When the Wind Blows

Chapter One

There were moments when time sped up, reducing life to a blur of motion. If he'd been able to review those ten seconds in reverse, slow them down, Danny might have seen the exact moment when Sawtelle's knife sliced open his arm. But hurtling forward at the time, all he remembered was the glint of a blade and a sharp tug on his forearm as he leapt out of the way.

Sawtelle didn't get a chance to take a second lunge at Danny. Steve exploded around the corner and took the drug dealer down with two shots to the chest.

"Danny! You okay?" Steve shouted as he bore down on Sawtelle, checking to make sure the man was dead.

"I'm good," Danny winced, tentatively squeezing one hand around his forearm. It was beginning to smart just a little, and he cradled it close to his chest. He knew Sawtelle had definitely nicked him when he felt his fingers begin to grow slick. Then the pain kicked in, radiating from his wrist to his elbow. He sucked in a breath, promptly gaining Steve's attention.

"Danny, what's wrong?" Steve's eyes narrowed as he took a good look at his partner. "Jesus, you're bleeding."

"Nah, it's nothing. I'm fine," Danny objected, taking a small step backwards. "Just a scratch."

"Danny," Steve arched an eyebrow and held up both hands as he cautiously moved forward towards his partner. "I think it's more than a scratch. Let me look."

Reluctantly Danny held his trembling arm out to his partner, unable to prevent a gasp as Steve manipulated the limb to get a good look at it.

"Okay, Danny, here's what we're gonna do," Steve said evenly, maneuvering himself next to Danny and slipping one arm around his waist. "We're gonna sit you down so I can dress that cut, then we're gonna get you to hospital and get you all fixed up."

"I don't need to sit down, I told you I'm fine," Danny said irritably, attempting vainly to swat Steve away. Steve was weirdly too calm, which could only mean one thing. He thought Danny was in trouble. But that just wasn't possible, because the knife had barely grazed him, and they had to pick Grace up from school.

"You will be fine," Steve firmed his grip around Danny's waist and attempted to ease him to the floor.

Then the room swayed and Danny's vision grayed out. The next thing he knew he was in Steve's arms, sitting on the floor in a semi-reclining position against his chest. Steve had pulled his long sleeved shirt off and wrapped it around Danny's forearm, propping the arm on his knee.

"Ambulance is on its way, Danno," Steve said when he saw Danny looking up at him. "You're gonna be fine."

"This is crap. I don't need an ambulance Steven," Danny protested, surprised at the crack in his voice. He really was okay, though he couldn't figure out why his chest felt like a bowling ball was sitting on it.

"Yes, you do, Danny," Steve said firmly. With one hand he gripped Danny's arm, attempting to staunch the steady flow of blood. The other was pressed against Danny's chest, holding him still. "I think the knife hit an artery. I can't stop the bleeding."

"That doesn't sound good…" Danny slurred, overcome by a wooziness that was making him feel as if he'd had one beer too many. The room wouldn't stop spinning, and it was making him tired. He closed his eyes and nestled his head against Steve's shoulder.

"Danny! Wake up!" Steve shouted. He dug his knuckles into Danny's breastbone, rubbing briskly.

"Stop. Hurts." Danny moaned, clumsily trying to knock Steve's hand off his chest.

"No, Danny…you can't go to sleep," Steve sounded panicked for the first time.

"Too…tired," Danny whispered.

"No, no, no," Steve chanted, leaning forward and nuzzling Danny's temple. "Stay with me, babe. Stay with me."

"I…I need to…pick up…Gracie," Danny murmured, turning his head up to Steve's.

"Don't worry about our little Monkey," Steve dropped a kiss on Danny's cheekbone. "I've got her. And I've got you. You need to hang on. For both of us. Will you do that? Please? For me?" Steve cupped Danny's face with his hand, and rested his cheek on the top of Danny's baby fine hair. "I'm asking nicely. See…I'm even saying please," Steve whispered.

"Low…blow…" Danny swallowed thickly. "You… never say…please."

"I'll say please every day for the rest of my life if you just won't leave me, baby," Steve pleaded.

"You are such a liar," Danny snorted weakly.

"Maybe," Steve smirked back. "But you're going to have to wait until tomorrow to prove me wrong."

"You're a sneaky son of a bitch," Danny groaned with a small chuckle. He lifted his free hand to slip his fingers through Steve's, gently caressing the smooth skin with his thumb.

"I'll have you know I don't sneak," Steve smiled down at Danny as he fondled Danny's fingers.

"Again with the lies," Danny gazed back up at his partner, a small smile on his face.

"Commander McGarrett!" A deep baritone voice sounded from the distance.

"Over here!" Steve yelled, squirming out from under Danny and gently easing his head down to the floor. He squeezed Danny's hand hard and pressed his lips to Danny's forehead. "Remember, you have to keep fighting, okay? Promise me."

"I promise," Danny nodded. He squeezed Steve's hand. "I love you."

Steve dropped a gentle kiss on Danny's lips. "I love you too."

Steve broke away as two EMT's hustled into the room. One of them glanced down at the body of Dwayne Sawtelle but didn't break stride as Steve jerked his head in the negative. They pulled their kits off the gurney and hunched down next to Danny, simultaneously assessing and treating even as they began to talk to their patient.

"I got it Commander. You can let go now." One of the EMT's gently disengaged Steve's fingers from the blood soaked shirt he had wrapped around Danny's forearm. After one look, he swiftly replaced the shirt with a large pressure bandage.

"Can you tell me your name?" The second EMT leaned over Danny as he wrapped a blood pressure cuff around the bicep of Danny's good arm.

"Danny Williams," Danny murmured.

"Hi Danny. I'm Joe Donovan. That's my partner Makani Lin. Can you tell us what happened?" Joe said, making a note of Danny's BP before grabbing a portable oxygen tank from his equipment bag.

"Got stuck by a knife," Danny answered, his eyes darting to find Steve as Joe fit an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, adjusting the straps behind his head.

"Anything else?" Joe asked, extracting yet more equipment from his bag. "Did you fall, hit your head, anything like that?"

"No," Danny shook his head.

"Good," Joe smiled warmly. "I'm going to get your IV started and then we'll get you on the gurney and get you to the doc, okay? Just a little stick now…"

Danny winced as the EMT pushed the needle into his skin. He felt Steve's hand briefly touch the top of his head and then they were bustling him onto the gurney, tucking a blanket over him and strapping him in.

"Steve," Danny called out, trying to lift his head as they raised the gurney to full height.

"I'm right here, Danno," Steve took a position on the side of the gurney, slipping his hand into Danny's as they rushed the gurney out of the warehouse and to the waiting ambulance. "I'm not going anywhere."

Danny nodded. It was getting hard to keep his eyes open. But he'd made a promise to Steve, and he intended to keep it. So every time he felt himself begin to drift away, he tightened his grip around Steve's hand and used the connection to anchor himself. He'd force his eyes open, even if he only made it halfway, and gaze up at Steve's worried face.

It wasn't until they forced Steve to let go outside the trauma room that he lost his hold. The lights were too bright, the darkness too inviting and as he felt consciousness slip away he wished he could tell Steve and Grace he was sorry. He hadn't meant to leave them.

To Be Continued…

A/N: My standard disclaimer that I am not a medical expert, just a girl with google, an active imagination, and the certainty there just isn't enough Danny whump in the world.

Thanks as ever to my wonderful beta JoaniexJony! To put it simply, you rock!

Thanks for reading!