The Sound of Silence
Author: Lizard971
Title: The Sound of Silence
Fandom: Hawaii 5-0
Prompt:
hc_bingo "Sensory Deprivation"
Medium: fanfic
Wordcount: 1445
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Summary: Danny wakes up after a bust gone wrong and things are not as well as they seem.
Characters: Danny Williams
Disclaimer: Playing in a sandbox that is not mine. (If it were, Danny wouldn't be there only to deal with family crisis, he'd actually have a real story arc there somewhere. Not like it's been 3 years...)
AN: Because I've been procrastinating so much, this is unbeta-ed for now. It will be later on and I'll edit it then. So I apologize in advance for all the non sense and the mistakes. Be kind.
– The Sound of Silence -
“Danny! Danny! Look at me, man!”
Steve was right there in his face when Danny opened his eyes. Things were slightly blurry and he wasn't really sure what his partner was trying to tell him. He tried to focus on Steve's lips to make sense of something, but his brain had trouble following through. Keeping his eyes open proved to be enough of a challenge at the moment.
“That's it. You're gonna be okay, you hear me? It's okay. Just stay down. That's it.”
Steve seemed worried and angsty, and Danny wasn't particularly keen on being around an angsty Steve as it usually meant trouble for him.
“I'm okay,” croaked out Danny. “I'm okay.” There was little strength behind those words, and even less he could do to prove it. He was still in a haze, and what shone through wasn't exactly screaming 'okay.' He tried to raise his arm to pat Steve on his arm to reassure him, but all he managed to do is wake up an agonizing pain that promptly sent him into oblivion.
The next time Danny opened his eyes, things were just about as fuzzy, but in a much more relaxing and comfortable way. When his surroundings finally came into focus, he recognized the distinct arrangement of a hospital room and groaned. “Shit.”
He gave himself a moment to emerge further before assessing the situation properly. Taking a deeper breath actually helped him in both fields. The pain it triggered was enough to clear the last of the fog and to tell him some of his ribs were broken or seriously bruised. “Great.”
As he further assessed his damaged body—legs felt okay if not a little sore—Danny tried to think about what had landed him in the hospital this time and how much of it was Steve's fault. He remembered gearing up for a raid—a headache was slowly growing which most likely meant concussion—Steve giving out instructions to make sure all exits were covered. He was sent to the back of the house with two SWATs to check out the garage—right arm checked out, wrist, elbow, shoulder—with orders to wait for the signal. He never got to hear the customary 'Go Go Go' because the world around him erupted—left wrist and elbow numb and unresponsive, shoulder mobility—in a very loud and bright sound and light show. “Oww! Fuck!” There'd been an explosion. The garage had exploded as they were getting close, sending him flying back—shoulder probably busted on impact—debris raining down.
The next thing he remembered was Steve in his face and the failed attempt at reassuring him. Danny had no idea how much time had passed since that moment and there was nothing in the room to help him. No window to see outside, no clock, no nurse, no Steve. The only thing in the room was the traditional array of medical equipment: a half empty IV bag, BP cuff, pulse-ox thingy on his finger, the nasal cannula. Everything was accounted for, down to the patches on his chest linked to the cardiac monitoring and its stubbornly beeping line indicating that he was still alive. Except that... “What the—”
The door opening, caught in his field of vision, interrupted Danny's analysis and revealed a doctor and a nurse. Stunned, Danny couldn't tear his eyes from them, apart from a series of quick glances at the cardiac monitor.
“Detective Williams. It's good to see you—”
Glance.
“Your team will finally get—”
Glance.
“I'm Doctor Bradley. This is Nurse Collins.” The doctor indicated to the nurse who'd moved forward to check his IV.
Danny's gaze followed and stopped on the nurse who was now looking down at him. “Morgan. You can call me Morgan if you want. Do you want me to—”
Danny looked back at the monitor, and how the dot seemed to jump up more often, the numbers on the screen rising as well. He saw the doctor move forward, Danny's chart in hand, a frown on his face. “What's wrong, detective? Are you in pain?” He checked the chart, muttering something before looking back up to Danny. “—ainkillers for another hour at least.” The reply he was expecting didn't come as fast as he wanted it, so he pushed further. “Detective Williams? Did you hear me?”
“No. Doc, no,” said Danny, “Something's not right. It's not... It's... I can't—”
“Danny! You're awake.” Steve showed up behind the doctor, interrupting his partner. He moved past everyone in the room, getting close to the bed, eager to hear directly from Danny that he was fine. “You had us worried there for a while, man. How are you?” He waited for a reply, but all he got were some confused looks wandering all over the room. He took Danny's hand and sat on the bed by his legs. “Danny? Talk to me. Doc, how—” His partner not giving him what he wanted, he turned to the Doctor for some answers.
Danny lost track of the conversation there, but reconnected when Doctor Bradley looked up from his chart again to reply to Steve's questions. Steve's previously relieved feature morphed back into his more usual sullen expression, looking back and forth at the other men in the room.
“Detective Williams was just about to tell us something when you... interrupted us, Commander. Weren't you, Detective?” The doctor eyed Danny, urging him to continue. “You said something wasn't right. What did you mean?”
“I can't... My ears, doc, I can't hear you.” Danny was getting frantic, his gaze going from the Doc to Steve and back before finally resting on his partner. “I can't hear anything.”
Steve jumped up from the bed, taking a couple steps back, but his eyes never leaving Danny's. He raked his hands in his hair, looking for words and failing miserably. Eventually, he just managed a bewildered, “What?”
“I can't hear you. There's nothing,” repeated Danny. “I can't hear. I can't hear.” There was a sense of finality the last time he said it. He was a lot calmer than just a minute ago, accepting his condition as it was. He should freak out more, but whatever painkillers he was on probably kept him losing it completely.
“No, Danny, no. You heard us. You replied. You heard me,” shot back Steve, desperately holding to what he could, because the alternative wasn't something he wanted to face. “You heard me and you heard the doc. Right—” he turned to the doctor for some confirmation.
It was Danny's turn to interrupt. “Slow down and look at me, Steve,” he said, hoping he didn't shout. The few words he dared, he'd tried to force himself to not speak too loud. It was hard to talk and not hear himself. He remembered how it worked from the last time it'd happened to him. “You have to speak slowly. I can lip-read, but not when you mumble or when you don't look at me.”
Time stood still in the room, everyone processing what Danny had told them, but it didn't last long. Soon enough, the nurse had moved by the doctor who was busy talking and noting something on the chart. Danny had no idea what it was and truth be told, he didn't really care. He suddenly felt really tired and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Steve was arguing with the doctor at first, but was now on the phone, pacing in the room like a tiger in a cage. It was giving him a headache and it was really not something he wanted to deal with on top of everything else.
Danny closed his eyes, cutting himself off from his surroundings. He wasn't ready to face Steve's or his team's worry at the moment. He also didn't want to face more doctors and more tests. He knew what was coming up next. He'd already been through it once, after another explosion back in New Jersey. It had lasted almost 6 weeks back then before his hearing started to come back online. He knew he could deal with the deafness; it would take some time to get his feet back under him and remember the tricks he had picked up last time. What he couldn't predict was how those around him were going to react and act with him. He would have been perfectly happy to never go through that again, but apparently, his life didn't work that way. For now, he'd settle for delaying the inevitable and allowed his mind to drift off until he was finally sleeping again.
**
FIN
Title: The Sound of Silence
Fandom: Hawaii 5-0
Prompt:
hc_bingo "Sensory Deprivation"Medium: fanfic
Wordcount: 1445
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Summary: Danny wakes up after a bust gone wrong and things are not as well as they seem.
Characters: Danny Williams
Disclaimer: Playing in a sandbox that is not mine. (If it were, Danny wouldn't be there only to deal with family crisis, he'd actually have a real story arc there somewhere. Not like it's been 3 years...)
AN: Because I've been procrastinating so much, this is unbeta-ed for now. It will be later on and I'll edit it then. So I apologize in advance for all the non sense and the mistakes. Be kind.
– The Sound of Silence -
“Danny! Danny! Look at me, man!”
Steve was right there in his face when Danny opened his eyes. Things were slightly blurry and he wasn't really sure what his partner was trying to tell him. He tried to focus on Steve's lips to make sense of something, but his brain had trouble following through. Keeping his eyes open proved to be enough of a challenge at the moment.
“That's it. You're gonna be okay, you hear me? It's okay. Just stay down. That's it.”
Steve seemed worried and angsty, and Danny wasn't particularly keen on being around an angsty Steve as it usually meant trouble for him.
“I'm okay,” croaked out Danny. “I'm okay.” There was little strength behind those words, and even less he could do to prove it. He was still in a haze, and what shone through wasn't exactly screaming 'okay.' He tried to raise his arm to pat Steve on his arm to reassure him, but all he managed to do is wake up an agonizing pain that promptly sent him into oblivion.
The next time Danny opened his eyes, things were just about as fuzzy, but in a much more relaxing and comfortable way. When his surroundings finally came into focus, he recognized the distinct arrangement of a hospital room and groaned. “Shit.”
He gave himself a moment to emerge further before assessing the situation properly. Taking a deeper breath actually helped him in both fields. The pain it triggered was enough to clear the last of the fog and to tell him some of his ribs were broken or seriously bruised. “Great.”
As he further assessed his damaged body—legs felt okay if not a little sore—Danny tried to think about what had landed him in the hospital this time and how much of it was Steve's fault. He remembered gearing up for a raid—a headache was slowly growing which most likely meant concussion—Steve giving out instructions to make sure all exits were covered. He was sent to the back of the house with two SWATs to check out the garage—right arm checked out, wrist, elbow, shoulder—with orders to wait for the signal. He never got to hear the customary 'Go Go Go' because the world around him erupted—left wrist and elbow numb and unresponsive, shoulder mobility—in a very loud and bright sound and light show. “Oww! Fuck!” There'd been an explosion. The garage had exploded as they were getting close, sending him flying back—shoulder probably busted on impact—debris raining down.
The next thing he remembered was Steve in his face and the failed attempt at reassuring him. Danny had no idea how much time had passed since that moment and there was nothing in the room to help him. No window to see outside, no clock, no nurse, no Steve. The only thing in the room was the traditional array of medical equipment: a half empty IV bag, BP cuff, pulse-ox thingy on his finger, the nasal cannula. Everything was accounted for, down to the patches on his chest linked to the cardiac monitoring and its stubbornly beeping line indicating that he was still alive. Except that... “What the—”
The door opening, caught in his field of vision, interrupted Danny's analysis and revealed a doctor and a nurse. Stunned, Danny couldn't tear his eyes from them, apart from a series of quick glances at the cardiac monitor.
“Detective Williams. It's good to see you—”
Glance.
“Your team will finally get—”
Glance.
“I'm Doctor Bradley. This is Nurse Collins.” The doctor indicated to the nurse who'd moved forward to check his IV.
Danny's gaze followed and stopped on the nurse who was now looking down at him. “Morgan. You can call me Morgan if you want. Do you want me to—”
Danny looked back at the monitor, and how the dot seemed to jump up more often, the numbers on the screen rising as well. He saw the doctor move forward, Danny's chart in hand, a frown on his face. “What's wrong, detective? Are you in pain?” He checked the chart, muttering something before looking back up to Danny. “—ainkillers for another hour at least.” The reply he was expecting didn't come as fast as he wanted it, so he pushed further. “Detective Williams? Did you hear me?”
“No. Doc, no,” said Danny, “Something's not right. It's not... It's... I can't—”
“Danny! You're awake.” Steve showed up behind the doctor, interrupting his partner. He moved past everyone in the room, getting close to the bed, eager to hear directly from Danny that he was fine. “You had us worried there for a while, man. How are you?” He waited for a reply, but all he got were some confused looks wandering all over the room. He took Danny's hand and sat on the bed by his legs. “Danny? Talk to me. Doc, how—” His partner not giving him what he wanted, he turned to the Doctor for some answers.
Danny lost track of the conversation there, but reconnected when Doctor Bradley looked up from his chart again to reply to Steve's questions. Steve's previously relieved feature morphed back into his more usual sullen expression, looking back and forth at the other men in the room.
“Detective Williams was just about to tell us something when you... interrupted us, Commander. Weren't you, Detective?” The doctor eyed Danny, urging him to continue. “You said something wasn't right. What did you mean?”
“I can't... My ears, doc, I can't hear you.” Danny was getting frantic, his gaze going from the Doc to Steve and back before finally resting on his partner. “I can't hear anything.”
Steve jumped up from the bed, taking a couple steps back, but his eyes never leaving Danny's. He raked his hands in his hair, looking for words and failing miserably. Eventually, he just managed a bewildered, “What?”
“I can't hear you. There's nothing,” repeated Danny. “I can't hear. I can't hear.” There was a sense of finality the last time he said it. He was a lot calmer than just a minute ago, accepting his condition as it was. He should freak out more, but whatever painkillers he was on probably kept him losing it completely.
“No, Danny, no. You heard us. You replied. You heard me,” shot back Steve, desperately holding to what he could, because the alternative wasn't something he wanted to face. “You heard me and you heard the doc. Right—” he turned to the doctor for some confirmation.
It was Danny's turn to interrupt. “Slow down and look at me, Steve,” he said, hoping he didn't shout. The few words he dared, he'd tried to force himself to not speak too loud. It was hard to talk and not hear himself. He remembered how it worked from the last time it'd happened to him. “You have to speak slowly. I can lip-read, but not when you mumble or when you don't look at me.”
Time stood still in the room, everyone processing what Danny had told them, but it didn't last long. Soon enough, the nurse had moved by the doctor who was busy talking and noting something on the chart. Danny had no idea what it was and truth be told, he didn't really care. He suddenly felt really tired and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Steve was arguing with the doctor at first, but was now on the phone, pacing in the room like a tiger in a cage. It was giving him a headache and it was really not something he wanted to deal with on top of everything else.
Danny closed his eyes, cutting himself off from his surroundings. He wasn't ready to face Steve's or his team's worry at the moment. He also didn't want to face more doctors and more tests. He knew what was coming up next. He'd already been through it once, after another explosion back in New Jersey. It had lasted almost 6 weeks back then before his hearing started to come back online. He knew he could deal with the deafness; it would take some time to get his feet back under him and remember the tricks he had picked up last time. What he couldn't predict was how those around him were going to react and act with him. He would have been perfectly happy to never go through that again, but apparently, his life didn't work that way. For now, he'd settle for delaying the inevitable and allowed his mind to drift off until he was finally sleeping again.
**
FIN