I'm sorry I haven't updated in like forever! My World History class is insane! But, I am determined to finish this before by surgery so without further ado…

Consciousness teased at him for several hours before he could muster the strength to fully awaken. It lingered just beyond the darkness, tantalizing. When he finally opened his eyes, he became aware of several things. First, he was tired. Exhausted, really. He also realized that he had something beneath his nose. His fuzzy mind didn't register the voices until he tried to push away the bothersome object.

"Leave it alone, Steve. You need that oxygen." Chin's calm voice said. Smaller hands, probably Kono's, held his hand to prevent him from knocking the cannula loose. He blinked rapidly. Then his eyes widened as he remembered the events that had landed them here. Chin was quick to notice the change.

"It's alright. We got to you and Danny in time."

"How is he? Is he okay?" Steve asked. The only image his mind would conjure of his partner was the one where he lay in front of Steve outside the bunker, his heart still in his chest.

"He's…" Chin paused as a look passed between him and Kono.

"What's wrong? Chin?!" Steve was frantic with worry now.

"Danny's alive, but he's not doing well. You both received the cure, but Danny's infection was far more serious than yours. While the cure is helping to fight of the disease, it was meant more as a vaccine. It's most effective when used before exposure." Steve released the breath he had been holding.

"How bad?" he asked, almost fearing the answer.

"He's in the ICU. His temp is at a dangerous level. The doctors said that anything above 105.5 degrees could cause permanent damage if he didn't cool down fast. When we got to the hospital, he was at 106.2. They had to put him in a bath basin full of ice and even then, he's still at 105. Doctors say they don't know if it's too late." Steve shook his head.

"No. It's not too late." He said as he began untangling himself from the bed sheets and disconnecting the IVs in his arm.

"What are you doing?" Chin asked as he tried to push Steve back into bed while the man determinedly climbed unsteadily to his feet. Alarms were whining now.

"Going to see Danny. Chin, he was giving up on me back there. If I'm not there to kick his ass into gear, he won't fight." Both Chin and Kono saw the deep sadness in Steve's eyes. Just then, Steve's doctor burst in to the room.

"What in God's name are you doing Mr. McGarrett?" Said the fussy little in a nasal voice.

"First, it's Commander McGarrett" Steve said, holding up a finger as he did so. Even in his weakened state with his ass showing out of the back of his hospital gown, he was intimidating. "And second, I am going down to see my partner. Say what you want, but just know that I won't listen. If you don't believe me, ask them." He said, gesturing to Chin and Kono. "Or if you'd like the word of your colleagues, Doctors Holbrook, Hauser, Markam, Ling, and Child." Steve said, listing the names of the doctors whom he had argued with, and won, the argument to go see a member of his team when both of them happened to be injured. None of the doctors really liked it, but most of the staff there had come to accept that Five-0 was different. Their bonds ran deeper than some families and there was no way in hell that anyone but Detective Williams ever won an argument with the former Navy SEAL. Steve's current doctor, Dr. Whitney, sniffed indignantly and was about to argue when one of Steve's former doctors, Ling, lightly tapped Whitney on the shoulder.

"Henry, there are just some battles you can't win. Let this one be. If he still needs medication, grab a portable IV pole. As for resting, have a nurse bring him in a recliner. Five-0 operates differently. I figure it's a small price to pay when they do so much to protect us all, don't you agree?" Ling said in a soft, lilting voice that oozed experience. Whitney sputtered for a moment, then nodded in defeat.

"I suppose arrangements can be made. Will you two wheel him down to Detective William's room?" he asked Chin and Kono. Steve was about to argue that he could walk fine, but Kono cut him off.

"Boss, choose your battles. Besides, you're barely on two feet as it is." Steve nodded curtly, then allowed himself to be helped into a wheelchair and taken to Danny's room. When he entered, all the air rushed from his lungs as if he had been punched in the gut. The man in the bed could not be the healthy and vibrant man he knew as his partner. This man was small. Danny may have been short, but he was never small. Danny was pale almost beyond belief. His once bright and piercing eyes were closed and sunken into his head. If Steve didn't know better, he'd think his friend was a corpse. The oxygen mask covering his face barely clouded with each breath. He heard Chin say something about how they hadn't put him on a ventilator for fear of pneumonia. He also heard Kono's remark about being glad that the CDC was gone. Apparently both he and Danny had been subjected to a battery of tests before they were deemed safe. What struck Steve most about the small, frail man on the bed were his hands. Danny's hands were always in motion, like a director of a symphony. He talked with them and they were just as expressive as his face or his voice. Now they were still. He reached out and took Danny's hand in his own. It was hot to the touch, yet worryingly dry. Shouldn't someone with a fever this high be sweating? Steve realized that Danny must be dehydrated. When it became clear that Steve was fully focused on his partner, Chin and Kono left the room. As much as they wanted to be with the rest of their team, Elin Valburg was still out there somewhere, planning to wipe out billions of people.

When the others had left, Steve spoke to Danny quietly.

"Rachel called me, you know. She saw what was happening on the news. I had to tell her. She wanted so desperately to be here with you, to let Grace work her magic, but she can't. I could tell it hurt her." Steve knew that Rachel had gone to England with Grace to evaluate her life. She and Stan were now divorcing, and she needed time to think. Steve also knew that, while she'd never admit it, she still loved Danny.

"I spoke to Gracie too. She misses her Danno. Rachel bought her a little notebook and she's writing down all the stories she wants to tell you." Steve fought to keep his emotions in check. Damn did Danny's little girl get to him with her kindness and innocence.

"You gotta fight man. I won't accept you quitting on me, not for a second. You can't just roll over and die. Elin hasn't won. Not by a longshot. You have to keep going. Do it for Grace, Rachel, the team…me. You know you're the only one I've ever told everything to. I can't lose you man. I can't lose my brother."

The end! … of chapter of 7. Sorry it was kinda short, my wrist hurts. Really hate this. Anyway…tell me what ya think!