For Better or For Worse

Danny's neck twinged as he stared at his partner in disbelief. "Why must you always do that? I had the damned key!" He dangled the hotel room key in front of Steve's face.

"Didn't know you had the key," Steve shrugged unapologetically.

"You could have waited a whole five seconds for me to tell you," Danny snapped back, rubbing at his sore neck.

Steve pointed impatiently at the open door. It sagged on its broken hinges, like a listing ship about to go under. "Are we going in or are you just going to stand here and bitch at me?"

"You're an animal," Danny huffed, marching past his partner and entering the hotel room. He pulled a pair of latex gloves from his back pocket and slipped them on.

Steve grinned and followed his partner inside. "You feeling okay Danno? You seem more irritable than usual."

"I'm fine," Danny glowered. "I must have slept on my neck funny, that's all. And you're not helping, by the way. Breaking down doors," Danny shook his head, waving one hand at the listing door. "Now I'm going to have to requisition funds to get that fixed."

Steve smirked at Danny and then gazed around the empty motel room. It was devoid of anything personal. No luggage. No toiletries in the bathroom. Nothing in the garbage cans. And when Danny pulled open the dresser drawers, those were empty too.

Danny shoved the drawers closed, wincing as pain shot down his neck.

"You want me to fix that, Danny?" Steve offered. He flexed his fingers. "One good crack and you'll be good as new."

"Do I what…?" Danny stared at Steve in horror, his hand flying protectively to his neck. "No…I do not want."

"Seriously, Danny," Steve gave a mollifying smile and stepped towards his partner. "Your neck's probably just a little out of alignment, I can pop it back in."

"You," Danny held up one hand and backed away from Steve. "Stop. You are not getting your hands around my neck."

"You like it when I put my hands around other things," Steve chuckled, his eyes dancing mischievously.

"Those...ahem…other things," Danny flushed slightly, remembering just how good Steve's hands on his body felt. He cleared his throat and pointed a finger towards Steve. "Those other things don't have the potential of leaving me paralyzed."

"Oh come on, Danny, I'm not going to hurt you. I know what I'm doing," Steve wheedled.

"I don't need your help, I'm fine," Danny grimaced as he swiveled his head to take one more look around the motel room. He pulled the gloves off and shoved them into his pocket. "There's nothing here. Either our vic cleared out or his killer took everything with him."

"We should have CSU come down and dust for prints," Steve said thoughtfully.

"Well," Danny sighed, suddenly craving a place to sit down as fatigue washed over him. He winced as his head began to pound with greater vengeance. "I suppose they might find a useable print. And if the place has been wiped down, that could tell us something useful in itself."

He hunched forward, setting his hands on his thighs, wishing more than anything that he could just sit down for a minute. He was freezing, and could feel cold beads of sweat trickle down, pooling in the small of his back.

"Danny," Steve's eyes narrowed in concern as he closed the distance between himself and his partner. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Danny snapped, swatting Steve's hand away from his forehead as he forced his aching legs to stand upright. He refused to believe he was coming down with something. He, Steve and Grace were picking out colors to paint Grace's room that weekend. There was no way Danny was going to miss out on that for some stupid flu.

"You're not fine," Steve frowned worriedly, easily blocking Danny's resistance and pressing the back of his hand to Danny's forehead. "You're hot."

"Thank you, but this is not the place, babe," Danny smirked tiredly. "There is not one inch of this room that doesn't need to be hosed down with Lysol."

"You're a funny guy, Danny," Steve rolled his eyes, "But while you are undeniably hot, you also have a fever. When did you start feeling bad? You didn't have a fever this morning."

"I do not have a fever," Danny pushed Steve's hand away and shook his head, immediately regretting it as pain spiked in the back of his neck, gripping his head like a vise. He hissed in pain. He held up one hand as Steve opened his mouth to speak. "It's nothing. I must have pulled a muscle or something. Now…would you stop making a major case out of it? Please?"

"Fine," Steve planted his feet into the floor and crossed his arms over his chest, giving Danny a steely glare. "Let's prove it. I have a thermometer in the car."

"You put a thermometer in my car?" Danny's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Every vehicle needs a first aid kit," Steve shrugged. "You didn't have one, so I put one in the trunk." He motioned towards the door. "Come on. Stop stalling."

"This is ridiculous," Danny grumbled, though his legs were beginning to feel like noodles and he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to stay on his feet. It galled him to admit it, but Steve was probably right. At this point, he didn't care. As long as he could sit down in the Camaro.

Still muttering to himself about Steve's obsessive need to control every situation, Danny begrudgingly followed his partner outside, sinking with relief into the passenger seat of the car. He leaned his head against the seatback and squeaked in surprise when something cold and hard was thrust into his left ear.

"Ow," Danny's hand flew up, knocking the offending object aside. He glared at Steve out of the corner of his eye, careful not to move his aching neck. "Nice move not-Florence Nightengale."

"Danny," Steve growled back. "Stop being a baby."

Firm but tender, Steve took Danny's chin in one hand, holding Danny's head still as he once again slid the tip of the thermometer inside Danny's ear.

"Neanderthal," Danny muttered.

"Just be still for a second, if that's possible," Steve said dryly.

"Whatever," Danny sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back again. Finally the thermometer beeped and Steve removed it. After several seconds of silence, Danny cracked one eye, squinting over at him. "Well?"

"102 buddy," Steve said, worrying at his lower lip. "Look, I think we should take you to a doctor."

"Okay fine, you were right about the fever," Danny admitted reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean I need a doctor. I probably just picked up a bug somewhere and need to sleep it off." He waved a hand towards the motel. "Get CSU down here and then you can take me home. I promise to be a good little boy and take my aspirin and have a nap. I'm sure I'll feel better in the morning."

"Would that be your response if it was Grace that was sick?" Steve asked softly. He reached over the center console and wrapped his fingers around Danny's hand.

"That is not the same and you know it," Danny replied stubbornly. He bit his lower lip, fondling Steve's long, lean fingers.

"I care about you," Steve said gruffly, slipping his free hand behind Danny's neck, cupping it gently so as not to aggravate the pain. "And I'm worried about you. This might be nothing, or it might be something. Your symptoms….they're troubling, Danno."

"I hate doctors, and I hate hospitals," Danny feebly protested.

"No one likes them, Danny," Steve said sympathetically, leaning across the seat to drop a kiss on Danny's cheek. He nuzzled Danny's ear with his nose. "Do this for me. Please. I asked nicely. I'm saying please."

"Goddammit," Danny's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I promise when you're feeling better, I'll make it up to you," Steve pressed his lips to Danny's cheek.

"Oh yeah?" Danny asked grudgingly. "It better be good."

"How about I fuck you so hard you won't be able to move for a week?" Steve whispered, running his hand along Danny's thigh.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Danny shuddered, desire stirring despite how completely miserable he felt.

"I expect nothing less," Steve kissed Danny one more time before pulling away and fishing his phone out of his pants pocket.

Danny closed his eyes again. The light was suddenly too piercingly bright, and it was making his headache ten times worse. He knew Steve was right, and if the positions were reversed he'd be dragging Steve's ass to the nearest ER. He was just irritated as hell that he was going to end up spending the rest of his day as a human pincushion because of a stupid flu virus.

"You ready?" Steve gently shook his shoulder and Danny realized he must have zoned out for a second. Blearily he squinted up at his partner.

"Buckle up," Steve ordered, waiting to press his foot to the gas pedal until Danny had complied.

"You know we're going to spend hours sitting in the ER waiting room," Danny made one last attempt at avoiding the inevitable. "You can't deny our bed would be so much more comfortable."

"And after the docs fix you up, we'll be able to do a whole lot more in our bed than me just watching you be miserable," Steve slipped a hand around Danny's forearm. "Besides, I called Max…"

"You did what?" Danny whipped his head around, cursing himself immediately as the pain flared. "Tell me you are not taking me to the morgue to be examined by Max."

"Danny," Steve firmly gripped Danny's arm, taking his eyes from the road to glance over at his partner. "Take it easy. We're going to Queens. Max called someone he knows there to redline us through the ER. They're expecting us."

"Thank God," Danny bit out, holding back a groan. He hadn't anticipated the pain getting this bad and he felt fear pull at his stomach. He broke out in a cold sweat, feeling it coat his neck, chest, back and hairline. His body trembled as hot spikes of pain clamped onto his neck and head. Even the slightest movement was agony. He slumped against the passenger side window as remaining upright became too much for him.

He heard Steve call out to him, felt the grip on his arm tighten and then felt the car speed up, weaving nauseatingly through traffic.

"Slow down, Steven," Danny moaned through clenched teeth. "Not going to do us any good if you kill us before we even get there."

"This car is completely under my control," Steve said, his tone clipped with concentration. "How you doing Danno? Pain getting worse?"

"You could say that," Danny panted. His hands clenched into fists and just when he thought he couldn't take it any more the pain finally passed, reducing back down to a dull ache. He pressed his face against the cool glass of the window and let out a shaky sigh.

"Hang on, Danny. We're almost there," Steve hit the police lights and sped up, threading the car between lanes before finally forcing four lanes of oncoming traffic to stop so he could make the left into the hospital parking lot against the light. He promptly swung the Camaro into the parking area reserved for official police vehicles.

"You know, some might view this as an abuse of power, Steven," Danny commented, slightly arching an eyebrow at him. "And if you get my car towed, you're paying for it."

"Don't care," Steve said, nearly vaulting out of the car and moving around to Danny's side.

Danny had barely fumbled the door open when Steve's hand was on his elbow, helping him out of the car. Danny felt lightheaded as he stood up. His legs were shaky, and he leaned against Steve, grateful when he slipped his arm around his waist and bore most of his weight.

Slowly they shuffled inside, Steve gently setting Danny down in a chair as he moved to the intake desk to let Max's contact know they'd arrived. They were almost immediately led into a treatment room.

The desk attendant handed a clipboard, a pen and a large plastic bag to Danny as she pointed to a gown on the gurney, reciting in a bored tone, "Fill these out, put on the gown, put your clothes in the bag. The doctor will be in soon."

Dazedly Danny nodded, leaning heavily against the gurney.

The attendant glanced at Steve with a raised eyebrow. "You should probably wait out in the waiting room, Sir."

"Not going anywhere," Steve glowered at the young girl as he relieved Danny of the clipboard and put a steadying hand on his elbow.

"Whatever," the girl said snippily as she turned and left the room. The door closed loudly behind her.

"Here, let me help you Danny," Steve said softly. He set the clipboard at the bottom of the bed and picked up the gown. He lifted an eyebrow at Danny and said, "It's not really your style, but once it's on you can lie down."

"Lying down would be good," Danny agreed, letting Steve unbutton his shirt and ease it over his shoulders. Danny shivered as the cool air hit his skin and Steve quickly grabbed the gown and threaded Danny's arms through the sleeves, securing it at the back.

"Okay, now the pants," Steve said, holding Danny steady as he pulled his pants down and stepped out of them.

Danny shivered again. The gown was thin and barely covered him. With Steve's help, he got on the gurney and lay down. As Steve covered him with a blanket, Danny lifted his hand, brushing Steve's broad chest with his fingers. "Thanks for being here, Steve."

Steve cupped Danny's cheek with his hand, leaning down to kiss him. "I love you. There's no other place I could be."

"You probably shouldn't do that, I might be contagious," Danny warned, his blue eyes glittering.

"Don't care," Steve said roughly, kissing Danny again.

Danny raised his hand to Steve's face, gently running his thumb over Steve's fine cheekbone. "I love you too. And I do care."

Steve's own eyes glistened for a moment and then he straightened up, clearing his throat as he busied himself with carefully folding Danny's discarded clothes and placing them in the hospital's property bag.

"Okay," Steve said, picking up the clipboard and settling onto a rolling stool next to Danny's bed. "Let's fill this out."

They'd just completed the intake form when an Asian man in scrubs entered the room.

He cast a smile in Danny's direction and said, "Hi, you must be Danny. Sorry you're not feeling well today." He glanced at Steve. "And you're…?"

"Steve McGarrett. Five-0," he said, getting up from the chair and handing over the clipboard.

"Great, thanks. I'm Kai. I'm your nurse down here today and I'm going to start by taking your vitals, all right Danny?" At Danny's nod he turned to Steve. "You should probably wait outside while your friend's being examined."

"He's not my friend, he's my partner," Steve's blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Okay," Kai smiled amiably at Danny as he walked over to the sink and washed his hands. "You have a problem with that Danny?"

"I'd like Steve to stay," Danny said, closing his eyes and willing the day to be over with.

Quietly he endured Kai taking his temperature and blood pressure before listening to his heart and lungs. He didn't need to look to know Steve was hunched against the wall, arms crossed tensely over his chest, not missing a single detail of Danny's care.

The exam door opened just as Kai was finishing his brief exam. Danny rolled his head on the pillow and carefully eased his eyes open. This, he figured, had to be the doctor. She was wearing a long white lab coat over a pair of rumpled scrubs. Thick red hair was twisted into a knot on the top of her head and a pair of reading glasses hung from her neck. She was also an amazon. Easily taller than Steve. He wondered how the hell Max knew her.

"Hello," she smiled brightly. "I'm Dr. Nora Reynolds." She zeroed in on Danny, her eyes sharp and assessing. Danny squirmed under the scrutiny, distinctly uncomfortable being the sole focus of her attention. She held out a hand and he reached up to take it. Her grip was firm, her fingers soft.

"You must be Danny," She said before turning and holding out her hand to Steve as well. "And that must make you Steve. Max speaks highly of you both."

She moved to the sink and washed her hands. As she returned to Danny's bedside she said, "So tell me how you're feeling Danny."

She shoved her hands into her lab coat pockets as she listened to him detail his symptoms. Her eyes narrowed and she glanced over at Kai.

"Temp's 102.5, Doctor," he said.

She nodded and then gently placed her hands on Danny's neck. "Tell me when this hurts, Danny."

He winced, letting out a small groan as his neck muscles protested the movement. It only got worse when the doctor flashed a penlight in his eyes. It felt like a knife was slicing through his eyeballs.

After scribbling a couple notes onto a chart, Nora sat down on the stool next to the gurney and looked at Danny, a serious expression on her face. "Danny, based on your symptoms and what I'm seeing here, I'm concerned you're suffering from meningitis. While we run some tests, I'm going to start you on a broad spectrum antibiotic. We'll need to do a lumbar puncture to verify the diagnosis and identify the particular strain you have." She nodded at Kai. "I'm going to have Kai start you on an IV and draw some bloods. We'll need you to sign some consent forms and then we'll do the puncture. How does that sound?"

"Pretty terrible, actually," Danny offered the doctor a wan smile.

"It'll be over before you know it," Nora gently patted his hand and stood up.

Steve cleared his throat, pushing off the wall and taking position at the head of Danny's bed, letting his hand settle on Danny's shoulder. "I'd like to stay with him."

"Okay," Nora glanced questioningly at Danny. At his weary nod, she smiled warmly, glancing over at Steve. "Max warned me you'd most likely not leave Danny's side. And so long as Danny is amenable, you're welcome to stay."

Danny turned his head away as Kai prepped the back of his hand for the IV. He wasn't all that fond of needles, especially ones piercing his skin, and he had no desire to watch what the nurse was doing.

He felt Steve take his other hand, and he squeezed Steve's fingers gratefully. He winced as he felt the sharp stick of the needle, but Kai was good and it only pinched for a second, and then Kai was taping down the plastic tubing and setting up a couple of bags on the IV stand.

The blood draws were just as uneventful, but his stomach churned as he thought about what came next. The only thing he knew about lumbar punctures was that they stuck a huge needle in your spine and it had to hurt like hell.

"I'm going to give you something for your pain before we get started," Nora said, uncapping a syringe and injecting it into Danny's IV.

Danny swallowed hard, unable to stop the feeling of dread creeping through him. He felt Steve squeeze his hand again and he closed his eyes. His head was getting muzzy, the pain in his head and neck dialing down, and he knew the pain meds were doing their job.

"You're going to be feeling better in no time, Danny," Nora smiled reassuringly as she readied an instrument tray. "Kai's going to help get you in position and then we'll get started. I'll explain everything as we go along, and I won't do anything until you're ready."

Danny nodded, trying to control his nerves as Kai lowered the head of the gurney and removed the pillow. He then pulled the blanket down to Danny's knees. Steve took up position in front of Danny, never losing his grip on Danny's hand.

"We're going to roll you on your side and then I'll need you to bring your knees to your chest and curl your head down," Kai explained as he helped Danny move onto his side.

With Kai's help Danny curled his body to Nora's satisfaction. As he felt Kai position a drape over his back, Danny took a deep breath, trying to force his nerves to calm. He shivered as something cold and wet swabbed at the bare skin of his lower back.

"Okay," Nora began, her voice calm and assured. "We're going to start by numbing you up. You'll feel a pretty sharp sting and you might feel a burning sensation as the anesthetic is injected. That should be the worst of it. Most patients only feel a strong amount of pressure as the spinal needle is inserted. You ready, Danny?"

"Just do it," Danny said gruffly, gritting his teeth, his body tensing with expectation.

"Squeeze as hard as you need to, babe," Steve leaned close, covering Danny's hand with both of his.

"All right Danny," Nora said, "Here we go."

True to her word, the needle stung like a son of a bitch when it entered his back and Danny gasped slightly, his fingers convulsing around Steve's. But it quickly faded and his fingers relaxed.

He felt Nora pressing on his spine and once assured the anesthetic had done its job, she continued, talking Danny through the procedure as she inserted the spinal needle. Like the doctor had promised, there was little pain, just heavy pressure and before Danny knew it they were cleaning him up and rolling him onto his back.

"Your spinal fluid is cloudy," Nora explained as she peeled off her latex gloves and tossed them in a hazards bin. She caught Danny's eye and smiled reassuringly. "So we're definitely dealing with an infection, which, combined with your symptoms makes me pretty confident we'll come back with a diagnosis of meningitis."

"Does he need to be treated here or can we do it at home?" Steve asked, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"We'll be treating with IV antibiotics so that means we'll be admitting Danny to the hospital," Nora said.

'How long will I need to stay here?" Danny asked quietly.

"At least a day or two. If it is bacterial meningitis, some forms are contagious, so anyone who's been in close contact with you should take some preventative antibiotics," Nora said, glancing over at Steve.

"My vaccinations are current," Steve explained, leaning against Danny's bed and gently running one hand through Danny's hair.

"I've never been so happy Rachel took Grace to the mainland," Danny murmured.

"Good," Nora nodded. "Someone will be down shortly to move you to a room. In the meantime, I'm going to prescribe a mild sedative along with an analgesic. All you can do now is rest and let the antibiotics do their work. Looks like we caught it pretty early though, so you're lucky in that regard. Most people wait too long to seek treatment." Nora scribbled a few more things in Danny's chart and then handed it to Kai, who after studying the orders for a second, went out into the hallway.

"I have some other patients to look after, but if you have any questions, just let the nurses know and they'll have me paged." Nora smiled. "I'll check back with you once you're in your room."

"Thanks Doc," Steve said, quickly standing to shake the doctor's hand. "We owe you one."

"My pleasure," Nora smiled, walking out just as Kai returned with a loaded syringe.

As the nurse efficiently emptied the contents into Danny's IV, he said, "I'm going to see if I can't speed along the admitting process so we can get you settled into your own room."

"Thank you Kai," Danny blinked, yawning. He could already feel a lethargy spreading through his body. The pain in his head and neck was barely a whisper. He only wished he could be in his own warm comfortable bed with Steve curled up beside him instead of on the uncomfortable gurney.

"You're welcome. It shouldn't be too long," Kai grabbed Danny's chart and disappeared into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Steve turned back to Danny, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazed down at his boyfriend.

"Would you stop with the face already?" Danny sighed, arching one eyebrow up at his partner.

"What face?" Steve grinned impudently. "I don't have a face."

"Oh don't even try to deny it, Mr. I'm-always-right," Danny groaned, stabbing a finger at Steve. "Know it all face." Danny twirled his finger in a lazy circle. "That's what you have, Steven. Know. It. All. Face," he drawled. He squeezed his eyes shut, his vision beginning to swim. He rolled his head on the pillow. Too tired to open his eyes, he swung his finger in Steve's general direction. He slurred, "One day I'm going to catalogue your faces. In a book. Pull it out for proof."

"Easy there, Danny," Steve laughed, snagging Danny's hand before it fell to the mattress.

"Constipated look," Danny sighed, overcome by drowsiness. "Aneurysm face…Orgasm face…"

Steve squeezed Danny's hand, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. He whispered, "I don't like it when you scare me like this Daniel."

"Sorry," Danny murmured. He forced his eyes open, struggling to focus on Steve's beautiful face.

"Just don't do it again," Steve said softly, resting his hand on the top of Danny's head.

"Okay," Danny smiled up at Steve. He ran his thumb along Steve's knuckle. "Love you…even love your goofy faces…" His voice trailed off, his eyelids fluttering closed.

As sleep dragged him under, he didn't doubt Steve would be there when he woke up.

A/N: Thanks so much to my awesome beta JoaniexJony. Seriously don't know what I'd do without you!

This was written for a friend on twitter who wanted sick Danny and protective boyfriend Steve. I'm toying with the idea of doing a part 2, but haven't decided yet, so for now it stands as a one shot.

Oh, and I'm not a medical professional, so my apologies for any and all medical errors. Just a girl with google and an active imagination!

Thanks for reading. Reviews are always appreciated, so if you feel so inclined...they tend to make my day.