Summary: Hello fellow readers it is I, LadyCizzle and I am back once more with a brand new story. Over on LJ I signed up for the After Holiday Prompt Fest for three prompts and now that the posting is over I decided to post the fics over here to share with my fanfiction amigos. Anyways enough talking about me. Go, Read, Enjoy!

Written for the After The Holiday Prompt Fest. Prompt 57: Complaints about a stomachache that get Danny or Steve teased and ribbed on, but isn't taken to seriously. (jokes about what type of food he eats, he should eat pineapple more (if it's Danny) cause it's healthy, etc). They go out on a job and get stranded somehow. The stomachache ends up being an appendicitis attack/ruptured colon.

Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN. Just borrowing them for a little fun time.

Author's Note: Beta'd by the wonder and talented sirona Seriously she took this this story and turned it into something worth reading. It was great working with her so much so that I am dedicating this to her and jadenhunter who requested the prompt.

This Wouldn't Happen In Jersey

When Danny woke up to the sound of his morning alarm ringing loudly in his ear, he knew it was going to be a bad day. The reason was unknown, of course, but given the fact that he currently worked for Five-O and his partner was a certified Navy Seal nutjob with a license to carry a weapon, Danny figured these would be the reasons for his crappy day. He would not, however, imagine that it was the small, dull pain in his right side would be his downfall.

The pain had began sometime during the night, jolting Danny awake when he'd felt an immense pain ripped through the lower part of his stomach. It had disappeared quickly and Danny had assumed it was a muscle cramp. He had, after all, spent the afternoon chasing after low-life criminals who actually thought all the moves they see on television cop dramas worked. Lying back down, he had closed his eyes and had forced himself back to sleep.

That had been a few hours ago, and the pain hadn't gone away. With a groan, Danny climbed out of bed and began getting ready for another fun-filled day at the office.

"Yeah, right," Danny mumbled as he stepped into the shower.

Nearly an hour later, Danny hopped into his Camaro and sped down the highway to Steve's house. He had to pick his partner up for work, since the man's car was out of commission, again. Honking once, he got out of the car and made his way to the other side while Steve strolled over. Usually Danny would complain about Steve constantly driving his car, as if he was the one who paid the note every month, but today Danny wasn't up for it – especially since the pain in his side was starting to bother him even more.

"You okay?" Steve asked, looking concerned at Danny's wince as he got into the passenger seat.

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Well, you didn't bitch about me driving your car," replied Steve. "You always bitch about me driving your car."

Danny smirked. "Well, McGarrett, you're in luck, because today the only pain I'm going to bitch about is the one in my side. Not the one in my ass, which would be you."

"Now there's the Danny I know and love," laughed Steve as he got inside the car and pulled out of his driveway. Five minutes on the road, Steve glanced over Danny, who was sitting there quiet with his eyes closed. "What's that about a pain in your side?"

"It's nothing, Steve," Danny replied, opening one eye. "Just a muscle cramp I can't seem to get rid of."

"Are you sure?"

"Would you just keep your eyes on the road and off of me, please?"

"Maybe if you would have stayed over last night—" Steve began, referring to the late night of television watching and drinking the two partners had had. It had been around one in the morning when Danny had finally decided it was time to head home, and had immediately declined Steve's offer to spend the night. Danny had insisted that he hadn't want to intrude, but Steve had had a feeling there had been another underlining reason for the refusal.

"Eyes on the road," barked Danny, causing Steve to laugh, but do as he was asked.

Halfway through the drive it started to rain hard, and Danny let out another groan of irritation. Now, he not only had a pain in his side, but he had to deal with rain. Letting out another groan, he whispered to himself, "I really hate this place."

The partners arrived at the office to find Chin and Kono already there, looking over the case they had received yesterday. As Danny hobbled over to the computer, both cousins looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

"You okay there, brah?" asked Chin.

"Leg acting up again?" Kono joined in.

"The answer to your simultaneous questions are, yes, I'm fine; and no, it isn't my leg," Danny replied. "I have a pain in my side that didn't come from Steve. This time."

Steve rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I can't believe you're cracking jokes about me when you're the one with a stomachache."

Kono let out a giggle while Chin looked at Danny in amusement. "You have a stomachache?" asked Kono, still giggling.

Chin, not wanting to be left out, chuckled as well. "Yeah, brah, aren't you a little old to get those?" he grinned.

Danny rolled his eyes at his teammates and let out a hiss at another jolt of pain ripping through his body.

Steve assumed Danny did it out of irritation. "Hey, be nice to Danno," Steve barked playfully at Kono and Chin. "He's got a tummy ache."

"Ha ha, very funny, McGarrett," scoffed Danny as he leaned against the computer. "I'm still well enough to punch you in the face."

"Maybe if you ate more pineapples instead of all those pizzas and malasadas, you wouldn't be in pain."

"And why is that, Steven?"

Steve grinned teasingly before replying. "Because, Danno, everyone knows that pineapples are chock full of vitamins and antioxidants for a growing boy such as yourself."

"Well if I wanted advice on my eating habits, Dr. Oz, I would have asked for it. Since I didn't, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself," Danny sniped before muttering. "Wackjob."

"Still with jokes, I see," scoffed Steve again as he shook his head. Everyone laughed, including Danny, who did so in an attempt to hide the shooting pain in his side. Finally after the short briefing, Danny strolled into his office and closed the door. Standing was starting to become unbearable, so he decided to sit down in an attempt to stop the pain.

A few minutes later it began to dull just as Kono walked through his office door, white bag in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Hey rookie, haven't you ever heard of knocking?" snapped Danny playfully, smiling.

She rolled her eyes. "That's rich, coming from the guy Steve says never knocks when he comes over to his house."

"That's…different," Danny replied, waving the question off. "Steve's my partner; that's something that partners do. We don't knock," he told her.

Kono rolled her eyes again and walked closer to the desk. "Anyways, I came to ask if you wanted one," she asked, opening the bag to show Danny what was inside. "Chin brought them in this morning."

Malasadas were Danny's favorite food on the island, but as he looked at the bag he realized that he wasn't hungry. If anything, the doughnuts were making him nauseous. "I'll pass," he swallowed thickly, pushing the bag away.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Because you're turning down malasadas Danny, and not to sound mean or anything, but you look a little green around the edges."

Danny grumbled. "I was fine before you came in that bag full of sugary concoctions."

Kono gave Danny a shrug. "I'm just saying," she said, walking over to Danny and pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. "You feel a little feverish, brah."

"For the last time, rookie, I'm fine," grunted Danny as he waved her hand away from his head.

"I don't know, maybe you should go home—" Kono started, but she never got a chance to finish what she was saying before Steve burst into Danny's office, smiling.

"Come on, Danny, we gotta go," he stated as he grabbed Danny's keys from his desk. "We just got a location on Kyle Cooley."

Kyle Cooley was the man wanted in connection with the murder of Dana Jones, an up-and-coming model who had been found stabbed in her apartment approximately thirty-six hours ago. She had last been seen at a popular nightclub with Cooley, who had a history of assault and battery, as well as attempted murder.

"Why did it take so long to get one?" Kono asked. They had spent the majority of yesterday searching for a man who seemed to have disappeared into thin air. It also didn't help that everything on the man was

Steve answered immediately, "Apparently Cooley's been renting a house under the name of Craig Kyle. Just got the financials back, and the computer matched Cooley's signature with Craig Kyle's." Clapping his hands together, he gave Danny a smile. "Come on, Danny, lets go."

"All right, all right," groaned Danny as he stood up. "I'm coming."

Kono's eyes remained on Danny, and when he stood up, she saw pain flash in his eyes as he grabbed his side. It went unnoticed by Steve, who was rapidly tapping his foot.. Suddenly she felt a weird feeling swirl in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong, and she needed to do something about it. "Boss, I don't think—" she began, but Danny cut her off.

"Kono, for the last time, I'm fine," he said sternly as he walked to stand next to Steve, clapped him on the shoulder, and smiled faintly. "Lets go, McGarrett."

Danny strolled out of his office, Steve right behind him when Kono grabbed Steve's arm and pulled him back.

He looked down at her, confused. "Something wrong Kono?" he asked.

She let out a shaky sigh. "Keep an eye out on Danny, will you?"

Steve was still confused, but gave her a firm nod. "I always do."

Kono gave him a nod of her own as she let go of his arm. She watched him run out of the office, probably to catch up with Danny, before walking back to the computer. Chin, who was still there, looked up at her, frowning.

"Everything all right?" he asked.

"Ask me that later, when Danny comes back," she replied with a sigh as she walked over to him.

"Why do you say that?"

"Just have a bad feeling that Danny's sicker than he's letting on."

Chin's frown was replaced with a soft smile at his cousin. "Is that the famous Kelly 'I know you're sick just by looking at you' instinct kicking in?"

She shrugged and frowned herself. "Maybe."

Slinging an arm over her shoulders, Chin pulled her close into a hug. "Everything's gonna be fine. Stop worrying."

"Not sure if I can, but I can try, cuz."

Chin chuckled softly. "That's all I'm asking."

They were driving. Well, Steve was driving the Camaro, while Danny sat next to him, clutching at his side. The pain was more intense, and with every turn Steve made Danny thought he was going to pass out from the pain. It didn't help that Steve was driving like a maniac during the heavy rainstorm.

"Would it kill you to slow down?" growled Danny as Steve took another sharp turn. By now they were in a densely wooded area, on a dirt road leading them to the suspect's house.

Steve looked over at Danny, frowning, and for the first time noticing that Danny was holding his side. Guilt washed over him for failing to realize that something was seriously wrong with his partner.

"Danny, are you sure you're okay?"

Danny let out a loud groan, not sure if it was from the pain in his side or the team's constant worrying, but he let it out anyway. "For the last time, Steven, I'm…watch out!"

Steve whipped his head around, just in time to see a small tree lying in the middle of the road. Swerving, he missed the tree, but ending up driving into a deep hole filled with mud. He pressed the gas pedal hard, wheels spinning rapidly as mud flew everywhere, but with no success. They were stuck.

"Son of bitch," hissed Steve as he slammed his hands against the steering wheel. The almost-accident was his fault for not paying attention to the road, and he waited for Danny to tell him so. That's when Steve noticed that Danny wasn't saying anything at all. Confused, he glanced over at his partner. "Danny, what—"

"I don't feel so good," was all Danny managed to get out before throwing the passenger door open and leaning out of it. Squeezing his stomach even harder, he vomited out everything in his stomach.

Steve didn't have to see what Danny was doing to know that the partner was in middle of being sick. Steve was adamant that it wasn't his driving that caused it, so… Suddenly his hand reached out, pulled a drenched Danny back into the car, and pressed a hand against his forehead. It was extremely hot.

"Danny," Steve whispered slowly. "You have a fever."

"Knew there was a reason I was so hot under the collar," chuckled Danny as he felt another stab of a pain. "And don't think I'm not gonna bitch about this, because I am, as soon as I no longer feel like I'm gonna pass out."

"When did the pain in your side start?"

Danny turned his head slowly to look at his partner. "What...why is that important?" he asked, irritated.

"Because...just answer the question, Danny."

"I don't know, I guess around three."

"Three hours ago."

"No," answered Danny, shaking his head. "Around three am this morning. It woke me up, actually, but I was able to go back to sleep."

Steve looked at the clock on the dashboard and saw that it was ten minutes after ten. That meant that Danny's side had been hurting for nearly seven hours. "Oh, Danny," whispered Steve as he looked back over at the detective, who was starting to go pale. The bad feeling in Steve's stomach intensified.

"What's with the look? You're wearing your 'Scared Shitless' face."

"Danny, I think you have appendicitis."

"What?"

"Think about it," Steve said softly as he reached into Danny's pocket for his cell phone. He would have used his own, but it had been smashed to pieces thanks to a bumbling criminal who had wanted to avoid getting sent back to prison. Steve had yet to replace it and was now regretting the delay. "You're having pains in the right lower side of your abdomen, and have been for the past seven hours. You have a fever, you're throwing up, and I bet you haven't eaten anything all morning."

Danny shook his head once more. "No," he moaned. "Felt too nauseous to eat."

"Dammit," hissed Steve as he hit the steering wheel again. "There's no signal. We need to get you to a hospital, and I can't call for help."

Danny immediately recognized 'Aneurysm face'. '"Steve, calm down," he whispered softly – a sadly futile attempt.

Steve wasn't listening. "How can I calm down when this is all my fault?" he cried. "I was the one driving. . I'm the reason we're in this mess."

"Yes, you were driving a little above the recommended speed limit, but you didn't put that tree in the road, or this patch of mud we're stuck it. Shit happens."

"Danny, maybe you don't know the severity of this situation, but I do. If we don't get you to the hospital soon, there's a chance you could die."

"Don't be ridiculous, Steven. I don't know how I'm leaving this world, but I know it won't be because of appendicitis.," Suddenly he let out a small cry and quickly realized the severity of his situation.. "That hurts like a bitch," he replied defeatedly. "And it's only going to get worse."

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

"I'm gonna go with eight and a half. I am a man, after all."

"We've got to get you to a hospital," repeated Steve for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I know," was all Danny said, going quiet. He stayed that way for a few moments, gazing out the window before a thought came to him. It was still raining, but not as hard as it had, so maybe— "If Cooley lived out here, then there's a chance other people do, too. Maybe you could walk around and check."

"I'm not leaving you, Danny," Steve practically growled.

"You said so yourself. If I don't get to the hospital soon, it will get worse."

"I'm not leaving you," growled Steve again, the words dripping from his lips. "I'll just have to figure a way to get us unstuck."

Danny didn't argue; not because he didn't want to, but the pain was becoming unbearable. He couldn't even breathe without it ripping through his body. So he said nothing when Steve got out of the car with his 'I'm a Navy SEAL, I can do anything' face and began circling the car.

The rain had slowed down, but it was still falling heavily as he walked around to the back of the car. He had no idea how he was going to get them out of the situation they were in, but Steve knew he had to figure out something. Danny's life depended on it. Steve thought about shifting the car back into gear and trying to push it out of the mud, but that would require someone to handle the wheel. He couldn't ask Danny to help; his partner was in too much pain to even move. No, that wasn't a plan he could use.

Time seemed to pass by slowly as Steve tried to come up with ways to get Danny to safety. None of them seemed possible, and it frustrated Steve even more.

"Dammit," he found himself yelling, pounding on the back of the car with his fist, and proceeding to run his fingers through his hair.

The sound stirred Danny out of his thoughts and forced him to sit up. Thinking quickly, he wobbled out of the car and leaned heavily against the side.

"Danny, what are you doing? Get back in the car!" yelled Steve as the rain fell down on them. His partner was already sick; the last thing he needed was to get pneumonia on top of it. "Danny—"

"Would you shut your pie hole, Steven," Danny replied through clenched teeth. "I just remembered I have a satellite phone in the trunk."

Steve pulled back, shocked. "What? You do?"

"Yeah," nodded Danny. "I got it a few weeks ago after realizing I didn't have back-up communication. Never know when I might get lost."

"Or stranded," smirked Steve as he opened the trunk of the car and found what he was looking for. It didn't take long to dial 911 and tell the operator their situation. After getting an ETA of the paramedics, Steve rushed to Danny's side and helped him back into the car before getting back in himself.

He tried his best to remain calm, but the truth was, Steve was terrified. He had been trained for a few medical procedures that he could perform with a limited amount of supplies, but there was nothing he could do about a ruptured appendix. All Steve knew was that the longer his partner went without surgery, the chances of blood poisoning increased. He hated to think that he might lose Danny over something as minor as appendicitis.

As soon as Danny heard the door close, he reached out his hand and placed it on top of Steve's. Gently rubbing his thumb across the back of it, he smiled softly.

He didn't have time to panic, especially since he was finally doing something he had only dreamed about. Danny usually wasn't a risk taker, and exploring his feelings for Steve hadn't been any different. Steve was not only his partner, but his straight-as-an-arrow Navy SEAL boss, who most certainly didn't have relationships with other men. At that moment, he had no clue know where the courage to do this came from, but he figured if something did go wrong, he could leave the world without regrets. Well, without that one specific regret. Besides, even Steve wouldn't punch a man while he was sick. "Steve," he whispered as he pulled away, smiling. "Everything's gonna be all right. Trust me."

And Steve did.

The paramedics arrived and loaded Danny into the ambulance. By that time the pain had increased even more, but Steve was there, holding Danny's hand and distracting him from the pain. The EMTs were gracious enough to allow Steve to ride alongside Danny, and once they arrived at the hospital, that's where he remained. Somewhere down the line both Kono and Chin showed up at the ER; Steve had no recollection of calling them, but apparently he had. Kono told him that she had called Rachel to let her know what had happened with Danny and Rachel promised to stop by with Grace after school let out.

Steve silently thanked Kono after realizing that he had forgotten to call Danny's ex-wife before sitting down. The team sat tight and waited on any word about Danny while he was having the emergency appendectomy he needed.

During the wait Steve's mind kept returning to the kiss Danny had bestowed on him in the car. It had come out of nowhere, and left him shocked. Not to mention nervous, breathless, and giddy. For so long he had wanted Danny; wanted to press his lips against his partner's, and suck all the words out of his mouth. But Danny had beaten him to it, and Steve was nervous. He wasn't sure if Danny had only done it because he was scared, too, or because he meant it. Steve sure hoped it was the latter.

A few hours later, a tall, round man came out into the waiting room, wearing a reassuring smile on his face and approached the team. "Are you the family of Danny Williams?"

"Yes," Steve answered without hesitation while Kono and Chin nodded silently.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Tate, the surgeon that operated on Mr. Williams, and I just wanted to inform you that Mr. Williams' surgery went well. We were able to remove the appendix before it had a chance to burst, so there wasn't any perforation," explained the doctor. "He is resting comfortably, asleep; and before you ask, yes, he can have visitors, but only two at a time, and please keep the visits short."

Kono released a shaky breath, one she hadn't known she was holding, and gave the doctor a small grin. "When will he be able to go home?"

"We prefer to have patients stay at least three days, to monitor their recovery and lower the chance of infections," Dr. Tate replied sternly. "After they are released, we encourage our patients to take a week of rest and refrain from any strenuous activities." He paused for a moment to smile. "Well, that's what we suggest to our normal patients, who aren't members of the task force."

"Don't worry, Dr. Tate," Steve replied in a stern voice. "We'll make sure Danny follows your orders to the letter." And he meant every single word.

"Good; and if you'd like to see Mr. Williams, he's in room 408." Dr. Tate gave the team members another smile before walking away.

Once the surgeon was completely out of sight, Kono walked over to her cousin and gave him a firm hug. Chin grinned and kissed her forehead before letting her go. She then did the same to Steve..

"You go ahead, brah," said Chin as Kono finally let Steve go. "We'll call Rachel with the update."

"Are you guys sure?"

"Yeah," Kono nodded, smiling. "Make sure you give him hell for scaring us like that."

"I will." He smiled back as he made his way down the hall towards Danny's going inside, Steve had so many emotions running through him, but once he saw Danny the only emotion that flowed through him was relief that his partner was alive and well.

"Are you going to come in or what?"

Steve pushed away his thoughts when he realized that Danny was awake and staring at him. "Hey, Danno," he replied softly as he slowly walked over to the bed. "How you feeling?"

"Like I just had surgery," Danny smirked, trying to sit up but immediately stopped when he felt a burst of pain from his abdomen. "On second thought—" .

"Maybe you should stay still."

"Yeah, maybe."

Silence filled the room as Steve sat down in the chair next to Danny. Being close to the blond brought back memories of the kiss they had shared just a few hours earlier, and Steve had no idea how long he would be able to contain his emotions. "I called Rachel," he blurted out suddenly, hoping he could distract himself, at least for a while. "She's bringing Grace over after school."

"Thanks," Danny replied gratefully, but it didn't divert his attention away from Steve. He could see the wheels in Steve's head turning, and immediately asked, "How are you, Steve?"

Snorting, Steve shook his head. "You're the one lying in a hospital, and you're asking me how I'm feeling. Typical Danny."

"So, are you going to answer?"

"I'm better now that I know you're going to be okay."

Danny let out a snort . "As if there was any doubt," he grinned. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, McGarrett."

"That's good, because you've kinda grown on me."

"I just came back from having major surgery, and you're coming at me with short jokes. Brutal."

"Your surgery was barely evasive, and that wasn't a joke. It was a compliment."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Silence came over them once more, and Danny felt his eyelids start to droop. The drug they gave him for the pain was starting to kick in, Danny could feel it. He secretly hoped that Steve wouldn't notice, but mumbled a curse when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Steve—"

It was now or never. Reaching out, he covered Danny's hand with his. "Rest, Danny," he whispered. "I'll be here when you wake up, and then we can talk about that kiss."

If Danny wasn't drowsy from the medication, he would have blushed from embarrassment – but all he could do was smile softly. "I'm really sorry about that. I shouldn't have kissed you."

"No, you shouldn't have. Especially since you only did it because you thought there was a chance you were going to die," replied Steve softly. Sighing, he continued, "That's not how I imagined our first kiss taking place."

Danny's eyes flew open, blinking in surprise as he looked at Steve in shock. "Wait...what," he choked out. "You've...you've thought about kissing me."

Steve didn't do anything but smile tentatively . When he had thought about telling Danny of his true feelings, Danny being in a hospital bed hadn't been included in the possible scenarios; but the SEAL had to take what he could get. He wasn't going to pretend it never happened, and he damned sure wasn't going to tell Danny it was a mistake. "Yeah, and I'm guessing from what happened earlier, so have you."

"Well, yeah," sputtered Danny, eyes growing wider. "But you're my partner, and my boss, and kissing you would have been crossing the line." He grew quiet for a moment before letting out a nervous sigh. "I also didn't think you felt the same way," he admitted.

Steve squeezed Danny's hand softly. "Well, you thought wrong," he beamed happily. "And I intend to show you just how much I like you as soon as you're out of the hospital. The doctor says you need at least a week of recuperation, which will be spent at my house."

Danny smirked . "So you're saying that I have to spend a week at your house. Do I have any say in the matter?"

Steve simply shook his head. "Nope."

"All right, then." Danny smiled as the tiredness came back, forcing his eyes to flutter closed. He was somewhat afraid that Steve's confession was a product of his imagination, mixed with the drugs in his system, but Steve's hand on his was too real. Suddenly, he felt warm lips press against his, kissing him gently, and in that moment Danny knew it was all real.

Steve pulled away and resumed his position in the chair, but his hand remained holding Danny's. Smiling happily, he watched as his partner tried to fight the sleep that was overwhelming his body; finally, Danny succumbed to it. "I'm glad you're okay, Danno," he whispered as Danny's eyes finally closed and he started to drift off.

Danny was already half asleep when he heard Steve's fond comment, but luckily he was able to respond, even if faintly. "Me, too."

Hope you liked it and if you did drop me a review if you want. And if you're worried about me not posting for a while never fear because I have two more of these prompts to post. If you think you can handle it. Until then,

All the world's a stage and I'm the star,

LadyCizzle.