A/N: A little on the shorter side, but I hope you all enjoy. Standard disclaimers apply.

The explosion of pain was like a cascade of fireworks echoing through every nerve ending.

Magnum fell forward, his attempt to stop himself gracefully failing quite spectacularly. He heard Higgins yelling his name somewhere nearby, then it sounded like she was cursing and chewing someone out and giving someone else directions all at the same time.

But he just couldn't process anything around him because of the way the pain was wrapping itself around him, squeezing every breath he tried to take and setting everything inside of him on fire.

He'd been minding his own business, strolling through the parking lot to the Ferrari, discussing his most recent case with Higgins, when a car had come speeding around the corner. The driver had slammed on his brakes a little too late, and Magnum had barely had a chance to turn at the screech of tires before he'd been thrown up and over the hood of the sedan.

When he tried to open his eyes, the whole world tilted and spun, and he closed them again with a small, pained sound. His head was pounding, there was fire radiating up his leg, and something definitely wasn't right with his side.

"Magnum?" Higgins' voice came beside him. "Magnum!"

He groaned, his hand going to his head. He could feel the burning of several spots where he'd skinned his arms against the pavement. "Hm?"

"Are you all right?" She sounded worried.

Cracking one eye open, he looked her way. She was kneeling beside him, watching him in concern. "Define 'all right,'" he joked, although the cough that interrupted him partway through kind of defeated his intentions.

Higgins raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about me; I'll live," he added, shaking his head. He figured he should probably get up, but he had to think about it before he could find the energy to do so. Taking a shallow breath, he put his hands on either side of him, wincing as the raw skin on his palms contacted with the hot pavement. He tried to push to his feet but fell back with a growl as his side protested loudly.

"Hey!" Higgins' hand was immediately on his shoulder. "Stay still. I've already called an ambulance."

"Nah, I'll be fine," he told her, waving a hand in her direction. "Just need some painkillers and a good night's sleep."

The look she gave him told him she didn't believe a single word he'd just said. "Stay," she instructed firmly.

Magnum made a face, and then shifted his weight—and had to bite down on another pained groan as the movement aggravated his injuries. Okay, maybe Higgins was right after all.

Not that he was ever going to admit that out loud.

Fin.