AN ; Apologies if there are any medical inaccuracies in the rest of my story. I did some research on the topic of appendicitis but as I am not medically minded I may have overlooked something. Please be assured that I tried to be as accurate as possible .

The Danger Within

Chapter 5

Mike Stone felt like he had aged five years waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Steve was in a bad way. The pain had become increasingly worse and he had broken out in a cold sweat. In all the excitement Lenny Murchison had learned of Steve's situation and had hurried downstairs to Olsen's office. While not strictly a medical doctor as such he had some medical training and on seeing Steve he knew that something was very seriously wrong. Steve had become too uncomfortable in the chair so they had laid him out on the couch in Olsen's office instead. When Lenny heard from Mike about the pain in Steve's side he proceeded to examine him. Steve protectively guarded his right side and had to be almost physically restrained to allow Lenny to look at it. " Take it easy Steve. Let Lenny look at your side. Come on now." Mike coaxed. " Hurts...bad... " Steve had gasped... "I know it hurts Steve. Everything's going to be alright . " Mike wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure...Steve or himself. " Where's the DAMN ambulance? Mike roared feeling utterly helpless. " They've just pulled up outside Mike " Rudy said looking out of the window. Thank God! Mike thought..feeling slightly more at ease now knowing medical assistance was just a staircase away. " You hear that Steve? Help's on the way. Hold on! " Lenny had finally gained access to Steve's right side and probed the area. When he pressed down Steve let out a scream of pain that almost curdled Mike's blood. "What is it Lenny? " Mike asked desperately needing answers right now. " I'm almost certain it's his appendix Mike. The area's very tender and with the amount of pain he's in I'd say it's close to bursting. It's serious Mike. Has he complained about his side in the last twenty four hours or had any other symptoms? " Lenny asked. Lenny was very fond of Steve, often helping both detectives on numerous cases and was very worried by the young man's quickening pulse and ashen appearance. Steve was a likable and affable young man and was very popular in the bureau which was highly indicated by the growing number of officers and detectives that had gathered outside Olsen's office anxiously waiting for news about Steve as news of Steve's condition had spread like wildfire around the precinct. Mike listened to Lenny's question and instantly the last thirty six hours flashed back in his mind. Steve had been favouring his side a little although not that noticeably. Then he thought about the chase that had led to the apprehension of their suspect through the Golden Gate Park. Steve had been the one to finally outrun the suspect and bring him down but had seemed slightly more out of breath than his normally energetic self would be. Mike now recalled how he had leaned against the car after the chase puffing and panting and he recalled, how embarrassingly now, he had chided with Steve about slowing up in his old age. His lack of appetite when it came to his hotdog for lunch and how Mike had practically forced him to eat it, all the while knowing Steve had been washing it down with his coffee barely able to swallow it. His quietness all afternoon and evening and the occasions when Mike saw him hunched over his typewriter and never cast it a second thought. His inability to get out of bed this morning and how he had devoured Steve over the phone for his tardiness. His arrival into work pale and stiff looking. His episode in the corridor that he tried to hide,the groan of pain leading up to his eventual collapse in Olsen's office. My God...Mike thought. Call yourself a detective... The clues were all there. Guilt and shame filled him and he cursed himself inwardly for failing his young protégé. Damn it Steve why didn't you say something Mike thought and immediately made a mental note to have a severe talking to Steve about his inability to admit sickness ,when this was all behind them. " Mike..". Mike came out of his train of thought to see Lenny looking at him questioningly.. "Yes, he hasn't been himself the last day or two and I never spotted it Lenny..." Mike's voice broke as he spoke and Lenny felt for the older detective who he knew cared about Steve like a son. " Don't blame yourself Mike. You know Steve doesn't tell anyone when he's hurting. That's normally my problem to deal with. " Lenny offered ,knowing his attempt at levity was at the moment lost on the older man who was inwardly torturing himself for not spotting Steve's distress earlier. Nobody realized that Steve was actually listening to the conversation between the two men until Steve blindly shot out his left hand and grabbed Mike's arm. " I'm sorry Mike...not your fault...I should have told you I was...sick..." Steve said in gasps of pain. Mike grasped his hand and squeezed it. " Alright now. Try not to talk. We'll discuss this later. You just take it easy and do what the doctors tell you and everything will be alright." " You're not...mad at me are you...Mike ?" Steve asked. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset the man who he cared for like a father. " " Of course I'm not mad at you...buddy boy.." Mike said his voice breaking again. He ruffled Steve's hair as he often did to lighten the mood but no more was said as the door opened and the paramedics were ushered in.

The next ten minutes went by quickly as Mike, Lenny and Rudy stood back to let the paramedics work. Lenny filled them in on what he felt was wrong with Steve, an IV was inserted into Steve's left arm and very quickly Steve was placed on the gurney and was wheeled with great speed to the waiting ambulance. Mike insisted on travelling with Steve and Lenny and Rudy said they would follow behind the ambulance. The ambulance ride was a tense one. Mike continued to hold Steve's hand and spoke softly to him but by this stage Steve was in too much discomfort to respond. His eyes were practically closed as he tried to breathe through the excruciating pain in his side. He could hear Mike though and was comforted by the fact that he was there. God, Steve had never been in this much pain before and he started to regret not telling anyone about how bad he felt. He subconsciously vowed that if he survived this, he would never,ever keep his health or lack of it to himself again. He had definitely learned a harsh lesson today. Hopefully he hadn't learned his lesson too late. Within minutes they arrived at the hospital and Steve was whipped off to be examined while Mike was ushered to the waiting room. Mike sat down with his head in his hands and prayed like he never had before that Steve would be ok only looking up when he heard Lenny and Rudy arrive. Now for the part Mike hated. The waiting!