"Steve, hey, there you are. Look at me, focus on my big dumb head."

A thick cough greeted Danny first, as Steve opened his eyes and returned to the land of the conscious.

"Danny?"

"Yea Steve, I'm here." Danny stood beside his partner, still dirty and bloody. Sweat curled the little tufts of his shaggy side burns. Eyes wild as he barely held himself up. He growled at the approaching staff. "Give him some room."

"Sir, you need to lie down."

Danny put on his own Aneurysm Face and answered. "I'm fine."

"You're far from fine." The second nurse practically had smoke coming from her ears. "I swear, Five-0's gonna send me to an early-"

Pushing them away, Danny pleaded as he grit his teeth. "Give us a minute, please."

Both women backed up a few inches only, frowning but ready to help. The other staff they'd summoned for backup hovered at the perimeter.

"Steve, babe." Danny held onto the bed rail with one hand and rubbed Steve's shoulder with the other. "You with me?"

"Danny? Hey, what hap-" Steve tried to sit up and then promptly vomited on Danny's socks.

"Oh gross, god Steve, shit -" Danny stepped away and found the nearest garbage so he could sympathetically puke. "Don't make me do that again. It fucking hurts."

"Sirs, both of you. Please let us look at you."

"Alright, alright." Danny lumbered through the curtain, disappearing to his side of the exam space.

"Danny, buddy? You okay." Steve called, worried.

Arms wrapped around his midsection, Danny groaned. "No. You?"

After a beat or two came the answer. "No, man, I'm not okay."

"Finally, you both admit it." The closest nurse threw up her hands and cheered mockingly. "Now let us do our jobs. I'd like to get home some time tonight."

/././

Tani stood close to the door, arms crossed. "So, you're Catherine?"

Catherine sat in the lone chair in the middle of rendition, arms restrained behind her. She sat up straight, head tilted ever so much, not showing a bit of discomfort. If anything she was confident to the point of cocky.

"You can come closer. I promise I won't bite."

"No, I've seen all I need to see, frankly." Tani moved to leave the room. She didn't believe the production for a minute. "I don't know what the big deal is."

"Wait." The word was cut short and Catherine cleared her throat. "Aren't you curious?"

"Aren't you desperate?"

"Desperate? Seriously?"

Hands on her hips, Tani dug in. "You came back here, stole information and drugged two helpless kids. Not to mention you betrayed the best friend you could ever have."

Catherine licked her lips. "Isn't that sweet? I see you've fallen for him."

"Fallen for him?" Tani kept her smile measured. She was angry and part of her wanted to smear the smug right off Catherine's face. "I earned Steve's respect...and friendship."

Eyes sparkling, Catherine giggled. "So you did drink the Kool-Aid. Fantastic."

Tani knew it was time to shut it down. Her better angels would not win if this conversation continued. "This is why I'm done with you. No respect."

She turned her back and left the room.

"Seen enough?"

Tani jumped. "Uh Lou, I just-"

Shaking his head, he rolled his eyes. "Save it sister, I have a grown daughter at home and she lies much better than you."

Lowering her gaze, Tani didn't have a comeback.

"Alright then, what did you and Junior find at the scene?"

"Nothing really out of the ordinary, except for those god-awful smoothies."

Lou motioned for her to continue.

"Looks like Catherine was in the house when Danny got home. There were two grocery bags by the front door. Danny had mentioned he needed to pick up a few things after work. The hall closet door was half open. Someone may have been inside? Stuff was so jammed in there it's tough to tell. The main scene was Danny's room. I can't believe-"

"Hey, stick to the facts for now."

"Danny and the kids were transported to Queens with Steve. Eric is analyzing the smoothies, and HPD is still sweeping the house and Camaro, but there's no sign of a flash drive."

/././

Jerry stared at the offending piece of plastic and metal.

It felt like he held the world in his hands. A deadly weapon. The key to a mystery. Everything and nothing at all. Schrödinger's flash drive.

He wouldn't know what, if anything, he had until he plugged it into his laptop.

His mind reeled. Too many theories crowded into his head. Jerry needed to focus and secure his equipment before adding the unknown variable. Answers could be within reach.

Two of his favorite little people had been drugged over this thing. One of his colleagues that he respected and counted as family had been tortured.

By a former member of their team.

He didn't know Catherine well, but he knew her. She'd been around here and there. Steve had come close to proposing to her. She was ohana.

This betrayal did not compute.

Picking up the drive, Jerry inspected it. There was nothing unusual about it.

Danny had said to keep it safe. He hadn't instructed him to reveal its secrets.

Jerry could easily set up a system of safeguards in case there was some sort of malware on it. He'd studied up on those sorts of tactics after their run-ins with hackers.

But this was different. There was something rotten on the thing. Dare he say evil. He could feel it. And with that overly dramatic thought, he dropped the drive on his desk calendar and resumed glaring at it, which wasn't helping anyone.

That was it. He took a deep breath. It was time to be fierce. He couldn't keep this secret any longer. Jerry had to tell the others about the flash drive.

/././

"Guys."

"Hey Jerry." Tani perked up a little. Another friendly face right now meant the world.

"I think I know what you're looking for." Jerry motioned for them to follow him.

Lou didn't budge. "Jerry, why are you whispering?"

"I uh-" He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Danny gave me a flash drive before he left work. He asked me to keep it in a safe place til I heard from him."

"Do you know what's on it?" Tani was a little louder than she planned.

Jerry took a step back, picking at his fingernails. "No, I just kept it safe. Danny didn't say to-"

Lou did his best to hide his impatience. A nervous Jerry was not a productive Jerry. "Jer, you already told me about the drive. Remember?"

"Yea, that's right, okay." Nodding, Jerry relaxed.

"But you didn't tell me." Tani rubbed his arm. "Danny won't mind, Jerry. He gave the drive to you for a reason."

"Yea, I guess I am the best one to check it out." Jerry brightened a little at the encouragement. "I have all the safety precautions in place."

Tani smiled. "Of course you do, Jer bear."

"Jer bear? That's enough of the touchy feely stuff." Lou growled. "Jerry, please, see what's on that drive. Tani, head over to the hospital and keep an eye on Grace and Charlie. I'll let Steve know you're on your way."

"Have you heard from Junior?" Tani didn't quite look at Lou. "I texted him but haven't heard back."

"He's going over Catherine's rental right now." Lou raised an eyebrow at Tani. "You want him to help you babysit?"

She knew she was blushing. "Nah, I got this covered. You might need some extra help."

"You know, you're right." Lou motioned toward the rendition room. "There's a whole boatload of trouble in there. Especially if Danny comes back here. Junior could come in handy."

/././

Lou sighed when the call went through. His previous attempts had gone straight to voicemail.

Steve answered on the third ring. "How's Catherine?"

"Sweatin it out like any old bird." Lou winced at his almost autonomic response. Catherine certain wasn't any old bird.

"Lou."

"Hey, just tryin to break the tension. Sorry."

Steve's response was a loud exhale.

Lou filled the uncomfortable space. "She's a piece of work. Shut up completely after the ride over here."

"What happened?" There was a faint tinge of worry in Steve's voice.

"Nothing. I didn't lay a finger on her. Not that I don't-"

"Lou."

"I gave her a piece of my mind. That's all." Lou switched ears with his phone. He needed to change the subject. "Hey, Jerry does have the flash drive."

Steve jumped on this new information. "He does? That's great. Any idea what's on it?"

"Not yet. He's been setting up precautions in case the whole thing backfires."

"Good idea. As soon as he finds anything-"

"Hey, you'll be the first person I call."

Neither man spoke for a few seconds. Then Lou continued.

"I sent Tani over to relieve Duke's team. How are the kids?"

"Word is they'll be alright. Looks like we got lucky." Steve sighed. "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to see them yet."

"How's Danny?"

"Stubborn as ever."

"Same goes for you, too, right?"

Steve ignored his colleague's further attempt at humor. "Catherine hasn't said anything?"

"You expect her to?"

"No, you're right. I wish I knew how far this went."

"Something tells me it's a solo mission. Junior found a cell phone in Catherine's rental car. It's a burner, and the only calls were to you. Jerry'll dig deeper once he's finished with the drive."

"Good. I expect a sitrep."

"Should we check her hotel?"

"She stayed with me."

"You?" Lou wrinkled his nose.

"Hey, she came to me as a friend. She slept on the couch."

"Okay, alright. Want Junior to look around? Make sure there are no surprises?"

"Yea, I guess he better. Have him take my laptop to Jerry, too. Run diagnostics. I don't think she used it, but I wasn't watching her closely. Didn't think I had to-"

"Hey, Steve, you didn't know."

"I know that, Lou."

"But you'll still beat yourself up about this mess."

"Goodbye, Lou. I'll let you know when I'm heading back to the Palace."

"Wait. You're not staying with Danny?"

"You think he's gonna stay here all night?"

"Good point."

"Once we get the kids settled-" Loud voices in the background interrupted Steve. "Shit, Danny's up again."

"You better go. Take care of yourself…and our boy." Lou shook his head, knowing Steve probably didn't even here those last words.

/././

Steve rushed back into the exam room. "You need to sit still. You're no good to Grace and Charlie if you -"

"If I what? Die? Sometimes I think they'd be better off." Danny tugged on the ill-fitting gown that was hanging off one shoulder.

"You don't mean that."

"Of course, I don't mean that, you idiot."

"Then why say it?" Steve glared and controlled his exhale. He wasn't sure why things had taken this turn. Danny was anxious and babbling.

"I can't do this. I need to see my kids." Danny picked at the tape holding an IV in place. "This is taking too long."

Steve smacked his partner's hands away. "Whoa, hey, stay put."

"Let me up, Steven. Because I just -" Danny deflated a little, holding his ribs.

"Hey, look at me and focus on my big dumb head." Steve flashed him a smile. "See, you can do that."

Danny narrowed his eyes. "That's my line. You have a big dumb head."

Steve rolled his eyes, but relaxed a little. "We'll get through this, buddy. Just a little longer."

"You're right. I can do this." Danny closed his eyes, sighing. He grabbed Steve's hand. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

The question stung. Steve wasn't ready to process his own pain. Leave it to his partner to worry about everyone else.

"I'm fine, Danny." Steve flinched at the hard edge of his own voice.

"You fainted, big guy."

"Momentary lapse of equilibrium." Steve crossed his arms over his chest to punctuate his statement. "Run of the mill adrenaline dump. That's it."

Danny giggled and snorted before wincing, a tear running down his cheek. He lay back, eyes closed. Steve pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down. They were quiet for a few minutes.

Then Danny all but whispered. "If it was me, I'd be on the floor."

"What?"

"Cath." Danny covered his face with his hands. "If Melissa ever did anything like this -"

"She did get you stabbed."

"There's that." Danny pushed himself up. "But she never touched my kids."

Steve stiffened as it felt like he'd been dipped in cold water from the head down.

"Shit, babe. God, I didn't mean it like that." Danny reached for his friend but only brushed his leg. "This isn't your fault."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault either." Steve took his friend's hand and squeezed. "Rest. It's been a long day."

There was a knock at the door. Which was only for show. This place really had no walls or doors. Nothing permanent. Both men were on high alert in seconds.

"Detective Williams?"

"Yes."

The man approached and held out his hand. Danny studied him but didn't move.

"I'm Dr. Martin. I've been looking after Grace and Charlie. Great kids."

Steve stood up and put himself between the doctor and his friend. "How are they, doc?"

The doctor looked from Danny to Steve and then back to Danny, unsure of whom to address.

"They're troopers."

"They're both awake?"

"Yes and no."

"What does that mean?" Danny's voice rose a little, his swollen face flushed with worry.

"Grace is doing well. She's alert and asking about you." The doctor paused, clearing his throat before continuing. "Charlie is still a bit groggy. He's a little confused. Thankfully Grace is with him. She told me he drank more of the smoothie than she did. Given his size, I'd say he got a stronger dose."

"What was it?" Steve asked.

"We don't know exactly. The labs won't be back til morning."

Danny eyed his IV line again like he was planning an escape. "I need to see them."

"Detective, are you sure?" The doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Danny, seriously, you look - " Steve started to speak, but a sharp glare from his partner stopped him.

"I'd say you looked like the walking dead, but for the two of you...that's a Tuesday. But your kids don't need to see you this way, Detective Williams. Childhood trauma -"

"I need to know they're okay, doc, please. See them, hug them."

"Alright, I get it. I'll speak with your physician. We need to get you cleaned up first." The man looked at Danny's chart. "Looks like they're waiting on tests, too."

Danny frowned. "That could take all night. Come on, I need to get outta here."

"Can we speed things up, doc?" Steve tried to help.

"You know how this works, gentlemen."

"Yea," Danny eased himself back against the pillow with an exaggerated groan. "Hurry up and wait."