Through the Darkness – Part Four

-H50-

Danny pulls his Camaro into Tripler's parking lot 26 minutes later and is, for once, waiting for Chin when he arrives 10 minutes later. Danny smirks when he sees Chin getting out of an HPD cruiser in full uniform. "So you do actually work? It's nice to have the confirmation." He smirks at Chin's slightly disgruntled look, but it eases out a moment later as they walk through the halls of the hospital. Danny sees why a moment later when Dr. Waincroft comes into view at the nurse's station.

"Chin, Detectives Williams, thank you for coming on such short notice," Dr. Waincroft greets them.

Chin? Danny quirks an eyebrow at Chin and is floored when he sees the slightest hint of color flush over the man's cheeks. The small smile that steals over his lips a moment later explains it all.

"Malia, Steve said it was important. We got here as quick as we could. Is he in his room?"

Danny's eyes bounce back and forth between the two, feeling like he is intruding and too dumbfounded to really add anything useful to the conversation. He watches as Dr. Waincroft, Malia, nods and motions down the hall, telling them that he was just finishing up physical therapy and was waiting for them. Chin smiles at her, thanking her for her help, before he is striding down the hall, Danny following mutely after him.

"On a first name basis with the Doc?" Danny manages a moment later, well out of hearing range of said doctor.

"Uh, yeah, kinda." Chin answers evasively. When Danny just quirks an eyebrow at him, Chin sighs and stops outside of Steve's door.

"I called the night after our interview with Steve. I wanted to make sure he was handling it okay. Malia and I got to talking and well … we're just seeing where it goes."

Danny grins at him, nudging him in the shoulder in approval as he steps into Steve's room. Danny raps on the wall loudly, announcing their presence. "Commander McGarrett? It's Detective Williams."

"Come on in," a female voice answers. Danny quirks an eyebrow at Chin in question but steps further into the room. When they come around the corner, they see a slender woman in scrubs kneeling at Steve's feet. "We're almost done and then I'll be out of your way," she says, not even looking up from where she is unstrapping ankle weights and tossing them in her bag.

"All right, you're all done for today. Remember to ask Mak for the heat pack in a bit if you need it, all right?"

Steve nods his head, hands massaging his thighs absentmindedly. The woman shakes her head and slings her bag over her shoulder, starting to turn their way. "Hi I'm Kono-" She stops short when she eyes them, or more specifically eyes Chin. She stares at him, stunned, for a moment before her face breaks into a huge grin.

"Chin!" she drops her bag to the ground and is pulling Chin into a hug before any of them can react. "It's so good to see you cuz!"

When he's released, Chin looks shell-shocked but a smile is curving up his face. "Kono? It's been a long time. Look at you!" He holds her at arms length and gives her a once over, nodding in approval at what he sees. "Last time I saw you, you were shredding up the waves. Now you're a nurse?"

"Therapist," she corrects. "I'm this lug's therapist. Getting him back on his feet," she declares proudly. When she sees Danny standing there, once again awkwardly hanging on the outside of Chin's conversations, she turns towards him. "Hi, Kono Kalakaua."

"Danny Williams," he offers, shaking Kono's hand. He's so intrigued by her and her connection to Chin that he holds on to her hand a lot longer than necessary. "Sorry," he mutters, letting go.

Kono, for her part, just chuckles. "Well I better go, I have other patients to see. But it was good to see you cuz! We'll have to hook up and catch a wave sometime." She gives Chin another, much shorter, hug and then is slipping out of the room with a wave over her shoulder.

"Sorry about that," Chin mutters, but the smile on his face tells a different story. Even Steve is smirking up at him. Chin just shrugs a shoulder. "She's my little cousin. Haven't seen her in a few years. She's all grown up now."

"She sure is," Danny replies and holds up his hands innocently when Chin glares daggers at him. "I'm just sayin'," he mutters. Then looks to Steve, suddenly remembering why they are here, and cuts the rest of his comment off. Chin picks up on the mood change and the smile eases off his face as well.

"Steve, Malia said you needed to talk to us about your father's case, that it was important?" Chin begins, taking up a seat in one of the chairs, dragging it closer to where Steve is, in his wheelchair by the window. Danny takes up the chair next to Steve and pulls out his notepad.

"Yeah," he begins hesitantly. "I've been doing some thinking and might have a lead you can chase down. I'm a bit out of the loop on the case," he eyes them pointedly, "but I figure that Hesse had to have had more than one contact on the island."

"Yeah, we think he hooked up with a known gun runner, Doran. But he's pulled a disappearing act so we haven't been able to confirm that," Danny recaps, not sure how much Steve remembers from their first conversation.

Steve is nodding along. "Yeah, he would've needed weapons, but he would've needed help before that. He's wanted in multiple countries for a variety of different crimes. It's not like he just walked into an airport and boarded a flight to Hawai'i." Steve stresses, his fingers kneading his thigh again. "He would've needed an alternate way on and off the island."

Chin and Danny both look at each other, eyes lighting up with realization. This is what they had been missing. Danny starts scribbling notes down as Chin picks up on the line of thought.

"He would've needed someone who knew the island well enough to know how to get him in and out unnoticed. Quick and quiet." Chin thinks aloud.

Silence descends over the three of them for a minute before they all come to the same conclusion. "Smugglers" they say at the same time.

Chin jumps up from his chair, phone already in hand as he moves a few steps away. Danny and Steve watch him intently for a moment before Danny pulls his eyes away from the murmured conversation, already having a good idea of who would be Chin's first call with this new piece of information.

"Would Hesse reach out to a few different people for help, or would he stick with only one or two known contacts?" Danny asks, thinking once again about his disappearing act.

"Hesse doesn't trust a lot of people so he wouldn't be working with too many people. He doesn't leave any loose ends either. If he thinks they're a liability, he won't hesitate to take them out of the equation." Steve states matter-of-factly.

Danny nods and sighs heavily. "We have a source that says he's still on the island though no one knows where he is." Steve stiffens at that, looking up at Danny. "Any idea of why he'd still be here?"

"Either something went wrong with his plan to get off the island, or he has …" Steve closes his eyes and sighs heavily.

A sickening feeling comes over Danny then, knowing exactly what Steve was going to say. "Or he has unfinished business here," he finishes, cutting his eyes over to Chin who caught the tail end of their conversation.

"Kame's going to look into it and get back to us," Chin states into the stilted silence that has descended over the room.

Steve nods, but his attention is focused out the window. Danny and Chin wait a few minutes, but it quickly becomes obvious that they have nowhere else to go with this discussion until they get a few names to chase down. Chin puts his hand on Steve's shoulder and gives it a quick squeeze. "As soon as we find out anything else, Steve, we'll let you know, all right?"

Steve doesn't say anything else, just nods his head and keeps his eyes glued to the window.

Danny and Chin just make it out to the parking lot before Chin's phone starts to ring. When he glances down at the number, he quirks an eyebrow at Danny, showing him the number displayed on the screen. Kamekona, Danny thinks, suddenly anxious. He's not sure if Kame calling back so soon bodes well for them or not. Danny motions to the Camaro, parked only a few feet away and Chin nods. Once they're in the car, Chin answers the call, putting it on speaker between the two of them.

"Howzit brah?" Chin answers, voice belying none of the tension that Danny can feel rippling between them. "You got a name already?"

The other end of the line is quiet for a moment before Kamekona speaks hesitantly. "I got more than a name brah. I got you a meet if you want it."

Danny and Chin exchange a look. Danny shakes his head but Chin ignores it. "Who is it?"

"Sang Min. He's known for smuggling in girls from China for da trade, but he'll smuggle anything for da right price."

"How's this gonna work? You're a cop, Chin, and we're on an island with less than a million people. If you go in there, he'll smell trap." Danny points out, stabbing an accusing finger at Chin.

Chin sighs heavily, closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he looks at Danny again a moment later, his lips are quirking with a smile, plan already formulating in his mind. "Sure I'm cop, but I'm a dirty cop."

Danny looks confused for a moment before it dawns on him. Kame is making noises of agreement.

"Figured ya say dat," Kame replies. "I put word out dat ya need to move some merch off da islands. Discreetly. Meet's in an hour."

Chin cuts a glance over to Danny, waiting for his answer. They may not be partners officially, but they are in this together. Danny knows if he protested, Chin would call it off and they'd find another way to get to Sang Min. He sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. It's risky, he knows, but he also knows this is their best move. Silently, he nods his head to Chin.

"Text me the details. And Kame, thanks." Chin hangs up the phone and looks over at Danny, a small smile quirking up the corner of his lips. "You ready for this?"

"Do I really have a choice?"

-H50-

"So what can I do for you, Chin Ho Kelly?" Sang Min's sitting behind the desk, smirking smugly at Chin. He's got his feet propped up on the desk, leaning casually back in the chair while three armed guards flank his guest.

"I'm pretty sure you can guess," Chin answers back haughtily. He stands stock still between the guards, refusing to appear even the slightest bit uncomfortable. He just hopes that the new laser audio mic Danny's using can pick up the audio. They only have one shot at this. When Sang Min frowns at him, Chin kicks the attitude down a notch. "I've got some … things that I need moved off the island discreetly. Word around the street is that you're the best."

"Your reputation precedes you, Officer Kelly."

If Sang Min is trying to bait him, he'll have to try a hell of a lot harder than that. Chin barely blinks at the title, staring straight ahead at the man with a blank face. Sang Min's irritation is visible as he slides his legs off the desk and sits up in his chair, glaring.

"I don't work with cops, even dirty ones. Don't trust 'em." Sang Min answered, still glaring intently at Chin.

"Because criminals are so much more trustworthy!" Danny's annoyed tone rumbles through Chin's ear and he has to fight back a smile. He's glad the earpieces are working though, and that Danny is with him, can hear everything that's going on. It was definitely worth the risk. "He's not gonna bite, Chin. Time for plan b."

Chin shifts his position, sliding one foot forward slightly, never taking his eyes off of Sang Min. "That's all right, didn't need you to trust me," he murmurs. Sang Min frowns and the guards around him shift nervously. "I just need you to be able to talk," he smirks as a loud crash sounds from behind them.

A HPD cruiser comes crashing through the warehouse doors behind them. Taking advantage of their distraction, Chin throws an elbow into one guard's gut and smashes his fist into another's jaw. By the time they recover, Danny's out of the car, gun drawn coming towards them. One guard gets brave and starts to reach for his piece and ends up on floor with a bullet in his shoulder, courtesy of Danny, before he can fully draw the weapon. Chin kicks away his gun and throws a fist into the other guard's face, knocking him out cold. The third guard takes off and Danny lets him go, training his gun on Sang Min who's hunch over the desk searching for his own weapon.

"Don't even think about it," Danny barks, cautiously advancing on him with Chin a step behind.

He doesn't listen though, pulling out a gun and squeezing off a few rounds in their general direction. Danny and Chin both duck quickly, but refuse to retreat. Danny peers around the chair he's using for cover and pulls the trigger, clipping Sang Min in the hand. The other man curses, dropping the gun in favor of grabbing his bleeding palm. With the gun out of the equation, Danny and Chin close the distance on him.

Chin gives Sang Min a shove in the chest, knocking him back in the chair. Danny keeps his gun trained on the smuggler as Chin winds the man's hands through the arms of the chair, handcuffing them behind him. Once he's secure, Danny holsters his gun and leans against the desk with Chin and eyes up the man before them.

"I don't know why he hasn't been caught before now," Danny crosses his arms over his chest, feigning nonchalance as he glances over at Chin. "Wasn't all that hard."

Chin cracks a smile at Danny's wiseass remark and nods along. "I agree. Though I doubt anyone else would've been as creative."

"What do you want?" Sang Min demands, though it's hard to take him seriously when he winces in pain.

"Victor Hesse." Danny answers back, all business once again.

Sang Min's eyes grow wide and terrified for a moment before he tries to mask it with a scoff. "Good luck with that. I think I'd like to go to jail now."

Danny glances over at Chin and shares a look. He shrugs his shoulder once before he turns back to Sang Min, pulling out his phone. "I thought you might say something like that so I got us a little insurance policy in case you decided to take the stupid route." He flicks through his phone for a moment before he turns the screen to Sang Min, watching with as the smug look falls quickly off the criminal's face. Sang Min pales, swallowing thickly at the images on the screen.

"Recognize them?" Chin asks, pushing away from the desk to stand next to Danny, forming a formidable wall in front of the smuggler. Sang Min opens his mouth, but no words come out.

"Yeah, thought you might." Danny pulls the phone away for a minute, looking at the screen. "Your wife and kid are in HPD custody right now and all it'll take is one call for INS to swoop in and extradite them out of the country."

"Your wife's from Rwanda, isn't she?" Chin asks, feigning curiosity. "They'll both be sent back there."

"I'm not sure what'll happen to your wife, but I'm pretty sure in the eyes of the militia, your son is old enough to become a soldier." Danny shoves the phone back in Sang Min's face, a picture of his wife and son's smiling faces staring back at him. "Is that what you want for him?!"

"What do you want?" Sang Min whispers again, looking startled when Danny takes the phone away.

"We told you," Chin answers. "Victor Hesse."

"We know you smuggled him onto the island. We want his whereabouts."

When Sang Min hesitates, Chin leans down, giving the chair a small shove so it's firmly planted against the wall. Sang Min squirms as his arms get trapped between the wall and the chair. He looks up Chin with worried eyes. "You are going to jail, that part isn't up for discussion. What happens to your family, however, is up to you." Chin whispers, anger evident in his face. "You give us what we want and your wife and kid go free, no harm, no foul. But if you refuse …" Chin trails off and let's Sang Min put the pieces together.

"I don't know where he is," Sang Min answers shakily after a moment. When Danny and Chin scoff, he's quick to shake his head. "I don't, I swear. That wasn't part of our deal."

"So what was your part of the deal?" Danny barks, frustration with the man in front of him rising with each minute.

"I only had to get him on and off the island." Sang Min answers, shifting in the chair again.

Chin eases up, pulling the chair back away from the wall and takes a step back next to Danny. "Okay, so how is he getting off the island?"

"I don't know." When Danny growls, Sang Min quickly finishes his answer. "I got him access to three different ships leaving for three different countries at three different times. I don't know which one he'll be on."

"When does the first one leave?" Chin asks, pulling his phone out.

"Two hours, heading for South Korea," Sang Min answers dejectedly. "There is one leaving in two weeks for Russia, and one that'll be leaving port in a month for China."

Chin nods quickly and takes a few steps away, phone pressed to his ear. Danny, however, eyes up Sang Min for a minute before he shakes his head. He turns away and starts cuffing the two unconscious guards on the floor, waiting for HPD back up.

"You won't get him alive." Sang Min answers bravely a minute later.

Danny stands up, brushing the dust from his pants and glancing over at the man. "What'd you say?"

"You won't catch him alive. You won't get anyone that helped him alive. Once he finds out you've been investigating them, the bodies will start piling up. Everyone he's come into contact with while he's been on the island, anyone that's ever helped him or was going to help him. Their bodies will just start turning up and while you're looking one way, he'll just slip right out of your grip. You'll spend months chasing your tail before you find out where he's been hiding and by then it'll be too late."

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Danny answers.

-H50-

When Steve comes rolling into the rec room, he's relieved to see Grace sitting at their table waiting for him. Sure, he's only a few minutes late, but he still feels bad. He wants to grab the wheels and push himself over to their table himself because Kono is going too slow, but he's not sure how much faster he would be given the workout Kono just put him through. In fact, he's not sure he can muster up enough energy to draw with Grace today, but he'll be content enough just being in her presence.

Grace sees them coming and waves excitedly then points to their, by now, traditional bag of cookies on the table. Steve chuckles and from behind him, he can hear Kono laugh too.

"She's quite the kid, isn't she? I can't believe I haven't met her yet!" she exclaims. As they draw near their usual spot, Kono abandons Steve at the edge of the table and moves around to face Grace. "You must be Grace! I've heard so much about you." Kono smiles at Grace as she crouches down in front of her chair. Grace nods, eyes flickering between Steve and Kono questioningly. "I'm Kono, Super Steve's therapist."

At the mention of Grace's nickname for Steve, Grace's eyes light up. "Hi!" she chirps excitedly, sticking her small hand out to Kono for a quick handshake.

"Sorry I kept Super Steve here a little longer than usual," Kono apologizes, then glances over to watch as Steve slowly maneuvers his wheelchair closer to the table. She eyes him critically, noticing how tired he seems, but also how determined he is to spend time with Grace. "I won't interrupt anymore of your time. It was nice meeting you Grace." Kono starts to stand up, then pauses, glancing over at Grace again with mischief sparking in her eyes.

"Hey Grace," she whispers, beckoning Grace a bit closer. "You'll have to ask Super Steve to show you his new trick before you leave."

When Grace looks excitedly at Steve then back, Kono just gives her a thumbs up then stands up. She gives Steve's shoulder a squeeze as she passes by. "Have fun Super Steve."

Steve nods at her and waits until Kono has left before he turns his attention back to Grace. He smiles at her as he picks up a crayon from the rainbow array she has spread across the table. His hand shakes with exhaustion but Steve tries his best to lock it down until it's little more than a quiver. Once it's under control, Steve smirks over at Grace.

"Sorry about Kono, but she wanted to meet you. She wanted to see who made all the pictures on my walls." Steve tries to start drawing, but the lines are shaky and jagged, like they were the first time he'd attempted drawing with Grace. After a minute, he abandons the crayon in favor of opening the bag of cookies and pulling one out for each of them.

"You have my pictures up on your wall?" Grace asks in shock.

"Of course," Steve nods and hand her a cookie.

Grace hasn't really started on a drawing yet so she too abandons her crayons. After a moments of silence passes between them, Grace moves her chair so it's placed next to Steve's. When she sits back down, she smiles happily up at him and turns her attention out the window. A few silent, comfortable moments pass between them as they sit there, eating cookies and watching as a few birds flit between the trees in the garden, the warm afternoon sun streaming in through the clouds.

Steve's so relaxed that it takes him a minute to realize that Grace isn't watching the birds anymore, but studying him. He turns to her questioningly but before he can utter a word, her eyes light up and she's jumping out of her chair.

"Be right back Super Steve!" she calls out as she rushes through the rec room over to the nurse's station.

Steve watches curiously as she walks straight up to Mak and starts chatting away. Her little hands are whipping through the air animatedly as she talks. Mak just smiles indulgently down at her, nodding along to what she's saying. When he glances over at Steve, he seems to hesitate for only a moment before Grace steals his attention once again. A minute later, a proud Grace is strutting back across the rec room with a smirking Mak behind her.

"What's up you two?" Steve questions when they stop next to him.

"We're going for a walk!" Grace chirps excitedly, quickly gathering up the scattered art materials and putting them back in the bin.

"What?" Steve looks up at Mak for an explanation but only gets a shrug of shoulders from his still smirking nurse.

"You said you miss being outside," Grace says, like it should all make sense. When Steve still hesitates, she turns back around with an exasperated look on her face. She cocks one hip out and drops a hand on her hip, looking for all the world like a sarcastic teenager. Steve's just waiting for her to roll her eyes in annoyance at him as she starts explaining again.

"You miss being out in the sun, remember? So I told Mak we need to take you outside today so you can see the sun."

"Oh," Steve responds dumbly.

"Okay then! Now that that is all cleared up, let's go!" Mak grabs the handles on Steve's wheelchair and starts pushing him towards the exit.

"I wanted to push you but I don't think I can see over you," Grace explains as they are walking through the hushed hallways. "So Mak has to push you, but that's okay because Mak is cool."

Mak and Steve both chuckle at Grace as she walks next to Steve, perfectly in pace with his wheelchair. Once they reach the door leading out into the garden, Grace steps ahead of them and pushes with all her might to open the door. She holds it open for them as Mak ushers the wheelchair out into the garden, then rushes to catch up with them.

"It's so pretty out here!" Grace exclaims, taking in all the flowers, the stone pathway winding its way through the greenery, and the large water fountain in the middle. Steve can only nod in agreement.

He can see parts from his room, from the physical therapy room, and the rec room, but today is the first time he's seeing the whole garden. He takes a deep breath and feels invigorated as the fresh air rushes into his lungs. It's like it flows into his lungs and seeps out into the rest of his cells, recharging him. The sun is bright and warm as it flickers in and out behind the clouds drifting lazily through the brilliant blue sky. Steve just closes his eyes and turns his face to the sun and tries to soak in as much of it as he can, the sound, the feel, the smell of it all. The smell of the flora and after-rain fragrance clear out the septic smell of the hospital, the warm of the sun chases away the air-condition chill from his skin, the sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing drone out the sounds of medical equipment and moans of pain.

After a moment, he feels a hand on his shoulder and opens his eyes. In front of him, Grace is crouched down inspecting a butterfly on a flower. Her little fingers are reaching out to touch it when it takes flight, fluttering close to her nose before it darts over her head and away. She lets out a surprised squeal as she falls back on her butt and laughs. Steve laughs with her and watches as she bounds back to her feet and over to him.

"Can I push him now, Mak?" Grace asks excitedly, bouncing on her toes.

"Sure thing, keikei! Take the reigns!" Mak exclaims, stepping out from behind the chair.

Grace doesn't hesitate, zipping quickly behind Steve's chair. He waits and waits and waits, but he doesn't move and after a moment, he turns his head and is surprised to see Grace's eyes peering over his shoulder.

"You're too tall!" she exclaims. "I can't see!"

Steve laughs at that. Even on her tiptoes, Grace can barely see over his shoulder. "That's okay, you don't have to see. It's straight path for a while." Steve pacifies her. "Plus, Mak can guide you if you need help."

"Okay," Grace agrees. She gives a little grunt and slowly Steve's chair starts to inch forward. They make a slow crawl across the bumpy pathway for a few feet before Grace makes a noise of exasperation. "You're too heavy!" she exclaims.

Mak chuckles at that and moves back around to help her. With Mak's muscle, they start to move a little faster but after a moment, they are stopping again. Steve turns to see what's going on when he finds Grace perched on the back of his wheelchair, little hands clutching at his shoulders for balance.

"Okay Mak, push us!" Grace calls out and pretty soon they are moving again. "Faster!" she squeals and Mak obliges, pushing them across the garden at a fast pace. But Grace isn't satisfied yet and calls out "Faster, faster!" until Mak is jogging with them along the paths, zipping around the bushes and the fountain. Grace squeals in delight and Steve is full out laughing.

After a few laps, they slow down to a normal pace again. Mak moves them over to a bench, parking Steve next to it so he's resting in the sun. Mak and Grace plop down on the bench and recline back, basking in the afternoon sun for a few minutes, enjoying the peace. Steve smiles at the picture they make, nearly identical in their sprawls, legs stretched out, arms crossed behind their heads, faces towards the sun. He figures they have the right idea and moves to stretch his legs out in front of him. Once his feet touch the ground though, he has a whole other idea of what he wants to do now.

"Mak," he calls out. "Help me up."

Mak hesitates for a moment before he nods. He gets up and crouches in front of the wheelchair to move the leg-rests out of the way, while Grace sits perched on the bench watching curiously. Mak gets them out of the way, then moves to stand next to Steve's side, ready to aid him.

"Is this your new trick?" Grace questions. When Steve and Mak look at her confused, she shrugs. "Kono said you had a new trick. Is this it?"

Steve chuckles at that. Of course Kono would call it a trick, and of course she would tell Grace about it, even though today was the first day he'd done it all on his own. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that," he says. He plants his hands firmly on the arm rests of the chair and with a deep breath, pushes up with all his strength. His body lifts up off the chair and Steve struggles to gather his legs under him. Mak grabs on to one of Steve's arms and guides him up until he's standing hunched over, hands still gripping the armrests. With one last push upwards, he stands upright, held only in place by sheer determination and the rapidly fading strength in his shaky legs.

Grace lets out a loud cheer, clapping her hands enthusiastically once Steve makes it upright. Steve glances over at her, startled, before he beams at her excitement. He lets himself feel a rush of pride and straightens up just bit more. Seeing Grace's pride and excitement bolsters him a bit more and he turns to Mak.

"I wanna walk," he murmurs quietly, so as not to let Grace hear.

Mak looks at him like he's absolutely crazy. And maybe he is, but he wants so badly to take a step or two right now. He wants to do it for Grace. Steve hasn't even attempted this in therapy yet so it is most definitely crazy to attempt on the bumpy, cobbled pathway in the garden. That isn't going to stop him, though. Mak must be able to read the determination on his face because he sighs heavily and nods his head.

"Come here, Grace. We need your help." Mak beacons Grace over.

She jumps off the bench and rushes over to Steve's other side, waiting anxiously for instructions.

"Steve wants to take a few steps, but he's going to need our help. Think you can do that?" Mak asks her seriously. Grace nods eagerly. "Okay, stay on that side of Steve. He's going to hold on to your shoulder, to guide himself. I'm going to be helping him too so he doesn't fall. Okay?"

"Yep!" Grace answer excitedly, smiling up at Steve.

Steve puts his hand on Grace's shoulder and slings his other arm around Mak's shoulder, who takes some of his weight. With a deep breath, Steve slowly lifts his left leg and slides it across the walkway a few inches. The weight transfer is a bit shaky and Steve's sure he's going to face plant, but Mak holds him steady until he's got his weight on his forward leg. He pulls his right leg up from behind and slides it forward.

"Go Steve! Go!" Grace chants like Steve's running a marathon. Her encouragement makes the next step a little easier. "You did it! You're walking!"

I did it. I'm walking. The thought hits him so suddenly that it feels like a punch to the gut. He heaves out a breath and squeezes Mak's arm, signaling he needs to stop. He's sweaty and shaky and so sure he's about to lose his shit. Mak must read it all over his face because he quickly intercedes.

"Okay Super Steve, that's enough for today. Can't wear you out too much." Mak halts their progress and takes more of Steve's weight against his side. "Okay Grace. Can you push the wheelchair up behind Steve for me, keikei?"

"Sure," she skips the few steps Steve managed to shuffle through to the wheelchair. It takes some finagling for her to unlock the brakes and push the chair up behind Steve's legs, but she manages.

"Excellent," Mak praises. "Just lock the breaks for me there, kiddo, and we're good to go." Grace does as instructed and then Mak gently eases Steve back down into the chair, murmuring quiet words to him all the way.

"Okay, easy buddy. Take it easy. Just breathe. Reach back, the chair is right behind you. Good. Easy now. All right, you've got it. Almost there. Take it easy. You're good."

Once Steve is sitting back in the chair, Mak crouches down and starts to move the leg-rest back around to the front. Grace kneels down and mirrors his movements. Mak smiles at her.

"Thanks Gracie. You'll make a terrific nurse some day," he says, standing up and moving Steve's chair back to the bench. He sits down next to Grace on the bench and quietly talks with her for a few minutes, distracting her while Steve composes himself.

After a minute, Steve takes a deep breath and wipes a hand across his face, surprised to find tears there. He walked. He actually walked. After a long four months stuck in a wheelchair with a body that wouldn't cooperate, he finally took his first steps. The relief he feels is so stunning; it's like a huge weight has slid off his shoulder or a dark cloud has finally passed, leaving only sunny skies. He takes a deep breath and smiles over at Mak, letting him know that he's okay.

"Well what do you say? We should probably be getting you two back inside, yeah?" Steve and Grace both pout at the news, but Grace obliges, standing up and taking a hold of one of the armrests. She walks beside Steve as they make their way back inside, smiling the whole way.

Steve smiles back at her and can't believe how much she has changed his life. He owes this little girl so much more than she'll ever know, more than he can ever repay. Grace, who popped up in his life and filled it with sunshine, who eased a smile back on his face and rekindled the fire in his soul. She brought him back to life. He owes her so much and isn't sure how he could ever start to repay her.

Then he remembers the look on her face when Kono had mentioned seeing her drawings and an idea pops in his head. It's only a small thing, but he thinks Grace will love it.

"Mak," he asks as they enter the hospital once again. "Can we take a small detour?"

Mak looks unsure and hesitates when both Grace and Steve are looking at him with anticipation.

"I want to show Grace my wall of fame," Steve states simply. And just like that Mak gives in.

"Oh all right. But quickly," he concedes, glancing down at his watch. "It's almost time for Grace to leave and for your dinner."

Mak steers them down the hall passed the rec room and through the small maze of hallways and rooms until they pull up short outside Steve's door. Steve motions for Grace to go in first and maneuvers the wheelchair himself into the room behind her. He knows the exact moment Grace sees it because she pauses mid-step and lets out a small squeal. She spins around, eyes huge and round in her little face as she looks at Steve.

"Are these all my pictures?" she asks in shock, turning back to the sight before her.

Steve just nods and glances up at the wall opposite from his bed. There taped to the wall are all of the pictures Grace has drawn for him since their first visit together. The beach. The sand castle she and Danno had built. Super Steve. Super SEAL. The sunset. They were all there, hung with pride.

Grace spins back to face him and doesn't hesitate when she launches at him. She wraps her little arms around his neck and squeezes tight. Steve hugs her back hard, feeling a familiar swell of emotion in his throat. When she pulls back, her eyes are dancing with joy.

"Thank you Super Steve."

"No, thank you Gracie," Steve whispers back.