A/N: Hello again! So the plan was to get this finished before I went away on holidays (which included being lucky enough to be in Waikiki for the season four Sunset on the Beach :) :) Sorry, I have very few friends who watch the show that I can be excited with that about...), but the muse had other plans and went on holiday a little early... But I'm back with the final chapter at last, sorry again for the wait and thank you so much for continuing to read and review! I hope you enjoy this last chapter :)

oOo

Danny tried not to show just uncomfortable he was to the nurse who was pushing his wheelchair out of the elevator doors towards the ICU, knowing that she would more than likely tell Dr. Jordan and his visiting rights would be revoked. The movement was making his head spin which was in turn making his stomach churn uncomfortably but he knew it would all be worth it; just as long as he would be able to visit his partner.

He had managed to sleep comfortably until eight o'clock that morning after the pain meds had knocked him out and he had spent every waking minute since then convincing, or rather pestering, anyone who would listen to allow him to see Steve. By midday, Dr. Jordan - who had grown tired of several different nurses making the request on Danny's behalf – made a deal with his stubborn patient that if he were to sleep for the next three hours he would be allowed a ten minute visit in the afternoon. Danny had initially argued the ten minutes but Dr. Jordan seemed to be as stubborn as Danny was and he had accepted that for now it was the best he could do.

Danny gripped the side of his wheelchair with his good hand, trying to ground himself as the doors to the ICU were pushed open for them to enter. The ICU was anything but private, with what looked like at least six beds that Danny could see all visible through class cubicles throughout the ward. Danny looked down in his lap as he was pushed forward, feeling like he was intruding on someone else's pain by peering through the glass. The nurse wheeling him knew exactly where to go and made a bee line for the second closest cubicle and Danny looked up when he felt the chair come to a stop.

His heart caught in his throat as he lifted his gaze and his eyes landed on his partner for the first time in what felt like an eternity. To say that Steve looked like crap was the understatement of the century. Not much of his partner could be seen courtesy of the blanket that was pulled up to his chin in order to bring his temperature up which only drew attention to the colourful bruises that had blossomed over his face and the even more disturbing tube coming from his mouth which was attached to the ventilator. A line of stitches was visible along his hairline on his left side and another smaller row holding together a small cut along his left cheekbone, a few smaller cuts were held together with small steri-strips.

The nurse wheeled the chair further into the cubicle and positioned him closer to the head of the bed, sensing her patient's emotions she placed a comforting hand on his back as she spoke. "I'll be back in ten minutes, if you need anything just hit the nurse call button." Danny didn't respond as she quietly slipped from the room, too focused on his friend's condition to pay any attention.

Aside from the rise and fall of his partner's chest in time with the whoosh of the ventilator, Steve was completely still; not even his eyes moved under his closed lids informing Danny that it was unlikely he would wake anytime soon. None-the-less, Danny wasn't going to let that stop him from berating his partner into waking up. Leaning forward, Danny grasped his partner's arm through the blanket that covered it, squeezing softly as he spoke.

"Hey, Buddy, time to rise and shine, huh? I thought SEALs weren't s'posed to sleep on the job; don't think I won't order you to get your lazy ass out of bed." He watched his friend's face for any sign he had heard him but there was no change, no movement to show that Steve had heard him. He didn't know what he had expected to happen; that Steve would somehow sense he was there, hear him from the far depths of unconsciousness to miraculously wake up and be okay just because he, Detective Danny Williams, had ordered it. The slack features of his friend's bruised face mocked his delusional expectation, reminding him that this wasn't a movie with a perfectly scripted ending; this was reality and he was powerless to do anything but sit there and hope his friend would be okay.

So instead he just sat there, not saying anything, just grasping his friend's arm more for his own benefit than that of his unconscious partner, hoping he would show some sign of waking. The constant swoosh of the ventilator and beeping of the various monitors that surrounded the bed were the only sounds to keep him company as they grated on his nerves, slowly starting to drive him mad and a small part of him was relieved when his nurse reappeared after ten minutes to take him back to his room.

Giving Steve's arm a final squeeze he promised, "I'll see you soon, Partner."

oOo

Danny shifted for the thousandth time as he tried to find a comfortable position to sit in the wheelchair he was still forced to use, courtesy of his stubborn doctor; though he had to admit to himself that at least it looked more comfortable than the plastic and poorly padded chairs that Chin and Kono occupied. Somehow, the cousins had managed to doze off and Danny attributed it to sheer exhaustion rather than the comfort their chairs offered them.

The two had been functioning purely on caffeine and the occasional power nap for god knows how long; refusing to leave either of their team mates and acting as messengers to keep Danny in the loop about Steve's condition as they relayed any news from the ICU down to Danny who had been forced to remain in his ward.

As the doctor had feared, infection had set in not long after Danny's visit and the previous eighteen hours had been spent waiting to see if the increased doses of antibiotics would break the fever that was ravaging their friend's body. The breakthrough they had been hoping for had come two hours ago when Steve's doctor confirmed that the fever had broken and made arrangements for him to be moved to a ward and the ventilator was finally removed.

Danny looked back down at the bed he was seated beside, relishing the opportunity that he finally had to sit beside his partner after everything they had been through, convincing himself that everything would be okay. Not that Steve was the prettiest picture to look be looking at currently; the stitches and bruises that marred his face were still highlighted but he no longer had the flushed cheeks and sweat laden forehead that had shown signs of his fever. A much less intrusive nasal canula provided oxygen rather than the invasive ventilator and the bed sheets were made around the boot that was strapped to his partner's foot. The sheets hid the other injuries he knew Steve was carrying and his eyes travelled to his chest which he knew was hiding more bruising to his torso. Danny kept his eyes there for several moments as he watched the slow rise and fall of his friend's chest as he took slow, deep and, most importantly, unassisted breaths.

Steve had remained unconscious for the entire ordeal at the hospital, though there were times during his fever that he had become restless and close to awareness despite the sedatives which were still being administered. Now that the worst was behind them, the doctor had dropped the doses in the hope of him regaining consciousness and Danny was stubbornly refusing to sleep or leave his partner's side until he could talk to him and guarantee that everything was going to be okay, and that this would finally be over.

Danny's gaze returned to Steve's face, searching again for any sign that he would wake soon. The former SEAL's eyes were moving beneath his closed lids and Danny could swear the occasional muscle twitched ever so slightly. He continued to watch for several more minutes until he was sure that Steve was definitely showing signs of movement as his brows and lips moved slightly.

Danny reached for his friend's hand which lay on the bed before him, grabbing it and giving a small squeeze he tried his luck and called out softly, "Hey, Steve?"

Even though he had kept his voice relatively quiet, both Chin and Kono startled awake at the noise.

"What's wrong?" Kono pushed herself back up into a sitting position and leant forward, searching Steve's face for a sign that something had gone wrong. Beside her, Chin also sat up, his gaze going instead to Danny for answers.

"Nothing," Danny was quick to reassure them, "I think Sleeping Beauty might be starting to wake up."

Both cousins quickly saw what Danny was talking about and joined in trying to coax the sleeping man to wake; Kono grabbing his other hand closest to her while Chin spoke.

"C'mon, Steve, it's about time you woke up and thanked us for pulling you out of the middle of the wet jungle, and for the amount of road rules Kono broke to get there," he added with a smile and a glance at his cousin.

Kono grinned and Danny turned from her to Chin, "Why are we corrupting the rookie?" Though the accusation was lost amid his amused smile.

Steve, however, remained oblivious and despite their coaxing and several more hand squeezes, his muscles eventually relaxed into a deeper sleep. Disappointed, the team sat back in their chairs, ready to wait out for their next chance of him waking.

"I guess he isn't done catching his beauty sleep then," Kono sighed as she stretched out the kinks in her back after her uncomfortable sleep.

"Don't say that," Danny gave a small frown then sent a smile her way, "he'd have to sleep for weeks."

oOo

Noises came first. Quiet, whispering voices, barely audible but loud enough to tug his mind into a small state of awareness. It wasn't the first time he had heard the voices but there was something different this time, something insisting that he should pay attention instead of drifting back to whatever blissfulness he had come from.

The second thing that came to his attention was sensation. Like the sensation that he was lying in a bed made completely of pillows. No not pillows, he felt weightless like he was floating on some sort of cloud. No, that didn't make sense either; clouds weren't fluffy, they were wet, and they certainly couldn't hold someone up, he recalled the sensation of falling through one. Wait, that doesn't make sense; why would I be falling through clouds? Nothing was making sense, maybe the noises would tell him what was going on, he decided as he focused back on the noises around him.

The loudest noise was high and seemed to be beeping but it faded into the background as his ears picked up on the voices that were becoming louder, more insistent. They were muffled at first until a squeeze of his hand jerked his senses closer to awareness and he could begin to make out words.

"...lazy...napping... working..." He couldn't catch the whole sentence.

"Steve." That's me. Steve focused hard on that word, the voice that was talking sounded so familiar to him but he couldn't place it.

"Steve!"

Danny. He tried to say his partner's name but the command didn't make it to his lips. He frowned in concentration and tried again.

"Dan-" Was all he could force out before coughing as a result of his dry throat. Things still weren't making sense to him though; why was Danny waking him up in his home? Why was it so hard to wake up? Why did he feel like he was floating still? And why couldn't he get his mind to cooperate?

"Steve?" This time he heard it; the worry. It filled his partner's tone. What would have Danny so worried? Then his memories slammed into him with no warning and left him breathless as scenes replayed in his mind, then his own worry bubbled to the surface. Danny! I have to get us out of here, Brennan's not far behind; we have to move!

And suddenly he wasn't floating; he felt heavy and when he tried to move his muscles they wouldn't obey, instead he felt his arms move uselessly around, and god did he hurt. He gasped, not prepared for the stabbing pain in his side and chest and the throbbing in his head.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He heard Danny's voice again as the grip on his hand tightened and he felt hands holding his shoulders down to keep him still. He was about to struggle when he heard another voice.

"Steve, it's okay, just relax." Chin. Chin was here. Had Brennan caught him too or had their rescue arrived at long last?

"Danny. Brennan?" His own voice sounded rough to his ears but he got the point across.

"You're okay, Steve and so am I; Brennan's dead, remember? You're in a hospital. Can you open your eyes for us, babe?"

Steve took a moment to process this new information. A hospital; that would explain the beeping and the floating sensation he had been experiencing. His eyes, how come he didn't think of opening them sooner? He put it down to whatever drugs he was sure he was being pumped full of.

He cracked his lids open slowly, allowing the bright light to sneak in gradually before he was forced to blink several times. Eventually his eyes adjusted to the light around him and he was able to keep them open.

"That's it, Sleeping Beauty, up and at 'em," he followed the sound of his partner's voice to his right. Danny looked tired and it was hard to ignore the bruises on his jaw and the line of stitches on the side of his head, but he could see the worry melt from his features as he came to focus his gaze on him.

"You look like crap," Steve offered, his voice still raspy which lead to Chin offering him some ice chips.

Danny laughed genuinely, "That's rich coming from you; you wouldn't want to be looking into a mirror anytime soon, my friend."

Steve turned his head slowly to his left where he could feel someone gripping his hand and he saw Kono's smiling face.

"Hey," her smile grew wider, not feeling at all awkward by the way she was gripping her boss's hand.

"Hey," he returned her smile as best he could, noticing the relief that was flooding her face.

Moving along, he found Chin's face also smiling at him. "It's good to see you awake, Steve; you had a lot of us worried for a while there."

"Sorry," he mumbled in reply, though he was speaking to everyone. "How long?" He couldn't be bothered finishing the sentence as he felt the need for sleep tugging at his consciousness again.

"Coming up on twenty-four hours," Danny answered, "which has gotta be a record for Steven 'Up-at-the-crack-of-dawn' McGarrett."

Steve gave a small smile as he let his eyes close, not able to continue the battle of keeping them open any longer. He felt Chin's hand come to rest on his shoulder as he sunk back into the pillow.

"We've got you, brah."

Steve tried to mumble his thanks but exhaustion and drugs had already taken over and he lost the ability to move his lips as sleep claimed him once more.

oOo

This time he entered the semi-private ward as a free man, no longer forced into the embarrassing confines of the wheelchair. His discharge papers were tucked securely away in the sling that still strapped his shoulder to his chest as evidence of said freedom, his other arm leant on the cane which took weight off his injured knee as he walked.

It was within visiting hours still which meant that Steve's section of the ward by the window was well occupied; Chin stole the chair by the window while Kono preferred to lean against the wall. The space at the end of Steve's bed was also occupied and his smallest visitor sat up in excitement as Danny entered, though she still didn't abandon her post.

"Danno!" Grace called, her face lit up by a grin. "You can come home at last; I'm so excited you get to come home now!"

"Yeah, Danno; it must be exciting to be getting out of here," Steve accentuated his friend's hated nickname, an edge of sarcasm in his voice.

Danny just grinned as he looked to his partner, catching Steve's sour look. The former SEAL had been irritated all morning after being informed that it would be several days before he would be released on account of his infection and bullet wound which still required monitoring.

"I thought SEAL's weren't supposed to pout, Steven; it clashes with the Captain America look you're always aiming for."

Steve's only response was to scowl at the nick name.

Danny caught the look and looked incredulous. "You're objecting to being labelled as Captain America?"

"He was Army," Steve explained with a small frown.

"This is true," Danny tipped his head, "but you're both called Steve and no one can deny the tough-as-nails-self-sacrificing-indestructible soldier crap you both love to play the part of."

"Sailor," Steve corrected, this time a smirk covering his face which only grew at his partner's irritated glare.

Grace giggled at the banter between the two, the exchange also making Chin and Kono grin.

Danny's tone took a more serious note as he asked, "So how're you feeling today?"

"Like I'm ready to go home," Steve sighed and reclined more on the bed, wincing as the movement pulled at his side and ribs.

Danny didn't fail to miss Steve's discomfort and his stomach twisted with guilt; guilt that must have shown briefly on his face, he realised when Steve spoke.

"Do you guys mind giving us a minute?" He looked to Chin and Kono before glancing at Grace. "I'm pretty sure there's a vending machine around somewhere full of packets of gummy bears," he winked at her.

Grace grinned and turned to her father for permission. "Can I?"

Danny nodded, already pulling his wallet out to fund her excursion. Kono pushed away from the wall she had been leaning against and reached for Grace's hand, "C'mon, we better get there before Chin does or there'll be none left."

Grace laughed as she dragged Kono from the room, Chin not far behind.

Danny wasn't even able to open his mouth to begin to say something when his partner spoke.

"Stop it, Danny."

"What-?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Steve turned so he could face him better. "This isn't your fault; none of this is, so stop acting like you're the one who put me here."

Danny gave up any hope of keeping his guilt hidden from his overly perceptive partner. "I was the one who shot Peter Brennan, not you. It should've been me."

"It shouldn't have been anyone," Steve corrected, not letting Danny break eye contact, needing to make his point clear. "And you know as damn well as I do that if you had hesitated half a second more before shooting Peter Brennan then it would have been me that his brother was after. It was my decision to lie, not yours and it's a decision I don't regret." Though some small part of Steve did regret the decision he had made, for although he had spared Danny the physical pain of Brennan's assault, it was obvious his partner had suffered from hearing his partner being beaten. "This was Brennan's fault, no one else's and certainly not yours and I know for a fact that we would never have made it out of that forest if it weren't for you."

Danny nodded as he looked down towards the floor; he knew his partner would never blame him for what had happened but at least after the SEAL's words it was a little easier to stop blaming himself.

"But ah, if it makes you feel better, you could always chase up Dr Holder and force some discharge papers from her," Steve only sounded like he was half kidding.

Danny looked up and grinned. "Are you kidding? She's even stricter than Dr Jordan, I'd probably lose these for trying," he brandished his own signed forms.

"Yeah well, you probably wouldn't have been able to catch up to her anyway, Peg-Leg," Steve smirked.

"Hey, no mocking the cane this time because your doctor informed me that you're gonna be stuck with a matching one, not to mention that sexy boot to go with it." He indicated to the cumbersome footwear poking out from under the sheets, returning his partner's smirk.

Steve watched Danny's free hand move wildly as he spoke and glanced down at his own right hand, ignoring the ligature marks that marred his flesh. "You know I'm never gonna take this for granted again."

"And what's that?" Danny didn't follow what he was talking about.

"Being able to have a conversation without my arms doing all the work," his smirk made a reappearance as Danny glared at him. "You must be dying to lose that sling; it's practically a speech impediment without your other hand."

"Ha ha," Danny replied dryly. "You know what, do me a favour and don't quit your day job; a comedian you're not. On second thoughts, maybe you should give it a crack and leave us in peace."

"Nah, you'd be bored without me."

"More like considerably safer," Danny retorted.

Steve smiled, not seeing a point in continuing the argument. "Go and enjoy your freedom, Danno," he indicated to the doorway where Grace, Chin and Kono could be heard making their return. "There's no point in us both being stuck in here."

Danny looked closely at his partner for a moment, confirming that he was in fact okay. "Fine, but if you're not in that bed when I come back I'll set Dr Holder after you," he threatened.

"It's good to know you have my back, partner," Steve said with mock sarcasm.

Danny smirked as he turned to greet his daughter in the doorway, "It's what partner's are for."

oOo

Fin

A/N: What did you think of the final instalment? I'd love to know :) And thank you all so much for staying with this story between the updates, I hope you enjoyed reading Cuffed! :)