Jesse tried to hide her depression but it was not easy. Ever since she lost her left arm, below her the elbow, she just couldn't bring herself to have fun. Steve, her father, was so much more protective now, not that she minded.
They had fallen into a routine. Steve would wake her up and they would get ready to leave. Then he'd take her with him to Five-O headquarters, where she'd hang out all day, most days. Sometimes Jerry or Kamekona would look after her. But, more often than not, she'd spend the day in Steve's office.
One of these days, a day that happened to be worse than most, she couldn't even find the energy to draw or read. She just lay on the couch in her dad's office while her Ohana worked a new case.
About halfway through the day, she heard Danny laughing and decided to go check it out. It's not like she was doing anything anyways. Pushing the door open with her right hand, she stepped into the 'bullpen', looking around curiously. Her eyes landed on the baby strapped to Steve's chest.
Both Danny and Steve had gone quiet and were looking at her in concern.
Jesse stared at the baby for a few quiet moments before quietly asking, "Who's baby did you steal, Dad?"
Danny burst out laughing and even Steve chuckled. Chin, who had come out of his office right before Jesse spoke, couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out.
"I didn't steal her." Steve said, snorting in amusement at his daughter's skeptical posture. "She's Mary's adopted daughter."
Jesse continued looking at her father skeptically for a long moment as she thought. "Really?" She asked.
"Yes." Steve replied.
Jesse's face broke out in a huge grin. She went over to her dad slowly and, just as slowly, raised a hand to the baby's face. She touched the infant's cheek in wonderment.
"Soft..." She murmured.
Steve, Danny and Chin were equally as pleased to see Jesse smiling.
"Can I hold her?" Jesse asked tentatively.
"Sure, just be careful." Steve said, undoing the straps on the carrier. He gently lowered the child into Jesse's waiting arms. Jesse, a little nervously, put her right arm underneath the little human, and wrapped her stumped arm around her shoulders.
Steve watched his child with a mix of slight concern, and a large amount of happiness.
"What's her name?" Jesse asked quietly, as if worried that if she spoke too loud, she'd lose her grip on the infant.
"Joan." Steve replied, smiling lovingly at the two girls.
"Like Grandpa?" Jesse said, glancing up to see if she was right.
Steve blinked in surprise. Although, he really shouldn't have been surprised. If anyone thought similarly to his sister, it was Jesse. "Yes, like Grandpa." He nodded.
Danny and Chin watched the touching scene, happy that Jesse seemed to have forgotten, if only temporarily, about her sadness.
Danny smiled a soft smile, thinking, not for the first time, about how Steve was really like a half-baked cookie. All soft and gooey on the inside.
Jesse lowered herself to the floor and sat cross legged, the little girl in her lap.
Steve took one last look at his daughter and niece and then said, "Chin, keep an eye on Joan please. Danno and I are gonna go to the Honolulu Zoo and check out that locker."
Chin nodded as Jesse said, "Uncle Danno, make sure Super SEAL drives at least reasonably safely."
Danny Laughed as Steve rolled his eyes.
As they walked away, Steve said, over his shoulder, "Don't forget to feed her when she's hungry."
Chin looked down at Jesse and Joan. "How do I know if she's hungry?" He asked.
"Trust me, you'll know." Danny said with a chuckled and a thumbs up.
Chin went into his office to do whatever he needed to do, paperwork probably, or phone calls. Every few minutes he would look up to check on the kids, quickly returning to work after seeing they were still playing together. Everytime he looked up, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Jesse looked so happy.
At one point, he looked up to find Jesse standing in front of his desk, holding and unhappy looking Joan. As his face transformed into one of concern, she said, "Uncle Chin, Joan's hungry."
Suppressing a smile that threatened to conquer the serious tone of the room, he said, "Ok, pass her here."
Jesse took a few extra steps towards Chin's desk and carefully passed the baby over into the man's arms. She then brought him the bag and handed him the baby food.
AS Chin fed Joan, Jesse slipped into Danny's office and layed on the couch. Within moments, she was asleep.
LATER:
Steve and Danny returned to their HQ and Chin came out of his office, carrying Joan.
"Don't mind the smell." He said.
"Ooof." Steve muttered, wrinkling his nose.
Danny leaned back slightly.
"Yeah, I know. Strained Peas, only partially digested." Chin said. "Here, could you, uh..." He added, handing Joan to Steve. "Thanks."
Steve took Joan into his arms willingly, greeting her almost excitedly.
"Did you get anything, besides, uh, baby puke?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, funny." Chin said before informing them of his findings.
Steve cooed and babbled to the baby, earning a reprimanding, "Hey, could you focus a little bit?" from Danny.
"I am." Steve said, repeating what Chin had said.
"Ok." Danny murmured, nodding.
Once Chin had finished briefing them, Steve walked around the table and passed Joan to Danny.
"What're you doing?" Danny asked as he took her, setting her on the edge of the table, beside the money they had found in the locker at the zoo.
"It's your turn." Steve replied.
"My turn what?" Danno questioned.
"We're a team, Danno. Everybody;s gotta put in 110 percent." Steve said. "Lookit that. This right here is 110 percent." He added, pointing at the puke stain on Chin's shoulder.
"Chin and I are going to go talk to Decker. Meanwhile, while you're on babysitting duty, why don't you run background on this real estate lady." Steve said, referencing the woman Chin had told them about.
Joan, while her uncles had been talking, had picked up a bundle of money and was playing with it.
"And try not to let her drool on the evidence. We're gonna need that."
"Smart kid." Danno murmured. "I got an idea. Why don't I step up for the team and go out with Chin. You can stay here and make those calls, and deal with, uh, you're soiled niece here."
"Change her soon, you understand, or she gets a rash." Steve said in reply.
"Oh, does she?" Danny asked, looking at the child.
"Diaper bag's in Steve's office, bottles are in the fridge. And you're gonna need that." Chin said, tossing the cloth he'd been holding onto Danny's shoulder.
Chin and Steve started to walk out, but Chin, remembering something, turned back. "Oh, and Jesse is asleep in your office."
"Asleep? What'd you guys do to her? Make her run a marathon?" Danny asked, addressing both Chin and Joan. But it was Steve who answered from the doorway.
"She hasn't been sleeping much. Nightmares keep her up." He hesitated a moment, meeting Danny's gaze, before walking out with Chin right behind him.
Danny sighed and looked at Joan. "You know what that means? He's telling me to let her sleep. I'm sure there was a hidden threat in that look too. Probably gonna make me go hiking with him again, or something."
Sighing again, he went and changed Joan's diaper and then made the calls he needed to, before settling in his office chair. Sitting Joan on the desk, Danny cleared his throat softly, not wanting to disturb Jesse.
"Alright. So, once upon a time, there was a very handsome prince. And this handsome prince had a very beautiful black stallion. And this black stallion was admired by everybody in the kingdom. It was the fastest and fairest stallion in the land. About 528 horsepower...very nice stallion. Anyway, uh, one day, this incredibly handsome prince-he was partnered up with a mean ogre. A disgusting, hairy ogre."
Jesse, who had woken up before Danny even started his story, silently watched him as he spoke.
"It was not a match made in heaven. They would slay dragons together from time to time. And they'd argue all the time, and, of course, the brilliant charming prince would win those arguments, cause the ogre was a dope. Despite their, uh, victories, there was a dark cloud that loomed, because, the dopey ogre, he coveted the handsome prince's stallion. Ok? And he was a very greedy, selfish ogre with major control issues. And he would never let the handsome prince ride his own stallion." Right then, his phone began to ring. "Hold on, we're gonna pick this up in a second." He said as he shifted Joan into his lap and pulled out his phone.
AS he spoke to the real estate agent, Jesse shifted her gaze to the ceiling, wondering about worrying things.
Before she knew it, Danny had finished his call and was standing up.
"We going out?" Jesse asked, sitting up.
"Yeah." Danny said after a second. Since when had she been awake? He puzzled.
After getting the baby bag and heading downstairs, they walked to Danny's car and he strapped Joan into the car seat in the back.
Jesse climbed in the front. and Danny started the car, pulling out of the parking lot.
They drove in silence for a number of minutes before Jesse spoke.
"Hey Danno?"
"Yeah?"
A few seconds of hesitation. "Do you hate my dad?"
Danny glanced over at her in surprise, but she was looking out the window.
The blond detective was about to joke about Jesse's question, when he saw her clenched fist.
"Why would you think I hate Steve?" He asked instead.
"Lots of reasons." She answered quietly, still not looking at Danny. "Most recently because you told Joan about Dad being a disgusting, mean, hairy, greedy, selfish ogre."
"You were listening to that?" Danny asked, glancing at Jesse again. "That was a st-"
"Don't tell me it was a story. I'm not stupid. I know it was about you and Dad." Jesse said, interrupting him.
Danny was silent a moment. Finally, he replied.
"No. I don't hate Steve. There are definitely times when I don't like him, or that I'm angry with him. But I don't hate him. How could I? He's a half-baked cookie."
When Jesse didn't answer, Danny looked over at her again. "Ok?" His gaze went back to the road, then to Jesse again. "Jesse?"
"'Kay." She nodded. The rest of the drive proceeded in silence, apart from the occasional baby noises in the back seat.
Reaching their destination, Jesse got out as Danny unbuckled Joan. They met the real estate lady and she led them upstairs.
Jesse stuck close to Danny's side, practically holding onto the edge of his shirt. She had immediately tuned the lady out, finding her rather annoying.
"There's a great school district nearby for your girls as soon as they're ready."
"Oh, no. That's very nice. They're actually a friend of mine's. I'm just babysitting." Danny replied. "I'm single."
Jesse looked up at him, the expression on her face saying, 'that wasn't a necessary piece of information'.
As she led the trio out onto the deck, Jesse rolled her eyes, slightly nauseated by the way the lady was flirting with Danny.
"You are going to love this view."
Jesse left Danny's side for the first time since they entered the building and dashed to the railing.
Danny was right behind her. He took one look and his whole demeanor changed.
"Bad." Joan said, bouncing a little in Danny's arms, as he pulled out his phone and called Steve.
As they waited for Steve and Chin, Danny sent the overly flirtatious woman away.
A little while later, Steve and Chin arrived and took a look at the view from the balcony. "It looks like Matt was running surveillance on the lockers where we found the money." Steve said, glancing at Danny. He focused more intently on Danny and Joan and added, "You know what, if you're gonna hold the baby in the sun, ok, just ask me and I'll put a sun hat on her."
Danny looked from Joan to Steve incredulously.
Jesse, who was standing a few feet away, watched the exchange and couldn't help the knot of jealousy that formed in her stomach. Turning back to the view from the balcony, she carefully blocked out the rest of their conversation, and tried to untangle the knot in her gut.
A few minutes passed before they called her to leave.
On the ride back to Five-O headquarters, she stared out the window and pretended to be focused on something other than the people around her.
Once back at Five-O HQ, she hopped out of the car first and practically ran inside. Her father, carrying her cousin, walked in behind her, Danny and Chin a few paces behind. They immediately began talking about the case, causing Jesse to feel ignored.
Then something unbelievable happened. Steve, who said he was going to finish what their murder victim started, asked Joan if she wanted to go too. He didn't ak Jesse.
Angry and hurt, she stormed into Kono's office, since it was the only place she could be alone right now. For the rest of the day she didn't speak to anyone, except Joan. She may have been jealous of her cousin, but she couldn't stay mad at the infant.
By the time the setup was underway, Jesse had calmed down a bit, and she was in Five-O HQ with Max and Joan, while Steve, Danny, and Chin were waiting for their murderer to show up.
Unlike her father, Jesse had remembered that Joan needed to eat, and was in the middle of feeding the infant when Steve texted Max, telling him to feed the child.
For the next few hours, while Five-O was wrapping up their case, Jesse played with her cousin. By the time Steve got back, most of Jesse's anger had dissipated, although the hurt was still there.
Steve picked Joan up and held her as he walked around while they waited for Mary to show up. He kept cooing and babbling at her, and, Jesse, who was standing off to the side, felt the jealousy and hurt feelings growing.
Mary, clearly feeling better now, walked into the main room and up to Steve, who reluctantly passed Joan over.
"No dings or scratches. Looks like Uncle Steve did a good job."
"I had a job to do; I did it. That's all."
"Oh, admit it, you had a little bit of fun. I just saw you." Mary said with a smirk.
"I definitely had a lot of fun." Danny said.
"She's a great kid, Mary." Chin added.
"Aw, thank you." Mary said. "Well, next time we need a sitter, I'll call on you two."
"Excuse me for a minute please. Yes, we all contributed, but I was primary on this one. I'd like to say." Steve said testily.
"Ok tough guy." Mary said. "Say goodbye to your Uncles." She added, waving Joan's hand. "And your cousin, of course."
"Wait a minute, where are you going? You don't...why...you don't need to rush off, do you? Just stick around for a bit." Steve said.
"Yeah. We, uh, just wrapped up this case. We've got nothing on the boards. We could-" Danny said.
"Go out and get a bite to eat." Chin finished.
"Right." Steve added.
"Got plenty of strained peas." Chin said, with a laugh.
Mary chuckled. "Sorry, but we have bouncing babies story time at the library in ten minutes. So say 'bye Uncle Steve!"
"Bye!" Steve, slightly upset at the quick departure or his sister and niece.
"Bye Uncle Danny." A wave to Danny.
"Bye Uncle Chin." Another wave to Chin.
"Bye Jesse!" Another wave.
"Alright." Mary said reaching for the baby bag. "Thankyou." This to Danny as he handed her the bag.
"Bye guys." Mary said, walking out.
AS the three men said their goodbyes, Jesse stalked into Kono's office again and sat down behind the desk.
Danny and Chin smirked at Steve.
"What?"
"What a softie." Danny said at the same time Chin said, "Nothing."
Steve rolled his eyes before looking around.
"What?" Danny asked.
"Where's Jesse? She didn't say bye." Steve said, face scrunched up in concern.
All three of them looked around, searching for the missing eight year old.
"Maybe she's in one of the offices?" Chin said.
They each went and checked their own offices, quickly coming back out when they didn't find her.
As one, they looked at Kono's door. Danny looked at Chin and they made a silent agreement to let Steve handle this on his own. They would be right outside if he needed them.
Steve, worry slear on his face, strolled over to Kono's office and pushed open the door. He was tall enough to see his daughter over the desk.
"Jesse, you missed Mary and Joan." He said, coming into the office and crouching down beside her.
Jesse had her legs pulled up, arms around her knees and face hidden behind her knees. When she didn't answer, Steve said, Jesse? What's wrong? Talk to me."
Jesse shifted slightly, so she was facing away from Steve. She sniffled, making it clear she'd been crying.
"Jesse, please. I can't do anything if I don't know what's wrong."
Another sniffle. "What's wrong is you like Joan more than me. You'd rather be with her, than me!" She said. "I mean, I get it. She's a cute baby and I'm a big kid who's not even whole." She sniffled again, taking a second to wipe her face on her shirt. "Who'd want to hang around a kid that's only got one arm and is always grouchy?" She spared a glance at her dad before hiding her face again.
Steve couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew his beloved little girl was going through hard times, but he had never thought he would hear this kind of...self-hate.
He was about to say something about how he loved her more than anyone, even more than her cousin, and maybe even ask how she could think something like that, when he thought about the past few days again.
With a jolt, Steve realized that he had been paying more attention to the infant than to Jesse. They all had.
Jesse stifled a sob.
"Come here." Steve said, pulling Jesse into his lap, after sitting cross-legged. He hugged her and leaned his cheek against her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Jesse. I had no intention to neglect you like that." He said, holding her as she cried. "To make it up to you, why don't we go out tomorrow? Wherever you want."
Jesse was quiet for a long few minutes. Long enough that Steve began to think she hadn't heard him.
"Really?" She asked quietly, leaning back to look Steve in the face as she sniffle again.
Steve grinned. "Of course. The whole day will be about you."
Again she was quiet, but this time it was clear she was thinking.
"Can Uncle Danno and Uncle Chin come too?"
"Absolutely."
Another pause for thought.
"Ok. Then..." She asked, "Can we go to the Zoo?"