Where's Kono?
By Montez
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: see chapter one

Chin didn't know how long he'd been sitting in the waiting room, it seemed like hours but he knew it was less than one. He could not get the image of Kono's body arching under the current the emergency room doctor applied to restart her heart, that image was forever burned into his mind. His mind then started to play all the memories of Kono growing up, he was already a teenager when she was born, but unlike most teens his age instead of shunning the responsibility of taking care of a younger relative he relished it. For some reason that little brown-eyed girl pulled him in and from the moment his aunt had allowed him to hold Kono he knew it was his responsibility to protect her, especially since she didn't have any brothers.

He was the first to get her on a surf board as soon as she could walk, but it was her natural talent that carried her into the pros and he'd been right behind her the whole way. Taking her to all her meets on the islands, keeping in constant phone contact when championships took her elsewhere. He was the first phone call she'd made after her career ending accident; he never left her side through her recovery. Then his IA investigation turned his life upside down, his own family turned on him, even the uncle he was protecting shunned him, but Kono never did. She stood beside him as the family tried to convince her he was no good, that he had disgraced the family, but she never believed any of it, she never turned her back on him.

But now sitting in the cold-stark waiting room he felt he was losing her and he didn't know what to do. "Chin?" Kelly looked up to see Danny jogging down the hallway toward him. "How is she?"

Danny stopped next to his friend and took in the devastated look in the older man's eyes. "She's been in surgery for forty-five minutes…" Kelly paused, rubbing his hands over his face as he leaned forward, elbow on his knees, head in his hands. Blowing out a deep-breath his voice barely a whisper, "Her heart stopped in the ER."

Williams wasn't sure he'd heard right, "What?"

Chin leaned back, head against the wall. "Her heart stopped, she lost so much blood, they think the bullet nicked her lung, they don't…God, they don't know, I don't know." Kelly looked at Danny, "What am I going to do if I lose her?"

Danny wasn't sure what to say at the absolute fear he saw on Chin's normally calm and peaceful face. "She's strong, she'll fight we just have to hold on to that." The words sounded lame even to Danny's ears, but what else could he say.

"How did I not see this? How did I not see she was being used? I failed her and now…" Chin rubbed his hands roughly over his face.

"We all failed her." Chin quickly turned and looked at Danny, "I didn't push, I tried to give her space, I tried calling at least once a week, but after that first week she wouldn't answer. I knew you were trying to stay in contact with her and I figured that was enough, I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"She's as stubborn as they come, she kept pushing me away too, but I couldn't back off. She never backed off when IA tore my life apart. I knew she was getting into something bad, but I didn't know how bad. I had no clue she was a plant and that we were being used to keep her in line. That son of bitch Fryer was too much of a coward to come after us so he went after her, I wasn't there to protect her and now…" Again Chin's voice faded.

"That's what Steve said, just before he tried to kill him." Danny mumbled from his seat next to Chin.

"What?" Now it was Chin's turn at being unsure he'd heard correctly.

"Steve punched that bastard after calling him an SOB, took three of us to restrain him. Then Fryer just wouldn't shut up and pushed one too many buttons, me and two officers found ourselves on our asses when Steve lunged for Fryer again. I don't know how many of us it took to pull him off; he didn't stop fighting until one of the HPD officers handcuffed him." Danny replayed what had happened in his mind.

"He was handcuffed?" Danny noted a strange tone to Chin's voice, almost a panic.

"Yeah, why? I didn't like it either, but it was the only way we could get him under control." Williams was perplexed now.

"I didn't know until that night at the Governor's mansion, on the way to headquarters Steve started to hyperventilate, he almost passed out on us. We had to pull over and un-cuff him to getting him laid out in the back seat, almost as soon as the cuffs were removed he started to calm down. Once he calmed enough I told him we needed to put them back on, Danny he nearly begged me to not do it. I finally convinced him to let me cuff him in the front as long as he didn't try anything. Once we started moving again, he became quiet, I looked back and his eyes were closed and he was mumbling something I couldn't hear." Chin looked at Danny, knowing the younger man didn't know any of this. "Once we reached the station it took a minute for him to respond to me, it was like he'd zoned out on me. He again begged to not be cuffed, but I told him he had to be, but if he promised not to try anything I'd arrange for him to only be cuffed in the front, he agreed but anytime he was there'd be panic in his eyes, then he'd withdraw into himself. He'd follow basic orders, he never tried anything but he was almost always mumbling something under his breath."

"That would explain his reaction. Do you know what that's about?" Danny started to worry again about his partner, making a mental note to try and get his friend to open up about that little episode.

"Once everything started I really didn't think much about it, didn't ask about it. I had other things on my mind." Chin took a deep breath, glancing at the clock on the wall and the silver doors that lead to the operating theater. "Where is Steve?"

This time Danny rubbed his hand across his face, "Honestly, I don't know." Chin's shocked expression had Williams continuing. "He said he'd catch up, he's not dealing with all this too well, hell none of us are. You know how he gets when he doesn't have control of the situation and he's blaming himself for what happened. I told him I better hear from him within the hour, because the last time I saw him like this, you arrested him just hour later." Danny rose to his feet, "I'm gonna go get us some coffee, do you want anything?"

"Everything to go back to the way it was." Chin sounded unusually lost at that statement as his eyes again drifted toward the doors.

"Me too babe, me too." Danny reached out, squeezing Chin's shoulder before he headed down the hall.

Danny had just exited the cafeteria with two cups of coffee in hand when his phone rang. Knowing who it was he sat the coffee down and answered, "Where are you?"

"I'm not sure. How's Kono doing?" Steve's voice sounded hollow, empty and that sent Danny's worry level up another notch.

"Wait, what do you mean you don't know? Are you okay?" Danny was again kicking himself for letting his crazy partner go off on his own.

"Look Danny, contrary to what you think I can take care of myself, I've been dropped into the middle of jungles and been able to find my way out, Oahu isn't a problem. Now how is Kono?" Steve's voice got agitated.

"She's still in surgery." Danny was not about to tell his partner that Kono's heart had stopped in the ER. "We don't know anything yet. You need to be here."

Danny could hear Steve blow out a deep breath, "I can't, I…I've got to go Danny, I'll call you later."

"What? No, wait, Steve?" Williams called, not liking the sound of Steve's voice as all he was met with was a dial tone. All his senses were yelling that Steve was sinking further, but the man had made a point, he could take care of himself and right now Chin needed someone here with him, Steve would have to wait.

A/N: Just a quick note, Steve's issue with the handcuffs will be addressed in a follow-up one-shot after this story if anyone is wondering. It was just something I threw out there for later. Hope ya don't mind. Thanks-Montez