I've uploaded this story to Tumblr a while ago but, for some reason, never here. A big Mahalo to Empress Akitla and TheIrishShipperholic for their beta work.

TAG to Episode 6.16 (Ka Pohaku Kihi Pa'a)

Heavy gunfire echoed across the cargo port at Honolulu Harbor. Bullets slammed into shipping containers and old metal drums, leaving holes and dents in its wake. Steve was crouched behind a wooden pallet stacked with rusty barrels, firing his shotgun alongside Lou, Chin and the HPD SWAT team. He barely managed to duck when a round of shots came his way, pinging loudly against his cover. Blinking sweat out of his eyes, he straightened up again and continued to shoot.

Lou managed to take one of the human traffickers down with a shot to the chest, while Chin hit a second one who was running across the pier in order to change to better cover. Steve's eyes flickered up to the red container that was hanging a good thirty feet above ground, dangling from a rope that was attacked to a truck's extendable crane. "Chin, watch your lines – we got people in that container!" He yelled over the loud noise of guns and cries for help as he searched for a way to get the people out.

"Copy!" Chin answered, hunkering down. Steve stood up again and trained his weapon at the criminals that were trying to fight them off. He was met with counter fire, but nonetheless succeeded in shooting one of the criminals who was leaning out from behind a shipping container. "I got eyes on Graham!" Chin shouted.

Steve looked up and narrowed his eyes. They needed to catch the man. Alive. Before anyone had time to react, Graham had already crossed the distance between his cover and the truck that held the people.

"Hey, where the hell is he going?" Lou asked when the man climbed into the cab of the truck, successfully dodging all the flying bullets.

Steve's stomach clenched as he watched Graham work on the controllers. "Buying himself some time," he answered Lou, just before the heavy container was released from the rope and crashed into the water. Steve put down his weapon. "Chin!" He yelled while ripping open the Velcro straps of his bulletproof vest. "We're gonna get wet!"

"I'm right with you!" His friend replied, stripping out of his own vest.

"Cover me!" Steve told Lou as he stood up, bulletproof vest held up to protect his head, and ran into the open.

Lou nodded. "Do your thing. I got you!"

They had almost reached the edge of the pier when Steve felt a searing pain in his right side. He didn't have time to worry about it, though, because only a second later he leaped into the ocean with Chin. The water was cool as it engulfed him, but also burning like acid in what he was sure was a bullet wound. But there was no time. They needed to get the people out of the container before it was too late.

His lungs were aching for oxygen when they finally managed to unlock the heavy metal door and rescue the people from their deadly prison. There were black spots starting to dance across his vision when his head broke the surface again. Sucking in a deep breath, Steve shook the water out of his eyes. He scanned the panicked crowd. "Everybody alright?" When they gave him shaky nods, he quickly ushered them to a ladder a couple of feet away. "Come on."

Steve held himself above water as he watched everyone climb up. He was the last one to go and almost slipped on the fourth step. Cursing under his breath, he tightened his grip around the railing and hauled his body over the edge. A blue towel appeared in his line of sight and he gratefully accepted it.

When Steve looked up, Duke stood in front of him. "We got everyone but Graham Clark," the elderly cop spoke. "I've got all my men searching, Steve. We'll find him."

Steve clenched his jaw. The only person able to prevent Sang Min for going to prison was still in the wind.

"Hey, yo, McGarrett?" Steve turned toward Lou's voice, sucking in a breath when the movement sent a dagger of pain through his side. He knew he needed to get it looked at, but he still had a couple of things to do first, so he clamped down on the pain. "So this mutt in the ambulance just confirmed that Clark killed James Lam," Lou said, pointing to the vehicle behind him.

"Will he testify?" Steve wanted to know and swallowed when the orange-blue light of the ambulance blurred before his eyes.

"If he comes out of surgery," Lou sighed. He kept looking at Steve and his brown eyes narrow every so slightly. "You all right?"

Steve turned his head toward his friend. "What?"

"You look a little pale," Lou added, tilting his head. He scanned Steve from top to bottom until he laid eyes on the torn part of Steve's dark shirt. "What the…" His voice trailed off as he reached for the shirt and pulled it up.

"'s not that bad," Steve protested weakly, but his tongue was getting thicker inside his mouth. He blinked when his vision blurred out once more and tried to grab onto something solid. He felt the adrenaline crash come, and it came on fast.

Strong fingers curled around his elbow, and Steve thought he heard Lou call out for help. But he wasn't sure. The buzzing noise inside his head was getting louder and his vision kept darkening around the edges until it black out completely.

The buzzing sound was back, but it didn't bother him as much anymore as it did before. It also didn't sound like it was inside his head any longer.

"Steve?"

He knew that voice. There was something familiar about it, something that made him feel warm and safe. But at the same time he felt like this voice didn't belong here. He frowned.

"Steve, come on, open your eyes."

A warm weight settled on his wrist and squeezed. Slowly, Steve opened his eyes. The room he was in was bright and stung his eyes momentarily. He squinted at the blurry figure that was leaning over him and tried to make out who it was.

"I Just can't leave you alone, can I?"

Danny.

"Would you stop looking at me like that? You look like you're about to have a stroke."

Steve's lips felt dry and he tried to wet them with his tongue. A cup was suddenly place against his mouth and he took a couple of careful sips. He tiredly turned his head away from the drink when he had enough. "What are you doing here, Danny?" He asked hoarsely after clearing his throat. "You're supposed to be in Jersey."

Danny snorted. "You see, if you get a call that your partner got himself shot and is undergoing emergency surgery to repair some inner damage, that's mostly a reason to take the next flight out."

Steve pushed himself further up in bed, grimacing when the movement pulled at the stitches in his side. He carefully placed a hand on top of the dressing. "You didn't need to do this. What about the money on your mom's bank account?"

"That's settled already. As is the case, by the way. Your buddy Odell did a great job on keeping Sang Min from going to prison. So there's nothing you need to worry about except getting some rest," Danny explained. He leaned back in the chair and ran both hands through his hair.

Steve looked at him. "Thanks for coming."

"That's what partners are for," Danny spoke with a soft smile. "I know you'd do the same."

The End

(I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters.)