Thank you so much for all of your comments so far. Internet problems and procrastination have kept me from responding. I love that you are enjoying the story. It's a bugger to write, let me tell you. Parts keep changing...especially Doris. She is one scary byatch - to quote my lovely beta julieb. :-)

/././

The indignity of battle.

That's how Steve thought of it. What he had to do next.

No privacy. No modesty. No emotions allowed.

Only this was Danny, and Steve couldn't stop his feelings from breaking the surface.

He trembled at the hint of what he could have lost. Felt the bite of pain in his chest and the swell of tears in his eyes. This time he was oh so lucky.

Danny was alive.

All of their arguments meant nothing. Those petty squabbles that seemed to dominate their conversations lately. The insults they'd hurled at one another. They could bicker about anything. Even if it was ridiculous. Maybe especially then. Steve shook his head with a pained chuckle. Danny knew how to push his buttons.

This tension, though, had begun to wear them down. Their solid friendship was frayed at the edges. They'd been rough with one another lately. Steve knew he was partly to blame.

Now, he wanted so much to see those baby blues staring back at him. To see that incredible smile. He needed to apologize, to promise to do better. Steve closed his eyes and took Danny's hand in both of his.

/././

Steve stripped his friend, hands steady, focused on the task. Chin helped him lift Danny so they could remove his soiled clothing. He couldn't save anything except for maybe his boxer shorts, and he was hesitant to remove those. Danny was sure to have a fit.

Never was Steve so thankful to see his partner unconscious. He knew this was embarrassing. But it had to be done.

He started with Danny's arms, inspecting the IV port, the smeared blood. Someone hadn't taken much care to insert it. The fluids and antibiotics would be finished some time during the night. Steve didn't know what supplies Doris had up her sleeve. He'd ask her once he was finished here.

Moving to Danny's right hand, he removed the bandage. Again, someone had done a rush job. He had to go slowly as the wrapping stuck to the newly formed scabs. Examining the evenly spaced wounds, he pictured what might have caused the damage. He'd seen any number of tools used to ply information from the unwilling and the stubborn – pliers, clamps, vice grips, scissors. Anything and everything. It depended on what you had available – and your creativity.

Danny groaned but didn't open his eyes as Steve cleaned the gashes with warm soapy water. He soothed as he applied fresh gauze and a smaller bandage. "Sorry sorry, so sorry."

A further examination of Danny's arms and shoulders revealed multiple injection marks. He cringed and then had to slow his breathing to stifle his rage. He'd guessed his best friend had been subjected to interrogation. But seeing the evidence just about took him over the edge. He wanted to shake his mother until she spilled everything she knew.

Not wanting to dwell on it, Steve kept moving. He would connect the dots later. There was no over thinking the task at hand. He wanted his friend to be comfortable, wanted to wash away any hint of this terrible day.

But he couldn't remove it all. Only time could heal the hidden damage, and sometimes that didn't even happen. Months, and even years later, Steve was still plagued with nightmares and doubts from the traumas he'd endured. He knew this was sure to dig up demons from Danny's past.

Chin hovered nearby to empty and refill the wash basin as Steve worked to clean the top layer of grime from his battered partner. There was an almost religious air to what they are doing. A ritual of war. Sacred.

With great care and devotion, Steve dabbed and wiped the dirt and blood from his friend's face and neck. Wincing as he uncovered more bruises and abrasions. He took a quick inventory before moving on. Left eye swollen shut. Both cheeks bruised. Split lips. Laceration above left eyebrow. Bloody nose. Jagged cut along hairline. He couldn't stop himself from cataloging every wound, every angry reminder that his best friend had just gone through hell.

Thankfully, Danny's chest and abdomen hadn't sustained the same amount of damage. Though Steve knew injuries often lurked where you least expected them. A seemingly healthy person could easily bleed to death from internal injuries. This was his greatest concern.

Nimble fingers skimmed and probed his partner's ribs and belly, searching for signs of breaks and rigidity. A disturbing mosaic of purple, red and yellow spread out along his left side, but nothing seemed cracked or broken. Just sore as hell, as Danny let him know by whimpering and trying to shrink away.

"Almost finished, Danny. Hang in there." Steve smoothed Danny's hair. "Hang in there."

Working together, Steve and Chin unwound the dressing on Danny's lower leg. There was no gauze, just what appeared to be an Ace bandage. The edges of the wound were rough and uneven. Inflamed and still bleeding in spots, weeping pus already. It looked like Danny had been dragged across something, not intentionally sliced. Maybe it happened when his kidnappers had loaded him into their vehicle.

It suddenly occurred to Steve that he should snap a few pictures. He kicked himself for not thinking of this sooner; he'd let emotion cloud his judgment. Danny was himself a crime scene. What Doris would not divulge herself, his injured friend could very well tell them through his battered body and dirty clothes.

"Chin, bag up Danny's clothes. Everything we have here. Bandages and all. Send them to Max when we're done. Tell him to keep this quiet."

Steve knew they could trust Max. He'd helped with Matt's body. Chin nodded and handed him a basin of fresh water and they began again, carefully tending to their injured friend.

He worked slowly and methodically, clearing the grime from the edges. He couldn't believe how much dirt was packed around the cut. It took a little extra effort to remove the foreign matter as the addition of water formed a muddy paste, making it tough to remove without using some pressure. It was more than their patient could take and again he let them know he was in pain. This time, Danny sat straight up and screamed before melting back against the bed, panting until he finally lost consciousness again.

Firm hands on Steve's shoulders kept him from losing his nerve. "Keep going, Steve. This has to be done. You're almost finished."

"Okay, okay." Steve closed his eyes for a few seconds. "I can do this."

When they were done, the two men stood side by side watching their friend and fellow warrior. They'd covered him with a sheet and a light blanket, except for his injured leg. Steve wanted to keep it elevated and easily accessible. Any contact with the bandages seemed to cause Danny discomfort as well.

"I'll go and check on Doris." Chin spoke softly. "You stay here with Danny. Take first watch."

"Okay. Thanks."

Chin pointed to the rocking chair in the corner. "Grab some shut eye if you can. I'll be downstairs."

"I mean it, Chin. Thank you." Steve grabbed Chin's arm before he could leave. "I couldn't have made it without you."

"Yes you could. You'd do it for Danny."

"He'd do it for all of us."

"Yea." Chin smiled. "He would."

He went to leave but stopped. "And when he wakes up, you can explain why he's naked."

Steve could already hear the rant he was bound to get once Danny found out about this impromptu sponge bath. And the thought made him laugh out loud. His first really light moment since Danny disappeared. A little chunk of his anxiety fell away. He had some measure of control back. He could care for Danny, help him through this. One step at a time.

Steve was thankful Danny kept extra clothes in his closet. "Yea wait til he sees the aloha shirt I dress him in."

"You're really asking for it." Chin chuckled, shaking his head.

Danny stirred, moaning and uncovering himself. "Grace."

Steve knelt beside the bed. "Hey, Grace is okay, buddy."

"Okay." Danny whispered. His eyes fluttered open and he reached for Steve. "Money. Hide the money."

The last half of what he said came out a little slurred as he drifted back to sleep. Steve squeezed Danny's hand and then backed away from the bed. His heart raced and when he glanced at Chin, he knew his colleague was feeling the same. Their suspicions confirmed. Colombia was coming back to haunt them.

Steve ran a hand through his hair. "The money. The goddamn money."

/././

"You've always been a good boy, Chin Ho Kelly. A good friend to my son." She circled him as he sat at the table. "I want you to know I appreciate your loyalty."

He didn't blink. "I don't know where the money is."

"Cut right to the chase. I like that." She stopped in front of him and leaned down, tilting her head. "Saves me a lot of trouble."

Doris moved away, ran some water into her mug. He kept his mouth shut, careful not to respond. She made him uncomfortable, and he knew Steve didn't want him to say anything important. Chin decided it was best to say nothing else.

"But you know, cutting to the chase takes so much fun out of the game. I like to dance around the issue. Draw out my partner. Get them excited. Let them see the stakes." She laughed. "Danny was a lot of fun."

He couldn't hide his reaction. The flash of tension across his jaw line. The disgust and surprise in his eyes.

"Yes, that's right. I tortured Danny."

His mouth fell open. "What did you just say?"

"My dear boy, you heard me."

Her wide smile and bright eyes did terrible things to his nerves. But he held on, fingers digging into the side of his legs, that pain keeping him from asking too many questions. Chin realized he could soon be in over his head if he wasn't careful.

Not only did he feel for Danny, but for Steve as well. Maybe more so for Steve.

When Steve found out what his mother did to his best friend, he was sure to lose it. They'd already suspected Doris had a hand in what happened to Danny, yet neither had said anything. It was unspoken and incomprehensible.

She continued, seemingly pleased with herself. "I know all about the money. I know all about your brother-in-law. Promises made."

"I don't know where the money is."

"Oh, I figured that. My son is gallant, if not a little naïve at times. Soft. He wouldn't want anyone else to know the location of the money. Hoping it would keep you and Danny safe. For all of his training, he still has a weakness." She shook her head. "I never had the chance to mold him properly."

She began pacing again. Chin grit his teeth and kept his thoughts to himself.

"He tries to save everyone, not realizing he's putting himself in danger."

On this statement, Doris was wrong. Steve understood the risks. Chin was certain of this. Steve accepted the danger as part of the job. Part of his duty.

"So now he's hidden this money. He doesn't realize what's at stake." Doris ruffled his hair.

Chin jerked away from her, heart in his throat, stumbling over his next words. "So why don't you tell us? What's at stake?"

She grinned. "Good. Glad to see you're finally joining the conversation."

Chin sat a little straighter, wary of what Doris would say next.

"You're all in danger. Every single one of you. Even Danny's sweet little girl." She pulled out a chair and sat facing him. Inches away, her voice almost a whisper now. "I am not the only one who knows about the money. Matt Williams was playing both sides. It was a gamble he lost."

"What are you talking about? Don't you dare bring Grace into this."

"Do you know the name Kipton?"

"No doesn't ring a bell." And it didn't. Chin was confused. "You should be talking to Steve about this."

"I will." She stood up and moved back to the sink. "I needed to test you first."

"Test me?"

"Make sure you –"

"To make sure I really don't know where the money is."

"One of you has to have it. Danny – well – he told me he didn't know. And I'm inclined to believe him. He wasn't sure if you knew. Again, I believe him. He was really stubborn about Steve, though. Took me a few rounds to get anything about my son." She shook her head. "Danny's a tough guy."

"What did you do to him?"

She looked away and sighed.

Chin pushed a little more. "Steve will want to know."

Doris chuckled. "Again with the hero stuff. He wants to bear the burden. Make things better."

"That's what friends do."

"Sure, friends. Is that what you believe, Chin? I'll let you in on a little secret." She sat down again. Was suddenly too close. "There is no such thing as friendship when your life is on the line. You do what you can to save your own skin."

He shook his head, incredulous. "You just disproved your own theory. You brought Danny home."

"See, you aren't thinking clearly." She was on her feet again.

Then something dawned on Chin. "So you saved Danny because doing so was worth something to you?"

"Oh yes. Saving Danny was worth millions."

/././

Dontcha just love Doris?!