Me again! The writing bug has bitten and I have no idea where this came from but... it's here so, enjoy!
So warned, I drop the "F-bomb" a few times in this chapter but it's not going to be a regular thing.
Oz
Steve kicked in the door in front of him with so much power the whole thing didn't just rip off its hinges but it splintered into shards. Not giving the door a second thought the SEAL powered his way into the small building expertly checking every direction and every corner.
"Movement back left," said a voice in his ear. Tapping into his heightened and well honed senses, Steve gave the silent single to the man behind him to follow and be ready.
Then with a steady breath that barely moved through the man, Steve silently and deadly moved forward rifle raised to the final door at the end of the hall. Another count down and yet another wood splitting kick had Steve and the soldier behind him racing in.
"US Navy get your hands in air drop the weapon!" Steve barked. The target in the room wrapped his arm around the throat of his victim and raised his own gun
"You shoot me you shoot him!" The target snarled.
"Please! Get me out of here!" The victim wailed.
"Shut up!" The target barked. Steve instantly saw his shot and was ready to take it.
"You've got to the count of three before this ends badly for you," he growled. The Target went wide eyed and held his victim tighter.
"Nice try, you've got n-" Steve took his shot before his target could finish speaking. With a howl of pain the man dropped to the ground his hostage free to run to the safety of the SEAL behind Steve.
"Hostage secure!" The other one barked. Steve nodded but approached the man on the ground who was still writhing. The target finally realized their was a figure looming over him and went wide eyed in surprise. For his part, Steve grinned, pulled out his side arm and shot the man twice more in the chest.
Once the adrenaline started to wear off, Steve raised an eyebrow, laughed then poked the body with his foot.
"Still alive, Grant?" He asked. The "Target" on the floor grunted and moaned then rolled onto his hands and knees and started gagging.
"Be better if you hadn't shot me in the nuts Smooth dog," the Target now "Grant" wretched. "They're dummy rounds but they still f***ing hurt sir." Steve and the two men behind him started laughing.
It had been a mission but at the moment it hadn't been life or death. For the last five and a half days Steve had been on a training exercise with four other Navy SEALs. Being the senior of the others he'd been asked to come in and recertify the men on a few things while recertifying himself on his instructor qualifications. They had another four days to go and that was cutting it close.
Three of the SEALs on the training exercise were due to ship out two days after the training was over and they needed their certification to be eligible to go.
"Come on Grant, that's what you get for nearly choking me out," the "victim" also known as Petty Officer 1st Class Eddie Dax chuckled.
"He deserves it for leaving his crotch exposed," Steve replied. "Our vests only cover so much, you guys need to remember any exposed flesh is fair game and still can be lethal. Shock can kill just as much as an open wound... Isn't that right Grant?"
"Oh f*** you Commander," the man moaned still writhing. "Grant" or Lieutenant James Grant was also working on some instructor qualifications and as such had been nominated as the "bad guy" for their little exercise. Steve had known the man for several years and gone on a few missions so his choice words could be let go at the moment.
After all Steve had just shot him in a very private area.
"And the two extras sir?" Asked the amused SEAL who'd followed Steve in for the rescue. Another Petty Officer by the name of Brent Kato.
"That was for Jimmy skipping out on the bill last time we went out for drinks," Steve replied all to happily. Everyone in the room, including the voice over Steve's radio started howling in laughter.
Grant managed to pull himself to his feet but still sucked in a few deep breaths. Steve went over and gave him a pat on the back.
"Seriously you need a medic Grant?" He asked.
"And give you chuckle heads the satisfaction? No, I'm good," he croaked out.
"Outstanding," Steve nodded. "Alright, we got a good hike back to base camp so let's get moving. Draco? You got your ears and eyes on still?" He asked in to his throat mic.
"Don't I always sir?" Senior Chief Chris "Draco" Dawson replied knowingly.
"Good we're coming out, don't shoot us and meet us at the rendezvous point, you've got fifteen minutes," Steve ordered.
"I'll see you in ten," Draco replied. One of the best snipers Steve had ever known, he had no doubt the smug SEAL would be rested and waiting by the time they caught up to him.
Two and a half hours later Steve and his camouflaged band of Navy emerged from the woods of a remote part of California and walked up a dirt road to where a temporary military tent city base had been set up.
"Dax, Draco take Grant to the medic just to be on the safe side, Kato you and I will secure the kit and make sure those uppity reccie Marines didn't steal out tent space again," Steve ordered. Last time they'd been out doing their exercises for 24 hours they came back to find a hand full of recon Marines had shoved their kit into a barely manageable space and spread themselves out with out so much as a how do you do.
"Can I shoot them?" Draco asked. The team just laughed before heading in their separate directions.
Later that evening and after evaluating all they'd done since being out in the jungle for just over a day, Steve was about ready to burn his uniform and break his rule of a 3 minute navy shower by about a half hour.
Grant hadn't bothered changing, he was flopped out on his cot sleeping with an icepack on his sensitive area while Draco, Dax and Kato quietly shared their MREs and played a game of cards.
"Shower time boys," Steve said. "You know..."
"Every chance you have to sh**, shower and shave you should take it because it could be a week until you get another chance." All of the SEALs, even Grant who'd woken up slightly finished the line that Steve had said to his men probably a thousand times before.
"And if I could feel my nuts right now I'd agree with you Commander," Grant murmured before rolling over and going back to sleep amongst the laughter of his peers. Steve chuckled as well but then headed out.
He didn't make it far as an Army Private ran up to him and let him know he had a phone call in the command tent. It was surprising considering when he'd put in for this two week exercise, the Governor okayed it even accepting that he would need to be radio silent with the outside world.
"You got friends in high places," said the General in charge of the entire military exercise that had been set up in the area for the time being. "Try not to make a habit of this McGarrett, this isn't your personal answering service."
"No sir," Steve replied with a nod. In truth he was just confused as to why he was not only being called but the call must have been at least authorized by the Governor to reach not just the camp but the command tent and the general's office.
After receiving another pointed look from the higher ranking man Steve was left alone to snatch up the waiting phone.
"This is McGarrett."
"Steve, it's Chin." Steve frowned not sure why the man would go to such lengths to contact him but his frown turned to a smile as he realized how much he missed his friends.
"Chin, hey man it's good to hear your voice," Steve replied. "It's awesome actually but you know I'm supposed to be off the grid."
"I know Steve, but this can't wait anymore," Chin answered. "Its why I had the Governor pull strings to find out where you were." A deep feeling of concern rooted itself in Steve's gut. Something about his friend's voice sounded wrong, very wrong.
"Chin what? What's going on?" The pause that followed was the longest of Steve's life and he knew what he heard next would hurt. "Chin?" He asked in frustration.
"Danny and Grace were in a car accident four days ago," Chin said in one breath. Steve's heart started racing, he had to make sure his feet were well planted before he trusted his voice to speak.
"What!? Are they...? Chin tell me they're okay," Steve hissed. There was a heavy sigh which signaled nothing good.
"They were t-boned and it hit primarily on the back passenger side..." Instantly Steve knew what that meant, that would have been where Grace would be sitting.
"How bad is it?" Steve dared ask.
"Danny's got a concussion, two cracked ribs and some powder burns from the air bags," Chin explained. "But he'll be okay; Grace will too it's just..."
"Just what Chin?" Steve exclaimed. Grace wasn't his own flesh and blood but she was the closest thing he had to a child and the way she and Danny were together, that little girl being hurt was a pain worse than death.
"Grace got the worst of it; a broken leg, broken arm, concussion and they had her in surgery to stop some internal bleeding as well as to re-inflate her right lung," Chin explained. At that Steve's knees buckled and he fell back into a chair.
"Jesus Christ," he whooshed out. Grace wasn't small for her age but the idea that that small body had suffered so much didn't seem fair.
"She's out of the woods Steve, the doctor's said she'll be okay," Chin instantly reassured. "And I know you're supposed to be on exercise but..." When the man trailed off Steve made the revelation all on his own.
"Danny's not okay is he... mentally I mean?" He asked quietly. Another pause before;
"Kono and I don't know what to do Steve, even Rachel's at a loss," Chin replied. "Danny hasn't left the hospital even when he couldn't see Grace. He's not eating, he's not drinking, he's barely talking... Steve he fainted earlier today and had to be hooked up to an IV. The doctors say if this keeps up they're going to have to keep him sedated until they can replenish enough of the missing fluids and nutrients."
"What do you need from me Chin? Can you put him on the phone?" Steve asked.
"If I could get him to do anything right now I wouldn't be calling you," the Hawaiian said honestly. Sighing heavily Steve knew he had some decisions to make.
"I hear you Chin," he replied. "I'll be there as soon as I can, just need to talk to some people first."
"Thanks Steve and we will keep trying," Chin said.
"I know you will," Steve answered. "I'll let you know what's up as soon as I can."
Steve made short work of the distance between the command tent and where his small band of SEALs were calling a temporary home. He knew he couldn't back out of there training mission but he also knew there were loop holes. As special operations soldiers, your training or recertification could happen anywhere from Canada to Dubai as long as everything was logged and all criteria were met.
Steve needed to get back to his friend and pseudo niece but he couldn't just ruin four men's career advancement opportunities to do it. He wouldn't unless it was absolutely necessary.
When he skidded to a halt inside the tent all the SEALs looked up curiously.
"Forget the shower part or showering, Commander?" Grant asked.
"Nope, got a phone call, missions changed, how do you boys feel about Hawaii?" He asked. When all four faces lit up like a Christmas tree, Steve knew his plan would work and he'd soon be home and able to help Danny with whatever troubles he was currently struggling with.
27 hours later Steve, on little sleep and still in his black cammo gear, half walked half jogged through the hospital hallway and at last caught sight of Chin-Ho.
"Chin!" He called out. The man turned just as Steve closed the final distance between them. The SEAL was about to say hello and ask how the man was doing but suddenly the hospital room door close to them burst open and much to Steve's horror two nurses and a doctor rushed out with Danny restrained and wild on the gurney between them.
The ungodly noises and grunts that the detective was emitting put a fear in Steve's heart he didn't know he was capable of.
"Get him to the psych ward and put him on 24 hour watch," the doctor ordered. "I want his blood work taken and run again!"
"Hey!" Steve barked as his partner was wheeled out of sight. "Hold on! Doc what's going on!?" The doctor stopped and turned toward the two Five-0 members and only then did Steve see a sizable bloody gash on the doctors cheek.
"Commander McGarrett?"
"That's me," Steve nodded. "What happened to my partner?" The doctor looking more than frazzled sighed.
"It appears the detective has had a massive psychological break," he explained. "We're going to have him properly sedated and watched so he can't harm himself or others but the second he's settled I will allow you and others to visit." Steve was to stunned to speak but thankfully this allowed the doctor to take a breath and calm down. "I'm sorry Commander, Detective Kelly, but Detective Williams is struggling severely at the moment and I promise you we're doing everything we can to help him. If you'll excuse me I need to get this wound looked at, I'll be back to speak with you as soon as I can."
With that the doctor was gone, leaving Steve to turn toward Chin who's normally stoic face was laced with angst.
"Chin... What the hell happened?!" He demanded. The Hawaiian detective just let out a breath and shook his head.
"I don't even know, Steve," he replied. "He's always been protective of Grace but... I've never seen him like this." Steve bit back his sarcastic retort of "yuh think?", instead taking a deep breath and taking the man's hand in a firm brotherly handshake.
"It's good to be back Chin," he said honestly to the detectives warm smile. "Now take me to Gracie, you can explain on the way."
"What about your exercise?" Chin asked. Steve smiled as he thought of the four men he'd unleashed on Oahu, their mission? Go over the traffic accident and find out everything they could about the situation while Steve dealt with the emotional fallout.
"Still going, with an addendum or two," he explained. "But that's not important right now; Danny's situation is obvious but how's Grace doing?"
"Same as the rest of us," Chin said looking Steve right in the eyes. "Scared."
They'd just reached a hospital room door where the Hawaiian detective came to a stop reaching for the handle when Steve's cellphone went off. Hissing at his own stupidity for forgetting to turn it off in a hospital, the SEAL snatched the object from his hip and quickly answered it.
"McGarrett," he said.
"Smooth dog, you sure you don't want to come back to the SEALs full time?" Grant's voice asked over the phone. Steve gave Chin a small smile before replying, as much as he loved being a Navy SEAL, Five-0 had become something more satisfying than he could have ever imagined.
"Got a good thing going here lieutenant, why what's going on?" Steve asked.
"We did a once over of your man's accident site and it wasn't," Grant replied. Steve furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Wait… it wasn't what?" he asked.
"An accident," Grant replied. Steve's heart started beating a little faster as he clutched his phone close to his ear and locked eyes with Chin yet again.
"What?" he asked with deadly calm.
"Sorry Commander, looks like your man's got someone who not only expertly knows what they're doing but they clearly REALLY don't like him," Grant explained. "By all accounts, sir, if it weren't for a freak mistake that Draco just found, neither your friend nor his kid should have survived."
Uh oh... who's out to get Danny? Or *dramatic pause* is it really Danny they're after... hmm. Dun duh duuuuuuh!
Hope you liked, I'd love to hear reviews or see that people are reading this.
Thanks for your time!
Oz