Summary: A day at sea goes horribly wrong for Magnum. This time, it's Higgins turn to save him.

The fierce wind whipped saltwater into Juliet Higgins' face as the tiny boat bounced through the swells.

"So what is it, exactly, that we're looking for again?" Higgins shouted over the roar of the engine.

"The Dolce Vita." Thomas called back. "It's an old yacht from the seventies. My client said his father took it out along this route forty-five years ago and never came back. He thinks it sunk somewhere out here."

"And we couldn't do this from the T.R. Belle because…?" She asked, pawing her hair out of her face. It was a cloudy, gloomy day and wind was cool and damp. Higgins longed for the comfort of Robin's boat.

"Come on, Higgy, this isn't so bad!" Magnum flashed her one of his most charming grins. "And, nice as it is, the Belle doesn't have the equipment we needed."

Juliet grudgingly conceded the point. Their current boat, lent to them by Magnum's client, was a tiny fishing vessel patched together from the oddest assortment of parts Higgins had ever seen. Half of the fixtures were held on with duct tape and the steering wheel was definitely from an old Buick. Still, the tiny wheelhouse did contain an impressive array of equipment, including hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of sonar and underwater cameras. According to the client, finding his father's boat had been his life's mission. When he'd gotten too old to go out on his own, he'd hired Magnum to take over. After Thomas had told her about the job, she had of course insisted on being involved, although now she was starting to regret it.

"How much longer do you plan on staying out here? There's some nasty weather moving in from the north."

"Don't you worry, Higgins. We'll be back on shore long before the storm hits. Besides, we're almost done with the route." Thomas assured her. Higgins huffed, pulled her jacket closer around her, and went back to studying the various monitors in front of her. She was jarred from her task a few minutes later as the engine suddenly died, pitching both of them forward onto the floor.

"What the bloody hell was that?" She called.

"Crap…the engine's smoking. Hold on, I gotta take a look at this." Thomas scrambled to his feet and made his way to the stern. The waves beat mercilessly against the hull, rocking the boat roughly from side to side. It had started to mist now, and Higgins huddled under the ripped awning.

"Can you fix it?" She called, stepping out onto the deck.

"I don't know." Thomas replied uncertainly, heading back toward her. "It looks like-"

He never had a chance to finish the sentence as the roar of the explosion drowned him out and plunged the world into fire and water.

Higgins came to three feet underwater. Her lungs burned as she desperately kicked upward toward the flaming debris above. Surfacing, she alternated between coughing and heaving in lungfuls of salty air. As she looked around, she felt panic rise up inside her.

"Magnum?!" She shouted. Higgins whipped her head around as she treaded water. Around her, all she could see was burning bits of the old boat, and even those were quickly disappearing under the relentless waves. "Magnum!" Refusing to believe that he was dead, that Thomas Magnum had just been edited out of existence, she swam toward the remains of the wheelhouse. In her head, she kept a silent timer going. How long had it been since the explosion? Two, three minutes? How long could Thomas last under the water? As she rode a swell up, she caught a brief flash of something yellow. Magnum had been wearing a yellow shirt…

"Thomas!" She swam as quick as she could, pulling herself toward him with powerful strokes. Once she had recovered from the boat jacking, Higgins had taken it upon herself to become as good of a swimmer as she'd led Magnum to believe that day. Now, she was grateful for the practice. As she neared, she felt her blood run cold. Magnum was floating face down, the water around him tinged an awful red.

"No…" She breathed. Reaching him, she quickly rolled Thomas and pulled him to her. His head flopped limply against her collarbone, blood oozing from a deep gash near his temple. She listened carefully. No breath passed from between his pale blue lips, but his heart still fluttered faintly in his chest. "Alright, Magnum. Stay with me." Higgins whispered.

Without wasting another moment, she hugged him to her from behind, interlaced her fingers, and placed her hands on his chest. Then, with as much strength as she could muster, she began chest compressions. It was a poor excuse for CPR, but it would have to do. She counted to thirty, then tipped his head back and gave him two breaths, all the while trying to ignore how cold and lifeless he felt in her arms. She repeated the process over and over. Thirty compressions, two breaths, thirty compressions, two breaths…

"Don't you dare leave me, Magnum." She panted. "You fight it. Fight, damnit!" She pleaded, pumping harder. Suddenly, Magnum's chest jolted, and water gurgled up from his throat. Higgins held him tight as he coughed and gagged, fighting for each ragged breath.

"That's it, Thomas. There's a good lad." She soothed. "Just breathe. You're okay. I've got you, you're okay." She held him there for maybe ten minutes as he slowly got his breathing under control. Higgins could feel herself tiring. The exertion of swimming while supporting all of Magnum's weight and battling the choppy water was exhausting her. Desperately, she cast around for something, anything to help her. She smiled a little at the sight of the old, moldy life ring floating a few feet away.

"Thomas? Can you hear me?" She shook his shoulder, but he didn't respond. Biting her lip nervously, she pulled him with her as she swam to the ring. It was small, but foam was foam and it was an immediate relief to have something to cling to. She rested for moment, trying to reign in her own breathing. When her chest stopped heaving, she readjusted Magnum so he was cradled against her chest. Now that she finally had a chance to look him over, she felt sick. The wound at his temple was deep and blood still ran from it. A dark, painful looking bruise extended down from the wound across the right side of his face all the way to his jaw. His right eye was puffy and nearly swollen shut. Higgins gently opened his other eye and frowned at the size of his pupil. Definitely concussed, she thought. His once vibrant Hawaiian shirt now hung in singed tatters over his chest, and she winced at the painful, angry burns.

A wave of hopelessness washed over her. Things had happened so quickly that there hadn't even been time to relay a distress signal. Thomas was badly injured and wouldn't last long in these rough seas. As she thought this, rain began pelting down from the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. She clung more tightly to Thomas, praying selfishly for him to wake up and fix things like he always did. She stared sadly across the water as the last of their boat disappeared. In a moment of divine serendipity, the waves parted just long enough for her to catch glimpse of a shape rising from the ocean. A boat? She rode the swell up once more and she realized that it was a small island about a mile away. A sob of relief hitched in her chest. She patted Thomas' cheeks.

"Magnum? I need you to wake up now, come on." She urged. Mindful of his injuries, she shook him gently.

"Uhhhhnnnnnnn…" Thomas moaned weakly.

"That's it. Can you open your eyes for me?" It took him a minute, but finally he managed to open managed to open his good eye. It was bloodshot and unfocused, but at least he was conscious. She gave her most encouraging smile. "Good. That's good." Her smile faltered as he continued to stare up her without responding. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Mmmmmmmm…" He hummed feebly. The fact that he had yet to actually speak worried her, and her concern warred with the immediacy of the situation.

"Listen to me, Thomas. There's been an accident and the boat sank. We're about a mile from land, but we'll need to swim, okay?" When he did nothing more than blink dazedly up at her, she continued. "I'll do all the work, but it's going to be rough. There's a storm moving in and we need to move quickly. I know you're hurt and I don't know if you can hear me, but I need you to try and hold on to me as best you can, alright?" He said nothing, but as she looped an arm around his chest and began swimming, she felt his hands tighten on her forearm.

It was pouring by the time they reached the island. The rain pelted down and stung Juliet's cheeks. She was beyond exhausted as she half-carried, half dragged Magnum to shore. Her legs trembled and burned with exertion, but she continued inland until they reached a small rock outcrop. It wasn't much, but it formed a small, shallow cave large enough for the two of them to ride out the storm. Ducking inside, Higgins all but collapsed into the sand. She lay there next to Magnum for moment, just breathing.

"We made it." She mumbled, reaching out and taking his hand. It was then that she realized that he was shivering violently. Juliet cursed herself for forgetting. If she was cold, he must be freezing. Indeed, his skin felt like ice and his lips had turned a dusky blue. Knowing that there was no way she'd ever be able to start a fire in this weather, she settled for the next best thing. She quickly scooted back as far she could into the cave, pulling Magnum with her.

"Alright, here we go." Higgins murmured softly, hugging him close to her body and rubbing her hands vigorously against his arms. She pressed her forehead against his and tried to will her body to warm his.

"Ouch…" A soft whisper drew her pack to the moment and her head snapped up.

"Thomas? Are you with me?" Magnum's brow furrowed as the pain made itself known.

"H-hurtssssssss." He reached blindly for the burns on his chest, but Higgins quickly intercepted his hand."

"Shhhhh, I know. Just ride it out, okay? Squeeze my hand." He did, but his grip was weak.

"I d-don't…what?"

"We were on a boat. There was an explosion and it sunk." Even through the pain, Thomas managed to pry open his eye to look up at her.

"Y-you…hurt?" Juliet shook her head, fighting back tears.

"I'm fine, Magnum." She said as she smoothed his damp hair back, trying to provide what little comfort she could.

"S'cold…why…cold?" She chewed her lip nervously.

"You're in shock and we've been the water for a couple hours. It'll take some time for your body to adjust." Higgins explained, but she wasn't sure he was listening. He said nothing for a few minutes, staring blankly out at the rain. Then,

"What happened?" She frowned.

"I told you, the boat exploded. Something with the engine."

"Boat?" Magnum asked, as if he'd never heard the word before. He seemed more distant now.

"Yes. Do you remember? We were on your client's boat."

"Boat…client…boat…" He mumbled disjointedly before breaking off into a wet cough. Higgins did her best to clamp down on her rising panic. This is just shock. Shock and a concussion, she told herself.

"That's right. We were on a boat. The engine failed and you were hurt in the explosion."

"Boat…s'plosion…" Thomas slurred, his words becoming more and more difficult to decipher. "J'liet?"

"I'm here, Magnum." Tears were pouring down her cheeks now.

"Happened?"

He asked her five more times, and each time she explained, he seemed less aware. His words were barely understandable now and he mostly just repeated whatever she said. Higgins felt as though she was watching him disappear. Eventually, he passed out again, and nothing she did woke him.

"Please stay with me." She whispered, pulling him closer to his chest.

Juliet hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep until an enormously loud clap of thunder shook the island and jerked her back to consciousness. In her arms, Magnum screamed and thrashed, clamping his hands over his ears, holding his head as if trying to keep it from flying apart.

"Thomas?! Shhhhh, you're alright, it's okay." Higgins said, attempting to calm him.

"Boat! Higgins…boat…s'plosion. Maydaymaydaymayday…this is Lieutenant Magnum!" He shouted almost incoherently.

"Easy, Thomas, just relax. It was just thunder. That's all, just some thunder." She soothed. He whimpered softly, panting against the rising pain in his head. He tried to speak again, his mouth opening and closing like a gasping fish.

"Nnnnnnnuuuuhhhhhhhh…" A moment later he lost consciousness, collapsing back into Juliet's arms.

The storm raged on into the next day, pounding the tiny island from every direction as the fierce wind swirled around them. Higgins knew that while the others had to know they were missing by now, there was no chance of a rescue in this weather. She was also keenly aware of the fact that every hour Magnum went without medical care meant she was that much closer to losing him. She'd done her best, but without even the most basic supplies, there wasn't much she could do. His head injury was growing worse and the burns on his chest had become infected. On top of that, he'd developed a nasty cough during the night that had left him wheezing through congested lungs. She'd spent most of the night catching rainwater in her hands and trying to give it to Magnum. The last thing he needed was dehydration along with everything else.

As the morning dawned, cool and wet, Higgins sat once more in the back of their small cave, holding Thomas. She watched disinterestedly as the rain continued to fall outside, her thoughts drifting toward hopeless what-ifs. She could almost feel the life draining from Magnum and she prayed he could outlast this storm. Higgins was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she almost missed the light that flashed through the gloom. She leaned forward intently, suddenly interested. Just as she was about to dismiss is lightning or a trick of her overly tired mind, she saw it again. This time, the light was accompanied by voices, distant and too muffled to make out. She didn't care.

"Over here!" She called, but her hoarse voice barely managed to carry across the cave. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Help! Over here!" She waited a moment, then,

"Higgins!" There was no mistaking Rick's voice, filled with relief and worry. "Higgy, where are you?"

"In here! Hurry!" A minute later, Rick reached the cave, followed closely by TC and, to her great surprise, Katsumoto.

"Holy Hell…" Rick breathed when he saw them.

"He needs help." Juliet said urgently.

"We got worried when you two didn't come back. What happened?" TC asked, kneeling next to Rick with a first aid kit.

"The engine of the client's boat died and when Magnum went to fix it, it exploded. When I found him he…" She trailed off, unsure if she could finish the sentence. She took a breath, then continued. "He wasn't breathing." The others stiffened.

"How bad is he?" Katsumoto asked, the worry clear in his eyes.

"Bad." Higgins answered, pawing tears from her eyes. "The wounds on his chest are infected and his lungs are bad, but it's his head I'm most worried about."

"Concussion?" TC asked as gently cleaned and bandaged the wound at Magnum's temple. She nodded.

"Or worse. He's hardly been conscious and when he is…"

"Alright, we've got a Shammy waiting with a boat just on the other side of those trees. Can you walk?" Rick asked her gently, carefully pulling Magnum away from her.

"I'll be fine." She asserted. TC snorted.

"Now I know you've been spending too much time with Thomas."

The ride back to Oahu was its own form of hell. The storm was far from over and the violent seas nearly capsized them twice. As TC and Shammy navigated, Rick and Katsumoto went work on Thomas, providing what little medical care they could below deck in the small cabin. Through it all, Magnum remained oblivious.

"I've got EMS waiting at the docks." Katsumoto said softly, wrapping a warm blanket around Higgins' shoulder and handing her a bottle of water.

"Thanks." Rick, not glancing up as he carefully worked to start an IV. "He's gonna need it."

It was a week before Thomas regained consciousness. Upon arriving at the hospital, he'd been rushed off to radiology, and then into surgery when the CT scan revealed swelling and a slow bleed in his brain. It was touch and go for hours, but the surgeons finally managed to stop the bleeding and debride the burns on his chest. After surgery, they'd kept him sedated for another three days to allow the swelling to decrease and his intracranial pressure to normalize. In that time, they pumped him full of a myriad of antibiotics as they fought the infection that ravaged his already weakened body. It wasn't until his fourth day there that he started to turn the corner and the doctor's admitted to being "cautiously optimistic."

In that time, his friends hardly left his side. Even when the doctors forced them out of his room, they camped out in the halls of the ICU. They were there when the ventilator was removed, when Thomas was transferred to a more private room, and finally when he woke.

It was a small thing, a minute twitch of his hand, an almost imperceptible increase in the rhythm of the heart monitor, but Rick noticed.

"Thomas? You with us, buddy?" He asked, taking Magnum's hand in his own. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me, Thomas." It took a moment, but eventually his fingers curled around Rick's. TC and Higgins sighed in relief as Rick beamed at them.

"That's good, man. That's really good. Do you think you can open your eyes for us?" TC coaxed. Slowly, Thomas' lids fluttered open. His eyes scanned around the room before finally focusing on Higgins.

"Hello, Thomas." She said warmly, taking hold of his other hand. "It's good to see you awake." Magnum tried to reply, but his voice came out as no more than a rasping croak.

"Here," Rick offered, spooning an ice chip from a nearby cup into Thomas' mouth. "Better?" Thomas took a moment to savor the icy coolness on his abused throat before answering.

"Better." He whispered.

"How do you feel?" Juliet asked. His brow furrowed as he thought about it.

"Sore…what happened?"

"There was an explosion on your client's boat, remember?" She answered, trying her best not think of all the times he had asked that same question back on the island.

"Sort of? Bits and pieces."

"That's to be expected, TM. You were hurt pretty bad. Some burns and a mother of a head injury." TC went on to fill Thomas in on everything he had missed.

"Yeah, buddy, you owe Higgy one hell of a thank you for saving you ass." Rick joked good naturedly. Thomas looked up at her, his dark brown eyes full of so much gratitude.

"Yes, well…" Juliet mumbled, uncharacteristically modest. "You can thank me by making a full recovery."

"Do my best." He answered tiredly, that same charming smile playing across his lips.

"I'll be here to help you." She added seriously, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

"All of us will." Rick chimed in.

"Damn right." TC finished.