Happy reading! :-)

When Danny regained consciousness, he was on the floor. He didn't know how he got there. Pushing up with the wrong hand, he groaned. But through the intense pain, he realized something.

He was no longer tied to the chair. In fact, said chair was gone. And he was alone again in the big empty room. Just the change itself made his heart race. He didn't know what to expect next.

After a few calming breaths, he noticed something else – the door to the room was wide open.

What the hell?

He wondered if he'd dreamed the whole thing. But the fact that he felt like death warmed over told him otherwise.

And then he remembered. Joey. The disturbed bastard. Just the way he twirled around the room scared the hell out of Danny more than he'd ever admit.

He still had a hard time wrapping his mind around what he'd learned. Joey had most assuredly killed his brother Jimmy. And he blamed Danny.

You killed my brother, so I killed yours.

Steve. Danny had to get out of there. He had to find his best friend.

The door was open and he was no longer tethered to this place.

Could he just leave?

Was it a trap?

He froze, listening hard. But he heard nothing except the wind and ocean with a few sea birds thrown in for good measure. A picture perfect soundtrack, if he was actually enjoying himself.

Then he did a quick assessment.

His head ache was raging, but he wasn't bleeding from anywhere – not anymore. His neck was still stiff. Face felt raw and puffy. One eye swollen shut. It hurt to breathe. Hell, his hair even hurt.

But his legs worked. Unless he moved his right knee too much. He feared it was out of commission. So he took a page from his partner's playbook and he ignored the pain. Danny crawled to the doorway, all but dragging his right leg, and cautiously peered into the unknown.

Down the hall, he could see another door hanging open. Light streamed into what he perceived to be a two story foyer. The front door?

Even though Danny was afraid to come anywhere close to hope at that point, his eyes still tingled with the beginnings of tears. Right then, he just wanted to feel the sun on his face again.

/././

"Chin!" Kono rushed into the waiting area. "Any word on Steve yet?"

He quickly embraced his cousin. "Nothing yet."

"What happened? I thought he was doing better." Her eyes searched his for answers.

Sadly Chin didn't have much to tell her. "He collapsed not long after we got back to the office. They're running some tests."

"And Danny?"

Chin shook his head. "Still no clue what happened besides burnt dinner. HPD checked the vacant house across the street from Steve's place. Crime scene tape has not been disturbed. No one has been there since the techs left yesterday."

"What the hell is going on, cuz?"

"I wish I knew, Kono. I wish I knew."

"Lieutenant Kelly?" A doctor approached the pair.

It was Kono who spoke first, eager for any news. "Do you have word on our boss?"

The man acknowledged her badge and gun, realizing she too was with Five-0. "Yes and no, I'm afraid."

"Yes and no? What the hell does that mean?" She couldn't hide the exasperation in her voice. Ducking her eyes, she apologized. "Sorry."

Chin grabbed her hand and squeezed. Then he turned back to the doctor. "Ok, what can you tell us?"

"Our best guess before all the tests come back – and I say guess because the only thing we know for sure is that he is in respiratory distress – our best guess is that he's been poisoned."

"Could the damage be from the smoke inhalation he suffered earlier today?"

"That might explain some of it, yes, but this is more pervasive. Though I would say he inhaled what ever it was."

Everything moved in slow motion all of a sudden. Doctors were supposed to have answers. Clear solid facts you could wrap around yourself for what little comfort they might provide.

But this. This not knowing was terrible. And the physician understood their need.

"I'm sorry. I wish I had better news. You should be able to see your friend soon. I'll have one of the nurses keep you informed."

Chin nodded. "Mahalo."

Kono seemed to be in a dream, not really focused on anything. Chin wanted to shake cousin but then she popped back into reality.

"The skillet!" Kono's hand flew to her mouth. "I need to call CSU."

Chin watched his cousin whip out her phone and stab the speed dial, not completely registering what she'd said. The doctor backed away, watching them for a minute before disappearing behind closed doors again.

/././

Danny knew he shouldn't linger. Joey might return any second. And he had to find his partner. Had to get word to him. Was it too late?

Closing his eyes against the bright sun, he devised a plan.

The first mountain he had to climb was simply the act of sitting up. Which was more difficult than he imagined. Not only did his head feel like a bowling ball, but his whole mid section felt like it was stabbing him. He told himself he was overreacting. If he breathed through it, he'd be okay. Then he caught sight of his leg.

He'd never been so thankful he was wearing pants because if he could see his knee right then, he knew he'd puke. The material strained against a sickening swell of flesh and bone. But he could move it – a little. Despite the white flash of pain. He sent up a silent prayer that it was merely badly and terribly bruised and not something worse.

But it didn't matter. His whole leg could be hanging by a thread. He had to get away from there. Had to get to Steve.

Sitting there for another few seconds, he got his bearings. He recognized this neighborhood but he wasn't sure why. Then he remembered. A friend of Grace's lived nearby. And he knew this house. It had an odd statue of a mermaid that always caught his eye when he drove by the place. Grace always wanted him to drive slowly so she could see it. The Little Mermaid was a favorite of hers.

So he knew where he was.

Why was this house empty?

He couldn't worry about that for long. Could be an alien invasion – it didn't matter.

His next step was standing. And on one and a half legs, he knew it might be a challenge. But he did it anyway with surprising ease. Once he stopped his world from spinning.

Then, Danny took one careful step on to the perfectly manicured front walk – and careened face first into the grass, cursing all the way down. He couldn't stop; had to do this. So he sat up again and repeated the process.

This time, he was more wary of his actual ability. He'd be lucky to make it to the street. And even luckier to flag down someone down without scaring the crap out of them. But frightening people was fine with him. He wanted someone to call the cops. Didn't matter why.

He needed all the help he could get.

Danny hop-stumbled down the driveway, continually putting too much weight on his screaming knee. And he thought about the most recent horror movie Steve made him watch. Zombies. He didn't know about eating brains, but right then he felt a little more than half dead.