**** WARNING - STEVE WHUMPAGE AHEAD !…Here we go! I hope you enjoy! ****

Chin and Kono were sitting at a table overlooking the hospital courtyard when Steve entered the room. Glancing at his sleeping partner he grinned and asked, "Is it safe for me to enter?"

The other's chuckled and Chin replied, "I think you're safe, he's pretty out of it"
Steve winced as he sat at the table and Kono asked, "Why don't you get those ribs checked out as long as you're here?"
"I'm fine Kono…..just tired" He then swiftly changed the subject, "So has he said much?"
"No, not really…..he's hurting Steve"
"I know he is" Chin and Kono saw the pain in their leaders eyes and they felt horrible, but they both knew that Danny's well-being was the most important thing right now…and they knew that was all that mattered to Steve as well.

Chin then asked, "Did you talk to Rachel?"
"Yes, I told her everything" His eyes again fell on his partner. His color looked better already, and other than the nasal cannula providing him oxygen and the soft beeping of the machines monitoring his blood pressure and heart rate, he looked pretty good. "When he wakes, let him know that Rachel's going to tell Gracie he's away working a case for a few days. That gives us some time to clear this mess up"

Kono nodded, "We'll tell him"
Steve then continued, "I talked to Duke. They're moving along well at the scene and they're interviewing Tracy's landlord and neighbors now. Max has taken Tracy to the morgue and they took samples of the spilled coffee to confirm the poisoning"

Chin inquired, "Did they find drugs in the apartment?"
"Not yet. It appears that the knife used came from a set in the kitchen. Her laptop and cellphone are both missing but they're continuing to search the apartment for anything that can help us. Denning has agreed to let Danny remain out of jail and in our custody for the time being, but one of us has to be with him around the clock"

Kono snickered, "What, he thinks he's a flight risk?"
"No Kono, he doesn't but we have to do everything by the book. Danny has to be fully exonerated or this could destroy his career. Look, it's going to be a long few days and we need to be rested and at the top of our game. Why don't one of you stay with him and the other go catch some shut-eye"

Kono responded, "We were just talking about that. I'm the only one who got a little sleep last night. I'll stay, you guys head home"
As the men left the room Kono promised to call them with any updates on Danny's condition.
Steve said softly, "Let's meet back here at about five. I'll pick up something for all of us to eat"
Kono smiled at him, "Get some sleep boss, everything will work out…..he'll come around"

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Chin headed home and Steve decided to go back to headquarters. He knew his hands were pretty well tied right now and he HATED not having any control. But it had to be this way…he trusted Duke and he knew that HPD would handle everything professionally but the circumstances made him feel so damn helpless. As he walked into his office and sat behind his desk he tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He silently prayed for Danny's recovery and for God to give him the guidance in clearing his friend of these charges. After sitting quietly for about twenty minutes he realized how tired he was, and taking a blanket and pillow from the closet in the room, he curled up on the nearby couch and soon fell asleep.

Back at the hospital, Danny woke a little after one in the afternoon. Kono had been watching TV and he asked groggily, "What's on the tube?"
She turned to him smiling sweetly, "Hey, welcome back. How do you feel?"
"Okay…..I'm tired and confused…" Tears welled in his eyes and muting the television she moved to his side and took hold of his hand as he asked, "Kono, please tell me everything you know"

She held his hand tightly as she told him how they had found him, "Danny can you tell me what you remember?"
"I was so angry Kono….angry at Tracy, angry at Steve….I really loved her. I walked her into her apartment and she wanted to talk about everything" His eyes had closed and she wiped tears from his cheek as he continued, "She told me that Steve had called her several times. She didn't say much, because I had only taken a few sips of the coffee before the drugs took effect. I remember asking her what she had given me and why? She said she had no choice…that he made her do it….."

"Who is he Danny?"
"I don't have a clue honey…that's all she said…...I tried to get out of the apartment but I fell to the ground and couldn't move…..I took out my cellphone but before I could dial, she took it from me. I had no strength at all Kono and I couldn't breathe"

He paused and as he tried to compose himself Kono ran her fingers through his hair and talked soothingly, "It's going to be okay Danny. We're all here for you"
"I was horrible to Steve…..oh God, how can he ever forgive me?"
"Danny, he's not upset…"
Danny interrupted her, his voice pained with raw emotion, "I believed HER Kono. How could I EVER believe that he would do that to me?"
"Do you want the truth Danny?"
He looked at her anxiously, "Of course I do"
"In my opinion, you still love Rachel….Tracy was attractive and attentive and she caught you on the rebound. She said and did all the right things. Danny, someone is setting you up for her murder. Whoever is behind this knows you, this is personal"

"Then why didn't he kill me?"
"I don't know, but we'll figure it out"
Danny closed his eyes tightly and his voice was almost inaudible as he said, "How could I have been so stupid?"
"You weren't stupid. You just thought with your heart, not your head"
"That's no excuse…..Steve is the best friend I've ever had. I should never have doubted him…I told him to go away Kono"
"Danny, he understands. Your mind was messed up with the drugs"
"Not at the club it wasn't….."
Kono smiled softly, "No but you'd had a few drinks and your mind was messed up by a woman"
Danny grinned, "Yeah, it sure was, wasn't it?"
"Steve stepped back because Chin and I were here and he wanted to keep you calm. I promise you that he cannot wait to see you and talk to you"
She then told him everything that had happened since they had found him nine hours earlier…..

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Back at 5-0 Headquarters Steve woke at about one thirty. His stomach and back hurt terribly and he was very thirsty. Rising from the couch he made his way slowly towards the bathroom, wishing with each step he took that he had taken Kono's advice and had his ribs checked out earlier. As he entered the bathroom a sudden urge to vomit overwhelmed him and he made it to the toilet bowl just as the retching began. He vomited for several minutes, one hand clutching his abdomen due to the intense pain. His eyes watered and his nose was running. As he fell back against the side of the stall he mumbled, "Oh fuck" and running his forearm across his mouth he was shocked to see blood as he pulled his arm away.

Pulling himself to his feet he noted the toilet bowl was full of bright red blood, and staggering to the sink he looked into the mirror saying softly, "You look like shit McGarrett" Splashing water onto his face, he then spit more blood into the sink. Something was horribly wrong and he cursed silently as reaching into his pockets, he realized he had left his cellphone on his desk. After taking only a few steps towards the bathroom door he suddenly buckled over in pain and fell to his knees. He was feverish and as his hot face came into contact with the cool tile floor, he moaned softly. He knew he needed to get to his phone, but he had to rest….just for a minute…

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Kono first let Danny know about Steve's conversation with Rachel. She then let him know that Duke was manning the investigation and keeping Steve up to date. She explained Steve's wishes to keep everything above board and to ensure no possible charge of impropriety, the 5-0 team had relinquished the case to HPD. Danny agreed that this was the correct and only decision Steve could have made. Kono let him know that Max had taken Tracy to the morgue and the HPD lab was processing evidence collected at the scene, including testing the coffee that he had been drinking.

She also told Danny that at this point he was the only suspect and that he was going to be arrested until they were able to clear everything up. "Steve talked to the Governor and for as long as you're laid up here, they're allowing you to remain in our custody"

Danny chuckled and said, "Maybe I'm not feeling so good yet huh?"
She laughed softly, adding ""I'll back you up baby"
"So has Duke found anything yet?"
"Unfortunately no…..in fact Tracy's lap top and cellphone are missing and they haven't found any bottles or vials of the drug she used on you either"

He sighed deeply, "Wow, it sounds like whoever is behind this is pretty bright….and pretty determined to see me go down. Why would they try to drive a wedge between me and Steve though? What's the point of that?"

"We're assuming the perp knows you, and knows you well. He'd know that Steve would never give up on clearing you, so we figure he tried to put you two at odds with each other"

"Pretty smart….."
Kono smiled sweetly, "Actually no, it's pretty stupid"
"What do you mean?"
"The perp may know you, but he doesn't know you and Steve…..you guys will always have each other's backs…always"
Danny held out his arms and said softly, "Come here"
She leaned in and Danny embraced her warmly, "Thank you dear Kono"
Parting, she kissed his cheek, "I love you Danny"
"I love you too sweetheart. Hey, I need to call the big lug. Can I use your phone?"
"Yeah"
Handing him the phone, he dialed Steve's cell which rolled into voicemail. "Hey partner, would you give me a call when you get this? I'm so sorry about how I've acted buddy. I hope you'll come back up here soon, we really need to talk…and Steve, thank you man"

As he handed the phone back to her, Kono stated "He's probably sleeping. It was a long night"
"I know…" He glanced up at the TV and smiled, "CHIP's, you're watching CHIP's! So which one am I, huh Kono?"
"You're the blonde one, McGarrett's the dark one"
Danny rolled his eyes, "Dear God, I can't win today"
She chuckled and sitting back into the chair, she turned the volume up and they turned their attention to the television, and off their troubles for the time being.

****** Ok, this is all I could get done today…..I promise much more whump to come. I hope you'll let me know what you think! *******

Oh wouldn't it be nice to be in Hawaii at Sunset on the Beach tonight! What a wonderful event that 5-0 and CBS provide for the people of Hawaii! I'm sure I'm not alone in my wild anticipation of tomorrow's premiere! Let's all bring in HUGE NUMBERS for our favorite show - GO 5-0! **************