. McGarrett, what have you named your boy?”
Steve gave a half sob, half laugh and smiled brilliantly back at him.
“Daniel. His name is Daniel John McGarrett-Williams.”
After all, it was only fitting that he name his son after the two strongest men he knew.
****************************************
Danny sat propped against a mound of pillows, in the hammock, finally at home where he could rest without visitors and nurses popping in every few minutes to bug and stick needles in him. He was weak and sore, and his stitches itched like a son of a bitch, but he was happy to be home. His son lay cradled in one arm against his bare chest, nuzzling determinedly through golden fuzz for a nipple.
“Ouch! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, you are definitely a McGarrett! Steve, hurry up with that bottle!” Carefully, he pried the tiny suckling mouth off his tender nipple and let DJ mouth his fingertip instead.
“No luck there, that well is dry, kiddo.”
He grinned happily down at his boy. Poor kid had inherited the Williams Electric Medusa hair and Danny’s blue eyes, but the rest of him was pure Steve. Danny looked forward to the day his tiny son towered over him, lean and strong.
Dissatisfied with his lack of nourishment, DJ screwed up his face and prepared to release a patented Williams howl of fury. Before he could let loose, Steve sprinted across the yard and hopped into the hammock with them, and deftly slid the nipple of a full bottle in his mouth.
“Nice job, dad,” Danny said admiringly, “you’re getting pretty good at this.”
Steve beamed goofily back at him and dropped a kiss on his nose.
“I know” he said modestly, as he happily wrapped himself around his family and settled in, rocking the hammock gently.
He smiled down at Danny and DJ. The baby was suckling greedily, bright blue eyes locked on Danny’s fond face. Steve was glad that his son was actually looking more like a kid now, despite the hair. He wondered how long it would be before he could get DJ a haircut, because Gracie was having way too much fun with ribbons and barrettes.
Danny gave a put upon sigh, reading his mind, as usual.
“No, Steve, you cannot give the baby a regulation haircut. He’s not even a month old. His hair will straighten out eventually.”
He poked Deej’s hair down with one blunt finger, only to have it spring back up immediately. Danny frowned. Maybe he would consider a dab of hair gel. His child looked like Phyllis Diller. He glanced up to find his partner regarding him with a particularly goofy smile.
“What? What? What’s with that look?” he murmured, puzzled.
Steve sighed happily and just dropped a smacking kiss on Danny’s forehead. He shifted so that Danny’s head was cradled against his shoulder and wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders, and lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes with a contented sigh. Danny gave him a sharp poke in the ribs.
“Don’t get too comfortable, sailor, you’re on diaper duty.”
Steve grinned and patted a pocket of his cargo pants.
“Got it covered, Danno.”
“Really? Really? Seriously? You have diapers and wipes in your pocket? “ Danny said incredulously. “Let me guess, you’ve got a binkie and a hand grenade in there too, right? Right, Super SEAL?”
Steve’s smile grew smug and he sighed happily, stretched lazily and slid contentedly towards a nap to the tune of Danny’s incredulous voice winding up into a familiar monologue. He really hoped DJ hadn’t inherited his father’s tendency to nag.
“McGarrett? McGarrett? Are you listening to me?” Danny asked, exasperated.
“Yes, Dear,” Steve mumbled.
Danny scowled at his husband. He glanced down at his son, who had finished his bottle already and was yawning expansively.
“Your dad is a lunkhead,” he informed the baby. “Wow. You really hoovered that down.”
He set the empty bottle aside and placed DJ on the hand towel over his shoulder and expertly rubbed the small back until the baby emitted a resounding burp. Before he could say anything, Steve fumbled in a side pocket and slapped a binkie into his waiting palm, without opening his eyes. Danny snorted with amusement. The pacifier was bright yellow with a Batman logo. His husband was a dork. He slid it into DJ’s mouth and the baby nursed on it contentedly as he fell asleep on his father’s chest.
When Kono stopped by later to exercise her new auntie privileges (she couldn’t seem to stop buying baby clothes—her latest find was a tiny pair of blue board shorts---) that’s how she found them, curled together in the hammock with three sets of soft, masculine snores floating up to the lanai.
FINI
February 17, 2011