Disclaimer: No, Hawaii 5-0 doesn't belong to me. It does to CBS.
A/N: This is as good as my research. I hope I fared okay. Thank you for keeping up with the story. Following Marie Thea's excellent observations, I made a few adjustments in the text. If they are a few mistakes left behind, they are my fault. Enjoy!
000
Taken
6: Taking All Hopes
The fire could be seen from a few miles, ahead. It wasn't all that big, but it was burning intensely into the dark night. Already the scene was crowded. Emergency vehicles were rolling up as close to the blaze as possible, while bystanders lined up by the side of the road.
Steve brought his truck to an abrupt halt by a squad car. Stepping out, he confronted a solemn looking Chin Ho. Their eyes met for a few seconds. No word was needed to confirm that this was it. This was where Gesner had taken their friend.
Anger and anguish surging inside, Steve bolted forward only to be stopped by Chin. "Brah, don't," he said, voice heavy with compassion. "The shed exploded before we even got here." Steve's shoulders sagged as all his hopes of finding Danny in time were crushed. Lips tight with his own difficulties dealing with the loss, Chin brought them back to the task at hand. "Gesner's Equinox is over by the house. He's got to be still here."
"He is," Steve stated more confidently than he felt. "An arsonist like him stays and enjoys the show." For a few seconds, they watched the firefighters as they worked around the burning shed. Steve willed his grief away. There would be time to mourn later. They had to catch Gesner first. That's what Danny would have had expected of them. "Gesner might not know we're on to him—mingled into the crowd—I'll brief HPD on the search."
Leaving Chin, Steve ordered two patrol officers to seal off the scene. A few minutes later, he saw a man dash from the group, Chin sprinting after. He was about to take off after them when an officer called: "Commander McGarrett, they've got a body over here!"
Torn between the two, the Head of the 5-0 unit quickly decided that he could trust Chin Ho to make the arrest. The body could be Danny's and he would have to make the identification. Dreading what he would find, Steve rushed toward the undergrowth on the other side of the burning building. Two firefighters were kneeling by an unconscious man.
"Danny," Steve rasped thought the smoke filled air. His friend was lying prone on his stomach, shirtless. In the dim light, Steve could see the childhood burn scars his friend had so carefully kept to himself.
"Pulse's erratic, faint," said the oldest of the two firefighters. Grasping his radio he called for EMTs.
Not wasting any time, his partner gently rolled Danny on his back to facilitate his breathing. Tilting the fallen man's head backward, he briefly looked up Steve. "Take off your shirt," he told him. "We've got to protect him from the cool ground."
Right, Steve thought as his first aid training rushed back to mind. He removed the dark blue shirt covering his white T, while the firefighter retrieved a pocket mask. Assisted by his partner, he secured it upon Danny's ash and blood covered face, and pushed two breaths through it, bringing air to oxygen deprived lungs. Kneeling, Steve helped the two professionals wrap the shirt around his friend's torso.
"Careful," warned the senior firefighter. "His wrist is broken. There burns and cuts on his hands; looks like he clawed his way out."
"I saw marks around his neck," his partner said.
"Strangulation bruises," The SEAL provided. The younger firefighter looked back at him, dismayed.
They lowered Danny back down as paramedics joined them, stretcher and medical equipment in hand. Steve stepped to the side, useless once again. He felt oddly nauseated as he closely watched the group take care of his friend. In the past, Steve had provided first aid to burn victims without any ill feeling, but this time it was different. This time, it was Danno.
Needing to know how his partner was faring, Steve paid attention to the clinical motions and decisions taken by the EMTs. Afraid to further damage Danny's larynx with an intratracheal tube, they gave him an oxygen mask and started an IV on the inside of his elbow as they placed padded gauze on his eyes and around his hands. The blue shirt remained on, left for the doctors to handle. Only when the EMTs were ready to lift the stretcher into the ambulance did Steve move back closer. Putting a hand on Danny's chest, he covered the picture still in its breast pocket.
"Danno, Gracie is here," he said, gently patting the photograph lying over the father's heart. "Remember, she loves you very much." The doors of the ambulance were closed in front of him. Wishing he could ride with his partner, he watched the emergency vehicle leave the scene with full lights and siren.
"Steve," Chin Ho said softly from behind him.
"Tell me you got Gesner," he said, fists clenched.
"We did."
000
A/N: Gesner is as good as dead and Danny is on his way to the hospital. It could have been worse. I hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned, there will be more to come. Thanks for reading.
(Dec. 2010)