A/N: Sorry, there was a little mistake when I uploaded the last chapter, but I fixed it immediately. (My apologies to those of you who were confused.) I know Steve's extreme decision was a surprise to some of you... I promised I wouldn't keep you waiting long, so here it is!

Chapter six:

100 hours after the rockfall

"NO, NO, NO! This is NOT happening! - STEVE! Don't do this to me! - You hear me?"

Danny was in full panic mode. Though he immediately tried to remember what to do.

He'd had enough first aid classes.

He tossed a few rocks aside, laid Steve flat on the ground, and quickly checked to make sure his airway was clear. Then he immediately started chest compressions in the "Staying-alive" rhythm.

"STEVE..."

"Buddy - come on now..."

He tried to remember the last class. Did we learn recently not to give mouth-to-mouth because it is more important to concentrate on effective chest compressions when you are alone as a rescuer? But Danny felt better doing it the way they had learned to do it over many years. He was sure he could manage. So after 30 chest compressions, he gave Steve mouth-to-mouth. It was all he could do anyway. No paramedic, no defibrillator, no medication nearby that his friend so desperately needed...

And he carried on...

"Come on, babe, don't give up!"

The next 30 were over and Danny gave Steve mouth-to-mouth again. - But nothing happened...

"Hey, Steve! You stubborn idiot! Listen to me for once in your life and come back to me! You can't leave me alone; I can't get out of here without you! I need you!" Danny pleaded and prayed desperately, keeping the rhythm in his head.

Oh God… Please….no…

He had no idea how long he'd been doing this, but giving up was out of the question. Steve could not die! He would never give up on his best friend, the person who meant the most to him after his children.

"Buddy - come on, breathe!"

But his partner remained stubbornly silent...

"Steve - don't you dare - do this to me!" Danny's desperation grew...

Tears streamed down his cheeks. He knew that the longer it took, the less chance Steve had of finding his way back to the living…

"STEVEN! – MCGARRETT! You're not allowed to give up! You hear me? You're trained to survive and that's what you're gonna do." By now Danny was yelling in military command language, hoping Steve would respond.

And sure enough...

After what felt like an eternity to Danny, Steve's body jerked upwards and he heard a deep, albeit labored, breath from Steve.

"Oh, THANK GOD!" Danny exclaimed in relief.

"STEVE... finally, it's about time…- You're alive!"

Danny let himself sink to the ground in exhaustion and pulled Steve to him... "I've got you, buddy, I've got you." He held him as if he was afraid Steve's heart would stop again if he let go.

"Hey, deep and slow breaths - in and out - all right, that's it, buddy…you're doing fine".

He felt Steve's pulse, which was again palpable but still irregular.

Then he helped his friend into a half-sitting position.

Steve was still panting heavily and it took a while before he could speak again. ...

"What...? ... happnd?"

"What happened, Steven? Really, you want to know what happened? Where do you want me to start? Before or after you collapsed in front of me?" Steve looked at Danny in confusion.

"After I cut you loose, you stopped breathing and your heart stopped beating! - That's what happened. Man, you scared the shit out of me!" Danny was still shaken when he answered Steve's question.

"Oh... uh... sorry, Danno..." was all Steve could say.

Danny tried to calm down. "No need to apologize. How are you feeling now?" He asked in a much calmer voice.

Steve didn't answer, just stared into nothingness with his eyes wide open.

"Steve, hey, look at me! Tell me how you feel?" Danny gently grabbed Steve's chin to look into his eyes.

He needed to make sure Steve was okay - well, as okay as he could be after all he'd been through! He was still worrying.

"I'm fine - I think," came Steve's hesitant reply.

"FINE? I don't think that applies buddy..."

"I'm okay Danno, really - no need to worry anymore." Steve sounded more convincing. A load was taken off Danny's mind.

"Phww...oh man." Danny pulled Steve into a hug, careful not to touch the injured arm. This time tears of relief streamed down his face - he had almost lost his best friend again - in such a short time!

"Buddy, I can't tell you how glad I am to have you back..." Danny's words almost caught in his throat. He hugged Steve a little tighter... "I don't know what I would have done if...uh… you know..." -

"Yeah... you're not getting rid of me that easy, buddy." They both gave each other a meaningful look.

Then they sat in silence for a few minutes, leaning against the rock face.

"Now, all we have to do is to get out of here... and then everything is going to be alright..." Danny said eventually.

"Maybe...uh..." Steve paused. "…you could give me a bandage here and then...uh...a few more hours of sleep wouldn't hurt too…" He remarked dryly, pointing to his arm stump with the open wound.

"Oh!...yeah...sure, partner," Danny realized immediately that he hadn't taken care of Steve's wound yet, because once again he had to save his partner's life first!

It was a gruesome sight that still didn't seem real. Danny untied the rope on Steve's upper arm that they had used to cut off the blood supply. It caused Steve a sharp pain. He winced, but said nothing. Then he wrapped as much bandage material as he could around the stump of his arm.

"Danny, you need to apply more pressure..."

The wound was bleeding profusely and Danny had to reapply the tourniquet right over the stump.

"Sorry man... I have to do this, but I'll be done in a minute," Danny tried to encourage Steve.

Danny was painfully aware that Steve had been through hell the last few days and especially the last few hours, but now hopefully an end to both of their ordeals was soon in sight.

Of course, he also realized that there was no point in leaving right away. It would be dark soon anyway, and it would be far too dangerous to leave. Besides, Steve needed as much rest as he could get.

After successfully stopping the bleeding, he made Steve as comfortable as possible at the bottom of the ravine. After all, it was the first time in five nights that Steve would have the opportunity to sleep lying down. Danny wondered how Steve had managed to sleep in a standing position at all.

"Hey buddy. How are you today?" Danny asked Steve the next morning.

"I'm fine", Steve tried to be convincing.

"Fit enough to go home?"

"Guess we'll find out soon enough... No choice anyway... Our water is empty; hopefully we'll find some on the way."

In reality Steve was far away from fine, but he tried his best not to show that he was feeling like crap. After all, he had to hold on and so he mobilized the last of his strength.

Danny could see how pale and haggard Steve looked. He had never seen him like that.

They were both exhausted from the exertions of the last few days, from hunger and thirst.

116 hours had passed since Steve had been trapped by the rock.

But the prospect of a rescue together motivated them. They knew they had to leave as early as possible because the sun would soon make their journey a sweaty affair.

And so they left…

The first section was especially difficult. It was the part where they had to climb back up and then rappel down. And Steve only had one hand to use. Danny was surprised at how well Steve did, but he could see his friend struggling. And of course Steve needed his support, especially on the ascent.

"We could take more breaks," Danny suggested.

"Danny, that's no good. The further we go the better. Steady climbing and walking is better than taking breaks, believe me, it's even scientifically proven."

"Well…I'll take your word for it; it just doesn't feel like it."

He knew that Steve was probably right - he was the expert, after all. He was just afraid that Steve would overestimate his strength and pass out on the way.

They both forced themselves to keep moving. By now they were in the heat of the desert, without any water. They had to get to the road as soon as possible. Since they were already dehydrated, this was their only chance to survive.

Danny wondered where Steve got his strength from. His partner had endured more than five days on the rock, half-drowned, been amputated, and gone into cardiac arrest! Danny wondered how any human being - former Navy SEAL or not - could endure that. But of course, he was glad that Steve was stronger than anyone else.

"Danny, keep going, keep going." Steve even managed to push him.

It was just the sheer will to survive that kept them both moving forward.

And so they were walking - for hours...

"Steve, stop - wait a second..."

"Don't stop, Danny, keep going..."

"No, Steve, wait, I think I see something... I think..." Danny looked through the binoculars..."

"Steve, there are... there are... PEOPLE! - Or am I hallucinating?"

"I hope not, let me check." Steve took the binoculars.

"You're right, Danny! You're right! There are two hikers."

"HEY! ... HEY! HELLOOOO!- WE NEED HELP - HELLOOOO HERE!" They both shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Danny - I think they've seen us - one of them is waving". - "That's fantastic Steve, we're saved!"

Danny waved his arms frantically to make sure they were really coming their way.

It was a young couple. They could see from a distance that Steve and Danny were in trouble.

They came closer...

"Do you need help? What happened? - OHHH! What happened to your arm?" The young woman asked in shock when she saw Steve's bandaged stump of an arm.

"Long story," Steve replied curtly. "Do you have a satellite phone with you? We could really use some help."

"Yeah, we can see that," the man said, immediately fumbling for his phone.

"I'm Debby and this is Jonathan. Have a seat, you both don't look well."

"Ah, I'm Danny and this crazy guy here is Steve." - Steve only managed a tired smile at Danny's introduction... "You can't imagine how happy we are to finally meet someone here," Danny continued and Steve nodded.

"Yeah, I can tell that by the way you both look." the well-trained blonde woman said. "Here, take this." Debby handed them a bottle of water and a Powerbar.

"Indeed, we actually have a sat phone with us, our parents insisted."

"Very wise parents," Danny said, gratefully accepting the water and the bar. He opened the bottle and gave it to Steve first. Then he opened the bar.

Meanwhile, the man was calling for help.

"They're sending a helicopter. But it'll take a while to get here..."

"Thanks," Steve and Danny said at the same time.

Debby and Jonathan had been very helpful. They even put up their tent. So Danny and Steve had some protection and could finally relax. They both looked at each other in relief before they fell exhausted onto their mats. "We're saved. We really are saved..."

When Steve and Danny had regained some strength, they told Debby and Jonathan about their adventure. It sounded like something out of a book they had just read. But it wasn't a book. This story was much too real. All Danny had to do was look at Steve's left arm to realize that. He became painfully aware that Steve had a long way to go and that he would need his support. How his partner would cope without his left hand was not something he wanted to or could think about at the time, but the question inevitably crossed his mind. ...

The young couple decided to end their own hike at this point. What they heard from Danny and Steve was so exciting that Debby had had enough hiking and climbing for that moment.

Finally, they exchanged contact information with their rescuers. The young couple wanted to know when Steve and Danny were safe and even wanted to be kept informed of their progress.

Then the rescue helicopter finally arrived... Steve was given a much-needed infusion of painkillers and fluids while still on the ground.

He was transported lying down with Danny sitting next to him in the helicopter. "We made it. We really made it." Danny had to repeat the phrase a few times before he could really believe it.

"Yes, we have, we really have..." Steve felt all the tension leave his body and couldn't say much more. Exhausted, he closed his eyes.

When Danny watched at Steve his fear was rising again, but the paramedic reassured him that Steve was stable for now. Then he allowed himself to close his eyes too until they arrived at the hospital.

127 hours - that was the time the stopwatch on Steve's cell phone would have shown if it had still been working. That was how long it took until they were rescued.

fin – or not?

A/N: I know that this time the rest of the team wasn't involved. I wanted to keep it a bit closer to the original... Actually this story ends with the rescue, but I'm thinking of adding an epilogue. What do you think? Please let me know... :)