Thanks a lot for the reviews, follows and favorites, it's really nice to know someone's enjoying reading what I write!

I don't own the characters, I just borrow them for fun.

English is not my native language so I apologize for any mistakes.

The atmosphere in the room was tense, Aaron pacing around, fuming. The mission going south made him angry enough, let alone Steve reminding him of that. Four bombs placed on the tanks were about to explode in less than fifteen minutes and they were hiding in a storage room with everybody looking for them.

"We're all gonna die here anyway thanks to you screwing up. Great job!" Steve said sarcastically.

Aaron clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes with Steve's comment.

"Shut up! No one asked for your opinion," Aaron said, his eyes narrowing and his teeth gnashing together like an angry dog. "Let me make this clear for you. There is only one rule for you. You do as we tell you. Understand?"

Steve squinted his eyes and said nothing and a second later Aaron thumped him across the face, causing his head to whip to the side.

"I said, do you understand?"

Steve remained silent again, his sight blurred, anger tugging at him. Something held him from fighting back, not that he had any strength to fight. Just being there and walking was enough of a challenge.

The lack of respond made Aaron even angrier. His fist caught Steve in the chest and sent him reeling back in pain. Steve slouched down, fighting against the haze that suddenly clouded his vision. He lifted his head and caught sight of Aaron's fist coming toward him again, an upper-cut that caught Steve on his chin, snapping his head back painfully. He was on the ground in a heap before he knew it.

Steve blinked several times, waiting for stars to disappear. His body felt distant for a moment. He was done, he knew it. He simply didn't have the strength in his body or the wits in his mind to fight back.

"Aaron, calm down. We don't have time for this," Esther said with a calm voice, rolling her eyes. "Get him up on his feet."

A thick hand wrapped around Steve's arm and began to tug at him. "Get up!" Aaron shouted.

Steve struggled to get to his feet. He let out a long sigh. "I told you this stupid plan of yours won't work," Steve murmured through labored breaths.

"I'm going to fucking kill him!" Aaron barked but Esther leaped up at him, holding him back.

"Not like this," she said, her hard stare fixed on Steve. Esther held on to the raging Aaron, keeping him at bay, waiting for him to calm down.

As Aaron released his grip, Steve's jelly-like legs gave out and he dropped to his knees. He was still dazed but he was beginning to feel some focus returning. He lifted his head, grimacing from pain in his ribcage and head.

"I've got a better idea," Esther said, releasing Aaron. "Help him up."

Aaron stood staring into Steve's eyes for a moment with rage in his eyes.

"Over there," Esther pointed to the corner of the room where several pipes protruded out of the wall and threw Aaron the metal handcuffs.

Aaron pulled Steve's arm up, giving him the help needed to stand up and he escorted him along. Steve released a painful groan and closed his eyes in an attempt to ride the dizziness that washed over him. His feet felt like he was walking on soft ground, searing pain flowing through his body.

"Sit," Aaron said, pushing Steve down to the floor.

Steve dropped to the floor, his backside smacking off the hard surface, causing it to go numb for a few seconds. Aaron clasped a set of handcuffs over his wrists, securing it to one of the pipes behind his back. He didn't resist at all.

Aaron stood up and backed up, nervously glancing over the watch. "Twelve minutes."

Esther dropped on her knee in front of Steve and gripped his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Killing you would be too easy," she said. "You'll probably die with all the people down here. But I would be a fool to underestimate you. You might get out of this somehow and I don't mind."

She released her grip and smiled, enjoying Steve's quiet glowering. "I would be more satisfied if you survived," she continued. "Because that means you'll suffer. You'll live knowing what you've done. You shot your partner, darling. You helped us with our plan. People died because of you. And once the drugs will wear off and you remember it all, you'll hate yourself."

Aaron smirked, finally realizing his sister was about to get her revenge either way.

"Besides," Esther continued. "I think no one will care you're a cop after all this. You broke into the military facility, shared the classified information. So I think you'll spend some time in jail." Her grin grew even bigger. She leaned toward Steve's ear, he could feel her hot breath on his neck. "And let me tell you a secret, no one likes cops in the jail," she whispered.

Esther's fingers cupped Steve's face as she pulled away and their gazes met. "Good luck, darling. I enjoyed your company but it's time to say goodbye."

Steve gritted his teeth, his mind whirling, as he watched the siblings walk out of the room cautiously. Soon everything was drowned out by the surge of rage, the throbbing of blood in his ears. As he struggled to control it, he saw Danny and Catherine in flashes. The images of what he'd done to them crept into his mind. Was it real? Did he really do what Esther said? Did he shoot Danny? Did he kill his best friend? His mind was a blur again. Maybe it was all just another hallucination, just like the ones before. He sure hoped so.

He had no idea how long had he been sitting in there, trying to put the pieces of his memories together. Minutes at most. But soon the exhaustion began to take over and keeping the eyes open was a challenge. So he let the darkness creep inside his head and wash the pain away as he closed his eyes.

Danny expected to run into troubles upon their arrival, to be sent away but there were no guards to keep them out. He found it disturbing, he knew that was not a good sign. He picked up the pace, the team just a few steps behind him. They slowed down as they neared the entrance and Danny's jaw dropped. At least twenty people were standing outside, exchanging confused glances, the green entrance door open and a siren echoed from the inside.

It wasn't hard to get there. The hard part was to persuade the man in charge of evacuation to let them in. He insisted on them to leave the property immediately not only because they were not supposed to be there at all, but also because there were four bombs set inside, ready to explode soon. It took a few lies about who had sent them and a few false threats for Danny to finally hear the words he wanted to hear.

"Fine, go ahead."

They split up, determined to find Steve before someone else will, trusting the professionals to handle the dirty bombs in time. Danny was sure the Navy would keep some specialists on the site, just in case. His focus was to find his best friend.

Not knowing exactly where they were going, Danny and Catherine were moving fast, almost running. The adrenaline was pumping through Danny's body, making it hard to stay calm and focused. He knew he had to be cautious but he found it almost impossible not to just fall into a sprint to get there as quickly as he could. Rounding the next corner he almost bundled right into someone. It was her. Esther Bennett.

The look of surprise on her face was probably much like his. Danny quickly aimed his gun toward her chest. Only then he noticed that she was pointing a handgun at his. Catherine had a gun aimed at Esther too.

"Well, I didn't expect to see you anymore," she said, her expression turning to anger.

"Oh really?" Danny said. "But here I am. Put the gun down."

Esther laughed mockingly. "Not gonna happen," she said. "I can pull the trigger just as fast as you can. Faster than your girl can."

Danny didn't have time for playing her games. "Where is McGarrett?" he snapped.

"Why would I tell you that?" she grinned. "Don't worry. He's still alive. But he won't be for much longer. This place is going to blow up in less than six minutes."

A big lump formed in Danny's throat with the thought. A tiny doubt was lingering in his mind. What they won't make it on time?

The sound of the siren was accompanied by gunshots nearby, he could say they were the target. Danny and Catherine instinctively ducked and crouched low, taking cover while looking for the shooter. A masked man fired at them from an automatic weapon, making them take cover behind a corner. They waited for a short pause in the gunfire and peeked from their covers to return the fire. They watched the man's lifeless body slump down on the floor.

Turning his gaze to where he'd seen Esther before, he swore. "Damn it!" She was gone.

The siren stopped wailing finally and Danny was thankful for that, it had been a terrible sound, making his headache even worse than it already had been.

"Danny, we need to keep moving," Catherine reminded him.

He nodded and moved forward, looking for anything that would tell them which direction to go. Junior was right about this place is huge. A voice in his earpiece snapped him from his thoughts.

"Good news," Lou's voice echoed in his ear. "The bombs had been defused."

Danny's heart lurched with a relief. "That's great."

"Any sign of Steve?"

"No, not yet," he said. "But be careful, we've got our perps in here."

They kept moving, checking every corner, every door they could get into. Doubt was creeping its way into Danny's mind again. He was wondering whether they'll be able to find Steve in such a huge place. Or maybe Steve wasn't even there. Another few minutes passed when he opened another door, expecting to find nothing, just like in the previous rooms.

But he felt his body stiffen and his heart skipped a beat when he took in the scene. Steve's still body was cuffed to the pipes in the corner of the small storage room, his face pale and bruised, eyes closed. He heard Catherine's quiet sob behind him.

"Steve," she whispered as they both ran toward him and dropped on the floor right next to him.

Danny sighed in relief when he noticed Steve's chest was moving. He was alive. Squeezing his partner's shoulder, Danny scanned through him for injuries, but there didn't seem to be anything serious. "Hey, partner. You're going to be all right" he said. "Just hang in there."

He reached for his pocket for a key to unlock the cuffs but Catherine stopped him.

"I don't know whether it's a good idea," she said. "Let's wait a minute, okay? He might go after you again."

Danny nodded reluctantly, returning his attention to his partner, gently shaking him. "Wake up, buddy."

Catherine gently touched Steve's sweaty cheek and frowned. "He's burning up."

"So here you are," Danny heard an angry voice behind him before he had time to react. He whipped his head in that direction and saw Jackson standing in the doorway.

Catherine stood up quickly as Jackson walked in, standing between him and Steve. "Sir, I can explain everything," she said. "Can we talk, please?"

He hesitated for a while, obviously torn between getting to Steve for what he'd done and getting the situation explained.

"I know what it looks like," Catherine continued. "But it's not what you think. Please give us a chance to explain before you decide to do anything," she pleaded.

Jackson released a long sigh. "Fine," he agreed after a moment. "Let's go next door," he said, pointing to the doorway on the left.

Catherine gave one more glance to Steve and Danny, then she walked out of the room, followed by Jackson.

"Steve, wake up."

Steve slowly lifted his heavy eyelids. His weary brain took a few seconds to process the image in front of him.

"Buddy, come on, wake up."

Danny was crouched down beside him, gently shaking him. Steve turned, his head spinning wildly. He closed his eyes again to ride off the dizziness.

"Steve! You need to fight. Open your eyes."

He had his head down and kept his eyes closed. He could hear the words being spoken to him and recognized that they were from his partner but his brain was a few seconds behind in processing them. The lack of food and water and the physical and mental torture in the past days were taking their toll. Sounds were more like echoes in his head. He wasn't quite sure whether he was awake or asleep. But Danny was there with him. Steve knew Danny was begging him to fight something, but he didn't quite understand why.

"Steve, are you listening to me?"

What was Danny doing here? Was he real or just another trick of his mind? Steve searched his brain for a memory that made sense, but it was all a scramble. Thoughts were coming and going without taking hold. He groaned and fluttered his eyes open. He tried to lift his head but hung it down again.

Danny took out a silver key out of his pocket and unlocked Steve's cuffs. His partner didn't look like he was in a condition to attack anybody and Danny couldn't bear the image of his best friend like this anymore. Steve's arms dropped to the floor. It took a few seconds for blood to flow back through his tired limbs and for the feeling in his hands to return. When it did, Steve lifted his shaking hands up and rubbed them together, getting used to having some sensation back.

Scanning his partner for injuries again, Danny squeezed Steve's arm tightly. "Are you all right, huh?" he asked. "Talk to me, partner."

There was still this weird feeling he should try to free himself from Danny's grip. To fight him, to hurt him. But he didn't want to. A sudden image of Danny's confused eyes looking into the barrel of Steve's gun crossed his mind. The blood seeping through his shirt. Did Esther said he'd shot him? Then it finally clicked. She'd been right. He'd tried to kill his best friend because that was what she asked him to do. But he was here, Danny was here and alive. His eyes grew wide.

"No. Don't touch me!" Steve screamed, flinching away from the desperate Danny's touch. The realization he could hurt his partner again woke him up. His eyes were wild, his breathing fast and shallow, his whole body trembling.

"It's all right, buddy," Danny said, gently taking Steve's hand and holding it firmly. "Listen to me. You're safe, no one is going to hurt you. I'm here now. Trust me. Let me help you."

Danny didn't get it. Steve wasn't afraid of being hurt. He was afraid of hurting his best friend, his brother. As if a switch inside him had suddenly been flicked, Steve's features quickly softened as he looked into Danny's eyes.

Danny almost expected Steve to fight or yank his hand away in panic but he didn't. Instead, he relaxed a little, tears forming in his eyes, and let out a breath. "Danno? I…"

"It's okay," Danny said and pulled Steve into a hug he didn't resist. "It's all right, I'm here, I got you."

Danny could feel Steve's heart pounding fast in his chest. He pulled away from the hug and looked into his friend's glassy eyes. "It's over, Steve."

Steve looked away and Danny could see the tears forming in his eyes. It was unusual and painful to see him so vulnerable, so weak, so emotional. He was always a strong leader, their superSEAL and always in control. Steve's weak and emotional demeanor worried him.

"Are you real?" Steve asked hesitantly.

"Am I real?" Danny said, drawing his brows in confusion. He realized Steve had probably been hallucinating before, seeing him. "Of course I'm real. I'm here and I'll get you out," he assured Steve, who just nodded silently.

"You're gonna be all right," Danny said as he squeezed Steve's shoulder a bit tighter. But he knew Steve was not all right, far from it. Both Bennett's were probably in the wind and his best friend was hurt and confused. Nothing was all right.

Steve looked around the small room in confusion. "Where am I?" he asked.

Danny hesitated for a moment. Their eyes met, the look in Steve's blue eyes seemed confused but not cold and blank anymore. "Red Hill," he answered eventually.

It took Steve a while to process the information, then he shook his head wildly as the realization hit him. "No," he muttered. "No. No. No. What have I done?"

"It's all right, buddy," Danny soothed him, repeating the same words over and over again. "We stopped the bad guys."

That was not enough for Steve. He had no idea how they managed to break him, to make him follow their orders. But he did. He helped them to get inside and they almost succeeded in blowing the place up. Danny didn't understand. Steve was the bad guy too, he definitely felt like one. Because of what Aaron and Esther did to him.

"Where is she? Where is Esther?" Steve asked, raising the voice as the rage began to bubble inside him.

"I don't know, we didn't find her yet," Danny answered, shaking his head. "But she must be still here, she won't get out alive. Everyone's looking for her and Aaron."

Steve lifted his head and their gazes met. "I'm sorry," Steve mumbled. "I'm so sorry." He fought hard to hold the tears back.

"What? You don't have to be sorry, Steve. None of this was your fault."

"I shot you," Steve opposed. "I tried to kill you."And there was something else, another memory coming to the surface. Another vivid image of his nightmare. He shook his head wildly, his breaths shallow in panic. "Catherine," he said. "I tried to kill her too."

"No. Listen to me. It wasn't you, Steve," Danny said as he had tightened his arms around Steve, who began to tremble. "They messed with your head. Catherine is all right. I'm all right. You'll be all right too. And we're with you, okay? You're not alone, we'll get through this together."

Steve didn't answer, he was trying to put all the pieces together. It didn't matter he had been drugged. Because it was still him who had done all those things. Because he couldn't fight it. Because his brain gave in.

"Detective Williams, can I have a word in private, please? I won't keep you for long." A familiar tall man in the navy uniform stood behind Danny with Catherine right next to him.

Steve glanced over in her direction and caught a weak smile on her lips as she looked at him. But the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Danny looked over his shoulder to Jackson, back to Steve and hesitated. "No. I don't want to leave him alone," he said.

"It's important," Jackson said as he pointed his head in Steve's direction to hint Danny what they needed to talk about. "It will only take a minute or two," Jackson insisted.

"Uh, okay," Danny answered reluctantly and turned his gaze back to Steve. "I need to talk to Commander Jackson and Catherine, all right? It will be just a minute." Danny waited for Steve to nod. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Steve nodded again. "I'm fine. Go." It was a lie. His whole body ached and he was weak and drowsy, but he didn't have any life-threatening injuries as far as he knew. He wondered whether Commander Jackson wanted to talk about him breaking into Red Hill. Cath and Danny were probably trying to save his ass and explain the situation. But it couldn't change how he felt about himself. How much he hated himself for what he'd done.

Danny glanced over Steve hesitantly one more time, ensuring his friend is back to his senses. "All right, don't move, I'll be back in a minute and I'll get you out of here. We're right behind that door if you need us." Danny pointed to the doorway.

"Okay," Steve nodded.

Danny and Catherine disappeared in the door just a few steps down the hall, followed by Commander Jackson. Steve sat still for a while, trying to bring his mind to clarity again, looking through the open entrance door, when he saw a movement at the end of the hall. It was either his mind playing with him again or it was Aaron.

Mustering as much strength as Steve could, he sprung onto his feet. Releasing a loud groan of pain he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to regain his balance. With one hand pressed against the wall, he took a few deep breaths and slowly moved in the direction where he saw the figure moving.

As he crept along the wall, Steve saw the man again. He was trying to move in stealth, making sure no one is behind the corners. He was looking for a way out without being noticed. Turning his head to check behind him, the man's eyes met Steve's. Steve had been right. It was Aaron. And there was no way he would let him get away.

Steve wanted to run after him, but for a few seconds, he couldn't move. He was frozen. A rush of images flew through Steve's head. Aaron. Esther. The serum they gave him. The things they made him do. Danny bleeding out right in front of him. The look in Danny's blue eyes when he realized his best friend had shot him. Catherine's tears as Steve squeezed his hands around her throat. The panic in her eyes. The memories flooded his mind. Steve's heart was thumping in his chest.

Still leaning his hand on the wall, Steve was staring right into Aaron's eyes. Aaron half-smiled through his gritted teeth as he saw Steve. Steve shook his head, trying to escape his nightmare. Anger was rattling around inside him. A new wave of energy and strength rushed into him. He felt his legs begin to twitch. Adrenaline surged through his body, readying him for action.

With the images of the things he had done still flying through his head, Steve was sure he heard a battle cry as he sprang into action. He couldn't be certain if it was in his head or if it had actually come from his lips. But he was no longer acting consciously. Something else was controlling him now. A rage deep down inside him.

Aaron had just enough time to draw his gun before Steve barged into him. Steve underestimated the size and shape of Aaron, who almost caught Steve as he flew through the air at him. They both remained upright, grappling, trying to gain an advantage.

Aaron's gun flew out of his hand in the chaos, but he quickly reached for the knife behind his back. Steve tried his best to keep Aaron's knife at bay, his left hand tightly around Aaron's right wrist. But Steve was in no good shape to fight and Aaron was strong. Far stronger than Steve at this moment. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold him in the position for long.

Aaron aimed a head-butt at Steve. It caught him on the base of the nose. A dull crack sounded out at the impact and blood began to ooze out of his nose, but Steve felt no pain from the blow. He couldn't feel pain right now.

As Steve continued to focus on the knife hand, Aaron used the distraction to his advantage. Ducking and twisting his body, he hauled Steve to the floor. They landed with a thud, Aaron on the top, trying to shove the knife into Steve's body. Steve rolled over to the side as the knife in Aaron's hand flew at him again in a blur.

Both men got up to their feet quickly, barging into each other. Steve stumbled as Aaron ducked to the side, which allowed Aaron enough time to wrap his left arm around Steve's neck from behind, squeezing the air out of Steve's lungs. Steve wrapped his hand around Aaron's right wrist as he was about to plunge the knife into Steve's chest.

Steve could already feel the cold metal pressed onto his skin when he head-butted Aaron. Both men fell to the ground and Aaron landed on top of Steve again, but the knife had come out of his hand in the process. This was now an even fight.

Aaron tried to pin Steve's arms. But as strong as he was, four men couldn't have held the rage inside Steve at bay. His right arm wrapped around Aaron's neck, pulling him into a headlock. He pushed upwards and outwards, swiveling them both around so that he was on top.

Steve had the advantage now. Both men grappled, throwing fists at each other. Pinning Aaron's arms, Steve lifted his head as high as he could and brought it down onto Aaron's nose. It cut the skin on Steve's forehead, just above his left eye. The blood began to pour, covering his face and filling his eyes. But the blow had still been enough to leave Aaron dazed.

Steve pummelled his fist into Aaron's face. Then another one. Aaron blocked the third blow and drew a right cross to Steve's head. Steve's world began to go dizzy. He moved his body so that he was no longer laying on Aaron, but straddling him, his legs pinning Aaron's arms. Blood now covered both men. Steve couldn't be sure how much of it was his own and how much was Aaron's.

But Steve was in charge now. With him sitting upright, his arms had free rein. A right hook from Steve caught Aaron's jaw. Then left to the cheek. And again. Aaron wasn't providing much resistance anymore after the last blow. But Steve kept pounding him with his fists. A right to his other cheek. A left caught his right eye.

Steve panted heavy breaths as his fists rained down on Aaron's head. One punch after the other. Hit after hit. No stopping him now. Nothing left to hold him back. The images of him almost killing the two people he loved the most because of the man in front of him and his twisted sister, returned to him. He pounded harder, trying to get the images out of his head.

"Steve. That's enough."

He barely heard Danny's voice, he just carried on. His fists were falling in a frenzied fury.

"Steve, stop."

Danny's voice was weak. He had heard it, but he couldn't stop. He didn't want to stop. He kept on going, kept on pounding.

"Steve! Stop!" Danny yelled. He wrapped his arm around Steve's shoulders.

Feeling the touch, Steve finally found the focus to stop. He was panting heavy breaths, his hands throbbed. His vision was blurred and red. He shut his eyes, not wanting to look at what he had just done. Both of Danny's arms were now wrapped around him.

"It's over. He's dead," Danny said to him.

Steve didn't move, he couldn't.

"Steve, it's all right. He is dead now. Come on, we have to get you out of here, buddy."

He opened his eyes but didn't say anything, just nodded his head.

"Are you okay? Can you stand up?"

Steve nodded again. He let Danny help him on his feet with his arm on Danny's shoulders. His legs felt like jelly, but the fog in his head was beginning to clear. With his senses returning, he was aware of the pain in his body for the first time. It was growing by the second. He looked down at its source and saw a bloodstain on his abdomen growing bigger. Aaron must have managed to plunge the knife into him in the chaos. A sudden wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him, buckling his knees.

Danny held his arm tightly around his friend. With every second more and more Steve's bodyweight was shifted to Danny. "Steve?" he said, his voice worried. "Steve!"

The world around Steve began to fade. The pain in his abdomen was immense, sending shock waves all the way through his body. He slumped on his knees even with Danny holding him. He heard a familiar voice screaming his name, over and over but he only heard it in the distance. Someone lowered him on the floor carefully but everything was so fuzzy, he couldn't recognize what was happening around him.

Danny's eyes scanned through Steve's body as he lowered him on the floor. "Wait, what's that? Is all that blood yours?" he gasped as his eyes landed on the big knife wound in Steve's belly. "Oh, no. No." He quickly pushed his hand onto Steve's wound, pressing as hard as he could. The soaked skin squelched and bubbled as the blood tried to find its way through. "Steve? Buddy, you listen to me. You're going to be all right, just hang in there."

Steve breathed a painful moan and his eyelids flickered. There was no fight left in him now. He tried to move but he couldn't. His breaths were becoming slow and shallow, his vision blurry. The weakness he felt before he had spotted Aaron trying to get away was now back in full force. He was exhausted and all he wanted was to close his eyes and slip into the darkness. "Da-nno," he whispered through jolted breaths. "So-rry," he blubbered, blood spilling out of his mouth as he spoke.

"No, don't be sorry," Danny said. "Come on, Steve," Danny's pleading voice didn't bring Steve back to senses. He could see Steve's eyes were drifting shut. "Just keep your eyes open!"

"Steve!" Danny heard Catherine's scared voice behind him. He didn't hear her coming.

"Get an ambulance, fast," Catherine shouted at Jackson standing next to her.

"I already did, right before you arrived. They should be on the way already."

"What happened? He was okay," she said, dropping on the floor and grabbing Steve's hand.

"It's my fault," Danny said, his voice trembling. "I shouldn't have left him alone. He went after Aaron and…" he wasn't able to finish the sentence.

Catherine pressed harder on Steve's hand, squeezing it tightly. A tear escaped from her eye and rolled down her face. "Come on, sailor, open your eyes. Please."

With what seemed a great effort, Steve parted his eyelids. His breathing was labored, hindered by the pain. His face pale and sweaty.

"That's it, buddy. Just stay with us. You're gonna be all right," Danny whispered.

Steve tried to speak again. He got his words out, so faint that they were almost a whisper. "Sorry. Love y…"

Danny and Catherine exchanged glances. They knew Steve's words were addressed to both of them. And they knew Steve was saying his goodbye."

"No. Stop it, buddy," Danny whispered, his voice catching in his throat. "You'll tell us later, all right? You have to stay with us."

"Hold on, Steve," Catherine pleaded. "Please. Just a little longer."

The voices kept talking to Steve but it was only an echo in his head, the words didn't make any sense. His eyelids were just too heavy to keep the eyes opened. It would be blissful to slide into the darkness of the sleep. Unable to hold on any longer, Steve closed his eyes and the voices around him slowly faded.

"No. No. No. Steve, open your eyes!" Danny screamed but his friend's eyelids didn't move a bit. "Open your eyes, buddy," he pleaded. Nothing. With tears rushing into his eyes he pressed his fingers onto Steve's neck, checking for a pulse. It was weak, but still there.

Catherine couldn't hold the tears at bay anymore, she let them flow freely, not releasing her grip of Steve's hand for a second. "Steve, don't you dare to give up," she cried. "I need to tell you something."

"Steve, stay with us." Danny blinked away the tears that had filled his eyes. "Listen to me! You're not dying today, all right? Just hold on, partner."

Seconds passed that seemed like hours. Danny felt a hand on his arm move him forcefully aside as someone arrived. Danny made way and the man knelt beside Steve.

"The ambulance is on its way," Jackson said. "This is a local doctor," he explained.

Pulling a pair of latex gloves, the doctor started by taking a sterile gauze pad out of the bag and putting it over the wound. He looked up at Catherine. "Can you apply pressure on the wound?"

She nodded and did as told, studying Steve's still and pale face in panic.

The doctor continued by opening Steve's eyelids and passing light over them.

From his viewpoint, Danny could see that Steve was unresponsive to the intense light of the torch. He wasn't sure if he was still breathing. His heart was beating against his ribs like crazy. The thought of losing Steve after all this was unimaginable.

"How long has he been like this?" the doctor glanced up at all present, in turn.

"About a minute?" Danny spoke.

"Damn. He stopped breathing. Where's that ambulance?" the doctor asked without looking up.

"On its way," Jackson's voice announced. "They should be here by now."

Danny's heart squeezed in panic. Not breathing. Those words were like a knife into his heart. His best friend, his brother was dying in front of his eyes and there was nothing he could do about it.

So here we go... Steve's been found finally. What do you think about the chapter? Let me know :)