A/N: Two more to go!

Chapter 35: The Visible Cracks

Once the woman disappeared over the edge Danny crumpled, his gun fell to the ground and his body followed. Steve rushed to his partner's side and Danny shook from head to toe.

"Daniel, Daniel, are you all right?" Steve asked frantically, his partner was far too close to the edge and in this stated needed to be on more solid ground. He grabbed Danny under the arms and dragged him away from the edge as Danny shook and screamed and fought against the confinement of his partner.

"Don't, don't call me that. He's hear. He's right here!" Danny stated.

"Who?" Steve asked as he held tighter to Danny to steady him.

"Daniel. He's right here! Shoot him Steve!"

"No one is here."

"He is! He told me what to say. He's here. He spoke through me. He's me! Shoot! Shoot now!" Danny screamed. "Shoot ME!"

"Good God, he's cracked." Doris stated. "Take his weapon Steven, before he hurts himself or someone else."

Steve looked up at his mother with absolute disgust in his eyes as his partner screamed and sobbed in his arms. This was Danny, his partner, his best friend in the world. The man who had been more a part of his adult life than this woman who claimed to love him ever was. This was Danny broken to pieces but he didn't need this woman to say it.

"Come on Danno, we'll leave Daniel and his sister in the jungle to work things out between them. They'll never hurt us again."

"But they will," Danny sobbed. "He won't stay in the jungle. He's going to follow me."

"It's okay. I'll always follow you too. You'll never be alone with him ever again." Steve said and hoisted his partner's weight onto his own shoulders. "Come on, it's been a very long couple of days. You need to rest now."

"He's in my head."

"He's in all of our heads. We'll get through this."

5-0

By morning the jungle was swarming with police and military officers. Gladys McMahon's body was retrieved from the bottom of the ravine where she'd fallen. Steve had gone early in the morning to identify the body which wasn't an easy task if it weren't for the three bullet holes in her torso. Gladys McMahon was most certainly dead.

After the events of the previous night, Steve had lead Danny out of the jungle and right up to an awaiting ambulance. Doris followed them silently carrying the weapon she'd picked up and watched as Danny was loaded into the ambulance and without a word Steve climbed in after his panic stricken partner. It had been the hardest thing Steve had done in days, loading his claustrophobic, mentally compromised, partner into another small box.

The night had been a terrible one for the partners, fuelled by the events of the past days, Danny fell into a psychosis that had him fighting against the paramedics and Steve in the back of the small ambulance all the way to the hospital. It was even harder for Steve when they finally were able to sedate Danny, who could do nothing but sob as the powerful drugs took over.

Danny was still asleep when Steve returned to the hospital after his visit to the medical examiners office. He walked into the now sun lit room to find his peaceful looking partner hooked up to lines and machines, and restrained so that he wouldn't hurt himself or others when he did come around.

Doctor Robinson had visited early when she found out that the Five-Os were back on her service and asked for Steve to let her do a work up on Danny, but he refused to stay at Danny's side to watch the process. It was too hard. Danny had been reduced to this by the case. Now all he could do was pace in the quiet that he wished would be broken by Danny's usually angry or snarky comments.

The rest of the team did not stay long in the jungle. Back-up arrived and the rest of the crew, including Doris, fled to let others wrap things up. For fear of Danny's mental state, Steve was the only person allowed up in the room with him, and because the Five-Os didn't have an office to go home to debrief in they all found themselves crammed into a small waiting room on Danny's floor of the hospital - not really sure what else they could or should do for their friend. Everyone crammed into the small waiting area, all expect Doris, and tried their best to regain calm and sleep. Doris returned to the family home, and rather than rest, something she knew she needed but wasn't ready for, she started the search, once again, for whatever she might find in terms of evidence into her case and the empty Champ box.

Steve sighed as his mind raced. He was exhausted. He could feel it and his mind was very troubled but he knew how to deal with it himself. He would sleep when he absolutely had to. He would eat when his mind was put at ease. His worry now, however, was for Danny. He felt helpless. He knew that the real struggle now was in Danny's head and there was no way any of them could protect him from that and there was no way Danny could carry on working in his mental state. All in that moment Steve felt the true loss of the situation. This might be it for him and Danny. This really might have been that one case that cracked, and as he stood, his shoulder pressed into the edge of the window frame, Steve said something like a prayer for his partner. He cursed the people who had done this to him and desperately begged for there to be something he could do. If only the silence would be broken. If only Danny would wake up and be okay, but there was no okay in this situation. Danny was broken and Steve didn't know how to piece that back together again.

In the silence Steve heard movement behind him. He turned to see Danny struggling slightly against the padded cuffs at his wrists and feet, and then he turned those bright, but sad, blue eyes toward his partner, pleading for answers.

"Don't panic, they are for your own protection. You were pretty unruly last night." Steve said and rushed to the bed side and grabbed Danny's hand.

"It's too quiet in here." Danny said hoarsely as Steve's touch seemed to calm him down.

"Yeah, way too quiet but it isn't our usual ward so the teams not allowed in here to be rowdy. They are here in the hospital though so don't worry about them, they are more worried about you."

"I'm worried about me too." Danny said and his voice was like that of a child. "I'm really messed up, aren't I?"

"Yeah, kinda, but it was the case, and fatigue, and things we didn't deal with after the brother. It's not your fault, and we will get through this together. Just like we get through everything else. We will fight this."

"But it's in my head, Steve." Danny said tearfully.

"Yeah, but I accept the challenge, don't you?" Steve asked and forced a smile onto his face.

"I guess, I have to, don't I?" Danny asked.

"Damn right you do. I'm not going to let you give up. This is not going to be your white flag moment, do you hear me. I'm not ready for that."

"Neither am I."

"Good."

"What about Gladys?"

"Dead, very, very dead, and in Max's very capable hands right now."

Danny sighed with relief and pushed his head back into his pillow as the tears started pouring out of his eyes and his grip on steve's hand got tighter. The two men sat in silence for a long time while Danny cried and only stopped when the doctor came back into the room to get Danny started on a very long, and arduous, road to recovery.