A/N: When I got up on Saturday morning, Sam was already plotting this little tie-in. I read all that she had and then she said "would you like to do this part"? and I jumped at the chance, because I couldn't wait to add something to the end of this episode. And so, the volley across the ocean began. We hope you enjoy what we see as a closing to this open-ended, UNFINISHED story, because we all know that a little (or a big) whump needs some comfort to make it all better. …Cokie
When I watched the episode, I knew I had to write something for it. The story was practically begging for it. And of course I knew Cokie wanted in on the fun. …Sam
7.04 Pit Stop
by Sam and Cokie
Steve wasn't sure if the shivering was coming from Alicia or if the cold was catching up to him too.
One thing was for sure, the adrenaline surge from before was fading fast and he started to feel every bone in his body. He wasn't quite sure if his back hurt more or if his head would take home the prize today.
Oh, home. That was not where either of them was headed. He knew that much.
"Are you OK?"
He looked in surprise at Alicia. "Shouldn't that be my line?"
"Well, you kinda started shaking."
Before he could make a reply, they were interrupted by Chin, "Steve, ambulance is a few minutes out. They'll take you both to King's Medical."
"No, I need to go to Tripler."
"Why?" Chin asked them puzzled. "King's is closer."
"Transplant?"
"Ah shit. Are you OK, did you skip a dose of your meds?"
Steve smiled at his friend. "I'm fine. I just need to get checked out for more than the stab wound," he explained. Although he was sure everyone, well, everyone except Danny, wanted to forget about his condition. Unfortunately, said condition came with a lot of extra baggage he had to deal with. Despite some people, well one person, thinking he wasn't taking good care of his new liver, Steve knew all the risks and was determined to stay alive no matter what.
So, any injury in the last few weeks had led to a visit to his transplant surgeon. Who had not been very happy, but had accepted that Steve knew what he was doing and that he would take good care of his body. As far as that was possible.
"OK, Tripler it is. Should I call and see if Dr. Cornett is on duty?" Chin asked as he handed them a second blanket.
"No, if he's not there another doc will do," Steve replied.
"Oh, you're hoping he's not there," Chin caught on. "I'm sure he will be thrilled to see you."
"He was happy with my results last week. So, all is good," Steve informed his older friend.
"Uh huh," Chin grinned at him and turned to watch the approaching ambulance. "Guess your ride is here."
H50 – H50 – H50
Tripler Army Medical Center
Trauma Room 1
"So, Commander, you really can't stay away, can you?" Dr. Cornett said upon entering.
Steve inwardly groaned, he had hoped to avoid meeting his doctor. "Not my fault."
"Yeah, I've heard that before."
Steve only rolled his eyes, but hissed when the nurse pressed another gauze pad on the bleeding stab wound.
"So, what's the damage?" Cornett asked and looked at his ER colleague who was updating Steve's chart.
"They were incredibly lucky. The wounds are deep but there is only muscle damage," the ER resident answered.
"They? Don't tell me Detective Williams is also here."
"Ah no, he's not. Alicia Brown was brought in with me."
"Why are you wet?" Dr. Cornett wanted to know while he took a closer look at the bruising at Steve's temple.
"We were in the ocean for about half an hour."
"It gets better and better," Cornett mumbled. Turning to the nurse he ordered, "I want full blood work on him, and no matter what he says, he stays the night."
"He is here, you know," Steve spoke up.
"Oh yeah, I know," the doctor grinned at his patient. "What hurts?" He asked when Steve again hissed and closed his eyes.
"My head."
"Did you hit your head?" The ER doctor stepped in and took his pen light out.
"You could say that," Steve started to nod but thought better of it. "She hit me with some kind of wooden hammer. I didn't really see it."
"Were you unconscious?"
"Yeah, I think twice." At his doctor's long-suffering look, he quickly added, "But not for long."
"Do you feel dizzy, double vision, nausea?"
"No, my head just hurts," Steve said. He had dealt with concussions before and knew, today, he had not suffered one.
"You don't present the normal symptoms, but since you're spending the night anyway, we will keep an eye on it," Cornett said. "Dr. More, make sure that the wound gets thoroughly cleaned before it gets stitched up. We can't risk any kind of infection. And I want him closely monitored for the next 24 hours."
Cornett then turned to Steve. "Try to get some rest while you're here. I will check on you again in a few hours."
"Will do," Steve answered and turned to the young ER doctor. An Army Captain. "So, what's next?"
"I will give you a local anesthetic before I debride the wound, then we will stitch it up and put you in a bed. Sir," the doctor added.
"OK, then let's go."
H50 – H50 – H50
Steve was lying on his side to avoid any pressure on the fresh stitches. He was hooked up to an IV with fluids and a broad-spectrum-antibiotic by orders of Cornett. He knew they were only acting in his best interest.
Due to the immune suppressant he took he was more at risk to contact various infections. Even a simple cold could be dangerous for him. So he fully understood the seriousness of any injury and was more than willing to 'play' along.
Steve turned a little more on his back and was happy that the chills from earlier were now gone and that he felt pretty good. Tired, but good. The nurse had told him that Alicia was resting comfortably and that she would fully recover. Like him, she had gotten away without any serious damage.
A knock at the door made him look up. "Lou, come on in. I'm awake." A sneeze came from nowhere and startled him and he quickly grabbed for his forehead as his head threatened to disintegrate. "Ugh, sorry."
"Damn, that had to hurt," Grover commiserated. "You OK?"
"Yeah, guess I'm getting rid of left-over ocean gunk. It's all good."
Lou held up a canvas bag and walked to the closet door. "I pulled some clothes out of your locker," he said. "Thought you might need these."
"Hey, thanks. My shirt's a little worse for wear."
Grover dragged a chair closer to the bed and shook his head. "Man, are you not tired of this joint yet? You just had to come back for more."
Steve leaned his head back onto the pillow and grinned. "As I told the doc, this wasn't my fault."
"Yeah, I know," Lou agreed. "You got yourself tangled up with one crazy-ass broad. You and Alicia were really lucky."
"Yeah, I guess," Steve agreed. He reached up his hand and rubbed his eyes. "She set us up good, Lou. And Chin said there's no sign of her."
"She can't hide forever."
Steve slowly shook his head, wincing when the room did a somersault. "I don't know. I'm betting she had her escape route ready long before she turned us over to the Wittens."
"CSU said the house was spotless," Grover replied. "Not a speck of visible blood splatter, so she worked fast."
"Like I said," Steve added, "she knew what she was doing."
"I am bearing some good news though," Lou said, reaching into his pocket.
"Yeah?"
"Kono found a canvas bag with some of your and Alicia's stuff in the van. My guess is that they were supposed to toss it into the ocean. But I grabbed this for you." He held up Steve's watch to show him. "Thought you might want it back."
"Ah, man, thanks. I saw it was gone after I came to. I was afraid it was lost for good."
Lou made an apologetic face for having read the back of the watch, knowing it was a gift from Catherine. "I saw the inscription and knew you would want it back."
Steve fastened it on his wrist. "Yeah, it-uh, it means a lot. Thanks, Lou. I'm guessing my weapon was in that bag because Donald was threatening me with it."
"Yeah, even if Gray had told him to lose it, I doubt he would have thrown it in the water. So, how long before you pop this joint?" the captain asked.
Steve started to speak, but hesitated, bracing himself for another sneeze. "Sorry," he mumbled, opening his eyes to see his friend staring at him with concern.
"You sure you're OK?"
"Yeah, of course. Just have to get it out of my system. I'm fine. And to answer your question, I'm getting out in the morning." He pointed to the IV, adding "Doc wants some antibiotics because of the time we spent in the water. It's just a precaution but other than that, I'm good to go."
"Well, I heard you have stitches in your back and you got yourself knocked out with a meat mallet."
"Where'd you hear that?" Steve asked.
"Kono talked to Alicia. She's fine, by the way." He pointed and added, "I'll check on her when I leave here. She's just a couple rooms down that'away."
"Good, thanks. Meat mallet, huh?"
"Yes, which I'm sure is the reason for the headache you can't hide. Get some rest and we can get your statement tomorrow."
"Yeah, I will. Hey, there is one thing you can do," Steve asked.
"Anything, my friend. Name it."
"Were my truck keys in that bag? I need someone to get it back from Dr. Gray's house."
Lou slowly shook his head. "Uh, about that…"
Steve looked at his friend's downcast face. "Lou?"
"Steve, I, well, Chin and I were going to talk to you about this tomorrow. I, uh, don't rightly know how to say this—"
"Lou, spit it out, what's wrong?"
"Your truck is toast."
"Say what?" Steve knew he wasn't processing everything with his normal speed, but Grover wasn't making a lot of sense.
"Your truck. The bitch took it and torched it."
"Torched? My truck?" He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
"Yeah, sorry."
"Gone, gone?" Steve asked with a bit of hope for repair.
"'Fraid so. Toast."
"Damn. I really liked that truck."
"Could'a been worse," Lou told him.
Steve opened his eyes and glared. "Worse than toast?"
"Yeah, you and Alicia could'a been inside."
Steve paused and then let out a sigh. "Yeah, there is that," he conceded. "But damn. My truck?"
Lou stood and pushed back the chair. "Yeah, sorry. Hey, I'm gonna let you get some rest. Wish I wasn't the bearer of bad news. But like I said, she can't hide forever." He gave a half salute. "Take care of yourself, man. And look on the bright side."
"Which is? I'm not riding shotgun with you, so you can forget that."
Grover chuckled. "Hell, no. Good news is that Danny isn't here to drive you insane."
"There is that," Steve agreed. "Think we can keep all this from him?"
"Unfortunately he's probably already received his daily liver update. I overheard him ask Jerry to keep him posted if you did anything stupid – his words, not mine."
"This was not my fault," Steve exclaimed again, his reply interrupted by another sneeze.
Lou slapped him on the arm. "I know that and you know that, but this is Negative Nancy we're talking about. He will always think the worst and blame you."
"Yeah, you're right," Steve grumbled. "Thanks for coming, Lou." He held up his arm. "And for the watch."
"Call tomorrow and I'll bail you outta here."
"Yeah, thanks," Steve said, again squeezing his eyes shut. He lay back on the pillow once the door had closed, his energy spent. "Damn, I liked that truck."
H50 – H50 – H50
Steve was just about to nod off when there was another knock on the door.
"Steve? May I come in?"
Steve blinked and focused on the doorway. "Ellie. Good to see you. Of course, come in."
After greeting Steve with a friendly hug she sat down in the chair just vacated by Lou. "How are you doing?"
"Good," Steve answered. Seeing her rolling her eyes he corrected, "I'm OK, not great, but OK. Better?"
"Much better," she smiled at him.
"Are you here by accident or did you come to see me?"
"Actually I'm here on business. But of course first and foremost to see if you're OK."
"What do you mean 'on business'?" Steve asked and sat up in bed. Ignoring the pain in his head he focused on his friend.
"I was informed about Dr. Gray. I will handle her case."
"There is not much to handle at the moment, she's in the wind," Steve said leaning his aching head back. "I doubt she's still on the islands."
"No, certainly not, but we need to handle all the evidence. Especially all that was found at her house. And the assault on you and Alicia Brown."
"Hmm. And you want to start your investigation now?"
"No, I wanted to talk to you before I start an investigation. What was Alicia doing there?"
"Look," Steve tiredly said. "She thought she did the right thing,"
"Hey, that's why I came here first," Ellie replied. "Steve, are you OK, you don't look so good."
"Nah, I'm OK, just a bad headache." Another sneeze erupted, making him squeeze his eyes shut once again.
"I'm sure that didn't help it any," she commiserated. "Did she break in?"
"There was no sign of a break-in. I'm sure the door was open. Dr. Gray set a perfect trap and Alicia fell for it. She called me, and when I got there… well, not my finest hour," Steve admitted.
"So, there would be no reason to waste my time with that aspect of the investigation?"
"No. Alicia is not a cop, and I discovered the documents when I went looking for her. By the way, the door was open when I got there."
"So, if we get Dr. Gray the evidence will be usable. Not that we need it, but you never know."
"I guess it should be OK. But I wouldn't bet my money on ever seeing her again. Not here in Hawaii."
"Hmm, OK. Steve, I'm really glad you're OK." She stood up to say goodbye. "I should let you rest. I'll come by the office in a few days, if that is OK."
"Sure. Thank you for stopping by. Alicia didn't mean to make it complicated," Steve defended his new friend.
"I know. It's fine, so don't worry, I don't think there will be any consequences for her. You get better, OK?"
"I will."
Steve closed his eyes and sighed after Ellie left. He was tired. Not just tired, but totally spent. His head and back hurt, but it seemed as if every muscle was aching along with those areas.
And… just as he began to relax, he realized he needed to get up. He looked toward the bathroom door and sighed again. The nurse had said he could move around if he felt like it, so he rolled to his side and then slid his feet to the floor and grabbed hold of the IV pole. He felt like he was having flashbacks from a few weeks ago when he pushed around an IV for days after surgery. But he stopped thinking about his liver injury and headed toward the bathroom.
On the way, Steve stopped at the closet to see what was in the bag Lou had brought. Bingo. Not only were there clothes for tomorrow, but there was also sweats and a tee shirt. Which meant the stupid gown was disappearing.
Or not. After fighting with the sweats, he realized he couldn't get the shirt on with the IV and he wasn't one who was good at asking for help. Especially in changing his clothes. He was even more tired, and now sweaty and cranky, but had on the pants under the hospital gown. That would have to do… for now. Steve exited the bathroom and knew there was one more thing he needed to do before he could rest for the night.
H50 – H50 – H50
Steve silently opened the door and found the hallway deserted. Even though he had been told he was allowed to move around a little, he was sure that didn't include leaving his room. So he was glad not to have to explain to an eager nurse why he was walking the hallways.
He made it to Alicia's room without incident and after knocking he pushed open the door.
"Alicia?"
"Steve! Oh, please come in, I was just about going to see you. Are you alright?" Former Agent Brown was obviously still pretty hyped.
"I'm good," Steve replied with a smile. It was good to see her doing well. "How about you?" He asked while sitting down in the chair next to her bed.
"Pretty shaken, I guess," she admitted. "I can't believe there was not much damage from the knife. Cpt. Grover told me you were also really lucky?"
"Yeah, that huge knife didn't do much damage at all. Just a couple of stitches," Steve said, shaking his head at the odds they both had faced and got away with.
"I, uh, Steve, I really don't know how to thank you…" Alicia begun.
"It's OK. Just next time, listen when I say "stand down". OK?"
"Promise," Brown smiled. "Hey, I said I would make it up to you."
"Well, actually I said you could make it up to me when we got outta there," Steve interrupted.
"Any—way," Alicia spoke up. "I will make it up to you. Do you like sushi? There is this great restaurant…"
"Ehm, maybe something more like surf and turf?" Steve again interrupted. He liked sushi, but he didn't think he was ready to share Catherine's favorite restaurant with anyone but Catherine.
"Surf'n'Turf it is. Say the day and it's on me. The team too, of course," Alicia added.
"OK," Steve happily agreed. "Listen, it might not be the right time, but have you thought about working freelance, or something like that?"
"Why?"
"Well, I think we work well together, and maybe, just a thought, but we could use your profiling skills from time to time. If you're interested in something like that," Steve added.
"Are you offering me a job?"
"Kinda." Steve looked at Alicia and saw that she was conflicted. "Just think about it, OK?"
"OK, I will. Thank you."
"No need. You were great out there," he honestly said.
"Thank you."
Steve rolled his eyes at her, but did so with a big smile on his face which was wiped off when he again was surprised by a sneeze. "Damn it."
"You OK? You're not getting a cold, are you?" Alicia asked in concern.
"Nah, I'm fine," Steve answered with conviction. "Listen, I should let you rest. And should probably head back before they discover I've gone missing."
"Get some rest, Steve. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course."
Steve pushed himself off the chair and had to grab for the IV-pole before he found his legs. He smiled at Alicia from the door and turned into the hallway.
H50 – H50 – H50
The nurse working 11 to 7 that evening was Janie. Who had been most surprised and concerned when she saw Steve McGarrett's name on her patient roster that evening. They had spent quite a lot of time together several weeks back on the nights when he wasn't sleeping. She quickly reviewed his chart and headed to his room to check how he was feeling.
Only an empty bed greeted her upon her arrival. After checking the bathroom, she simply shook her head. Last time he was here, as soon as he had felt like it, he was up and gone from the room.
Of course that could have been because he had been sharing the room with someone else. His partner. The one who couldn't stop talking long enough for anyone to sleep. He managed to talk all day and then snore all night, keeping McGarrett awake much of the time. But she couldn't judge. They seemed to get along most of the time. The doctor had confided in her that Williams had begged to be in the same room as his partner just as soon as Steve was able to leave ICU. The doctors conferred and felt it might be good for both patients. Steve hadn't complained… much, but he did love to roam during the nights when he couldn't sleep. Janie and the other nurses realized that he was doing himself no harm and the walks had been good for his mental well-being.
She walked out into the hallway and looked around, then stopped and smiled when she saw him shuffling her direction. "Might know I'd find you AWOL."
"Hey, Janie," Steve said, offering her a tired smile. "Miss me?"
"You're here, so I can only assume that you missed me! I just read your chart," she said, taking him by the arm when he came closer. "Get in here and let me check you out."
"I'm OK, don't worry."
"Uh huh… stabbed? Do you know what that can do to you?"
"Doc's just keeping me here as a precaution," Steve assured her. "I'm… I'm, excuse me," he finally got out after a sneeze. "I'm fine. Mainly I just have a headache."
"I'll be the judge of how 'fine' you are," she retorted. "Have a seat, I need to check your back."
Steve eased down onto the bed and waited while she checked the bandage on his back.
"No seepage, so that's good," she assured him. "You said your head hurts?" She held his chin and looked at the bruise that had formed on one side of his temple and the cut in his hairline on the other side. "I can see why. Any blurred vision, nausea?"
"No, just a headache." Another sneeze called him a liar.
"Yeah, and what was that?" she asked, feeling the nodes along both sides of his neck.
"I got shoved in the ocean this afternoon. Just trying to get all that out of my system."
"Right," she added with an eye roll. She took her thermometer from her pocket and ran it over his forehead. "Hmm, no fever."
"Could'a told you that."
"Yes, Dr. McGarrett, silly of me not to ask you first. Do you have a sore throat?"
"Um, n—"
"Steve? Really?"
"Maybe it's kind of scratchy," he admitted. "But just from the salt water, that's all."
"We'll see," she told him. "I'm going to call Dr. Cornett – just to be safe, don't give me that look. Now why don't you get into bed… and stay there this time?"
"Could you do me a favor first?"
"Depends. What do you need?"
"There's a tee shirt in the closet. Could you unhook the IV so I can put it on?"
Janie smiled at him. "That's a pretty easy request. I think we can accommodate that." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "But first, let me contact Cornett before he leaves the hospital. I promise I'll be right back."
Steve had gotten the shirt from the closet and laid back down to wait for her, knowing that "I'll be right back" could mean anything from minutes to hours when it came to hospitals. But she surprised him and was back just a few minutes later.
"OK, sorry it took so long. I had to wait for some meds," she told him, setting down three small paper cups. She picked up his IV line and locked it off then helped him sit back up.
"What's that for?" Steve asked, staring at the pills. "I've got an antibiotic in there," he pointed to the IV.
"I talked to Dr. Cornett, who will be here in a few minutes. He wants you to have something for pain and also a couple extra-strength Tylenol. You could be right that you are dealing with after-effects of the ocean. Or you could also be getting a cold. And you don't want that, I assure you."
"Yeah, OK." Truth be told, a couple Tylenol didn't sound all that bad for his achy body. "What's the third one?"
"A mild seda—"
"No."
"Steve, the doctor—"
"-Thinks you need to really get some rest tonight," Dr. Cornett said from the doorway. "So please don't give Janie any trouble."
"Doc…"
The doctor entered the room, a determined look on his face. "Commander, trust me on this. You need this."
"I can sleep without you knocking me out," Steve defended his aversion to the drugs.
"I know. But I want more from you than just sleep. I want you to relax. Your body needs it."
Steve looked at his doctor and finally conceded. So far, the specialist had been really fair and had trusted Steve's judgment. "Ok, if you think I should take these I will."
"Yeah, I do. I know that you're taking better care than most give you credit for, but I also wished you would slow down a little."
"Honestly? I don't know how," Steve replied and let Janie help him settle more comfortably in bed. "I feel pretty good. And I see no reason to change my life more than I have to. As long as all the tests are coming back OK, there really is no reason, is there?"
"Yeah, I'm actually pretty amazed at your results. I think we found the perfect combination of meds and dosage for you. But remember that we have to keep a close eye on that," Cornett reminded Steve. "And keep telling me if anything is not as it should be. Recognizing any problems early is key."
"I will. I promise."
"I must say, I am surprised. Before you were allowed to leave the ICU, your partner painted a very different picture of how you would take care of your body."
Steve had to laugh out loud at that. "Yeah, he doesn't really know me very well. But that's OK, I love him anyway." Steve smiled knowingly at Janie who couldn't quite keep her snicker to herself. Steve knew that Danny had driven the nurses crazy, hell he had driven him crazy. But what could he do, he was his friend. And he had given half his liver.
"We'll keep a close watch on you tonight, and if all goes well, you can leave tomorrow."
"Thank you, doctor." Steve looked at his surgeon. "And not just for today."
"You're very welcome. Now get some rest," Dr. Cornett said on his way out.
"What choice do I have?" Steve said with a grin.
"Not much at all with me watching you like a hawk tonight," Janie said, handing him a glass of water.
Steve took the offered pills and watched Janie gathering her things. He began drifting off to sleep before she had even left.
"Damn pills…"
"Shh," she told him, turning to leave. "Just go with it."
"I have to go buy a new truck," Steve mumbled.
Janie watched his eyes close, assuming he was already dreaming. "Maybe tomorrow, Commander. Sleep well."
H50 – H50 – H50