They had only been on the chopper a few minutes when it happened, Steve crashed and stopped breathing. One of the EMT's began CPR while the other reached for the paddles. Danny sat with his hands wrapped behind his head nervously watching the life saving efforts. They shocked Steve three times and then again began CPR. Danny quietly urged his partner on, "Come on Steve…..breathe baby, breathe" He couldn't tear his eyes away from the injured abdomen which was blackened and puffy. The internal bleeding was obviously severe and Danny Williams now thought that Steve may really die.

The chopper landed on the roof of Hawaii General Hospital approximately four minutes later and they quickly raced Steve into the ER. They allowed Danny into the ER and he stood at the back of the room, in shock at the events transpiring before him. After another attempt with the paddles was unsuccessful the Doctor injected Steve in the thigh with epinephrine and they then again used the paddles. On the second attempt the heart began beating, "He's back. Prep him quickly there's no time to waste"

The Doctor then moved over to Danny and led him from the room. "Detective, tell me all you know. What happened to him?"

"He was drugged and kidnapped. He was beaten and whipped Doc. I don't have a lot of details"

"Do you know what drugs he was given?"

"I know he was given rohypnol last night. I don't know if they gave him anything else though"

"We'll run a quick test. We have to get him in the operating room right away, he's critical. I promise you that I'll do everything I can for him. I'll send someone out to update you periodically"

"He's very special Doc. I promise no one will fight harder than Steve. Thank You"

Danny stood watching from the doorway of the emergency room as they prepped Steve. A short time later they were wheeling him by stopping briefly so Danny could squeeze his shoulder, "Hang in there partner, I'm here for you"

Danny watched until they rounded the corner and then he turned and made his way to the waiting room. Kono was already there and moving to Danny's side they embraced.

"How is he?"

"Kono, it's very bad. His heart stopped. They were able to revive him but he's bleeding internally. They've taken him to surgery now. It's going to be a long night dear. Have you heard from Chin?"

"Yes, he should be here any minute, HPD took Julia into custody and Jonathan is on his way here by ambulance"

Danny walked over to the window, leaning against it, he stared out at the ocean as tears welled in his eyes. A short time later, his thoughts were interrupted as he was joined by Chin and Kono. "Let's get some coffee and talk"

They grabbed coffee and moved to a table in the corner of the waiting room.
They sat in silence for several moments, Danny sitting with his face in his hands.

Eventually he broke the silence, "Minutes after we were in the air Steve went into cardiac arrest. They performed CPR and tried to shock him several times with the paddles. They didn't revive him until we were here and they had dosed him with epinephren"

"How long was he not breathing Danny?"
"It was seven to eight minutes"
"Oh my God" Kono pushed away from the table turning from the men, bowing her head and sobbing.

Chin stood and moved to his cousin's side pulling her into an embrace. He held her for several seconds before speaking, "Kono, he's young and strong. He have to believe that he will survive, we must stay strong"
Kono took a deep breath and brushed the tears from her eyes and they returned to the table. Danny reached across the table and grasped her hand.
She spoke quietly, her voice shaking, "Go on Danny, we need to know everything"
"Kono he was severely beaten and they whipped him"
"What?"

"The whipping left large welts on his chest and thighs. A strike across his back was the most severe. His skin was split and it was quite deep. He has a large gash on his forehead from where he struck the table and he lost a lot of blood from that. The worst injuries though appear to be to his abdomen and kidneys. He was beaten and is bleeding internally. He's in surgery now and they will keep us updated. Like Chin said, Steve's strong and he's the most stubborn person I've ever met...he's going to make it Kono, he's going to make it and we need to stay positive"

"I know, I love you all so much. Thank You"
Danny squeezed her hand tightly and smiled.
"I promised Steve I'd call Catherine. I'm going to go take care of that"
"Brother are you sure you don't want to wait until we know more. She's deployed, all she'll do is worry"
"She's got to know Chin"
"Alright man, it's your call"
They had taken Steve's cellphone from his house and Danny pulled it out and dialed Catherine's number.

She saw the number ring in and the face of the man the loved with all her heart appeared on the screen. Two months ago they had decided to part ways after an argument and they had only spoken a couple of times since then. They had fought because she had decided to re-enlist and Steve had been very upset about it. She loved him dearly but she also loved her job and she just was not willing to give that up, at least not yet. He had taken that as a sign that she was not as committed to their relationship as he was and they had argued. As she answered the phone she was thinking of ways to apologize to him.

"How's the most gorgeous Sailor I know? I've missed you"
"Catherine, it's Danny"
"Danny? Oh God...has something happened to Steve?"
"He's been hurt Catherine. He's in surgery now. Sweetheart, it's very serious, he's critical"
Catherine sank into her chair as Danny told her everything that had happened.
"Catherine, when are you due back?"
"In four days Danny. Oh my God this can't be happening"

"I will call you as soon as I get any updates at all. Catherine...he loves you very much. He wanted me to tell you he was sorry"
"Thank You Danny...please call me" Her voice trailed off as they ended their call.

"How did Catherine take the news brother?"
"As good as can be expected, she'll be here on Friday. I need to call MaryAnn too"
"I'll take care of that. Just sit"
"No, I need to be doing something. This waiting is killing me"

At that moment, a nurse entered the waiting room. "Mr. Williams?"
The three detectives raced to her side.
"I'm Danny Williams, how is he?"
"The Doctor wanted me to let you know that there is extensive internal bleeding but Mr. McGarrett is handling the surgery well. One of the Doctors will be out shortly to give you additional information"

Danny shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, "Thank You"
As the nurse left, Danny let out a deep sigh, "Well she told us nothing we didn't already know" He reached out and slammed his fist against a vending machine in frustration.
Chin glanced at his friend and decided that no words need be spoken. They were all terrified of what was happening behind those operating room doors.

Danny called MaryAnn a short time later not giving her too many details so to not alarm her too much.
Chin approached Danny placing a supportive hand on his shoulder, "Is MaryAnn okay?"
"Yeah, I didn't tell her too much. She's going to text Steve's phone with her flight information as soon as she's got it. Now I guess we just wait"