We're almost at the end - one more chapter to go. Thanks for bearing with me - I struggled quite a bit with this chapter for some reason but needed to just get it done, so I hope you enjoy. Just a reminder that I don't own anything and am not an expert - medical or otherwise. In case you're wondering I don't have a specific timeline for this story, but it probably fits best somewhere in mid season 2. Thanks so much for reading! -abby

Later that evening, Lieutenant Akana stopped by to give Katsumoto an update on the case. Thomas was still sleeping when the lieutenant arrived so Juliet, TC and Rick took the opportunity to step out and give the two HPD officers some privacy. They came back just as Akana was leaving.

"What's the latest?" Rick sipped his coffee as he reclaimed one of the chairs by Magnum's bed.

"It looks like these four men weren't responsible for the John Does. They only arrived on O'ahu a few days ago," Katsumoto explained. "But evidently all of them are more than happy to talk in exchange for a deal, and lucky for them the district attorney is willing to bargain in order to get to the guy in charge. "

"Do they have his name?" TC asked curiously.

"Not yet," Gordon massaged the bridge of his nose in an attempt to quell his raging headache. Without a word Juliet reached over and dimmed the room's lighting, and he smiled gratefully at her as he continued. "The hunters all have high-priced lawyers flying in from the mainland, so the D.A. has to wait for them to arrive before he can finish the plea deals."

"I wonder...how much we're worth." The others hadn't realized that Thomas was awake, and they all turned in the direction of his rough voice.

"What are you talking about?" Katsumoto eyed his roommate curiously.

Thomas elaborated. "How much does it cost...to hunt a cop...and a private investigator?" The single sentence winded him and he took a deep breath, drawing heavily on the oxygen running into his nose.

Rick gave his friend a gentle pat on the arm. "Easy, bud. Good question, though," he nodded. "I'm interested to know the answer to that one myself."

"A private investigator that is a former Navy SEAL," Higgins mused thoughtfully. "That detail seems pertinent to the calculations."

"Gordie always...reminds me...just a civilian now." Magnum was clearly fighting exhaustion, but the whispered words still carried a teasing note. He took another careful breath. "But a cop…" he grinned weakly, "...that's big money."

"For sure. Maybe it was some sort of a package deal," TC suggested with a laugh. "Take you both out and get a discount."

"Two-for-one? Now that's a bargain," Rick joked. "Who could pass it up?"

"You're all disturbed," Katsumoto chuckled. After a long moment he said pensively, "But an active duty police officer is obviously worth more than a civilian, military experience or not."

Pleased, the detective smirked at the round of surprised laughter he received in response.

Around midnight Gordon reached a conclusion: he hated hospitals. Between the constant noise, the irritatingly-timed check-ins and the stiff, coarse bedding it was impossible to get any decent sleep. He was aware that the IV drugs were probably keeping the headache under control a lot better than any painkillers he'd have available at home, but he would be happy to make a trade if it meant he could sleep in his own bed. His doctor had promised to release him in the morning, but that wasn't helpful at the moment. Resigned to his fate, with a heavy sigh Katsumoto continued squirming on the thin mattress in an attempt to get comfortable.

By contrast, Magnum was sound asleep. He had been drifting in and out all day, barely able to stay awake as his weakened body tried to replenish its severely depleted blood volume.

Thomas had missed dinner completely, although Juliet and a nurse had dutifully tried to rouse him enough to eat. They hadn't succeeded, and Katsumoto knew from personal experience that the other man hadn't missed much when it came to the meal.

The private investigator had also slept straight through evening rounds, barely stirring as his wound was checked and the bandages changed. He hadn't even noticed when the nurses chased Juliet, Rick and TC out at the end of visiting hours, insisting that they all needed to get some decent rest before coming back in the morning. The trio had strongly resisted, and Gordon suspected the only reason they finally gave in was that his own presence meant that Magnum wouldn't be alone. The detective wasn't sure whether to feel honored or concerned that they trusted him enough to keep an eye on Thomas, but ultimately decided he didn't have the energy to think about it too much.

Katsumoto lay there for a long time, tossing and turning in the narrow bed, trying to find a position decent enough to ease the lingering headache and allow him to doze.

Suddenly he realized that his roommate was no longer resting peacefully, and Thomas had begun talking in his sleep. "Stop," Thomas whispered. "Gonna...bleed out. No. No!" His voice had no strength behind it and was hardly loud enough for Katsumoto to hear, but it was obvious he was in distress. The heart monitor was starting to speed up, and Gordon knew that a nurse would arrive within moments if he couldn't calm the other man down.

Gordon sat up, wincing at the flare of pain in his skull as he leaned over the railing of his own bed. "Hey. Magnum. Magnum! Wake up." He watched carefully for a reaction, and was just about to get out of bed when the other man jerked awake with a start.

Magnum's dark eyes flitted around the room wildly for a few seconds. Then he seemed to realize where he was and relaxed, finally focusing on Katsumoto.

"You were having a nightmare," Gordon explained.

"Oh. Sorry I...woke you," Thomas rasped.

"Trust me, you didn't. You okay?"

"Yeah."

Gordon almost rolled his eyes, then remembered he had a splitting headache and thought better of it. He settled for a derisive snort. "Would you admit it if you weren't?"

Thomas smiled faintly, exhaustion written all over his pale face. "Sure."

"You were talking in your sleep. Something about bleeding out." Despite all of the reassurances, Gordon couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for Magnum's brush with death. "You were yelling stop," he continued. "Listen, I-"

"No apologies," Thomas shook his head. "Told you...not your fault." He closed his eyes. "Don't worry about it."

"But you were having a nightmare," Katsumoto said again.

"So?" Magnum seemed genuinely confused about Gordon's point. "Not th' first time," he mumbled.

"Thomas, I know you don't blame me. But maybe you should. If I hadn't pulled that arrow-"

"Not the arrow," Magnum insisted.

That gave the detective pause. "But you seemed worried about bleeding out."

"Like I said," Magnum took a careful breath. "Not the...first time." The words were soft but his tone matter-of-fact, as though he was discussing the weather.

"You've nearly bled to death before?" Gordon knew few details about the former SEAL's past beyond that he had spent eighteen months as a prisoner of war. He'd never felt it was his place to ask, so could only guess at the atrocities that the veteran and his friends must have faced. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know.

"You haven't?"

"No, I-" Suddenly Gordon realized that he was being baited, and he sputtered out a surprised laugh. "Most people haven't, you know. We can't all be...special like you."

Magnum chuckled.

"This wasn't even one of the more frightening experiences of your life, was it?" Gordon wondered.

Thomas lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "It was...when I thought…you were dead," he replied simply, wheezing slightly as speaking took more of his limited strength.

It hadn't even occurred to Katsumoto how Magnum might have reacted when he got shot. Taken aback, the detective pondered that statement for several moments. Long enough that when he finally opened his mouth to reply, he realized that Thomas had fallen back into a deep sleep.

"Get some rest," Gordon said softly. "We'll talk later," he decided.

When Juliet arrived at the start of visiting hours, she found that Gordon's doctor had sent him up for some scans. Thomas was alone in the room, so she sat down at her partner's bedside and studied him intently. Almost a day's worth of sleep had done him good and there was a bit more color in his cheeks, but he still looked weak and fragile. The oxygen cannula had not yet been removed, but sometime during the night he must have received a final blood transfusion because nothing hung from the IV stand but a bag of saline. He opened his eyes within moments of her arrival.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hi," Juliet smiled and placed a hand on his. "How are you feeling?"

There was a pause, as if he was trying to decide. "Better, I think. Not quite...as exhausted."

"Good. You look better," she said warmly. She noted the pinched expression at the corners of his eyes and glanced down at his blanket-covered thigh. "Are you in pain?"

He considered. Morphine was keeping the worst of the misery at bay, though he was certainly well aware of the injury. The wound no longer burned with the wildfire he remembered from the forest, but a bone-deep ache had settled in its place. He shifted a little, trying to find a more comfortable position on the pile of pillows that supported his leg. "Just a little sore."

Juliet made a noise that indicated she didn't really believe him, but thankfully didn't press further. While raising the head of Magnum's bed so he was sitting up, she gestured at the untouched tray on his bedside table. "Are you hungry? It looks like you slept through breakfast."

Food did not sound even remotely appetizing and Thomas made such a face that Higgins couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay," she said, though her tone quickly became serious. "But you didn't eat dinner last night either. You're going to need to eat and get your strength up if you want the doctor to let you out of here at some point."

Thomas couldn't deny the accuracy of that statement. However, he was also well aware he wouldn't be going anywhere for several days at least, so couldn't bring himself to be too worried about it. He just shrugged.

"You need to take care of yourself. You really scared us, you know," his partner said abruptly. Her voice was gentle, but she still managed to make it sound like a rebuke. She paused. "You scared me."

"I know," he replied quietly. "I'm sorry."

She studied him with an expression he couldn't quite read. "I don't want you to be sorry," she finally responded.

Thomas wasn't really sure what to say to that. Instead he just concentrated on breathing, which was still much harder than usual. He'd lost blood before. He knew it was normal to feel completely wrung out, to be so exhausted that even the most basic of functions became a monumental effort. He also knew it would be a long recovery and while he was very glad to be alive, he was already frustrated with feeling so tired and weak. Not to mention the severity of his injury and the impending weeks - if not months - of physical therapy, which he was doing his best not to think about.

Higgins must have sensed that something was off, and gently squeezed the cool hand that she still trapped beneath her own. "Are you okay?"

He smiled wearily. "Just tired," he deflected. "Why shouldn't I be...sorry?"

"Because you don't have anything to be sorry for. What I want is for you to be okay. And I want you to care about what happens to you." Juliet paused. "I nearly lost you," she continued emphatically. "Do you have any idea how that made me feel? Any idea at all?"

"Yes," Thomas said contritely. He summoned all of his energy and continued, "At least...I know how I would feel if it was you." He rotated his hand beneath hers and grasped her fingers firmly.

"So then you know how terrified I was when you crashed in that ambulance. Thomas, I-" her voice trembled slightly, and for a moment her partner saw a flash of real terror in her eyes. She cleared her throat and abruptly shifted gears. "Katsumoto told us how you wanted him to leave you behind."

"To save his life." Magnum defended himself a little too vehemently and the next inhale caught in his chest. A look of panic crossed his face and he began to gasp, suddenly feeling as though he couldn't get enough air.

"Shh, shh. Take slow breaths," Juliet laid her free hand lightly on his sternum. "Relax, Thomas. Just breathe. Slow and easy. There you go," she encouraged as his breathing settled.

Once the private investigator had calmed, Juliet moved a hand up to his face and brushed a thumb across his cheek. "Oh, Thomas. Of course it was to save his life. I never doubted that for a second." She sighed. "You're missing my point."

Too spent to speak again, Magnum let the confusion in his eyes ask the question.

She brushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead then traced her fingers along the oxygen tubing, adjusting it more securely behind his right ear. "My point," she said softly, "is that sometimes you're so busy worrying about others that you don't think about yourself."

He lay silently, paying rapt attention to her every word.

"That's why I don't want you to be sorry, Thomas. You are a good man, and you've somehow become my closest friend - in spite of my best efforts and your incredibly annoying, incorrigible nature."

He snorted softly.

Juliet continued, "The way you care about others...that's what makes you who you are." She smiled at him. "You did save Gordon's life, and I'm glad. So of course you shouldn't be sorry." She thought back to that day, and how she'd been so scared that Thomas wasn't going to survive the trip to hospital. "I just...never want to feel those feelings again. We came so close to losing you for good this time, and it made me realize…" she trailed off.

"Realize what?" Magnum rasped.

"I can't lose you," Juliet said simply.

Thomas was trying to come up with a response when the door opened and Rick and TC walked in. "Hey, buddy," Rick said cheerfully. "How are you doing?"

"He's still not breathing easily," Juliet spoke for Thomas, indicating to him very clearly that their conversation was over. "He needs to rest and recover his strength."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine," he whispered, tugging slightly on the hand that Higgins still held.

She squeezed it firmly while turning her attention to the other men, who were settling in by the bedside. "Higgy's right. You need to rest, man." Rick patted his injured friend on the shoulder. "Where's Gordie?"

"Went for some scans," Gordon replied. A nurse was pushing his wheelchair through the open doorway. "The doctor is planning on releasing me later today."

"Good! You feeling any better?" TC asked.

"Head still hurts like a son of a bitch, but I'd rather be at home where at least I can get some sleep," the detective replied. The nurse helped him get situated back in his bed, then smiled at the others as she left the room.

Juliet, Rick and TC chuckled. "What, you don't find the hospital restful?" Higgins teased.

"Not even a little."

"That's fair." Rick had spent plenty of time in hospitals so he understood completely. "How'd he do?" The blond man gestured at Thomas.

"Better than me, but..." Gordon hesitated a little.

Magnum's brothers knew what that meant. "Nightmares?" TC prompted.

"Yeah," Katsumoto sighed.

At the lack of protest about the conversation's direction, all four looked at Thomas. That was when Juliet realized that his fingers had gone slack in hers - because the private investigator was fast asleep. She laughed softly. "No wonder he didn't complain."

TC chuckled before returning to the topic at hand. "Was it bad?"

"I don't think so?" Gordon shrugged regretfully, unsure how to make that determination. "I was able to wake him fairly easily and he didn't really seem upset. Said it wasn't the first time he'd had a nightmare...or the first time he'd almost bled to death." TC and Rick glanced at each other as Gordon explained. "That's what he was saying in his sleep - something about bleeding out."

TC nodded. "It's true. Our boy has quite a habit of putting himself in harm's way, unfortunately."

"I told him he should worry about himself sometimes," Higgins said. She looked at Gordon warmly. "Not that I'm not glad he saved your life."

Gordon smiled his understanding. "No, I know," he assured her.

"He is who he is," TC's voice was gentle as he placed a hand on Juliet's arm. "He'll keep putting himself in danger without a second thought if he thinks it'll help someone else."

"I know." She smiled reassuringly. "I just...needed him to realize that he scared me. He scared all of us." The smile dropped from her face as she looked up at TC. "I can't even blame him for getting himself into this one," she chuckled mirthlessly. "It defies all logic and reason, truly. How can one person end up in so many life-threatening predicaments?"

"I have wondered that since the day I met Magnum," Gordon said thoughtfully.

"That's who he is too," Rick said with a rueful grin.