The ambulance arrived a short time later and the three friends stood off to the side as the EMT's tended to Danny.
One of them asked, "Do any of you know what he took?"
Steve replied, "No, we don't but he was drinking beer as well until about eleven o'clock last night"
Suddenly Danny became very agitated and pulling off his oxygen mask he began to scream out, "CCCHIN….CHIN!"
Chin moved quickly to his side and as the EMT's held him down, Chin grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "I'm here Danny, calm down brah"
"Chin…Tttracy…..sshe sshe ddrugged my coffee…" He was sobbing as piece by piece things were coming back to him, "Oh God she ddrugged me Chin"

Placing his other hand on Danny's shoulder, Chin said softly, "I know brother, sshhhhhhh…you have to relax and let these guys take care of you now okay?" Chin placed the mask back over Danny's nose and mouth and he closed his eyes. Chin stayed at his friend's side holding his hand as the EMT's continued to work on him. After inserting an IV of saline into his hand they were ready to transport him.

Steve stated, "Chin, will you go with him and keep us posted?"
"You bet"
As Danny was wheeled past him, Steve reached out and squeezed his forearm affectionately.
As Chin walked by, Steve said softly, "Take care of him brother"
Chin nodded and smiled, "You know I will. Keep focused Steve"
Steve sighed and looking up he met the gaze of Duke Lukella as he arrived on the scene with his HPD unit.

As the Officers moved into the room Duke followed Steve and Kono to the side of the room.
As they shook hands, Duke inquired, "What happened here Steve?"
Steve spoke softly, pointing to the victim, "Her name is Tracy Fletcher"
Kono added, "At least that's what she told us"
Duke shot them a puzzled look, "You know her?"
Steve ran a hand across his stubbled cheeks and chin, "She and Danny were seeing each other"
"What? What happened to him?"
Steve shook his head, "He was drugged. He doesn't remember much but a few minutes ago he told us she drugged his coffee"
Steve and Kono told Duke everything they knew about Tracy and her relationship with Danny. Steve told him about what happened last night and of her attempt to pit the two men against each other.

Duke asked, "Why would she do that?"
"I don't know. All of a sudden she showed up in his life, she said all the right things Duke" Steve sighed as he relived his friend's pain of a short time ago, "He fell for her…and he fell hard"

Duke looked at McGarrett and the next words he spoke nauseated him, "Steve…did Danny do this"
Steve's jawline tensed and he stated firmly, "No Duke, he didn't do this"
Duke held up his hands, "I had to ask, you know that…..so what do you think happened?"
"I don't have a clue Duke….but I know Danny….and YOU know Danny! He DIDN'T do this!"
Kono grabbed Steve's forearm, "Calm down boss, he's on our side"

Duke then asked, "Did you guys touch anything her, compromise the evidence at all?"
"No, Danny's been here several times so you're going to find his DNA, but none of us have been here before. Look Duke, I know you need to do your job and I want you to do it thoroughly. There can't be any talk of impropriety here, everything has to be above board. I don't want there to be ANY talk about us inserting ourselves in this investigation. I'm 100% confident that when this is done, Danny will be exonerated. I think it's probably best if we leave so you can work, unless you have any more questions for us?"

"I think that would be for the best, you need to keep your distance. I'll call you soon with an update"
Steve shook the older man's hand, "Thank you Duke"

Steve hesitated momentarily taking a final glance at Tracy, 'Who are you and why did you do this to Danny?'
He then left the apartment along with Kono and they headed to the hospital.

505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050

When Steve and Kono arrived at the hospital they met Chin in the waiting room.
"Anything yet?"
"No Steve"
"Did he say anything in the ambulance?"
"He drifted in and out of consciousness. He just kept asking what happened and he saying he couldn't remember anything"
Steve rubbed his eyes, "Duke has taken charge of the scene and he'll call us with updates" Looking at his watch he added, "I better call the Governor"

As he walked to the side of the room, Chin asked, "How's he doing Cous'?"
"He's scared, he's sad, he's hurting…but he's focused Chin. He's thinking clearly"
"Good. Danny will come around. The drugs have his mind muddled but he'll come around"
"Steve knows that. They're going to be fine"
Chin held out his arms and embraced her, "I hope you're right honey, God I hope you're right"

Steve's voice was rising and they looked at each other with concern.
Several minutes later, the SEAL hung up his phone and re-joined them. Chin handed him a cup of coffee and they all sat down as Chin asked, "What was that all about?"

Steve sighed, "I left a message for Denning….then Duke called. Danny's fingerprints are all over the knife"
Kono said softly, "Oh no…."
Steve replied, "I'm not surprised by this, we know someone is setting him up"
Chin asked, "I'm not surprised either, but that's not what's upsetting you is it Steve?"
"HPD is arresting Danny"
Kono shook her head, "No, no Steve you can't let that happen"
"We don't have a choice Kono. Right now he's the only suspect and until we find out who's behind this, they're going to hold Danny"

Chin sighed deeply, "He's in no condition to go anywhere right now, especially to a prison cell"
"I know and I'll talk to the Governor about it. I'm sure he'll call me soon"

Kono nodded towards the door, "Guys, the Doctor's here"
Doctor Isaac Harimoto entered the room and moved towards the table. He had treated Steve after he was shanked by Victor Hesse in the prison yard, and he had treated Chin when he was shot in the shoulder last month during a bust on a warehouse.

After shaking hands with them all, he smiled and took a seat.
"Commander, I'm seeing way too much of you and your team lately"
Steve grinned, "Tell me about it Doc…...how's Danny?"
"He'll be fine. He was given a high dose of the sedative midazolam hydrochloride. He's experiencing minor breathing issues and an irregular pulse so we'll monitor him closely over the next twenty four hours. He has a severe headache and nausea which are both common after-effects of the drug"

Steve smiled, "Good…..this is good Doc. He's having trouble remembering what happened to him…."
"That's common Steve. Confusion and memory loss can happen. He came in covered in blood, can you tell me what happened?"
Not wanting to say much, the SEAL responded "A friend of his was killed, the blood is hers"
Doctor Harimoto nodded, "That kind of traumatic event along with the drugs makes the confusion and memory loss is even more understandable. Is there a chance he took the drugs himself?"

Kono's blood went cold and she responded in shock, "A suicide attempt?"
Steve replied firmly, "No, no way Doc. There is NO WAY Danny would do that. He would NEVER leave his daughter….he would never do that to Gracie"

Chin nodded his head vehemently, "Steve's right, there's no way this was self-inflicted"
Doctor Harimoto stated, "Okay, good"
Steve then asked, "When can we see him?"
"He's in his room now, but Steve…."
The Doctor's hesitation alarmed the SEAL as he asked, "What is it Doc?"
"Steve, he specifically said he didn't want to see you"

Steve's heart sank at the words but he forced a smile and said softly, "Okay….that's okay"
Chin then asked, "What room is he in Doctor?"
"He's in room 401 and you can go up anytime. I'll check in on him this afternoon. The best thing for him now is sleep, the drugs just need to pass through his system"

They all stood and thanked the Doctor and after he left Steve looked at his friends and smiled, "Well, this is great news. He's going to be fine"
Kono wiped a single tear from her eye, "I'm sorry Steve"
"Hey Kono, everything will be alright. You heard the Doc, the drugs cause confusion and memory loss. The important thing is that he's going to be okay, we just need to keep him calm. Let's not push anything….he'll come around. You two go to him, I'll be fine" He glanced at his watch and added, "I need to call Rachel and let her know that he won't be able to pick up Gracie today and I'll keep in touch with you" Hugging his friends, they left to head up to Danny's room and Steve moved to a couch in the waiting room.

505050505050505050505050505050505050505050505050

He sat quietly for a few minutes, staring straight ahead but not focusing on anything. His thoughts were on his partner….they had been through so much together over the last eighteen months and the depth of his feelings for this man and his little girl continued to amaze him. He loved them like family ….they were his family and he silently prayed that everything would be alright. Danny was probably the most stubborn SOB he had ever known and right now his head just wasn't clear. He had to remember his own words to Kono, Danny would come around, they just had to give him time.

He sat back on the couch and dialed Rachel. He told her everything that had happened and he pulled no punches as he told her what he faced.
"Rachel, I'm waiting on a call back from the Governor but we're going to need to retain a good Attorney for him"
"But he didn't do this Steven, you know that"
"I know that, and we're going to do everything we can to clear his name but we need to make sure he also gets the best legal advice possible"
"Yes…..I understand…thank you Steve. Can I bring Gracie up to see him?"

"Obviously it's up to you but I don't think it would be a good idea yet. The drug he was given makes him very confused and I think it might upset Gracie"
"What should I tell her?"
"If you can tell her he's busy on a case for the next few days? I don't know Rachel, I don't have much experience with this kid stuff you know…."
She chuckled softly saying, "I'd say you do a pretty good job with all the 'kid stuff' Steve"

"I'm sure Danny will call both of you as soon as he's feeling better but I knew he was supposed to pick her up at lunchtime today"
"I thank you so much for calling and for taking care of Danny…you are an amazing friend"
"He's amazing Rachel, and I'll do everything I can do to help him. I'll talk to you soon"
"Okay, bye"

Hanging up the phone Steve stood and gasped as a pain shot across the middle of his back and radiated across his midsection. He had taken a good blow against that pool table... His thoughts were interrupted as his phone rang and he took the call from Governor Denning.

****** I hope you're all enjoying! Are you ready for some Steve whump yet? ******