Danny quickened his pace after he flew through the glass doors of the hospital and saw Chin walking toward him with his characteristic, but somewhat hesitant, smile. They met at the curb.

"Hey. Hey Danny, good to see you," Chin said fondly.

"Hey, babe, good to see you, too." They embraced in a hug. After mutual pats on the back, they both instinctively started walking toward the door. "You're looking good. That California air must not be that bad after all."

"I guess, but it's good to be back on the island."

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way. Sorry it has to be under these circumstances. Speaking of, how are Abby and Sara?"

"They're good. They're safe. I made sure they had extra security with them while I'm gone. Didn't think it'd be a good idea for them to come with me. Abby put up a fight, but I convinced her that I'd feel more at ease if she stayed with Sara."

"No, I agree. It's best if they're not on this island right now." Danny pushed the elevator button in the lobby.

"Right. So, before we get into the reason for that, how is Steve doing?"

Danny's face lit up in a smile. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"He's awake?" Chin's eyes got wide with elation. "Really?"

Danny nodded. "Yep, really… just before you texted me. I mean literally, right before I got your text. Well, technically he came out of it the first night, but only for short spurts on and off and those times he wasn't aware… due to the drugs and a fever he had developed from an infection," Danny explained. "They've gotten that under control now, but anyway, this time the boy is back. He was just starting to ask questions, but I got your text, so I told him I had a surprise for him and ducked out. You kind of saved me from having to explain anything."

"So, he doesn't know about… Gabriel?" Chin asked hesitantly as they stepped onto their floor.

"No, I… I don't know if that would be for the best, at least for the time being."

"Won't he wonder about the guard?" Chin pointed at the officer still posted outside his door. The threat level had been lowered after they had gotten video proof that Gabriel had left the hospital. It would be almost impossible for him to get back inside with the measures Danny had put in place, therefore there was now only one officer assigned to Steve's room.

They paused outside the room. "Oh, I'm sure. When I left him to meet you downstairs, the doctor was going in to check on him since he had just woken up. He'll find out he's here because of a sniper. That may be enough explanation for now."

"If you're lucky," Chin said skeptically. "What about Lou? How's he doing?"

"Went home yesterday morning. Tough to keep the big guy down. He's already wanting to go to the office to help the kids, crutches and all."

"Kids?"

Danny chuckled. "Tani Rey and Junior Reigns. You've heard of them."

"Yeah, yeah, of course. I hear they're fitting right in and doing a great job."

"We sure do miss you and Kono, but yeah, they're great. Don't tell them I said that. Oh well, they wouldn't believe it anyway, coming from me. Tani's a lot like Kono, she's tough as nails and pretty much a female version of Steve."

"Oh, no. You don't say," Chin teased.

"You'll see. And Junior Reigns? Well, he's the Eddie Haskell of Navy SEALS, only genuine. Genuine to the core. Can get on your nerves with his incessant politeness, but man, is he tough and loyal to a fault. They've both added a lot to the team." They both smiled. "And I don't know if you've heard this, but Adam drank the Kool-Aid and has come on as the newest member of Five-0. He's been a great asset, too."

"Yes, I had heard that. Kono had actually told me. They still keep in touch," Chin explained the assumed question. "I'm glad he's found something to… " replace his failed marriage, "well, you know."

"Yeah, I know. It was a little rough there for a while, but I think he's found his niche. He's doing better. Hey, so what about Kono? I thought she might be with you."

"Oh, she's coming. Couldn't keep her away from this one, but she's flying out of Denver. I was going to be there to meet her at the airport when she arrived, but Adam volunteered."

"Is that going to work all right?"

Chin shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

Steve's door opened and Dr. Patterson walked out rubbing in the last of some sanitizer foam. "Ah, Detective, I'm glad you're here."

"Doc, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, formerly of Five-0 but runs his own team out of San Francisco now."

The doctor shook Chin's hand. "Nice to meet you. You've gotten here at a good time. The commander's awake and lucid. I think he's eager to talk to you, Detective."

"Figured that. So, he's doing okay? Asking to go for a swim yet?"

The doctor chuckled a little. "If he does, I'll advise against that. No, he's doing well for what he's been through. We'll give him a little time and monitor him a few more hours and if he doesn't regress, we're planning on moving him into a regular room later today to free up this bed for someone who needs it more."

"So, did he ask about what happened? What does he know?"

"Well, he knows he was shot. I did a quick exam and then we discussed his injuries, prognosis, and course of treatment, but I kept it very basic and medical related. You'll have to decide what else to tell him."

"I'm pretty sure what I have to tell him will make him upset. Physically… can he take it? Will it cause any harm?"

"I'd try to avoid any undue stress if possible. His heart rate is already elevated from fighting off the fever. That needs to go down, not up."

"Got it."

"He's progressing nicely," the doctor assured his patient's concerned friends again. "Just take it slow. He may be able to go home in a week or so. Go on in. He's waiting."

"Thanks, Doc," Danny spoke as Dr. Patterson was already turning and walking away from the pair.

"So, Chin, you wait out here so I can announce the surprise that I promised him. Okay?"

Chin smiled and nodded, understanding Danny needed a few minutes alone with Steve. "I'm here if you need me."

Danny opened the door slowly as if the door would be a shield to protect him from any thrown object, or more likely, words. "You awake?" he teased.

"Thank God. It's about time, Danny. Yeah, I'm awake. Where'd you go?" Steve growled out slowly as he rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

"Will you relax already? You're going to pop a blood vessel or something. These machines will start singing and half the nursing staff will converge in here."

"All right, all right." Steve looked tired. His complexion was pale, which contrasted with the darkening under his sunken eyes.

"As I was about to say before I left, you look horrible."

"Thanks. You don't look too great yourself," Steve mumbled.

Danny started rubbing the two-day old hair growth on his face. "What? You don't like the new look? It's what the girls are going for nowadays."

"You look silly. What happened to your hand?" Steve saw the bruising and scabbed over cuts on the displayed hand for the first time and his thoughts were diverted.

Danny held the back of his hand up at arms-length making a show of turning it to and fro to inspect as if discovering the injuries for the first time. "Uh, things got a little crazy in my ukulele class. Let's talk about you. You're the one in the hospital."

"Yeah, about that… the doctor said I took a couple of rounds? What happened?"

"You know, before we get to all that, I've got a surprise for you. Remember?" Danny deflected.

"Danny, come on…"

Danny opened the door and gestured to someone out in the hall. As he did, Steve took note of the guard stationed outside. Chin stepped in with a huge smile on his face. "Hey, Steve."

"Chin Ho… " Steve adjusted how he was laying as if he were going to sit up but grunted in pain and quickly settled back down into the comfort of the pillows behind him.

"Don't try to move, you idiot." Danny jumped in and found the controller to the bed. "You'll tear something or break something. Let's try this." Danny raised the head of the bed slightly until Steve's resulting grimace got equally painful to look at.

"Yeah, that's good. Thanks. Chin, how're you doing, man? It's good to see you."

"Good to see you, too." Chin clamped both hands around Steve's. "You had us worried."

"Chin, don't get me wrong, 'm glad to see you and all, but why're you here?"

Chin glanced at Danny then looked back to Steve. "Like I said, you had us worried. I heard things were a little iffy at first. Danny called and here I am."

"I think you came all this way for nothin' and I think my partner, here, is avoiding tellin' me what's goin' on."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Danny claimed innocently.

"Daniel?…"

"Steven?…"

"Can you just start at the beginning? What happened? How'd I get shot?"

"Well, okay. What do you remember?"

"A case? I don't know. I don't remember."

"You really don't remember? No, it wasn't a case and believe it or not you weren't even doing anything stupid, well, unless you consider fishing stupid and I may have an argument in support of that."

"Okay." Steve rolled his eyes and spoke dismissively to stop the perceived path in its tracks.

"You had just finished fishing with Lou, out at Waialua."

Steve narrowed his eyes in thought with the helpful information and he began to remember. "We were walking back to the car. I was braggin' to Lou. Lou?" Steve's eyes now widened. "Lou? What about Lou? Is he okay?"

"Take it easy. The big guy's fine. You asked me, so let me finish. Will 'ya?" Steve seemed to settle down, patiently waiting on Danny. "A sniper hit you… twice, in the gut, barely missing my liver, by the way…"

"Danny," Steve forced out, exasperated.

"…then tagged Lou," Danny continued.

"You said he was okay," Steve became captious quickly.

"He is. Calm down already. He got hit in the leg. Spent a night in the hospital. Now he's home, resting comfortably."

"A night? How long's it been?"

"It happened in the morning, the day before yesterday. It's been a little over forty-eight hours now."

"Shit." Steve couldn't believe he'd been out of it that long. "Two days? Tell me you got the guy. … Danny? What was that look? … Chin? What are you two not telling me?" He had seen the knowing look shared between his visitors. "Will someone tell me what the hell…" Steve's growing agitation peaked and he cried out in pain after trying to move as though he was his healthy, normal self.

"Now see what you did? Stop that," Danny chastised.

"Danny, maybe we should. I mean, he deserves to know," Chin implored, clearly allowing Steve to hear his appeal. "This is obviously not helping to keep him calm and stress-free."

Danny stared at Chin for several seconds as he considered his words. "All right! But, I swear, if you go ballistic on me, I'm getting the doctor to drug your ass right back to sleep. You got it?"

"Tell me, Danny."

"Uhn, uhn. Not until you promise you're going to remain Cool Hand Luke."

Unwilling to promise anything of the kind, Steve knitted his brow and gave Danny a death stare. The attempt was fruitless on his stubborn partner, so he gave up on Danny and looked to Chin. "Chin, what's going on?"

"Are you sure you feel up to this?"

"Chin!"

"All right," Chin conceded.

Danny puffed out his mouth and blew out a long accepting breath. He stepped behind a chair, making his way over to the window. He rested one elbow on the ledge, readying himself to watch the show. Chin looked over at him and hesitated. Danny laid out his hand in surrender. "By all means, go ahead."

Chin moved closer to Steve's bedside. "I did come to see you. We were very worried about you. It didn't look good that first day. Kono is actually on her way, too."

"Kono? I… I don't get it."

"Yes, Steve. See, you're right. There is more, as you've guessed. The shooter is still at large, but he has been identified. Lou saw him and was able to identify him and we have gotten DNA evidence and other foolproof confirmation. We know, with certainty, exactly who it was that shot you and Lou."

"Lou knows him? So, it's someone we've tangled with in the past. Someone out for payback? Who was it, Chin?"

"This is the part that is hard to believe."

"Okay? Chin, please." Steve was eager to hear the rest.

"Gabriel. Gabriel Waincroft. … He's alive."

Steve's head shook subtly as he one side of his mouth turned up in an almost imperceptible grin. "Chin, come on. Seriously? Who was it?"

Chin wished with his entire being that he was messing around. He didn't want it to be true either. However, his unfaltering, expressionless face revealed its truth.

Steve's mouth fell open and stared several seconds at Chin. He looked to Danny and then back to the teller of the story. "That can't be. Chin, that's impossible. He died… in surgery… he died," Steve repeated. He heard Danny smack his lips and turned to his partner who had decided to come back closer to join the conversation.

"No, no," Danny chaffed as his finger wagged in the air. "Chin's right. He most certainly is alive and breathing and he's back to wreak havoc."

"I just… I just don't understand."

"Somehow, and we haven't figured that one out yet, but somehow, he survived the gunshot and the surgery. We were given bad information."

Steve let the revelation sink in for several seconds. "Okay, so assuming you're right, what's his angle? Revenge? That's why there's a guard posted outside. Isn't it?"

"Oh, you noticed that," Danny nonchalantly stated as he looked toward a smug Chin. "Yes and no. Even though we think he tried, and didn't succeed in killing you…"

"Obviously," Steve slid in.

"… we also think he purposefully didn't try to kill Lou that day. He also had another chance at you, here in the hospital, but didn't take it. So, we don't think it's solely to take out Five-0."

"So, what's he want?"

Danny's eyes once again flicked to Chin. "We uh, we think, well we're pretty sure…"

Chin took over, "It's me. He has made it clear that he wants to talk to me."

"What?" Steve emphasized the 't' as he tried to process the information.

"Guess he thought it would take something dramatic to get me back on the island, and he was right. Here I am."

"You've been in contact with him?"

Danny filled in some gaps. "He left us a note and…" Danny wrinkled his nose as he prepared for the next part of what he was about to say. "…he approached Tani, without her knowing who he was, and gave her, us," he corrected, "a phone number. I talked to him, not long enough to trace, and he made it clear that he wanted Chin here."

Steve started vigorously shaking his head, headache be damned. He needed to clear away the confusion. "Let me get this straight. You talked to him?" This whole thing seemed unbelievable. "You're sure? It was him?"

"Yeah, babe. It was him. Like I said, we've got fingerprints, DNA, eyewitnesses, heck, we got him on the hospital's security video. It's him."

Steve remembered back to the day they believed was Gabriel's last on earth. He had meant it when he told Chin he had thought it was best that Gabriel hadn't made it. If the report of his death had been true, or if they had allowed the Yakuza army get to him, or if one of their own bullets had found its target on one of the many attempts years ago, they would not be in this mess now. Steve addressed Chin, "What does he want with you? Any idea?"

"We're not sure. He hasn't reared his head since Danny's call. I just got here this morning. We are working on a hypothesis though. Besides the note and the call, he left another token."

"Yeah, here in your room," Danny added as he pulled the photograph from his pocket and reached it to Steve.

Steve's face grew grim as he stared at the photo. "Son of a bitch. He wants Sara."

~to be continued~

\,,,/BronsonL