I decided you guys deserve an early treat for once, so here it is.

I guess it's time for Steve to learn the truth, don't you think?

The more she listened, the more worried she was. Dr. Becker, Jennifer's psychiatrist didn't want to share much at first, but after learning that her patient murdered a man in cold blood and kidnapped another, she agreed to help so it wouldn't happen again.

But Kono didn't like what she heard one bit.

"You know, she sought my help after leaving the army," Becker said. "She's been through some traumatic events that took a huge psychological toll. Depressions, mood swings, violent outbursts. I diagnosed her with PTSD. But it was just a start."

"What do you mean by that?" Kono asked.

"We were making progress. It started to seem we got it under control. A few months later she met someone and got engaged. The symptoms receded for a couple of months, but then…" He let the words trail off and shook his head. "It didn't take long before she had a major setback."

"Was it back to square one?"

"It was worse than before. I am not sure what happened between the two of them, but she started to get delusive, overly jealous, and aggressive. It escalated to the point her fiancee didn't want to continue in the relationship. He dumped her a week before the wedding."

"I guess she didn't take it well."

"Not at all. She never got through that. She didn't have friends or family, and she was fixated on her fiancee. So his rejection caused her condition to worsen and she developed psychosis. She continued to visit me until recently, though, trying to get back on track. But she skipped the last two appointments. I tried to call her but she didn't answer."

"What can we expect from her, doc?" Chin chimed in.

"As I said, she hasn't shown up for a while, so she either ran out of meds or stopped taking them by now. Either way, without the medicine her condition will worsen." The doctor let out a sigh. "If what you're telling me is the truth, it's not good. I'd say she's dangerous, unpredictable, and likely capable of anything at this point."

That wasn't what Kono wanted to hear.

"I hope you'll find your friend before she loses control completely," the doctor added.

Yeah. She hoped so, too.

2 days later

Steve woke up to the pungent smell of disinfectant invading his nostrils. The room was silent apart from his heavy breathing and the beeping sound indicating that he was alive. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting in an attempt to sharpen the blurred images before him. He glanced around and took in the deserted, blue and white color schemed hospital room. He shut his eyes, trying to remember what had exactly happened.

Then the memories of the crash and hazy moments of his ohana by his bedside started to occupy his thoughts. He could remember them being there, talking to him, but it was as if his brain was engulfed in a thick fog preventing him from making out the details. A brief memory of the doctors and nurses moving around, poking and prodding and forcing his weak body to move crossed his mind, too. He'd swear that he was up on his feet at some point, but was it real? Or a dream?

And how long has he been here?

Out of impulse, his hand traveled to his face, pressing the throbbing area on his right temple. He felt a scar and flinched at the pain. He tried to get up. Once he sat up, he instantly fell back on the cushions. His body, engulfed in pain, objected to his decision to do so. He lay there pathetically, staring at the ceiling and waiting for the pain to wash away.

His series of tangled thoughts were interrupted by a familiar blonde woman entering the room. The dark circles under his sister's eyes revealed the lack of sleep, but some spark returned to those greens as soon as they landed on Steve.

"You're awake," she stated the obvious, a smile brightening her tired face. She walked over to the bed. "You had me worried, you know? How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Steve replied automatically.

Mary rolled her eyes. "You've never been a good liar, Steve. But you look better. The doc said they have the infection under control now and that you should fully recover eventually. It's gonna take a while, though."

What did she mean by a while? "When can I get out of here?"

She shook her head. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"Mary?"

"A couple of days, at least. Maybe another week or so. Depends on how well you recover."

"A week?" Steve growled. "What day is it?"

"Tuesday."

"Tue–?" He let the word trail off, shocked by the information. Had he really been here for 4 days? And how come he could only remember fractions of it here and there? Why was it all such a blur?

Mary's pleading voice was the most prominent thing in the thick cloud of the foggy memories. Chin's reassurances and Kono's soft kiss on his forehead were among them as well. But something was missing and it didn't feel right.

"Where's Danny?" he asked, wondering why he didn't remember his best friend being by his side. Was he really so out of it?

Biting her lip, Mary averted her gaze in silence.

"Mary?" Steve narrowed his eyes, his senses tingling.

"I don't know where he is, Steve." She looked back at him, her voice slightly annoyed.

He glared at her for a long moment, studying her expression. Her pursed lips, tension lining her face, her chin slightly dipping to her chest. Even though he hadn't seen his sister for years, some things never change. This was the exact look she used to pull every time she did something wrong and their parents had found out.

"What are you not telling me?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a lungful of air. Steve could feel a ball of tension form in his chest. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones.

"Fine. I'll tell you if you promise to stay calm."

A little too late for that. "Mary, spill!"

"Danny's missing." Her voice was a mere whisper. Full of guilt.

Steve's heart plummeted into his stomach and his throat tightened. His jaw dropped and he stabbed his eyes into his sister. "What?"

"Please, don't be mad," Mary said. "We didn't tell you because we were all worried about you and–"

"We?" he snapped. So Chin and Kono hid the truth from him, too? "How long have you known for?"

"Steve–"

"How long?"

She let out a loud sigh. "Four days. He disappeared right after Kingsley's attack."

"What are you talking about?"

"Wow, you really were out of it. I'll explain everything if you just calm down."

Calm down? Steve gaped at her, a strange concoction of anger and fear bubbling underneath his skin. All this time, Danny had been missing and no one bothered to tell him? Four days. So many things could happen in four days. And with every passing minute, the chances of finding Danny were slimmer.

Once again he struggled to move higher up, determined to get up.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you think?" he spat out.

Mary's hands pushed at his arms. "Stop. You can't–"

He shoved her away, his limbs barely coordinated. "I've got to find Danny. He needs me."

"Everyone's looking for him. Steve, you're going to pull out your–"

A sharp stinging tore through his hand, and he stared at the blood spurting from his skin, the IV line lying useless on the bed now. He shoved to a sitting position, his head swimming.

"Oh, hell." Mary tried to push him back again, reaching for the call button at the same time.

"I've got to find him."

"Steve. Stop it." She placed one hand on his cheek and turned his head, her gaze holding his. He stilled, breathing hard, impatience and terror pounding under his skin. "Chin and Kono are on it. HPD, too. They've sealed off the island, and they're searching every inch of it. They're going to find Danny, I promise."

He pulled her hands away, blood dripping from his forearm, and shook his head, trying to clear the dizzy fuzziness. "You don't understand. I can't stay here. He needs me."

"I do understand. And you can help him best by getting better." Mary's soothing tone grated against his ears.

"No, you don't understand." He snarled the words at her, and she stepped back, a startled expression crossing her face.

A nurse appeared by his side. She exchanged a glance with Mary. "Commander McGarrett? Lie back down and let me put your IV line back in."

Nausea and panic clawed in his throat. "No. I don't need it."

"Yes, you do. And you're definitely not in a shape to leave this room."

"Steve." Mary's voice slipped from soothing to authoritative. "You're not leaving that bed. Now, you can either let the nurse put the line back in, or we can strap you to the bed, and then she can put it back in."

He glared at her, almost hating her for standing between him and Danny's safety. "You wouldn't."

Her green eyes narrowed. "Try me."

"Please, listen to your sister," the nurse said. "You really need to lay down and rest."

He could feel the exhaustion sneaking in on him, but how could he rest? How could he lay here while Danny was in danger somewhere out there? He shook his head, refusing to give in.

"Steve, please. You just escaped death by a whisker. You said it yourself, Danny needs you. But you can't help him by hurting yourself even more," his sister tried to reason.

With a growled curse, he subsided and allowed the nurse to replace the line. His gaze remained locked on Mary's throughout the procedure, although dizziness attacked him again. When the needle was in place again, Mary smiled grimly.

"What do we know?" Steve asked.

"He's been kidnapped and your team already knows who has him. They managed to find out from Peter Kingsley after she killed his brother."

"She?"

Kingsley. Didn't Danny mention two Kingsley brothers? Yes, he could remember that. The men who caused the crash, if his brain didn't lie. Then who the hell was this woman?

"Jennifer Weston. Do you know her?"

Steve frowned in concentration, and after a moment of fishing in his memory, he shook his head.

"I don't know much, but as I said, every available cop on this island is looking for her and Danny right now."

"What does she have to do with Danny?"

"I don't know," Mary admitted. "But Chin and Kono are working on that day and night."

"Mary, I need to get the hell out of here."

"You need to rest and let your team do their job. If you'll be a good boy, I'll go see if there's any news, okay?"

The brief struggle had exhausted him more than he could imagine. The gray depths pulled at him, and he fought the sucking heaviness. He had to stay awake, had to help Danny. He had to–

"Rest." Mary's whisper and her gentle touch washed over him once more. "I'll be right back."

He was unable to help it. The gray rushed in on him, and awareness vanished.

When he woke up again, surrounded by a cookie-cutter hospital room, Steve felt more alert, more whole. In more pain, though, he thought as he forced his heavy eyelids apart.

"Sorry I woke you up." The husky female voice said off to his left. A nurse standing over him looked familiar, although she was a different one than the one who put his IV back. "I was just checking on you. Your temperature and blood pressure are almost back to normal now, which is good news. You must be in pain, though. I'll give you something to help with that." She turned to move.

"No." The word came out louder than he intended. "No drugs anymore."

She pulled her brows together. "Are you sure? You–"

"Positive."

She nodded reluctantly. "All right. Tell me if you change your mind. I'll be back later."

Steve watched her leave. Once the door closed with a soft click, he dropped his head back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling. He couldn't stay here in this bed while Danny was out there, somewhere, at some other person's mercy.

Teeth gritted against the pain, he shoved to a sitting position and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Waves of dizziness attacked his head, and he closed his eyes, swearing. Beads of icy perspiration broke on his upper lip, and he brushed at them, the slight weight of the IV line dragging at his arm.

He glanced at his hand, a large purple bruise spreading to his wrist, and memory returned of pulling the needle out earlier. Gritting his teeth, he tugged the line free once more. Stinging hurt shot up his arm. He held on to the discomfort, using it to focus his flagging energy. His feet slid to the floor, and he stood, shaky knees not wanting to bear his weight.

The door opened, and he glanced up, his gaze clashing with Mary's. Her full mouth, already bracketed with tension lines, twisted in frustration. "Come on, brother, I warned you."

"I'm getting out of here. " He glanced down at the hospital gown and his bare feet. "Where are my clothes?"

One hand holding the door open, Mary glanced back over her shoulder. "Kono, I need your cuffs."

"Like hell you do."

Kono appeared in the doorway throwing a puzzled look over to Mary. "You're not really planning to–"

"Watch me."

"Don't you dare," Steve snarled, pushing her hands away.

He was mad. Blood boiling mad. He needed to find a way to keep his head calm and rational. Danny needed him and nothing else mattered. He'd deal with his team and sister standing in his way later.

"Believe me, right now I'd rather pick up a live rattlesnake." Mary glanced at him, her green gaze far colder than Kono's.

His younger colleague had guilt written all over her face and she watched the siblings in silence. Why was she here, anyway? So she could lie to him about the most important person in his life? He didn't want to see her right now any more than he wanted to see Chin. The way she lowered her eyes when he glared at her suggested she knew exactly how he felt about it.

He tried to stand up again, refusing to take orders from his little sister. Especially with his best friend missing.

"But you're going to hurt yourself if someone doesn't stop you."

His futile protests didn't make any difference as cold steel closed around his right wrist; a metallic ring told him the other cuff had closed around the bed frame.

"What the hell, you–"

Mary glared down at him. "Just spit it out, Steven."

He gave a hard, ineffectual tug at the cuff, then matched her glare. Defensiveness tightened his hurting lungs.

"Kono, would you please leave us alone?" Mary said.

"No," Steve protested, his eyes flickering to Kono. "Say something, please! She can't do this."

Kono's gaze softened, and Steve could see the concern in her dark eyes. "I'll be right outside."

Silence followed the click of the door closing. His chest heaving and aching, Steve stared at Mary. "Mary, this isn't funny. You have to take that cuff off. I've got to get out of here."

Her stony expression didn't change. "No."

"Come on, sis."

She shook her head. "Steve, I already lost you once. I'm not letting it happen again."

"Mary, please." He rattled the cuff again, hating the hoarse pleading in his voice. "You don't understand."

"I understand plenty."

Desperation slid under his skin. "It's Danny. He's in danger, and I–"

"You what, Steve?" she snapped. "Look at you. You couldn't prevent me from cuffing you to the bed and I didn't even have to try hard. You shouldn't even be on your feet, for God's sake. How exactly do you think you'd be useful to Danny right now? It won't help him if you get yourself killed before you reach the main entrance."

"I'm fine!"

"No, you're not. And you will be even worse if you don't stop this."

Steve clenched his teeth, well aware of the fact Mary was right. He couldn't do much. Still, he couldn't just lay and do nothing.

"Look." Marry's voice softened. "I know you're worried. I know how much Danny means to you. But if Chin and Kono have to worry about you as well, it's not gonna make it any easier for them to find him and get him back."

"But…"

"Leave it to them, Steve." Marry offered him a sad smile. "I'm sure they'll find him."

His shoulders sagged. She couldn't know that for sure.

"So, will you please listen to me for once, or should I ask Kono to get someone from HPD to stand by the door again?"

Again? Steve didn't understand. He pulled his brows together in a question and glared at his sister.

She didn't care to explain. "I'll take that as yes. Try to get some more rest."

He watched Mary move toward the door, and panicked helplessness rose in him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to talk to your doctor, and then I'm picking up Joan at my friend's place and taking her home. Your phone is on the bedside table. Call if you need anything."

"No, wait. You have to unlock those cuffs!" The words fell in the empty air, the door closing behind her. Dropping against the pillow, he muttered growling curses, jerking at the cuff and sending pain shooting up his arm and through his upper body.

She wasn't going to listen to him. The lump of cold fear in his stomach grew. What if Chin and Kono wouldn't find Danny on time? What if he lost his best friend while he would be laying here and licking his wounds?

He'd be damned if he let that happen.

He tugged at the cuff again. He had to get out of here. Too many people had left him too early in his life because he wasn't able to save them. He wouldn't let Danny die, too.

"Let me get this straight–your sister's idea of a joke involved handcuffing you to a hospital bed?"

Steve met the security guard's incredulous gaze and nodded, trying not to look like the worry-crazed maniac he was becoming. It was a lie, but not a one causing harm. They didn't need to know it was Mary's way of keeping him from leaving this place. Luckily, the nurse who came to check on him a few minutes after Mary had left didn't think it was such the right thing to do and called the security officer to free him.

"Correct," he said. "She got mad at me and…"

He let the words trail away, lifting his cuffed wrist for illustration.

After radioing the main desk, the security guard shook his head and released Steve's wrist. "Craziest damn thing I ever heard."

His bladder threatening to burst, Steve rubbed at his wrist and carefully swung his feet over the side of the bed, trying to ride off the dizziness. "Thanks."

The guard eyed him with lingering suspicion. "Where do you think you're going?"

One hand keeping the back of the too-small gown closed, Steve tested his weak legs. "To take a leak."

Still muttering, the guard left the room. Steve eased into the bathroom, trying to get his thoughts in order. He had no clue what was going on with the search for Danny. He understood the reason his team kept him in the dark, yet it angered him at the same time.

A flash of hurt and anger grabbed at his gut again. After flushing the toilet, he ran cold water over his hands, splashing his face. He'd worry about being pissed off at his friends later. Right now, he had to find Danny before it was too late.

First, though, he had to find a way to cover his bare ass.

*to be continued*

Well, we all knew Steve wouldn't stand by and hope for the best when Danny's life was in danger... Is it a good idea to leave the hospital so soon, though?

Your opinions are more than welcome and I appreciate each and every one of them.

Also, I've got about two weeks left for finishing this story before I hit the roads with a one-way ticket and just a short-term plan once again, so I hope I'll be able to get this through the finish line by then.