Title-Ma Ke Kahakai- 'ino

Rating-T

Disclaimer-Don't own Hawaii Five-O, but do enjoy the characters and the playground.

Author's note-Okay, 1st off I'm still working on No Man Is An Island, but after watching last night's episode I was disappointed in the fact that we never saw Steve from the time he was rescued until he was picked up at the hospital. My muse can be rather rabid at times and this story was born because my little hurt/comfort heart needed some comfort after the hurt. That being said, the first part of the story is taken directly from the show including most of the dialogue, but Danny is unable to call for help as a vicious storm descends on them. So should I continue with this story or abandon it?

"Steve!"

He heard the concerned voice, but did not have the strength to answer as he tried to draw air into his lungs. He shifted slightly and forced his eyes open, frowning when his vision blurred. He finally managed to breathe through tightly clenched teeth and realized he was lying face down on the hard surface.

" Hey...hey, Steve, don't move!"

God, he didn't think he could move even if he wanted to, but he couldn't stay like this. He shifted slightly, forcing his eyes to focus as he listened to the voice calling from above.

"Steve, stay where you are...Steve, are you all right? Don't move!"

"I'm good," McGarrett managed and tried to move his battered body away from the ledge. He sat back against the rock, blinking his eyes against the bright sunlight until he managed to bring Williams into focus above him. "Danny, I think...I think I broke my arm! Send the rope down okay!"

"It's snagged on a branch," Williams observed and looked around as his shoulders slumped in defeat. "All right, look, I'm gonna go call for help."

"There's no service here, but there is at the summit. You're gonna need to climb up and call for a Medivac...all right," McGarrett said.

"All right...don't move...all right!"

"Hey, Danny, throw my pack down before you go," McGarrett ordered and grabbed for it as Williams dropped it down to him."I got it...I got it!"

"Hey, listen to me, Do-Not-Move!"

"Be careful up there. It's really steep!" McGarrett warned and waited for his partner to leave. Once he was alone he shifted back against the rock and held his left arm tight against his body for a few seconds, and knew he needed to do something before the pain really hit home. H grabbed his pack and pulled out a knife and knew what he had to do. He cut through the material covering his arm, and cried out softly when he jostled it. The bruising was already dark and livid and there was blood in several places, yet there was no evidence that the bone had broken through the skin.

Steve lay back and gritted his teeth as pain raced along jagged nerve endings. He reached behind him and grabbed a small branch, cleared of twigs or leaves and hoped it would do for a splint. He snapped it in half and ran it along his injured limb until it touched against his shirt. Next he reached into his pack and brought out a role of duct tape. He managed to tear off a foot long length of the sticky tape and used it to bind the branch to his arm. He cried out as he repeated the process and finally lay back in an effort to catch his breath and keep from passing out.

5050505050

Danny raced up the narrow trail toward the summit, anxious to get help for his injured partner and get the crime scene people out to investigate the body they'd found. He lifted his cell phone, softly cursing when there was still no reception as he continued his trek up toward the summit. A clap of thunder sounded in the distance and he cursed when he noted the clouds in the distance.

"Leave it to Rambo to get injured where there's no civilization," he spat without any real vehemence.

5050505050

Steve had no idea how much time had passed since Danny had left, but he was finally able to breath without the nauseating pain that had finally ebbed He knew any movement could bring it back, but he needed something to keep him from passing out. He reached up to touch the left side of his face, feeling the small lacerations caused by the rock he'd managed to dislodge and wondered if his blurry vision was a sign of a concussion. He reached for his cell and programmed it to record as he sat forward and looked at the body.

"All right," he said and used his foot to role the man over. The bullet wound was plain, with very little blood around it. "Ah, gunshot wound...small caliber...through an through..."

Steve frowned when he noticed something in the wound. "Wait," he whispered and pulled out his knife. He used the tip of the blade to remove what he'd seen and lifted it toward his face. He turned toward the recorder and spoke clearly.

"Fish scales in the exit wound," he said and frowned when his vision blurred even more and forced him to close his eyes. He swallowed several times and felt a sharp pain on his left side. Hiking up his shirt he realized there were several deep lacerations that had been seeping blood since he'd fallen.

5050505050

Danny ran up the trail until he reached the highest point, his breathing labored as he tried to find a place where he could get cell phone service as lightning streaked across the sky and thunder reverberated off the surrounding hillsides. His daughter's smiling face stared back at him as the message read no signal. Danny turned several times, turning a full 360 degrees, but the message remained the same. The terror he'd felt when he saw Steve fall rose inside him like one of the giant waves he'd seen Kono ride.

Cursing softly, Danny shoved the phone back in his pocket and without regard for his own safety took off back the way he'd come. He slipped several times, but managed to catch himself before he hit the ground.

5050505050

Steve shifted his upper body and held tight to his left arm while waiting for his partner to return. He glanced at the sky when he heard the sound of thunder and blinked as a fat droplet of rain struck his cheek. He knew this area well, and had seen the damage done by a torrential downpour when he was hiking with his father. It could be deadly if he and Danny were caught in a storm, even more so if he was stranded on this ledge.

Steve heard someone approaching, relieved when Williams appeared above him. "Did you get reception?"

"No, I tried several spots, but there's a storm coming in and it's probably interfering with the connections," Williams answered.

"Danny, these clouds look bad. If it rains this place is going to turn into a big mudslide," McGarrett explained, blinking when more rain hit his face.

"All right," Williams said and looked at the rope. "All right...I'm going to come down and untangle the rope and I'm gonna bring it to you, all right?" Williams said and moved closer to the edge.

"Hey, take it easy all right," McGarrett ordered and watched as the other man eased himself over the edge and silently prayed he wouldn't fall. Steve jumped, holding his arm tight against his body when Danny lost his footing, but regained it without trouble. "Easy...easy, hey...I'm not gonna catch your ass if you fall!"

"I'd rather you not catch me if I fall okay," Williams said once he reached the tangled rope. He managed to free it and dropped it down to his partner,

"I got it," McGarrett said as Williams made his way back up and rain began to fall heavily just south of them. Thunder echoed and re-echoed in the distance as lightning flashed on the horizon, electrifying the air around them. He grabbed his backpack, looped the rope through the carabiner and made sure it would not slip as he looked up at the other man and began to climb the treacherous embankment.

"Had to eat another donut," Williams griped as he struggled to pull McGarrett upward.

Steve heard the other man, but there was no way he could answer as his body slammed against the rock surface, his injured arm taking the brunt of the blow. He breathed through tightly clenched teeth and tried to stay focused, but the pain was almost his undoing. He struggled to stay focused, using his right arm as a guide and working to find a safe place to plant his foot as Williams continued to take in the slack and pull him up the ledge.

"You're almost there, Steve, just a little more," Williams ground out, cursing softly when the rain began to fall. The rope was rough, and pulling McGarrett up the near vertical slope was tearing at the skin on his palms, but Danny ignored it as best he could. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as again his arm struck the rocky outcropping, but felt someone grab his arm.

"I got you," Williams said and pulled him the rest of the way up as the storm intensified around them. Danny knew they had to find shelter, but this was something he wasn't experienced with. He was a city boy, born and raised in Jersey, and had no idea what it meant to be a boy scout. He felt Steve leaning against him, a slight tremble in his body and knew the man was in considerable pain.

"We...we ne...need to find shelter," McGarrett said.

"Tell me there's a cave or an old hunting cabin up here somewhere," Williams said as the rain began to pool in the small gulleys around them.

"There's a cave around half a mile along the trail. It's dangerous, Danny...you should go..."

"We go together," Williams ordered.

"Danny..."

"On your feet, Super SEAL," Williams snapped and helped his partner stand. He grabbed the backpack and shrugged it on, ignoring McGarrett as the storm drowned out his words. "Which way?"

"Danny!"

"You're wasting time, Steve! Which way?"

Steve knew there was no point in arguing with the other man and reluctantly started along the trail that would lead them even higher. The ground was already wet as heavy, dark clouds blotted out the sun and lightning continued to shoot across the sky. He felt the electrical charge in the air, smelled the ozone that spoke of the powerful tempest, and silently prayed they'd make it to the cave. A cave he barely remembered from the early days when he traipsed through the area with his father.

Danny kept his eyes on his partner and wondered whether there were injuries he couldn't see. McGarrett held his left arm tight against his body, and Danny had noted the bruising and small lacerations on the left side of his forehead. There was also some bruising and he hoped they weren't dealing with a serious concussion on top of the broken arm. Once they reached shelter, he was going to check Steve over and make sure there were no surprises. The priority right now was to reach the cave before the ground grew even more treacherous than it already was.

TBC