AN: Hey guys! Alrighty, this is my first H50 fanfic.
It is also a McWestern,fic so if you're a hater and you're going to flame, don't even bother.
This fic is set after Episode 7 (Ka Iwi Kapu) and varies between a fair amount of OOC-ness and a relative amount of what is a more "in character" Steve.
Make sure you read the authors note at the end, and don't forget to review!
-Scottie.
Lori Western hadn't strictly told her boss the truth after she'd been knocked out.
She definitely wasn't fine – her head was aching, and she was getting dizzier with every step that she took.
As soon as they'd wrapped up the case and arrived back at Headquarters, Lori stumbled into her office and curled up into her chair, making sure it was facing away from the door. She clutched at her temples, moaning quietly.
But Steve McGarrett was quite observant. Lori wasn't usually the type to pass up a celebration after a case. The fact that she'd this time headed straight for her office told him that something was wrong.
The fact that she hadn't made a noise inside her office in the hour it took the rest of the team to leave told him something was seriously wrong. Promising Danny he'd make sure everything was locked up if he left, he waved Danny off and immediately walked over to Lori's office, knocking at the door.
"Lori?" He called quietly, pushing the door open. "You in here?"
He was greeted by silence.
"Lori?" Steve thought back, but he was sure she hadn't left her office since they'd gotten back. He stepped in, closing the door behind him, and walked into her office, looking for her.
Reaching her desk, Steve finally found her sleeping on her chair. He reached out and gently shook her shoulder.
"Lori," he said. "As comfortable as that chair is, I can't let you sleep here tonight." When she didn't react, Steve began to get worried. "Lori?" Steve shook her shoulder a little bit harder, but she still didn't react. He knelt down in front of her chair and sat her up. By this point, the fact that she hadn't woken up told Steve that the blow to the head that she'd gotten certainly wasn't fine.
Deciding he had to move her from her office, Steve leant over and picked Lori up. As awkward as it felt, there was nothing else he could do. She stirred slightly as he moved, but didn't wake up. Steve left her office and walked out of the doors to the office building, carefully closing and locking the door behind him.
Walking out to his car, Steve unlocked it and gently sat Lori in the passenger seat before moving around to the drivers seat.
"Lori." Steve called her name again to see if she would wake up. It didn't surprise him when she didn't.
So he started driving.
H50H50H50H50H50H50H50
Lori woke up with a strange sense of confusion. Her eyelids were heavy as she tried to open her eyes, and a throbbing was becoming more and more evident in the back of her skull.
"Where am I," she mumbled, the pain becoming worse as she spoke.
"Lori?"
"Steve?" She looked at the slightly blurred shape to her side.
"Yeah, it's me."
"Where am I?"
"You're at my house."
"Why?"
"Because you were unconscious and I sure as hell wasn't letting you stay alone at your place like that."
"I told you," Lori whispered, trying to hide the pain in her voice. "That I was fine." Steve chuckled and sat down on the edge of the couch she was occupying, causing it to dip slightly.
"How are you feeling," Steve asked, concern obvious in his voice.
"Like I've just been hit by a train," Lori replied. "Why do you ask?" Steve smiled, and Lori attempted to sit up. By the time she was halfway up, she was grimacing in pain, and her head was throbbing so badly that she slid back down again, curling into a ball, not doing anything about the tears rolling down her cheeks.
Steve hurried to Lori's side and carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulders, gently moving to sit her up. Lori quietly sobbed into his chest until the pain began to subside, by which point she had no energy left, so she kept her eyes closed and fell asleep.
Steve remained still, softly rubbing Lori's back as she waited for the pain to fade. When she stopped sobbing, Steve looked down and saw that she had fallen asleep again, the sudden onset of pain draining all energy from her. He carefully shifted around on the couch so that Lori was lying on her side, her head still resting on his chest. Keeping his arm around her shoulders, Steve closed his eyes and let the soothing crashing of the waves onto the beach outside his house lull him into sleep.
H50H50H50H50H50H50H50
Lori felt comfortable, albeit still confused and her head was still throbbing like mad. She didn't want to open her eyes, though, because just the thought that she might have to move made her head throb all the more. She did, however, roll towards the source of the warmth, because it was the only thing that was making her head feel any better.
Sleepily, Steve tightened his arm around the shoulder of the woman lying next to him as he felt her move towards him. He leant his head down and rested it on the top of hers. As he slowly woke up, Steve realised exactly who it was that was lying next to him, and he abruptly picked his head up, taking a moment to remember why he was on the couch with Lori.
When the warmth disappeared from above her, Lori moaned quietly and let her eyes flick open.
"Lori?"
"Mmm?"
"How's your head?"
"Better. I still have a killer headache, though." Steve smiled sympathetically and without taking his arm from Lori's shoulders, he sat up pulling Lori with him slowly enough that it wouldn't hurt her.
The movement, despite how slow and gentle it was, still increased the throbbing in Lori's head and she cried out quietly. Steve tightened his grip on her shoulders again, but Lori shook her head.
"It's alright."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"That's what you said to me yesterday," Steve smiled.
"No really, I'm fine this time. I just sat up a little fast."
"Are you sure you're - "
"I'm not about to pass out again, don't worry." Steve smiled again, and Lori tilted her head, resting it on Steve's shoulder, closing her eyes. Steve lightly rested his cheek on the top of Lori's head, making sure to avoid the large egg protruding from the back of her skull.
"Do you want some breakfast?" Steve whispered into her hair.
"Thanks, but I'm not hungry."
"You should eat something."
"Really, I'm not hungry. I'll probably throw up if I eat anything." Steve chuckled.
"Too much information at this time of morning, perhaps?"
"Hey," Lori said, tilting her head up to face Steve. "You asked."
"Touché." Lori smiled. "Well, I'm going to get some breakfast. You're welcome to watch TV and starve." Steve passed the remote to Lori and walked out of the room.
Lori turned the TV on and flicked through some channels until the sports news caught her eye. She placed the remote next to her and began watching, letting the NFL news of the morning distract her from the dull ache at the back of her head.
"Hey Steve," Lori called. "Looks like Tampa Bay beat Green Bay."
"What? No, that can't happen!"
"Apparently it can. And Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone."
"Aw, no!"
"Were we rooting for Green Bay, were we?"
"Hey, Rodgers is one of the best in the league. It's a shame that he's out," Steve wandered back into the room, two semi-burnt pieces of toast on a plate, the smell of smoke wafting from the kitchen.
"Gosh, Steve, has no one ever taught you to cook?"
"I spent most of my time in the Navy getting meals provided."
"It's no wonder Danny always brings his own food."
"Shut up, you. Aren't you supposed to have a sore head or something?" Lori rolled her eyes, unintentionally raising a hand to feel the lump on the back of her head.
"Please, don't remind me." Steve sat down on the edge of the couch, almost on top of Lori's feet, took a bite out of his toast and smiled.
"Sorry."
"No you're not. You're just saying that so I won't beat you up when I get the chance."
"If you say so." Lori kicked out with one foot, hitting him in the thigh. "Hey! What was that for."
"Prior warning. Seeing as I certainly can't fight you, that'll do for now." Steve glared at her briefly and slid further away from her feet.
"Running away from a fight now are we McGarrett? That's not something you usually do."
"Taking advantage of a situation now are we? That's not something – oh wait, yes it is."
Lori smiled evilly and kicked out again.
"Hey, fine, I'll stop."
"Probably a good call." Steve raised an eyebrow and massaged his thigh where he had just been kicked. Twice.
There was a knock at the door, and Steve stood up, placing the plate of burnt toast on the coffee table.
"I'll be right back."
"I don't doubt it." Steve stepped out of the room and walked to the front door. Opening it slightly, he peered outside.
"Hey Steve. Mind if I come in?"
Danny had come to visit.
"Uh, actually now isn't a good time."
"Why not? You burnt the toast again?" Danny said, somehow stepping through Steve and into the house.
"That is completely beside the point."
"Not really. Hey who won last night? Green Bay or Tampa Bay?" Danny asked, entering the TV room. He noticed Lori sitting on the couch and raised an eyebrow. "Something I should know here?"
Steve and Lori exchanged looks.
"Tampa Bay won, Danny. Rodgers broke his collarbone." Lori broke the awkward silence.
"I don't care anymore. Whatcha doing here?"
"Danny," Steve stepped forwards and placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. "She was unconscious when you left last night. There was nothing else I could do."
"Sure, sure," Danny didn't want to let them off that easily. "How's your head?" He asked Lori, smiling slightly.
"Worse now," Lori smiled. "Thanks for the concern." She grimaced slightly and leant her head back into the couch. "If you two are planning on having a fight, mind going somewhere that won't give me a headache?"
"Danno," Steve nodded to the side. "Can I talk to you?"
"Yeah, sure," Danny said, walking backwards from the room. Steve pulled him into a side room.
"So uh, what really happened?"
"What are you on, Danny? She was unconscious last night. I wasn't going to leave her in her office all night, that would be stupid and irresponsible."
"Oh, so now you're pro-responsibility?"
"I never said that. But she's part my - the team, Danny. It's my responsibility to ensure the safety of my team."
"The safety of your team? The safety?"
"Alright, the relative safety."
"You're crazy. You know that?" Steve nodded.
"If you're going to keep acting like this, I'm going to have to kick you out of my house."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm leaving. I just wanted to know if you wanted to come with Gracie and I to the fair today."
"You were going to ask if I wanted to go to the fair?"
"Yeah. Gracie likes you for reasons I do not understand."
"Now who's the crazy one?" Danny smiled. "Come on, get out."
"See you at work."
"If you last that long."
Danny stepped out of the front door and Steve closed it behind him. Sighing, he walked back to his abandoned breakfast and the TV.
"Anything else exciting happen in the Football?" Lori didn't respond. "Lori?" Steve walked over to her and shook her shoulder gently. "Lori, can you hear me?" Steve picked up his plate and waved it above her nose. This got a reaction from her.
"Get that toast away," she mumbled.
"You alright?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, my head just started to hurt really bad." Lori replied, her hand creeping back to the lump on the back of her head. Steve brushed some stray hair from her face and looked into her eyes. He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and shined it into her eyes. She flinched away from it, shielding her eyes.
"How do you feel?"
"Dizzy. Sick. Tired."
"Lori, I gotta get you to a hospital."
"No, I'm fine."
"No you're not. You might be concussed."
"I'm fine, Steve!" The sound of her own voice being raised slightly caused her to wince.
"No you're not." Steve turned the TV off and carefully helped Lori stand. "Can you walk?"
"I told you, I'm fine." Lori took a step forward and immediately began to fall sideways. Steve caught her and put her arm across his shoulder.
"And I told you that you're not." Wrapping his arm around her waist, Steve helped her stumble out towards his car. He carefully sat her in the passenger seat before jogging back to the door of his house and locking it. Hurrying back to the car again, he put the key in the ignition and began driving.
"Lori, make sure you stay awake, alright?" There was a pause before she replied.
"Sure, sure."
"No, seriously. I can't have you pass out before we get to the hospital." A longer pause this time.
"But as soon as we're there I can?"
"As soon as there's a Doctor, yes you can."
"Fine. But be quick."
"I'm working on it."
AN: Please excuse anything that doesn't make sense about the football (I know Green Bay actually won, but I wrote this before the game :) ) because I'm an Aussie, and all I really know about NFL is what I figure out from watching the games on TV over here. Also, this will be continued, it was just that I've been writing this for a while and wanted to get it finished, but I still haven't figured out my ending just yet. I wanted to publish something, so the first half(ish) is what I deemed enough to publish for now.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. Reviewing makes for a happy Scottie, and a happy Scottie makes for a faster update :)
-Scottie.
