AN: This tale was written in response to a writer's H/C challenge based on screen caps from the episodes "I Want Some Candy and a Gun That Shoots" and "Pray Love Remember, Pray Love Remember". Feedback is welcomed and greatly appreciated should you have the time to leave a review. Mahalo goes to my beta :-)

Disclaimer: All creative rights to the characters from "Hawaii Five-O" belong to their original creators. Only the plots and fanon which includes characters that I created belong to me. No profit is gained writing this story.

The Unseen Wound

The breeze blew through the detective's dark hair, and the sweat running down the sides of his face felt cool against his warm skin. It was well over an hour since he tried to bring in Private Jessup McBride. Now, he found himself marching through the cane fields against his will with a rifle digging into the small of his back.

"Give it up, son. My men are combing through your house right now," Steve McGarrett said between clenched teeth.

"Shut up and move it!" the young Private retorted as he prodded the detective harder with the barrel of his rifle.

"Your parents have already lost one son. Don't let them lose another," Steve continued as if the young man hadn't spoken.

Jessup grasped the Five-O detective by the back of his sports jacket and wheeled him around.

Dan Williams pulled his LTD off the road and jumped out with a rifle in hand.

Chin Ho Kelly's LTD screeched to a halt and the oriental detective hurriedly exited the car, clutching a bull horn.

"Chin, I need you to try to bring McBride out into the open. I'll see if I can find Steve," Dan instructed as he ran past Steve's abandoned Mercury.

"Careful, Danny!" Chin said, a touch of concern entered his voice.

Dan nodded curtly then pushed his way through the dense crop. Still wearing his military uniform, he kept his eyes and ears honed for any sign of movement around him. He'd learned during his undercover operation at the base just how dangerous McBride could be. The young man was an expert sniper and possessed the ability to move as silently as a ghost. Shortly after the news that his older brother, Patrick, was killed in action, McBride not only became withdrawn and sought counselling through the military but planned and executed the murders of Sergeant O'Hara and Private Donaldson. The two men were in the same outfit as Patrick and he blamed them for a mission gone horribly wrong which resulted in the death of his brother. Dan's gut twisted at the thought that presented itself in his mind, the thought that he might very well be faced with taking McBride's life to stop him. Chin's voice resonated through the bullhorn some distance behind him but he ignored it and maintained his focus on the task at hand. The sound of crisp stalks breaking and dull thuds that reached Dan's ears gave him an indication that he was getting close to the scene of a struggle taking place.

Sirens wailed nearby and Jessup McBride's attention was diverted long enough for Steve to make his move. Utilizing his skills from his military service and martial arts training, Steve lashed out and deftly batted the rifle away from him. The weapon flew from the young man's grip and landed in the dirt several feet away. A shot was discharged and echoed in the air, terrorising a flock of crows nearby.

A fiery pain hit Dan in the right shoulder and fell back crashing through the vegetation. Through the blinding agony that tore him, Dan raised his head above the ground and attempted to sit up, only to fall back again, breathing heavily. The rifle! His mind screamed at him to pick up his weapon and get to his feet but his consciousness was waning.

A stream of HPD back-up units lined the dirt track alongside the cane field. Duke Lukela and Ben Kokua ran to Chin Ho who lowered the bull horn and turned to face them. "Danny is in there."

"And Steve?" Duke enquired.

"He got here before we did. His car's empty. There's no sign of him or the suspect. McBride is armed and dangerous," Chin continued.

"I heard a shot," Ben chimed in.

Chin nodded grimly. "Get me a vest. I'm going in."

"We're going in. You're not going in there alone, Bruddah," Duke corrected then clapped the Asian detective on the shoulder.

"Okay. Let's go!" Chin said firmly.

Steve ducked beneath McBride's wild swing and buried his fist in the man's stomach, doubling him over. An uppercut sent the younger man hurtling backward.

Fighting back the urge to close his eyes, Dan took deep breaths and rolled onto his side with a groan. He used his left hand to push his body off the ground and crawled over to retrieve his rifle several feet away. Shaking uncontrollably, Dan swallowed the bile that had risen to the back of his throat. Using his legs and good arm, he pushed himself to his feet.

McBride fell to the ground hard. Dazed, he shook his head to clear it then rolled away from the detective who lunged forward to make a grab for him. He let loose a vicious kick, catching the big cop in the back of his knee.

Steve cried out involuntarily as his leg gave buckled and he fell forward onto his hands and knees. Before he could attempt to get back to his feet, a brutal kick in the ribs sent him crashing onto his back. All the air left his lungs, leaving him completely winded.

The young sandy haired detective swayed on his feet as the world began to spin out of control. He gripped a handful of the green stalks next to him and used them to steady himself. He licked his dry lips and kept moving, using the stalks as his supports.

The skin-headed young man bent down and grabbed McGarrett by the collar of his dress shirt.

With determination and adrenaline coursing through his veins, Steve clawed at the ground with his fingers and drew a handful of loosened soil. He swung his arm up and threw the dirt into McBride's unshielded face. McBride yelled out as the dirt stung his eyes and travelled up his nose, momentarily choking him. Taking advantage of his assailant's struggles, Steve wrestled the man to the ground.

Dan's ears picked up the distinct sounds of a struggle ahead of him. Tightening his grip on the rifle, he rushed forward, only to stumble and loose his footing as the debilitating pain rendered him in a weakened state.

Hawaii's top cop grappled with his suspect who desperately fought to gain the upper hand. McBride's large, strong hands found the detective's throat.

Realizing that McBride was going for the kill, McGarrett drew his knees up and kicked out, catching his attacker in the chest. McBride was sent sprawling on to his back. His green eyes caught sight of his firearm beside him on the ground. He snatched it up just as the detective reached him. Too close for him to take a shot, McBride used the butt of the rifle and rammed it into the detective's abdomen.

Picking himself off the ground once again, Dan pushed his way through the cane field. The weight of the rifle was a burden to him and he abandoned it. He pulled out his .22 calibre from his ankle holster and checked that it was loaded before moving forward. When at last he reached a small clearing of broken stalks, his eyes widened and his breath stopped short.

Wrapping his arms tightly around his aching midsection, Steve could only watch as McBride levelled the rifle at his chest and prepared to pull the trigger.

"Drop it!" Dan commanded. He had his pistol trained on the young Private.

"You! You're a cop!" spat Jessup, contemptuously when he turned to face the speaker. Still keeping his rifle pointed at Steve, Jessup glared at the man he came to know in the last three weeks as Corporal Samuel Baker.

"Dan Williams, Five-O. Put down your weapon, nice and easy, McBride," Dan said, breathing heavily. He tried to keep his aim steady as sweat trickled down his face, in thin rivulets.

Jessup's eyes zeroed in on the detective's injured shoulder. His eyes glinted with anger. Without warning, he swung his arm across and aimed the rifle at the detective. He squeezed the trigger.

"No!" Dan shouted as he threw himself to one side, staying clear of McBride's line of fire, then fired a single round at the Private.

Dan's bullet found its target and the gunman cried out, clutching his leg as he crumpled to the ground.

"Danny! Steve!" Chin Ho's voice sent a rush of relief cascading through Dan Williams.

"Over here. Suspect down," Dan gasped breathlessly as he attempted to rise. Closing his eyes, Dan took several deep breaths, as he fought against the nausea that intensified as the pain increased.

Several uniformed officers donned bullet proof vests and led by Duke Lukela broke through the cane stalks.

"Book him! Murder one!" Steve directed between clenched teeth as he scrambled to his knees, clutching his sore ribs tightly. With a grimace he turned his attention to his wounded second in command and gasped breathlessly, "Danno? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just a scratch," Dan said before his energy waned and he fell back onto the dirt.

"Danno!" Steve called out. He climbed to his feet and weakly made his way to his protégé.

Ignoring the voices of the HPD officers as they attended to the downed suspect and read him his rights, Chin knelt by Dan's side and carefully examined the wound in his shoulder.

Dan bit back a wince and squeezed his eyes shut.

"How is he, Chin?" Steve asked as soon as he reached Dan's side.

"Looks like he took a bullet to the shoulder," Chin answered.

"Stay with me, Danno," Steve said softly. Must've got shot when McBride's rifle went off. Steve's mind took him back to the struggle between himself and McBride. He gave Dan a gentle pat on the arm and sighed as a twinge of guilt brought a lump to the back of his throat. Deep down, he knew the responsibility was not his to bear. Just like the unseen wound that gripped McBride's heart when his brother was killed in action, it didn't make it feel any less gut wrenching for Steve to see his protégé hurt in the line of duty. He swallowed down the painful lump and took out his handkerchief from his pocket. With a slight, yet noticeable tremble of his bruised hand, he placed the wadded material against the wound in Dan's shoulder.

"Steve?" Chin's voice brought Steve back from his reverie. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, nothing a good night's sleep can't take care of."

The round faced Oriental detective opened his mouth with the intention of telling his boss that he felt Steve needed more than just a good night's sleep. He could see the younger man was in no shape to even drive back home but he also knew that arguing the point would prove fruitless when it came to Steve McGarrett's bull headedness.

Steve climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat on the edge of the gurney, despite the medics' insistence that he lay himself down.

"I'll see you both at the hospital," Chin said as he stepped away from the doors of the ambulance. Steve nodded then turned his attention back to the sandy haired detective who lay with his eyes closed. Just as the last medic boarded the vehicle, Chin placed a hand on the man's shoulder warranting his attention. "What can you tell me about those men's conditions?"

"The gunshot victim's condition is stable. There doesn't appear to be any damage to his organs or major blood vessels. The big guy is as stubborn as a mule. It looks like at worst he could have a couple of busted ribs, some bruises , and a mild concussion. We'll know more once we get them both checked in."

"Thank you," Chin replied with relief that his friends would make it once again, to fight the ongoing battle against crime for days to come. Inwardly his heart sang the words: you told me everything I needed to know.

The doors to the ambulance slammed shut and Chin Ho Kelly stood transfixed as he watched it move away into the red and orange hues of the Hawaiian sun set, before it disappeared over the horizon

PAU