Thanks to everyone for reading. I split this chapter into two parts. Seems it grew legs. I've been told you might need a tissue.

/././

Steve awoke to a buzzsaw in his ears and distorted vision. His sharp intake of breath at the wave of nausea and pain made something shift in his peripheral. Heart racing, he gripped the soft sheets and reminded himself to breathe. He was safe. The blur beside the bed was his best friend. That much he knew for sure.

"Danny?"

"Hey sleepyhead." Danny replied and ran a hand through his hair, roughing it up a bit. Steve liked that. Made him feel lighter until he remembered he didn't remember. Confusion was a bitch.

"What –" Steve stopped and exhaled. He thought he might puke.

"-happened?" Danny finished Steve's thought and then added, "You don't remember?"

Searching his mind made the ringing in his head louder. Steve squinted and fought to piece together his memories. This feeling of not knowing left him so helpless and out of control. He cleared his throat and was given a cup of water without even asking. Eyes welling up with tears made his headache worse but he couldn't stop the rush of feeling. Danny was there for him. The least he could do was try to recall what happened.

"I went for a drink," Steve replied. He frowned and reached to rub his eyes but the IV tugged so he used his other hand, pulling it free from Danny's grip. Clearly exhausted from the effort and surprised by the new flare of pain, he swore. "Fuck, my eye."

"You took some pretty good hits." Danny reached out. "Stop touching your face."

Wincing, Steve investigated the damage with hesitant fingertips, ignoring Danny's scolding.

"Hey, be careful. Cool out for a minute. Don't –" Danny caught himself and lowered his voice. "You must feel like shit, babe."

"You look like shit." Steve tucked his hand under the sheet.

"Funny," Danny answered, reaching under the bedding and grabbing Steve's hand again.

"Why are you holding my hand?"

"I hate you. Why do you think?" His answer was quick, exasperated. He wasn't playing games.

Steve looked away. They were quiet for a few beats, and then Danny said. "Don't want to let you go."

Another awkward silence followed. They stared at one another. Their eyes flashing a myriad of emotions. Steve knew he couldn't open the gates. He was afraid of what might come out. Until Danny smiled and started talking.

"You had to go and play hero, huh? A bunch of guys jumped a girl in an alley. One of them got the drop on you."

"I don't remember."

"We established that, but I'm not surprised. You've been out of it."

Steve's heart rate sped up. "How long?"

"Doesn't matter."

Accepting Danny wasn't divulging that information, Steve switched gears. There was something more important than his own loss of time. "The girl? She alright?"

"She's the one who called 911. I'm told she's fine."

"Good. Glad she's okay." Steve exhaled, eyes fluttering. God, he was exhausted.

"You're gonna be okay, too." Danny squeezed Steve's hand. "We both are."

"I hate to interrupt, but Mr. McGarrett has a date with radiology." A young man dressed in pale blue scrubs pushed a wheelchair into the room.

Danny wrinkled his nose and replied, "Isn't it kinda early for that?"

"Full schedule today." The tech shrugged and tapped the wheelchair. "Anyway, I do what I'm told. My job is to shuttle you from here to there."

Steve sat up straight, tough exterior fooling no one. "You heard the guy. I've got a date with radiology."

"Why don't you get something to eat, sir? I'll take good care of your - " The guy stopped and looked at both of them for a few seconds. "I'll take good care of your partner here."

"And get a shower, buddy," Steve added, "You stink."

/././

A light knock woke Danny. He hadn't really been sleeping. Maybe light doze was a better word. Unlike Steve, who was out again. The trip downstairs for tests had exhausted him. He reminded Danny of a dish cloth you wrung out one too many times. Except this dish cloth was a grumpy ex Navy SEAL. While he was assured this was normal, the attitude shift concerned Danny.

He looked up to see a young man in a sports coat watching him.

"Detective Williams?"

"That's me." Danny stood and stretched.

"I'm Detective Richards."

"Ah I see you'd rather meet in person. I left two messages."

"I find voice mail rather annoying. A means to an end. And I was in the neighborhood."

"Still trying to get a statement, huh?" Danny replied. He'd been warned by the nurses about an eager cop poking around for answers.

"Yea." The young man looked at his shoes.

Danny pushed away from the bed, careful with his movements. He kept his voice low when he said, "Let's take this outside."

"But I – "

Danny put his hand on the detective's shoulder and nudged him toward the door. "Outside."

"Perfect timing," A nurse walked into the room, presence commanding both of them. "You two fine gentlemen can vacate for a few minutes while I check my patient's vitals. I'll send someone for you, Danny."

He smiled. Everyone knew his name. A part of him really hated ever being on a first name basis with hospital staff anywhere. But he'd take it if the familiarity gave him access and invisibility. He pushed the detective out of the room.

"Let's go. Listen to the lady." He told the kid.

They walked down the hall and through the ward door. The atrium beyond the bank of elevators was sunlit and cheery. Too bright. Danny found an alcove shaded by a large tropical plant and sat down. The artificial world created in that curated space was unsettling and tried too hard to make things seem okay. Generally if you were in a hospital, things weren't okay. Unless someone was having a baby.

"What can I do for you, Detective Richards?"

"You're right. I need a statement from your partner."

"As you could see, he's sleeping. I'd like to keep it that way for now."

"You know how memories degrade." Detective Richards said, adding a quiet sir at the end.

Shaking his head, Danny fought the urge to roll his eyes. This guy had maybe ten years on his daughter. He remembered being a brand-new detective – young and dumb with too many things to prove. "I'm well aware. I'm told there were two witnesses. Have you spoken to them? My partner may not be able to help you."

"Yes, I was informed of the severity of his injuries."

"Then why the push?"

"The perps are contradicting the statements of the bar owner and his employee."

"And you're surprised?" Danny laughed and added, "And perp? You watch too much TV."

Detective Richards shrugged and pulled out a notebook, jotting something down. "I suppose talking to your friend can wait. The video makes this an open and shut case honestly."

"Wait. There's a video?" Danny looked at the cop in disbelief. He didn't want to see it. Yet he did. And he was pissed at this unnecessary intrusion. "If there's a video, then why do you need a statement?"

"Yes, there's a video. Bar owner put up a camera two weeks ago. Someone was dumping trash in his bin."

"Bin?"

"Yea, you know, the dumpster."

"I know, but –"

"Wife's British."

Danny just about choked on the déjà vu.

"Do you wanna see it?"

"The dumpster?" Danny pressed on his temple. A doozy of a headache approached.

The cop noticed Danny's drifting focus and his reply was a little sharp. "No, the video."

"Oh yea." Danny straightened. A little embarrassed by his slight fluster. "The video. Yes, I'd like to see it. Thanks."

"Give me an email. I'll send it to you." Detective Ricahrds said as he handed Danny his cell.

So I can watch it a million times. Danny shoved the thought out of his mind even though he knew that's what he'd do.

"Great." Danny took the offered phone and typed his email address. "Thanks again for your help."

"You're welcome."

They shook hands. Danny turned to leave, but the young cop stopped him. "Do you wanna meet her? The girl your partner saved?"

"Meet her?"

"Her name is Joanna Adams. She should be here somewhere." The guy looked around the waiting area. "I'm surprised she's not here now."

"She's been here?"

"Yea, they wouldn't let her see your friend, but she wanted to make sure he wasn't alone. Guess she figured she owes him?"

Danny had to look away. "Yea, he does that. Makes you care."

The cop nodded, a bit uncomfortable by the emotional turn. He cleared his throat and repeated his earlier promise. "I'll send you the video. Let me know if you have questions. I – uh – I hope your friend's okay."

"Thanks, me too." Danny shook the cop's hand.

"Don't mention it, Detective Williams. Just doing my job."

/././

When the girl walked into the waiting area, Danny rubbed his eyes, sure they were playing tricks on him.

She caught him looking and smiled before hiding behind a magazine.

Grace. She reminded him of Grace. His old partner, not his daughter. Once he got over his shock, he searched his mind. He knew she'd never had kids. Hadn't gotten the chance. Danny closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They'd both been stupid and young. What happened to Grace Tilwell was not his fault. He blamed himself anyway. It was his penance.

"Mr. Williams?" The tech from earlier materialized in front of him. Danny really needed to get the guy's name.

Danny frowned at the interruption. He hadn't seen the young man approach, clearly off his game.

"You can see your friend now. His nurse is through with her checks."

"Thanks." Danny tucked the sports section he'd taken from a discarded paper under his arm, pausing. "Can you give me a minute?"

"Sure. Take your time. He's sleeping again. Morning rounds took a lot out of him," he answered before turning to leave, "You still have your security pass, right?"

"Yea," Danny tapped his pocket.

When the tech left, Danny noticed the girl watching him. Something told him, this was no random woman waiting for a loved one. He followed his gut.

"Are you Joanna?"

"Jo." She gave him a quick smile. She couldn't have been more than twenty.

Danny's mind went blank, and all he babbled. "You saved my partner."

Shaking her head, she corrected him. "No, he saved me."

Her words struck his heart. That's what Steve did. No matter where he went.

He saved people.

"Thank you for being there. For him."

Joanna looked away. She organized the stack of magazines in front of her and checked her phone for the time. "I've gotta go. Work. Thank him for me."

"Sure, you could come back later. If you want?" Danny said. He felt like an ass for making her uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

"No apologies. That's one of my rules." She caught his eyes. "He's okay? Your friend."

"Steve. His name is Steve. And yea, he's okay."

Sighing she nodded and said, "I was so worried. It all happened so fast. If he hadn't showed up…"

"I'm sure he'd love to see you. Maybe later?" Danny asked and then realized he hadn't introduced himself. "Name's Danny by the way."

"Danny." Joanna smiled. "He said your name when – you know – before the ambulance came."

He didn't know what to say except to repeat himself. "You sure you don't want to see him?"

"Nah, he's in good hands now." She brushed his arm with such a light touch. "Maybe you can stop by the bar later? Give me an update?"

Danny found himself agreeing. He didn't even know where the bar was. "Sure, yea. I can do that. Take care."

As the elevator doors closed, it hit him. Her name was Joanna, and she looked like his partner, Grace. Years of loss engulfed him. So what did he decide to do? Being the masochist that he was, he shook it off and took a big gulp of his coffee, scalding his throat. Then he checked his email, hoping the video would be there. It was. The eager young cop was true to his word.

Danny leaned against the wall opposite the elevators and hit play. The world stopped.

He watched his best friend, roaring like a monster. He'd seen this version of Steve before, and he knew to fear him. Battle Steve took no shit. If he'd had a gun, the idiots would be dead. But this Steve had also lost a step. You might not notice if you didn't know him like Danny did. A younger Steve wouldn't have allowed the creeps to get the drop on him and turn the tables. Thank God the barmaid came back with a gun, or Steve would be dead.

Hitting replay, he studied the video this time. It was less jarring but still broke his heart. What he saw scared him. Steve was off his game. His reactions were slow. Something about his movements weren't fluid. Compared to the average person, he was still a super hero, but the man he watched was not the Super SEAL Ninja he knew and loved.

In their line of work, mistakes got you killed. Not to mention, there was often collateral damage, too. Civilians. Other law enforcement. Members of your team.

You could be a regular cop for a few years past your prime, especially as a detective. But not with Five-O. The job was demanding and dangerous.

Danny flexed his hands and sighed. He wasn't 100%. Looking at Steve, he knew his best friend wasn't either. After a year dogging you like this one had, there's no way you weren't affected. You could lie for only so long.

That's why Steve left. He was done lying. And instinct almost got him killed in an alley in East Orange, New Jersey. Of all the places on the planet.

Danny exited the app and wished he hadn't opened the video.

/././