Phew! My last cliff hanger left me feeling a little worried my readers weren't going to like where my story may be heading. If it was a little too disturbing for some I do apologize. Thanks for all those reassuring reviews I received. I'm relieved you did in fact like my ending!

Chapter 11

Dan sat in bed propped up against his pillows staring out the window, as he watched the sky begin to lighten with the first rays of sunlight. At the sound of the door opening, he turned his head and smiled at the two men who entered.

"Hey Steve," Dan greeted, smiling weakly.

"How's it feel Danno?" Steve almost choked on his own words when he saw the extent of Dan's injuries. The bruises on his face which were a reddish hue when he was first brought in, had settled into a deeper shade of purple. A stark contrast against his skin which was considerably paler than normal. The off-white, sterile and elasticized material wound tightly around Dan's otherwise bare midsection and were designed to keep the fractures to his ribs in place. Smaller bandages covered sections of his arms where he received lacerations from glass fragments. Steve had never seen his young second in command in such a condition. He could've sworn he looked worse now then when he was initially brought in.

"Doc here tells me you want to go home?" Steve could barely get the words out as he continued to gaze at Dan's battered form. What was Danno thinking?

"It's not as bad as it looks Steve. I'll be much more comfortable in my own bed," Dan sensed his boss and mentor was scrutinizing him. He shifted uncomfortably and attempted to sit up straighter but the stabbing pains in his side made him reconsider his movements.

He's not going to even make it to the door, let alone go home, was what Steve McGarrett wanted to say. He decided to try a tactic that was once used against him during his stay in the hospital not so long ago. After being temporarily blinded, Steve's frustrations drove the entire medical staff to the point where he was reprimanded by the Governor himself. A smart and stubborn nurse had got the better of him. She had taught him to recognize his own limitations and not be a stubborn mule about it.

"Ok Danno. I had a word with Doc," Steve turned his head ever so slightly and gave Bergman a knowing look , to play along.

"We'll need to go downstairs to reception and fill in your sign-out forms first before you can go," Steve chose his words carefully. He needed to make sure Danno took the bait and that Doc would let it play out.

"O-kay," Dan replied slowly as he eyed each man sceptically.

"Are you waiting for something Danno?" Steve asked in the most casual tone he could muster.

"Er," Dan started but stopped himself and decided not to let this good opportunity pass. Gingerly he swung his legs over the side of the bed, pushing the thin blanket aside. Still wearing his trousers, his bare feet stepped on to the cool tiled floor.

Doc collected Dan's shirt, socks and shoes from the closet and handed them to him without a word. Neither Bergman nor Steve offered to assist the young detective as he slowly and painfully pulled on his shirt, gritting his teeth to keep from wincing out loud.

"Come on Danno, I've got to be getting back to the office." Steve feigned impatience and checked his watch as if keeping track of the time.

At last after fumbling with the laces of his shoes with his trembling fingers, he stood up, beads of sweat glistened on his face. "Ready,"

As the trio left the room, Steve took hold of Dan's upper arm and steered him in the opposite direction of the lifts, "Lifts' out of order since the storm, Danno. We're going to have to take the stairs." Steve hoped his improvisation would succeed.

"S-stairs? No - no problem," Dan stammered clearly horrified at the prospect of the agony he knew he would have to endure. His head was already spinning and with each step every part of him ached terribly.

Doc held the door to the stairwell wide open as they began their descent which would cover two floors. Steve maintained a steady pace and kept a distance of no more than four steps ahead, whilst Doc brought up the rear a little closer to Dan.

Dan wiped the sweat from his brow. His attempts to inhale deeply to fight off the nausea in his gut, brought about more pain to his injured ribs.

"Danno, at the rate you're going we won't get you home till tomorrow!" Steve called up to Dan as he paused in his tracks and stole a quick glance behind him. The young man had paused half way down the first set of steps trying to catch his breath and steady himself. He gripped the railing with both hands as the world around him continued to spin. I wish these darn stairs would stop moving, Dan thought. If he hadn't been suspicious before of his boss's intentions, he certainly was now. The apparent lack of concern in Steve's voice, the lifts being out of order was all too convenient and Doc's sudden loss of words. He was beginning to feel angry with Steve who he felt should've sided with him instead of Doc. There was no way he was going to admit defeat as he forced himself to place his right foot down on to the next step. No sooner did the rebellious thought entered his mind, his foot came in to contact with nothing but air. Where did the step go? If it hadn't been for Steve and Doc's quick reflexes and the fact they'd watched Dan intently, he would've fallen head long down the flight of stairs. They grabbed the young man's shoulders, each looking at him with a mixture of concern and relief.

"Danno!" Steve almost growled into his face, his eyes boring into Dan's azure glare.

"Alright. Alright Steve! So I'm still a little shaky," Dan looked away from the older detective as he made a last effort to argue his point.

"This is what happens Danno, when you're a pigheaded fool like me," Steve's quip brought a nod of approval from Doc. It was rare for McGarrett to admit his own pigheadedness.

"I'm sorry," Dan replied keeping his eyes downcast and feeling sheepish, all traces of anger had dissipated.

"If I hear wind of you not obeying Doc's orders again, I'll have you suspended! Do I make myself clear?" Steve's admonishing tone sealed the fate of Dan's disobedience.

"Crystal," Dan swallowed, utterly defeated by his own incapacitation.

Together Steve and Doc helped Dan make his way back to the room he'd been designated to occupy.

"I'll get you some painkillers Danny," Doc's triumph could not have been more obvious to Dan who saw the genuine grin that spread across his face.

"Why didn't you give me those before?" Dan asked a little disappointed that Doc took this long to offer some form of relief from the agonizing aches and throbbing pain that covered most of his person.

"You said you were perfectly fine, so I figured you wouldn't be needing pain killers," Doc was clearly enjoying this, Dan thought.

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With two steaming mugs of coffee in his hands, Detective Chin Ho Kelly entered the cubicle that was his office. He placed the mugs on his desk, in a small space he left free from the clutter of stationery and pages of paperwork. Wondering where Jenny had disappeared to, Chin peered over at the man standing by the secretary's desk, "Che have you seen Jenny?"

The forensics specialist looked up from his notes, "No I haven't Chin. Maybe she slipped out for some fresh air."

"Maybe," Chin replied as he continued to scan the complex. Surely they would've seen her drift out of the office building? He decided to check one more place that she may have gone to. Steve's office.

Chin walked briskly in to the deserted office and glanced around briefly. Sure enough there she was, curled up and fast asleep on the sofa. Chin smiled to himself then walked back out of Steve's office, leaving the door slightly ajar

"She's fast asleep on the sofa. Poor Jenny. She and Danny had a pretty rough night," Chin told Che when he gave the senior detective an inquiring look.

"And on his birthday too!" Che grimaced, "Well I'm done here. I'll drop everything off at the lab and get the boys there to start working their magic. I'm going home to get some sleep myself. Steve will probably be hounding me as soon as anything mildly interesting turns up at the lab."

Yawning Che fare-welled Chin and left the building. The Chinese detective jumped at the shrill tone of the phone ringing on his desk. Probably Steve. Not wanting the noise to wake Jenny, Chin hurried to his desk and picked up the phone, "Five'O. Kelly speaking."

"Chin. It's Dann,"

"Chief? What can I do for you?" Chin was a little unnerved at the edginess in the HPD chief's voice.

"Is Steve back from the hospital?"

"No. He's still with Danny,"

"Any word?"

"No, not yet. I was just about to call. Is something wrong?"

"Yes Chin. There is."

Chin listened ashen faced to Chief Dann's disturbing account.

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"They're in the top drawer. Next to my wallet," Dan pointed to the small chest of drawers that served as his bedside table. A Perspex cup, a clock and a bible sat on top.

Steve pulled the drawer open to reveal its contents. He picked up Dan's set of keys and placed them in his suit pocket, "I'll be back with your things this afternoon."

"Thanks Steve. I appreciate it," Dan laid back against his pillows, worn out but unable to keep his eyes closed.

"Any time Danno. You just take it easy," Steve patted Dan's shoulder. He'd offered to pick up some clothes from Dan's apartment for him to change into and a book he was currently reading.

"How's Jenny?" Dan felt guilty he'd almost forgotten about her.

"She's doing ok considering,"

"She was absolutely amazing Steve! She was like Super Jenny!" Dan imagined Jenny in a Wonder Woman costume but quickly brushed the childish thought aside. The pain in his side stopped the laughter that threatened to erupt, replaced by a low groan.

"Are you alright Danno?" Steve eyed his protege closely.

"Yeah just a little sore," Dan admitted in a quiet voice not wanting to draw too much attention to himself.

The door opened abruptly and entered Doc with a young Hawaiian nurse carrying a small tray of meds and a jug of water.

"I've brought you something to ease the pain and also something to help you sleep," Doc reached down and gave Dan a gentle squeeze on the shoulder before placing his hand on his back, helping him sit up into a more comfortable position.

"Thanks Doc. That's a lot of somethings," Dan's coy remark was rewarded by a stern glare, as he peered into the tray that held an assortment of pills of various colours and sizes.

"They're not all for you!" Doc snapped rolling his eyes as he filled Dan's cup with water.

A light knock on the door was followed by a soft feminine voice, "Mr McGarrett? There's a phone call for you from a Mr Chin Ho Kelly on line 2," The tall brunette nurse in her thirties carefully worked her lips around the caller's name in an effort to pronounce it correctly.

"Thank you Miss Finnley. Use the phone in my office Steve." Doc Bergman offered as he picked out 3 pills for Dan to take.

"Thanks Doc. I'll be back soon Danno," Steve left the room and made his way to his office. He pondered about the phone call. Maybe Tokua broke and confessed that he, both the Richards' men and Dickson were indeed hired by Bertolli. They were all facing numerous charges including first degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, assault and break and entering. To get the full story and names would help with the prosecution. They already had a strong case against Bertolli. This would nail him to the wall of his cell for life! Steve also wanted to know what else Richards was involved in. Danno had given him a brief summary of the events at the Iolani Palace during the siege. According to him, Richards daughter maybe involved in some sort of criminal activity. Big enough for her father and brother to stage the desperate hold up. Steve decided against obtaining Dan's official statement until he had rested. He also had no wish to be at the brunt of Doc's wrath again.

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Five'O's lead detective always knew he'd entered the right office that belonged to Doc Bergman. The room forever smelled of disinfectant and peppermint. "Better than essences of tear gas," Steve wondered aloud as he picked up the phone on Doc's desk and hit the button corresponding to the line Chin should be on. He held the phone to his ear, "Yeah Chin,"

Steve's heart skipped a beat and he felt numb all over, the blood draining from his face. He screwed his eyes shut and uttered two words, "My God!"

*Edited 12th April 2011*