Sitting beside the bed, he softly encouraged each painful breath, each agonizing gulp for air that the younger man took. This was not the first time that he had sat here like this but he knew it might be the last. This time he was aware that as hard as Danny tried, he might not be able to obey the softly spoken orders and pleas to fight, not to give up.

He rubbed his tired eyes as he studied Danny's face in the soft fluorescent light, his thoughts traveling back to the numerous times in the past when he had sat here. Danny had battled and beaten the odds before; this time he knew that they might not be so lucky. This time the damage from the bullet was too great. The doctors had done everything they could but this time the battle was lost before it had even begun.

A soft, strangled moan drew him from his thoughts as the hand he held tightened infinitesimally around his own hand. He forced a false smile as the blue eyes he knew so well focused on his face, searching for some reassurance. "You are going to be fine, Aikane." he whispered, almost choking on the lump in his throat.

"I'm…sor..ry …Steve …" The softly spoken words were sighed in a final breath before the eternal moment of silence filled the room and shattered his heart. Steve did not need to hear the shrill alarm of the heart monitor a heartbeat later to tell him that Danny Williams was dead.

He closed his eyes and dropped his head onto the hand that he still held tightly in his own, unaware of the hot tears that wet his face as his heart broke at the loss of his Second-In-Command and his closest friend.