Note: I'm so chuffed with how this is being received. Thank you for all the reviews. Many thanks to the guest posts that I can't reply to personally.

Chapter Five

Danny had fallen silent, trying to process what he had just been told. Kono sat quietly holding his hand, pleased that he was letting her. Chin quickly made the phone call to Duke and then hung up. "Duke's sorting it. He's going to get the note from evidence and bring it over himself."

"Thanks Chin." Steve replied then looked at his partner. "Danny, I'm sorry we thought you did it, my gut told me it was wrong, but the scene said otherwise, I'm so sorry."

Danny slowly looked up at his friend. "It's ok. I understand." He said quietly.

"Danny, what do you remember? You remember the bar right?"

"Yeah, I went for a drink and got something to eat, watched a game. I just needed to cool off." He said looked sadly at Steve. "I got talking to a guy, and that's it, I don't remember anything else. He seemed nice, but he...he must have slipped something in my drink. I'm so stupid. Some cop eh?"

"Danny. You had no reason to suspect he was going to do anything. You couldn't have known." Chin said supportively.

"Can you remember what he looked like?" Kono asked, rubbing Danny's arm.

Danny thought for a second. "No, not really. He had dark hair but that's it. His face is a blur."

"That will be the drugs, Danny." Dr. Pearce said gently, seeing that he was getting upset.

"Can you remember anything else?" Steve gently asked.

"No." Danny replied shaking his head, his hands still shaking and the heart monitor giving away his anxiety as it beeped away.

"Ok, it's ok Danny." Steve said placing his hand over Danny's, who looked up and locked eyes with him.

"Is it? I don't remember anything. He could have done anything to me. Hell he did, he tried to kill me, why?"

"I don't know, but we will find answers." Looking to Dr. Pearce Steve asked, "Doc, can you get an assault kit, or do I need to get HPD to bring one?"

"I can get one." She said leaving the room.

Danny looked panicked, "what? An assault kit, why?"

"Relax." Steve calmed. "Come on you know we have to do this, this guy could have left evidence behind. We need to check for DNA."

"I'm in the ICU. God knows how many doctors and nurses I've been in contact with." Danny replied.

"I know, but when we catch this bastard we can run his DNA against anything we find, and it will strengthen our case. Danny, you know we have to do this, just your finger nails and hair."

Danny sighed and seemed to be holding back a sob as he closed his eyes, then opening them he nodded. "Okay, you're right. I want this guy found. I want to know why."

Dr. Pearce retuned with the kit and handed it to Steve. "There was no sign of any physical trauma." She informed him. Steve nodded thankful for small mercies.

"Danny, would you prefer Chin or Kono to do this?" Steve asked. He was glad Danny was talking to him after their fight, but he didn't want to push his luck.

"What? Why wouldn't I want you to do it?" He asked confused.

"I just thought after our fall out."

"Shut up you idiot. I was just blowing off steam. I was mad about the car, but you're still my best friend. Just do it, will ya, my head is killing me and I want to lie down." Danny answered.

"I'll get something to help you with that Danny." Dr. Pearce said leaving the room.

Steve unfolded the assault kit and placed Danny's left hand on the white sheet, then took the clippers and started to clip away Danny's usually short, and well tendered to, nails. Danny flinched as Steve caught the sensitive skin below the nail. "Sorry Danny, not much to clip away."

"That's because I take pride in my appearance, unlike you, caveman." Danny joked trying to keep his nerves at bay. Steve finished the left hand and moved round to the right. Kono was still sat by Danny's side, and seeing Danny's hand shake she gently took hold of it to steady it so Steve could finish the job. Closing up the evidence packet Steve then moved on to Danny's hair. He used the fine comb within the kit to separate the strands. He paused, looked carefully, and then pulled out a short, dark hair that was obviously not Danny's.

"All done, Danno." Steve said placing his hand on his friends shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

Danny just nodded then stifled a little sob and closed his eyes. "I hate this. I feel like a victim. I am not a victim." He said and Kono immediately sat on the bed and pulled him into a hug. "I just feel so vulnerable. I made myself vulnerable." Danny scrunched his eyes closed. It was obvious he was struggling with a headache. Dr. Pearce had warned the team that could be a problem for several days, as he recovered from the carbon monoxide poisoning.

Dr. Pearce returned to the room and slipped a syringe into the IV port. "This will help with the headache." She informed him. Then taking a second syringe she injected it into the port also. As Danny looked up at her she explained, "Just a very mild sedative Danny. Try to get some rest. I don't like how your heart rate is spiking and oxygen levels are dropping." She reached over and grabbed an oxygen mask and swapped it for the nasal cannula. "Just while you sleep," She explained when Danny gave her a look of disgust.

"Here." Kono said slipping further onto the bed and lowering Danny's head onto her lap so she could run her fingers through his hair. Danny instantly calmed, the drugs helping, and the sense of safety provided by his team allowing him to drift off to sleep.

Twenty minutes late Duke arrived at the door. "Hi, guys. How is he?"

"Extremely shaken," Steve replied, "he only remembers going to a bar and talking to a guy. He doesn't remember what he looked liked. Did you bring the note?"

"I did, and Steve, I'm so sorry. If I had seen it myself I would have known it wasn't Danny's writing." He said handing it to Steve.

Steve looked at the note, neatly written, sandwiched in an evidence bag. "It's way too neat to be Danny's chicken scratch. I should have asked to see it. I didn't believe he could have done this to himself. If I'd seen this, I would have known. We could have been out looking for the guy that did this." Steve scolded himself.

"Steve you were too busy worrying about Danny to want to see the note." Chin said.

"I've already sent an officer over to the bar to see if we can get a description of this guy." Duke informed them.

"Thanks Duke." Steve said handing back the note. "Can I ask a favour? Can you take this to the lab," He added passing Duke the sealed up assault kit.

Duke took it and looked, with disgust that it had had to be used on one of his colleagues. "Sure thing, I'll get them to put a rush on it."

"Mahalo," Steve replied sinking into the chair by Danny's side and watching him sleep, head still in Kono's lap.

TBC