Author's Note #1: Here it is, guys; the last chapter! We finally find out what caused the boys to get sick. I really hope you enjoyed reading this little story as much as I loved writing it. I guess you realized by now that I'm a huge whump fan (who isn't, right?). I'm excited for the last five episodes of season 5 and hope we'll soon get the good news that Hawaii Five-0 got renewed for a 6th season. Fingers crossed!

Author's Note #2: Thank you all for the kind reviews and likes. Every single one made me smile and encouraged me to keep going. So, THANK YOU!

MA'I (In Sickness and in Health) - Chapter 4

15 Minutes Earlier

Steve shuts the door behind him and leans his too warm forehead against it. His whole body is trembling and he feels wobbly on his legs. Everything around him is spinning and his head throbs in rhythm with his fast pounding heart.

Stumbling to the sink, he grips the porcelain until his fingers turn white. His arms are shaking in distress and his vision keeps greying out around the edges.

Steve fumbles with the tap until cold water runs over his fingers and wrists. His mouth feels extremely dry, but he cannot bring himself to drink water. His stomach is already churning and cramping and even something as simple as water would not do him any good right now.

He gags again and squeezes his eyes shut when it causes his splitting headache to worsen. But in the end, it is to no avail.

Pushing himself off the sink, he staggers to the toilet bowl and sags to his knees in front of it. Once again, his body expels the just eaten food. The soup makes an unwelcome reappearance, followed by a bout of painful dry heaves.

Five minutes later, Steve is completely spent and exhausted. He is panting heavily and sweat dribbles down his face and neck, soaking into the collar of his light blue shirt, which is already sticking to his torso.

The air inside the small bathroom feels hot and stuffy and only adds to Steve's lightheadedness. He needs to get out of this room. Get some fresh air.

Struggling to his feet, Steve reaches up to the sink to pull himself upright. But as soon as he is standing, a heavy wave of dizziness slams into him. The world surrounding him tilts and spins and black dots invade his vision. His pulse rate drops and he collapses into a heap on the cold tiled floor.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Present

"Lou! Lou, in here!" Danny shouts anxiously over his shoulder before he drops to his knees next to his unconscious partner. His hands are shaking badly when he presses his index and middle finger against Steve's neck. "Thank god!" He breathes out when he feels a fast thumping pulse under his fingertips. "Steve, can you hear me?"

Steve, who is lying motionless on his stomach, does not so as much as twitch at the contact. His usually tanned skin is paper white and his breath comes out shallow and way too fast. Along with the pounding heartbeat, Danny knows his partner is in some sort of trouble.

"Danny, what-"

"Call an ambulance!" Danny interrupts Grover when the man appears in the door frame. "I found him passed out in the bathroom. His heart rate is going through the roof and he's not breathing right."

Without losing any time, Lou pulls out his phone and calls for emergency service, telling them exactly what his team mate had just stated. "They're gonna be here in less than 10 minutes," the tall man says as he crouches down on the other side of the former SEAL. He takes in the pale face and chapped lips.

"Steve, open your eyes. Come on!" Danny tries to coax him back to awareness as he lightly taps his cheek. He is rewarded with a soft moan. "That's it, buddy. Look at me."

Scrunching up his face, Steve's right hand feels around for something to identify where he is. He pulls his legs upward and lets out another pained moan when the pain and discomfort comes back with vengeance.

Lou leans in closer, stopping only mere inches from the SEAL's face, "Steve, can you hear me?" he asks, putting one hand on his shoulder.

A barely noticeable nod lets Danny and Lou know that, somewhere in Steve's confused brain he is awake. But only barely.

"D'nno…" Steve slurs quietly and turns his head to the right where his partner is kneeling. He opens his hazel eyes to two slits and blinks.

Danny squeezes his shoulder. "I'm here, okay? I'm here. Just relax. EMT is on its way."

Another nod, this time a little stronger. Steve inhales and swallows thickly against the dryness in his throat. He feels sick and his stomach is hurting. Not to mention the pounding headache and the feeling of not getting enough air.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The short time it takes for the ambulance to arrive feels like an eternity for everyone involved. Steve starts to come around more with each passing minute and even tries to sit up. Eventually, Danny and Lou help him into an upright position and basically carry him over to the bed which, thankfully, is only a few steps away from the bathroom. There, he collapses and begins to dry heave before drifting off again until the EMT arrive.

"Get an IV going," the older one of the two paramedics, Jodie, tells her younger colleague as she takes Steve's blood pressure. She shakes her head at the poor reading. "Commander McGarrett?" She addresses him softly and leans in closer. When he does not answer her right away, she puts her left gloved hand on his too warm forehead. "Steve," she tries again, this time calling him by his name.

Danny and Lou are standing off to the side and observe the situation worriedly. They had told the two EMTs about the stomach bug, which had assailed first Danny and then Steve, the constant nausea and dizziness.

"I can barely find a vein," Kade, a dark haired Hawaiian, informs Jodie while looking for a suitable spot in the crook of Steve's left arm to insert the IV.

"He's dehydrated," Jodie says. "Temperature; 103, blood pressure; 90 over 40. Pulse is 120, rapid and thready," she lists without taking her eyes off her patient. "Steve, can you hear me?"

This time, two tired eyes slowly flutter open and Jodie smiles.

"There you are," she speaks softly and gently squeezes his shoulder. "My name is Jodie and this is my partner Kade. Can you tell me how you feel?"

Steve tries to clear his throat but ends up having a coughing fit. He grimaces and clutches his stomach.

"Easy, easy." Jodie soothingly rubs his arm. Danny quickly steps closer to the bed and reaches out to grab his partner's hand.

Once again opening his eyes, the former SEAL focuses first on the blond man and then on the pretty paramedic. "Sick," he mumbles and licks at dry lips. "Stomach and head hurt."

Jodie nods. "Okay," she says and looks up at her colleague who gives her the thumbs up, indicating that he successfully inserted the needle. "We will give you some fluids through an IV now, alright? That will help you."

Steve nods and wearily rubs his forehead. He is not quite able to recall what exactly had happened, but he figures it will come to him with time. Usually, he would be concerned in a situation like that but he sees Danny standing next to him and that has a calming effect.

Jodie kindly pats Danny's shoulder as she stands up. "We'll transfer him onto the gurney now and transport him to Tripler Army Medical Center, given his Navy past. The loss of consciousness is most likely related to the dehydration, along with the headache and dizziness. Nevertheless, a doctor will need to investigate the cause of the vomiting and stomach cramps," she explains to Danny and Lou while Kade lowers the gurney on the same height as the bed.

"Yeah," Danny says, hand resting on Steve's shoulder. "Tripler, you said?"

Jodie nods, "Exactly. You can meet us there."

With that, the two paramedics help Steve to carefully scoot from the mattress onto the gurney with an elevated headrest. He is not a big fan of being pushed around on one of those stretchers but right now he lacks the energy to even state his dislike.

Once Steve is securely strapped in and the IV is attached to the gurney, Danny steps closer again. "We'll see you at Tripler, okay?"

Steve shakes his head. "You should stay here, Danny. You're still sick."

"Don't worry," Grover speaks up from where he is standing behind the blond detective. "I'll take care of him. You just relax."

Giving his two friends a faint smile, Steve closes his eyes and prepares himself for the drive to the hospital.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"I can't believe this," Danny groans after the ambulance has pulled away from his driveway and disappeared around the corner. He drops down on the couch and buries his head in his hands. The headache is slowly creeping back. "We should have done something."

Lou sighs and sits down beside his friend. "And what? McGarrett's a stubborn son-of-a-bitch who doesn't exactly like to share his health issues with anyone. He'll be fine."

Danny lifts his head. "Yeah," he mumbles. "I just didn't expect a simple stomach bug to be the reason for him to end up in the hospital, you know. At least I hope it's just a simple bug-"

"Hey, let's not go there, alright. Everyone's body reacts differently to a virus. It might have been the stress of the case and the bug combined which sent his system into overdrive. And I guess the fact that he kept puking up every little bite wasn't helping, either."

"You're right," the Jersey native sighs. "And he hasn't been able to sleep properly, either. Let's call Chin and Kono. I'm sure they want to know what happened."

After two short calls to the two remaining members of Five-0, Danny and Lou are ready to drive to the hospital. Danny got dressed while Grover packed up most of Steve's stuff since they do not know for sure how long the former SEAL will need to stay at Tripler Medical Center.

Danny has just opened the front entrance and has one foot out of the door, when he nearly bumps straight into his neighbor, Kelly Brown. Startled, he takes a step back.

"Daniel," the elderly woman begins and clasps her hands together in front of her chest. "I am so glad to see you! I saw the ambulance in front of your house and got worried," she explains. "Are you and little Gracie all right?"

Danny cannot help but smile at his caring neighbor. "We are fine, Misses Brown. I appreciate the concern, though. It's my partner we're a bit worried about right now. He got pretty sick with a nasty stomach bug," he explains and points a thumb over his shoulder at Lou. "My friend and I are actually on our way to see him at the hospital now."

"Oh, of course," Kelly says with a sheepish smile as she steps away from the front door to let the two men exit. "I hope he will get better soon. Robert isn't doing very good either right now," she sighs, referring to her husband of thirty-six years.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Danny says sincerely but unobtrusively glances at the time on his phone. It has already been twenty-five minutes since the ambulance departed and he does not want to make Steve wait too long.

Apparently, Kelly notices, "Well, I guess we should have seen it coming," she chuckles. "Anyways, I wish your partner all the best."

"Thank you," Danny calls after her as he hurries to Grover's car. "Oh, and by the way, Misses Brown; the pineapple was delicious. I'll bring the Tupperware over in the next few days."

The grey haired woman turns around with a confused frown. "Pineapple, my dear?"

Danny suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. Kelly Brown is a lovely old lady but sometimes she is a little bit forgetful. Like the one time she had mistaken him for one of her sons and tried to give him $50 Dollars for his college fund.

"Yes, pineapple. You brought some over on Monday," he clarifies. Lou just snorts.

Suddenly, the confusion leaves Kelly's face. Her eyes widen in shock and she brings her hands up to her mouth. "Oh, no…"

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Steve stares at the white, sterile ceiling. For the third time in a row he counts the large tiles above his head, blinking when they become slightly blurry. He rubs at his tired eyes and lets out a heavy sigh.

He is finally settled in his own quiet private room after an hour of getting poked and prodded by a doctor who asked him a ton of question: "When did you start throwing up?", "Was that the first time you passed out?", "When was the last time you were able to keep something down?", "Does it hurt when I press here? Or here? What about here?"

Turning his head, Steve leans over and reaches for the bag with his personal belongings. He winces when he pulls at the IV line and quickly checks if the needle is still embedded in his left arm. When he sees no blood, he grabs the plastic bag and pulls out his phone. Thankfully, he had it in his pocket when he was taken to the hospital.

He is just about to call Danny when someone knocks on the door.

A smile appears on the former SEAL's face when he sees his partner and friend enter. He pushes himself up a little higher and beams happily at them. "Didn't I tell you to stay home and rest?" He asks with raised eyebrows but it is obvious that he is happy to see his best friend.

Danny snorts. "Looks like you're feeling better," he says, both hands buried in the pockets of his jeans. He walks up to the hospital bed, followed by Grover.

"I am," Steve confirms happily.

Lou crosses his arms over his chest. "So, what's the verdict?" He wants to know and nods to the IV pole.

Steve sighs. "Well, they're keeping me on fluids because of the dehydration and I got a light antiemetic to help with the nausea. Up until now it's working. Thankfully," he adds quietly. He really does not want to live through that whole throwing up part again. His throat and stomach are still sore from the last twenty hours.

Lou exhales. "I don't wanna say 'I told you so,' but; I told you so," he says with a frustrated shake of his head. "I warned you about the risk of pushing your body to the limit. Why in hell didn't you say that you weren't able to keep liquid down? We talked about dehydration."

Steve bits his lip sheepishly. "I thought it was just a normal bug and that it would pass on its own. And then there was the case," he shrugs, now realizing that he probably did not act very smartly.

Huffing out a breath, Danny sits down on the mattress and puts his hand on his partner's arm to get his attention. He looks into his eyes with a serious expression on his face. "Listen, I know you like to think that you need to be part of every investigation and every step Five-0 takes, but the truth is you have put together a great team. And that great team is absolutely capable of operating without you being there 24/7. You need to trust them – us."

Steve lowers his gaze. "I do trust you guys. It's just… you know, I feel responsible," he admits.

"We know you do," Danny says and squeezes Steve's arm. "We would just appreciate if you could shift down a gear before you collapse in my bathroom next time."

Steve winces. "Yeah, don't really want a repeat of that one, either."

Standing up again, Danny smiles. He was a little annoyed with Steve for ignoring his body's need for rest but right now he is just glad that his friend is feeling better and on the mend.

"And what about you?" Steve suddenly asks with raised eyebrows. "The doc told me it might be something different than a simple stomach bug. Maybe you should get checked out too?" The amused look Danny and Lou exchange makes the former SEAL frown in confusion. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Scratching his forehead, Danny clears his throat, "Well, we kinda have already figured out what it is. My dear neighbor helped us solve the mystery."

Steve's eyes dart between his two friends, waiting for more information. "So…?"

"Do you happen to remember the Tupperware with the pineapple chunks in my fridge?" Danny asks.

Steve thinks for a moment and then nods. "Yeah, sure. I had them for breakfast yesterday."

Danny points a finger at his friend. "There you have it."

If possible, Steve's confused frown deepens even more. He looks at Grover for help, but the man leaves it to the blond detective to tell the story. "But it tasted fine," Steve argues, still not quite getting it.

"Okay, let me explain," Danny speaks and quickly recaps what happened.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

30 Minutes Earlier - Danny Williams' House

Danny quickly walks back to his clearly shocked neighbor. Kelly Brown just stares at him wide-eyed.

"Misses Brown, is everything alright?" He asks in irritation.

"My goodness, Daniel," she gasps out and grips his forearms. "I am so sorry. I should have remembered!" She shakes her head guiltily.

Danny looks at Lou who just shrugs. He is as confused as the detective.

"What should you have remembered?" Danny presses, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice. He really wants to get to the hospital as quick as possible, but somehow he feels like Kelly might have something very important to share with him.

The elderly woman pulls back and looks at Danny apologetically. Then she begins to explain, "On Monday, I wanted to make Robert's favorite dinner; pineapple chicken teriyaki. I found a chicken breast in the freezer and put it in a Tupperware in the morning, together with the cut up pineapple. Before dinner time, I took it out and cooked the chicken. When I realized I had too much pineapple, I brought some over to your house." She pauses and looks at Danny as if that would explain everything. Unfortunately for her, Danny just blinks. "Daniel, dear, the chicken contained salmonella."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Present

"Salmonella?"

"Uh-huh."

"…from a pineapple?"

"Yup." Danny smirks at the stunned expression on Steve's face. "Apparently, fruit can get infested by salmonella too if kept together with something that already contains it. Doctor Maleko explained that to us."

Steve nods hesitatingly, still not quite believing what he has just heard. Earlier, on the way to the hospital, he had started to wonder of it was more than just a stomach bug, but he would have never expected salmonella.

"So, Doctor Maleko already knows?" Steve asks as he reaches for the glass of water on the table next to him.

"Yes, he does," Danny confirms and pushes the glass in his friend reach. "He said the symptoms would fit and that it would make sense since we both came down with the same thing. And as far as I know we're the only people who ate some of it. He'll still analyze your tests, though. He'll be back to talk to you in a bit."

Steve takes a careful sip of his water, relieved when it does not cause any immediate nausea.

"Now that we have that figured out; get some rest," Danny speaks and takes the water glass back. It is obvious that Steve has trouble keeping his heavy eyelids from dropping.

"Yeah, thanks," the SEAL mumbles sleepily and inhales deeply. "Get some sleep too," he adds with a soft smile, even though he does not bother to open his eyes again.

"Roger that," Danny agrees and pats his partner's shoulder one last time. "We'll be back tomorrow."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

At 9 o'clock the next morning, Danny enters his partner's hospital room again. He tries to be quiet in case Steve is still sleeping but of course the SEAL-senses are already on high alert.

"Good morning, sunshine," Danny grins when Steve turns his head on the pillow and smiles at him.

"Morning," the taller man answers and yawns. He runs a hand through his disheveled dark hair and fumbles for the remote control to rise the headrest of his bed into a more upright position. "Did you come alone?"

Dumping a brown paper bag on the bedside table, Danny shakes his head. "No, Lou is looking for a parking spot right now. Seems like Friday is a busy day here. And Chin and Kono are on their way. They had an early meeting at Pearl."

At that, Steve perks up. "With the Navy? About what? The case?"

Danny rolls his eyes. "Would you calm down, please? I'm going to tell you. Relax," he huffs out and drops down in the chair he pulled up next to the bed. "So, where was I? Oh yeah; they met with Commander Brix. Apparently, Kevin Lieberman was found last night in Michigan. After a few hours of interrogation, he admitted that he has pulled some strings to get his documents filled out incorrectly. He also confessed that he was the one who got rid of Jimmy Reynolds the night he disappeared. He was on the payroll of the human trafficking ring while working with the FBI. They also found the missing documents. The moron kept them all those years."

Steve runs a hand down his face. "Wow," he sighs and shifts on the mattress. "Looks like the case is closed then."

Danny nods. "Looks that way," he agrees. "And Kono and Chin managed to get it done without your help. See; a high quality team!"

This time, it is Steve's turn to roll his eyes. "I hear you, okay. I got it."

"Good," Danny smirks and leans forward with his elbows on his knees.

They fall silent for a moment before Steve looks past Danny and nods to the brown paper bag sitting on the table, "What's in there?"

"Oh, that's a special surprise," Danny grins and grabs the bag to give it to his partner. "Kelly felt so bad for giving us food poisoning, she baked her special coconut cookies as an apology."

Grimacing, Steve shoves the bag back into his partner's hands. "Yeah, no, thanks. I think I'm gonna pass. I still got enough from her last gift."

Chuckling, Danny tosses the bag back on the bedside table. "You're probably right."

Looking at each other, they both begin to laugh.

The End