A/N: Thanks again for the favs, follows and reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters.

Chapter Seven

Danny had never been so scared and alone. Dancing on the edge of awareness, he was unable to open his eyes. There was a feeling of someone or something touching him, random fragments of conversation. These were his lifelines, a fragile connection to the outside world.

Something wet trickled down his face. In his mind he wiped it away, but in reality his hand never moved. That same hand was being held by something warm, squeezing it tightly every so often. There was coldness on his arm, followed by what felt like a scratch and then a pinch.

"BP is dropping..." An unfamiliar voice faded in and out.

A loud grinding noise burrowed into his already addled mind. The need to escape overwhelmed him, but he couldn't even move his head. His heart hammered much too fast in his chest. His whole body felt like it was being held down.

"On the count of three, lift him slowly..." Another unfamiliar voice.

The sensation of being lifted up into the air disorientated him further. He felt his body start to tremble, every breath came in short sharp gasps. He felt like he was suffocating. Then, something heavy was pushed onto his face.

"Everything's going to be fine Danno... take slow, deep breaths..." This voice he recognized.

H50 H50 H50 H50 H50

Sitting alone in the hospital waiting room, Steve shuddered as the afternoon's events replayed when he closed his eyes. The image of Danny trapped and hurt forever etched in his mind. Aidan had been taken to the hospital after being stabilized at the scene, well over an hour before Danny. The Camaro's safety bars required cutting away before the medics could remove Danny. The list of concerns were overwhelming: head trauma, back injury, smoke inhalation, dehydration, and heat exhaustion.

Steve's cell vibrated in his suit trouser pocket. He looked at the caller I.D. before answering. "Chin, any news?"

"Nothing new. How's Danny?"

"I'm still waiting to hear. One of the nurses said a doctor would be out to see me within the hour." Steve stared at the clock above the door. He didn't hide his impatience. "That was about twenty minutes ago."

"Okay we're leaving to join you now. Hang in there. Danny's strong, he'll be just fine." Chin said it as much to reassure himself, as Steve.

"Thanks Chin. I know you're right." With that Steve hung up, and shoved the phone back in to his pocket. He leaned back in the chair, resting his head against the cool wall behind him, and closed his eyes.

He'd left the governor's fundraiser with every intention of heading home to change before meeting the rest of the team at headquarters. But on his way there he had spotted Kamekona's helicopter. At first he'd been relieved that they were both back. He had exited his truck expecting to see Danny eating garlic shrimp, but instead found Kamekona getting ready to take a couple of tourists on a sightseeing tour. The look of panic on the big guy's face told Steve all he needed to know.

Now he was sitting on a hard plastic hospital chair, trying to make sense of it all and waiting for news on his partner's condition.

Half an hour later the rest of the team arrived to find Steve in that same chair, staring into space.

"Still no news?" Lou asked.

Steve shook his head. "Update me guys before Danny's doctor gets here." Steve ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Give me some good news, tell me you found Ronan Cleary."

"Sorry boss, all agencies are on alert to find him. He won't stay hidden for long." Kono sat down next to Steve and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Why don't I go get some coffees?"

"Thanks Kono."

Kono gave Steve's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "While I'm gone Chin and Lou can fill you in on what we know."

Chin sat in the chair Kono had just vacated. "Our friends from the bureau are rounding up the mechanics from the race team. I doubt very much if any of them will talk though. Agent Hansen pulled their man out from the undercover op. His name's Agent Myles Cross. Once the FBI have debriefed him, he's ours. He caught wind of Ronan's discovery and was heading to Kauai to warn Agent Stevens."

"Why didn't he just call her?" Steve looked puzzled.

Lou took a seat opposite Steve. "Apparently he tried, and when he couldn't reach her he caught the first flight over. When he arrived, Ronan was already at the garage, and so he hung back. He was unarmed and didn't want to blow his cover. He believed Agent Stevens had a better chance of escape during the FBI raid."

Steve stood and started to pace the room. "Well that plan worked out well for her."

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Lou. "Oh boy what a mess. Poor guys cut up about it. Her body is at the local M.E's office. We're still waiting on cause of death."

"Keep digging guys. Something doesn't add up. I have a feeling there's more going on here, and until we find out what, our priority is protecting Danny."

Chin held the door open for a coffee laden Kono. "As soon as we have news on Danny's condition we will head back to the drag strip."

"Doc's on the way." Kono passed Steve a coffee.

The doctor, a tall Hawaiian native, entered the waiting room. "My name's Dr Kauweke, I'm taking care of Detective Williams."

"Commander Steve McGarrett." Steve shook the doctor's hand. "I'm Detective Williams' partner and head of Five-0. This is Officer Kono Kalakaua, Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, and Captain Lou Grover."

"Firstly let me just say, Detective Williams is in a serious, but stable condition."

"Please call him Danny."

"Okay... Danny is being treated in the ICU. We have a few concerns. Firstly, he has a severe concussion, which appears to have been caused by blunt force trauma to the side of the head and from the impact sustained in the car."

Steve shook his head in disbelief. "We need to find out what went on in that garage."

"Unfortunately you may have to wait a few days. While conscious, Danny was far from coherent. He managed to answer some basic questions, but his memory is hazy. He was also very drowsy and slow to respond. These are all indicative of a severe concussion." The doctor paused to give the team time to digest the information.

"You said when he was conscious, so he's not now?" Chin questioned.

"Sorry, I know this is a lot to digest. Danny is in a medically induced coma. Although his exposure to the fire was limited, there are some concerns regarding smoke inhalation affecting his upper airway. I elected to intubate Danny as a precaution. Airway edema could progress over the next 24 to 48 hours and that could make later intubation difficult, if not impossible. This type of coma will also protect the brain from swelling."

Steve paled at the news.

"On a positive note, his scans showed no back or neck injury. He has some bruising on his torso, arms and legs, but nothing serious." The doctor smiled for the first time.

Kono cleared her throat before talking, tears glistening in her eyes. "Can we see him?"

Steve put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug.

"Yes of course. I can let you all in to see him briefly, but then I must limit it to only two of you at a time."

"We have some security concerns, so one of the team will stay with him at all times." They all knew Steve was that someone without question.

"I have no problem with that, but please give the nurses space to do their job. If Danny's condition remains stable over the next 48 to 72 hours, I'm confident I can take him off the ventilator and lift the sedation." Dr Kauweke stood. "Please come with me."

They all followed the doctor to the ICU. "I will be back in a couple of hours to check on Danny, but Commander McGarrett, if you have any questions in the mean time, please let one of the nurses know, and they'll page me."

"Thank you, Dr Kauweke, and please call me Steve." Dr Kauweke bid them farewell and headed off to attend to another patient.

The four members of Five-0 took a collective breath and entered the ICU. One of the nurses directed them to Danny's cubicle. The sight of Danny lying motionless in the bed, surrounded by monitors and IVs, stopped them in their tracks. They all stood silently, unsure of what to do or say. The whoosh of the ventilator the only sound in the otherwise quiet room.

Kono covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the sob that followed. Chin wrapped a comforting arm around her. "Hey cuz, Danny will get through this... we all will, together."

She nodded her head. "Ohana."

Steve walked to the side of the bed and picked up Danny's hand. "We still need to have that conversation about working on the Marquis. I promised we would, so don't go thinking this gets you out of it buddy."

He blinked a few times to clear the tears that threatened to full. The rest of the team looked on in silence.

Steve placed his hand on Danny's forehead. "Gracie needs her Danno..."

Lou shifted uneasily where he stood at the foot of the bed. "Speaking as a father, I think one of us should go back to Oahu and see Grace. If I were in Danny's position, I would want one of you to go see my baby girl in person. We can't do this over the phone. I'm happy to go, but I don't think I'm - "

"I'll go be with Grace, but you're coming back with me." Kono looked up at Lou.

He nodded in agreement. "I'll go back to headquarters, continue the investigation there."

Kono now looked at Steve. "You've got to have each others backs, including Danny's. You can't do that sleeping in a plastic hospital chair and living on vending machine food."

"I've done worse. I'll be fine." Steve looked at the offending chair behind him. He knew she was right.

"Lou. You and I will catch the next flight out, but before that, we need to book them into an hotel, somewhere near here."

Lou agreed. "I'm with you there sister... no argument here."

Kono looked at each of her teammates and then Danny. "I was taught by the best."

Chin walked over and stood by the bed. "Before I go meet with Agent Cross, I'll check on Aidan Cleary's condition. I'm not buying the whole, he set the fire story. Something tells me he is as much a victim as Danny." Chin placed a hand on Danny's leg and looked at Steve. "Stay strong brah, I'll be back later, call if there's any change."

"Thanks guys. I know this is hard and we all want to be here for Danny, but this is what he would want. Look after Grace and solve this case."

They all said their goodbyes and left Steve alone with Danny. He pulled a chair over and sat close to the bed. Again, he picked up his friend's hand and gave it a squeeze, shivering at how strange and lifeless it felt. Choked with worry, he whispered. "Hey Danno... it's not just Grace who needs you. I need... you."

~ to be continued ~