****** Before beginning I have to say CONGRATULATIONS to Alex O and Malia on their marriage, I wish them all the love and happiness in the world! ******

Steve let Erin know that he would be in the waiting room and then he got onto the elevator and and hit the button for the main level. He had to call everyone but he needed a breath of fresh air first. He laid his head back against the back wall of the elevator and closed his eyes. Several seconds passed before a soft voice pulled him back, "Excuse me young man, are you alright?"

Startled, Steve opened his eyes to be greeted by the kind smile of an elderly woman.
Forcing a smile he replied, "I'm fine Ma'am, thank you"
Exiting the elevator Steve walked quickly towards the front door of the hospital and as he stepped outside he broke into a run. He ran at full speed sucking the fresh morning air into his lungs until they burned, and when he reached the sandy beach of the Pacific that backed up to the Hospital he dropped to his knees and he sobbed. Clenching his fists he pulled them to his face as his tortured sobs wracked his body. He cried for several minutes before lifting his head and staring out at the beautiful water. Through his tears he smiled softly as he could hear Danny in his mind ranting about how much he hated the Ocean. As a cool breeze blew, a chill passed through his body and he wrapped his arms tightly around his chest as he bowed his head.

"I'm so sorry Danno, of God I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful...how could I let this happen..." Several minutes passed before he stood and sighing deeply, he made his way back into the hospital.

Once he was in the waiting room he grabbed a cup of coffee and moved over to a couch in the corner of the room and pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Rachel.
"Steve...is everything okay?"
"Hi Rachel, there's been a complication and Danny's been taken into surgery"
"What are they saying Steve?"
"They think he's developed an infection in his intestines"
"Oh God Steve"
"Rachel, I'm so sorry. This should never have happened"
"Steve, this isn't your fault. This was the actions of a madman and there's no way you could have known he would do this. Please, please for Danny...don't put this on yourself. You know he doesn't blame you, no one blames you"

His voice shook as he said, "Thank you Rachel"
"Steve, I won't bring Gracie up today. Will you call me?"
"As soon as I know something I'll call you. Please give Gracie a kiss for me"
"I will, and Steve...thank you for staying with him and for loving him"
Steve replied softly, "I'll call you soon, bye"

He then called Chin who answered quickly, "Steve, how's he doing?"
"Chin, he's developed an infection and they've taken him into surgery"
"Where are you?"
"I'm in the Surgery Waiting Room on the third floor"
"I'm in Mallory Watkins room, I'll be right there"
"No, no it's okay. This could take hours, go ahead and finish up with her"
"Duke can wrap it up here, I'll be there in a few minutes. Have you called Kono yet?"
"No, just you and Rachel. I'll give her a call now"
"Okay brah, see you in a few minutes"

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When Chin arrived, Steve was finishing his call with Kono and he sat down next to him.
Steve sat forward on couch and placed his elbows onto his knees, "She's on her way"
"What happened Steve?"
Steve told him about what had happened and as he stared ahead aimlessly Chin said, "Steve, you can't do this to yourself"
The SEAL sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Chin..."
"Listen to me, this is not your fault"
"Really? Then tell me who's fault is it Chin?"
"The killers Steve! Come on brother you know this isn't your fault... these were two sick bastards and Tomlinson alone is to blame for this. Steve, we found Danny because YOU put the pieces together. YOU saved him"

"Did I Chin? He's fighting for his life in there"
"You're damn right he's fighting and you owe it to him to believe in him. He's going to beat this Steve"
Chin was frustrated and standing from the couch he moved over to the window.

When Kono arrived twenty minutes later she found the two men in different parts of the waiting room. Chin saw her enter and he moved to her side and embraced her. She pulled from him asking, "What's going on?"
"We haven't heard anything on Danny yet but Steve's on a major guilt trip and damn it cous' I just don't know what else I can say to help him"

She took Chin's hand and they walked back over to Steve. He was still sitting with his elbows on his knees and his face was in his hands. Kono sat on the small table directly in front of him and reaching out she placed a hand on his knee.

"Steve..."
Before she could continue he looked up, "Stop Kono, let me say something first" He looked at Kono and then turned to Chin, "I'm sorry brother. Everything you said was right and I know that. Twenty years ago when my Mother was killed it destroyed my life as I knew it. I not only lost Mom but I lost Dad and Mary as well. Dad and Joe had served honorably and I had grown up listening to them tell stories of their military brothers and honestly the main reason I became a SEAL was for the comradery, I made those boys my family. I lost twelve of them over the years and a piece of me died with each and every one of them..."

They both knew about the Hess brothers but now Steve opened up, sharing with them what he had shared with Danny months before. He told them about Freddy Hart and how this brother, this hero, had died saving his life in North Korea. His voice was quiet and steady as he continued, "You guys need to know how much you both mean to me. You and Danny are so much more to me than my team...you three and Gracie have given me something I've longed for for twenty years... you're my family, my Ohana. You've given me a reason to live and the thought of losing any of you absolutely terrifies me"

Tears were streaming down Kono's cheeks as he squeezed her hand and Chin said softly, "Steve, we all feel the same way. We love you too"
Steve continued, "For twenty years I've been in lines of work where I've dealt with the dregs of society whether military enemies or civilian scumbags... I know my men's deaths are not my fault just as I know what happened to Danny isn't my fault. Sometimes I just need someone to kick me in the ass and remind me of that... so thank you both"

Kono wiped a tear from her eye and said, "You know, Danny always said that your stubborn"
Steve chuckled, "Actually sweetheart, you're being kind. I think he refers to me as a stubborn-ass Navy SEAL"
Kono grinned and squeezed his hand tighter, "And he loves you"
Steve nodded, "I know" He then asked, "So now that I've got my head together can you tell me how the Eaton case is going?"

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Chin spoke first, "Mallory Watkins has given us a lot of information. They kidnapped her as a team. As she was loading groceries into her car on a Friday afternoon, Eaton came up from behind and zapped her with a stun gun. She has knocked out for a few minutes and when she came to she was tied up in the back of a van. She was held in the basement of Eaton's home the entire three weeks and over the first few days Eaton raped her half a dozen times. She says that Tomlinson was there the entire first weekend and he filmed the sexual assaults. Once Eaton went back to work on Monday she was kept tied to a table similar to the one Danny was tied to at Tomlinson's"

Steve asked, "How is the world did she escape?"
"She was counting the days she was held and on Tuesday's and Thursday's he did not come home for a lunch break so she knew she'd have extra time those days. When he was home she was not tied up, but he kept her locked in the basement. He would feed her cereal in the mornings and then either chicken or fish for dinner along with white rice. Eaton had let the dinner plates pile up in a corner and Mallory hid a dinner fork under the mattress she slept on. The day she escaped she laid down on the table before he came down to tie her up. She placed the fork underneath her thigh and after he left the house she maneuvered herself until she was able to grab the fork. It took hours for her to cut through the rope on her wrist and it was bleeding horribly but she was able to free herself and after breaking out a small window she escaped and ran to a neighbors house for help"

Steve shook his head, "She's a smart girl"
Chin nodded in agreement, "And brave too. If she had dropped that fork or if he had come home, she was dead...and she knew it"
"And she's willing to testify against Eaton at trial?"
"Absolutely. She's determined to see that he never hurts another girl again"
"Good, that's good. How about you Kono?"
"We've been able to match eighteen photos found in Eaton's home with women who filed reports of rape over the last six years"

Steve shook his head, "So far"
Kono continued, "Yeah. Duke's set up a team of detectives to contact each of these women"
Steve replied, "That bastard will never be free again"
Chin said softly, "Amen brother"

Kono then left to go get them all some breakfast from the hospital cafeteria and they visited quietly while waiting for news on Danny.
It was a very long afternoon and Doctor Jackson entered the room six hours later and made his way to their table.
As he sat, he smiled and said "Everything went well and he's in recovery"
Sighs of relief escaped from all three and the Doctor continued, An infection had developed in the intestine at the sight of the wound but fortunately it hadn't spread widely. We removed three inches of his intestine and re-routed it"

Steve inquired, "Will he have any permanent issues with with this"
"No, he shouldn't. He will have a long recovery, but he'll be able to live a normal life and return to work without restrictions "
"How about his heart Doc?"
"He had no additional cardiac issues and although his heart rate is up a bit due to the surgery I expect that to normalize soon. I will keep him on the IV beta and channel blockers for the time being as a precaution but we didn't need to give him any additional injections and we've removed him from the ventilator"

The relief was evident in Steve's voice, "Oh God Doc, that's great news"
Reaching across the table the men shook hands as Jackson added, "His core body temperature has nearly normalized and I expect him to recover fully. You'll be able to re-join him in the ICU in a couple of hours if you'd like"

"Yes, I'd like that. I think I'll head home and shower quickly. Can you call me if there's any change in his condition?"
Kono interceded, "I'll stay here until you get back boss"
Steve smiled, "Okay, great"

Moments later in the parking lot, Chin left to assist in the HPD investigation and Steve smiled with relief as he got behind the wheel of his Silverado.

******** Next up, Danny's recovery and lot's of bromance! I hope you're still enjoying! ********