Disclaimer: See initial chapter.
A/N: To those who review anonymously - thank you for your encouragement.
Steve's face is a mask, but his voice thick with ill-concealed anger, and what Kono recognizes as doubt. "Of course that's what Danny would want. He's got Grace and Rachel and…he'd want to live. For them."
"For us too, brah," Chin says, glancing up at Steve, giving his friend, and boss, a tight smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Danny'd want to come back for us, and to make the world a safer place for Grace and her baby brother."
There's no doubt in Chin's mind that he and Steve are right, that, given the choice, Danny would choose to live, not for himself, but for those he'd be leaving behind if he didn't. That, if it was one of them who were lying dead at Danny's feet, the detective would jump at the chance, no matter how remote it seemed, to save them. Hell, he'd probably be on his knees right now, attempting to resuscitate Chin if it was him spread-eagled on the frosty, metallic floor, instead of Danny.
He understands where Kono's coming from, though. He knows that, if Max is able to bring Danny back to them, the man he's grown so close to in the past two years will be forced to face what happened to him at the hands of his kidnappers.
Sure, Danny'll heal physically. Modern science will see to that. But, mentally and emotionally? That's a whole different question, and Chin isn't sure that, if their positions were reversed, he'd be able to face what Danny will have to if Max can work the miracle that he believes he can.
He isn't that strong. Given the chance, he'd choose death over having to face everything that happened to Danny.
Chin, you're one of the strongest men I know. Don't lie to yourself. You have Malia and your ohana; they'd help you through this. You'd probably handle this better than I will.
Danny's voice comes at Chin like a bullet, piercing him to the marrow. Chin shakes his head, wondering where the thought came from. The mental picture he gets of Danny is one that is atypical of the acerbic man: a sad, terse smile graces Danny's face, and he's sitting cross-legged on the beach off McGarrett's home, wearing board shorts and a long-sleeved tee-shirt to cover the multitude of scars on his arms.
Just like you'll help me when the time comes. You know, you, and Kono, and McGarrett, are always waxing on about ohana, and how we're all family. I'll hold you to it.
Chin envisions Danny rising and patting him on the arm, and then the man just disappears, leaving Chin to blink at the harsh lights of Danny's makeshift crypt. It's unnerving, and in spite of the jacket that he's wearing (they're all wearing jackets), he shivers.
Steve's arms are crossed over his chest. "What do we have to do?" He jerks his chin at Danny's much too still form.
"We'll need to cut him free and then transport him as quickly as possible to Queen's Medical. We can't let him warm up until we have him in the proper environment, or it could cause brain damage," Max explains.
With something concrete to do, Steve is spurred into action, and he quickly kneels to the task of freeing Danny from the ropes. Max instructs while he and Chin do the actual cutting. Steve bites his bottom lip to keep from making a sound, because it's difficult to contain his fury at what's been done to his friend.
Chin's sharp intake of breath causes Steve to look up; he doesn't like what he sees in the older man's eyes.
"Oh Danny," Chin says softly once he manages to free the man's left ankle.
If Danny hadn't been frozen, he'd be bleeding. As it is, Steve wonders if the man will end up losing one of his hands or feet, if not all four of them, but he doesn't voice his concern, lest his speaking it aloud makes it a reality.
"He's lucky he's been frozen," Max says.
His voice is far too cheerful for Steve's liking, but he knows that the doctor isn't going out of his way to be insensitive.
"Why's that?" Kono asks, curious.
She's crouched at Danny's head, and is running her fingers through his hair, as though to soothe the dead man. It's a strange sight to behold.
"Because, if Detective Williams hadn't been frozen, I don't think we'd be able to save his hands and feet. Now that he's been cut free, the circulation, when it returns, will be able to flow to each extremity properly now that the binds have been removed," Max explains with a smile, as he checks on each of the freed limbs. "With surgery, he should be able to have a full range of motion as well."
Steve releases some of his pent-up tension in a loud sigh, and, for the first time since Danny had gone missing, he begins to think that maybe everything is going to be alright. Eventually.
"Can we cover him up now?" Steve asks.
Max blushes, but shakes his head. He wants to cover Danny up too, but they can't do anything until Danny's arrived at the hospital and is in a controlled environment.
"We need to get him on a gurney," Max says, and he snaps his fingers for the paramedics who've been waiting outside, and gestures for them to come in.
It isn't long before Danny's secured to the gurney, and he's being loaded into the back of an ambulance. The paramedics send each other puzzled looks as they fold the body bag up and tuck it away. Under Max's guidance, they don't hook the body they're bringing to the hospital up to anything, but they do break speed limits to get to the hospital in record time.
Steve, Kono and Chin are following in separate vehicles, arriving shortly after the ambulance.
On the way to the hospital, Max quietly issues orders over his cellphone to the only doctor he trusts to be able to do his, Dr. Kellerman. When they arrive, Danny is quickly whisked away and Max has to jog to keep up with the paramedics.
A medical team of six awaits them on the second floor. Max, Dr. Kellerman, and the five men and women he'd chosen to work with them begin the arduous task of bringing Danny back to life by slowly rewarming his body and introducing oxygen to his system.
Danny's other injuries will have to wait until later, though some of them are rather alarming to the assembled doctors and nurses, all of whom had been briefed just minutes before their patient arrived. In the end, it's a waiting game. Danny doesn't return to the land of the living right away.
Steve, Chin and Kono take turns waiting at the hospital after the initial twenty-four hours has come and gone. They all need sleep, and they still have cases to work.
Danny's death is widely publicized, the killers are criticized – a suggestion made by the B.A.U. team sent from D.C. to help out with the case. The hope is that it will anger the killers, and that it will cause them to slip up.
Steve and Chin both deliver the news to Rachel in person, and explain the procedure that Dr. Bergman and Kellerman are performing in an attempt to revive Danny.
"And, you think this will really work?" Rachel asks, her eyes flicker to Steve for confirmation.
"Dr. Bergman seems to think so," Steve says, and he squeezes her hand.
"Steven, what do you think? Do you think he can come back from this?"
"I think he's got a fighting chance, and that if anyone could come back from the dead, it'd be Danny." He believes what he says, knows in his heart that Danny will fight tooth and nail to return to them, no matter what.
"And if he does return to us?" Rachel's hands are trembling, and, though her eyes well with tears, she doesn't cry.
"When he returns to us, we'll help him through the rest," Chin reassures her, knowing what she's thinking.
Information about what the serial killer duo does to their victims prior to killing them had been leaked to the press. Not everything, but enough of it to scare the public and give them goose bumps.
"All of us," Steve adds.
Rachel nods her head. "Thank you for telling me in person. I'll hold off on telling Grace for now."