"Let me go out there, sir?" Hickman asks for the third time.
Chin is wrapped in a blanket tighter than a burrito. While he's still trembling, his words are crystal clear. "No…I can't let you risk further exposure."
"The LT would go back out there for us," another voice shouts over the bombardment.
Chin scowls, and Danny does not envy his burden of leadership. The team's safety comes first and Danny can see the struggle in Chin's eyes, the way he bites his bottom lip.
"Time?" Chin asks.
Danny might throw up. "Ninety-three minutes."
"Gimme a flashlight," Chin demands.
Using flashlight for more than signaling is dangerous, even this far from shore. But Chin takes the light and clicks it off and on every twenty seconds.
The big hand goes around four times on Danny's watch and there's this part of him that says, stop flashing that damn light! But the other, louder voice hopes the signal will work.
It's been ninety-eight minutes.
"There!" someone shouts.
Chin pans the light over the waves.
"Steve!" Danny yells.
Hickman jumps into the water just as Chin yells at the man for doing it.
The petty officer beats Danny to it, which is probably a good thing in retrospect. The whole team reaches over to help and Danny yells at them about tipping over the boat.
Hickman has his hands full of his CO, and Chin and Danny help hoist Steve inside. Some of the others aid the petty officer as he clambers back.
Steve is ice cold and listless. Danny takes all his weight and settles him down on the floor with him. "Steve? Are you with me, babe?"
"The...harbor...it...it's been hit...everything's...on fire."
Danny's heart aches at the confused words, but Chin's there, grabbing Steve's shoulder. "It's okay, Steve. We're not at Pearl anymore."
Danny bites his knuckles, wishing for a world before war. Gathering his wits, he blows on his whistle. "Hoist away! Out oars! Give way for the Barr."
But he doesn't get up because Steve's in trouble. He's not shivering, which is bad. Really bad. "Grab me the driest blanket we have," he yells out.
Then he starts unbuttoning his long-sleeved shirt and shucks the tee underneath it. Chin helps lean Steve against Danny's chest. And oh my God, is the man cold. Danny wrap his arms around Steve, holding him close, the back of Steve's head lolling under Danny's jaw. Chin then encases them both with a heavy wool blanket.
"What the hell were you doing out there?" Danny rants, trying to get Steve's attention.
He doesn't get a response and Danny presses his lips to the top of Steve's head. "You're an idiot. A stupid, crazy idiot." When that doesn't elicit a retort, Danny presses Steve's body as close to his as possible.
Danny's shaking from the cold, but he doesn't really care because he feels Steve's heart fluttering under his palm. "You're a mess," he says, laughing bitterly.
Blood trickles down Steve's bruised face from a head wound and Danny squeezes him hard. "Don't you dare die on me. So help me, I'll kick your frogman ass."
"D-danny?"
"There you go," Danny coaxes at seeing a slit of hazel eyes.
"What...what are you doing here?" Steve stutters.
Danny wipes at Steve's blood stained hair. "My job. Someone has to keep Curious George out of trouble."
Steve's confused grin is enough to allow Danny to breathe again.
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Date: 2012-01-15 12:46 pm (UTC)"Let me go out there, sir?" Hickman asks for the third time.
Chin is wrapped in a blanket tighter than a burrito. While he's still trembling, his words are crystal clear. "No…I can't let you risk further exposure."
"The LT would go back out there for us," another voice shouts over the bombardment.
Chin scowls, and Danny does not envy his burden of leadership. The team's safety comes first and Danny can see the struggle in Chin's eyes, the way he bites his bottom lip.
"Time?" Chin asks.
Danny might throw up. "Ninety-three minutes."
"Gimme a flashlight," Chin demands.
Using flashlight for more than signaling is dangerous, even this far from shore. But Chin takes the light and clicks it off and on every twenty seconds.
The big hand goes around four times on Danny's watch and there's this part of him that says, stop flashing that damn light! But the other, louder voice hopes the signal will work.
It's been ninety-eight minutes.
"There!" someone shouts.
Chin pans the light over the waves.
"Steve!" Danny yells.
Hickman jumps into the water just as Chin yells at the man for doing it.
The petty officer beats Danny to it, which is probably a good thing in retrospect. The whole team reaches over to help and Danny yells at them about tipping over the boat.
Hickman has his hands full of his CO, and Chin and Danny help hoist Steve inside. Some of the others aid the petty officer as he clambers back.
Steve is ice cold and listless. Danny takes all his weight and settles him down on the floor with him. "Steve? Are you with me, babe?"
"The...harbor...it...it's been hit...everything's...on fire."
Danny's heart aches at the confused words, but Chin's there, grabbing Steve's shoulder. "It's okay, Steve. We're not at Pearl anymore."
Danny bites his knuckles, wishing for a world before war. Gathering his wits, he blows on his whistle. "Hoist away! Out oars! Give way for the Barr."
But he doesn't get up because Steve's in trouble. He's not shivering, which is bad. Really bad. "Grab me the driest blanket we have," he yells out.
Then he starts unbuttoning his long-sleeved shirt and shucks the tee underneath it. Chin helps lean Steve against Danny's chest. And oh my God, is the man cold. Danny wrap his arms around Steve, holding him close, the back of Steve's head lolling under Danny's jaw. Chin then encases them both with a heavy wool blanket.
"What the hell were you doing out there?" Danny rants, trying to get Steve's attention.
He doesn't get a response and Danny presses his lips to the top of Steve's head. "You're an idiot. A stupid, crazy idiot." When that doesn't elicit a retort, Danny presses Steve's body as close to his as possible.
Danny's shaking from the cold, but he doesn't really care because he feels Steve's heart fluttering under his palm. "You're a mess," he says, laughing bitterly.
Blood trickles down Steve's bruised face from a head wound and Danny squeezes him hard. "Don't you dare die on me. So help me, I'll kick your frogman ass."
"D-danny?"
"There you go," Danny coaxes at seeing a slit of hazel eyes.
"What...what are you doing here?" Steve stutters.
Danny wipes at Steve's blood stained hair. "My job. Someone has to keep Curious George out of trouble."
Steve's confused grin is enough to allow Danny to breathe again.