Well this is it! The final chapter. I was dithering whether or not to continue but I realized that I might have gotten lost at some point.

I am utterly grateful for all the interest you've shown in my little story, my first attempt at fanfic. I feel a bit more confident to tackle my second one. It's already in the works but I want to make sure I have the story all laid out before I start posting. I wouldn't want to get stuck in the middle and have to scrap it. It's not fair to the readers who start liking a story only to see it stalled or abandoned. Hopefully I'll be back before the end of April.

I hope you enjoy this ending.

"Danny? Where the hell are you? We've been trying to reach you, brah."

"I had to get away and clear my thoughts and I lost track of time. Besides I left you a message in your voice mail. Didn't you get it?"

"I did but it didn't tell us where you were going nor that your phone would be out."

"I didn't know where I was heading. I just drove around aimlessly and ended up in the Pololu Valley. There's no cell reception in the mountains and after that my phone went dead on me. Why? What's wrong?" Danny's brows creased. "Is it Grace? She's with her mom in England."

"It's not Grace, it's Steve." There was a slight pause.

H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50

"He's coming back."

"What?" Danny choked at the staggering news that his mind wasn't fully grasping. "But the doctor told me he was - "

"You should have stuck around for the results of the tests, brah. It was a blood clot. They went in and removed it."

"He's okay?" Danny gulped

"He should be. Right now he's still unconscious but the doctor says it's just a matter of hours before he wakes up." Chin said cheerfully and then turned sombre. "However they don't know how he will be when he comes to but nevertheless, you ought to be here when he does. So get your butt back here."

"I'm on my way. I should be there in late afternoon," Danny said excitedly.

"We'll wait for you."

Danny hung up his phone and ran a hand across his face. He held it to his mouth, choking against the turmoil of the last months. Could it be that it was finally over? Steve was back? He had to see it to believe it.

Suddenly his elation turned to apprehension at the possible brain damage that the doctor warned him about, but he brushed it aside for now and forced himself to think positive.

H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50

Danny arrived at hospital in record time and hurried down to Steve's room. Chin met Danny at the door.

"How is he? Is he awake?"

"See for yourself," Chin said, motioning to the bed where two weary eyes locked on to Danny.

With a heart welling up with anticipation, Danny approached the bed. "Hey there! How are you feeling?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are, Danny."

Danny's eyes dropped like lead. "Oh no." he whimpered. He then turned to Kono who for some reason wore a grin on her face.

"Danny, don't you get it? He spoke your name."

"He said that he didn't know who..." then it suddenly dawned on him, "dammit McGarrett! That is not funny!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Steve asked bashfully, cringing at the sudden bellow that made his head pound.

"Because you are a moron! Do you have any id..." he took a deep breath to calm himself before turning to Chin and Kono. "Could you please leave us alone for a bit?"

"Go easy on him, Danny," Kono cautioned.

Once Kono and Chin were out of the room, Danny turned to Steve who wore a silly grin but with apologetic eyes. "Do you have any idea what you put us through?"

"Kono and Chin filled me in. I'm sorry."

"You were in the coma for over four months, FOUR FREAKING MONTHS! Wondering whether or not you'd ever wake up. And a few days ago, you had two seizures." He gesticulated wildly while frantically pacing the length of the side of the bed. "You went completely flat on us. No response, no nothing.

"You compelled me to open that envelope. Damn you! That DNR order and all those assets in my name. I was a wreck! Do you have any idea how that feels?" an emotional Danny grinded his words with teeth set to avoid crying his eyes out. Steve lowered his eyes in repentance, a tear out of the corner of his eyes at Danny's affliction. "And now you have the gall to joke about having amnesia! That's not funny, Steven! Not funny at all!"

"I'm sorry, Danny."

"Oh no Danny, don't worry about it. It's just a headache," Danny mimicked Steve's mannerisms with arms akimbo. "I'm fine. It'll pass."

Steve could only avert his gaze from Danny as he felt his own emotions betraying him.

Danny sniffed, trying hard to rein in his emotions that were all over the place. "Don't you dare look away from me!" Then unable to hold it together anymore, he leaned over Steve and hugged him. Steve's arms snaked around his partner's shivering body.

"Next time will you listen to me when I tell you to go see a doctor?" Danny sobbed.

"Yes, I promise. You look like hell."

"Yeah, well, right back at you."

"Guess we both need a vacation."

"Ah! Now he listens!" Danny flung his arms in the air.

"And I did hear you while I was in the coma."

"Really?"

"You sounded like you were underwater but I distinctly heard your voice, Kono's, Chin's and Mary's. And – I'm not sure – but I think I heard Catherine's."

"Yeah she was here."

"So she's okay?"

"Yeah, she's okay. She's been here three times while you were in the coma, each time hoping you'd hear her and wake up. Whenever she would kiss you you'd laugh."

"I did?" Steve sounded incredulous.

"Yeah. It was rather annoying and might I add, a bit insulting. And whenever I would tell a joke, you'd cry."

"Well can you blam..."

"Shut up!"

"I wanted to tell you all that I was here and that I could hear you, but I couldn't."

"You heard everything?" Danny cringed at the thought of some of the unpleasantries that he lashed out at Steve.

"Heard you curse my name. It was hard to miss."

"Sorry but you brought this on yourself."

"I love you, partner."

"Yeah, well I don't. I so hate you right now." He avoided Steve's stare but couldn't help being lured toward the lost-puppy look. "Don't do that!"

"What? Do what?"

"That face, right there. Wipe it off!" Danny hung his head. "Do you need anything?"

"Not right now. I'm f...," Danny swiftly raised a finger. "I'm good?"

"I can live with that." Without so much of a glance at Steve to conceal his discomposure, he patted his shoulder. "You rest now. I'll be back later."

"Danny."

"What?" The ensuing silence prompted Danny to look at Steve. He could read his thoughts in his sorrowful gaze. "You're welcome, babe. Now sleep."

H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50H50

Steve was under the doctor's care for monthly check-ups to see if the tumor had not returned or that there hadn't been any lingering effects from his ruptured aneurysm.

Weeks later, Steve was back at work. He called Mary who had now retrieved her driver's license and he invited her to move in with him for the remainder of her probation, hoping that she'd decide to settle in Hawaii permanently.

The Enterprise would be docking in a few days. Steve was looking forward to an intimate evening with his girl and organized something special.

But before taking care of his two ladies, Steve planned a surprise on his partner to thank him for being everyone's beacon and pillar of strength during his coma.

This was a typical cargument.

"No way, babe. I'm not going," Danny griped.

"Come on Danny, admit it! You love it up there. Heard you went by yourself to the same spot we've been when I was laid up."

"I was despondent and obviously not in my right state of mind," Danny defended.

"It's all set for next weekend. I know you don't have Grace with you, you told me. You'll be all alone in that crummy apartment of yours looking for something to do."

"I can think of several other less neck-breaking activities to occupy my weekend."

Steve remained silent with a silly grin on his face.

"I mean it, Steven, you're not going to convince me," Danny insisted. He was miffed that his partner was pressing the issue despite his emphatic no. "It's spooky up there and don't want to run into that ghost again."

Steve's eyes bulged out. "Ghost?" he mocked. "You saw a ghost?"

"Yes, no, I mean I don't know who or what he was. It was weird. There he was appearing out of nowhere in the middle of nowhere. He said he'd come from the trail but there was no trail. He knew what your letter said before I opened the envelope and he even called me Danno."

"Huh!" Steve emitted after hanging on Danny's every word. "Did he look familiar to you?"

"No he was a perfect stranger who just showed up out of the blue. How did he know how to find me on top of a mountain, sitting on a boulder near a cliff overlooking the vast valley in the middle of nowhere?" Then Danny relented and offered this explanation, "You know what? I think he was a pure figment of my imagination. Yeah that's it. I was so out of it that my subconscious actually projected an entity to push me into opening your envelope."

"Did this entity have a name?"

"I named it Tim."

"Tim? Know anyone by that name?" Steve couldn't help but play along knowing this was annoying Danny.

Danny huffed out in frustration. "Not that I recall. Would you just let it go already?"

"I wonder if we get up there we'll see friendly Tim again."

"McGarrett, don't push me," Danny gave a friendly warning to Steve's derision.

"Don't worry, Danny. I'll be with you if Tim decides to strike against us or something. I'll even bring the garlic just in case," Steve ribbed. He was trying hard to hide his amused grin at Danny's exasperation. "Isn't that what they use to keep the ghosts at bay?"

"Steven I'm warning you."

"Oh come on Danny admit it, it's funny."

"No it's not! Damn you! You just can't get it through your head that I went to hell back and forth! You are turning this into a joke and it's not funny!" Danny fumed with tears pooling in his eyes.

"Sorry. You're right," Steve repented.

"I'm not going."

Again Steve just shrugged and waited for the silence to work its magic on Danny.

"Steve, stop it."

"I'm not doing anything!"

"Yes you are."

Another few seconds passed and Danny heaved a frustrated sigh and closed his eyes in defeat.

"Oh God I hate you."

Steve turned to him with a triumphant grin. "I love you too, Danno."