Steve was embarrassed that it took him more than a few moments to figure out where he was and that the ringing of his phone was what roused him. He shook off the remnants of his dream and sat up in the armchair to grab his phone.
Amber. What was she doing calling him at - he checked his watch - 1400 on a Friday?
"Hello?" Steve answered in a gravelly voice still laden with sleep.
"Hi. Steve? It's Amber, sorry to call you last minute, but I've got to go in to my lawyer's office for something and I was supposed to pick up Grace from school today. Could you get her?" Amber asked, sounding a little flustered.
"Huh?" Steve gave a little head shake to wake himself up. "Oh yeah, Danny is in court all day. Yeah, sure I can go get Grace. Is everything alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, it should be fine," was Amber's distracted reply. "Danny told me under no circumstances to bother you while you were still recovering, but I would just feel terrible if I had to call Rachel."
Steve shifted uncomfortably in the chair when Amber brought up his most recent run-in with Wo Fat. It was the reason that he was caught napping on a Friday afternoon and was not at work with the rest of his task force. The fact that Danny had shared even that much information with Amber bothered him a little, but Steve also considered what that meant for Danny's current relationship. Maybe his partner was opening up a bit more and taking Steve's advice to heart. Danny always saw the worst in everything and Steve had convinced him to really put in an effort with Amber while both men had been trapped under the collapsed parking garage. Steve knew his most recent, and last ever, kidnapping by Wo Fat had shaken his whole team, especially Danny. So maybe the fact that Amber knew something about the situation was a good sign.
"Steve?" Amber questioned hesitantly.
"Yeah, sorry!" replied Steve as he brought himself out of his thoughts. "Don't worry about it, Amber. Rachel is on the Big Island with Stan for one of his business trips anyway. I'm glad you called. I'll go get her and bring her back to my place. You can come by and get her whenever you're done with your lawyer?"
"That sounds great. Thanks again so much, Steve. I really hope that you're feeling better. I'll see you in a few hours," said Amber.
"Yeah, see you later then," Steve said as he hung up. He checked the time and realized he had just enough time to get dressed and grab a quick bite to eat since he had apparently slept through lunch. He had been so bored with his latest recovery and since his team had banned him from even stepping foot in the office that these few hours spent with his favorite honorary niece seemed more exciting than normal.
…..
Steve pulled up in the blue Silverado with a few minutes to spare. It was just over a full week after he had defeated his nemesis and he knew he still looked like hell, but he had finished the last of his pain meds yesterday and knew he would be fine driving. He would have called Chin or Kono and pulled them off the job if he didn't feel up to it. He may have been bored out of his mind but he would never, never, risk the safety of Danny's daughter. She was the center of Danny's world and Steve would not be responsible for her coming to harm. He would never forgive himself, let alone even attempt to seek forgiveness from his best friend if he let anything happen to her on his watch.
Steve was ripped from his thoughts by one of the back doors being opened. "Uncle Steve?" came the hesitant question.
"Hey, Gracie! Amber had to run some errands so we get to hang out for a bit this afternoon. How do you want to start off the weekend?" Steve asked with a smile, trying to cover up the fact that he'd been caught off his guard by a teenage girl. He hoped he didn't look as embarrassed as he felt. Everyone was being so careful with him lately, even Gracie.
"Shave ice!" Grace stated enthusiastically, ignoring the surprised look she had seen on her uncle's face when she opened the truck door and climbed in. She knew something had happened to her Uncle Steve, because Danno had been extra quiet and had been staying with him quite a bit in the last week. Danno also wouldn't let her watch the news, but she still heard the rumors in school. She knew that he had been hurt and could just see the healing wound on his forehead when he turned around to speak to her.
"Shave ice it is," Steve declared and pulled out into traffic. "What do you have planned with Danno this weekend?" he asked, looking at her in the rear-view mirror. He noted the dark SUV that pulled out at the same moment a few cars back from them.
"Well, we haven't talked about it, but I thought I'd ask to go to a friend's house tonight so that he and Amber could have some time alone," Grace said, sounding wiser than her years and more than a little conspiratorial.
Steve looked at her in the mirror suspiciously. "You know that your Danno loves spending every minute with you that he can. What makes you think that he and Amber need alone time?" Steve was feeling guiltier by the minute. Grace was right. Danny had been spending a lot of time over at his house, and hadn't left Steve's side in the hospital while the drugs were flushed from his system. Danny had called his daughter every night from either the hospital or Steve's living room, so it wasn't a stretch to assume that she knew something was wrong and that her dad wasn't spending a lot of time with his girlfriend.
"Well. He just…he's been really quiet and he probably needs to spend some time with other adults and talk about… stuff, you know?" Grace was floundering and was obviously trying not to bring up what little she knew about Steve's recovery. Danny was right, she was growing up too fast.
"Well, you know what I think?" Steve asked her as he glanced in the rear-view mirror again, meeting her eyes. "I think that Danno has been stuck in court all day and will be tired of listening to people talk and that he would like nothing better than to spend the whole weekend with you." He smiled at her, but then furrowed his brow as he noticed the SUV make the same turn at the last stoplight. He thought it was the same one he noted at the school, but figured he was just being paranoid. Maybe everyone was right to tread carefully around him right now. He was probably overreacting.
"But what about Amber? Danno hasn't seen Amber in forever. He won't mind if she spends time with us, will he?" asked Grace.
Steve smiled as he thought back to Danny freaking out when Amber and Grace first met. It was actually the same morning as the building collapse and so much had happened since then. Afghanistan, his near death at the hands of the Taliban, Catherine leaving… Danny had been there for him then, too. The weaponized drone that shot him in the leg, and just after he had been cleared for duty again. Then the trouble with Reyes and Matty's death. Steve had tried to be available for his partner but it was hard when he couldn't go to New Jersey with him, and then even harder when Danny didn't take his calls. And most recently this latest business with Wo Fat through which Danny had hardly left his side. Now that Steve thought about it, he owed his friend more than he realized.
"Uncle Steve?" Grace asked hesitantly for the second time that day.
Steve was frustrated by the timidity in her voice. Was it possible that she was scared of him? "Yeah, Gracie?" he asked distractedly as he glanced in the rear-view mirror again and had to struggle to contain his shock. He must have spaced out longer than he realized because the SUV was right on top of them. And it was picking up speed.
Grace was politely repeating her question but Steve didn't hear it as he shouted, "Hold on, Gracie!" and braced for the impact he knew was coming.
The SUV slammed into the rear of the Silverado and Steve was thrown forward into his seat belt. Luckily the airbags didn't deploy, but that didn't provide him much comfort as the SUV began closing the distance once more.
"Gracie, I need to you to get out your phone and call Uncle Chin, okay?" Steve said calmly but firmly and looked in the mirror to see her frozen in fear. "Right now, Grace!" His shout spurred her into action and she reached into her backpack to pull out her phone. He pushed the gas pedal to the floor, trying to buy them some time and wondering what the hell this was all about.
Grace had just pulled out her phone when the SUV lined up for another hit on the empty road. "Hang on!" Steve warned just before the jolt of contact. This time the SUV stayed bumper to bumper with the Silverado and Steve could do little to control his truck as it careened into the guardrail, leaving behind a streak of bright blue on dull gray. The truck was forced up against the normally protective barrier and Steve's heart almost stopped when he tracked it forward and saw that they were quickly running out of rail.
Two weeks ago, right before his kidnapping by Wo Fat, two tourists had lost control of their vehicle in a heavy storm, broken through this exact guardrail and plummeted to their deaths. With no witnesses it had been ruled an accident and the investigation must have finished in the meantime as the equipment was now all cleared away. It had taken several days to recover the bodies and car due to the extreme slope and continued bad weather. Steve wouldn't have bothered to read the report, but the tourists were from New Jersey and he wanted to be sure that Danny wouldn't have known them. He knew it was irrational. He was just trying to be extra protective of his partner, but now he knew the exact fate that he and Gracie were about to face.
"Gracie, hold on, and remember that Danno loves you, okay?!" Steve shouted over the noise of metal scraping metal, engines revving and the Silverado's brakes squealing as he tried to stop what was about to happen. He couldn't see whether she had managed to complete the call to Chin or not, but he couldn't be bothered to care anymore as he held on to the steering wheel and time seemed to slow down when they reached the end of the structurally sound guardrail.
There was a heart-stopping moment of silence before the truck crashed down on the steep embankment and rolled over onto the passenger side, the side that Grace sat on, Steve thought, before continuing onto the roof and over again. The Silverado rolled three more times before it hit the dense undergrowth and the cabin wrapped around the first tree it came in contact with, crushing the front passenger seat into nothing.
Steve never completely lost consciousness, but was dazed as he coughed and tried to focus on the destruction around him. They were right side up, if a bit off-balance while the metal creaked and groaned and steam issued from underneath the crumpled hood with a hiss. He blinked sluggishly while he listened to the birds shriek and abandon their perches with the invasion of the large blue monstrosity.
He blinked again and began to take stock of the situation as his ears continued to ring in stark contrast to the sudden silence. He tried to shift in his seat but his legs refused to cooperate. When he looked down to study the situation he lost sight of his legs at mid-thigh, disappearing beneath the steering wheel, deflated airbag and the mangled remains of the dash. His left shoulder was sore, probably from coming in contact with the side of the vehicle as it had rolled down the embankment. He began turning his neck to the right, intending to check on Grace when a sharp pain from his shoulder stopped him. Okay, a broken collarbone then. He had to check Grace though, pain be damned. He was terrified that he hadn't heard a single sound from her yet.
Bracing his left arm across his chest with his right he began to slowly turn his head to look over his shoulder into the back seat. He saw her little legs with her colorful socks leading up to her khaki uniform skirt. "Gracie?" he tried, not expecting an answer. His breath hitched as his shoulder gave a twinge, but he closed his eyes to block it out and opened them again, focusing on Grace's chest since he couldn't see her face. "Grace?" he tried again, louder this time.
Nothing.
He didn't dare inhale for the few moments it took to see a definite movement of her steady breathing. He closed his eyes in relief and turned forward again, wincing at the pain of the movement. He leaned his head against the surprisingly intact headrest and just breathed deeply for a few moments. Deep breaths were in short supply however, when his ribs protested the excessive movement where the seat belt crossed his chest.
They were both alive. But what the hell was going on? One moment Grace was conspiring to take care of her dad, which should have been Steve's job, and the next they were rolling down a cliff hoping to survive.
Who the hell were these people and what did they want? Revenge for Wo Fat? Yeah, he had killed the bastard, but surely no one cared enough to hunt down Steve and take revenge on him. That had been Wo Fat's personal vendetta, and he'd been in a maximum security prison for over a year.
As Steve continued to revel in the pleasure of breathing while his mind mulled over the situation, he became aware of distant voices. He braced his arm again and looked up the embankment. He could just make out the dark SUV parked at the gap in the guardrail.
Of course they wouldn't give up. They, whoever they were, had run his truck off the road. They obviously wanted him for something, or perhaps just wanted him dead and needed to ensure that the job was complete. As he kept watching, the men, people, hell maybe they were all women, seemed frustrated with their inability to get down to the Silverado.
Steve knew he had some time, but he also knew that he had to get Gracie to safety and make sure that she was actually alright. He still hadn't heard a sound from the back seat and tried to stop himself from thinking of the ramifications of her silence. With a somewhat painful shrug he managed to get his cellphone out of his right pocket. The screen was cracked in a spider web with several chunks of glass missing. It still lit up when he pressed the volume button on the side, but he had no control over the system without access to the touchscreen. How did Chin ever convince him to start using a phone without actual buttons? For once he was jealous of Danny's inability to accept new technology into his life.
He had no choice but to get out of the car and go for help. He put his phone back in his pocket and pulled his knife out of his lower cargo pocket. Danny may make fun of his cargo pants, but at times like these he was thankful he hadn't changed too much and given in to the teasing. He cut away the airbag and shoved it out the broken driver's side window and finally got a better look at his trapped legs. He wiggled his toes and rotated his ankles a bit with a minimum of pain.
With some pressure and frustrated grunting he was able to push and pull his left leg out from under the wheel. With a growl he tried the same with his right leg but it wouldn't budge.
He looked back to check on Grace again and noted that she hadn't moved at all. He turned his head to the left to check on the progress of their attackers and was dismayed to see that a rope had been acquired and they were sending their first man down the steep slope. He needed more room to move to get his leg free. Steve reached over his body and tried to open the door but it was too crumpled and damaged and he quickly gave up any hope of forcing it open. With a sudden thought he grabbed the lever to recline the seat and was surprised when he was lying flat a moment later.
He groaned as his broken collarbone throbbed, but used his new position to check on Grace. Her head was resting against the window which was cracked and splintering outward. There was blood dripping down the window to gather at the seal, but she was still breathing steadily. He had to get her out of this and back to her Danno.
He sat up, now with more room to work and once again attacked his trapped leg. Seeing that none of the metal or parts were going to shift no matter the amount of force he used, he dug his knife into the upholstery in between his legs. He began frantically shredding and then pulling out the padding as the voices of his attackers became louder and closer. His plan worked as he was able to wiggle his leg a bit. He started to pull it back towards him.
"Ahh!" he cried out as he felt something slice into his shin. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to breathe through the sudden pain. When he opened his eyes he looked outside and saw that one man had made it down at least half of the embankment to the truck and another was beginning his decent. Steve was running out of time to get Grace to safety.
There was nothing for it. He gave an almighty heave and pulled his right leg mostly free of its prison. Whatever sharp metal was slicing up his shin dug in deeper until it was stopped by his boot. He closed his eyes and breathed through his nose as he suffered the voluntary, albeit necessary, injury. Without sparing another thought he maneuvered his foot free from under the wreckage and got his first look at the damage he did to his own leg.
His pants leg was sliced open from the bottom of the knee to the top of his boot and the khaki color was quickly turning bright red with fresh blood. He tested his ankle again and it moved to his satisfaction although with significantly more pain than before.
Steve shimmied out from under the life-saving seat belt and pulled himself over to Grace with his good arm. He pressed two fingers into her neck and waited for the pulse which was fast and weaker than he had hoped it would be. He spared a quick glance behind him to see that the first man was waiting at the bottom of the rope and his buddy had almost reached him. It seemed that the other two were waiting at the top. There was not much time left.
Using his knife, Steve cut through Grace's seat belt and started checking her shoulders and neck for obvious injuries. He could detect no sign of trauma and blew out a relieved breath because he knew he had to move her in order to save her.
Now to get out of the wrecked truck. Their best option seemed to be the back driver's side door. Steve scooted over to it, now lamenting his reclined front seat and had to twist awkwardly to get his right arm the proper leverage. The handle pulled and the latch popped open with a distinctive click, but the door only moved an inch. Frustrated and running out of time, Steve leaned back and started kicking frantically at the door. The crumpled metal began bending out inch by inch until finally it swung outward.
Steve leaned back on Grace with a relieved exhale, but in the next moment was sitting up and clutching at his slashed shin in pain. He soon turned around and put his arm around Grace as if he were comforting her, but grabbed tightly to her right arm and began working them both across the back seat to the open door. Steve tried not to use his left arm, but it was next to impossible and he grunted in pain as they made their slow progress out of the destroyed vehicle.
Once Steve was clear, he spared another glance at their pursuers and moved more frantically as he watched the second man reach the end of the rope. He crouched down and used his right arm to maneuver Grace into a fireman's carry. Thankful that she didn't mimic her father's eating habits, he was able to balance her light frame across his shoulders and stand up without too much pain as long as he didn't use his left arm. Reaching across his body he grabbed her dangling right arm with his own and trapped her right leg against his chest.
He didn't have a spare second at he watched the two men turn and start toward the wreckage of his Silverado. Steve started a brisk pace deeper into the foliage, away from the road and help, but away from the men who probably wanted him dead.
…..
Steve had been walking for barely a minute when he felt himself slowing down. He had only just started his latest recovery which included a mild concussion and numerous drugs. He was not physically ready for another incident like this. Grace's steady breathing continued next to his left ear and he felt her small chest expanding against his back. The blood from her head wound where she had impacted the window was slowly soaking the sleeve of his shirt.
He heard indiscriminate shouting behind them and knew that their survival and escape had now been discovered. This gave him renewed energy for another minute or so before he felt himself flagging again.
Steve started to think that he wasn't going to escape this time. Perhaps his luck had finally run out. He had only just survived Wo Fat for the final time and lamented that the world was out to get him and that Grace had to be collateral damage.
No, he couldn't, wouldn't, allow Grace to be killed or captured because of him. He was holding his partner's entire reason for being on his shoulders and Steve couldn't be responsible for her coming to any further harm.
He heard more shouting from the wreckage and knew that his time was up. He was leaving an easy trail of blood from his leg and couldn't move very fast with Grace resting on his broken collarbone. He didn't have the energy to run if he had wanted to.
He looked around him for a solution as his eyes fell on a huge banyan tree not ten feet to his left. If he hid Grace well enough in the root system she might not be found while he led their pursuers on a game of cat and mouse.
Steve moved quickly over to the root system on the opposite side of the tree. He eased Grace off his shoulders and bit back a cry of pain as he had to use his left arm to help lower her gently to the ground between two large, winding roots. He hated to do it, but he kicked some dirt on top of her to make her bright socks and blue polo less noticeable. Once he was convinced that she wouldn't be immediately spotted he pulled his broken phone out of his pocket and laid it on the ground next to her. It couldn't be used to call for help, but if it still had power maybe it was still traceable.
He spared a last quick glance at Grace and his heart filled with regret that he had to leave her lying there, alone and injured in the middle of the forest. He was filled with self-loathing that this was happening because of him. But now he had a mission to complete, perhaps the most important one of his life. He quickly returned to his original path, covering any easily identifiable blood spots and started to lead the pursuers away from the little girl he had sworn to protect.