It took him some time before he realised he was really awake. Reluctant to leave the warm darkness, Steve recognised the fog in his mind as post-anaesthetic drowsiness, but he sensed someone else in the room and prised his eyelids open.

The room was dimly lit but Steve had no problem recognising Bergman dozing by his bed. "Am I that badly off?" he croaked and was gratified to see the coroner jerk awake and almost fall off his chair. He chuckled softly.

"Well I'm glad you think it's funny," Bergman said acerbically. "No, you're going to be fine, assuming someone doesn't murder you for your peculiar sense of humour, but I had this misguided notion that you would be grateful that I decided to stay and tell you about your newest detective. I think I've changed my mind, though." He stood up, picked up his sports jacket and slipped it on.

"I'm sorry," Steve said contritely. "How is Danno?"

"Sore, dehydrated and as miserable as sin," Bergman replied. "His most serious injury is bruising to the kidneys, followed by a sprained ankle. Everything else is fairly minor, but all put together, Danny is quite unwell."

"Bruised kidneys?" Steve had a sudden flashback of Rivera kneeling on Danny's back. "How badly bruised?"

"Bad enough that he's peeing blood," Bergman replied bluntly, then relented. "It isn't that bad at the moment, but he'll be here for a few days until that resolves and we'll be pushing his fluids. It's a painful condition." He sighed. "I took stitches in three deep gouges in his back but they should heal just fine."

"I'm glad to hear that." Steve was horrified that Danny was so badly hurt – and on his first day with Five-O no less – but relieved that Danny's injuries were no worse.

"And now we've got that out of the way," Bergman went on, "let's talk about you so that I can go home."

"I'm fine," Steve protested.

"Pretty much, yeah," Bergman agreed. "The bullet in your arm was lodged against the bone, but by some miracle didn't break it. The surgeon had to dig for it, so your arm is going to be sore for a while and you are going to use a sling for at least a week!" To add emphasis to his words, Bergman wagged an admonitory finger at Steve. "If you agree, you can get out of here in the morning and if you don't agree, I'll keep you sedated."

It was a joke of course, Steve knew, but sometimes he wondered if Bergman half-meant what he said. Steve knew he wasn't a model patient, but he was sure he wasn't as bad as the crusty coroner made out. "Mahalo, Doc," he agreed.

"Get some sleep," Bergman advised and shortly after he left, Steve took his advice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While Steve felt well within himself the next morning, his arm was certainly sore enough to be a bother. The sling was an encumbrance he could do without, but he had to admit it relieved the strain from the damaged muscles. Kono arrived to collect him and brought a change of clothes. Steve felt better when he was dressed ready for the office; it made him feel like he was in control.

"I want to see Danno before we leave," he said to Kono.

"Thought you would," Kono agreed placidly. "Danny done great last night, boss."

"Yes, he did," Steve nodded. He heard the pride he felt in his new detective echoed in Kono's words. Danny had really proved himself the previous day under exceptionally trying circumstances.

The hospital was still quiet as Kono led Steve to Danny's room. The nurse on the desk nodded in recognition to Kono and Steve was both pleased and amused that Kono had sought clearance beforehand. Steve knew that tact was often one of his own shortfalls.

The morning sun was streaming into the small room and breakfast was on an over-bed tray, but Danny had not touched it and looked distinctly miserable. His face was pale, with dark circles under his eyes as though he hadn't slept. He was hooked to an IV and a bag hung from the bed, about half full of blood-stained urine. The things that held Steve's attention were Danny's hands. Each finger was individually wrapped in gauze, which then extended all the way to his elbows. Steve knew at once why Danny's breakfast was untouched. Using his hands would be next door to impossible.

"Hey, bruddah," Kono smiled. "You hungry?"

Colour flooded over Danny's pale cheeks. "Yeah," he admitted in a voice so low it was barely audible.

"Pity," Kono sighed as he started cutting the bacon. "It smells real good for hospital food." He patted his stomach. "I'm a growing boy – I could eat for you if you really want." He fed Danny the first forkful.

"Yeah, growing outwards," Danny jibed around a mouthful.

"How are you feeling, Danno?" Steve asked, wishing he had Kono's knack of easing an awkward situation.

The answer was clear on Danny's face as he swallowed, but he replied, "Not too bad, Steve, thanks. How are you? Doc said you had to have surgery." He gestured with a bandaged hand to Steve's arm.

"It's nothing," Steve replied dismissively. "It would have been much worse if you hadn't risked your life in that cavalier fashion." He strove to sound disapproving, but he wasn't sure he was successful, because Danny did not look repentant the way he ought to.

"If I'd been a bit quicker, he might have missed," Danny argued. He opened his mouth to add something else, but Steve jumped in.

"Don't you dare apologise," he ordered, sensing the words coming. "You did everything right." He watched Danny take another forkful. "Danno, last night. Did you recognise the voice of the man Rivera addressed as Matsukita?"

Thinking while he chewed, Danny reluctantly shook his head. "I've only had one encounter with Matsukita," he admitted, "and that was just after I started with HPD." He took a long drink of the juice Kono offered. "That was over two years ago," he added, sounding slightly surprised. He had come a long way in the last two and a half years. "I'm just not sure, Steve. I take it that means we didn't get him?" The disappointment was evident in his voice.

"No, we didn't," Steve agreed. "And we have no proof that it was him last night, unless someone talked overnight?" This last was directed at Kono.

"Nobody's saying anything," Kono confirmed. "Not that I heard."

"We did get Rivera didn't we?" Danny asked. "I remember knocking him down."

"We got him and he's going to be spending quite some time here before he's returned to the mainland to spend even more time securely there." Steve felt a distinct sense of satisfaction at that. He had vowed that Rivera would not be allowed to set up on the island and he had kept that vow.

"Can't we persuade Rivera to talk?" Danny asked.

"Maybe," Steve allowed. "Maybe. There is always the chance that Rivera wasn't talking to Matsukita. It could have been another member of his gang posing as the leader until they were sure of Rivera."

"At least we got him," Danny sighed then his expression became tight and he arched his back, panting against the sudden pain that shot through him.

"What is it?" Steve asked anxiously. He leaned forward and pressed the call button.

"I get… pain…" Danny tried to explain, but couldn't quite put into words the constant discomfort and the horrible moments when he got spasm-like pain in his kidneys.

The nurse came in and saw his predicament at once. She retreated without a word and returned a few moments later with a syringe and smoothly shot the contents into his IV port. Steve hovered helplessly as the nurse wiped the sweat from Danny's brow and generally did what she could to soothe him until the drug took effect. "Better?" she asked as his face relaxed.

"Yeah," Danny breathed, although he was still deathly pale.

"I'm going to ask the doctor for something to help you sleep," the nurse said. "Your chart says you didn't sleep much last night."

"No," Danny admitted, feeling Steve's questioning eyes on him. "I had too much to think about."

"Don't dwell on what you did or did not do," Steve advised as the nurse left to speak to the doctor. "You can't change things now and your actions went above and beyond the call of duty. Why didn't you tell me that you'd cut yourself going out of the window?"

"I had to get out," Danny explained. "We couldn't just stay there and wait for them to kill us, Steve." He started to shrug and then changed his mind. "It wasn't important."

"It was," Steve insisted gently. "Tell me when you're hurt."

"Yes, sir," Danny slurred. His eyes were starting to look glassy and Steve realised the painkiller was going to put the younger man to sleep.

"You rest," Steve ordered and he and Kono both paused in the doorway to look back at the slumbering detective.