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Chapter 17

"I'm not doing it! Not this .. no, not this time." Doctor Alphonse Ramirez had never in his life objected to or refused a single patient. Not in war or peace; not during any of his tours in Vietnam or at any time State-side. Never. He was never supposed to have such a dramatic conflict of interest.

He could not overcome what he was feeling at that very moment though.

He couldn't work through any of it as he refused and rejected the tenets of his Hippocratic Oath when Frank Curtis showed up quite unexpectedly in his E.R.

He was standing over the grievously wounded criminal after treating the as yet nameless teenager rescued during the third sweep of the vessel by Kono, Chin and a few HPD officers while the FBI took care of their primary targets. They hadn't even known she was there at first. Not until Steve had insisted on a second and then a third detailed sweep of the vessel.

As Steve listened to the organized chatter and lived vicariously through the constant communications. He was on the edge of his seat during the short but violent fire fight. And as the all clear was called out and headcount taken, he was unable to shake the odd feeling. There was more; much more and they were missing it. He was more than unsettled when he heard the tell-tale signs of the mission being wrapped up and closed down. After threatening to check the freighter himself, Agent Marcus intervened in order to placate the Five-0 team and satisfy Steve's instincts.

When Chin walked out carrying the girl's body, he hadn't been disappointed by the decision. There wasn't a person on the pier not stunned or shocked by the terrible discovery.

In the rear of the old kitchen, Chin and Kono had found a small pantry. A lone bare lightbulb hung from the ceiling casting odd shadows on the walls. There, they found the special merchandise that Frank Curtis had promised to his most special clients. The girl had been stuffed into a large crate, drugged and bound tightly for transport. The girl was fourteen or fifteen and unable to speak when roused briefly to a barely semi-conscious state. Ponch was almost positive that she wouldn't fully recover. Rushed to the ICU and placed on life support, her systems were beginning to fail one by one.

Tests were still being run on the drugs used. Whatever they were, the dangerous cocktail was either too much or the young girl was having a most unfortunate allergic reaction.

Now they had the absolute gall to present him with the man responsible for her abduction, for his sister-in-law's death and Rebecca's terror. Curtis had been shot no less than four times. Without needing to touch the man, Ponch could see he was bleeding out and on the verge of death. His eyes catalogued every visible wound, location and likely trajectory to damage vital organs.

He stood there with gloved hands held high and simply could not prompt himself to react. Behind him, Steve and agent Marcus were frozen in place.

"Doc, you have to. He needs to pay ...he needs ..". Steve tried again and stopped as Ponch's face completely altered. His tone was final and coldly resolute as each word left his mouth

"I do not, Commander."

Marcus understood, he truly did. The young girl represented Detective Williams' daughter, as well as the original target: his niece, Rebecca Ramirez. They were all having a very difficult time dealing with the situation. However, he needed Frank Curtis alive. Agent Marcus glanced uneasily at Steve with a worried expression as he shifted his feet. The doctor hadn't moved in many minutes and his main suspect was slowly dying in front of him as blood pooled on the E.R. table and dripped to the tile floor.

"Excuse me. Maybe another doctor?" The suggestion fell on deaf ears as no one moved. Not even the two E.R. nurses that stood opposite their boss and waited for his go ahead to treat the dying man. After another much too long moment, one nurse nervously skirted around the men and left the trauma room. Marcus was almost relieved by her curt nod of agreement as she went to page someone to assist.

Curtis moaned in agony. A deep guttural sound and Ponch angrily stared down at him as if telling him he had no right to feel that pain. Or actually, that he should feel that pain and so much more. One bullet had entered high in his chest. A second, was a terrible gut wound from which the bulk of the pain and damage sat dismally awaiting expert treatment.

"Ponch. Please." Steve stepped forward to whisper his plea. "This way is too easy for him."

"Get out."

"What?" Steve held his one hand out as Ponch angrily turned oh him to roughly push both him and Marcus out the door. His remaining nurse was anxiously waiting for his orders. A confrontation between her chief and with the head of Five-0 was not what she had expected.

"I said. Get. Out." The doctor was almost shouting now as he closed the door in their faces.

That same nurse was his next victim as he resentfully spouted demands. They could hear him through the door and Steve took a chance to see what was happening through the small window. Ponch's face was set in a grim, hard mask of anger. For all his hatred, the doctor's hands were deft and gentle as he focused on the faceless body on the table. The nurse was put to task setting intravenous lines and assisting as instructed.

"Commander? Do we need to do something here?" Marcus was nervous and ready to intervene but Steve shook his head as he watched the activity on the trauma room. Frank Curtis was now intubated and his clothes were being cut away as his wounds were professionally examined. A sheet was draped over his lower legs and Ponch's fingers were covered in blood when he found the bleeder in the man's stomach.

"You'll have him. Alive and in one piece."

Steve stalked away without another word to Danny's room. On the way down the corridor, the first nurse was rushing back with an equally concerned doctor on her heels. They both brushed passed Steve on a run. Ponch would have his relief and Frank Curtis would continue to receive any necessary care which would alleviate all of Special Agent Marcus's worries.

It was barely dawn, if that. He expected Danny to be sleeping but he needed someone who really understood. Someone he could really talk to as Frank Curtis's pained moans and Ponch's fury chased him away.

He walked in silently and was surprised to see his partner awake in the only light which came from the hallway and the few machines. Steve's voice was weary as he stood at the foot of the bed and felt a pang of worry that Danny looked exactly the same as the previous evening. There was no change at all in fact, not even to how he still lay propped by pillows on his right side.

"Why are you awake? Are you alright?" Instead of being hazy with drugs, Danny's eyes were clear but they almost mirrored his own fatigue. He'd been up all night worrying about the mission and unable to participate, even more anxious about its outcome.

For his part, Danny knew something was wrong the very moment his partner walked into the room. He hoped that someone might come early. The mission had weighed heavily on Danny's mind and his sleep was intermittent at best. Unable to stop dwelling, he barely dozed the whole of the night and was both relieved and very worried as soon as he saw Steve's deeply brooding expression.

"It's not Chin or Kono?" The concern for his two friends was immediate when he saw that Steve's hands were fisted tightly by his side. There was a short negative nod followed by absolute silence. It was clear to Danny that he was forcing himself to stand calmly by the bed as he strongly considered saying something else.

"How's Grace?" Danny frowned briefly before answering and then had to wait as Steve suddenly wanted to know more. "And Becca? Did Ponch say anything new today?"

They were all odd questions at barely five o'clock in the morning when the day had yet to truly begin. Strange after a long mission and even more out of place since Ponch had an early shift and Danny hadn't even seen the man yet. It was hours since he'd seen his own daughter just the night before. Rachel had brought her over shortly after dinner and then had stayed right up until visiting hours had ended. He didn't expect to see them again until well after breakfast.

"Steve? What happened? Where's your damned sling?" He checked him for signs of injury but saw nothing; only the rare burst of raw emotion which meant an answer might take some time, but it would eventually come. He could have guessed Steve would get rid of the cumbersome sling during the mission. The white bandage peeked out from the sleeve of his shirt, but it was dry and clean without a speck of redness.

"Steve? Did you get hurt? What happened?" Alarmed, Danny belligerently removed the oxygen mask and raised the head of the bed as his partner closed his eyes and made a strong internal demand of himself to shake it all off.

"Danny, I need to know how Grace is. Did she visit last night after we all left for the mission?"

His anxiously blurted question sounded almost plaintive then. Staring only briefly, Danny didn't pause at that point as he pointed to the get well cards lined up on the elevated tray. Steve sorely needed a distraction and if that was Grace, he remained worried but could easily comply. The tray had been pushed out of the way for the night, but an array of hand-drawn cards were neatly standing on end. In the middle was a small floral display which hadn't been there earlier.

"Grace is wonderful. She and Rach stayed for a long time. Of course, this damned oxygen mask makes me the life of the party." Danny eased himself more onto his side before rudely pushing the oxygen mask completely away. He was not only breaking rules, but also due for medication based on the ache that was returning. Ignoring it, he watched as Steve gathered the cards into a neat stack before returning to the bed to read each one.

Danny's remained quietly surprised as Steve studiously thumbed through the first card. The odd display of emotion had him totally baffled. Danny would eventually find out what was wrong but there was a message he needed to share as he poked Steve in the arm.

"Grace was upset she missed you. She told me to tell you 'good luck on the mission'. She also wanted me to give you something."

"Over there in that bag." He grinned when Steve looked up with a blank expression on his face. There was a small white bag in the corner of the chair which Danny was pointing to. Steve handed Danny his cards to get the bag and was shocked to find a hand-crafted picture addressed to 'Uncle Steve'. His eyes were burning almost immediately as he recognized himself in crayon between what looked like two little dark-haired girls with funny triangular dresses colored in with bright colors. Under one figure, Grace had scrawled her own name. Under the second, she had neatly printed 'Becca'. All three of them were smiling and holding hands.

He didn't dare move as he stared blindly at the drawing; he wasn't entirely sure that he could even breathe as he stared in shock at it. The blue background was obviously the ocean and he felt as if he were floating as his vision tunneled unexpectedly. His reaction wasn't what Danny expected at all but he couldn't find his voice to tell his partner that he was in fact, more than fine.

"Steve?" Danny's voice was far away as he rocked in place by the chair and stared at what he held in his hands. "Steven?"

His hands were shaking and the paper was fluttering almost alarmingly as Danny's voice rose in volume. "Steve!"

"What?" Steve's voice sounded almost foreign to himself as he turned awkwardly to face him. He could barely make out Danny's face for the tears that misted his eyes. "What?"

Danny was painfully rocked on his elbow and the sheets were nearly pushed down before Steve came back to himself and realized what he was seeing. "Daniel, lay down."

"What's wrong .. with you?" Worried, Danny was panting through gritted teeth as Steve strode to the bed and purposefully pushed him back down. "It's just a card, Steven. What the hell ... is wrong with you?"

"Lay down." Grabbing up the mask, Steve examined the straps and then secured it forcibly to his partner's face. Blankets were drawn back up and the bed lowered to a more comfortable height as Steve voiced quiet, angry demands.

"Don't do that again. Lay down and take it easy."

Unexpectedly stern, Steve took each of Grace's cards off Danny's lap to display them once more on the tray table where he had found them. He ran his hand over his face before turning around and he still didn't know what to say, but he'd gone much too far now. The anxiety in his partner's face demanded that he tell him absolutely everything and Steve nodded as he sat down on the bed.

"We were successful tonight. There was a brief exchange of fire. Minor injuries on our side, but Frank Curtis was badly wounded. He's downstairs in the E.R. and will probably need surgery if he lives."

Danny waited as Steve spoke as if giving a bland dissertation. "His high-stakes game had a much higher than usual pay-back. Chin and Kono found her stuffed in a crate and ready to be transported for the winner which likely was to someone located somewhere in the Middle East."

"Her?" He was quick and Steve grimaced as he flailed his hand in the air between them. It wouldn't take but a few more words for Danny to connect the dots.

"Yes. Her. She may not make it. No one knows who she is .. yet. Kono and Chin are all over trying to find that out though; Ponch thinks she's only fourteen or fifteen. We're not even sure where he picked her up."

Steve swayed back to his feet as he clutched Grace's card in his hand. There definitely was no going back now as Danny squirmed up higher in the bed to listen to every word. Besides, now Steve couldn't stop even if he wanted to.

"Frank Curtis had intended the prize to be someone else. He failed .. he tried though .. he tried hard, and then failed. So he abducted a new girl instead."

"Kasey Pearce?" Danny hissed the two words out through clenched teeth and then sank back into the pillows. His eyes widened as full understanding came in a rush. "He wanted Rebecca. He almost got Grace."

Though his partner was imploding virtually right in front of him, Danny almost forgot Steve's own emotional state as his breathing altered. Frank Curtis would have taken Grace and sold her to the highest bidder. She would have been shoved in a box and shipped as a piece of nothing. Under the oxygen mask, he couldn't get his mouth to work but he really didn't know what to say. He felt Steve standing near him again and then heard the barely whispered regret.

"I shouldn't have told you like this. I'm sorry .. Danny, I shouldn't have told you."

Danny closed his eyes against the anger, fury and downright fear that had settled in the pit of his stomach. He could have lost Grace in an instant and he battled with himself to remain in control. Steve needed him and his daughter was safe. Rebecca Ramirez was safe. But another girl lay dying in the same hospital now. Nameless, faceless to him, and yet it could have been his baby or Doctor Ramirez's innocent niece. Little girls played with and used for trafficking as if they were pieces of nothing. He felt the guilt flickering behind his own feelings of utter relief as the bed dipped under Steve's weight.

"He could have gotten Grace." He had to voice it as he sensed Steve's very similar anxiety. Danny understood that Steve needed to tell someone and he could appreciate that Steve came to him. Of course he would and then be worried that he had since Danny was in a hospital bed.

For all of that, Danny almost smiled. It was terrible, but it made sense and he needed to know. However, he couldn't wrap his head or heart around any of it and then he still couldn't get his eyes to open at what Steve said next.

"Ponch refused to treat him."

Danny swallowed hard and then coughed harshly. He wasn't breathing properly, his chest was on fire and he lay limply in the pillows while he tried to force himself to relax as Steve continued to talk. "He is though and then Curtis will get what he deserves if he lives. Illegal gambling pales compared to kidnapping, human trafficking and murder."

"He has to. Ponch has to." Part of him was proud of the doctor, but Danny muttered the truth under his breath and then wheezed again. His chest hurt and Steve would utterly blame himself for needing to talk it out. He knew that Steve had wanted to tell him his suspicions all day; this had eaten at Steve and now it became worse when they discovered the teenager used as a sick form of winnings. Yet, he could have lost Grace.

The bed dipped again as Steve fidgeted worriedly next to his hip. "Yes, he does .. and he is. He also has help down there. They sent another doctor in to assist."

Steve was now watching his partner closely and he felt the need to apologize again. "I didn't mean to tell you like this. Are you okay?" Steve lay his hand gently on Danny's shoulder and felt the pained tension. Small panted breaths were fogging the mask briefly as the air circulated rhythmically in a constant, persistent pattern.

"Danny, are you okay?" He repeated himself because he needed to know if he'd make a mistake for the both of them. Danny was pale and not breathing well as he focused on what could have happened to Grace. He'd become overly quiet and withdrawn; two things which spelled trouble and Steve lurched to his feet.

"I'm getting the nurse."

"Yeah. No, not yet." Steve scowled unhappily at the dual answers as Danny's hand plucked at his own to sit back down. He did so reluctantly, wholly unconvinced of that fact and ready to spring to his feet once more as they sat quietly together. Danny's eyes were still closed and he'd taken to rubbing his chest again. He looked up in relief as the nurse came anxiously in on her own. Her eyes were trained on Danny's heart monitor so some part of the device must have triggered an automatic call to the front desk.

She acknowledged Steve as she manually checked Danny's pulse and then took his blood pressure. Noticing the fingers that were wrapped uncomfortably near the top of the gown, she checked his chart quickly and left the room. For the entire process, Danny's eyes remained closed as he put up with the caring ministrations. He only spoke again after the nurse had returned and injected whatever additional pain medication had been prescribed by Doctor Ramirez.

The relief was nearly immediate as Steve watched some of the discomfort leave Danny's face.

"And you? Are you okay"

Steve glanced at Danny's face to find his partner was staring at him again. The medication was strong and he partly grinned at the already unfocused expression. He should have anticipated the quiet question, too and yet hadn't really. Recovering quickly, Steve nodded and made a somewhat agreeable sound as he stared at the joyous card Grace had made for him. A cartoonish crayoned drawing on heavy beige colored construction paper. Clearly, a picture of himself with Grace and Rebecca. A picture that might not have happened and he shared that feeling of guilt with his partner as he thought of the critically injured teenager in the ICU.

Heaving a sigh, Steve allowed his happiness and the guilty feelings to live side by side. His smile deepened as he watched Danny's eyes finally close. "Your kid is some artist, Danno."

The tired grin under the oxygen mask concurred completely with that observation.

~ to be continued ~