Disclaimer: Hawaii Five-0 and its characters do not belong to me.

A/N: Hi guys! Thank you to all those who have taken the time to drop your wonderful reviews to this story.. REALLY appreciate them and I am glad you guys have been enjoying the story so far. Here's the next chapter for you guys and hope you like it.

…

Tani leaned back on the chair, closing her eyes for a brief moment. She breathed, hoping this had been a nightmare. But it wasn't. The chaotic cacophony of noise coming from incoming ambulances, multitudes of machines and rushed footsteps around her were proof of that. How had the quiet morning turned into this mess?

She didn't know how long it had been since she stepped into the ER waiting area. But it had definitely been too long. At least 45 minutes must have passed since Danny had been whisked away into the emergency bay. And since then, she had heard nothing about her colleague.

She had no idea if that was good or bad. All she knew was that the longer the doctors spent trying to figure out what was wrong with Danny, the more she was losing her sanity. She stood up yet again, pacing about the small waiting area for the umpteenth time as her anxiety refused to subside even the slightest.

She inhaled deeply, trying to center herself. Folding her arms, she leaned on the wall as she begged to nothing in particular.

Danny, please be okay. Please be okay… You have to be okay…

"Tani!" She straightened herself, for a split second hoping it was news of her colleague. Instead, she turned to see Lou jogging towards her, his face lined with worry. "What's going on? Where's Danny? How is he?" Lou asked, panting, beads of sweat lining his forehead.

Her eyes watered as she looked at the older man, the tears she had successfully suppressed threatening to spill once again. "I..I don't know." She admitted, hanging her head in resignation. "They haven't told me anything."

Lou nodded, his face pale with concern as he gently squeezed her shoulder. "What happened? How.." He asked the questions that she had been asking herself the whole time and had found no answers to.

She gulped, tears sliding down her cheeks as she recalled the pain Danny had been in moments before his collapse. "I don't know, Lou…" She said again, sounding defeated. "I... He was fine, he said he was... We were tal..talking and suddenly he was in pain.. Said his chest was hurting and he..said it was just time for his meds.. I thought he was okay... I really thought... I'm sorr… I'm so sorry... it's my... I should have noticed…but I thought he wa..s okay…" She stumbled over her words as she spoke, tears punctuating her sentences. "He was struggling... struggling to breathe and he… collapsed. It's my fault... I should have seen he… wasn't doing okay..."

"Hey... hey..." Lou held on to Tani as she leaned heavily on him, the weight of guilt proving to be too much for her. "It's not your fault, okay. It's alright. It's alright… Danny's going to be okay." He breathed, hoping to God he was right.

"It's his heart…" Tani said and Lou felt his heart drop. "It wasn't doing well... and his chest pain... he passed out from the pain and there was nothing I could do. He was in so much pain." Tani breathed, loosening herself from Lou. "What if he.." She looked up at him as the thought crippled her.

"Tani, don't." Lou said gently yet with utmost resolve. "Danny's strong, whatever this is, he's going to get through it. We will get through it with him. Okay? He's going to keep fighting." He clenched his jaw. He had to believe that. He knew Danny. The Williams he knew would not give up without a fight. He just hoped Danny still had something left to fight for. That was something he wasn't too sure about. Danny's words from a few days back still played in his mind and he would never forget the look of desolation on Danny's face then.

"That day I almost died, buddy. I really thought that was it for me. Sometimes, I actually wonder why it wasn't.. Why am I even still here?"

He breathed, You can't leave just like that, Danny.. You have to fight… You have to...

"Why are they taking this long? Why haven't they told us anything out here?" Tani asked.

Lou inhaled slowly, trying to retain the composure that was slowly waning. "The doctors need to find out what's wrong with him. He's in good hands, okay? We need to trust them. Danny's going to be okay." He repeated. "He's going to be okay. Let's just sit here and wait. Danny's alright." He said, tiredly walking to the nearest chair and sitting down as he wasn't sure he could hold himself steady with the negative thoughts penetrating his mind.

Danny's going to be okay,he repeated over and over again in his head. Because he just couldn't imagine the contrary. Just 2 days ago, he had assured Grace that he would take care of her dad after she had told him her apprehension about going back to college. He had promised that he would ensure he was okay. He had failed to keep that promise. He had failed to make sure that Danny was alright. He had disappointed Grace whom he had long seen as his own daughter too. But he couldn't be the one to tell her something happened to her dad.

So he closed his eyes and clasped his arms together as he prayed in silence for his friend, his ohana, his brother to be okay.

…

"Captain Grover?"

Lou jolted at the familiar voice and immediately got up from his seat, glancing nervously at Tani. Their expressions mirrored each other's as they briskly walked over to where Doctor Lea was standing at the entrance of the waiting room.

"Doc! How's.. Uh how's Danny?" Lou asked, though he really could guess from the look on Doctor Lea's face. She pursed her lips and unfortunately, they could easily read her due to the many not so pleasant encounters the team had had with the doctor.

Lou's face twitched; he could feel his heart racing as fear flowed through his veins. God, please let him be okay.

"Doc?" Tani prompted. "Is he okay?"

"We've stabilized him for now." Doctor Lea said shortly, her hands clasped together. "May I know if Commander McGarrett is around? As Detective Williams' next-of-kin, I should be relaying this information to him."

"He's out of town." Lou said simply. "We're the only family that Danny has here. Please, tell us... What is going on? Is it serious?" He exhaled.

"Unfortunately, it's not good news, Captain." Doctor Lea said. "Come, follow me."

Their hearts sank as they were led to a small private room.

"Take a seat." Doctor Lea said as she sat down herself. She inhaled exhaustedly, folding her arms across her chest. "When Detective Williams was brought in, he was tachycardic and his blood pressure had dropped to a dangerous level. He was hemodynamically unstable, his heart unable to keep up with the demands of his body. We also detected muffled heart sounds which led us to run several more examinations on his heart. The ECG, ECHO and MRI all point to the same thing."

"What is it?" Lou asked.

"The chest pain that Detective Williams is experiencing is due to constrictive pericarditis." Doctor Lea said.

"Wh..what does that mean?" Tani asked.

Doctor Lea took a notepad from the pocket of her coat, flipped to a blank page and began drawing as she spoke. "Under normal circumstances, our heart is protected by a layer of fluid around it known as the pericardium. This layer of fluid is important in helping the heart function normally. The pericardium is usually flexible and allows the heart to expand and pump blood. With constrictive pericarditis, the pericardium becomes thicker and stiffer, preventing the heart from expanding fully. And when this happens, the heart struggles to keep up with the demands of the body." Doctor Lea paused, allowing the information to sink in. "In Detective Williams' case, in addition to the thickening of his pericardium, there is also an excessive fluid buildup which is further aggravating the heart's ability to pump blood. Due to this, his heart has been working overtime to compensate for the loss of function which caused him to collapse earlier."

Lou sighed heavily. "So how is he now? Is he going to be okay, Doc? Are there going to be any long term effects?"

"His condition had progressed into a cardiac tamponade when he arrived. We've performed an emergency pericardiocentesis to drain the fluid in his pericardium and relieve the building pressure on his heart. His condition is stable for now." Doctor Lea said.

"For now?" Tani questioned. "What do you mean? Is he going to be okay?"

"We would need to perform surgery on him. His pericardium would need to be removed to ensure that this does not recur. And.." Doctor Lea paused.

"And?" Tani probed.

"It could have been much worse. Detective Williams was lucky he wasn't alone when this happened, and he was brought to the ER in time. Worst case scenario, he could have gone into cardiac arrest with an untreated tamponade."

Lou exhaled a shuddering breath as the words sank in. He turned to Tani, squeezing her hand gratefully. If she hadn't been there… he didn't want to even think of the consequence.

"Doc.. is he.. is he really going to be okay?" Tani's voice trembled as she again asked the same question.

"We will proceed with the surgery once he is ready for it. Due to the excessive fibrosis and scarring, we will have to remove the entire pericardium to avoid future problems."

Lou nodded thoughtfully. "And he'll be okay after that?" He asked, realising the Doctor still hadn't said the words they so hoped to hear.

Doctor Lea nodded slightly. "The chances of complete recovery are high with surgery..but.."

"But?"

"A pericardiectomy is usually a low-risk surgery but.. Detective Williams is at heightened risk of complications due to his injury and the recent surgery he had."

"Wh..what kind of complications?" Lou asked.

"Bleeding complications and post-operative atrial fibrillation." Doctor Lea said.

"Are there any other options?"

"Usually, we try to avoid surgery but unfortunately, in Detective Williams case, it's the only option. There is a significant amount of scarring in Detective William's pericardium which is causing permanent stiffness. If it continues to constrict the heart, there could be long-term damage."

Lou and Tani sighed, not knowing what to do. Lou looked at the doctor, "What caused this all of a sudden? Is it his injury?"

"That is likely. The bullet had previously punctured his pericardia so the trauma to his chest coupled with the surgery could have caused acute episodes of pericarditis. Left untreated, the sustained inflammation had developed into the more serious condition we are seeing right now."

"I..I don't get it.." Tani said. "He's had episodes of this?"

Doctor Lea pursed her lips and nodded. "Detective Williams just confirmed that he has been experiencing persistent chest pain for the past couple of weeks."

"Wha.." Tani stuttered. Why didn't she know that? But Danny always he said he was fine...

Doctor Lea continued, "We would have detected the condition earlier if Detective Williams had followed up on his appointments with us."

"What? What do you mean? He has been seeing you.." Lou stated.

"I'm sorry, but.. Detective Williams hasn't been turning up for his appointments. The last one we had was over a month ago. He was supposed to have a follow-up every 2 weeks but he had failed to keep his appointments and had rescheduled multiple times.."

"No.. that can't be right..." Tani said. Danny had been going for his appointments. He had just gone for his follow-up the week before and he had said everything was fine. He was okay… It didn't make sense. Unless…

"He lied." She said, realization dawning on her.

Lou swallowed, guilt choking him. This wouldn't have happened if... If he had been a better friend. Danny wouldn't have collapsed and they wouldn't be here, at the hospital yet again.

He had failed Danny. He had conveniently believed Danny's lies each time he said he was fine. It was much easier, wasn't it? To believe that his friend was fine rather than to face the reality that he could do nothing to help Danny. But now.. what if they were too late. What if...

He inhaled shakily, struggling to hide his emotions. "Doc.. Is Danny awake? Can we see him?"

Doctor Lea nodded. "Sure, you can see him. He's conscious but extremely weak at the moment. Once his vitals look better, we can prep him for surgery. Come let me show you where he is."

They followed Doctor Lea as she led them to where Danny was.

Lou stood frozen as he looked at his colleague. He could hear Tani's sharp inhale as she almost whimpered.

"Danny.."

His heart broke at the sight before him. How did this happen?

He took an unstable step towards his friend. He swallowed the guilt as his eyes fell on the bruises on Danny's exposed chest. Danny's forehead scrunched up in discomfort with each rise of his chest and he could tell, it hurt to even breathe.

He let out a soft sigh as a torturous pang shot through his chest. How did I let it come to this. Just how?

…

He was almost afraid to breathe. The agony that came with each inhale almost deterred him from taking another breath.

Why did it hurt so much? He needed the pain to stop.

He vaguely remembered Doctor Lea explaining that something was wrong with his heart. Fluid buildup? Some peri..sis..something. He could hardly understand what she was saying. But she had inserted a needle into his chest, and like a miracle, the agony had been sucked out of his chest. Albeit for a fleeting moment. And now, it was back tormenting him endlessly as his heart felt like it was about to implode upon itself.

He shut his eyes in an attempt to lose himself to oblivion but even that was too much to ask for. The renewed ache with each breath he took roughly restrained him in consciousness.

"Danny.." He heard a soft voice bringing him out of his world of anguish.

He forced his eyes open, the bright lights assaulting them. Tani was bent over him, her face streaked with tears. Lou, standing next to her, too looked like he was holding back tears.

"Hey." He rasped realising he sounded too weak. He smiled in an attempt to allay his colleagues worries. "You alright?"

Tani bit her lips as she visibly tried to suppress her tears from falling. She averted his gaze. "You're asking me?" She said shakily. "You're the one.."

"I'm fine.." He breathed painfully.

"You.. Dan.." Tani stuttered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you to talk.. I shou.."

"M'okay.."

Tani shook her head, lightly touching his forehead and brushing his hair back. "I should have known something was wrong.. I'm so sorry, I should have noticed it sooner. I.."

"Not your fault. Didn't rea..lise.. was an..yth..ing se..rious.." He winced, his breath suddenly hitched as he spoke.

"You okay?" Tani and Lou both asked.

He nodded weakly, forcing a smile on his face as he breathed in deeply. He inhaled, ignoring the returning ache in his sternum.

"You really gave me a scare.. I thought.." Tani inhaled, her tears falling silently down her cheeks.

"M'so..rry.."

"Danny.. you could have.." Tani broke off. "You have been in pain for a while.. Why didn't you tell us?"

"M'fine.." He said. "Sorry..Didn..t..want to…worr..y..yo..u.." It was ironic really. All he wanted to do was to stop being a burden to his Ohana. Yet, here he was, again causing them difficulties.

"Danny.." Tani said gently. "Please stop apologizing. You can rely on us.. We're here for you."

How could he rely on anyone? Everyone left in the end. The one person he thought would never leave him.. left anyway. How could he expect anyone to stick around? How could he rely on anyone?

He swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to suppress the ache in his chest. The beeping on his heart rate monitor picked up speed as did the agony in his sternum.

"Danny?" Lou voiced in slight alarm.

"Hey.. are you alright?" Tani asked, wrapping her fingers around his arm.

He nodded, inhaling through his mouth as even the nasal cannula didn't seem to provide him with enough oxygen. He let out an involuntary whine as his heart spasmed in his chest.

"Danny.." Lou called again.

"Hu..rrts." He had to admit as black dots began dancing in his vision, the pain too much for him to endure. Maybe the relief he needed was within grasp after all. He shut his eyes to succumb to the comforting arms of oblivion.

"I'll go get a doctor." Tani said, her calm voice not betraying her true emotions as she rushed out the cubicle.

"Lou.." Danny murmured, fighting every bit of agony tearing through his ribs.

"Just hang in there, buddy. You're gonna be okay." Lou coaxed gently.

"If.." He said feebly. "I don't.."

"Danny. We are not doing this." Lou said. "You're gonna get the surgery. And you're going to be fine. You understand?"

"Ju..st in ca..se.. Tell St..eve.."

"I'm not telling him anything. You tell him yourself." Lou refused to budge.

"Wa..sn't his f..ault.." Danny continued, ignoring Lou's desperate pleas. "And.."

"Danny please.."

"I..missed him.." I miss him so much.

He inhaled slowly, looking hazily at Lou.

"Promise me you'll fight. For Grace and Charlie." Lou said.

He nodded. He would try. For Grace and Charlie. And for Steve.

…

A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter. I am no medical doctor so whatever medical stuff here is courtesy of my rigorous internet research (please pardon any inaccuracies). Also, I know what everyone is waiting for. Soon, I promise! In the meantime, do let me know what you think! Thanks again :)