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

Notes: so ummm …. this was a short chapter … at first. REALLY SHORT. Then, well .. things happened. *sigh* BTW - Thor is a GREAT movie! Loki is THE best! Gotta love the baddie sometimes.

* H50 * H50 * H50 * H50 * H50 *

Chapter 11

Alone except for the child he cuddled under one arm, Danny tried to insist on ducking her head into his side as they walked so she wouldn't see what had been going on around the house. But as they walked, Danny realized that they had gone farther into the jungle than he had first thought. Slowly, he softened his hold and Becca peeked out from his body with a dirty, tear-stained face. She moved away just a bit to see better, but kept a firm hold of his hand for all she was worth.

"Almost." Danny murmured more for himself as he careened a few feet in the dark and down a sloppy uneven bit of mud and slippery rocks. As they descended, they lost view of the house though both of them were sure they were headed in the correct direction. Despite her wrist, Becca was working hard to help but having trouble too as the rain worsened. It was nearly impossible to see, difficult to walk in a straight line, and Danny was stumbling over feet that refused to cooperate.

"Uncle Danny?" Becca was tearful as she tried to hold him up. She got even more upset when he didn't answer at all. They had finally made it to one last steep portion when they had to stop for two reasons; one, the slope seemed to be a mammoth obstacle and two … Danny blinked dizzily and simply … stopped moving. At the top, Becca didn't know what to do when Danny swayed uncontrollably and then fell to one knee with a pained exhale.

"Uncle Danny? How do we get down?" Leaning against his shoulder, Becca had become afraid again when he didn't reply. Then she heard Steve's faint shouts and peering down below, finally saw the bobbing flashlights.

"Look! They found us!" Becca nearly cried in relief as she tugged vainly at Danny's arm for him to look or say something. "Uncle Steve is here! But .. how do we get down?" What was hard to do before the rain, now looked insurmountable to the little girl from so high above. Impossible and terribly frightening as Danny collapsed wearily to a seated position.

"Uncle Danny, you have to get up." Trying not to hurt him, Becca tugged on his arm and then pulled on his shoulder. "Please .. get up now. They're here."

"Danny!" Steve shouted once up to the high shelf when he saw his partner's shape wobble and fall. "Danny! Stay where you are … we're coming up!"

Frowning at the commands which he finally seemed to register deeply in his foggy brain, Danny heard his name from faraway and could only look queerly at Rebecca. Her hair was lank and dripping from the rain, yet she was excited and upset at the same time.

"Happ'n'd?" Danny whispered weakly, with a dazed expression. His frown deepened when he realized he was literally sitting on the cold wet ground, in an even colder rain. He anchored his elbow to his side because it suddenly hurt not only to take in each shallow breath, but also to merely turn his head to look at the little girl. To make matters worse, Rebecca was standing next to him with far too much energy and nearly vibrating impatiently in place.

"What?" Danny groaned through his discomfort as he wiped both water and a sickly sweat from his eyes."Becca?"

"It's Uncle Steve." She read his confusion and then promptly explained. "He's real close, so can I go to him? Please? He's so close, Uncle Danny ... I can see him and we need help."

"Uncle Danny!" Her frightened whine made his eyes snap open. Not knowing when they had closed, he was stunned when Becca shook his arm. "Huh?' The urgent motion rattled his head and he groaned out one other word with a wince. "What?"

"It's Uncle Steve!" She was pointing wildly to a point below them where three darkly clad shapes were approaching. "Look!" With effort, he saw the flashlights glistening through the rain and thought he might recognize Kono's slender frame. It wasn't much of a stretch to assume that Steve might be another.

"Oh.' He breathed out realizing that he had checked out for a long time. With Becca's continued urgings, his mind caught up and began to shout 'yes, go - but be careful', however his mouth refused to work.

"I think Aunt Kono is here, too." Rebecca was beginning to cry again when he still didn't say more or tell her what to do next. Her face screwed up into a tight look as his eyes closed briefly and so, she bravely made a decision. "Just like you said - they're here - they came for us. So .. so … I'm going."

Pulling out of his grip, Becca made her very own decision. She gave Danny a quick kiss on the cheek and then it seemed as if she simply disappeared over the edge. Alarmed, Danny choked out a warning for fear she had hurt herself, but he only fell weakly to his side. A short second later, he heard her startled almost distant cry, but was wholly unable to move at that point.

Below them, Ponch and Steve were now lunging half-way up the slope as Kono shone a light to illuminate Becca on the muddy, steep grade.

"Rebecca!" Her uncle was jolted into action as he gauged her rapid fall and purposefully aimed for her. On her way down, Becca fell once and then twice as she tried to vainly gain some traction by using her heels and one good hand. Picking up speed, she was now skidding scarily down on her bottom with a tidal flood of mud, twigs and vines that grabbed at her. She screeched in fear as the slide almost became a tumble but she was suddenly halted by two big, strong arms. She yelped in surprise at that as her stunned round eyes met her Uncle's and she fell into him with a final squeak.

"Ow!" The force of the sudden stop took her breath away and jarred her painful wrist at the same time. The expression on the face of the man who caught her was nearly as frightened as her own as he gripped her small shoulders and realized that she was essentially fine. With another gasp, Becca's bottom lip began to tremble as she picked at the man's coat because she had only seen Steve and maybe Kono; she hadn't recognized the big, shapeless rain-coated man as her uncle.

"Uncle Ponch! You came .. too." The tremble continued as all the tension fled her body and she fell trustingly into him. Still trying to speak, Becca stuttered jaggedly through her tears. "You're here. Just like .. Uncle Danny .. said."

"Rebecca. Did he now?" On his knees in the mud, he used his sheer size to keep from moving further in any direction. But Ponch couldn't stand it a moment longer as he softly said her name, wondered about Danny, and then hugged her to his chest. Her legs and arms wrapped firmly around his body and she began to sob.

"Becca. My little sprite! Of course, I came too." Flipping around now to sit on the steep grade too, Ponch tucked her even more tightly into his arms to begin a rapid but calculated descent back to Kono. Muffled cries of 'Uncle Ponch' were repeated over and over into his raincoat and he couldn't wait to get to more stable ground to check her out more closely. Rebecca was sobbing openly and clinging tightly to him with all her might and he had no intention of ever letting her go. Still worried for Danny though, Ponch glanced once towards Steve who was well past him. Digging his fingers into mud and then grabbing at rocks, vines and anything he could use to haul himself up, Steve was clearly intent on going all the way to the top for his partner.

"I'll be back." Ponch croaked over his shoulder and through a tight throat meaning for Danny. But Steve wasn't sure the man would be able to part from the obviously upset little girl and frankly, he couldn't blame him.

"No. Stay below and check her out." With a brief glance, Steve made the demand as he continued on. He was out of breath and layered in mud when he finally reached the top with one last solid heave where he landed on his knees next to Danny's head.

"Danno?" Steve gasped as he gently wiped rain-drenched hair back from the heated, bruised forehead. Bending down, Steve saw the cut on his cheek, the bloody bruise near his temple and still knew that a gunshot wound lay somewhere in his partner's side. Now, finally under Steve's hands and only semi-conscious, Danny's was still in trouble as he lay shivering on the ground with a face that was creased in pain.

Exhausted beyond belief, Danny sensed Steve's presence before he could open his eyes; even before he could hear him. The nearly sudden change from Rebecca to a larger and more intimidating force displaced much of the air space around him. The activity was different. The sense of urgency was palpable even in the dark. What forced him to finally pry his eyes open was the warmth of the larger hand and the firmer fingers which practically covered his neck down to his collarbone.

"Danno? Can you hear me?" Ripping off his gloves, Steve anxiously buried his fingers in Danny's neck looking for a pulse because for one startling second, he still thought the worst. Steve was shocked though when Danny's eyes blinked slowly open. He was even more stunned when Danny feebly tried to use one hand to climb up him in order to stand. "Take it easy, Danny. What are you trying to do?"

"Steve?" Weak and ill, Danny barely got back to his seated position with Steve's reluctant help while mumbling one-worded demands. "Becca."

"Hey! We got her .. Ponch has her. But what exactly are you trying to do? Just wait a minute and let me take a look at you." Danny's eyes were glassy and his face was lined with a mixture of pain, fever and a bone-weary numbness. Steve breathed in every square inch of his damaged partner trying to figure out where the worst injuries lay hidden but it was near impossible to see in the poor light and for his ruined clothing. So relieved that he and Becca were safe from Curtis, Steve's eyes were filled with unshed tears as he held both of Danny's arms to keep him quiet.

"Careful." Danny hissed as Steve accidentally jarred his ribs. " Help .. up."" A groan behind gritted teeth had Steve freezing in place but Danny was still feebly grasping for purchase. The truth was everything hurt and yet he needed the contact as he grappled for Steve's arms.

"Sorry .. Danny .. where? Just wait one minute .. let me see." Searching carefully, Steve felt it then ... the sticky wetness that clung by his right hand where Danny's shirt hem caught his fingers. The poorly applied bandage was long gone and the gunshot wound had been opened again. Hurriedly, Steve gently tried to see more but Danny's shaky hand prevented his quick investigation. Stopped again and assuming that his partner wasn't truly aware, Steve shook his head in frustration.

"Easy, Danny. I need to see this." He was wasting time and with a full-fledged medical doctor at their disposal, Steve decided on another course of action. "Okay, fine. Doc's below and he's going to help get you fixed up and then .. it's the hospital for you."

"No .. wait." Danny wobbled and swallowed hard as if trying to find the energy to speak. Brow knit with a fixed determination he held tightly to Steve's hand like a life-line. For a brief second, he quieted and blinked as if trying to remember what he wanted to say or do. His erratic breathing added to Steve's growing consternation as Danny's mouth opened yet not a sound came out.

"Alright, Danny. That's enough for now; we need to go." Trying reason, Steve firmly gripped Danny's arms in preparation to leave. His partner was all over the place and not making sense. Almost nose to nose with him as the rain poured down, Steve attempted to explain what was happening. "You're hurt, buddy, and we have to find a way to get you down safely."

For a long moment there was silence as Danny tried to gather his thoughts and he felt Steve reposition his hands on his arms. Oddly, the overwhelming sound of the storm was almost distracting and he could barely find the words to ask the right questions. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a deep breath before gazing directly into Steve's tightly pensive face. "Mike. I need to know."

He should have known that his partner was still thinking about everyone else … despite his own predicament .. and Steve loosed his hold to gently rub at Danny's arms, more worried than ever when he felt the coldness seeping through his skin. Guessing where he was going, Steve was already shaking his head in reply. "He's in the hospital .. which is where we need to get you."

"But .. is .. Mike okay?" However, another deep breath followed before Danny insisted upon completing the sentence. "Mike? Is he .. dead?" The tone was full of anxiety and Steve smiled in an attempt to reassure him.

"No, he's alive. Mike's alive and in the ICU." There was no return smile, just a slight clearing of Danny's eyes as he absorbed the news before forging ahead with another thing that he needed to know. His mouth gaped open and he shook his head which caused to Steve to scowl in annoyance. "Talk later, Danny. Let's move."

"Wait." Danny recognized the constipated expression. He could see that Steve's frustration was mounting by the severe look he was receiving, yet he had one more question. "Grace."

The tremble was increasing from a fine subtle feeling to a more violent shaking. The pending collapse was coming on strong and Steve grasped his arms firmly while he looked over his shoulder to size up the difficulty of their descent as Danny continued to urgently whisper. He needed to get him down so that he got at least some interim medical care and not answer such a prolonged series of questions. From below, he could hear Kono calling to them and asking what was taking so long now. They all needed to leave and get back to the main house.

"She's fine, too, Danno." It wasn't enough though and Steve grumbled unhappily under his breath. Even in the dark, Danny was too pale and Steve could virtually feel the tension through his fingers.

"Steve. I really need .. to know because .. they said .. he said .. Curtis promised she was ...she was ... here." It took everything out of him to further explain himself. Danny's voice faded to a murmur on the last few words as a smudgy grayness began to seep into the frayed edges of his vision. Barely able to focus on Steve's face, Danny was determined to express himself and hear a complete answer. A full and unabridged answer even though Becca had told him the truth. Danny suddenly needed to be sure and his frantic pain-filled eyes met Steve's which finally spilled over as he nodded again.

"Yes. Yes, she's fine and safely with Ellen. They never saw her or got to her, Danny. I promise you that she's fine. She stayed hidden in the house the entire time after calling both 911 … then me. I took care of her myself and now she's staying safely with Ellen until we get you back home." Steve's fingers tightened involuntarily as Danny sagged under his hands and into the mud. Instead of allowing him to slip all the way back down, Steve pulled him into a careful seated hug. Though it hurt, the move gave Danny the opportunity to regain some of his fading balance by returning the grateful embrace.

"Okay." Danny managed a soft ghosted smile then. He was exhausted and freezing, but now ready to go even as he fought a wave of dizziness. "Help .. Steve. Get me .. up."

Weakly taking Steve's hand, Danny demanded it again and this time, Steve heaved him carefully but firmly to his feet. In fact, they didn't have too much of a choice .. at least until they got down to Kono and Ponch. Firmly holding Danny's weight to his chest, Steve still apologized for what they had to do to get down.

"I'm sorry, Danny. There's no other way. Can you hang on a little longer?" Below them, Kono was still using two flashlights to seek out a better path, but they had no options. Knees almost refusing to lock, Danny rested against Steve while blearily staring at the small group below.

"I can .. do this, Steven." He was so close and needed to stay on his feet. Not actually convincing even himself, Danny murmured again as Steve took more of his weight. "I can. Yeah … I can."

"You got it, Danno. Let me do all the work, though." His voice was rough in Danny's ear as he turned his back to carefully face uphill. Arm in arm, and being bodily assisted, the two began the descent. Following Ponch's example, Steve used his body as a veritable wall to manage a somewhat controlled mud-filled slide downwards. Stopping a few times, he kept Danny close to him and propped up against his chest to avoid the worst of any rocks and badly uneven ground as they slipped their way back.

Below them, Ponch and Kono watched as the two started to slowly make their way down. Still in her Uncle's arms but now wearing her own oversized raincoat, Becca was also wrapped partly under the huge coat he wore. She watched too, to be sure Danny made it down to them, but was scared each time she saw the two begin to slip more on the steep grade.

"Uncle Ponch .. he's hurt .. bad." Becca murmured in a small frightened voice when Steve unexpectedly went down hard on both knees and Danny gasped in pain. The two needed help and the doctor was suddenly letting her down to stand on her own two feet and giving her instructions. He had made a bad face over her bruised wrist, but she was too tired to worry if he was really angry. Keeping her hand tucked up to her chest now, Becca nodded in agreement.

"Can you stay with Aunt Kono, sprite?" Making sure her coat was on and her bad wrist was protected, Ponch began to clamber up the slope to meet Steve halfway. With Danny nearly dead weight and groaning in pain from every jarring motion, Steve's arms were straining by the time Ponch was able to get closer.

"Just a little more, Danny. We're here .. we're here." Steve encouraged breathlessly until he felt the additional hands joining in to better manage their dangerous descent. Seated, on bent knees or sliding down on a cocked hip, the two men anchored Danny between them to combat the muddy slope. Moments later, they were all safely down but Danny had his eyes tightly closed from the exhausting painful effort. He moaned in relief as he was held up between the big man and Steve while Kono hastily draped another spare raincoat over his his back. He was far from warm, however every small courtesy provided a much appreciated layer of protection.

"Hey, Danny." She whispered softly. "Time to go home."

Dimly, he realized Steve had slung his right arm over his neck and he was ever so gently, but firmly fisting Danny's belt with his left hand. Looking down, Danny wasn't sure his toes were even touching the ground. He also realized that the big doctor had moved around to the front of him and was studying him closely. Utterly worn out and wondering exactly when the man had shown up, the detective blearily blinked and stared almost dumbly at his face.

"Doc." Danny managed to whisper the faint hello and essentially failed. The weakness of his voice prompted an immediate non-verbal exchange between Steve and Ponch who were both frowning worriedly over his head.

"Detective." With his apprehension growing as he mentally catalogued what he saw, Ponch studied Danny to get a handle on the severity of the injuries. By habit, his concern at first sparked his use of Danny's title and then Ponch changed gears as he gently palpitated the bruised cheek and wound on his temple. He sighed under his breath about the obvious fever and yet the cold, clammy skin. "Danny? How on earth..?"

From where he stood and what he could see, Danny was clearly in shock and if not for Steve, soon to sit down for good. Actually for a very long, long time. His face was stern and worried as he quickly and efficiently checked Danny's glazed eyes and the messy gunshot wound near what he could gently feel was a cracked rib. The injured man had a sick heat radiating off his body and Ponch could practically hear the ragged respiration as he manually took Danny's pulse and noticed the broken fingers on his left hand.

The noise that Steve made when he also saw the swollen fingers and dual bruised wrists was unrecognizable. It communicated anger and then astonishment of what Danny had overcome to keep Rebecca safe. Talking over his bowed head, Ponch met Steve's eyes with a very serous expression because those were his identical thoughts. "He's exhausted … badly concussed; maybe a skull fracture and I need to get him to a better place; somewhere were I can run an IV and get him stabilized."

Clearly worried by Ponch's fast assessment, Steve waited for him to offer support on Danny's opposite side. Breathing hard now and clearly fading, Danny was barely paying attention to what they were deciding on his behalf. The doctor indicated that they should carry him between them and Steve nodded in reply.

"Let's get you home, Danny. Grace is waiting for you." Offering words of encouragement, Steve moved to cross arms with Ponch while Kono showed the way with flashlights in one hand and Becca in the other. Only vaguely aware, Danny moved one foot without waiting for his friends to carry him. He tried to budge his foot one tiny inch but that was as far as they all got.

"Thank you." Just a whisper that only Steve heard as Danny's head limply fell to meet his shoulder. A deep seated feeling of dizziness coursed through Danny's body as he lost sight of the big doctor. The feeling took his breath away as he lost every remaining ounce of strength he might have had left. The thanks were meant for Grace, for Becca and even for himself; it was laced with an unfathomable depth of pure exhaustion and then Danny's legs did buckle.

Completely and without apology.

"Nonono! Danny!" Steve and Ponch nearly went down together on the muddy trail with Danny sagging miserably between them. He completely collapsed and lost touch with the here and now as the two men only paused to pull their friend up into a proper, two-man seated carry.

Communicating their status rapidly, Kono advised the teams of their return and need for help. Higgins confirmed that he and his men were already on their way to meet them to assist. Holding tightly to her hand, Becca's eyes were huge and she'd begun to whimper quietly about Danny.

"Hang on tight, Becca." Rather than worrying about her being able to keep up, Kono swung the exhausted little girl up into her arms while still using the flashlights with her free hand. "Hang on to me real tight!"

"Move, now." With his own look of thanks for Kono's determination, Ponch growled out the final command as the group anxiously started back at a faster pace.

~ to be continued ~