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

Notes: could not do this if not for Komodo Queen, CinderH and TheDogo! Thank you for such expert help!

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CHAPTER SEVEN

He slept later than usual; much later than he intended, waking with a jolt since he was long overdue to help Riku with feeding. But he had barely slept that night after rehearsing methods to keep the Calcutta-native with him. He had rehearsed and rehashed apology after apology knowing that nothing he vowed would save him this time. In fact, he had already tried numerous times and his entreaties had been met with angry rebukes or even worse, absolute silence.

Riku was done. He was entirely committed to leaving.

Ray knew that they could still leave together for another new home. Even go so far as returning to India if it made Riku happy. There was time to change his mind. But he knew that it wouldn't matter, though that would be this morning's special and heart-felt suggestion. If anything however, returning with Riku to his homeland would truly be the most unacceptable option by far.

Much sooner than he originally had ever planned, Riku would be departing that next afternoon. Plans had been made and the flights confirmed. This entire day would be their very last spent together as employer and employee ... as friends.

"No, I've destroyed that." Ray spouted angrily at the room's high ceiling. They were no longer friends at all and quite possibly hadn't been for some time. It was Franklin Ray who had been in complete self-absorbed denial. He possibly still was because he wasn't even remotely concerned about the authorities arriving on his doorstep. He was only selfishly obsessed with the concept of losing Riku.

After his long stressful night, Ray woke feeling exhausted and with a terrible sense of trepidation which he was wholly unable to shake from his mind. Rolling to his feet, he morosely dressed and readied himself to join his one true long-time friend and confidant. After, they would breakfast together and Ray would prepare himself to meet with Doctors Ramirez and Mitchell at the clinic.

Despite the prior two days worth of dire news reports about Gail Lusscroft's murder, the fact that Riku was soon to leave, and regardless of his continued guilt which was already fading, Frank Ray was looking forward to returning to the clinic on better terms.

Ponch had insisted upon rescheduling sooner than even Ray had assumed based upon the Lusscroft situation. Yet he had and so, Ray had agreed.

Franklin Ray went down from the mansion's upper quarters to the main floor, stopping only in the kitchen to pour a small cup of coffee. Part of him was procrastinating to delay the inevitable and he turned to lean against the counter. His expression was one of misery and he sighed while staring at the pantry door. Behind the shelving of cans, condiments and jars was a false door leading down to his children's sanctuary.

The overhead light was on in the pantry and the shelving cocked off-balance from its hinges ever so subtly to prove Riku was in fact, immersed in his morning tasks.

Heaving another sigh to loudly relay his unhappiness, Ray intentionally spilled the remnants of his partially completed coffee into the sink. Sliding through the pantry's door, he took the short flight down.

"Riku. I'm sorry that I'm so very late." Forcing a smile into the tone of his voice, he spoke loudly while sloppily pounding down each sturdy wooden step.

"Riku?" He wasn't entirely surprised by the lack of reply. However, when he found Riku lying on the floor in the middle of his grand collection, it was a shock and completely unanticipated for their preventive care and constant caution. There were only a few very particular reptiles which could leave either of them near death and only one or two which would not let go, to chew savagely at their victim. Based upon the size and depth of the bloody wound in Riku's upper arm, that was precisely what had occurred.

"Doctor." The stunned whimper was full of fear. Afraid to move, Riku could not hide his relief when Ray trotted so easily down the steps. His voice failed on a whisper as he attempted to say the reptile's name, disappointed when Ray didn't quite hear him. "Naja."

"Riku?" He saw the violently torn skin which had been savaged on the strong brown bicep. Fangs had ripped through muscle and Ray choked as tears filled his eyes. "It's still loose? Yes?"

The scant fearful nod had him straightening quickly to carefully backing to retreat upwards to close the room's door. He returned quickly, donning gloves and then locating the curved hook he might require to recapture whomever had escaped. Due to the supply room's partially open door, it was obvious that Riku had been feeding and the culprit had likely retreated there. Regardless, something accidental and quite untoward had occurred to the normally cautious man.

"Who was it, Riku? I should have been here and I overslept." He was talking to himself really because for a fleeting moment, Ray felt a flair of anger at his friend's senseless life and death struggle. Eyes narrowed as he searched the room, he moved from case to case counting and tallying until he rocked to a stop by the Thai Spitting Cobra's seemingly empty enclosure. The door was rocked open and it was obvious now who had attacked his friend.

"Naja siamensis? Naja?" He made a face when he caught Riku's faint nod indicating an affirmative. He had acquired the snake from Burma years earlier. It was not a snake which Riku particularly feared and yet, it had savaged him. The venom was both neurotoxic and cytotoxic, causing pain, swelling and necrosis around the wound. The bite of a Thai Cobra was potentially lethal, requiring urgent assessment and treatment. The antivenin Ray had stocked was not specific to the species, but he would use it once he provided Riku with initial first aide for he was going into shock. Diluted in normal saline, Ray was prepared to run it intravenously but again there could be serious problematic issues if Riku experienced an allergic reaction to the treatment. Reactions which Ray would not be prepared to properly manage.

Constantly alert, Ray kept a circumspect eye for movement while returning to visually inspect the bite. It was obviously very painful and already quite swollen. The discoloration included the signs of blistering around the torn edges of skin. Depending upon an individual's unique reaction, even with treatment Riku could eventually suffer from headaches, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

"Ah, good. Alright." Ray saw the face shield now on the ground near where Riku lay. The cobra was known to spit its venom and he saw dots of liquid coating the protective mask. Without a doubt, Riku was diligent, careful and always prepared; the shock of finding him now, destroyed a very significant portion of Franklin Ray's confidence.

"Hold on, Riku. I'm here and it's not too late to get you sorted out." Decisively removing the gloves and resting the stick against the wall, he quickly went to the small refrigerator and carefully selected the appropriate antivenin. The white box held individual ampoules of the serum which was not guaranteed to work.

There it was; so easy to locate yet not so simple to administer and it would not be an instant cure-all. There was no way to truly know how long ago his faithful employee had been bitten, plus it was obvious the cobra was still somewhere on the loose. There was almost too much to do, more to worry about and time ticked by mentally as Ray began to sweat. He could fly Riku out of Hawaii, but there was nowhere to go and certainly no one close enough to help. The idea was ludicrous and Ray cursed himself for the stupidity of the thought.

A learned mantra echoed through Ray's mind as he gathered supplies: "it's never too late to give anti venom". He would continue to act and gather supplies to help Riku until only Riku, himself, gave up.

Not before.

First things needed to be done as he quickly surveyed the large room one final time to find nothing. So, Ray took his chances to hurriedly run an intravenous line into Riku's arm as he then diluted ampoules in a bag of normal saline fluids. The drip would be infused slowly, however Riku would feel much worse before he felt better. He might even require more professional medical support, of which Doctor Ray was not prepared to offer.

"Upstairs. I'll come down after you're safe." With care, Ray lifted the smaller Indian man gently into his arms to remove him from the room with the bag of fluids tented on the man's chest. He left quickly and closed the door with his foot, practically running now to situate his friend comfortably on his upstairs sofa and then ensuring the fluids were running well into his arm. Worried brown eyes gazed weakly up at him, clearly demanding that he too be cautious.

"Hang in there, Riku." Ray pleaded as he lay a blanket over his friend's body. "You first and then I'll take care of Naja."

Only then did he examine the torn and shredded bite mark on Riku's upper arm. There was little he could do for the actual bite except to apply a small pressure bandage. Expert opinion dictated that he not apply a tourniquet or incise the wound more due to the damage already done. Riku would likely need surgery to remove the necrotizing dead tissues destroyed by the snake's cytotoxic venom. Their self-vaccinations would work but not in this case; no, not entirely because there was no safe method against the species. Only a few advancements had been made, but even globally, there were no viable vaccines against cobratoxin.

Gently wiping it with clean gauze, Ray applied the small pressure bandage and did nothing else before worriedly standing up. His face was grim as he spasmodically fisted his hands over and over.

For all such snake bite cases, admission to an ICU, urgent triage and assessment were standard protocol of which Franklin Ray was well aware. Riku greatly risked experiencing respiratory distress or paralysis and could require intubation and ventilation. He should be treated and cared for by a real medical physician well prepared to manage the case including the ability to take blood for routine tests and for proper monitoring of fluid input and output.

"I can't." Dismally, Ray rubbed his face roughly because the actual wound was already showing significant tissue damage. Proper care required that the blisters be drained with a syringe and evaluation for surgical debridement if necrosis were to develop. "I'm sorry, Riku. We have to take the chance."

If things worsened, the next muscle groups affected would be the facial and neck muscles followed by the respiratory and then, his limbs after another few short hours. By then, Riku would be in serious trouble as his ability to breathe completely collapsed.

His friend should have the benefits of professional medical care with a certified physician as the neurotoxin toyed with his system while the hopes provided by the antivenin crept through to extinguish its flames. In nearly all instances of attack, the victim required life support assistance until the antidote had time to do its job. He would also experience pain and require morphine; worse, his respiratory system would still be badly jeopardized.

"I can't. I can't do it." Covering his face with his hands, Franklin Ray shook his head in indecision. He didn't know what else he could do.

All of it was nearly unavoidable as part of an explosive balancing act and Ray was terrified of how far he might be required to go in order to protect his children.

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"Naja, what have you done." Carefully re-entering the lower levels of his home, Franklin Ray peered just from the top of the landing in a useless attempt to spot the cobra. He used half of its genus name Naja siamensis to bemoan the truth.

"Naja. Naja." Softly calling the snake, Ray collected his equipment and a spare face shield. He was uncharacteristically on edge and nervous but essentially ready as he approached the back room where he believed the prospect of more food might have beckoned the deadly cobra.

He found the large male there under the narrow raised bottom section of rodent cages. Distinctly angry and not willing to cooperate, it took twenty agonizingly long minutes for Franklin Ray to recapture his beloved Naja. Once returned to the ample-sized enclosure, he was surprised to find himself covered in sweat and actually trembling. But then he wasn't done; he wasn't even close to being finished as he stumbled back upstairs to Riku's sprawled body. Now barely conscious and beginning to moan in pain, Ray shakily knelt alongside his friend who lay on the plush couch.

Gauging the man's poor condition, Ray ran a hand over his heated face as his other clasped Riku's shoulder. He was alive, but panted more rapidly and moaned in fear. The reaction frightened the once calm Doctor Ray and his eyes widened as Riku failed to breathe as he wanted.

"Now. What am I to do with you?" Oddly of all things .. of all people ... Doctor Ramirez skulked into his minds' eye. The daring thought made him nod and Ray almost smiled at the idea. "Maybe. I can't take you to hospital for the questions. But Ponch ... Ponch will come. He'll be able to help and do something for you. I'm sure of it."

"The ... woman." Hardly a whisper, Riku tried to say no. He tried to remind the doctor about the clinic and its connection to the last victim. He failed though as the doctor busily spoke to himself in rapid bursts, clearly too busy and much too distracted to not truly be watching the rising distress mirrored in his sickened employee.

Franklin Ray was grasping at straws as he considered contacting Ponch as a very viable option. Believing that the ex-TAMC physician would truly understand and help his ailing friend, Ray spontaneously placed the call while swallowing the quaver in his voice.

"It's fine. We are alike he and I. So very much alike ... in almost every way," Ray said confidently as the phone rang through. Ramirez had taken a life to save his family. Grasping at straws and manipulating Ramirez's past trial to suit his needs, Ray truly smiled more broadly. He gently intercepted Riku's scrambling fingers which flexed and pulled at his shirt sleeve to object.

"No, it's fine. He will help because he understands. It's fine, Riku."

"Wait." Riku could barely see as his eyelids drooped in reaction to the toxin, but he was clearly upset. "The ... woman." He finally forced out on a puff of air.

Then it was too late to worry about the early time or Riku's bluish lips which whispered caution. The realization had been much too slow in coming and Ray stammered badly as a gruff early morning voice finally answered his call. "Ponch! It's Frank and I must apologize for calling so early."

Lambasting himself for not correctly thinking everything through before dialing, Ray squeezed his apology through Riku's ice-cold fingers. He actually hadn't thought at all about whom he'd just contacted as Gail Lusscroft's photograph flashed before his mind's eye. The stress and dismal attempts to gain his attention were Riku's rejoinder to remember.

Determined to make it work, Ray nodded in a vain attempt to put his friend at ease. One thing at a time; just one. "We are alike," Ray whispered softly as he made a concerted commitment to dig in deeper. He would save Riku and then worry about Doctor Ramirez afterwards. "Alike and I have no choice."

"Hello? Who is this? Frank?" Half asleep, Ponch was waking quickly out of learned urgent care habits. "Is something wrong, Frank?"

"I. ..well, I was hoping ... would you be able to swing by my home. Today. Now actually." He paused as unplanned words trickled off his tongue and a stunned silence greeted each broken syllable.

"I ... uh ... had a bit of a personal accident here." Feigning a cough to find better words, Ray wiped sweat from his brow as he noted some of Riku's ailments only to switch gears when his friend moaned in suddenly in pain.

"My gardener ... he's uh ... inhaled a pesticide and won't allow me to take him to hospital. He's breathing poorly, sweating and nauseous. Something is wrong with his eyes. Can you ... this is a huge favor ... likely wrong of me to ask … but can you please come by .. now?"

Ray paused as Ponch gently argued in kind about the need for emergency care and getting the man to the hospital. Pushing harder than he intended, Ray eventually found himself sinking into a chair in utter relief when the doctor finally agreed to an urgent visit, if only to insist later on improving the man's general care.

"We will take him to the emergency room, Frank. This sounds like nothing to fool with regardless of his work status. And I'm sure with a little ingenuity, we can both get through that well enough."

"Yes, I promise. I'll make him go if you say ... but for now ... he's refusing and frankly, I'm worried. He's been with me a long time and as I said, not here exactly ... legally." Ray was mostly truthful as he listened to Ponch moving around on the opposite side of the connection.

He could and would do more when Ponch arrived. A larger donation directly into the clinic's coffers to deepen them. Ray didn't see it as a bribe because he meant to do it anyway; though by law it could be seen as such if Riku survived and if anyone ever learned of the terrible accident.

There were so many if's about contacting Doctor Ramirez and Frank knew he was completely deluding himself. He only could grasp that he needed Riku and the current circumstances proved it hands-down. He glanced at his friend and smiled then for another selfish reason.

Riku would stay if he saved him because he would have to. It was the only way.

In the recesses of his mind, he sensed more issues growing minute by minute yet he chose to throw them to the curbside. He, Franklin Ray, had means and he would try his very best. He would make it work and insist that Riku be cured here in his home.

Privately.

Secretly.

So that questions would not be asked about a pesticide that didn't exist. So that no one would learn of his involvement with Gail Lusscroft's murder.

And absolutely because Ray could not risk his treacherous collection. He simply could not risk losing his entire family … his very children whom defined his life.

No one could know about his ties to the deaths back in the States. Nor to the three new ones committed on the islands. But he needed to help Riku.

"First things, first." Ray was back to kneeling by Riku as his breath began to rattle despite the antidote being run intravenously. It was anticipated but still frightening because protocol called for life support to allow the medication the time to work … if it might work at all.

The dreaded balancing act was malevolent and Riku could easily die even with Ponch's intervention because it would be sorely limited. "Doctor Ramriez is on his way. He'll help and you'll be back on your feet in no time, Riku."

~ to be continued ~