Bedtime Story-A Wishlist Gift for siehn
Danny came back to Steve’s house to quickly change before they got on the plane, only to find a teary-eyed, but determined looking Grace hunched over a giant map she had spread out over the kitchen table. “Monkey, how did you get in here?” he asked softly, leaning over to kiss the top of her head.
“Uncle Steve gave me keys in case of an emergency,” Grace said, never taking her eyes off the line she was tracing on the map with a pink marker. Danny followed the line and saw it led directly from Hawaii to North Korea.
Sighing deeply, Danny sat in the chair next to Grace, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “Honey, where did you hear about this?”
“I heard Mom and Stan talking about it,” Grace admitted softly, biting her lip fiercely as a few tears splashed onto the map. “They said Uncle Steve was in trouble in North Korea. They said you called and told them.”
“Oh monkey, you should never have heard that,” Danny murmured gently, drawing her onto his lap, where she buried her face in his shoulder.
He felt Grace take a deep, shaky, but determined, breath, before she twisted and pointed to the map. “I found North Korea,” she explained, and pointed to the open pink laptop next to her. “And I found some military helmets on ebay, and some plane tickets, and…”
“Monkey, you are amazing,” Danny said, eyes glistening as he hugged her tightly. “But what I need you to do is let me take you back to your Mom’s-and believe me, I will be finding out how in the world you got over here-“
“I told Tommy’s mom that I was supposed to meet you here,” Grace admitted.
“And we will talk about that later, but what you need to know is that Uncle Steve is going to be fine,” Danny assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We’re going to get him and bring him back-and we’re going to be very very careful and safe-“ Danny added quickly, seeing Grace’s arms widen in alarm at the thought of him leaving, “-and then we’ll bring him back here and everything will be fine.”
“You promise?” Grace asked, bottom lip shaking, tears running down her already-red cheeks, and Danny held her tight, said the answer he needed to hear too.
“I promise.”
X0x0x0
Steve groggily opened his eyes to the sound of a heart monitor, and a very familiar little girl’s voice stating softly, “Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus.”
“Grace?” he mumbled, blinking rapidly, trying to distill the effects of the painkillers. As he came to, he felt the weight of an arm resting protectively across his bandaged chest. Turning his head slowly, he came nose-to-nose with a fast-asleep Danny.
“Uncle Steve!” Grace exclaimed, flinging her arms open and shooting forward. She halted halfway, uncertainly glancing between Steve’s bandages and his face.
“Come here, Gracie,” Steve said gently, smiling as she wrapped herself carefully around him, kissing his cheek. “Thanks for reading to me.”
“It always makes Danno feel better,” Grace said, and giggled as she looked over at Danny. “He fell asleep during Corduroy.”
“I missed that one too,” Steve admitted, earning another laugh from Grace, who carefully settled in at his side.
“Well, the doctor said you need lots of sleep,” Grace said with a nod, pulling Corduroy out of the pile of books next to the bed. As she opened the book, she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “I’m really glad you’re okay, Uncle Steve.”
“Corduroy is a bear who once lived in the toy department of a big store,” Grace read, and Steve closed his eyes with a smile.
“Uncle Steve gave me keys in case of an emergency,” Grace said, never taking her eyes off the line she was tracing on the map with a pink marker. Danny followed the line and saw it led directly from Hawaii to North Korea.
Sighing deeply, Danny sat in the chair next to Grace, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “Honey, where did you hear about this?”
“I heard Mom and Stan talking about it,” Grace admitted softly, biting her lip fiercely as a few tears splashed onto the map. “They said Uncle Steve was in trouble in North Korea. They said you called and told them.”
“Oh monkey, you should never have heard that,” Danny murmured gently, drawing her onto his lap, where she buried her face in his shoulder.
He felt Grace take a deep, shaky, but determined, breath, before she twisted and pointed to the map. “I found North Korea,” she explained, and pointed to the open pink laptop next to her. “And I found some military helmets on ebay, and some plane tickets, and…”
“Monkey, you are amazing,” Danny said, eyes glistening as he hugged her tightly. “But what I need you to do is let me take you back to your Mom’s-and believe me, I will be finding out how in the world you got over here-“
“I told Tommy’s mom that I was supposed to meet you here,” Grace admitted.
“And we will talk about that later, but what you need to know is that Uncle Steve is going to be fine,” Danny assured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We’re going to get him and bring him back-and we’re going to be very very careful and safe-“ Danny added quickly, seeing Grace’s arms widen in alarm at the thought of him leaving, “-and then we’ll bring him back here and everything will be fine.”
“You promise?” Grace asked, bottom lip shaking, tears running down her already-red cheeks, and Danny held her tight, said the answer he needed to hear too.
“I promise.”
X0x0x0
Steve groggily opened his eyes to the sound of a heart monitor, and a very familiar little girl’s voice stating softly, “Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus.”
“Grace?” he mumbled, blinking rapidly, trying to distill the effects of the painkillers. As he came to, he felt the weight of an arm resting protectively across his bandaged chest. Turning his head slowly, he came nose-to-nose with a fast-asleep Danny.
“Uncle Steve!” Grace exclaimed, flinging her arms open and shooting forward. She halted halfway, uncertainly glancing between Steve’s bandages and his face.
“Come here, Gracie,” Steve said gently, smiling as she wrapped herself carefully around him, kissing his cheek. “Thanks for reading to me.”
“It always makes Danno feel better,” Grace said, and giggled as she looked over at Danny. “He fell asleep during Corduroy.”
“I missed that one too,” Steve admitted, earning another laugh from Grace, who carefully settled in at his side.
“Well, the doctor said you need lots of sleep,” Grace said with a nod, pulling Corduroy out of the pile of books next to the bed. As she opened the book, she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “I’m really glad you’re okay, Uncle Steve.”
“Corduroy is a bear who once lived in the toy department of a big store,” Grace read, and Steve closed his eyes with a smile.