A/N: A big thank you to everyone that left reviews and to everyone for reading this Danny whump-fest. Sorry for the delay in updating. To be honest if it wasn't for Phoebe continually dropping everything to beta this chapter, hell this whole story, it would have taken a lot longer to post. Thank you my friend we got it done even with my weekend away, downed interwebs and technology that just plain didn't want to play ball.

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

Chapter Ten

Emotions barely held in check, the Five-0 team carefully navigated the building. They moved down stairwells, and along corridors, clearing every conceivable space. No one was getting past them. Their objective was situated in the very bowels of the Honolulu Central Morgue. HPD and EMS were poised to enter the very second the team gave them the word.

Chin, Kono and Lou came to an abrupt halt as Steve held his hand up. He could see their destination a short distance ahead. A bright light emanated from under a closed door. Their hushed breaths were the only sound to break the eerie silence.

Steve inched forward, sweat beading on his forehead. The sheer lack of any audible movement sent a ripple of trepidation through him. The faces of his team mirrored his own. They were all afraid of what they might find, yet determined in their task. Danny was ohana. They would not fail him - no matter the outcome.

Nearing the threshold, he signaled with a tilt of his head for Chin to get into position. Steve used his fingers to count down. On three, they entered, and Steve immediately trained his SIG on the back of the female figure lying on the tray in front of him.

Elizabeth wore a tight fitting t-shirt and denim shorts that left little to the imagination. The name Daisy Duke fit her well. Only his partner would make such an observation. In any other situation he would have laughed.

"Five-0. Elizabeth Foster, put your hands in the air where I can see them." Steve ordered.

His senses on overload, Steve took in the scene before him. Thin crimson streams ran along the edges of the white floor tiles from where Leonard lay, a short distance from the rows of stainless steel cabinets. Blood pooled under his head and neck. He was no longer a threat.

Elizabeth obstructed the majority of his partner's body from his view, but what he could clearly see where Danny's legs entwined with hers. Anger coursed through his body, and it took every ounce of self-control to push the feeling down, to stop himself from exacting revenge on this woman.

Neither Danny or Elizabeth moved, and the very notion that they could well be too late, now threatened to break Steve's resolve once again.

He looked away for the briefest moment. It took everything he had to suck in a deep breath and harden his heart. He was not looking at the bloody body of his best friend and partner. No - Danny was a mission. One who demanded his full attention. And Elizabeth Foster was in the way.

"Elizabeth, if you can hear me. Someone's going to check Leonard." Steve waved his hand, motioning for Chin to move around him.

The tension in the room was palpable. Chin crouched down beside the older man and put two fingers to his neck. With a shake of his head he confirmed what they already knew - Leonard was dead.

"Danny's cold." Elisabeth's voice barely above a whisper.

Steve closed the gap to her. "Kono, find me some blankets or sheets."

On hearing Lou's voice over the coms requesting HPD and EMS, Steve felt an overwhelming desire to save his friend some dignity. He had to act now.

"Elizabeth, you need to let go and allow me to take a look at Danny." Steve holstered his weapon.

"No." Elizabeth did the opposite and tightened her grip on her precious treasure. "I have to keep him warm."

Steve exchanged a worried look with Chin, who now stood on the other side of the tray.

"Here, take these. I couldn't find any blankets." Kono dropped a bundle of crisp white sheets on a nearby work station.

"Elizabeth, I'm going to check Danny over. My colleagues here are going to help you down." His team nodded in understanding.

In one fluid motion, the three of them reached for their quarry. Immediately Elizabeth fought back, kicking out as Chin separated her legs from Danny's. He latched onto her ankles, trying to avoid a hit to the face. Kono grabbed the arm Elizabeth had wrapped tightly around Danny and pulled her backwards. Elizabeth desperately clung on to his hand, dragging him along with her. Steve was the only thing stopping his best friend from being dumped onto the floor. Prying their fingers apart, he leaned over his partner protectively, shielding him from Elizabeth's flailing limbs.

"Let go of me. He needs me." Elizabeth screeched.

"What he needs is you as far away from him as possible." Lou rushed back into the room, and used his large stature as a wall between the hysterical female and Danny.

He helped Chin hold her legs, but not before taking a kick to the gut. The big guy grunted, mumbling expletives under his breath.

Elizabeth continued her protests, lashing out like a wild animal. After a fist connected with Kono's jaw, she took great pleasure in twisting her prisoner's arm behind her back until she cried out.

The instant Danny was free, Steve surveyed the damage done to his partner. The stab wounds stood out in stark contrast to his pallid skin. His chest and stomach was a mess of congealed blood. A long gash on his arm continued to seep. He swallowed hard, holding back a threatening sob, before snatching up some of the sheets and quickly covering his friend over.

Steve's warm fingers pushed against Danny's neck.

"No..." Steve moaned.

A shaky hand sought out Danny's wrist. Steve felt his stomach clench, the lump in his throat almost blocking his airway.

"I need the medics here now. He's not..." Steve faltered, unable to say the words. "I can't find a pulse."

He took a deep breath to steady himself. "We need to get him down on the floor."

"Kono's securing our young lady." Lou said breathlessly and motioned to the door.

"You sure we should move him?" Chin threw Steve a concerned look.

"There's no other option. We need to do this carefully. No sudden movements."

Steve slid his partner's upper body towards him and hooked his arms under his armpits. Chin reached under Danny's legs. Lou positioned himself at his pal's side, ready to take up the bulk of his body weight.

"Is he...?" Lou's voice trailed off.

Steve didn't answer and proceeded to lift Danny. Taking care not to jostle their friend, they raised Danny skywards. Kono ran back in and threw the remaining sheets onto the floor where Danny was gently laid on his back. Without a second's hesitation, Steve pulled back the covers and started chest compressions.

"Breathe, Danno." Steve knelt at his partner's side, and elbows locked, he pushed down with everything he had.

"Where the hell are those medics?" Steve's tough facade was starting to slip, his innermost compartments beginning to crack.

"I'll go check." Lou hurried from the room.

Blood started to ooze from the laceration running the length of Danny's torso. Steve struggled to shake off the urge to stop, concerned he was doing his friend more harm than good. His fingers began to blur, his sight marred by his own tears. The normally stoic ex-Navy SEAL lost control. Raw emotions tore free, as he was gripped by the fear of losing his brother. Elizabeth's shrilled protests from a room far off in the distance drifted away, as did the voices of his team. His only focus - saving his Danno.

"Breathe damn it. Come on buddy, don't do this." Steve pleaded.

He continued to press down on his friend's chest with renewed determination.

With trembling fingers, Steve once again felt Danny's neck. "No, no, please." Seemingly oblivious to the sticky substance coating them, he ran his other hand continuously through Danny's hair. "Please God no."

Steve slumped forward, his breaths coming in short sharp pants. Forehead resting against the side of Danny's face, he could feel the unnatural iciness of his skin.

"Danno, you gotta fight. You don't get to die today." Steve lifted his head a little and gazed at his best friend's pale face. His fingers were tangled with the now damp, matted hair. He removed them, and frowned. He hadn't even noticed the blood that coated them. A hand squeezed his shoulder, disrupting his thoughts.

"Hey, Steve. You need to let the medics help Danny." Chin's calm voice washed over him.

Steve tried to push up off the floor, but his uncooperative legs forced him back down onto his knees.

"Come on, brah. Let Lou and I help you."

The two team mates reached down either side of Steve and hoisted him up. He stood unsteadily, and shrugged off the two men, partly from embarrassment. He scrubbed at his face with both hands, mixing tears with his best friend's blood before staggering back until he hit the column of refrigerators. Completely spent, he slid to the floor again. His eyes never leaving his partner's still form. He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them close. Stuck in his very own horror movie, he just sat and stared. Praying this wasn't the end.

The two medics now at Danny's side glanced worriedly his way before they started working on his partner.

"Core temperature 80.6. He's unresponsive. Unable to determine whether a pulse is present. Chest compressions are having little to no effect. We need to perform a tracheal intubation."

Steve grimaced as Danny's head was pushed back, and a tube forced down his throat. One of the medics moved around blocking his view. He closed his eyes and listened.

"I have an output. It's weak, but it's there."

"Keep a close eye on his cardiac output."

Steve opened his eyes again. Two more medics were preparing a gurney.

"We have a male, late thirties, suffering from severe hypothermia and hypovolemic shock . Immediate evac required."

"He's in V Fib."

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of Steve's lungs. He suddenly lost the ability to breathe. The world around him appeared to be moving in slow motion. With the medic no longer blocking his view, he watched as gel pads were stuck to Danny's chest. The whine of the defibrillator an unwanted sound in the previously silent room.

"Clear."

Danny's back arched, and then descended lifelessly to the floor.

"Again."

"Clear."

Steve's vision grayed around the edges as his friend's body arched once more.

"One more time."

"Clear."

That was the last word Steve heard before everything melted away.

~ to be continued ~