I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: I can only say that I am thrilled by everyone's kind reviews. Thank you for reading, reviewing and enjoying! Thanks once more to Fifilla and CinderH for advice and beta help.

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CHAPTER FOUR

It was completely filled by thick floating grayish motes of concrete dust, but it was there. "Come on, Danny. Let's go." Coughing through a surge of hope and adrenalin, Steve wrapped both arms around his partner and simply pulled him towards the new opening. The thickness of the spoiled air was definitely broken by filtered light from above and Steve was not about to waste any time.

"Worked?" Stunned by the success of Steve's homemade 'bomb', Danny choked out the one word and tried to help but the pain was skyrocketing and lack of oxygen had finally depleted his system. He had nothing left to give with one arm tightly wrapped against the bleeding wound and another weakly pushing off rocks and twisted metal needlessly as he was hauled backwards towards their one and only route of escape.

Within seconds, Danny found himself positioned on his knees. He was facing Steve now who was in precisely the same kneeling position except Steve's hands were flying. Unable to stay upright, Danny bowed his head and leaned against Steve's chest as buckles and straps were expertly fastened. Completely tapped, he was coughing and a strap was snugly placed over his duct-taped wound, but he hadn't dared complain.

'We're okay. Do you hear me?" Nose to nose Steve had his hands planted on Danny's shoulders, then moved to his face as he tried to tilt it up. Danny blinked almost confused when real filtered light lit them both up in platinum and gray. "Danny, they're going to pull you up now. You're okay and I'll be right behind you."

"Worked?" Danny said it again as if in a daze.

"Yeah, Danno." He barely watched as Steve rechecked the safety harness before his body started to move. His weak kneel became a flopped doll-like stance but Steve's hands kept him straight as he lost touch with the ground. Steadily, the ruined chalk-gray walls of the hole moved past to be replaced by brighter and brighter sunshine.

Dropping tiredly back to his knees, Steve forced his head up and his eyes to follow. The thudding ache in square in his temple had never let up and had only worsened with each and every step. The harsh coughing rattled it even more and he carefully palmed the space to no avail. He waited ever patient as Danny's body briefly blocked the light and then the safety harness reappeared as if by magic. With the same practiced ease, Steve didn't need to worry about his own nearly debilitating pains as his fingers automatically fastened the harness around himself and he gave the one firm signal.

With one hand on the chest strap and the other wiping sweat, blood and chalky-soot from his face he rested his forehead on the safety line. The movement upwards was almost immediate. As he got closer to the surface, the normal noises of life trickled in more and more rapidly. Jumbled voices, shouts, sounds of machinery got louder and he managed a jubilant smile as the sun finally hit his face.

"Yeah, it worked." Steve muttered under his breath. "Go figure."

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Towards dawn, Steve moved first after having fallen asleep upright in the chair. He remembered the dream as he drew in a weakly shattered breath. Blotting at his forehead, he was not surprised to find cold beads of sweat. Night-time quiet still lingered on the hospital floor but it was apparent that more activity was coming to life as shifts changed and new noises echoed in from the corridor. Leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, Steve buried his face deeply in his hands to just listen.

He sensed that his partner was sleeping more quietly than he had in many hours. The restless fidgeting and muffled protests had ceased a long time ago as the fever lost ground and the aggressive medical intervention won out. Steve's request to minimize interruptions as best as possible had evidently been granted because he could only recall one time when someone had sneaked in to steal more vials of blood. If it had occurred again, Steve had slept through it which was possible, but it wasn't entirely likely.

Still bent over at the waist, Steve frowned while staring at the linoleum floor. He was tired and stiff from the awkward position, but he had no right to complain with Danny laying flat-out in a hospital bed. Something that was indeed, his fault.

His responsibility.

And it had nothing to do with the proper police procedure for vetting a lead as Danny had so diligently advised him early on in the failed arms deal. At the time, Steve had been almost offended by the casual and quite sarcastic reminder. But it was all wrong.

"No, that wouldn't have done a blessed thing." Steve glared at the white linoleum while muttering into his hands. Vetting Dekker's lead would have revealed the exact same false truth and they all would have proceeded anyway. Frustrated by what they now all knew in crystal clear hindsight, Steve cursed what they had learned after the fact.

Only after he had played so well into Cobb's deadly hands and it scared him to death. Not only his partner, but so many other innocent people could have been hurt or killed. Steve barely breathed for a minute as he closed his eyes. "Damn it, Danny." His voice was weary, tired and the tone fully apologetic.

Chin and Kono would not have felt so inclined to aggressively revisit Halawa.

Danny still would have gotten hurt.

Dekker would not have had the encouragement to be so forthcoming on what he'd been fed to lure them to the parking garage. He never would have been let loose on his fellow inmate who'd been so handsomely paid off by Cobb. They would have known nothing.

Danny still would have gotten hurt.

"This damn thing would have happened anyway." Sighing in disgust, Steve shook his head abysmally because even knowing it, he couldn't stop .. and Danny would always be there.

And it utterly scared him to death.

Waking so sober, Steve unraveled his body to get to his feet. He stood over Danny for a few minutes to realize that the ice packs were gone, sheets had been changed and at least the intravenous lines for basic fluids had been removed. Danny's right forearm had taken the brunt of his skidded fall just the day before. The long, narrow scrapes had already scabbed, but bruising had popped up and down along his arm from wrist to elbow.

Standing there quietly, Steve noticed one other thing. Danny was indeed sleeping more naturally and his color was normal without a single trace of fever. As the doctor had warned, things did get much worse before improving. It mimicked the building collapse before his 'bomb' had worked ... before they'd gotten out after the second, terrible collapse.

"Worked?"

"Yeah, Danno."

The memory was terrifying but he didn't have time now to wonder or dwell on what would have happened had he failed. Standing over his partner as he calmly slept through the remaining morning hours, Steve smiled.

"You're going to be okay." Steve gratefully whispered. "Perfectly fine." The upswing was well in progress and Danny would really be fine.

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Danny slept more deeply as his temperature returned to normal due to the strong battery of antibiotics. Waking fairly comfortably, Danny frowned almost instantly when he opened his eyes to see splintered sunlight beaming through partially drawn blinds. The last thing he remembered was his late night waking where even the hospital itself seemed to be sleeping. Now, the room was bright with real light and a hum of activity was easily reaching him from the hallway.

His frown deepened when he saw the two people standing just near the foot of his bed. Standing sentry and looking over the doctor's shoulder, Steve was reading what looked like Danny's current hospital charts. Curious, Danny cocked his head and watched as he nodded and then said something to the doctor who oddly seemed to agree.

"Nosy." Danny said with a slight tilted raise to his eyebrows. "I know you're my health care proxy, but I don't recall saying that you could read my actual medical files."

"Just looking." Instantly beaming, Steve's grin nearly split his face in two at the dry complaint. Even the doctor seemed pleased that his patient had deigned to finally awaken.

"How do you feel?" Quick to get to the point but not needing an answer, Steve was nearly bouncing on his toes as Danny dared to yawn. He blatantly checked his watch before rudely walking to the window to thumb the shades open. His action wasn't lost on Danny who squinted and then rubbed his face against the obvious sunlight. For his part, Danny refused to give Steve the satisfaction of asking what time of day it might be. Though based on the angle of the sun, it could strangely even be very late morning.

Happily returning to the doctor's side, Steve took the chart literally from his hands. "Blood tests are better with only a trace of infection; and your temperature is almost normal. You've given everyone quite the ride these last few hours."

"Me?" Petulantly, Danny's bottom lip pushed out at the same time he squinted warningly. He could definitely smell cooked food now which absolutely indicated he'd slept completely through breakfast and proved lunch was being served. "If I recall correctly, I was the one given the free ride to the hospital and you clearly still lacked a medical degree."

He determinedly maintained his squint as the doctor huffed out an odd chuckled sound that was absolutely something amused. As the physician walked over to better provide an update, he moved the light sheet aside to prod the surgical area.

"The surgery went very well. You should be feeling much better at this point." The doctor confirmed. Danny nodded, remembering full well the terrible pain in his abdomen and how the heat had nearly taken each labored breath from his lungs. Looking down where the doctor gently palpitated the wound, Danny absently traced the new bandage as if also testing the level of ache.

"You're looking much better than the first time I saw you, Detective." The doctor concurred over Steve's pleased snort.

"Yeah, well." Danny nodded in agreement. Still a bit tired and sore, he couldn't deny that he felt better, though it had been a rather alarming and very unexpected problem. He raised the bed to a more comfortable angle and sighed in relief when nothing worse happened. If anything, Danny realized he might be a bit hungry.

"So, doc." Danny began with a more content and approving expression. He glanced to his partner who now had his arms folded at the foot of the bed. He was still smiling and looking from him to the doctor expectantly. For some reason, Steve's suspicious posture made Danny look twice before asking his question.

"Today you think, or even maybe tomorrow? If things are so good .. and I do feel better .. laproscopic surgery is easy enough." Already thinking about being released for a few more peaceful days off from work, Danny pulled a thoughtful look for the doctor's sake. He missed Steve's soft laugh which was muffled just in time behind his fist.

"I'm happy to say that the surgery was successful and though the infection did reach your bloodstream, we have it well under control now. So, in another four or five days we can discuss your release."

"What?" Eyes suddenly wide, Danny carefully pushed himself up in the bed. Ever helpful and still smiling, Steve quickly raised the head even more so that his partner had a better vantage. However, Danny barely noticed the aid as his mouth dropped open in alarm.

"What?" Danny repeated lamely. The stunned look was aimed directly at the doctor's self-satisfied expression. "Four days. Did you just say days?"

"Well, yes. There's still traces of bacteria showing up in your bloodstream." Almost dumbfounded by the strong reaction, the doctor lost his smile as he delivered the unrelenting news. Faltering, he regained some equilibrium to finish his edicts before sidling slightly away from the bed.

"I'd like to see you up and on your feet sometime this afternoon. But you will be gracing us for just a few more days."

Folding his arms happily, Steve was beaming now as Danny came fully awake to glare at the physician who had just saved his life. Wisely staying quiet, Steve merely shrugged at the doctor's growing predicament as his patient fully woke. He left the man to wallow for himself as a once fairly quiet patient became steadily more recalcitrant.

"You need to stay until all the tests come back entirely clean and after we fully complete the proper regimen of treatment." The doctor continued despite the dark cloud growing over his patient's face. "You could have a relapse .. real sepsis ... the results of which would be much more difficult to manage."

"Four days?" Not entirely listening to the rest of the litany, Danny remained stubbornly focused on the originally quoted length of time. As he momentarily stilled when nothing else was offered, the doctor took the opportunity to excuse himself from the room on the pretense of needing to check something at the nurse's station.

"I don't believe this!" Danny went to speak once, then twice before partially turning with a wince towards Steve once the doctor had made his escape. "This is entirely your fault! If you hadn't dropped an entire building on my head .. this never would have happened in the first place."

"You're right." Steve was completely unable to lose his smile as Danny tried to fold his arms and then thought better of it as the motion pulled the healing skin across his stomach.

"Excuse me?" Their eyes met and Danny paused in his tirade to measure the validity of the expression he now saw on Steve's face. The smile was there, but smaller and much more solemn. It communicated an inability to stop despite what had happened and regardless, Danny knew that he'd always have his partner's back.

"I said, you're right." Steve reiterated his comment, barely able to refrain from asking what partners usually did after dropping buildings on another's head. The ridiculous thought almost made him laugh out loud and Steve schooled his face quickly when Danny glowered in return.

"Four days, Steven. Four." Danny didn't know what else to say at that point and he was failing at remaining stern as a rueful, lop-sided grin broke free. So, he wound up only being able to throw his hands up in the air as a sign of defeat. When the next answer was a short period of silence, Danny purposefully held four fingers in the air between them to compound his point. "Four very long, boring days."

Steve shrugged happily, bit his lip and did laugh. The bond was too strong for anything else to be the case. Nothing would change; but nothing needed to change.

~ END ~