Where is my daughter?
Steve strolled into the office as if he hadn't a care in the world. For the first time in months he got a good night sleep. Hess and Wo Fat were finally put away. It was the first morning in a while that he wasn't awakened by the sound of his cell phone. Today was going to be a good day.
"Hey, it's about time you got here." said Danny. "There is some guy in your office wearing a uniform with a lot of stripes, stars, and a bunch of those medal thingies hanging from his jacket. He looks pretty important. "Danny gestured with his hands
"Do you know who it is or what he wants?" asked Steve
"No, he was just looking for you and refused to say why." Danny rolled his eyes and walked away.
Steve took a deep breath and reluctantly walked into his office. A military officer looking for him was never a good thing. And this was to be no exception.
The man was dressed in full Navy uniform and stood tall with his back toward the door. He was looking at a framed picture that was on McGarrett's desk. The photo was of Steve and Catherine taken two years ago while on leave in Coronado. It was Steve's favorite.
"May I help you sir" said Steve.
The uniformed gentleman put the photo back on the desk and turned. Steve realized that his instincts about the visit were correct; this is not going to be good. There goes what he thought was going to be a good day.
"Vice Admiral, sir, I didn't realize it was you….sir." Steve said with almost the fright of a teenager that was meeting his girlfriend's father for the first time.
"Lt Commander…. Where is my daughter?"
"Excuse me sir, but isn't she on the Enterprise? "said Steve with a slight tremor in his voice.
"So, she is not with you? That's what I was afraid of. She went on leave two days ago and all I know is that she arrived at Hickam Airforce base at 1800 hours yesterday evening. No one has seen her since. She calls me whenever she is here on the island. She always calls me. This time she didn't. I made a few phone calls and was told that you may have knowledge of her whereabouts. Apparently the entire Navy knows about your relationship with her, except for me. If she is not with you, then I am afraid we have a big problem." said Vice Admiral Rollins with a stern, almost cold, expression.
Steve felt extremely intimidated. There weren't too many things in this world that were able to do that to him. One – he was being confronted by a superior officer and Two- he was being confronted by his girlfriend's father. This man happened to be both.
"I am told that with your connections on this island, you have a better chance of finding her then NCIS does. Personally, I think they are threatened by your expertise. Your tactics may be slightly unconventional, but your resume is unmatched. I know that you are the best at what you do. I have seen your file."
"You had me checked out?" said Steve feeling a little threatened
"Of course I did. I needed to know if you are capable of this. Catherine is the single most important thing in my life and I want to know what she has gotten herself into. I am going to be honest with you… I don't like you. I don't like the fact that you are involved with my daughter. I don't like the fact that she is keeping this secret from me. I didn't want her to join the Navy and I don't want her involved with a Navy man. Especially a SEAL, or a cop, or whatever it is the Governor is calling you. You are nothing but a glorified mercenary. I know all about your family history and this vendetta that you are pursuing. You have a great deal of baggage and I hope that her association with you isn't the reason that she is missing. That being said…I believe that you are the only one who could do this job. Commander…Steven… I am not only asking you as a father, but I am giving you a direct order. Find my daughter!" Said the Admiral sternly
"I respect your opinion, sir, but you don't even know me. Your judging me based on paper. I am sorry that she didn't tell you about our relationship, but she isn't a child. I love Catherine very much and would never do anything to hurt her. I think you know that, otherwise you wouldn't have come to me in the first place. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to find her; not just for you, but for myself." Said Steve with a sense of conviction.
The Vice Admiral tossed a business card on his desk and walked straight out of the office acknowledging no one. Danny, Chin and Kono stopped dead in their tracks and watched him leave. They said nothing to each other, but knew that something big had just happened.
At that moment a big crash followed by the sound of shattering glass, emitted throughout the office.
"What the hell!" Shouted Danny
The 5-O team darted towards Steve's office. On the floor, among the shattered glass of the office door, was a brass paperweight in the shape of an anchor.
Steve sat on his desk, holding his head with his hands.
"Boss, what happened?" Asked Kono
"Brah, there are easier ways to open doors ya know" said Chin
Steve demanded that everyone leave him alone. Kono and Chin left, but Danny wasn't going anywhere.
"What's going on?" said Danny with genuine concern
As Steve explained the situation, he grew more and more annoyed and disparaged.
"Danny, why does this always happen to me? Why do I always put the people that I love and care about in danger?"
"This is not your fault. You don't even know if she is in danger. Maybe her cell phone died, or she was out partying with her friends and forgot to call? Maybe she met someone better than you? OK, not funny… I am just saying…don't go there until you know what is going on." Danny tried to sound convincing, but even he was having a hard time believing it himself.
As McGarrett was on the phone getting a copy of the manifest from the Airforce transport plane, the maintance man cleaned up the broken glass.
"I got the servalience footage for the base and the area!" exclaimed Kono.
The team gathered round and watched. Everything seemed typical, until the footage of the parking lot was viewed.
"Boss, this may be hard to watch" stated Chin
Two women dressed in camouflage, Catherine and another female officer, were walking towards a blue Chevy Malibu , when a white SUV stopped in front of them. What appeared to be an argument between the unidentified officer and the driver ensued. The driver got out of the SUV and hit the female officer, knocking her to the ground. Catherine then hit the driver repeatedly. The driver grabbed her and threw her to the ground. She jumped up and kicked him. He tumbled over. She tried to run but he gave chase and grabbed her. Suddenly Catherine toppled over, grabbing her chest as she fell to the ground. She had been stabbed.
There was a collective gasp and at that moment all eyes turned to Steve. He was no longer standing at the computer table, but was squatting on the floor with his hands covering his face.
"Is she…?" Steve asked reluctantly. You could hear the despair in his voice.
"I don't know boss, it looks bad, there is a lot of blood" said Kono with watering eyes.
The rest of the team continued to watch the video.
The driver dragged both women to the SUV, placed them in the back seats and drove off.
"Wait! Stop the video! Zoom in! We got a plate number!" shouted Chin
He diligently typed away and a driver's license photo appeared. Michael St. John.
"Wait a minute, did you say St. John? I've seen that name" Steve jumped up and ran to his office to retrieve a copy of the manifest that he had printed.
"There was a Lieutenant Beth St. John on the manifest."
They retrieved her driver's license photo and it was the unidentified female that was with Catherine. The address matched with Michael's.
"They're married? "Said Kono with disgust.
"Yet another reason NOT to get married" said Danny
He tried to lighten the mood, but it didn't work.
"He has a record for assault. His wife has a restraining order against him. Apparently HPD has been to that address on more than one occasion" said Chin
Steve took a deep breath and walked to the other side of the room. He paced back and forth. Danny cautiously approached him.
"Steve, are you ok? You don't have to go. We can take this one. You are too close to this case." Said Danny
"What are you a shrink now? I need to be the one to take this guy down. Danny, what if she's…. Dead? I can't handle losing anyone else." Steve said with tears welling in his eyes.
"We don't know that she is dead. She could be very much alive. I know that this is hard for you. You need to stay positive, but…" he paused "…you also need to prepare for the worst." Danny put his hand on Steve's shoulder for reassurance.
The team arrived at what appeared to be a typical middle class home in a typical middle class neighborhood. Each member of the 5-O team prepared their weapons and waited for instructions.
"How do you want to handle this?" Asked Danny
Steve cocked his gun and said "I am going in alone to assess the situation. Cover me"
"It figures." said Danny
Are you sure you want to do that, boss? You don't know what you're going to find in there" said Chin with concern
Chin's words had struck a nerve with Steve. With his heart racing, he quietly approached the back of the house, took a deep breath, and peered through the window. He was afraid of what he might see. Michael St. John was extremely erratic. Beth St. John was on the floor in a seated position and was pleading with the assailant. She appeared to be tied to a table. She had a black eye and her lip was bleeding. Catherine lay in a pool of blood, but was conscious. Steve felt a sudden surge of relief. At least she was alive. Her face was pale and she was holding her chest. He could see that she was in a great deal of pain. Just as Steve was peering through the window, Catherine looked up and caught his eye. He smiled at her and nodded. With his eyes, he reassured her that he was there to save her. He backed away from the window and looked up to the sky, as if he was thanking God. Somehow she had no doubt that he would be the one to rescue her.
Suddenly there was a big bang and Steve came busting through the door shouting "drop the knife and put your hands up!" Startled, Michael St. John raised his hand and darted toward Steve. A shot rang out. Michael lay wounded on the floor.
The remainder of the 5-O team came running in to the house.
Chin ran to Beth to calm her down as she was screaming. Steve ran to Catherine and held her in his arms. He removed his shirt and put pressure on the wound. Her blood had covered his shirt in a matter of seconds.
"You're going to be just fine" he reassured her.
"What took you so long, sailor?" she asked with what was an attempt at a smile.
Danny immediately lifted Michael off the ground and cuffed him as blood ran down his shoulder.
"What do you want me to do with him? He asked
"Book him Danno" Said Steve with a smirk.
"Really? You really felt the need to say that?" Danny replied with annoyance
The paramedics arrived and after administrating first aid, placed Beth in one ambulance and Catherine in another.
"Steve, go with her, we got this covered" said Danny, almost as if it was an order.
Hours passed as she was taken into surgery. Steve paced back and forth like a lion. He had continually updated the Vice Admiral on her condition, as the information was given to him. He was on his way to meet them at the hospital.
"Commander McGarrett, the surgery went well. The puncture wound missed all vital organs and we managed to stop the bleeding. She is going to be just fine. You can see her as soon as she is out of recovery." said the Doctor.
Hours later, Catherine lay in a hospital bed with Steve at her side.
"Don't ever do that to me again" he demanded of her as he looked in her eyes.
"I'll try not to. I was just hitching a ride from a fellow officer. How was I supposed to know that her husband was psycho?" said Catherine
Well, next time call me and I'll pick you up or I'll send a squad car to get you"
"Oh yeh? You can pick me up, but how do you think being picked up by a squad car will look? Besides, I was going to surprise you. Surprise!" She laughed and then cringed with pain.
"Take it easy gorgeous" He leaned over and kissed her. At that moment, Vice Admiral Rollins walked in the room.
Steve stood at attention. Mainly out of respect. Besides, the man greatly intimidated him.
"I am glad to see that you are ok dear" he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
"McGarrett, I would like to have a word with you if I might" though he was asking, it sounded more like an order.
"Why sure sir" responded Steve
Steve and Catherine exchanged a look, both curious with what her father had to say.
The two men walked into the hallway.
"I apologize. I was wrong about you. I owe you my deepest gratitude. If there is anything that you need, do not hesitate to ask. I am forever indebted to you."
"That is not necessary sir. I love Catherine and would have never quit until I knew she was safe. Actually there is one thing that you could do for me."
"What is it son?" Asked the Admiral
"I just want your approval, sir. I know that it would mean a lot to her and I assure you that once you get to know me, you might even like me." Steve pleaded.
"My daughter is a big girl and she makes her own decisions, obviously she doesn't listen to me too often, but I will do my best to respect her wishes"
The Admiral left and Steve returned to Catherine's bedside.
"What were you two talking about?" asked Catherine
"Oh, nothing much. He was just thanking me for rescuing you" he said with a smirk
"My hero" she said with a sarcastic overtone.
They both laughed.
Steve knew that his relationship with Catherine was something special, but the events of the day had proved to him that he really did love her. Though they spent a great deal of their relationship apart, he knew that life without her would be unbearable to him. Did she feel the same way? Only time will tell. The fact that her father now knew of their relationship was an important factor for them both. Family is very important to Steve and it meant a great deal to him that he would be accepted into hers.
Despite the tragic events of the day, it turned out to be a good day after all.