A/N: Thanks to everyone that has been reading and reviewing. It's nice to know you guys are enjoying the ride!

CHAPTER NINETEEN

TIME OF DEATH. FIVE-NINETEEN AM.

ICU - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

To Steve's disappointment, the man was in no condition to answer any of Steve's questions and he doubted he would ever get any answers from this guy. Because he was in bad shape and hanging on by a thread. Normally, if this guy was partly responsible for torturing Danny and keeping him captive, Steve couldn't care less if the guy died. However, Steve was really rooting for the guy to pull through. Steve actually needed the guy to stay alive. Mainly so he could question him, but Steve also didn't want to get his partner into trouble, due to the deal he made when the tide was high.

Steve turned away from the ICU bay and went over to the nurses' station. A young female nurse was sitting behind the desk. Working hard on a computer, typing furiously, while making her way through a stack of medical binders. She seemed busy, but Steve really couldn't wait.

"Talia is it?" Steve asked, detecting the nurse's name on her ID badge. She confirmed it by nodding, but her eyes stayed glued to the computer screen. "Five-0," he said and clipped his badge off his belt, showing it over the countertop. "I need all the information you have on the patient that's in room 518. His name, and everything."

Now, nurse, Talia did look up from the computer. "Oh, I'm afraid I can't give you that."

Steve's brows snapped together as he didn't like being told no. "Why's that?"

"The patient was brought in as a John Doe and we haven't been able to identify him. HPD has been notified."

"Oh. Good," Steve concurred and melted a bit. "When was he brought in?"

"Early this morning. According to the EMTs he was found by a couple of hikers in the forest."

Things just got more complicated, so Steve sighed. "All right, I'm gonna need his medical record."

Talia turned her swivel chair, grabbed a tablet, typed quickly, and passed over the device to McGarrett. "Here you go."

Steve began reading at the top but scrolled past the patients' demography information as it turned out to be empty. Swiped to the next page, Steve started in on the dense mass of technical information. His eyes scanned the medical notes for the highlights. Multiple facial, chest, and abdomen bruises. Tenuous BP. Hemorrhagic shock. GSW to the back. No exit wound. The bullet nicked the left ventricle. Bullet removed during surgery. Sent to the lab. Police notified. Concerned, Steve scratched the stubble on his face. Danny had shot the mystery guy. Meaning there was probably a gun out there with Danny's fingerprints all over it. Hard evidence that would make it impossible to prove it was self-defense. Steve didn't know Kim Leung that well, yet. However, Steve was sure Kim hadn't thrown away that gun. It was going to resurface and Danny would pay the price.

Knowing all that he needed, Steve handed the tablet back to the nurse. "Thank you," he pointed in the direction of John Doe's room. "Can I?"

The nurse nodded agreeing. "Sure, go ahead."

Steve went back to John Doe's ICU cubicle. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. It blocked the noise and hustle and the room went silent except for a beep, a hiss, and a puff coming from the heart monitor and ventilator. Steve walked over to John Doe's bedside. He looked even more terrible up close. Steve scratched the back of his head. What the hell happened these past days? Kim Leung, that's what happened Steve thought. The longer Steve looked down at John Doe, the more enraged he became. Kim had put two men in the ICU and Steve wondered if there were even more casualties. And sure, maybe the John Doe had it coming. Because Danny wouldn't beat someone to crap and shoot him if it weren't necessary, Steve knew with certainty. But if Kim hadn't taken Danny, all of this could've been avoided.

Before Steve's thoughts could spiral out, he pulled himself together. First things first, they had to identify John Doe. Steve pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and dialed Jerry Ortega's number. As the call went through Steve checked his watch, it was almost seven PM.

Jerry answered the call. "Commander."

"Jerry, you still at the office?" Steve asked as he put his phone on speaker.

"Yes, I am."

"Good, I'm sending you some photos of a potential suspect," Steve said while he snapped a few photos of John Doe's face. "The guy was brought in to King's this morning as a John Doe with multiple facial injuries and a gunshot. The bullet has been sent to the lab. I want that ballistics report ASAP."

"Sure thing, I'll put in the request," Jerry replied. "But, Boss, how is this related to Kim Leung?"

"Danny recognized him, so this might be a lead worth looking into."

"Are you saying the John Doe might have ties to Kim Leung?"

"Yes, that's what I'm saying," Steve hit the send button and transferred the pictures to HQ. "Maybe this guy worked for Kim and maybe he's the connection we need to make the arrest."

Steve could hear the notification bleep of a new message through the line and Jerry said. "All right got it," there was silence and some typing and then Jerry added. "Ow, what happened to him?"

He had opened the files.

"Danny is what happened to him," Steve stated. "But I'm thinking that Kim dumped this guy's body in the forest. 'Cause according to the EMTs a couple of hikers called it in."

"Let me see what I can find. Could you also take a picture of his fingerprints? His face will be troublesome to ID."

"Yeah, good thinking," Steve lifted the guy's hand and snapped a picture of the palm of his hand, making sure he captured all five fingers. Next Steve carefully turned the guy's head to the side and took a photo of the tattoo on his neck. "This might help ID him too," he said and sent all the material over to Jerry. "All right, Jerry, check the tattoo database and run this guy's prints through the system. Also, try to pinpoint the location of the 911 call. Get CSU down to the spot where those hikers found him and let's see if they can find something that can tell us more about what happened to him."

"I'm on it. I'll get back to you when I get something."

Steve ended the call. "Thanks, Jerry." He put his phone back in his pocket and left John Doe's room. And as Steve did he walked in on Dr. Keller.

The surgeon frowned upon Steve exiting the next-door room. "Commander McGarrett?"

"Doc, what's going on?" Steve replied.

"I,— I wanted to give you an update on the CT scan," the doctor said but paused for a second. "You do know Detective Williams' in this room, right? 516." He pointed at the cubicle he was standing in front of.

"Yeah, I know," Steve stepped over to the doctor. "I was trying to help ID this guy. Brought in as a John Doe."

It put a compassionate smile on the doctor's face. "No such things as an off-duty cop, am I right?"

"That's right," Steve smiled back, then he focused again. "Did you say you got the results back from the scan?"

"Yes, the most recent scan showed a decreased swelling. Not sure how it turned around this quick, but it's a good thing. The worry has been for nothing, sorry about that."

Relieved Steve said. "No-no, it's finally some good news, right?"

"We should take the win," the doctor agreed and grabbed his pager that started beeping. "I need to go, I'll check back in later." Dr. Keller excused himself and left Steve alone.

Steve went back to sit at Danny's bedside. Knowing the scan results and knowing Jerry was finding answers, Steve put his chair aback, feet up, arms across and his eyes closed. He finally allowed himself to rest for a couple of hours.

He fell asleep, at eleven in the evening. Two long days, over.

DANNY'S ROOM - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

Deep into the night, a nightmare woke Steve with a start. He pulled his feet down and sat up straight. His heartbeat felt like it was fluttering in his chest. His eyes scanned the dim-lit surrounding, and it took him a moment to realize he was still in the ICU sitting next to his partner. Steve took a deep breath and his eyes slowly adjusted to the light. He checked up on his partner, still asleep. Danny's vitals seemed all right too. Steve fumbled for his phone with sleep-numbed hands and checked the time. It was coming up to three in the morning.

Steve put his phone away again and settled back into a comfortable position. Before he could close his eyes again Danny scared the crap out of Steve, as he suddenly started talking. "You know when a patient dozes off, it's your cue to leave." The witted remark left Danny's lips. His eyes remained closed, but he surely was awake.

Startled, Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere."

Danny's left hand went up to his nose to the point between his eyebrows. He grimaced with his eyes still closed. A headache was clearly there. Then Danny groaned softly. "Did you really do it?"

Steve shrugged his shoulder. "Do what?"

With his one functioning eye, Danny peered shortly at Steve. "Did you really make a deal with the Chinese triad?"

Steve leaned back in his chair. "I did."

Danny lifted his head off the pillow and looked directly at Steve. "You're not gonna keep your end of the bargain, are you?"

"No, of course not," Steve reassured his partner. "Kim's not getting away after what he did to you, okay?" Danny said nothing. "We'll get him on something else."

Danny shook his head but twitched with pain. "There's something seriously wrong with you."

"You're welcome, buddy," Steve said. Danny didn't reply. He seemed to be in too much pain. His face had gone pale. Literally bloodless, like wax. "Here," Steve handed Danny the PCA device but Danny didn't grab it. Just waved his hand, weakly, vaguely, a dismissive gesture.

Then Danny asked. "You find anything on him?"

"Not yet," Steve admitted. "Jerry's digging through his business and personal life. We'll find something. I'm sure of it."

"Not so sure about that. The guy's good at covering his tracks," Danny stated. "Did you call the CIA?"

Steve narrowed his eyes. He couldn't tell whether Danny was messing around or that the concussion was acting up or that maybe he was dead serious. "You were serious about that?"

Danny looked annoyed aside at Steve. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno," Steve shrugged. "You almost went into cardiac arrest when you said it. Didn't think you were lucid enough."

"I'm now," Danny said. "Call your contact at the CIA. Ask for any undercover agents linked to Kim Leung."

"Undercover agents?" Steve repeated, confused.

"Yeah, I— I overheard a conversation. One of them admitted being CIA," Danny explained. "They killed him for it."

"Killed him?"

"Bullet to the brain."

"What'd they do with the body?" Steve questioned.

Danny stared at the ceiling for a beat, then he said. "I don't know."

It could be worth a shot to get more intel on Kim Leung, so Steve said. "All right, I'll call my guy in the morning."

"Those guys are all the same, you know that, right? They all lie to cover for the agency," Danny said and paused. "You know what," he held out his left hand. "Give me your phone."

"All right, enough with the 'give me your gun or phone,' you're not doing any of those things," Steve swatted the hand away while he watched another wave of pain register on Danny's face. "I"ll make that call, while you just focus on getting better, got it?"

"I'm fine," Danny started but squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. It seemed like yet another pain wave erupted through him.

Steve glanced at his partner with his eyes worried. "Danny, you're in pain," he said and handed the PCA device for a second time. "Don't be stubborn, just press that button."

"No, I don't need it," Danny said and pushed Steve's hand away.

"It will help you sleep."

Danny grunted and seem to wait for the flaring pain to ease before he mumbled. "Don't wanna sleep."

Steve sighed and argued. "You need your rest, buddy."

"No, I can't think clearly. I keep losing track of time. I don't want it." Danny's statement was definite. Not a whine or a complaint, but a statement of fact. In fact, he was really wounding himself up about it, because the numbers on the EKG monitor spiked.

"All right, easy," Steve said and dropped the PCA device back on the bed. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Talk." Danny breathed out.

"About what?"

"I don't know? Operation Strawberry Field, or whatever it was called this time."

"What about it?"

"Don't be cryptic," Danny grunted. "Did you get the boy safe back home with you?"

"Junior? Yeah, he's fine."

The numbers on the monitor decreased back to normal rating and Danny seemed to relax a little. Then he asked. "What was so important that you had to go with him?"

Steve took a deep breath. "It was a kill or capture mission for a high-value target," he shared. "There was talk about possible hostages who could become collateral. They identified one as an American who disappeared last year as a private contractor. They thought it might be Joe."

"Joe White?" Danny inquired.

Steve sighed. "Yeah, he got captured. I went along for a search and rescue."

Danny lifted his head up and faced Steve. "He all right? Did you find him?"

"We did," Steve nodded. "He's still at the hospital in Germany, but he's doing all right."

"You okay?" Danny checked. "I know how much Joe means to you."

Steve gave his partner a sympathetic smile. "So do you, buddy," and squeezed Danny's left forearm. "Just get some rest."

"You should do the same, you look horrible," Danny remarked. "Go home."

Steve put his feet back on the bed. "Forget about it."

"You don't have to be here all night. Just go home, Steve."

"I said forget about it."

"Get out of here," Danny breathed out the four words, but the effort of getting them out seemed to suddenly exhaust him. He closed his eyes but mumbled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and settled comfortably back. "You will, because I'm not going anywhere."

"You need a hobby," Danny argued.

Steve argued back. "I have hobbies."

"Killing people is not a hobby. Neither is annoying me."

With a grin on his face, Steve watched Danny drift to sleep.

DANNY'S ROOM - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

As the clock ticked closer and closer to dawn, Steve watched Danny fast asleep. He seemed calm, peaceful, and drugged. Which in turn made sense why Danny seemed calm and peaceful. Steve rubbed his eyes, he was still tired from the long day, the worrying, waiting, and searching. Steve didn't even put his chair aback. His eyelids were already slowly shutting down again. But before he could completely drift off the sleep, an alarm blared over the speaker, jolting Steve wide awake.

"Code blue. All available personnel—"

Steve jumped up, and instantly checked the numbers on the monitor. Heart rate was normal. Saturation levels were good. Temperature seemed all right. It wasn't Danny, so Steve looked out the glass door and watched nurses hurry past. They were going somewhere down the hall, left. Steve took a few strides, slid the door open, and the announcement was repeated again, clearer now that he had opened the door.

"Code blue. All available personnel to room 518. Code blue."

Room 518.

John Doe.

Steve put a step outside the room but was forced to take a step back as a rapid response team pushed a crash cart past him. Followed by two doctors that burst into John Doe's room.

A voice called out, somewhere in the distance, "There's no pulse. Starting compressions."

Steve left Danny's room and stumbled into John Doe's room. Doctors and nurses were covering the man as they pushed air into the guy's lungs with a bag valve connected to the tube going down John Doe's throat. One of the nurses was bent over the body. Pushing hard with both his hands on the guy's sternum. Then another nurse slapped two pads on John Doe's chest, one just below the clavicle and the other on the left thorax side.

"Get the paddles," the female doctor said. The nurse handed the defibrillator paddles and the doctor commanded. "Charge to 120!" she placed them on the pads on John Doe's chest and said. "Clear!" Everyone let go and the doctor pressed, shocked, and let go. John Doe arched his back when the electricity shocked through his body. The doctor waited impatiently for the heart rhythm on the monitor. It remained a flat line.

She placed the paddles back on John Doe's chest. "Okay, charge to 200," she waited for the defibrillator to charge to the required capacity. Then she said. "Clear!" The doctor pressed, shocked, and let go again. They repeated it a few more times. But it was to no avail.

The doctor handed back the paddles to the nurse and said. "Time of death. Five-nineteen AM."

The shrill flatlining sound filled the room. The nurse turned the heart monitor off— the screen went pitch black and the room went completely silent. John Doe was dead.

— TBC / HAWAIIFIVE0 —

A/N: More to come. More bromance. More action. More whump. More angst. Stay tuned.