An NCIS/Hawaii Five-0 story
Almost is Never Enough
Chapter One
Life of the Party
Washington D.C.
NCIS Headquarters
The shrill ringing of the telephone drew Samantha Fielding's attention away from the laughter and celebration. It was her birthday and her teammates had decided to throw an impromptu party in the break room on her behalf. Normally Samantha would allow a call that interrupted family time to go to voicemail. However, this was a different circumstance. All day long she had been awaiting an annual phone call from someone incredibly special. This led her to eagerly snatch up her phone from the table and bring it directly to her ear without checking for the caller's identification.
"Special Agent Samantha Fielding." She practically sang into the phone.
"Samantha…" A man's voice said in reply. The tone in which her name was spoken suggested she was not going to like what she was about to hear.
"You may want to sit down for this, I'm afraid I have bad news."
From the voice alone Samantha was able to identify the caller as Joe White, a friend she had known for quite some time through her military service.
"Joe, what's going on?" She asked.
As she spoke she was approached by her team leader and once brother-in-law, Special Agent Gibbs. They made eye contact with one another and it was all Gibbs needed to determine that something was amiss.
"I hate to have to tell you this Samantha, but Commander Eisenhower Grant is dead." Joe explained.
Samantha inhaled sharply as if she had just received a sucker punch to the gut. Instantly her vision was blurred by sudden oncoming tears. If not for Gibbs she would have sank to her knees. Shaking like a leaf in the arms of her superior, she somehow found the ability to form words.
"You're certain?" She questioned Joe, her voice as unsteady as her legs.
By now the others in the room had caught on to the fact that Samantha was in a state of shock. Abby promptly turned down the music she had been playing for the occasion. Tony DiNozzo who was visiting with his daughter, bounced the toddler gently on his knee and looked on with concern. Ducky, Palmer, McGee, and even Malachi, who had been assigned to the team after Tony's departure, grew concerned about their colleague's swift change in behavior.
"As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow." Joe responded sorrowfully.
An overwhelming wave of nausea came over Samantha like a tsunami. By some miracle she managed to keep the birthday cake she'd just consumed from making another appearance.
Samantha buried her face into the collar of Gibbs's shirt as she listened to Joe provide details of the funeral arrangements for their fallen comrade. Unfortunately, Joe couldn't offer an explanation into how Commander Grant died over the phone. The call ended with Samantha agreeing to attend the funeral. Joe told her he'd pick her up at the Honolulu international airport when she arrived on the island.
When she was off the phone Gibbs guided her his Senior Field Agent into a chair. As soon as she was seated he crouched down in front of her at eye level.
"What happened?" He asked in an unusually soft tone.
Samantha was frozen in place as her mind began to process everything she'd just been told. It didn't seem possible that the friend she had known all her life was now gone.
"Sam." Gibbs spoke again, giving her hand a squeeze to snap her out of the trance she seemed to have fallen into.
Samantha felt his fingers tighten around her own and in response her eyes shifted into focus, making eye contact with him once again.
"Ike is dead." She told him in a hollow voice.
"Who is Ike?" Palmer asked innocently.
"A childhood friend of mine from my hometown." Samantha answered robotically.
"Come on, I'll take you home." Gibbs offered as he straightened up to his full height and gently hoisted her to her feet.
"I'm sorry about this everyone, thank you for doing all this." Samantha said to the group, referring to the party.
Abby came forth and gave Samantha a bone-crushing bear hug.
"Let us know if there is anything we can do." Abby told her friend.
Unable to speak any further from her state of shock, Samantha simply nodded.
In the car Gibbs graced Samantha with stoic silence. It wasn't unusual for him to be quiet, especially at a time like this. The entire way to her house he held her hand, a gesture she appreciated greatly considering she was moments from falling apart.
When they arrived at her home it was Gibbs who unlocked the door and led her inside.
"Get a bag packed, I'll give you a lift to the airport." He instructed.
Samantha obediently climbed up the stairs to her bedroom where she loaded a small suitcase with enough essentials for a few days away. She included a tasteful black dress for the funeral service. When she was through she went down to the living room where Gibbs was waiting.
"That all you're taking with you?" He asked upon seeing the size of her bag.
"You know I always travel light, besides I have plenty of necessities at the other house." She replied.
Samantha had a second property in Oahu which she inherited when her grandfather passed away several years back. She visited every now and then but not as often as she would have liked to.
"Okay, we'll stop by my place for a few things on the way." Gibbs decided as he rose to his feet.
"Listen, I appreciate you wanting to come but I'd rather you didn't. I'm sorry if that seems selfish." She said.
"You know how I feel about apologies." Gibbs replied simply, understanding her need to do this on her own.
The ride to the airport was a blur, not because of the way Gibbs drove but because Sam was preoccupied with reliving old memories of her dear friend. She trusted Joe White that Ike was gone but until she saw for herself she was holding out hope that he was either mistaken or misinformed.
Even though she denied his company on the trip to Hawaii, Gibbs remained at her side until it came time for her to board. The first flight would take her to LAX where she would take a connecting flight to Honolulu.
"Not too late to change your mind." He said as they embraced, hinting that he wanted to be there for her through the grieving process.
"I'll keep in touch." Samantha promised, indirectly giving him her final answer.
Although he didn't like being shut down, he accepted her response and let her go. Gibbs waited for the plane to take off before leaving the airport and going home.
Honolulu, Hawaii
McGarrett Home
Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, leader of the Five-0 task force in Honolulu, took a seat in one of the Adirondacks on the area of private beach in his backyard. At his feet was an ice cold six-pack of Longboard which Joe White had brought over. Currently Joe was on the phone, out of earshot from the Commander. Steve had an idea of who was on the other line even if he wasn't certain what was being discussed. A few minutes later Joe returned to occupy the empty chair beside Steve.
"Was that Sam again?" Steve asked as he reached down to retrieve a couple of beers, passing one of them to his former Commanding Officer.
"It was, called to let me know when the flight is expected to land." Joe replied as he took a drink.
Steve regarded the statement with a nod and took a long swig of beer.
Joe maintained the silence that followed, giving McGarrett the freedom to decide whether or not he wanted to open up about his loss. A beer and a half later, Steve finally spoke up.
"It's unfortunate that it takes a loss like this to bring people together." He began. "For years Ike has been trying to introduce me to this Sam person. Always wanted us all to be together, in the same place, at the same time because we were his Ohana." Steve explained.
"So why didn't it ever happen if it meant that much to him?" Joe wondered.
"It's the oldest story in the book isn't it, one or both of us failed to be available because of the job or some other obligation." Steve thought.
Joe was at a loss for words but he understood exactly how McGarrett felt. All too often people became too busy to spend a fair amount of time with their loved ones. It was one of many reasons why he married and divorced more than once.
There was another long stretch of silence during which the sun sank deeper into the horizon. Steve finished off his second beer and reached for a third.
"What's Sam like anyway, all I've heard is stories about the guy from Ike, but I don't really know what kind of man he is." Steve said, breaking the silence once again.
Joe chuckled softly, impressed by the fact that Steve was still ignorant about who Sam was. It didn't surprise him that Ike had kept the details of her identity a secret all these years, but it was amazing that he never slipped up even once.
"Oh, you're in for a treat. Sam is the life of the party, always full of surprises but the kind of person who would walk through fire for people whether they deserve it or not." Joe replied wisely.
"In that case I look forward to meeting him. I just wish it were under different circumstances." Steve sighed.
"Don't we all son, don't we all."