I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes: future chapters will slow down a bit - they are done, just working on getting things right and I'm going into more surgical discussions starting today in NYC. Tomorrow is also mother-dear's b'day so we are celebrating around my doctor appointments. ;-)

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Chapter Four: Letters H through J, with a touch of K

There was no concept of time, but Steve heard them again and after what seemed like a long lull. He heard them just as the sensation of being in free-fall became less persistent; or maybe it was hearing them that prevented the feeling from taking a firmer hold. It didn't actually matter either way. Steve welcomed the familiar tones because they drove the darkness away and evened out the swirling, even if they might not entirely have conquered it.

The sensation of falling had an artificial quality to it but it insisted upon lurking and pulling him back. He valiantly fought to push it away and keep it at bay. Steve learned quickly that if he grabbed on to the sounds and focused on them with a strong determination, it worked despite an inability to actually hear true words. The panic never returned because one steady buzz in particular was always identifiable as his partner; he could hear the timbre of Danny's temper and it soothed any odd anxiety away.

"Temper, Danno?" Steve vaguely settled on that and wondered what had happened; what he did. Other times Danny was replaced and Steve sensed Chin, Kono and a few others that he couldn't more readily put names to.

Something had happened and Steve was only becoming more anxious to know what it was; what he had done because that too, was becoming obvious. He was attempting to form that more cohesive thought when he felt a warm pressure suddenly grasp his fingers and another warmth lay across the same forearm. Those warm tangible feelings were new and with them, Steve finally recognized a lethargic coldness everywhere else. It was as artificial as the free-fall sensation and disturbing.

The heavy coldness certainly wasn't pleasant and the inability to move or make a sound was yet another stunning self-revelation which brought back the faint stirrings of the same old panic. A dull weight settled across his chest which added to this new general discomfort. It all became distracting, startling, and the dizzying free-fall threatened him again, so in a desperate move Steve tried hard to focus back on the two spots of warmth.

With huge effort, Steve focused on his fingers and tried to will them to move. The voices seemed to coalesce and then the drone became more of a pleased, deep thrum. For some reason, Danny came to mind immediately and he knew then that he had succeeded in making his fingers twitch.

Something had indeed happened, but Danny was there. Despite not knowing the passage of time, Steve did know that his partner rarely had left him alone. Which likely did mean that Chin and Kono were equally nearby as he had thought earlier. Steve's brain was a murky place though and he couldn't quite do more than focus on the exhausting task of feeling the steady pressure that warmed just two spots on his stubborn body.

He knew that Danny knew .. he could sense it even if what he'd accomplished was barely stronger than a falling leaf. If he had been able to truly awaken, he'd have even more proof since Danny's face was fairly radiant with relief. His smug expression was for the doctor who had been excessively kind if not entirely convinced up until that point.

Doctor Ramirez was standing on the opposite side of the bed across from Danny. He watched in awe as Steve's fingers moved once and then twice before falling quiet His patient was still sedated for the ventilator but Danny had been absolutely correct.

"I told you. He's a hard-headed, stubborn son-of-a-bitch." Danny was gloating because now Steve did seem invincible once again. Pale and silent, but not entirely unmoving and therefore not as 'gone' as Danny had feared. "What about pain management? This doesn't mean that he's in pain, though ... or does it?"

He understood that Ramirez wouldn't remove the sedation for hours or even days yet to come. He understood that Steve should be lying there peacefully and then would wake and would still not be entirely well. His heart and lungs were badly compromised and he needed the ventilator to heal. But Steve was aware on some level and fighting whatever darkness he was being forced to lie in.

"No, he's not in any pain that we can recognize. His readings are calm and steady." In his characteristic manner, Ponch shoved his hands deeply into his pockets. He'd found Danny sleeping soundly in his office, had snuck in and then out to complete his rounds. It was now mid-afternoon and Danny had rejoined Chin and Kono in the ICU to find the doctor evaluating Steve's progress.

"But yes, the Commander is certainly hard-headed and that will help him overcome this accident." Ponch admitted as he approved of the consistently agreeable readings. "He needs time though, Danny. He's not going to bounce right back from this even after we wean him off the sedation and remove the ventilator."

The warning sobered the team but Steve's own inconceivable and often infuriating stubbornness stood greatly in his favor.

"He's also a Class A Jerk and we're going to have a talk .. no, an intervention .. when he gets better about his irresponsible behavior." Danny ground out worriedly with just a touch of lightness that refused to leave since Steve had moved his fingers in his hand. He had provided the proof that Danny needed at just the right time for Doctor Ramirez and that validation was absolutely fine as long as he wasn't in any pain. He couldn't help rubbing Steve's arm and leaning down to lob another warning at the lax face.

"Really, Steven. If jumping over of a hotel balcony after a drug-ridden lunatic to land in a tree doesn't prove it, then nothing will." Kono sniffed back a chuckle at the sarcastic tone, while Chin snorted behind a lop-sided grin. They were all pleased that Danny had gotten a decent few hours of rest. Though he was still on edge, his mood had improved significantly. The fact that Steve had heard them and had replied despite the strength of the prescribed medication lifted their spirits.

Chin folded his arms and shrugged for the big doctor's benefit. "He knows we got his back. He knows we're here and we will be waiting to help him through it."

"But he is a jerk." Defiantly, Kono repeated what Danny had said as she eyed the still frightening ventilator and its constant rhythmical sounds. They were all kindred spirits and it was odd when Danny and Ponch seemed to find the word at the same time. There was a soft smile from Kono as she clued in on the same thing but Danny didn't understand what she whispered.

"Uhane kiaŹ»i." It was the closest thing she could come up with in Hawaiian and Chin nodded in approval. "It's like a kindred spirt .. more of a guardian spirit."

"He certainly needs one." Even though Danny knew that she meant all of them together, he couldn't help the wry comment. As annoyed as he continued to be, Danny knew that it was the reason the team worked in complete harmony together. Regardless or possibly because of it, an intervention was on Steve's horizon though. "Jerk." Danny kept that to himself before softly agreeing with her. "But no, Kono, I get it and it's perfect. You're right."

Their eyes met as they looked at each other without the further need for translation being spoken out loud. Every person in the room had a purpose and a vested interest in healing their friend. On top of it all, even Steve recognized that they were there for him. It was as if they all simply knew the truth of it and Ponch couldn't help smiling at the team in return.

~ to be continued ~