OK, sorry everyone. I posted this first thing this morning, but never got a notification so I took it out and am trying again. sorry if I messed up anyone.

Several of you mentioned that you liked Steve's thoughts, so I added some in here at the last minute. Special thanks to sym64 for her quick read and beta and also to sockie1000 who is my "Reorder Queen". And, this time, as always, she makes the written word much better. Thanks, Ladies.

Ho'okahi, Chapter 6

Crap, that hurt.

Told you I was gonna puke.

Hands all over me.

Hate it.

Hard to breathe.

Hurts.

Let me go!

Why won't you listen?

You need to stop.

Can't open my eyes.

Why can't I see?

Voices… what are they saying?

Please stop touching me.

Can't move my arms.

Hands on my face.

Cold cloth… OK, that feels good.

Mouth feels like something died in there.

Water from the cloth on my lips.

Thank you.

More, please.

No! Don't cover my face.

Hurts.

Stop holding me down.

Stop. Please. Just let me go.

Let me move.

Let me see.

Leave me alone.

"Please."

"Commander? Can you hear me?"

He heard the muffled voice through the pulsating sound that continually rushed through his head. He turned his head when he felt someone pick up his hand once again.

"If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

He could do that. Piece of cake. His brain told his hand to squeeze, but his fingers remained still for several moments, before he finally felt them curl slightly around the hand holding his.

"Good job."

He felt the fingers stroking his hand while holding it down on the bed. He tried to raise it to feel his face, but he couldn't break her hold.

"You're going to be fine. Just relax for me. We're giving you something to help your stomach and help you sleep." She placed her hand on his head, her thumb rubbing it lightly.

Stop. Don't touch me.

Please.

~~~H50~~~

"What's taking so long?" Danny asked when Anita returned to usher them down the hall to Steve's room.

"They're cleaning him up a bit. He got sick on the trip down from Recovery. We'll head down there, but it may be a few more minutes before you can go in."

Several minutes later, Palakiko finally came into the hallway and met them. "Sorry for the delay," she told them while wheeling Danny into the room. "But he had a very unpleasant side effect from the anesthesia." She pushed the chair next to Steve's bedside. Chin and Kono followed, moving to the other side of the bed.

A nurse was leaning over her patient, her hand wrapped around his raised wrist. "Dr. P, he's still fighting the mask."

She glanced at the monitor above the bed and shook her head. "I know he's not happy, but the mask stays on for tonight," she replied, "whether he likes it or not."

The nurse placed Steve's hand down by his side and patted it before moving out of the way, allowing Danny and the doctor to move closer.

Thank you.

Now stay away.

Palakiko leaned down next to the bed to speak into her patient's left ear. "Commander, you need to stop fighting the drugs and go back to sleep. Just get some rest. I promise you'll feel better in the morning."

More voices.

Steve raised his hand up once again to touch his face and Danny grabbed his wrist, holding it. "Cut it out, you big goof."

Come on.

Just leave me alone.

I want to open my eyes.

"Eyes." His voice was muffled beneath the mask and he tried to pull his arm away from Danny's hand so he could reach his face.

"Okay, let's do this," Danny replied, guiding Steve's probing fingers to his face allowing him to feel the bandages on his eyes.

Finally!

Can feel my… not eyes.

Bandages?

"It's just bandages; your eyes are going to be fine. Promise." Danny lifted the corner of the blanket and placed Steve's arm underneath, covering it and then patting it for good measure. "Now leave that there, you hear me?"

I heard you.

You said my eyes are fine.

OK. Guess I can live with that.

" 'K… thanks,… Doc…"

Tired.

Think I'm gonna… take a nap.

Danny sat up straight in the wheelchair. "Did he just call me-?"

"Yeah, he did," Chin interrupted, a quizzical look on his normally stoic features.

Dr. Palakiko glanced at the monitor once again before looking at them. "Good. He's going back to sleep. Don't read anything into what he just said. Do you all still have ringing in your ears?"

Kono and Chin nodded when Danny replied, "Big time."

She smoothed the blanket over her patient. "Then imagine what we must sound like to McGarrett. In addition to all the noise, he has one eardrum that isn't functioning. I doubt he can hear much of anything with all the racket that's going on inside his head."

"If you say so," Danny replied, taking another long look at his sleeping partner.

"I do. Now, you are going to be good little patients all night long, right?"

Kono led the procession out into the hall. "Yes, ma'am. We promised, boys, so be nice tonight."

Chin grinned. "We're always nice."

~~H50~~

It was almost 10 a.m. before Dr. Palakiko released Danny, and he was cleared then only after being taken downstairs for a second chest X-ray. He made a bee-line to Steve's room, still wearing the scrubs he was given the previous night. Chin and Kono had both been released earlier and had gotten a ride home, changed clothes and were bringing a car and clothes back for him. His dress pants from the previous day weren't salvageable and instead of trying to clean the shirt, it went into the trash with them.

Danny quietly entered the room, thankful to see that most of the monitors had been removed from around his partner's bed. The thick bandages that had been wrapped around Steve's head were also gone; one bruised eye was uncovered, the other still bandaged. The oxygen mask had been replaced by a cannula. His left leg was positioned on pillows and thick bandages were visible on his thigh even through the light blanket covering him. Every portion of uncovered skin had a bruise, cut or a scrape on it. Danny knew how achy his own bruises made him feel; he could only imagine how Steve would feel once he woke up. But he settled into the chair by the bedside, content to wait until that time.

He was leaning back, dozing in the uncomfortable plastic chair, arms folded and eyes closed when he heard a pained grunt. The sound jerked Danny to awareness in time to watch his partner's one exposed eye blink and then slowly open. Steve remained still, focusing on the ceiling before slowly turning his head to look around the room, finally settling on Danny.

Danny grinned at the lethargic actions from his partner. "Hey." He leaned close to the bed so Steve could hear him.

"Hey." Steve's voice was gravelly and he tried to clear his throat.

Williams spied a cup with ice on the bedside table and snared a piece with a spoon and held it up for Steve to see. He nodded and gratefully opened his mouth allowing Danny to drop it in. Steve's eye again slid closed while he savored the coolness soothing his dry throat.

"How are you feeling?"

Steve blinked at him and asked "What?"

Danny realized his partner was still having trouble hearing and leaned in closer to the bed. "I just asked how you were doing. I know your hearing is messed up right now."

"You sound like you're far away. And you're all blurry."

"You got some debris in your eyes from the explosion," Danny explained, pointing to his own eyes. "It will be fine, so don't worry about them."

Their conversation was interrupted by Danny's cell phone. He held it up and said, "HPD," before standing and moving to the end of the bed. He glanced up to see Chin and Kono come through the door and instead of interrupting their conversation, he went into the hall to take his call.

The other half of 5-0 moved closer to the bed, glad to see their leader awake. Steve slowly turned toward them, a look of confusion on his face before recognition dawned.

"Chin Ho Kelly!"

~~~H50~~~