A/N: Thanks for sticking with me on this journey. Sorry I messed up the math a bit with the hours and days. (It reminds me of the episode where Danny says to Steve in Epi. 9.13 "Your math is goofy" ;) I hope nevertheless you were able to enjoy... The epilogue got longer than I had intended to. But you guys were so amazing with your reviews that I wanted to bring up a few of your suggestions… I hope I won't disappoint you.

Epilogue

1 year later

He was about to rappel down - and the panic was growing. With each inch, his heart hammered in his chest…

Looking down didn't bode well. There was a person lying motionless. And when he finally reached the ground, he saw a huge pool of blood around the person. This time it didn't look good at all…

Oh my God, please!...Dont let it be too late! He quickly checked for any sign of life - but there was none to be found. No matter how hard he tried, it was in vain, it was too late - his best friend was dead… NOOOOO!

505050505050505050505050505

Drenched in sweat and with a pounding heart, Danny jerked in his bed and looked at his alarm clock... 4 a.m... Oh man, there it was again - another one of those nightmares that haunted him. He tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't get any. After tossing and turning for almost two hours, he decided to get up. That nightmare was very intense... Was there more to it? Maybe he'd better check on his friend. Steve was an early riser and probably already up anyway... even if it was a Saturday morning.

505050505050505050505050505

"Danny? – What are you doing here so early?" Steve opened the door in surprise.

" 'Morning, partner! - Uh, yeah, I brought you some donuts and thought we'd have breakfast together..."

"You? - Want to have breakfast with me – 6:30 Saturday morning? - Danno, what's really going on?"

Steve didn't buy it, but of course he let Danny in and gestured for him to sit down.

Danny hesitantly took a seat on Steve's sofa and folded his hands in front of him, searching for the right words…

"Okay, you got me...I...um, I couldn't sleep anymore and I was worried - about you, actually..."

"Danny..."

"Honestly, Steve, I had a really bad dream and um...I just had to come here and wanted to make sure you are okay..."

"Danny - I, phww…", Steve shook his head…."I, um... I don't know what to say... I mean, I'm touched, really, but Danny, you need to stop worrying about me!... Buddy, I cannot tell you how sorry I am that you had to go through all this because of me... I'm so sorry I took you on that hike..."

"Steve, stop it!...It's not your fault. How many times do I have to tell you?...This is my problem, not yours..."

"Oh, obviously it is mine too..."

"Steve...does it bother you that much that someone cares about you?"

" 'Course not, buddy, I appreciate it. But you - um, that's beyond normal. That's not caring, that's overprotecting. And when you say your sleep is being affected, that's not healthy at all... Maybe you should consider seeing that therapist….?"

"Mh….You really think so?"

"Why not? It's not a sign of weakness to seek help."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you."

"Mh, well…." Steve had to agree with a grin; after all he knew exactly what Danny meant.

"Okay, you know what? - I'll think about it... Now, can we have breakfast together or not?

505050505050505050505050505

A few weeks later:

Steve sat in his office and typed the report of their last case into his computer.

It wasn't as fast as it had been before the accident - but he was glad he could do it so well again. -Not with 5 fingers, no - even with 10!

He paused and looked down at his left hand. - His left hand - it still sounded like a miracle. And it was!

Only the scar and the slight difference in skin color made the trained eye suspect that this wasn't the hand he was born with.

Two months after the accident, he received an incredible offer: A suitable donor hand was available for a transplant! All he had to do was accept, and so he did.

He was very lucky - no, it was actually a miracle - because there are not many people in the world who would get such a chance.

After all, it wasn't an essential surgery, and transplantation always carries risks. The fact that he already had to take immunosuppressants for the rest of his life due to the liver transplant made the doctors' decision in his favor.

The donor hand was actually much better than he originally thought. It was a perfect match - as if the deceased person who donated it was his unknown twin.

It had been a long, painful road for Steve, though. And it took a lot of patience. Danny had been his constant support all the way. The new nerves had to grow back together and the brain had to learn to reintegrate the new body part. It could take up to five years to complete this process and to regain the sensitivity you want after such kind of surgery - that's what the doctors had told him. But thanks to his strong will and perseverance, he was already managing his daily life and had returned to work. He almost had his old life back!

And another unexpected thing had happened: The Navy hadn't kicked him out - they didn't want to lose such a good man. Although they had relieved him of his duties as a reservist, they had offered him a job as an instructor, without him having to choose between 5-0 and this offer.

Steve was grateful - grateful that he had been so lucky and that he had Danny, who had never given up on him. What bothered him, though, was that Danny still seemed far less able to cope with what had happened in the canyon than he was.

"Are you ready?" Danny had just walked into Steve's office and interrupted him.

He didn't miss how Steve stared at his left hand.

"You okay?" Danny asked worriedly.

Unconsciously, Danny had constantly in mind, that the danger of a rejection reaction was always lurking. As ever, he was more worried about it than Steve. It had been the same with the liver transplant and it was no difference now.

"'Huh? – Ah yeah, sure," Steve said, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Really? ..."

"Yes mother! - Danno, I'm fine - really. I'll just finish this sentence and then we can go."

Danny didn't care that he again behaved like a mother hen and got on his partner's nerves. He nodded without a comment. This time he even had the feeling that Steve was telling the truth. That hadn't always been the case over the past few months: Once, Steve had ignored the pain and skin discoloration on the graft. By the time Danny realized, he had just barely managed to get Steve to the hospital. Fortunately, an increase in immunosuppressants prevented rejection just in time. He had no intention of letting that happen again, and that was one of the reasons he was worried. He watched as Steve finished typing.

"Come on, we're running late..."

Some special guests were waiting to be picked up at the airport today. Debby and Jonathan had kept in touch and were coming to visit for the first time this weekend.

They all planned to meet at Steve's house where their friends were preparing a barbecue.

Steve and Danny were looking forward to seeing the people who had played such a big part in their rescue. They wanted to introduce them to their ohana and, of course, show them around the island.

505050505050505050505050505

Everyone enjoyed the successful party. Later, when things had quieted down, Danny and Steve sat together on the beach in their favorite spot and toasted with a beer. They both looked out at the sea.

"You all right, buddy?" Danny didn't miss the fact that Steve's thoughts seemed to drift further and further away.

"What...?" Steve asked in surprise.

"I asked if everything is all right? ... I can see something's bothering you... You've got your 'aneurysm face'... Wanna talk about it?"

Danny thought Steve was back on his pity and remorse trip, struggling with feelings of guilt and regret again.

"Oh...you know, I was just thinking how grateful I am that you didn't do what I told you to back then."

"Excuse me? - You're grateful for something I didn't do? How can that be?" Danny was more than confused by his friend's answer.

"Well, when I was stuck in that canyon and you wouldn't leave me alone... You remember?"

" 'Course I remember, how could I ever forget that?"

"...I mean, just think about it... If you had left the day before like I wanted you to, we wouldn't have met Jonathan and Debby... and I... I probably wouldn't be sitting here with you right now. ..."

It actually took Danny a few minutes to process this. He'd never thought about it like that before.

"So, thanks for staying, buddy ... And ... For saving my life and um – I know it wasn't just once..."

Danny and Steve gave each other an intense look that said more than a thousand words, and both got misty-eyed. Then Danny stood up and walked towards Steve...

"You're very welcome, buddy." They both pulled each other into a hug.

"Who would have thought you'd thank me for my stubbornness one day, huh?" Danny said humorously and patted Steve on the shoulder with a smile.

Then they sat down again and took another moment watching the peaceful ocean.

"And you? - Is your sleep getting any better?"

"Well, I, um, yeah, there is a slight improvement, I think, but... I've been to the therapist five times now and she says I should give myself more time... and talk more about my feelings..."

"Oh yeah? That's what she says…?"

"Yeah, I'm sure that wouldn't hurt you either..."

"Oh well…. Okay...I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thanks, I appreciate that…- but what about you?"

"What about me?"

"When are you ready to talk? – About how you're feeling? - Steve, I know it must have been tough for you too, and you never talk about it."

"Danny, I...uh… Don't get me wrong. - It's not that I never think about it... Every day when I look at my left hand, I remember that damn rock and everything that was and is associated with it. - And yes, there were a few moments back then when I thought my life was over... and uh... even worse was the thought that yours could have been over too... But Danny, everything that happened back then is in the past. And I've decided that what's behind me doesn't define the here and now. I'm just grateful for the second chance I got and for the fact that you never gave up on me. So I'm really doing well."

Danny nodded in understanding, trying to think more deeply about what Steve had just shared with him – and also what he had not shared with him.

"Hmm. Thank you. I guess that's a start..."

Then he took the opportunity to address what was still bothering him...

"Buddy, there's one more thing... Would you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what's that?"

"Would you please not ignore the signs of acute rejection next time? And go to the doctors for your regular check-ups, please?"

"Danny, I haven't ignored..."

"Steve..."

"Okay Danno, if it makes you feel better... - I can't promise, but I'll try to take better care of myself - Is that a deal?"

"Well, that's the most I can get from you, right?"

Steve replied with a sincere smile.

"I think I can live with that." Danny finally said.

Both nodded in agreement as they stood up and went back to their friends. Danny was somewhat satisfied with his best friend's answers. It was Steve's way of dealing with it, and he had yet to find his own. He knew it would still take a while. But Steve was right, it could have been a lot worse and he was glad they had each other.

The whole experience had brought them even closer together and they had made new friends. Who knows, maybe one day they would even go on another hike through Bluejohn Canyon in Utah, this time with Debby and Jonathan and certainly with two satellite phones...

End

A/N: I couldn't imagine Steve living with only one hand or with a prosthetic. As the transplant field is a familiar topic in my life, I had to choose this path.

If you made it this far, I would still love to read your reviews :)

My greatest respect goes to Aron Ralston, to whom this tragedy actually happened and who sacrificed his (right) arm to save himself. He is a true hero to me!