A/N:

I apologize for the long wait. But here's the next part of Steve's and Danny's ordeal.

I hope you enjoy.

I don't own Hawaii 5-0 and I'm not making any profit with this story. All mistakes are mine.

Summary:

Steve and Danny go on a fishing trip which goes horribly wrong leaving the two of them injured and shipwrecked.

oooOOOooo

Danny understood Steve's gratitude without words when Steve's hand searched his and wet fingers intertwined.

"You're welcome", Danny said, a hint of a smile on his face.

"You made us get off the boat", Steve repeated, the gratefulness evident in his voice. The hand that didn't hold onto Danny, reached up towards his head to brush through his hair. He hissed when his fingers came across the fabric of the dressing which was still on the deep graze. Only now, he registered the slow trickle of something wet from his temple to his hairline. It felt too warm and viscous to simply be water. When he looked at his fingertips they came back a pinkish red. Somewhere in the back of his mind the picture of Danny pushing a towel into his hands and making him hold it against his temple came back to him.

"When did I fall? How? Why?"

"You're gawky."

"Gawky? When did I fall? In the storm? I can't remember. My head hurts too much." Steve closed his eyes as he rode through the pain that seemed to overtake him. He counted his breaths for a while to get a grip on the pain and to focus his too slow mind.

Only now he realized that Danny hadn't said anything. "Danny?"

Steve squeezed the hand in his but there was no pressure in response. Shaking the limp hand, he spoke, "Danno." Again, he didn't receive an answer.

Steve's free hand searched the surface of the board he was on until it found Danny's elbow which rested beside him.

His anxiety rose up several notches when he realized that his partner was barely hanging on only by his arms at the side of the plank, in the water, seemingly out cold.

Why doesn't he respond? Danno...He must be beyond exhausted. Steve's sluggish brain supplied. Hopefully, it's just that. Fear rippled through Steve and his hand grasped Danny's elbow tightly to not lose touch or even worse, his friend.

Focus, Steve! Panicking won't help anybody! Least of all Danny! Steve reminded himself. He could almost hear the scolding tone of his father. The man had taught him plenty. And staying calm and in control even in the direst situations was one of those things. So, he would concentrate on holding on to his partner and his breathing pattern.

oooOOOooo

Steve slowly become aware of his surroundings. He didn't remember falling asleep. The last he remembered was holding on to a too still Danny.

He blinked a few times when he heard Danny muttering beside him, "Right field, Alex Ochoa. Baltimore traded him to the Mets. Part of the Bobby-Bonilla-trade in 1995."

"Hey."

"Glad to have you back with me", Danny stopped his recap as he smiled warmly. Trying to focus on something else than their precarious situation and most of all Steve's well-being by thinking about all kinds of sports and statistics had proven to be not very successful. His mind had drifted back to Steve's unconsciousness and his worry and concern which had settled into his every fiber.

"Reciting Mets statistics?"

"Not much else to do out here", Danny shrugged, hissing when the movement jarred his already injured shoulder.

"What is it, Danny?" Steve's tone displayed his alarm.

"Just the shoulder."

Steve frowned reprobative.

"Fine", Danny relented, "It hurts."

"I bet."

"How are you?"

"Peachy."

"Sure you are."

"Not much I can do about it, can I?"

"No, no, unfortunately not", Danny replied disapprovingly, yet knowing that Steve was right. "I hate it when you're right."

"No, you love it." A big smirk was all over Steve's face.

oooOOOooo

Danny opened his eyes. He couldn't remember when he had closed them. Had he fallen asleep? Zoned out? Passed out?

"Steve?" He was surprised by the scratchy low tone of his voice.

When the man didn't answer, Danny lifted his right arm. Big mistake!

He barely suppressed the scream that wanted to tear from his throat when his shoulder reminded him it was injured. He gritted his teeth and hissed loudly.

Taking a few deep breaths helped with getting a hold of the pain.

"How you holding up there, buddy?" Danny asked after a little while.

When he received no answer, he asked, "Steve? Hey, you with me? Steven?" Carefully as to not hurt his partner any more, he shook Steve's hip which he could reach best.

But Steve remained unnaturally still.

"Oh man, Steve", the blonde man sighed as he kept the contact with Steve holding onto his hand.

His anxiety was growing as Steve continued to lay still, too still, on the floating wood. He bit down on his lower lip searching around him trying to make anything that resembled a boat or anything that could help them but he knew it was in vain but he couldn't let his friend die.

Danny leeched onto the board that Steve lay on, his knuckles were white from the force his fingers dug into the material. He breathed heavily and he looked up at Steve's lax face from where he was in the water.

Slowly, Steve's face morphed into that of a young boy with sparkling eyes, a dark strand of hair falling over his eyebrows, and a broad grin plastered all over his face. A fun life among best friends lay before them. Danny had to smile himself.

"Billy…", he breathed.

Feeling a slight pull at his leg, Danny broke contact with the face before him and looked down into the waters but he couldn't see anything that might have caused the pull at his leg. Yet, he felt fear rise inside him, his heart raced and the blood rushed in his ears. Ice cold fingers wrapped around his inside and outside. The cold fear made it impossible for him to move at all though light tremors took hold of him.

Biting down hard on his lower lip to get a grip on his devastating emotions coursing through his body and mind, he looked back up to his best friend.

The smile from the boy's face vanished and instead it turned into a mask of horror, angst, and accusation.

Danny almost shrank back as his eyes widened at the sight. He saw the reproach, the fury, the hurt, the disappointment – all directed at him.

Unable to look away, the man continued to stare at the horrible image of his childhood's best friend's face, his mind blank and distraught.

All air in the world around him seemed to have disappeared in that instant. Gasping for the much-needed oxygen, a terrified Danny clawed at the board trying to secure his hold. One of his arms looped over Steve's hips as far as he could reach to make sure the man was as safe and sound as possible. He wouldn't let another best friend die. He just couldn't.

"Danny." It was no more than a whisper, but to Danny it could as well have been the loudest scream ever heard.

"Billy, I won't let you die. You won't die because of me", Danny gritted out between clenched teeth as he adjusted his hold on both the board and the person on top of it. He rested his head against the cool, wet surface for a moment.

A hand against his disheveled hair brought Danny's head back up. Drained and exhausted, his eyes met Steve's green ones which were open only at half-mast but Danny was relieved to know the man was still alive.

"Hey", Steve mumbled and a small smile played around the corners of his eyes and mouth.

"Hey yourself", Danny replied gathering all the strength he could at that very moment.

Steve opened his mouth to talk but Danny cut him off, "Don't. Save your energy. We're gonna need it, okay? I know its hard to follow orders instead of barking them yourself but at some point in time, you must have obeyed orders in your time as a SEAL, right? So now please, just… obey." Danny was glad when Steve just nodded, the smile disappearing from his face as his head lolled back on the board.

Thank god for little mercies. Even if it's just Super-SEAL here listening for once.

His own energy leaking away with every wave that rocked them, Danny checked his hold on his friend again as he hung limply in the water.

oooOOOooo

Steve opened his eyes and a beautiful blue sky greeted him. It was getting darker the further up he looked. He must've fallen asleep on his lanai or in one of the chairs on the beach.

But why was he wet? Did he go for a swim?

No, something was really wrong here.

Then it hit him as he remembered.

"Danny!"

Danny's blonde head came up by his side where it had lain on the wooden board.

"I'm here, Steve", Danny tried a smile which didn't quite reach his eyes. "How are you?"

"Thirsty."

He saw Steve's cracked lips and felt his own parched throat. But drinking salt water was a bad idea. A really bad idea.

"Sorry, I don't have anything to drink."

"Too bad your coolers sank too."

Danny pressed his too dry lips together before he said sarcastically, "Maybe fish like noodle salad."

"Poor fish." Steve tried to joke.

"Thank you very much."

"An ocean full of water and nothing to drink", Steve sighed.

Danny's head came back to rest on his arms which lay on the wood beside Steve's shoulder.

"Hey, you okay man?" Steve's eyes roamed what he could see of his friend which wasn't much as most of Danny's body was underneath the water surface.

"Jus' fine", Danny mumbled without raising his blonde head.

"It's getting darker."

"Caption Obvious states the obvious." Again, Danny didn't raise his head from his arms. He was too drained to even feel much pain. It was more of a numbness. Maybe the water washed away all of his pain.

Steve looked around trying to make out his surroundings. He felt better, almost refreshed, after his not so voluntary nap. His head seemed to be more cooperative and his thoughts seemed to actually make sense. He was concerned about his friend's well-being. Just tired and spent… I hope.

"Kono, Chin, and Lou are going to find us", Steve said. He wasn't sure if it was for Danny's comfort or his own or maybe both.

"Hopefully."

"They probably already know we're missing and already search for us."

"Hopefully", Danny repeated.

"They must know", Steve said determinedly.

"Yeah?" Danny's voice was quiet and Steve didn't like that.

"We were going to meet tonight."

"What for?"

"I asked you guys to come over for a BBQ tonight, remember?"

"Right", Danny murmured, "They probably already have started without us being there and raided your fridge", Danny looked up and smirked.

"Probably. But they probably also have found it strange that I'm not there by now, don't you think?"

"Hopefully", Danny's head had found its spot on his arms again.

tbc…

oooOOOooo

Thank you for reading.

Until next time.

Cheers

Biensche