Steve came in the house behind Danny, carrying the pizza and salad. He glanced around the living area not seeing her.

"Carly? Pizza boy's are here."

He came in the kitchen and set the food down on the counter, not noticing the drips of blood on the floor. "Carly?" he yelled out again. "Where did she go?" He leaned over the sink, glancing out the window.

"Maybe she got wind of your proposal and packed up," Danny teased, opening the pizza box and taking out a slice.

"Shut up," Steve replied, walking toward the stairs. "You're a pain in my ass."
He held his pizza up to him like he was agreeing.

Carly could hear his voice calling for her. Her first thought was their safety, praying that Allan had left the house and that he wouldn't harm either of them. She wanted to call out to him, but that was impossible. She could feel the vibration on the floor as he came up the upstairs. 'Just a few seconds more', she told herself. 'He's coming.' She held still not able to move after finding a position where she could breathe with only a minimal amount of pain, although as time went on it was becoming more and more of a challenge. She tried not to look at the blood that had formed in a small puddle on the wood floor close to her face. Her hands trembled as she fought to stay awake; wanting desperately to close her eyes and go to sleep but feared she may not wake up. She needed to see him one more time before she went to sleep. She needed to tell him she loved him.

Steve came in the bedroom, noticing the bedspread in disarray. There was an odor in the room that was vaguely familiar, giving him a bad feeling all around.

Danny reached in the fridge for the gallon of milk when he heard his name being screamed from upstairs. The sound startled him, causing him to drop the milk on the floor as another scream with the same intensity called for him. He felt a shiver run down his spine over the panic in Steve's voice. He'd never heard such a terrifying plea for help, especially coming from him.

He took the stairs two at a time, hearing the plea come again, only this time it was more of a sob. He came running in the master bedroom and looked across the bed as Steve kneeled on the floor, holding Carly's head in his hands.

"Help me!" That panic returning to his voice.

Danny came over the bed on all fours, getting his first glimpse of the devastation on the other side. He understood now.

"Oh my God!" he shuttered, seeing more blood than he ever had in his life. "Oh my God, Carly!" He scooted to the end and shoved the bed to the side towards the door so he could get in next to her. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Steve's voice shook.

Danny put unsteady fingers up to her neck, checking to see how steady her pulse was. At the same time he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He took his bloody hand from her neck and shoved Steve, "Towels!"

He looked down not wanting to leave her, even for that short length of time. "Its ok sweetie," Steve consoled her as she looked up at him, but the look on his face showed his fear on every level. "Danny," he pleaded but didn't continue, looking back down as her nails dug into him.

She pulled on his arm trying to climb up on his lap as he knelt next to her. "Allan," she mumbled trying to communicate to him.

Danny talked to 911 on the phone giving them Steve's info, knowing it would be in the database and hoping that would hurry them up. He tried to describe her condition but didn't know where to start. He put the phone on speaker and set it on the floor. "Steve, get me some towels." He tried to sound as calm as possible and couldn't believe it actually came out that way compared to what was happening inside of him.

Steve carefully set her head on the floor and scrambled back running to the bathroom.

Carly looked up at Danny as he unbuttoned her blouse and spoke to the operator at the same time, describing her wounds on her arms, but when he opened her blouse he wasn't prepared for what he saw. He felt tears sting his eyes as he tried to count the stab wounds and communicate with the 911 operator. "I count nine on her torso." He looked at her face, rubbing his hand gently over her hair as she stared at him, trying to speak.

Steve came up behind him, holding an arm full of towels and dropped to his knees when he saw her body. He knew she was hurt bad, but the overall reality hit him that more than likely she was going to die. He bent over her, putting his face close to hers, "Its ok. Everything's going to be ok." He felt none of the confidence he did when he saved her life by the lake. There was nothing he could do for her except keep her talking and awake until the Paramedics got there. He felt if he could just do that then maybe she could make it to the hospital. His fear turned to despair as he kissed her lips that were already cold. "You're strong Carly!" He saw her mouth move and the determination in her eyes. She wanted to speak. "What sweetie?" He tried to hold back the tears that filled his eyes.

She tried to catch her breath, wanting to tell him two things. She concentrated on the task as she felt Danny covering her with towels that took away some of the chill that had collected over her. "Allan," she whispered, "it was… Allan."

Steve nodded his understanding, "It was Allan." He repeated it for her sake. He felt a wave of guilt for not preventing it, for not being more aware of what he was capable of.

She looked over at Danny as if wanting him to hear too.

Steve looked up at him, "Did you hear that?"

Danny nodded, staring at her as she pleaded with him to acknowledge, not wanting this act to go unpunished. "Yes," he had to swallow down his sorrow before he could continue, "It was Allan."

She looked relieved and then focused back on Steve, taking in another breath that was becoming more and more difficult to achieve. "I love you," she said as she exhaled, finally being able to say what she wanted too. He repeated it to her and she smiled ever so slightly. She felt a calm come over her and closed her eyes, wanting to sleep now.

"Carly?" Steve cried out, "Open your eyes, Carly!"

She felt a gentle shaking and forced her eyes open one last time, taking in another breath, "Don't be afraid," she sighed, seeing so much of that in his eyes. "I'll be ok." She honestly felt that everything was going to be fine. He was there. She would be ok, just like she was that day by the lake. He would take care of her. She closed her eyes again and drifted off, hearing his plea, but she had no more strength, she just wanted to sleep.

"Carly!" He yelled at her, "Carly!" He looked up at Danny as he reached across him putting his fingers under her neck.

"Oh shit," he whimpered, "put her down, Steve! Put her down!"

Steve laid her out flat on the floor as Danny began to perform CPR on her chest. "Breathe for her!"

Steve tilted her head back and breathed in her mouth, watching her chest rise and fall. He did it two more times as Danny then took over the chest compressions. They worked as a team, fighting to get her back.

"Please, Carly!" he yelled at her, moaning as if knowing it was too late, "please baby, please don't die!"

"Breathe!" Danny yelled again for Steve to do his part. "Where the fuck are they?!" he screamed in the phones direction. It was then that they heard the sirens and truck engines coming up the driveway. "Tell them were upstairs!" he said into the phone, "she's gone into cardiac arrest!"

Steve kept his face close to hers, talking to her as Danny pushed on her chest again. "C'mon sweetie," he begged. His voice shattered with emotion. "I'm scared Carly, don't leave me."

"Breathe!" Danny ordered.

Steve put his mouth back over hers, switching emotions in the blink of an eye. He performed his duty by breathing life into her, knowing his future was balancing on the same fence. It was only when he would break to let Danny take over, did he let himself feel the fear that was becoming more and more difficult to suppress as time ticked by and she didn't respond. "Carly, please," he begged over and over with her lifeless body, "I love you. I need you with me." He looked up as the Paramedics came in the room. He was almost afraid to leave her, fearful that if he did he would lose her for sure. He stared down at her face that had become as peaceful looking as if he were leaning over her while she slept in their bed, like he had done so many times, just watching her beautiful face.

Danny leaned over him, getting both his hands under his armpits and pulling him out of the way.

Steve and Danny followed Carly's gurney through the ER and into the awaiting room. Two ER Doctors and three nurses were already standing there, anticipating their arrival. Her condition had been stable after getting her heart started with the paddles back at the house. She had held her own through the ambulance ride but as they brought her in the room her condition worsened once again.

The commotion in the room seemed chaotic to he and Danny, but to the people working in it, it was like a well-choreographed dance. Doctors and nurses moved around each other, knowing where to put what and when to move for the other person without having to be instructed. Vitals were called out every few seconds and to Steve's horror they were getting worse every time. The paddles were brought out again and he felt Danny's hand clutch his shoulder while his own hands were clasped together pressed firmly against his lips, repeating her name over and over, as if willing her to hear him.

It was torture watching her fight for her life and not being able to do anything except stand there and say her name and beg God to please spare her, not only for her sake but for his as well. Bags of blood were replaced twice already while they had stood there. He felt his own body jolt every time hers did from the shock sent through her to try to restart her heart. The word clear was heard four times before Steve saw one of the doctors reach behind him and pick up what looked like a jig saw. The movement in the room shifted as the paddle machine was pushed away into the corner. He knew what the tool was that the doctor held, they were going to cut her chest open to get directly to her heart; it was the last resort. He stared at her face that had a tube coming out of her mouth as a nurse squeezed a bag connected to it, breathing for her. His line of sight was replaced by a curtain that a nurse pulled in front of the door, blocking the view as they cracked her chest. Now all he could do was just listen.

The voices in the room sounded commanding yet calm, considering the circumstance and stress they were under. He closed his eyes praying he wouldn't hear those dreaded words, 'Time of death.'

Danny never wavered from his side, keeping a strong hand on his shoulder as they waited together, both of them silently pleading with a higher power to give her strength and spare her. Danny prayed to the only God he knew. The one he was taught as a child that came from the bible. While Steve prayed to the Hawaiian Akua's the ones he was drawn to and felt the closest too at the moment.

Things began to settle in the room as two more doctors went in and then a few minutes later the curtain opened and they wheeled her out. The nurse at the head of her bed continued to squeeze the bag that fed air to her lungs. A white blanket covered her body and the sterile cloth that exposed the chest cavity. Carly looked pale but had more color than she had before they got there. That was good sign he told himself.

"Where are you taking her?" Steve asked as they passed.

They ignored his question, knowing the ER doctor in charge would answer it.

Steve watched him pull his blood stained gloves and smock off, dropping them into a container before coming out. He stood before them, "I'm Dr. Lyle."

There was no polite hand greeting; it just wasn't called for. He went right into her diagnosis and current condition.

"Carly suffered damage to her left kidney, we don't know whether it will have to come out until we can go in and get a better look. She has thirteen puncture wounds in all but only two did serious damage. The other wound was to her stomach, not as severe as the kidney but caused massive internal bleeding which caused her to go into cardiac arrest. We had to crack her chest and do internal massaging of her heart. We were able to get a good rhythm going, however; the loss of blood flow to her brain is a concern to us. She suffered a stroke while on route to the hospital and we won't know the damage of that either, probably not until she wakes up. Our main goal was to get her stable enough for surgery so we can repair the stomach and deal with the kidney."

Steve felt like time was standing still as he listened to him rattle off her condition. Each one more life threatening than the next, hoping he would just shut up and stop talking.

"They're taking her up to the third floor for surgery. When you come out of the elevators there's a room off to the right, you can wait there for the surgeon. I don't how long she will be in surgery, but Dr. Caldwell is the best doctor we have on staff. She's in good, experienced hands."

Steve nodded but it was Danny that spoke to him.

"Ok, thanks for all you did."

He nodded, motioning to where the elevators were and then walked away.

Danny compared him to a robot, but he guessed this was probably an everyday event in his line of work. Still, he hoped that he never became so frigid when having to explain to the loved ones the condition of the victim. He looked up at Steve who just stared off, trying to take everything in. He was about to guide him toward the elevator when one of the nurses came up to them.

"Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams," she said compassionately, knowing them from past experience and being reminded from the Paramedics. She could see the stunned look in Steve's eyes that she'd seen a hundred times before, moving her attention to Danny. "Here are some smocks for you to put on while you wait upstairs." She handed him two blue smocks and a two towels with a fresh bar of soap on top. "On the third floor across from the waiting room is a room labeled 'Private,' in there you will be able to wash up and either dispose of your shirts or there are bags in there too to keep them in." She was commenting on Carly's blood that covered both of them. "If you need anything else, the nurses on the third floor are very helpful." She smiled slightly; feeling for them, knowing Carly's condition was touch and go.

"Thank you," Danny said, seeing in her what the doctor lacked. He looked up at Steve, taking him by the elbow and leading him toward the elevators. "C'mon, lets go upstairs."

He said nothing but just followed him obediently.

Danny led him into the private room and turned the light on. It had a shower to the left and an oversized sink straight ahead that had a faucet that came up high and curved over for easy access to your arms. He knew this room was probably only there for the purpose they were using it for. He led him over to the sink and dropped the items in his hands on the small table next to it. He turned the water on getting it the right temperature. "Take your shirt off," he said, to him.

Steve looked down to take it off and saw the blood on his hands and shirt as if it were a shock that it was there. "Oh God," he moaned, "She's going to die Danny." He braced his hands on the sink and hung his head, sobbing. He'd seen death so many times, but this was unlike anything he'd ever experienced, because he loved her more than he'd ever loved anyone in his life

Hey!" Danny scolded. He pulled on his shoulder, forcing him to look at him, "Listen to me! If you give up now, she will die!" He knew it was harsh but he needed him to pull himself together. "Do you hear me? I need to get cleaned up and get Chin and Kono over to the house to get the investigation going. We need to find this guy before he gets off the island."

Steve's expression became hardened. "I'm going to find that fucker and cut his heart out!"

Danny's voice stabilized, "You let me worry about the ex. He's not going to get away. His biggest fear right now should be me. You need to concentrate on Carly. This is where you need to be when she comes out of surgery."

His expression changed to worry as his thoughts went back to her. "Yea, ok," he agreed, wholeheartedly.

Danny was pretty sure if he told him to bark like a dog because it would help Carly, he'd ask him what kind of dog.

Steve stared at him, trying to hide the grief that was all over his face, proving to Danny that he wasn't giving up. "She's going to be ok," he said, fighting back the tears.

Danny nodded, pulling up on the bottom of shirt. "Yea Buddy. She's going to be ok."

By the time they came out of the room Kono was already there, wandering the halls looking for them after being told they were up there. She greeted Steve with blood shot eyes, hugging him and reassuring him how strong Carly was. She informed them that Chin went to the house and the forensic team was already there working on tire tracks and finger printing.

"They found the knife out front in the grass, but your gun is gone from the nightstand." She filled them in, knowing he as well as the other three always-kept one there.

"Ok," Danny said, motioning with his eyes as if wanting to speak to her elsewhere and not in front of Steve. He led the way into the waiting room and sat Steve down. "I'll be right back."

Steve looked up at him, "I want to know what's going on."

"I know, and as soon as we get all the facts together, I'll fill you in. You know what your job is, let us handle this one."

He nodded, looking out the windows toward the hallway as if waiting for something to happen. "I guess the longer we wait, the better that is." He looked up at him, "You think?"

Danny agreed that was good reasoning. "I think you're right." He put a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it. "I'll get some coffee, because it's going to be a long night."

Kono bent over hugging him, "We got this covered Steve. Don't worry." She followed Danny out of the room and down the hall a few steps. When they were out of hearing distance she leaned back against the wall, "He looks terrible. I can't even imagine what he's going through," she looked up at him, "or you. Are you ok?"

He hadn't given himself any thought since it happened. "It was a mess Kono. She's in really bad shape. I mean, if she even makes it through surgery. It'll be nothing short of a miracle."

She started to cry again and they hugged each other, getting back control.

"Ok," she took a deep breath. "I'm ok. I'm sorry."

"This is going to be hard on everyone Kono, but Steve's relying on us to take care of things and we're not going to let him down. We're going to find this guy. I want you to go to the office and get him on the no-fly list first, and then check out the airlines to see if he is booked or already left the island on a flight, if he's on a flight, then contact the authorities of the city he's landing in."

She nodded her understanding, giving him her full attention.

"And then I want you to check out the car rental places, starting at the airport. If you find anything, alert the Port Authority."

She nodded again, "Got it. I'll let you know what I find out." She looked down the hall towards where Steve was. "You're staying with him, right. He shouldn't be alone."

"Yes. I'll let you know as soon as we hear anything about Carly."

They hugged once more before she jogged down the hall to the stairs, in too much of a hurry to wait for the elevator.

He pulled his phone out and called Chin.

He answered right away, "How's Carly?"

"She's in surgery," Danny told him, his voice somber. "Her stomach and kidneys are both damaged. She's in bad shape."

Chin sat down on Steve's couch. "I can't believe the amount of blood up there. This whole thing is unbelievable. How's Steve doing?"

"He's a mess. I'm going to stay here with him. I sent Kono to the office to start scouting the airport and car rental places. Can you have a uniform bring Steve and Carly's phones here? I need numbers. There are family and friends we need to contact and get them on a flight over here." He leaned against the wall, running his hand through his hair. "I'm not sure she'll make it out of surgery.

Steve sat and stared out the windows of the waiting room. The shock of the ordeal had finally settled and he was left with just sadness and an overwhelming sympathy for what Carly was going through. He loved her so much that just the thought of her being in any kind of pain was felt twice-fold by him. He didn't care what condition she was in when she woke up, he knew without a doubt he'd take care of her. He knew what a lack of oxygen could do to the brain and she had had a stroke on top of it. If he had to start over with her as if she were a child he would, and he'd make sure she came back even stronger than before.

That thought made him sit up in his chair. He felt a new wave of fear and heartbreak ripple through him. What if she was pregnant? It had been three weeks since they had made love by the creek and she wouldn't even have known it yet, but it could be a very good possibility that she was. He came out of his chair and headed to the door and then down toward the nurses station.

"I need to talk to someone about Carly Burke's condition," he said to the woman behind the counter.

"She's still in surgery sir." She stood up, realizing who he was after being informed from the nurses downstairs. "You must be Commander McGarrett. The doctor will speak with you as soon as he can."

"No, you don't understand! "Steve said, "She might be pregnant. There's a chance she could be. A couple weeks maybe."

She nodded her head, "I do understand." She spoke calmly seeing the panic on him. "They do an automatic pregnancy test on all female patients that require emergency surgery. So if she is pregnant, then Dr. Caldwell is aware of it."

Steve let out a breath, "Ok, I just…" he stammered, "I just thought…someone should know." The crippling fear he felt for her suddenly doubled, bringing on a whole new set of concerns.

He watched the nurse look beyond him and he turned around seeing Danny standing there. The emotional turmoil returned and Danny went about his duty once again.

"Steve, let's go back to the waiting room."

He wiped his hands down his face, catching the newest tears as they fell. He knew Danny was doing all he could but he felt a need to have the people around him that knew Carly as well as he did. "I need to call her parents and Jules and…" he cried when Danny interrupted him.

"I know. I got it all covered."

All he could see was his beautiful Carly lying on the banks of that river and looking up at him. He would never forget the feelings she gave him of security, happiness, but most of all love. He used that image now as a goal, something to look forward to in this horrifying situation. They were going to go back to that place together, even if he had to carry her. If he could just keep that image in his head alive, then he felt she would remain alive as well.

It was all he had.