Officer Kono Kalakaua felt the heat first as she regained consciousness. Then the pain sliced through her skull along with her ribs. Kono bit back a groan as she forced her eyes open. She had heard flames and knew she had to access her situation. Kono's memories were still fuzzy not quite returning yet. The bright afternoon sun was at an odd angle and Kono realized she was upside down. Or more accurately McGarrett's truck she'd been riding in was upside down. At the thought of her boss memories slammed back; the crash and who was driving; Steve!

"Steve!"Kono called as she glanced over from the passenger seat.

The former Seal was suspended from his seatbelt face partially concealed by the airbag. Smoke caused Kono to cough and she looked for the source of the fire. The other car that had hit them was engulfed and was wedged under the truck's bed. Sirens could be heard in the distance but Kono knew she couldn't wait for backup. Getting out her door was out of the question since it was closest to the fire. To get out the driver's side she'd have to do some fancy maneuvering and slide under her boss. Looking at the windshield Kono saw it was already shattered from the crash. Shooting it wasn't advisable because of the fire but she thought she'd be able to kick ignored the pain in her head and turned herself around so she was facing the seat backs. She positioned herself and raised her feet and kicked. The windshield held on the first two kicks and Kono bit back a curse. On the third kick she felt it give and one more strong kick she heard it shatter and felt the trade winds rush in. Kono turned and quickly pushed the remnants of the windshield out of the way. It was worrying her that Steve hadn't regaining consciousness yet. She knew he could have a neck injury or worse but she didn't have a choice on moving him. The fire was intense now heat and flames getting closer. The sirens were getting closer too but they weren't close enough.

Freeing Steve from the seatbelt Kono gently turned her boss towards their escape route. It was tough to maneuver in the upside down truck but Kono managed to get her hands under Steve's shoulders and began to drag them to freedom.

Danny Williams had been en route to question a witness when Chin had called with news of the car accident. Even though the team had barely been a team for six months the former New Jersey resident still felt his heart drop to his stomach as Chin gave the details. As he ended the call Danny knew he was close enough to the accident scene to lend a hand. He put his siren on and turned the sedan around. Ten minutes later the sight that greeted Danny made his blood run cold. His partner's blue truck was upside down with a smaller car wedged under the bed. The smaller car was on fire and being attended to by HFD.

Four ambulances were still on scene. Danny parked his car and began going from ambulance to ambulance until he found the other half of his team. In the third to last one Danny hit pay dirt. Chin was standing at the back doors of the ambulance talking to the medics attending to his cousin Kono.

"They took Steve to General already."Chin informed without preamble.

Danny winced.

"How bad?"Williams asked quietly.

"He hadn't regained consciousness and they were concerned about internal bleeding since his breathing was shallow."Chin reported grimly and then nodded at the young woman in the ambulance. "Kono pulled him out."

"How's she doing?"Danny asked with concern.

"Concussion and a couple bruised ribs they're going to admit her for observation."Chin replied.

"What happened?"Danny asked as the medics motioned that they were closing the doors for departure.

"Kono's memories are still fuzzy."Chin continued with concern as they stepped away from the ambulance as it drove off. "According to witnesses the sedan ran a red light and t-boned McGarrett as they were crossing the intersection."

Danny whistled as he walked around Steve's smashed truck and the still burning sedan.

"They were lucky."Williams commented grimly. "What about the other driver?"

"Unfortunately not so lucky; they didn't have time to get out before the fire."Chin stated with a sad shake of his head."HPD has this covered for now we should get to the hospital."

"Yeah."Danny acknowledged tearing his gaze away from the burning wreck. "Right behind you."

Chin got on his motorcycle and drove away. Danny got in his car and as he put it in drive he took a last look at the mangled mess and marveled at not for the first time how quickly things could change.

The next morning Danny wasn't surprised to hear from Chin that all of Steve's tests had come back normal. Kono's scans had also come back clear. He decided to stop by and visit the pair at lunch once he got caught up on the never ending pile of paper work that seemed to come hand in hand with police work.

As Danny walked around the unusually quiet office of the 5-0 he was grateful it was only temporary. Yesterday could've been so much worse. The team would be back to normal soon or whatever passed for normal. Danny knew that normal would be tinged for awhile with the knowledge of what could've been.

Steve wheeled his wheel chair into a nearby room that was occupied by an injured colleague. It was just past nine in the morning and the day outside had dawned gray with a threat of rain. Steve could've walked to Kono under his own power but the nurse over seeing his recovery wasn't one to bend on rules or anything else. She wanted Steve to rest and that meant rest not walking fifteen feet down the hall. The nurse had finally compromised on the wheelchair.

Kono's room was empty of visitors she'd had a steady stream of family and friends the night before. Steve had regained consciousness at the ER. There Chin had told him of the fate of the other driver and of Kono's condition. Steve had also learned who had pulled him out of his wrecked overturned truck. He'd also heard how bad the wreck had been. Steve had bits and pieces of memory from the crash. The doctor said his memory might return in time. Even if it never did return the important thing was that both he and Kono were okay. That her quick thinking saved them both. Steve settled back in the wheel chair and pulled out his phone. He had a few apps that would keep him occupied until Kono woke. Steve didn't want to disturb her sleep; she'd earned it.

Kono awoke to a monster size headache and an aching body. She blinked at the harsh lights of the hospital room and the bright sunlight streaming in the window. Glancing over at the clock on the wall Kono saw it was after ten. Looking to her right Kono saw she had a visitor. Steve met her gaze and smiled putting down his phone.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"McGarrett asked quietly as he leaned forward.

"Killer headache but otherwise okay."Kono responded looking at her boss's wheelchair. "You?"

"All tests came back good; concussion was the worst of it thanks to you."Steve stated. "I owe you one, Kono."

"We're a team; you would've done the same."Kono said as she rested her head back on the pillow and shrugged.

"Yeah it's what partners do for each other."Steve agreed grimly. "Still...I owe you. Thanks."

"You're welcome."Kono replied with a smile as she met her boss's gaze.

"Anyway just wanted to check on you...glad you're okay."Steve continued as he rolled the wheelchair away from the bed. "Should get back to my room before I'm reprimanded."

"Strict nursing staff?"Kono asked with a grin.

"Just one so far."Steve said as he paused in the doorway. "I'll see you later."

Kono smiled before the pain of her headache returned and the smile vanished. She closed her eyes and sank into the bank of pillows. She was fortunate to have such a good team to work with. What was better was the friends they were becoming.

End