Charlie burst out of the bathroom, scrambling past his stunned father. Danny hadn't moved. He focused on breathing, as Steve's words replayed in his head.

Radiation poisoning. A little bit. Side effects. Spells.

He couldn't keep it all straight.

Except for one thing.

Steve was sick.

The wall was now the only thing holding him up. He could hear the sounds of the party, all muffled and a million miles away. Danny was on a different planet.

One where Steve had radiation poisoning.

"Hey Danny - come on - make me a drink, man." Steve called from the kitchen, voice rich with that forced humor he had when he was hiding something.

In another life, Danny would have snarked back for Steve to make the damn drink his damn self or something along those lines.

In this new one - well - Danny couldn't open his mouth.

But his legs still worked. Much to his surprise.

They carried him straight to his son and out the door. Charlie squawked about leaving his guys behind but Danny kept moving. Thankful the Camaro keys were in his pocket instead of Steve's. He could not go back in there after making such a dramatic exit. He couldn't go back in there for so many other reasons too.

His best friend was dying. He knew what radiation poisoning could mean. This was serious.

And Steve had hidden it from him.

Worse yet, Danny had missed it.

How had he missed it?

Rachel had occupied a lot of his time, yet Steve had filled many of his free moments. Come to think of it, that was rather odd. Steve had spent a lot of time with him, Charlie and Grace recently. Helping Grace with a school project, crashing on his couch, watching Charlie, decorating Charlie's room. Danny hadn't thought to question why his friend had suddenly become attached to him.

Now he got it.

Steve was scared.

Steve had also loosened some of his dietary restrictions. Like eating from the vending machine. He'd watched him eat a candy bar the other day, and the sounds he'd made had Danny blushing. And adjusting his pants.

It wasn't Danny's liver rubbing off on him. Or maybe it was. Because Steve was thinking the worst case scenario. He could feel it.

Danny didn't like that. Steve never gave up. He didn't run. He didn't hide.

Why now?

Then Danny got it even more.

Steve actually had something to lose.

Ohana.

A rather loud horn brought Danny out of his brooding thoughts.

"Go Danno go!" Charlie called from the back seat, kicking his feet and giggling. "The yight is green!"

Danny laughed and made a joke at his own expense. He couldn't love his son more. He was a sweet distraction right then. Just what he needed.

/././

Chin had called after Danny, concerned and a little shocked. He already couldn't locate his cousin, and now Danny had left the party in a hurry. So unlike him.

"Let him go." Steve spoke softly. He'd materialized right beside Chin. "He's got something to work out."

Chin turned, his face a mix of concern and curiosity.

Steve smiled fondly. "It's ok. I need to tell you something."

All Chin could do was nod.

Steve motioned for him to follow. "Grab Lou too. Come on, it's nothing big."

/././

His plan had been to drop Charlie at Rachel's place. He couldn't keep up the super hero charade for long. Charlie had already sensed something was wrong. Leaving his toys behind, Danny zoning out in traffic. These were things that Super Danno did not do.

Rachel had narrowed her eyes when he approached the door, studying him with her X-ray vision. Happily, in the end, she didn't ask why he was giving up time with his son. And in such a rush. Her usual gripes echoed in his head without her even saying a word though, and his chest burned with the urge to spill his guts. But he didn't elaborate. He simply thanked her profusely, gave her a kiss on the forehead and disappeared into the night.

As soon as he turned to walk toward his car, he could feel it. Dread seeped into his bones, making him feel like he weighed a ton. In a trance, he somehow survived the drive. Thinking a thousand times that he should pull over. Only problem was, the one person he wanted to call was the one who was causing his breakdown.

Danny could do this. He could limp home and then crash. He might have a few hours to shake this mood before anyone came looking for him. If they came at all. There were too many things going on. He knew he didn't top their lists of concerns.

He knew one person would check on him. Steve.

And the thought of his best friend made his chest ache. He wished he'd laid off the garlic shrimp. But this was much, much worse than heartburn.

He was angry.

Angry that Steve hadn't told him.

Angry at God for taking yet another person from him.

Angry at himself for automatically thinking the worst.

Angry that he hadn't noticed his best friend was sick.

Radiation poisoning for god's sake. How did you miss that?

He wasn't ready to see anyone. Didn't know what might fly out of his mouth.

Danny rolled up his driveway and hurried into the house, feeling like he might explode at any minute.