It took most of the day for the five men to reach the bottom of the trail, which opened up to a wide picturesque grassy valley. There was a large pond just off to the side of the trail which was created by a waterfall that fell from the towering cliffs at the head of the valley. From the draining edge of the large pond, one could follow the water as it coursed its way through the valley on its way to the sea. Fed by the rains from the upper mountains, this scenic wonder of nature refreshed the minds and the souls of those who visited.

The men reached the bottom of the trail by mid-afternoon. From there they continued on for a half a mile until they arrived at a large open meadow adjacent to the river. After they parked the two jeeps, everyone helped to unload the two tents and other equipment they had brought with them. Finally the tents were set up and they went about preparing themselves a late lunch.

The first thing McGarrett did was to build a campfire and when flames had died down a little, he put the hamburger patties on the grill. Several times the open flames it flared up brightly as the hot liquid fat dripped from the meat as it cooked. Carefully he slid the spatula under each patty and turned them over. When the flames died down again, he sprinkled additional garlic onto them. "Yumm," he said aloud to himself as the delectable aroma of the spices and cooking meat caused his stomach to growl with hunger.

"I’ve almost got the vegetables ready Steve. Do you want the cheese or should I just put them on the table? Danny Williams, his second-in-command, asked as he prepared various vegetables and removed the potato salad from the iceboxes.

"On the table I think Danno. Ben, can you get me a plate? These patties are almost done," McGarrett said as he moved the cooked patties to the side so not to burn them.

"Here Steve," Ben Kokua said after he brought over a paper plate. After which he removed the rest of the paper plates and plastic utensils from the box that was in the back of the old jeep he had driven to the spot.

"Get that leg Duke," Chin Ho Kelly said as he tried to control his end of the fold up table for the third time. Just as he thought he had his secure, one of the legs snapped back up with a click. "E!" he exclaimed at the metal leg managed to catch his fingers as it closed back up under the table. He snatched his hand away, which caused his end of the table to fall and catch Duke in the shins as the legs at his end snapped back too.

"Oww!" Duke yelled out rubbing the injured area. "Chin, I think this table is possessed or something. Hey Ben, how about you giving us a hand here?" he asked as he gave Chin a dirty look for letting go of his end. The two men had been fighting the metal fold up table for almost a half an hour and it was winning the battle.

"Hey, it’s not my fault Duke. This darn thing just tried to cut off my fingers," Chin said as he rubbed the scraped knuckles of his right hand.

Finally with Ben’s help, the three managed to make the legs stay put and the table was ready. Duke and Chin Ho helped Bed carry over the items he had pulled out of the boxes and help set the table.

When the patties finished, McGarrett removed them from the grill and placed them on one of the paper plates Ben had given him. The table was large enough that the five men could sit at it as they ate.

Ben and Dan’s hamburgers were growing greatly in size as they layered on the various vegetables and cheese upon the patties. Chin Ho, Duke and McGarrett grinned at each other as they watched with amusement the growing piles. It appeared to them that their two friends were trying to out build each other in size and it looked as if Danny was the winner when he added a second layer of tomatoes.

"And just ‘how’ are you going to eat that Danny?" questioned Chin Ho with a smile as he pointed to the humongous pile on the plate.

Dan looked up at his friend and smiled. "This is how," he replied with a smirk as he took another paper plate, put it on top of the bun and gently pressed down to compress the hamburger underneath. When he thought he had reduced the height enough, he removed the plate.

The others laughed when they saw that most of the ingredients had spilled out to the side of the bun. Smiling, Dan joined their laughter when he saw his plan had failed. In a show of bravado, he picked up his squished meal and began to eat around the edges. On his third bite, the others burst into loud laughter because the remaining contents had fallen out and had landed at his feet.

Dan looked down in mock surprise at the pile of escaped food and shook his head as he joined in his friends’ mirth. "Ah, that didn’t work out exactly how I had planned," he explained as he sat the now empty bun down and reached down to pick up the remnants of his meal.

After he had disposed of the soiled food in the sealed trash container they had brought with them, he walked back to the table. Sitting down, he made himself another hamburger. But this time he didn’t add so many items to it.

Not wanting to repeat Dan’s disaster, Ben had taken the hint and removed some of the extra ingredients in his hamburger before tackling the job of eating it. He was more successful then his friend and didn’t spill anything. As he ate he caught the attention of Dan’s friendly sneer. "Hey bruddah, it wasn’t me how tried to eat a mountain," he said between mouthfuls.

"I’ve heard of one’s eyes being bigger then one’s stomach, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen one’s food being bigger then one’s mouth," teased Duke as he finished his meal.

"Are you trying to say something Duke?" Dan asked as he fainted at having his feelings hurt.

"Only that maybe you’ve got a big mouth," chuckled Chin Ho when he saw to good of a chance to get a joke over on the youngest member of the team. The laughter erupted even more at the sad puppy dog-eyed expression Dan gave him as a response to his good-natured teasing.

"Ben and I are going fishing while it’s still light," Duke told the others after the meal was finished and the trash cleared away. "Anyone for fresh fish for dinner tonight?" he asked after they had picked up their poles and tackle boxes before they started off for the river.

"Sounds good Duke," Chin Ho replied back as he sat down to relax with one of the three books he had brought with him as he smoked his pipe. "I can’t wait to hear your fish stories on how the biggest one got away," he smiled as a puff of smoke from his pipe curled above his head.

Both Ben and Duke shook their heads and smiled at the fisherman’s joke as they walked off towards the river. Neither one of them had thought to use any bug repellant because there hadn’t been hardly any bugs in the camp. They were sure that the breeze would be strong enough that the pesky insects wouldn’t bother them.

Dan and McGarrett watched their two friends head for the river. Not wanting to fish or read they instead chose to take a walk along the river. They didn’t say much when they began, as each man was deep in their own private thoughts. Every so often they would point to some feature of the valley or somewhere on the tall cliffs where something different or unusually beautiful had caught their eye. When they saw a fish jump out of the water to catch a bug flying close to the surface, they even talk about how Ben and Duke should have tried this area to fish.

"Have you made any decisions on getting the new apartment?" McGarrett asked his walking companion. Two days before had Dan expressed his displeasure in his apartment complex because of the increased noise and the substantial rent increase he was facing.

"Not really Steve. I’ve looked around some but haven’t found anything I might like," Dan replied as he threw a flat rock across the water to see how many times it would skip before sinking.

"Ben told me that there is a vacancy in his building," McGarrett informed his as he watched his friend pick up some more flat stones to try to skip across the water.

"Yeah but that’s all the way over near Chinaman’s Cap. It would involve a lengthy drive into work," Dan answered back as he threw another stone but it only went plop on the first bounce.

"Not flat enough," McGarrett said a teasing but good-natured tone.

"Oh, and I bet you think you can do better?" Dan responded as he handed the dark haired man a stone. "Give that one a try smarty-pants."

Smiling at his friends challenge, McGarrett carefully placed the stone with the flattest side down and gave it a sideways throw. The stone skipped seven times before sinking into the water. "How’s that?" he asked with a devilish smile getting a smirky smile from the younger man.

"Show off," Dan replied as he threw another stone, which skipped only five times. Fed up with his little game, he dropped the rest of the stones and continued along the path.

The sun had started to set by the time the two fishermen returned to camp. Luck was on Duke’s side that afternoon as he proudly showed off his catch of a dozen big river trout to Chin Ho. Ben had some luck too but had only managed to catch half that amount. The two fishermen were busy putting their stuff away when the two hikers finally returned to camp.

McGarrett again was the cook for the evening’s meal. With the finesse of a great chef he carefully prepared the fish. He used several types of spices, herbs and green onions on the fish. Then he wrapped them in foil and placed them on the grill to cook. While he was busy with that, Chin Ho and Danny prepared the potatoes and salad.

Since McGarrett was cooking only five fish, Ben and Duke took time to wrap up their remaining fish. When the remaining fish were ready, Ben went over to the jeep and retrieved the ice crest where they would keep the fish fresh for their return trip.

Dinner was mouthwateringly great. McGarrett had cooked the trout with the expertise of a high-class chef and each man had plenty to eat. To top everything off just right, he surprised his friends by bringing out a very nice bottle of white wine, which they enjoyed with their meal.

"Didn’t know you had such an educated palate for wines Steve," Ben stated as he pour himself another glass of the wine.

"I don’t drink very much, but I do know what I like," McGarrett told him with a smile as he watched the Samoan enjoy his beverage.

"I thought you had quit drinking Steve," Duke said with a slightly concerned tone to his voice. He knew McGarrett use to drink and smoke when he was in the service. But after a good service buddy of McGarrett’s had been killed in a barracks fire caused by a carelessly tossed cigarette after they had gotten drunk, McGarrett vowed never to drink or smoke again.

McGarrett looked over to his former shipmate and gave a light smile at Duke’s concern. "I didn’t give it up completely Duke. I still occasionally enjoy a glass of wine," he replied.

"You and Duke served together didn’t you," Dan asked. He was always interested in the secretive life of his boss. Here was a man who he called friend and yet he hardly knew anything about him.

Everyone on the team knew that McGarrett had lost his father when he was thirteen. A drunk driver had killed McGarrett's father as he was crossing a street. They knew their friend and boss had had a rough time as he grew up. McGarrett had told them of some of the things about his teenage life, like how hard his mother had to work to support the family and how she had to fight to keep her hot-tempered son out of trouble. Finally the strain proved to be too much for the courageous woman and she had died suddenly of a heart attack right after he had graduated Annapolis.

"Yes we did Danno," McGarrett replied as he thought briefly back to when Duke and he had been prisoners-of-war in Korea. And how both of them had looked out for each other’s welfare as best as they could.

"That’s when Steve learned how to eat raw fish Danny," Duke told him with a smile. "Steve had never had raw fish before, but in the POW camp, they didn’t bother to cook it. They frequently just tossed the fish into our cells whole."

"Sometimes the fish were still alive. Remember Duke," McGarrett added as he walked over to the small tub of water they were using to wash the dishes up with. "Remember Paul’s expression when he saw that flopping fish?" he said as he continued with the current discussion.

"Yeah and his expression when he saw you take a bite out of that same fish," Duke mentioned with a smile.

"Yuck!" Ben exclaimed when he heard of what McGarrett had done. "You ate a live fish?" he asked as he recoiled from the very idea. "I like sushi but that’s slightly going over board."

"Well, we were starving and didn’t have any way of killing, cleaning or cooking it," McGarrett told him with a slight grimace at that part of his painful past.

"Couldn’t you have at least knocked it out somehow?" Ben asked as he gave a slight shiver and had begun to turn a slight shade of green under his dark complexion.

"We were in small bamboo cages Ben that were suspended off the ground by ropes. We had no way of doing anything but what we did," Duke told him as he helped McGarrett with the dishes.

"I didn’t know it was ‘that’ bad for you back then," Ben stated as his eye’s took on a slight glassy look as he full stomach threatened to turn on him. "I was never in that type of situation. I guess you did what you had to."

Chin Ho hadn't said much as they reminiscence about the horrors of war they shared. The memories of his imprisonment were still sharp and painful. His imprisonment wasn't as long as what McGarrett had had to endure. His unit was able to free within a week of his capture. Shipped home to Hawaii to finish his recover, he got to see his first son being born.

"You had been shot before you were captured, weren’t you Chin?" Dan asked. His own military experience had only been with the Coast Guard and he had never seen any actual wartime activities.

Chin Ho smiled at him as he dug out his pipe and filled it with his favorite tobacco. "Yeah, shot twice in fact. Once in my left arm and once, well, let’s just say it made sitting down rather painful," he answered as he rubbed his left buttocks.

Everyone laughed at the unspoken reference of Chin’s second wartime injury.

"That’s why in basic training you’re told to keep it down Chin," McGarrett reminded the oriental detective.

Chin gave his boss a smirky look for a moment before he joined them in the laughter. But his expression changed when he looked over to Ben. Ben’s skin had now turned pale and his facial expression showed he wasn’t feeling very good.

"What’s the matter Ben?" Chin Ho asked him concerned that he might be getting sick.

"Aaagh, my stomach hurts something fierce," Ben answered as he rocked back and forth slightly while holding onto his abdomen. "Owww, dam it hurts bad," he said as stronger cramp hit him and almost immediately bent over as he threw up. He stayed bent over as he moaned some more.

Stepping over to him, McGarrett put his hand on the Samoan’s shoulder. He could feel the heat from the fever that had taken hold. "Ben, you okay?" he asked hoping that maybe this wasn’t going to be a medical emergency.

All Ben could do was rock back and forth as he lightly shook his head no. McGarrett’s lips pressed hard against each other in concern. This wasn’t a good sign. He didn’t know if Ben was coming down with something or if it might have been something he had eaten, but it didn’t look good.

"Duke, help me get him over to the tent. He’s got a fever and we need to keep him warm right now," McGarrett said as he gently helped the sick man to his feet and started to guide him over to the tents.

"You think he’s come down with something?" Dan asked in an equally concerned voice as he cleared away any obstacles from their path.

"I don’t know Danno," McGarrett said as they finally reached one of the tents. Carefully they settled Ben into one of the light sleeping bags who was now shaking uncontrollable. He had thrown up once more on the way over to the tent. A couple of times he almost fell down but didn’t because of the two men assisting him.

"We need to get him out of here, but the trail is too dangerous at night," McGarrett commented after he had stepped out of the tent.

"Even in the daylight, that trail would be to much for him," Chin Ho mentioned as he remembered certain spots of the trail that had almost pressed them to their physical limits.

"He’s right Steve," Dan said agreeing with him as he thought of the effort it had taken them just to descend the trail. He knew the trip back up was going to be just as hard if not harder and he couldn’t imagine trying it with someone sick.

"There’s another trail out of here. Along the river down to where it drains into the bay," McGarrett told them nodding his head in the direction of the valley as he tried to remember how bad that trail was. "The jeep should be able to make it. When we reach the beach we can radio for the Coast Guard to come get us," he added as he tried to think of what they could do right now for the sick man.

"How far is the beach from here Steve? Maybe I could walk to it and radio for help. That way they send the Coast Guard for us tomorrow morning or fly a helicopter in now. The meadow is large enough for one to land without too much trouble," Dan mentioned as he looked back towards the area he and McGarrett has walked earlier that afternoon.

But before McGarrett could answer him they heard a loud moan from Duke who was leaning against a tree nearby. "Duke! What’s the matter?" he asked as he quickly ran over to him. He didn’t like this for now there were two men ill and he was uncomfortable on how quickly they both had become ill at the same time.

"I don’t feel good Steve. I think I must have eaten something that doesn’t agree with me," Duke replied, he face contorted with pain as another painful spasm gripped his stomach. His skin pallor now turned very white with beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Here, you best to lay down too," Chin Ho suggested as he helped his friend into the same tent where Ben laid and helped him to lay down on the ground. With the greatest of care he placed the back of his hand against Duke’s damp forehead. What he felt worried him greatly. Duke’s body was burning with a very high fever.

Chin Ho looked over at the other two men after he stepped out of the tent. "What ever this is, their both in bad shape Steve," he said as he walked back over to the campfire.

A rising concern began to build inside McGarrett. ‘Damn, this could be something serious. If it is, I hope none of the rest of us get it or we could be in serious trouble,’ he thought to himself not wanting to voice his concerns quiet yet. "How do you two feel?" McGarrett asked as he watched both men for any outward appearances that they might be getting sick too.

"I’m okay Steve," Dan replied as he looked over to Chin Ho who was standing next to the campfire staring into the flames.

"Me too boss," Chin Ho answered and looked up worriedly at his two friends.

"You don’t think it was food poisoning do you?" Dan asked his friend in a concerned tone because all of them had eaten the same thing for dinner that evening.

"I’m not sure Danno. I hope not or we all could be in very big trouble," McGarrett told him as he continued to critically watch the other two for any signs of sickness. He hoped and prayed that Ben and Duke were going to be the only ones to get sick.

As the evening went on, they decided each man would take turns staying up in case the ill men needed any help. McGarrett had elected to take the first watch so the others could rest. Sitting by the fire, his thoughts when back to the other times he had spent waiting in the hospital halls for word on how one of his men after they had been injured. But this time it was different, this time he had to wait for daylight to try to get them some help.

After Chin Ho came over to relieve him several hours later, McGarrett quietly walked over to the tent to check on his friends. Ben was totally out cold but his breathing was okay. His body still burned from a high fever though. He pulled the sleeping bag up a little more around Ben before he turned to check on Duke. Duke was still moaning some and his breathing was shallow and rapid. He could feel the heat of the fever coming from his friend even before he touched him. Duke let out another moan at his touch. "Easy Duke, easy. We’ll get out you of this soon. Try relax and get some sleep," he told him as he quietly walked out of the tent.

Being that no one else had gotten sick yet, McGarrett was fairly sure it wasn’t food poisoning nor did he think it was an allergy. All the men had eaten the same thing that night, but only these two were the one’s stricken. As he walked back to his tent he tried to think of what else could have caused this. Unable to solve this mystery he bent down and entered the tent. As he settled into his sleeping bag, he heard Dan stirring in his sleeping bag somewhere in the dark confines of his side of the tent.

"Go back to sleep Danno. I checked on both of them before I came here. Ben is out cold and Duke is semi-conscious and still in pain," he told his second-in-command as he tried to relax.

Unable to sleep, Dan propped himself up on his elbow. "You don’t think it’s what they ate do you? I mean, we all ate the same thing, yet we’re not sick," he asked him. His worry was that someone else in their group could also get sick.

McGarrett put his hands behind his head and gave out a loud sigh as he looked up into the blackness of the tent. Preoccupied with worry, he didn’t hear his tent mate’s question.

"Steve," Dan said a little louder and when McGarrett still didn’t reply he called out louder. "STEVE!"

Startled from his thoughts, McGarrett suddenly realized that his friend was talking to him. "Huh? I’m sorry Danno. What were you saying?" he said as he rubbed his eyes before he rolled over to his side and rested his head on his arm.

"I asked you if you were sure it wasn’t something they had eaten? After all, we all ate the same thing yet they are the only ones to get sick," Dan restated.

"I’m not sure Danno. I’m hoping it’s wasn’t, but I don’t know," McGarrett said with a yawn as he turned back to lying on his back. He had placed his hand on his belly interlinking his fingers as he absent-mindedly twirled his thumbs. "These waters around here could contain all sorts of parasites and things that could cause all sorts of problems. But if it was in the water then all of us could or would have been affected by it," he mentioned as he mind desperately sought the answer to their problem.

"What about a bug bite or sting?" Dan suggested as he tried to offer an idea that would help.

"Humm," McGarrett replied as he thought about what his friend had suggested. His eyes narrowed now as he tried to play out the sequence of events in his head. Neither man said anything for some time. In the silence of the late night hours, McGarrett played out in his mind what he thought each of the two men had done during the afternoon.

Both men were sound asleep when Chin Ho came in to get Dan. He had to move the tent flap to get in and this slight noise woke both men with a start.

"It’s only me," Chin Ho told them as he stood half way in the tent entrance.

"Did you check on them before you came here?" McGarrett asked as he followed Chin Ho and Dan out of the tent.

"Yeah. Both of them are asleep now. Ben is about the same, but I think Duke’s fever had gone up some more. He was awfully hot when I checked him," Chin Ho told him as he followed the others over to the sick men.

Quietly McGarrett stepped inside, not wanting to disturbed the two occupants. Carefully and gently he reached down and touched Duke’s cheek. He pressed his lips firmly together when he realized that his friend’s fever had indeed risen some more. The older Hawaiian detective’s breathing was better and he didn’t seem to be in pain at the moment.

McGarrett then reached over and lightly touched Ben’s cheek. It seemed to him that the fever was the same. Beads of sweat were just starting to show up on Ben’s face. He hoped this was a sign that the fever might be breaking.

McGarrett’s facial expression clearly showed the worry and concern as he stepped out of the tent. He rubbed his jaw and chin as he desperately tried to think of what else they could do for them. Dan’s suggestion then popped back into his mind as he turned his attention to Chin Ho. "Chin, did either of them have any complaints about their fishing when they returned?" he asked with the hope of a positive reply.

"Not really, but Ben did mention that there were a lot of bugs along the banks and it wasn’t until they got further into the water that they weren’t being bitten so much," Chin Ho told him as he tried to remember exactly what had been said.

"Bugs? What type of bugs?" Dan asked him. He knew the islands were full of all types of bugs and that some were very deadly if a person were to get bitten enough by them.

"Mostly mosquitoes," Chin Ho answered. "No, wait a minute. Duke said that Ben had a small brown spider on his shoulders which he had brushed it off and a few minutes later Ben had to brush off one on the back of his neck. Maybe it was from that?" he added as he watched McGarrett go over to the jeep and retrieve a flashlight.

When McGarrett came back he entered the tent and walked first over to Duke. When he turned the flashlight on, he turned the beam of light onto the back of Duke’s neck. Just as he had hoped, there was an ugly red swelling from an insect bite. "Look Danno," he said as he moved over a little to let his friend see.

"Damn," Dan exclaimed when he saw the angry wound. Suddenly he moved quickly forward and swatted at Duke’s pillow. The move started McGarrett, which caused him to almost fall onto the other bag where Ben slept.

"What’s the matter?" Chin Ho asked from the tent flap.

Dan didn’t reply right away but reached over and got one of wash clothes they had brought with them to wash with. "Give me the flashlight for a minute Steve," he said as he took it from him and walked back over to the pillow. Carefully he put the cloth on the pillow where he had slapped and picked up something.

Standing up, Dan motioned the others to leave the tent before he showed them what he had. "I think I know what is wrong with them," he said as he handed the flashlight back to McGarrett. "Shine the light here Steve," he said as he carefully opened the cloth.

There in the middle of the cloth was a dead spider. "Recognize it Steve?" he asked with a slight smile but with a serious expression showing behind that smile.

"Yeah, a damn fiddler spider," McGarrett replied as he moved the cloth a bit to get a better look at the villain.

"Damn, those things are deadly if you’re bitten enough times by them," Chin Ho stated as he took his turn to see the dead arachnid.

"Uh huh, or if you’re bitten in the right spot like a major blood vein," McGarrett said as he took the cloth from Dan and carefully wrapped it up to try to preserve it for the emergency team when they arrived.

"Gentlemen, we need to check both of them and see how many bites they might have received and where," McGarrett said as he walked back to the tent.

As gently as they could, the three men checked out their two ill companions. McGarrett was very disturbed when they found that both men had received at least six bites from the spider. Ben had two on his back and four on his arms. Duke had received seven bites, there were two on his neck and the other five were on his back and chest.

"Steve, how about applying a cool cloth to both their forehead? Mia does that when the kids get a high fever," Chin Ho asked as he tried to think how to help break the fever.

Steve looked up at him with a concerned expression and nodded his head. "Good idea," he answered as he began to look around the tent for any other unwanted multi-legged visitors.

A few minutes later Chin Ho returned with the two damp cloths and handed one of the cloths to Danny while he placed the other one on Ben’s forehead.

"Thanks Chin. It looks like the spider must have gotten under their clothing," Dan said as he reached forward and placed the cool cloth on Duke’s forehead.

"Yeah. I’ve looked around the tent. I didn’t find any other spiders but we’ll need to keep an eye out for them," McGarrett informed them as he stepped out of the tent and walk back to the campfire placing the flashlight on the camp table which he had turned off.

"Boss, are you sure that we can’t reach anyone by radio from here?" Chin Ho inquired after he had walked back over to the jeep and retrieved the portable radio.

McGarrett had added some more wood to the fire and pour some of the bottled water they had brought into the coffee pot, which he placed on the wire grill to boil so he could make some coffee. "Yeah. The height of the cliffs and the direction of the valley make it impossible for a signal to get out," McGarrett replied as he sat down in one of the camp chairs and looked up at the tall dark cliffs looming above them. "I’ve always had to go to the beach to radio out," he added.

"You didn’t tell me before, how far is the beach? Could someone walk out to it tonight to radio for some help?" Dan asked as he walked over to the fire. He hoped that the trail wouldn’t be too hard for him to walk and that it wasn’t too far from camp.

McGarrett looked up at his second-in-command with a knowing smile. "You’re thinking of walking it tonight, aren’t you Danno?" he asked with a tilt to his head as he watched both men.

"Yeah, if it’s not impossible to do, and yes, I was thinking that if we can contact them now then as dawn comes they could arrive sooner," Dan suggested hopefully.

"The beach wasn’t too much further down the trail that we followed this afternoon, maybe only a quarter of a mile or so," McGarrett told him thinking that Dan’s idea had some potential. "The path is only bad on the first part. You remember Danno, that’s where we had to work around those tree stumps and large boulders. But beyond that it’s an easy walk."

"So it would be about a twenty minute walk then for me," Dan said as he took the radio from Chin Ho and stuck it into one of the backpacks he got from the back of the jeep. He then walked over to the table and picked up the flashlight. He checked it to make sure it worked and then looked over at his two friends who were sitting around the warm fire.

Assured he could do this, Dan gave them a smile. "I’ll try to hurry back as soon as I can," he told them as he started towards the river path.

"Don’t rush, and be careful. I don’t want to have to send someone out to rescue you too," McGarrett cautioned his departing friend. Chin Ho and he watched him until the darkness of the valley enveloped him and they couldn’t see him anymore.

*****

The trail wasn’t very hard to follow as Dan started off. The half of the trail had been well worn by many travelers, both human and animal. It wasn’t until he got to a section of the trail that crossed an old riverbed that the difficulties began.

The flashlight did a good job so far, but it did cause some problems when Dan had to grip onto a log or a rock. The it became a slight hindrance to his balance. There was one particular area where he came very close to dropping it as he negotiated the obstacle.

Finally, he was clear of this section of trail and found the trail much easier to travel. He picked up his pace some for almost a quarter of a mile. He tried to hurry as much as he could, but he kept McGarrett’s advice in the foremost part of his memory. ‘Don’t rush and be careful. I don’t want to have to send out a rescue party for you too.’ Good advise since there was other dangers out here other then the trail itself.

It was the height of the breeding season for the wild pigs in this section of the Big Island. A hormonal driven boar was a formative adversary as was a sow protecting her brood. These wild pigs could be very dangerous. Their tusks were frequently long and very sharp. The constant movement of these animals kept the trail open during most of the year. As Dan proceeded down the path, he frequently came across the droppings, both fresh and dried out.

Finally, Dan came to the end of the river, which emptied into the bay. The sandy beach stretched out before him now. He no longer needed his flashlight because the full moon illuminated the entire beach. There was a flattish rock near by, so he walked over to it and placed his backpack on it and pulled out the radio.

"US Coast Guard, US Coast Guard, this is Dan Williams, Hawaii Five-0, please respond," Dan said into it as he tried to contact someone. He waited a few minutes and repeated his broadcast.

"This is Sgt. Kirk Midiron, of the US Coast Guard. How can I help you Mr. Williams?" Sgt. Midiron replied with a heavy Texas drawl mixed liberally with an almost Hawaiian accent.

Dan smiled to himself at the thought of a Texan being stationed here and wondered how long it had taken the Sergeant to pick up the Hawaiian accent, which mixed so interestingly with his normal accent. "Boy am I glad to hear you. I’m here on the Big Island, at Waikakai Bay. There are five of us on a camp out up in the tip of the valley near the falls. Two of our people have been bitten several times by a fiddler spider and are very ill. We need to get them to the hospital quick," he told the Sergeant, the tone of his voice clearly indicating the urgency of the situation.

"Hold on Mr. Williams, let me get hold of our doctor here," Sgt. Midiron replied as he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the needed phone number.

"Dr. Rivera."

"Hey Doc, I’ve got a man reporting that some men in the Waikakai Valley who have been bitten by a fiddler spider," Midiron informed the medical doctor for the night.

"How many times have they been bitten and what condition are they in?" Dr. Rivera asked as he got out his note pad to take down the symptoms.

"The caller has only said they were very sick. Hold on and I’ll ask him that," Midiron answered as he turned back to his radio. "Mr. Williams, how many times have they been bitten and what condition are they in?" he said as he relayed the doctor’s request.

"Six or seven times on the neck and upper body areas. Both are unconscious with high fevers but are breathing okay for the moment. We do have a large meadow near by that a evac helicopter could land if you can get one in here," Dan informed his listener.

Midiron relayed this information to Dr. Rivera who was very alarmed at the symptoms. "Bill, they need to get those men to the hospital fast. Even though their breathing is okay now, that poison works on the nervous system and soon they will be in dire straights. Anyway of getting that copter to them tonight, like NOW?" Dr. Rivera asked the Sergeant.

"I don’t know. I’ll need to check, hold on please," Midiron replied as he turned back to Dan’s call. "Mr. Williams, that clearing, is there any way to get some lighting to it for the evac helicopter to land tonight? The doctor indicates that your friends must get medical attention immediately. Waiting until first light might be too late for them," he told Dan.

"You just get that bird here. We’ll get some light here somehow if we have to build a bonfire," Dan informed him. "Look it’s going to take me about a half an hour to make it back to camp, so I need to get going. We’ll keep watch out for that helicopter," he added as he began to quickly walk back to the camp.

"Ten four Mr. Williams. Keep the radio on so we can contact you on this wave length," Sgt. Midiron instructed as he relayed the information to the doctor and then contacted the emergency evacuation team that would head out with the doctor in tow.

Since the valley was so deep, it would take some time before the morning’s light would reach the camp. After Dan had put the radio back into his backpack, he took off at a run back the way he had just come. The first part was uneventful as it had when he first traveled it to the beach. But just before he got to the bad section, he heard a loud grunt and some twigs snapping off to his left. Before he could react a large boar came into the limits of his beam of light.

The boar was big, maybe 200 or 250 pounds and he had very large polished ivory tusks that curled backwards towards his eyes. There was a long bloody gash on his neck he had obtained in a fight with another boar. The wound was covered with dripping mud, but the flies still covered the muddy wound. The boar had poor eyesight but his keen sense of smell told him that there was an enemy not to far away.

Dan kept the beam of light on the boar as he tried to make it to the rocky area of the river. He was sure that the boar would be slowed down some from the precarious uneven ground. This was his safe haven and he needed to get back to camp quick.

Dan had just reached the one boulder that had given him so much trouble before when he heard the boar squeal. Quickly, he scramble over the boulder but in his effort he dropped the flashlight. The lens and bulb popped upon impact and he was left in total darkness.

The boar stopped his charge went he heard the light explosion of breaking glass. He could still smell his enemy. The odor of man was strong in his senses. He routed around the tall boulder and rough tree bark where he had cornered his quarry. Several times he ran around the uneven ground as he tried to find a way to engage the taunting odor, which he knew was near by. Finally the boar gave up. His wound was bothering him a lot and the tormenting flies didn’t help. What he wanted now was some cool mud to sooth the pain and would make his tiny tormentors go away.

Dan had to fight his balance several times as he stayed on the slick boulder. Thankfully the trunk of the tree offered sufficient hand holds and both afforded him protection from the maddened beast below. He belittled himself some when he lost his flashlight but that was the least of his worries. He didn’t try to radio the camp yet in the fear he would drop the radio too. As he felt around the tree, he wished he had some sort of weapon or something to use to discourage the big boar.

Just as he was about to try to climb the tree to get some branches to use as a club, he heard the boar’s hoof steps stop and the deep grunt the came from within the chest of the animal. Positive that the boar was trying to gain access to him, he started to peel some of the bark off the tree to hurl at the wild pig. It was when he heard the bushes some distance away that he realized that the angry boar had left.

Carefully now, Dan descended off the boulder. Ahead of him was part of the trail that had been very difficult to traverse in the first place. Now it was going to be even harder because he didn’t have any light. Keeping the sound of the river to his right, he made his way over the rocky path. As he finally climbed over the last log, he sat down briefly to call the camp ahead of him.

"Steve! This is Danny, come in please," he said into the radio after he had retrieved it from his backpack. A few precious minutes past and he tried again. "Steve! Chin Ho! This is Danny. Come in please, it’s an emergency!" he implored as he sat there staring into the darkness of the valley ahead of him.

Chin Ho had been at the campfire when he heard the call. Quickly he walked over to the table where they had placed the second radio. "Steve! Danny on the radio," he said as he picked up the radio to reply to the summons. "Danny, this is Chin. Where are you man? Did you reach to Coast Guard?" he asked as he watched his boss walk over to him.

"Yeah Chin, I got hold of them. They’re sending a helicopter out now. You need to get some light of some sort for them so they will know where to land. I told them we’d build a bonfire if need be, but you need to do it quickly. They should be there shortly," Dan told his listener as he tried to calm the building fear within him that they still might be too late for his sick friends.

"Give me that Chin," McGarrett demanded as he took the radio from Chin Ho. "Danno, how far away are you?" he asked worriedly, positive that his young friend had somehow managed to get himself hurt.

"I’m right at the edge of the path that enters the boulders and logs. Look Steve, I’ve got a problem. I’m not hurt or anything, but I’ve lost my flashlight and can’t see more then five maybe ten feet in front of me," Dan informed the man who had brought them all to this camp site.

"What happened Danno?" McGarrett demanded as he started to imagine all types of problems his friend might have had to face along the trail to the bay.

"Remember sometime ago, you had told us how you had seen a lot of wild pigs here, well, if we ever want to come back I know of a beauty we could come and hunt. This boar had to have been 200 to 250 in weight and has really long tusks. I guess I sort of surprised him on my way back to camp and he treed me at that big boulder that rests against the tree near the river’s edge," Dan said as he filled his friend in on what had happened. "It was as I was climbing onto the boulder that I lost hold of the flashlight and it fell to the ground. I had to wait until that mother-of-a-boar was gone before I could continue on," he continued with a grateful sigh knowing that his two friends would take care of the lighting needs for the helicopter.

"Okay, you stay where you are and when we have the fire going good I’ll send Chin out to get you," McGarrett instructed his wayward friend. "And Danno, mahalo," he finished off before he set the radio down to help Chin add more wood to their fire. The two men quickly set about the task of dragging some more wood out to the edge of the meadow. They dug a clear spot for the fire and placed some stones around it to contain the hot ashes of the new fire. Once everything was ready, they went back to camp.

After a quick check on the ill men, McGarrett told Chin to get the small can of kerosene from the jeep as he took the old army shovel and got a scoop full of hot coals. After Chin had pours the flammable liquid over the wood, McGarrett added the hot coals to the pile. "Whoosh!" when the flames as wood and fluid ignited. Both men had to step back from the intense heat of the new fire. Chin had just added some more wood when they heard the sound of the helicopter coming up the valley.

*****

Dr. Bill Rivera quickly looked up what supplies he would need for the two ill men. He found out which antidote he would need and walked over to his cabinet of supplies. Fortunately, he had just received a new shipment in of the solution. He placed two bottles of it into his medical bag along with some other items and rushed out of his office for the helipad.

"You ready to take off?" Rivera asked the co-pilot who assisted him into the helicopter.

"We’re just waiting on you," Captain Peter Perinati told him as he slammed the door closed with a bang. When the Captain was in himself, Major Ryan Markel increased power and engaged the rotor blades to lift off.

Markel had looked over the map quickly to get an idea where in the valley he would need to set down. He had done this before on several previous occasions when some camper had become hurt or ill, so he was very knowledgeable of the meadow they were heading for.

Morning wasn’t too far away as they reached the west side of the Big Island. The eastern skies were just beginning to lighten from their azure darkness. A pinkish golden light was beginning to break from the endless water from the east side of the islands.

Markel knew it would still be several hours though before daylight would penetrate the valley. He was sincerely hoping that the other campers would have some sort of lighting that would indicate exactly where the meadow was. His landing lights, while bright, would not be of much use to him to avoid the trees. As luck would be though, there ahead of him in the long valley was a very bright light.

"Doc, they’ve got the spot light. I’ll set you down as close as I can," Markel said into the headset that each man wore so they could converse.

"Good. I might need the Captain to help me. Keep the motor going. We’ve got to get those men out fast," Rivera told him as he tried to look out the window to see the light that the Major had talked about.

Three minutes later, Rivera skillfully landed the helicopter in the wide meadow. The force of the blade fanned the flames and sparkling embers swirled into the air before they extinguished their jeweled miniatures lights.

The helicopter was barely on the ground when the doctor opened the door and ran to the two men who were standing near the fire. "I’m Dr. Bill Rivera, medial doctor on call with the Coast Guard. The radio message said you had two men ill from fiddler spider bites. Where are they?" Rivera loudly said to make himself heard over the noise of the helicopter’s motor and blades.

McGarrett extended his hand for a brief shake and said, "McGarrett, follow me." Quickly they led the others back to their camp. Once at the tent, the Five-0 chief held open the tent flap to admit the doctor.

Rivera first went to Ben, who was still unconscious. His fever was indeed going down but now his breathing had started to become raspy. The doctor listened for a moment with his stethoscope and shook his head. "The poison is starting to affect his breathing. Peter, run back to the chopper and get that portable air tank with the mask," he ordered as he moved over to Duke now.

The doctor didn’t need to take Duke’s temperature to know it was still very high. The heated body was very damp from sweat as the ill man fought to ward off the poison. When the doctor listened to Duke’s lungs he was relieved but still very concerned. "Not good. We’ve got to get them to the helicopter now," he said as he stepped out of the tent. "You two can help carry that man,’ he said nodding in Ben’s direction. "The Captain and I will carry this man. We might as well leave them in the sleeping bags too so they won’t get chilled on the way and the bags will give us something to hang onto."

"What if we put them in the back of the jeep and drive over there instead," Chin Ho suggested.

"Good idea Chin. Hold on Doc, instead of trying to carry them that far we can use the jeep," McGarrett said as he ran over to the jeep, started it and drove it close to the tent entrance.

Once the back of the jeep was emptied, they ever so gently lifted each man and placed him inside the jeep. After the doctor got in the back with his patients, McGarrett got in the driver’s seat and slowly drove over to the helicopter. The back of the jeep was high enough so that it wasn’t too much of job to transfer Ben and Duke inside and onto the waiting gurneys where the doctor and Captain securely strapped them down.

Chin Ho drove the jeep off a ways as McGarrett slide the door to the helicopter closed and then slapped the side of the craft to indicate to the pilot that it was secure. Bending down low to avoid the blades, he then walked over to the waiting jeep. Both he and Chin watched as the helicopter ascended out of the dark valley and into the ever-lightening morning sky.

"I’ll go get Danny now Steve," he said once they were back in camp and walked over to the table and picked up one of the remaining flashlights. "I’m taking my gun with me in case I run into that boar Danny told us about," he added as he holstered his weapon.

"Smart thinking Chin. If you follow the path just to the right of the river you should get to the boulder outcropping. That’s where Danno will be," McGarrett informed him as he brought out a pail to get some water from river to start extinguishing the fading bonfire they had just built. "I’ll start taking down the camp while you’re gone," he called out to the disappearing figure headed towards the other end of the meadow.

It took Chin Ho about fifteen minutes to make it to the spot where the boulders and fallen logs were. He found Dan sitting on one of the first logs. "Hey Danny, I heard you had a problem with the little piggy who went to town," he teased with a big smile.

"Very funny Chin. I hadn’t seen a boar this big ever. You should have seen those tusks too. They had to almost make a complete circle," Dan told him as he jumped down from the log to join Chin to walk back to the camp.

"They do get big. I’m surprised that that one got away from some hunter. He sounds like a trophy one," Chin Ho replied as he tried to envision the incident that had his friend climbing onto a large rock, not knowing if the enraged animal could reach him or not.

The two of them were almost to the meadow when they both heard a loud crash to the right of them. Chin Ho turned his flashlight towards the noise. Before them stood the same boar and was covered with mud from the wallows where he had just left. He had gotten a whiff of the hated human scent and was still on a hormonal driven warpath.

"Holy Toledo. Danny is that him?" Chin Ho asked as he handed Dan the flashlight and withdrew his weapon from its holster.

"That’s him Chin and it looks like he’s still wanting to fight," Dan stated as he kept the beam of light on the beast.

"Let’s hope he doesn’t charge us. I don’t really want to shoot him right now," Chin Ho said as he slowly started to walk a large circle around the angry boar. "You go the other way but be careful. Maybe we can sneak pass him," he suggested as he kept his gun trained on the large animal.

The boar turned his head from one man to the other, unsure which human to go after. When the wind blew from behind Dan towards him, he got a nose full of the scent that he had smelled several hours ago. Enraged by the memory of a lost adversary, the boar took off after Dan.

Dan quickly reacted by running at a ninety-degree angle to the charging animal. The boar’s speed caused him to over shoot. When he tried to stop, his feet hit a wet grassy area which caused him to fall and slide for a few feet. When he stopped he stood up to try and get wind of his victim, but by now Dan and Chin Ho were down wind to him.

Dan had reached his friend’s side by then and both men stood ready for the big boar’s next action. "Maybe if you shoot near him, the noise will frighten him away Chin," he suggested as he kept the light trained on the animal.

"Good idea," Chin Ho replied and took careful aim so that the bullet would hit the ground just in front of the boar.

The explosive sound had the desired effect they wanted. Scared by the noise, the boar’s bravado evaporated as he took off into the woods with his tail sailing high above him.

Both men let out a sigh of relief as they watched the vanishing animal. "That was too close bruddah," Chin Ho said as he put his gun back into his holster.

"Yeah. Twice in one day is a bit much for me too," Dan said as they began to walk back to their camp. They had just entered the meadow when they heard their names being called out.

"Danno! Chin!" McGarrett yelled out as he ran towards the sound of the gunplay.

"Over here Steve," Dan said loudly with a smile.

McGarrett quickly ran over to them. Concern was clearly written on his face but quickly changed to relief and then puzzlement. "What happened? I heard a gun go off," he asked between breaths as he took time to calm down.

"You know that little piggy Danny told us about, well he came back for a second try after him," Chin Ho said with mirth and a twinkle in his eyes in being able to still tease both his friends.

"Little piggy! Little piggy! You call that thing a little piggy?" Dan responded, pretending to be hurt by Chin’s doubt of the size of the beast. "Well, I was ready to tackle him barehanded, but you had to use your pop gun to scare him away," he mentioned with a smile.

"Oh sure Danno, blame it all on Chin," McGarrett said having trouble keeping a straight face at the mental picture he had of Dan’s suggested idea on how to handle the big beast of the forest. He then struggled as he got his priorities back in order and suggested that they break camp and get out of this valley just as soon as it was light enough to see the trail.

*****

It had taken the three men six and a half hours to pack everything up and get back to the main road, which headed towards Kona. As soon as they were clear of the valley, McGarrett called in on the radio for an update on his men.

"Doctor Rivera decided to fly them back to Honolulu. They’re already at Queens Hospital, Mr. McGarrett," Sgt. Kirk Midiron informed him. "If you get over to the base, we’ve got a plane ready to take you back to Oahu," he added trying to sound as helpful as he could. He had heard how close to death both men had been. If they hadn’t flown them out when they did, the doctor hadn’t given either men much of a change of survival.

"Thanks Sergeant. We should be there shortly," McGarrett said before he signed off the radio.

*****

The flight from the Big Island had taken just over two hours. The three men quickly piled the camping gear into the back of McGarrett’s car and Chin Ho’s station wagon. Dan had barely got into the passenger side when the big black Mercury jumped as McGarrett floored it.

Neither man said much as they drove rapidly to the hospital. Chin Ho wasn’t far behind them. The other two men were running up the steps of the hospital by the time he got his car parked.

McGarrett didn’t waste any time as he walked down the all to familiar halls of the emergency section of the hospital. Nurse Pat Climent saw them coming and knew immediately whom they wanted to see.

"Mr. McGarrett," she said in greetings as they stopped at her desk. "Both men are in room 318. Doctor Rivera is still with them," she informed them with a hopeful smile.

McGarrett took off at a run again as Dan thanked the nurse before following the fast moving man down the all. Both of them stopped just outside the room. They knew better then to just barge in until the doctors here gave the all clear.

Chin Ho had just reached the floor to see them disappear around the corner. "What room are they going to?" he asked her as he tilted his head down the direction of the hall.

"Room 318," Nurse Climent replied.

Chin Ho didn’t run down the hall. He was too experienced enough to know that he would have to wait once he got there. When he did reach them, he joined them on the benches set up for those who had to wait to hear of the life and death struggles going on inside of the room.

Impatient as ever, McGarrett paced the halls as he waited for the doctor to come out. Finally after two hours, Dr. Rivera did emerge. All three men quickly walked over to him.

"How are they?" McGarrett asked trying not to sound rude or pushy but failing in his attempt.

Dr. Rivera didn’t say anything as he studied the man’s face. Here was a man you didn’t question. One that had unquestioning loyalty from those who followed him. But he also saw something else in that face. Someone who cared a lot more then he ever let on. Someone who suffered right along with those he cared a great deal about when they got hurt or ill.

"We got them here just in time. I had already given them the start of the antidote needed to counter this poison. Mr. Kokua almost went into repertory failure but he is now doing fine. Both men’s fevers are down. Mr. Lukela has some paralysis but I don’t think that will be permanent. It should go away," Dr. Rivera said as he informed his audience. "I think they will make a complete recovery with no side affects of any sort. I do suggest that once they get out of here, that they take at least a few weeks off to completely regain their strength," he said as he walked back to the nurses’ station.

"How long will they need to be here?" Dan asked knowing that neither man liked to stay in a hospital.

"If they continue to improve like they are, maybe by Tuesday," Dr. Rivera replied as he finished up the paperwork on their forms.

"You all can visit them in the morning. Right now they’re both sleeping and I don’t want them disturbed. We’ll keep you informed if there are any changes, but I don’t expect anything to arise. Good night gentlemen," Rivera said authoritatively and before they could object or say anything he turned and walked down the hall.

Dan and Chin Ho looked at each other and then to their boss. They were unsure as to what he would do because he wasn’t use to being talked to in such a manner. But McGarrett surprised them by not going against the doctor’s orders. Instead he walked back over to the nurse’s station. "I want to be informed immediately if there are any changes in those two men," he told her in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

Nurse Schreiber was behind the desk with Nurse Climent when McGarrett made his statement. She was shocked that her associate hadn’t reacted to this stern command. Instead of coming back at the upset man, Nurse Climent merely gave him a friendly smile.

"Unless you’ve moved in the last six weeks Mr. McGarrett, we have your phone number. Be assured, if there are any changes during ‘my’ shift, I will let you know ‘after’ I have informed the doctor first," Nurse Climent informed him while maintaining her smile. She had had to deal with this man before, both as a patient and as someone who had an associate admitted into the hospital for sort of medical emergency.

Satisfied that his men were receiving the best care, McGarrett turned without another word to the nurses and began to walk down the long hall. Chin Ho smiled at the nurses before he left, but Dan hung back for a moment.

"Steve’s just concerned about his friends," Dan said as he tried to smooth over the heated feelings.

"I know that Mr. Williams. It’s just that between McGarrett’s demands and Dr. Rivera’s demands, those two have sort of stretched my patience. Can you do me a favor? Please tell him I’ll keep a very close eye over them and if ‘any’ happens, good or bad, I’ll inform him just as absolutely as soon as I can," Nurse Climent requested as she sat back down to start filling out the needed paperwork on these current patients.

Dan eyes twinkled a little as he gave her an encouraging smile. He knew exactly how difficult McGarrett could be when one of his men was hurt. He admired the nurse’s attitude and how she stood up for herself against McGarrett’s forceful demands. "No problem," he reassured her before he turned and quickly ran down the hall and out of the building to his impatiently waiting boss.

*****

McGarrett hadn’t gone home that night, but had elected to go to the office. It was here that he felt the best when things went wrong. It was as if all the knowledge of the past had been absorbed by the old building and it departed its wisdom to him during the late night hours. Here he could think and solve those unsolvable problems out the best. Sometimes he felt as if a guiding hand led him to some of the answers. But this time there were no answers to be obtained, only a comforting feeling that all would turn out well.

The soft white vinyl couch was again his bed when he could no longer keep his eyes open. And that was where he was when the phone rang the next morning. On the first shrill ring of the phone, he was up and over to the desk to answer it.

"McGarrett," he said into the receiver with a tone of hardness soften by expectancy.

"Mr. McGarrett, this is Nurse Climent. I thought you’d like to know both of your friends are awake and doing very well. Dr. Rivera has already seen them and said that you can come and visit them whenever you want," Nurse Climent told him.

"Mahalo," McGarrett replied with a smile. "I’ll be there within the hour if that’s okay."

"Sure," Nurse Climent said. "I’ll even treat you to a cup of coffee when you get here," she added.

McGarrett smiled to himself for a moment. "You don’t have to do that," he said as he remembered the pleasant features of her face.

"It would be my pleasure Mr. McGarrett," Nurse Climent told him. "Consider it a peace treaty between us, after all, we both want your friends to get better."

It had been very quite in the hospital that morning for the normal bustle of the morning activities hadn’t yet started. Nurse Schreiber heard some footsteps coming down the hall and looked up. "Donna, Mr. McGarrett is here," she told her co-worker with a smile. The two women had discussed the very handsome features of this man during the night and the type of woman, in their opinion, that it would take to satisfy him.

"Good morning ladies," McGarrett in greeting when he reached their desk area.

"Good morning Mr. McGarrett," they both said in unison.

McGarrett didn’t hurry off to the hospital room right away, which was unusual for him, but lingered at bit to extend his apologies to them both. "Nurse Climent, I believe you promised me a cup of coffee when I arrive," he reminded her with a smile.

"Yes I did and please call me Donna," she said as she walked over to the coffee pot they had going in the corner of the long desk. "Black?" she asked positive that he didn’t take it any other way.

"Yes," McGarrett affirmed as he accepted the cup. After he took a sip he nodded towards the room, "Have they had breakfast yet?"

"No, we’ll be bringing that around in about another hour or so," Donna told him as she walked with him to the room. McGarrett pushed the door open for her and allowed her to enter first.

Both of his men were awake and sitting up talking about who had caught the biggest fish that weekend. They looked over to the door as it opened and smiled.

"Morning Steve," they both said with a smile when they noticed the charismatic expression their boss had on his face as he escorted Nurse Climent over to the beds.

"Ben, Duke, how are you both feeling?" McGarrett asked with an expectant smile. "I called Chin and Danno and informed them you were being allowed visitors. They both said they’d be over later," he informed them.

"Great, but I don’t know how Duke feels, but I feel good enough to get out of here," Ben replied trying to sound like he was feeling better then he was.

"Me too Steve. How soon can we get out of here? The Doc only told us maybe by Tuesday," Duke asked, itching to get out of there.

"I don’t know Duke," McGarrett answered his friend then turned to Donna and asked, "Do you think they could be released sooner?"

"Unless something out of the ordinary comes up, Dr. Rivera plans to release them by tomorrow. He originally wanted to keep them longer. But they recovered so fast during the night so he just wants to make sure that they are fine," Donna informed them. "I’ll leave you now so you can visit and talk some. Breakfast gentlemen is at 7:30," she told them as she opened the door to leave.

The three men were talking about what had happened the night before when Chin Ho and Duke walked into the room.

"Hey guys, how are you feeling?" Chin Ho asked as he walked in following Dan.

"Feeling much better. Hey I hear you were the one that walked to the beach to call for help, Danny. Thanks for the effort. I don’t know if Ben or I would have made it if you hadn’t," Duke said with gratitude.

"You’d of done the same for me Duke," Dan replied happily.

The five men talked some until Ben and Duke’s breakfast arrived. Donna had arranged for the other three men to have a breakfast with them. She even provided them all with fresh coffee. Two hours later, McGarrett, Chin Ho and Dan said they good-byes to their friends and promised to visit again later in the day.

"Okay Steve," Chin Ho and Dan answered back with a knowing smile on their faces. They knew he was going to do more then just chat with Nurse Climent. They knew she would soon become another ardent admire of the tall mysterious dark hair man who was in charge of Hawaii Five-0 and that they wouldn’t be talking about the ill fated camp out.

PAU