Author's Note: Response to a challenge not to mention the main character's name so hopefully you can guess who it is!
RISKS by LucyMb
He never got used to the risks.
The chaos was all encompassing; shouts, the smell of gunfire, people running - the level of turmoil was confusing in the extreme in the aftermath – but understandable.
His nerves were close to shattered, all he craved was the peace and quiet of his inner sanctum; a large Scotch and some soothing Beethoven - perhaps the alcohol most of all.
There as an element of guilt too – that good people's lives were on the line because of him, but someone had to do the job he did and for that there was no apologizing.
Taking a deep breath to still his fast-beating heart, he took a moment to view the face of his would-be assassin. The man could have been anyone on the streets of Honolulu – middle-aged, non-descript - normal. He certainly didn't look capable of killing. Two seconds and it could have been him lying there in a congealing pool of blood instead. Glassy eyes stared back at him - they were dark, un-repentant. He shivered.
Only the incredible bravery of one man under his command reversed fate and kept him alive.
A cry disturbed his thoughts – pulling his gaze from the dead man to the corner of the room he witnessed a troubling scene playing out and the guilt hit him again – full force this time for the man was a friend. His office had almost cost the life of a good and heroic person; the youngest member of the Five-0 unit and one of the most conscientious cops on the force.
Waiting for medical help, they were trying to keep Dan Williams alive. Danny had seen the danger before anyone else and selflessly stepped in front of the gunman, taking a round in the neck and yet still had the strength to return fire and slay his attacker. McGarrett's man had saved the life of a so-called VIP and now lay close to death himself.
He moved forward, instinct pulling him to the wounded man's side but found uniformed officers urge him back to protect him. It was too soon after the shooting and they feared another attempt – that someone else might be waiting on the second floor, just as the assassin had been, but they need not have feared, his single nameless enemy was dead and his brave savior dying. "Leave me, I'm fine." He spoke with a confidence he did not feel.
Realizing his authority was absolute, the men allowed him to walk forward, toward the tableaux surrounding Williams as he bled out on the polished tiles of the hallway, his blood rich and red against the stark white, leaching into the grouting – never to be removed.
A crouching Steve McGarrett; ever-present, ever-watchful, turned toward him and for a moment he felt kicked in the chest; there was such pain and anger in the Five-0 Chief's eyes that it made him literally step backwards. He witnessed the powerful need for McGarrett to protect his second-in-command and he understood no one, not even him, could come between them. With Danny down, Steve was not someone to be tangled with, no matter how important he was.
"Steve," he began. "How is he?"
McGarrett clutched his fallen friend's hand so tightly it seemed as though he believed to relinquish it would be the death of one, or both, of them. Their hands were sealed by fresh blood.
"Not good." Came the solemn reply and his grip tightened.
"I'm sorry. I wish..," What did he wish? That his office didn't mean that he was a target for criminals and spies? That he had chosen Football as a career? That he could have taken the bullet instead? What?
Below him on the floor Dan smiled at him, then grimaced so tightly that the skin on his face seemed to shrink around his skull as a wave of agony hit him. The young man had been trying to tell him with that one small expression that he was glad he was alive – he had done his duty – whatever the consequences.
McGarrett spoke to someone next to him. "Chin, get him out of here, it may not be safe."
"Sure thing, boss." Kelly replied.
Three tall HPD officers and Chin Ho surrounded him, guns drawn, eyes roving and ushered him towards the door.
He backed away from McGarrett and Williams, more grateful than ever for the training, speed and bravery that Danny had exhibited on his behalf. Yet again his life had been spared.
He knew he was in shock when he realized that one moment he was looking at the fallen detective, the next the inside of his limousine, pressed between bodyguards. To the front and back were motorcycle escorts and somewhere in the distance the sound of a siren. The ambulance had arrived to take Williams to hospital.
He truly hoped Dan would live. He owed him his existence from this day forward: for the round that had pierced Danny's flesh instead of his, for the reflexes the boy possessed and the willingness to risk his own life.
But for now, despite the strain, he had to concentrate: to shake himself out of the nightmare that had just taken place. He had to plan what he would say to the press, to not let his demeanor crack under pressure. Most of all he had to reassure the public that all was well, that no criminal would get the better of the government, or of Five-0. He was alive.
Sinking back into the plush leather interior, his mind whirled with alternate possibilities. What if Williams hadn't come between him and the gunman? What if he had been two seconds late? Perhaps the State of Hawaii could survive his loss - there would always be others to step up to the plate and do his job but he was so glad that today there was no need, that thanks to brave men he still had a role to fulfill in the Islands.
And his father had said Politics was a safe career choice – how wrong can a parent be?
*****