CHAPTER 34

Sunday morning, TAMC:

After a relatively quiet night (save for the nurses entering the room for hourly checks and tales from Steve's past), Danny woke up that morning on the couch feeling refreshed for the first time in about two weeks. He looked over to the bed where his partner lay. He had a pink tinge to his cheeks, which wasn't visible before thanks to the bruising. Danny stood up and approached the bed, putting his hand on Steve's forehead. His friend felt overly warm. He quickly grabbed the call button, pressing twice. A few moments later, a nurse appeared.

"He feels really warm," Danny said as she entered the room.

The nurse frowned before checking all the instruments. "He has a low grade fever. It wasn't present an hour ago. Let me call the doctor," she said as she left the room.

Ten minutes later, Doctor Palamo entered the room. By that time, Steve was awake, having stirred when the nurse left the room.

"Good morning Commander. How are we feeling this morning?" Doctor Palamo asked.

"Good morning, Doc. Please, call me Steve," Steve replied hoarsely. His voice hadn't been used for a few days and was still rough from the vent.

"Okay, Steve. Now, how are you feeling?" Doctor Palamo said as he scrutinised the machines.

"I feel fine. I'm a little hot thought," Steve replied.

"You have a slight fever. We are going to put you on some antibiotics and that should help. We will also take some cultures to see what kind of bug we are dealing with. Other than feeling hot, is there anything else going on that we should know about?"

"Um…I feel fine. I don't feel any pain. I'm just really tired," Steve said as his eyes started to droop on their own.

The doctor smiled at the normally stubborn patient. "Well, let's get these cultures and then we will let you get some rest, okay?"

Steve nodded tiredly and watched as the doctor and nurse went about preparing the cultures. When they left, Steve turned his head to look at Danny.

"Have you been here this whole time?" Steve asked.

"Not the whole time. Chin and Kono have been here to. So has your old Commander, Rodger. I sent Kono home last night and Chin will be back later today," Danny replied.

"Thanks…" Steve said.

"So, how do you really feel?" Danny asked, concerned about his friend. He seemed…off. Not quite himself. It could be that he was sick, but Danny felt there was something else going on with his friend.

"Like I told the doc, I feel fine. 'M just tired," Steve said, frowning.

Danny was concerned. By now, Steve would be asking about what was happening with the case or demanding to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. He must be feeling really bad if he wasn't being his usual bull-headed stubborn self. Danny didn't like it. He was too quiet, too docile.

Steve suddenly sat up straight with a gasp as the pain made itself known.

"Danny! What about Grace? Is she okay?" Steve gasped, clutching his side with his good hand.

Danny held up his hands in a calming gesture. "Woah, slow down Superman. She's fine, absolutely fine. She was here yesterday while you were getting your beauty sleep."

Danny's attempt at calming did not work. Instead, Steve grew more agitated. "But, Fuentes…he said…he has Grace!"

"No, he doesn't. You saved her. She's safe, I promise," Danny said in a placating tone.

"No, Fuentes…he…" Steve said, sounding unsure of himself.

"Steve, I promise you that Grace is safe," Danny said.

"You promise?" Steve said, pinning Danny with a scrutinising stare.

"Yes!" Danny emphasised. He then looked at his partner, frowning. "You really don't remember, do you?"

Steve's aneurism face made an appearance. "Remember what?"

Danny sighed before explaining everything that happened after they left Five-0 Headquarters to find Grace the second time. He told Steve about his crazy plan to go solo with Rodger Tillman to rescue Grace. He told Steve how he ended up back at his house at Piikoi street, where they found Fuentes dead. He told Steve how he ended up back in the hospital with his new injuries. Through the whole explanation, Steve remained quiet, taking it all in.

"So, she's really okay? And Matt too?" Steve asked, not to be deterred.

"I promise. Look, I'll call her," Danny said, deciding it was the only way to convince Steve that what he was saying was true. He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, dialling his daughter's number and waited for her to answer.

"Hey monkey. There is someone here who wants to talk to you," Danny said as he passed the phone to his partner.

Steve took the phone in his trembling good hand and brought it up to his ear. Danny could see the relief in Steve as his body released the tension it didn't realise it was holding. Steve smiled as soon as he heard Grace's voice. As Danny listened to the one-sided conversation, he couldn't help but feel the warmth that filled his soul watching the effect his daughter had on his stubborn, explosion-loving partner.

When the conversation was done, Steve handed the phone back to Danny, a small smile evident on his face.

"Do you believe me now?" Danny asked, taking the phone from Steve's outstretched hand.

"Yeah," Steve said sheepishly. "Thanks, I, uh…I needed that."

"That's what Ohana is for…Get some rest buddy," Danny said.

Steve's eyes were fluttering closed, but he forced them open. "You finally said it, Danno. I 'ink you might 'ike 'awaii after all," he said, smiling as much as his bruised face would allow.

"And I will kill you if you tell anyone…Wait, you're so high that no one will ever believe you anyway," Danny said.

"What'ever 'anno," Steve said, his eyes slipping closed.

Danny smiled back, watching as his partner's breaths evened out in sleep. Maybe he was right. maybe he did like Hawaii after all.

Sunday evening, TAMC:

The day had passed without any further incidents. Steve had drifted in and out of sleep all afternoon until his exhausted body brought him into a deeper sleep. Chin had returned mid-afternoon to relieve Danny, but Danny had refused to leave. He was worried; something was still off with his partner. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Chin left just before dinner, promising Kono would join him again in the morning.

Danny had dozed off on the couch after dinner time. It had been quiet and Steve had been resting peacefully for the majority of the day. Something crashing to the floor woke Danny. As soon he opened his eyes, he saw the room was in chaos. There were people in Steve's room and Danny was worried, for a moment, that his friend had taken a turn for the worst. Then, he heard his partner. He was screaming and thrashing around on the bed. It looked exactly like the scenario over a week ago when Steve was hopped up on hallucinogens. This time, his partner was flushed in the face and he wasn't awake. He was in the middle of what looked like a terrible nightmare.

Danny stood up and joined the throng of medical personnel. "What's happening?" he asked urgently.

Doctor Palamo looked up from what he was doing to look at Danny. "His fever has risen higher. He's having one hell of a nightmare."

Steve was muttering and tossing his head from side to side, thrashing against the hands that tried to hold him down. At first, his muttering was unintelligible until he suddenly screamed.

"Johnston! Johnston!…Move!" he yelled.

Danny quickly approached the bed, grabbing Steve's flailing hand. "Steve!…Steve! Wake up! It's just a nightmare buddy…It's not real. Wake up!"

Steve was trapped in his nightmare, continuing to thrash on the bed, his eyes moving fast underneath his eyelids. The nurses were working to lower his body temperature by placing cooling packs under Steve's arms, around his neck and in a place no man wanted an ice pack. However, all of Steve's moving caused the packs to constantly be knocked to the ground. Danny knew they needed to get his body temperature down, and fast. Thinking back to the last time Steve was this delirious, Danny decided to try something different to wake his partner from his living hell.

"Commander McGarrett!" Danny yelled, leaning in to Steve's face.

Danny didn't know what he was expecting, exactly, but Steve head butting him wasn't it. At Danny's yell, Steve had jerked awake, effectively driving his face directly into Danny's. Danny moved back from the bed, holding a hand over his nose as it began to bleed in earnest.

"Sir" Steve rasped. He was awake, but his eyes were glazed over from the fever. Danny wasn't sure if he was completely tracking or even aware of his current surroundings. Steve's next comment made him believe it was the latter. "Where's Johnston?"

Danny had no idea who Johnston was or what this person meant to Steve. Obviously this whole ordeal had brought back something from Steve's past, something he had locked away. Or so he thought.

"We've got Johnston, Commander," Danny said in an authoritative tone.

Steve appeared to relax slightly as he nodded and gazed around the room, taking in the people hustling around him. One of the nurses moved in to replace the IV he had pulled out in his fevered delirium. Quick as a flash, Steve had the nurse's wrist in a vice grip, twisting it almost to its breaking point. The nurse shrieked in pain and she dropped the needle.

"Steve, let the nurse go. She just trying to help you," Danny tried to reason.

"No!..No. One of them…Too many…Can't trust them, Johnston," Steve mumbled. Whether it was to himself, or this Johnston person, Danny had no idea.

"Commander!" Doctor Palamo interjected. "Let us help you, Sir."

Steve eyed the doctor critically, his eyes roaming over Doctor Palamo's uniform.

"Who…" Steve asked.

"Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Eric Palamo, Sir. We are here to help you, Commander. You need to let go of my man, Sir, and let us get you out of here."

Steve slowly let go of the nurse's hand, keeping his wary eyes on her, watching her every movement. Through it all, Steve's eyes never lost the unfocused, glazed look as he kept his eyes on the people in the room.

"Sorry, sir!" Steve said, sounding completely clear headed.

"Not a problem, Commander. It's understandable. Let's get you out of here, sir."

Doctor Palamo was able to get close enough to Steve to inject a mild sedative. Steve's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he succumbed to the medication. The entire room took a deep breath of relief. It was so similar to the episode from earlier that it gave Danny the chills. Danny only hoped it was something he would never have to see again. Steve; scared and vulnerable.

Doctor Palamo turned to Danny. "He's okay, Danny. His fever spiked, causing him to have an extreme nightmare. He'll be fine. We are going to change the antibiotics to a stronger one."

"Will that stop the…nightmares?" Danny asked.

"I suspect the nightmare was a result go the fever. If he continues to have them, we may have to look deeper at the cause."

Danny nodded. "What did you give him?"

"Just a mild sedative. He should sleep for the next few hours. That should be enough time for his fever to drop a little, at least…Now, why don't we take a look at your nose. Looks like he got you pretty good there," the doctor suggested.

"I should know better by now not to approach sleeping SEALs," Danny grumbled.

"That would be an accurate statement. I take it you've had quite a bit of experience in that arena?" Doctor Palamo asked, smiling as he dabbed the blood away from Danny's nose.

"You could say that," Danny said. "We've been partners for eight months and he's already tried to kill me about eight times, only two of those being times when he was awake."

The doctor nodded as Danny talked. "How did you know what to say to calm him down?" he asked.

Danny sighed. "I didn't. It worked the first time when he had Chin in the chokehold. I just went with what felt right. He was obviously dreaming about something from his active duty days."

"You did the right thing, getting him to calm down on his own. We would have had to restrain him otherwise. I think, given what's he's already been through, that wouldn't go over so well," the doctor explained.

"How did you know what to say? Were you just playing along?" Danny asked the doctor.

"I am a military man. I work in a military hospital. I have seen and heard so many things. This is, unfortunately, something I see quite regularly. Playing along with a patient's ramblings can reduce the amount of harm the staff have to endure."

"Right," Danny said as the doctor probed Danny's nose.

"Well, it's not broken, but you will have spectacular bruising to show for it."

"Huh," Danny remarked. "We could be a matching pair."

"Look, Danny. I know you want to stay with him, but I suggest you go home and get some real rest. Otherwise, you will end up in a bed next to him. You have been here almost non-stop. Go see your family. I know Steve will tell you exactly the same thing. Let Chin or Kono take watch for a while."

Danny sighed. "You're right. Thanks doc. Just…promise me to call if anything changes?"

Doctor Palamo smiled. "Of course Danny. Now go."

Danny took one last look at his partner before leaving his hospital room. The uneasy feeling in his stomach didn't lessen one bit.

Sunday evening, Rodger Tillman's hotel room:

Rodger Tillman had just settled down with a longboard to watch a movie on the hotel's TV when he heard a knock at the door. With a sigh, he stood slowly to go and answer the door. He winced as he put pressure on his sore leg. He definitely wasn't as young as he used to be. The raid on the warehouse was definitely the most action he had seen in a while. Despite the pain he was in right now, he didn't regret it one bit.

Reaching for the gun tucked into his waistband, he approached the door. One could never be too safe, especially an ex-Navy SEAL such as himself. Glancing through the peep-hole, he sighed when he saw a familiar mop of blond hair. He unlocked the chain and opened the door.

"Hey, Danny. Not that I don't enjoy your company, but what are you doing here?" Rodger greeted the blond detective.

"Hey," Danny said. "I, um…I'm not really sure why I came here, actually. I just… I don't know…"

Tillman stared at the rambling detective. "And here I thought you were a man of actual words. Come in, Detective."

Danny walked into the sparsely furnished hotel room and found himself pacing in the small space. He really didn't know what he was doing here, why he hadn't gone home. Yet somehow, he had found himself in a hotel room, with a man he barely knew. He should have just turned around and gone home to see his daughter. Yet, the horrible feeling in his gut would not go away.

Tillman closed the door behind Danny and watched as he paced. Shaking his head, he limped over to the couch and sat down, waiting for the man to come out and say what was on his mind.

"So…." Tillman said, drawing out the word.

Danny stopped pacing and looked at Tillman. He looked tired and sad. Tillman indicated to the chair opposite the couch and waited for the younger man to sit.

"Right," Danny said as he sat down.

There was a moment of silence as Danny tried to formulate the words he needed.

"Rod, I need to ask you something…something I'm not sure I have any business knowing," he began.

"Has this got anything to do with Steve?" Tillman asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes…no…I mean, I don't know. That's the problem. Steve never reveals anything personal about himself and then I just have to guess about…things," Danny said, frustrated.

"Okay, so why aren't you asking Steve about it?" Tillman asked.

"He's not exactly in a state of mind in which I can ask him. I'm not sure if, even in his right state of mind, he would have ever let it slip," Danny spoke fast.

"Okay, okay," Tillman said, holding up his hands. "I get it. Steve's not the most open person. But something has you worried. Why do you think I can help you?"

"You knew Steve…before he came to Hawaii. I think, whatever this is, has something to do with his time in the Navy," Danny explained.

"Ah," Tillman said, seeing where this was going.

"Who's Johnston?" Danny asked, getting to the point.

Tillman's eyes widened with surprise. That's not where he thought Danny was going with this. Tillman sighed sadly. Danny surveyed Tillman, surprised by his reaction.

"You obviously know something. Should I be worried?" Danny asked.

"I don't know, Danny. It's not really my place to tell. Only Steve really knows what happened and unfortunately, most of that mission is still classified. I can give you the basics, though."

Danny nodded, waiting for Tillman to continue.

"It was a mission, not long after Steve had gotten his trident. He was part of a six-man team going in to extract a high-value target. The intel was off and the op went FUBAR. They were ambushed. Somehow, Johnston and Steve were captured and they were tortured, for days. Apparently, Johnston was killed in front of Steve. We found them both a few days later. Steve was a wreck, wouldn't talk to anyone for a while. He was the only one, besides the commanding officer, who survived that mission."

Danny swallowed down the bile that was threatening to rise up. His friend had been tortured, at least twice that he knew of. How many other times had his friend put his life on the line for others? How many other people were safe because of his partner's actions?

"Why are you asking about him, anyway?" Tillman asked.

"Steve's been having nightmares. His fever spiked and he had a pretty vivd one. He kept screaming for Johnston. He was terrified, but scary calm, like I've never seen."

"Is that how you got the racoon eyes?" Tillman asked, pointing to Danny's face.

"Yeah. I got in the way…How do I help him? He's my best friend and he's suffering because of me," Danny said, almost pleading.

"You do what you're already doing. Being there for him. When the time comes, you will help him through it, even when he thinks he doesn't need help."

Danny looked at the man that used to be his friend's former commanding officer. He was sure there was more to the story, more that he wasn't telling him. But as the man said, it was Steve's story to tell.