Who knew, that when Danny Williams took the Governor's call that morning, that his mind was going to be blown before the day was out.
Steve had been out surfing with Kono when the Governor had called , so naturally Danny's number was the next she tried.
After getting all the details from her, Danny send a text to the water loving duo, knowing they'd catch up once they left the surf. Picking up Chin, he and Danny headed toward the centre of the island, to the address the Governor had given him.
The attacked husband was the owner of a local shipping company which appeared to be doing well, if the house was anything to go by.
The husband, Jason Pickett, was found deceased; killed instantly by the gunshot wound to the centre of his chest. The wife, Diane Pickett, however, managed to survive. Her wound had been slightly off target; piercing her chest on the upper right side. She had a collapsed lung, but luckily the paramedics had reached her in time and she'd been taken the hospital for emergency surgery.
The couple had been found in their bed by the nanny. An elderly lady, Kali O'Hala had taken the couple's young daughter out to her private unit at the back of the manor grounds while they processed the scene and Max handled the husband's body.
The Nanny was worried about the little girl being exposed to the scene which Danny could understand. He was pretty sure he'd seen the little girl in Grace's class at school; it was a split class and he was pretty sure she was in the lower half of the split, while Grace was in the higher.
Steve and Kono arrived just as they'd finished and Max was wheeling out the deceased.
Without a word, Steve strode over to the body bag and unzipped it, staring down at the body.
"Kono?" Danny asked, hoping their rookie would have some idea of what was making their SEAL act weirder than normal.
"I dunno guys," she replied with a shake of her head, eyes trained on their boss. "He's been shifty and silent since I told him the address."
"Where's the wife and… daughter?" Steve spoke up for the first time, turning to look at the rest of the team, face contorted into a look of worry and anxiety.
"There's a daughter?" Kono asked in surprise; no-one had told them about a kid.
"Yeah about the same age as Grace," Danny answered her, before eyeing his partner curiously. "You know this family, Babe?" he asked. He'd never seen the man this rattled; not even when they had been chasing Hesse a few months back.
"You could say that. Where are they, Danny?" Steve quickly dodged the question. Clearly they weren't going to be getting any answers yet.
"The wife was taken to the ER with a single gunshot to the upper chest. She's having surgery for a collapsed lung, and to remove the slug last we heard. The little girl is with the Nanny out back," Danny explained. Steve was moving through the house to the backdoor before he'd finished.
"You two start talking to the house staff I'm going to find out what's wrong with Rambo." Danny sighed.
Chin and Kono nodded in acceptance as their 'second boss' moved to follow after their 'boss boss'.
Danny caught up with Steve just as he was knocking on the unit door. The Nanny answered immediately; her troubled expression breaking into a relieved smile at the sight of Steve. "Steven, I'm so glad you are here. I did not know what to tell the Keike. She is upset and confused, but I did not want to say anything without checking with you or the mistress first," The elder lady explained letting the two men step into her home.
"Thank you, Kali, I'll take care of it. Will you go to the hospital, keep an eye on Diane and call me the minute you have news?" Steve said giving her a reassuring hug. Danny stood back and watched the scene unfold before him, not wanting to intrude, hoping he'd maybe get some answers. He knew that Steve would tell him to leave if he didn't want him to see this.
"Of, course, I will. Keike, there's someone here to see you," she called down a hallway which, Danny assumed, led to the bedrooms. The thundering of running young footsteps was one Danny would know anywhere and within seconds the young blonde girl he had briefly seen earlier was in the doorway. Her scared blue eyes landed on Steve and instantly her whole demeanour changed to one of excited relief as she threw herself into the SEAL's arms.
"Papa! I was so scared. There were people everywhere and they wouldn't let me see Mama or Jason."
Danny felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He'd been teasing his partner about his inability to deal with children and yet, there he stood comforting a young girl with ease as she cried into his shoulder and called him 'Papa'.
"I know, Mags, it's ok. I'm gonna take you to my place and I'll explain everything there, ok?"
"But, Papa, you'll get in trouble! We're not allowed to go anywhere without Mama or Jason."
"I know, Baby, but just this time I think it will be ok."
"Ok, Papa."
Finally Steve turned to Danny and looked him straight in the eye. Danny could see the guilt there at a secret kept, as well as morose and maybe a touch of fear, so he quickly slammed a lid on the rising rant and gave his partner a reassuring smile. Seeing Steve's frame relax minutely and the tentative smile that was returned he knew he'd made the right decision.
"Kono, Chin and I can handle things here, Babe. You take her and go; I'll come see you at your place as soon as I can."
"Thanks, Danno," Steve sighed before gently nudging the bundle curled tightly in his arms to gain her attention. "Mags, there's someone here I want you to meet. This is Danny, he's my partner at work that I was telling you about. Danny, this is my daughter Maggie."
"Hello, Maggie," Danny smiled gently, ducking his head slightly to look at the unsure eyes peering out at him. While he'd been in the room the whole time, the minute her eyes had settled on her father there had been no-one else and she probably hadn't even noticed Danny.
"I've seen you at school; you're Grace's Dad."
"That's right, I've seen you there too. You're in Gracie's class, right?"
"Grace is my friend, I like her. She says you're pretty cool and Papa likes you," Maggie said giving him a tentative smile as he apparently met her approval.
"That's good cause I like your Papa too. Now, I'll see you and your Papa later, alright? Don't let him drive too fast on the way home. You'll have to tell me if he does so I can tell him off when I get there." Danny smirked as Maggie giggled and nodded an affirmative while Steve simply rolled his eyes.
"Okay, Mags, we're gonna play a little game, you've got to keep your eyes shut while I get us out to the car, and when we get there you'll have to tell me all the smells you could smell while your eyes were closed."
Maggie grinned at him before squeezing her eyes shut and pressing her face back to Steve's shoulder.
"Have fun you two and I'll be there soon," Danny said, giving his partner's shoulder a reassuring squeeze which Steve gratefully accepted with a smile, though it was full of anguish once more now that he wasn't putting on a brave face for his little girl.
"And I will call you as soon as I know something." Kali said, closing the door behind them as they left.
Steve nodded and thanked them both, before heading around the edge of the house where Maggie wouldn't likely be exposed to the talk of 5-0 or HPD in the house let alone the smell of blood which was beginning to permeate through the rooms connected to the master bedroom.
"Steven is a good man. He was a good boy when I used to watch him as a Keiki. I just wish the mistress wouldn't let the master tell her otherwise. He is a good Papa to Maggie and she loves him dearly, no matter how little she gets to see him," Kali said with a sad smile as Danny walked her around to the garage.
As Danny watched the older woman drive off, he was left with even more questions and no answers to help quell them.
