Thank you to every single person who has been patiently waiting for an update. I am truly sorry for the delay. I am not thrilled with this chapter but I hope you like in nonetheless. Thank you to everyone who has commented, followed or added this story to their favorites. I thought about letting it go and not finishing it but some recent requests to continue changed my mind. Your comments, good or bad, keep me going, so thank you again!

Chapter 6

Splashing cold water onto his face, Steve lifted his head and stared at his own reflection in the mirror. Leaning heavily onto the sink, he watched rivulets of waters slide down his cheeks. His mind drifted to several hours earlier.

After working himself into a panic with the memory of Kono getting shot, Danny had lost consciousness. Activity immediately swirling around him as the staff worked efficiently to bring his vitals back to normal range and ensure Danny had not suffered any major had stepped back and out of the way without being asked, not wanting to impede necessary treatment. He watched the nurse secure an oxygen mask over his friends face while the doctor attempted to rouse Danny. Steve stood motionless, waiting for a reaction. Within minutes his silent prayers were answered when Danny sluggishly opened his eyes.

Fifteen extremely long minutes, and a thorough examination later, Danny was sleeping peacefully. His neurologist assured Steve that Danny had just panicked, causing him to go into respiratory distress and in turn dropped his blood pressure which resulted in sudden loss of consciousness.

"His body is weak and exhausted. He'll still be sleeping the majority of the time so don't be alarmed. This shouldn't cause any setback in terms of his recovery, but he is to be kept calm at all times."

Once the room had cleared out, Steve resumed his position by Danny's side.

Now, only hours later, Steve had finally conceded to taking a much needed bathroom break, while Kono paid her visit and doted on their friend.

/

Licking his dry lips, Danny attempted to swallow as he eased his way to consciousness. He found his throat was still terribly sore and grimaced at the feeling. Before he could even unglue his eyelids apart, something cool touched his lips and he opened his mouth. A gloriously cold piece of ice immediately began to melt in the heat of his mouth and slid soothingly down the raw passage.

As the discomfort in his throat waned, he realized the pains he had throughout the rest of his body the last time he was awake were, for the moment, blessedly absent. Noting the floaty feeling he was currently experiencing, Danny presumed his pain free bliss was due to a good cocktail of drugs.

"So I hear the mere thought of my untimely demise caused you a bit of panic. I'm truly flattered Danny, I had no idea you cared so much." Kono's tone was light and teasing and after the panic of fearing she had been mortally wounded, Danny felt a surge of relief at the sound of her voice.

He managed to lift his heavy lids to find her bright smiling face leaning over him.

"You're okay?" Tired eyes flickering towards the butterfly bandage near her temple.

"This?..." She motioned to her healing wound. "...is nothing brah. War wounds. A good story for the grandkids." She finished with a wink.

Danny couldn't help but grin as Kono slipped another piece of ice into his mouth.

"You on the other hand..." He watched Kono shake her head sadly as she placed the cup onto the table beside him. "...let's just say you're damn lucky you're going to be okay cuz I was about to kick your ass."

"I have no doubt"

He obviously knew Kono had been joking, but there was a haunted look in her eyes that sobered him quickly.

"You really scared us Danny." She confessed as she fidgeted with his blankets, carefully avoiding his eyes. Danny could see her own begin to glisten. He slowly moved a hand, surprised at how weak he still felt, and took hold of her elbow.

"Sorry"

"You have nothing to apologize for Danny, it was an accident. It's just, when you were brought in...seeing you like that..." Kono shook her head as she trailed off as if trying to erase the picture in her mind.

"You were there?" Suddenly confused, Danny tried to piece together what information he had, which was slim. It frustrated him to have no memory of the events leading up to his accident. Steve had only told him bits and pieces of that night, but it wasn't enough to have the full story.

"Yeah, Steve and I were waiting for Chin when you were wheeled in..."

"Hey, you're up" Steve's voice barely registered with Danny, he was too deep in thought.

Steve had overheard the last part of Kono's words to Danny as he neared his ICU cubicle. Panic flared in his chest. He knew Danny would have questions about his accident, and selfishly considered it a blessing that he couldn't remember their fight. Now with Kono offering information that Steve wasn't quite ready to share, not to mention the doctors orders of keeping Danny calm, he couldn't help but glare at her.

Confused at Steve's stern gaze, Kono furrowed her brow. A look was exchanged between them, Danny completely oblivious.

"Where was I?" Danny's soft voice interrupted Kono and Steve's silent conversation. Kono raised her eyebrows at Steve, waiting for his answer.

"Why wasn't I here with you? Was I on my way?" Danny couldn't remember anything after the warehouse, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if his friends were injured, he too would have been with them at the hospital.

"Yeah Danny, you were..." Kono blanched at Steve's obvious lie.

"Steve can I talk to you for a second?" Sending a confused Danny an apologetic smile, she all but pulled Steve out of the room.

Once in the hallway, out of earshot, Kono spun on Steve.

"What are you doing?"

"Look, you don't understand..."

"You're lying to him."

"Kono..."

"Why? Why are you lying? He's missing pieces of his memory Steve, lying to him is not..."

"It's my fault okay! It's my fault he almost died."

"Steve.." The devastation in Steve's voice forced her to soften.

"It was because of what I did that he got into that accident, I'm not ready for him to remember that"

"That's not true, you are not responsible for this. You had an argument, hell you two always argue, but you didn't ask for this"

"You weren't there, the things I said..." His voice caught in his throat but he forced himself to shake off the emotions.

"...I'll tell him Kono, just give me some time okay.I don't want to upset him and set his recovery back"

"I know I wasn't there Steve, but it doesn't matter. Danny cares about you, he knows whatever you said was in the heat of the moment. Well, he will know when you tell him what happened."

Steve knew Kono was right, but he couldn't tell him yet. He couldn't bear the thought of Danny hating him for causing him so much pain with cruel and thoughtless words.

"In the meantime, what if he remembers? Don't you think he'll be more pissed at the fact that you didn't tell him?"

"I'll handle it Kono, just...just evade his questions for now. I'll deal with it."

Kono could see how physically and emotionally exhausted Steve was as he ran a hand over his weary face, it was the only reason she agreed to his request.

Reentering the ICU unit, they stayed out of the way as a nurse quietly and efficiently updated Danny's charts. Their friend lay silent in the bed, appearing to have fallen back asleep. But when they approached his eyes opened to slits, watching them with curiosity.

"Everything okay?" The way they had fled left Danny feeling suspicious and uncomfortable.

"Yeah Danny, everything's fine." Steve busied himself with adjusting Danny's blanket. Even under the lingering bruises marring Danny's face and the extreme fatigue, Steve could see the suspicion in his eyes.

"You're a bad liar." Their eyes met as Danny threw Steve's words back at him.

"You're right Danny, he is lying." Kono's words had Steve's heart skipping a beat. He swallowed hard and silently begged her to keep her mouth shut.

"This guy swore to me that he was finally going home to get some real sleep, in an actual bed..."

Steve let out the breath he had been holding. Danny's suspicious glare turned quickly to one of concern as he watched Steve begin to fidget again.

"...He hasn't left your side since the night of the accident. I've been smuggling in food and I'm pretty sure the only reason he has even showered in the last six days is because they'll throw him out if he starts to smell." Kono joked while running her fingers through Danny's disheveled hair.

Danny unconsciously tilted his head into the touch, his skull was beginning to pound and Kono's fingers felt comforting and soothing.

"Don't listen to her, she's exaggerating." Steve spoke softly, he could clearly see pain lines starting to show across Danny's forehead, and didn't miss the way he leaned into Kono's touch.

"You're a goof..." His words were quiet and careful. The sudden onset of pain was exhausting. His chest felt tight and heavy with the attempt of a deep breath. Reaching out a hand he rested is atop the one Steve had gripped to the bed rail. Danny was not surprised in the least to hear that Steve had been camped out at his bedside, but it still left him feeling bad.

"Go home Steve, I'm okay."

Steve shook his head, forming a rebuttal in his head. Although Danny's doctors had assured him he was stable and healing, the fact that he remained in ICU was worrisome. He couldn't risk leaving and having something happen while he was gone.

"He's right you know, it's safe for you to leave for a bit..." Danny's doctor entered the room smiling. "...we have an excellent staff here and Danny is doing just fine."

"His head is hurting." Had Danny's head not felt like it may explode at any moment, he would have rolled his eyes at Steve's attempt to discount the doctors words. As it was, it comforted him to know that Steve was that tuned into how he was feeling without him having to say it.

The doctor nodded and leaned over to assess his patient.

"Your blood pressure is slightly elevated, most likely due to the stress of the pain you're experiencing. The sudden onset of a migraine is not unusual after sustaining a head injury such as yours."

Danny sighed, so that was why it felt like a mini-McGarrett was setting off grenades behind his eyeballs.

"Migraine? I thought you said he was doing fine" That familiar feeling of panic began to bubble to the surface.

"He is, his latest scans show the the swelling in his brain is almost gone completely." The doctor directed at Steve and Kono before turning back to his patient. "I'll get you something for the pain, it will help you get some rest too."

"Thanks Doc" Danny's words were barely audible. The pain was intense and even the low lights surrounding his bed were too bright for his eyes too handle. The doctor sensed this and ordered that the lights be turned off, an icepack to be applied to his head and for the nurse to administer his medication.

The minutes melted together as quiet activity swirled around him. There were hushed voices that seemed distant and a warm soft hand slipped into his own. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come.

"Ssh, just rest Danny..." Although Kono's voice was not more than a breath of a whisper it still ricocheted through his skull. Cracking one eye he could see Steve several feet away in a quiet conversation with the doctor. Steve looked upset and he wanted to call out to him, tell him to give the good doctor a break, but whatever medication had been slipped into his IV was beginning to make him drowsy. He closed his eye and drifted, allowing the feeling of Kono running her thumb over the back of his hand sooth him.

"Is this something that will continue?" Steve questioned.

"Like I said, migraines are not uncommon after a head injury. It's possible that he may experience them for weeks or months to come. Every injury and every patient is different. Rest assured Steve, his IS getting better. I think within the next twenty-four hours we will be able to move him out of ICU into a step down unit. We'll get a physical therapist in to see him and start getting him out of that bed and moving."

Glancing back to his partner, now dozing, Steve couldn't help the frown that he wore.

"Steve..." A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. "...he really is going to be okay. His vitals are all good and within normal range. His physical recovery will be coming along shortly and we got very lucky that the only possible permanent damage seems to be a slight case of retrograde amnesia."

Steve's eyes flew back to the doctor.

"You think he won't get those memories back?" Guilt stirred in his veins at the feeling of hope that Danny may never remember the night of the accident.

"It was a traumatic event paired with a head injury. Any memory leading up to and including the accident could very well stay repressed or it could come back at any moment. These things are unpredictable. Just know that his brain scans are clean and there is no other evidence of damage."

Some of the weight that had been bearing heavily on his shoulders eased as the doctor continued to reassure him that Danny was going to be okay.

"My advice to you is to go home, get some much needed rest because he is going to need all the help he can get in the upcoming weeks."

"Thanks Doc, I think I'll hang around for a while."

Kono shook her head with a smile when Steve returned to Danny's bedside.

"I have to get going, check in with Chin. Call us if you guys need anything." Kono whispered to Steve, then leaned down and lay a gentle kiss on Danny's forehead.

Feeling the feather light touch on his brow, Danny opened his eyes. He gave a small grin to a receding Kono before turning his gaze to his partner.

"You don't have to stay..." The relentless pounding in his head had thankfully waned, leaving behind a dull throb. He felt tired and weak and truth be told he didn't want Steve to leave. He found it comforting to know that his friend was a constant presence.

"I know..." Steve responded, readjusting the ice pack. Catching the small shiver that ran through his friend, he pulled the blanket up and tucked it under his chin. "...get some rest. I'll be right here."

But Danny had already begun to drift before Steve could even put up an argument. As he settled into the chair beside the bed once more, Danny's hand skittered beneath the blanket as if searching for something. Slipping his own hand between the rails, Steve lifted the material. A moment later two hands made contact, Danny's squeezing once before calming.

"I'm here..." Steve whispered in the darkness of the room as he leaned back and allowed himself to close his eyes. "...I'm here."