Reconnecting with Family
Alika and Danny filled in each other about moments in their lives that were important, Danny had learnt that his cousin had been seeing a girl for the last few months and everything was going well till he found that she had been only dating him because he was the next in line to be chief. However he wasn't bitter. In fact it was because of that girl that he had met when he took a trip to Oahu. Rachel was from Oahu however had family and worked in Honolulu. Danny had seen his cousin in love before however the way that he talked about Rachel, Danny could see that his cousin was very much in love with this girl.
Danny then looked out of the window as they headed into the jungle, a small smiled crawled onto his face. He remembered his cousins and him heading into the jungle and climbing the trails to the falls and not return until night fall or with parents permission camp out in the jungle. He had done this with this father nearly every holiday he had. It was something that he missed.
"What are you smiling at?" He heard Alika ask and then he moved in his seat to look at his cousin who was looking oddly at him. Danny smile increased and then spoke. "Just remembering our one rule when we use to go hiking."
Alike laughed out loud and hit the steering wheel and then spoke. "I remember that, never come home late. We always honoured that well expect that one time…" He thought back at the one time they had not returned when they were supposed too.
"Yer I remember that." Danny said thinking back too. The one time that they hadn't come back in time was the day that had scared his father the most. His father had been involved in a very dark case and some words had been said about making him pay. He had asked his parents to watch Danny, not wanting anyone to go after his son. However he had planned to go and have dinner together, when he arrived he was met by something he never wanted to hear. Danny and Alika were missing. His father's mind turned to the worse possible thing that could happen and that someone had taken his son.
He had called everyone he knew to create a search and two hours later they had found them. However it wasn't a happy ending. Danny had been found by his father's friend Officer Cadman, Alika was still with his cousin trying to help his younger cousin. They had found out from Alika that a small rock fall from the hill had hit Danny knocking him out and causing him to fall off a small cliff on the hill. Danny's father couldn't believe that his son was safe however he was injured.
After a trip to hospital Danny was let out with a concussion, a broken wrist and a few cuts. It was then that for the first time he had seen his father scared about anything. It was then that his father told him that he was his world and he didn't want to think about losing him.
Danny remembered that his father sadly was made to feel that fear three more times before he turned twelve. He had been hit by a car on the way back from school and the worse was the time when someone from a case chose to kidnap him to make his father drop the case. That fear however never left his father and Danny saw that in his father's eyes. The look that he saw that night his father died was the same, the fear of him getting hurt. He shook the thoughts from his head, he was about to see his family after eight years and he didn't want the most painful thoughts to plague his mind.
He blinked and then found that they were pulling up to Haulani's house. The house, like his father's hadn't changed at all. However it had been repainted, he could easily see that plainly with the fact that it was a different shade of blue.
Alika pulled the car up close to the house, Danny spotted two boys sat on the steps of the house. Both were young and not older than sixteen. They both climbed out of the car and Danny saw that there were a lot more people here than he first thought. However that was what the tribe was like, they were a family and protected each other.
"Alika, why you bring a haole here for? He isn't welcome here." One boy said pointing at Danny. Quickly Danny saw Alika's anger grow but before he could show the boys his warrior side a voice came from behind the boys making them jump.
"Pete, do not speak to anyone like that on my land, and watch your language or your mother will hear about it. Also never judge people you don't know. He is no haole. In fact he is my grandson so you will show him some respect." Haulani growled shocking the two boys with this information, they turned and moved away letting Haulani come down the stairs and move towards Danny. The boys however didn't move far, they were still shocked that Danny was related to their chief and that he was very high up in the tribe.
Alika just sat back to watch his cousin and his grandfather, they hadn't seen each other in eight years and he couldn't tell what would happen.
"You look good, old man." Danny said as Haulani got to Danny and at first just stood in front of each other. Danny smiled at Haulani, he remembered that the one thing that he knew how to annoy his grandfather got when his age was mentioned. That earned him a soft slap around the head, Haulani however his hand didn't leave Danny's head. Instead he pulled Danny into a strong hug.
Haulani, was built like the Hawaiian warriors of old. However Danny could see that age was written on the features of his face. But all he saw was his grandfather who he learnt so much from. However it was different for Haulani, he saw so much of his son in his grandson. His family was his everything to him, Danny met everything to him and after his son's death Haulani had taken Danny into his house. Kept him away from the camera and the media who were all in his face about what had happened that night. The most painful thing he ever did was allowing those animals as he called them take his grandson away from him. The island. Now however he was so glad that Danny had returned homeland. To his true home.
"Welcome Home Danny." He said out loud feeling those eight long years flow into him all at once as he held his grandson at arm. As he pulled away he held Danny at arms length and looked at his grandson. The boy he knew was gone, and Haulani knew that he would have to get to know the new Danny. He only hoped that he hadn't lost too much of his grandson to those people. He would never forgive himself if that was to happen. However then he noticed that others were noticing the event that was happening and for a straight reason he wanted to keep Danny for himself. He hadn't seen him for so long.
"Help the old man back into the house Danny, we can talk inside." Haulani said patting Danny on the back, Danny nodded and with that with his arm wrapped around Haulani's waist they started towards the house followed by Alika. As they climbed up the stairs they were met by a woman. Danny remembered her straight away. It was his Aunt Mary, Alika's mother. She was a small woman however she had a great heart. She took Danny's arm and kissed him on his left cheek and squeezed his arm. Before helping him and Haulani into the house with Alika following them.
As Danny got inside the house he noticed that very little had changed in the house, in the corner of the living room with the glass doors to the back sat an old chair. Danny remembered that he had sat on his grandfather's knee on the same chair when he was a child. Haulani took his place in his chair and Danny took a seat in the chair next to it. However he had little choice where he wanted as his Aunt Mary quickly positioned him close to Haulani with Alika next to him. He had learnt as a child never to argue with his Aunt Mary about anything. However he really didn't mind, he had missed his family and the fact that Haulani had placed one of his arms on his chair. Haulani knew that it was silly that he wanted his grandson close, he wasn't a child but a grown man. However he also had missed so much of Danny's life already and he didn't want to lose anymore time that he had left with his grandson.
Mary soon brought in cold drinks for all of them before heading back to the kitchen for something, as he took a sip of his drink they all looked up when the front door opened. Danny saw three men stood there, all three of them were well built however only two of the three looked Hawaiian, the third had some features of his hawaiian blood but like Danny his features weren't very clear.
"Tommy, Alex, Sam what are you doing here?" Mary asked looking surprised at her three family members. They weren't meant to know that Danny was home so this visit and the way they entered the house she guessed that they somehow found out that their cousin had returned.
They didn't say anything at first and when their eyes fell on Danny who had stood up with Alika and then Tommy almost ran towards him before pulling Danny into a powerful hug that stopped Danny from breathing. At first he was happy to see they however soon his body cried out for air. Luckily for him, Alika noticed Danny's struggle. "Tommy, you're going to kill him. Let the poor guy breath." Alika said smiling and took hold of Tommy's forearm focusing him to let go of Danny.
"How did you know he was here?" Alika asked not too sure how their cousins learnt that Danny would be home. It was a little confusing and worrying, if they knew that Danny was home who less knew? They wanted Danny to themselves for a bit longer before other people and their extended family. Danny soon found him getting pulled into two more hugs, one from Sam and the other from Alex.
"So who told you?" Danny asked as Alex pulled away, and found that Sam and Alex were smiling. Tommy had finally sat down and soon they all took their seats and Sam explained. "Well, I called Rachel to see if Alika wanted to go surfing as he has been with her nearly every day and guess our surprise when we learn that he is was waiting at the airport for our cousin Danny who was coming home. And we guessed that if it was Danny he would come here." At the end of Sam's story Mary brought in three more cool drinks into the room before taking a seat next to the open back door that allowed the cool air into the room.
Alika's head fell and remembered that he had told Rachel a lot about his cousin and had told her that he would be at the airport waiting to see when Danny would be arriving. And it had been very easy for their cousins to find out what they were hiding.
However Danny couldn't care, he had missed his cousins. They were as thick as thieves growing up, Alika and Tommy were the largest out of the five of them and at times they had to be. Mainly because of Danny and Alex, Alex was only a distant cousin and like Danny didn't look very Hawaiian. Because of this, Danny and Alex had been targets for some of the local Hawaiian boys that they ran into on the beach when surfing. Alex might have been a distant cousin however in the tribe, blood was blood. But with Danny, being the grandson of Haulani the boys soon learned that Danny was not a target. Tommy saw to that. However the problem with Tommy was that he had a temper at times and if family were involved he couldn't control his temper and normally lashed out. Luckily Danny was normally there when it happened and was able to talk him out of it, however when he left Alika had to fill that place but he never had the same luck as Danny.
For the next ten minutes, the seven people in the room spoke about what they had done with their lives, mainly set during surfing competitions or trips. It was then that Alex looked at Danny who had remained quiet through it all. He had a question that he wanted to know, "So what was it like living with those type of people?"
The room went quiet, all but Mary looked at Danny. Mary glared at Alex, worried that maybe they had offended Danny and his family. Because it was fact that those people, however much they hated them, they were his family. "Alex, they are his family so you will not talk about them like that." Mary warned looking at very carefully at her nephew and then back to Alex. She didn't want their anger for Danny's mother's family to destroy any problems re-building their relationship with Danny.
Danny saw the look in his Aunt Mary and understood what she was doing. Like Alika, they had thought that he had been living with them for eight years. And didn't know what he went through. However he didn't know what to tell them, should he tell them the truth? If he did, they would feel more guilty about allowing him to go and live with them but on the other hand if he didn't tell them he would be lying to them.
Danny sighed and then spoke, he had to tell them the truth. "No, it's alright. I didn't live with them long, I think I spent a little less than two weeks with them before they shipped me off to a boarding school. They didn't say it in many words but they hinted that I had too much Hawaiian for their liking and thought that a boarding school would straighten me out. I only saw them when they wanted me, but when they brought dad into it, I left. Haven't seen them since." Danny said not making eye contact with any of them. He couldn't look at them however also he knew that his anger came into his voice when he spoke about them. He had tried to hid his anger not wanting to make his family fell more responsible than they needed to be. He didn't blame them.
Everyone looked shocked at Danny's statement. Alika sat in silence watching Tommy carefully hoping that his cousin wouldn't lose it like he normally did if someone did wrong be his family. Sam and Alex sat in silence looking at their hands, they had no idea what their cousin went through however he had to do it alone. Sam looked at his cousin a few times and saw that he had been hurt by this however he also saw that his cousin was tougher than he looked. Alika was right to be worried about Tommy, he saw the anger building up in his cousin's face and body. Tommy was like a volcano at times and it was only a matter of time before he blow up. He only hoped that he could calm the storm before it happened.
Mary just sat in silence looking anywhere else but Danny, she couldn't understand how those people who had acted like they cared about her nephew could treat him like that. However she was also heartbroken, she remembered that the boy she saw as Danny was long gone. He had been ripped away from his family that loved him and left with strangers to deal with the grief of losing her father.
The group sat in silences for a few moments, the first show of anger however didn't come from the cousins' even as Tommy looked like he was going to break anything that he holds. It was Haulani whose anger boiled over first. He threw his glass against the wall, it shattered on impact. No one said a word, they just sat in silences looking at Haulani. Normally Haulani was the one of the family to keep his temper in check. He was the chief of the tribe and that meant he needed to remain calm through anything. However Danny was different, the way that Danny had been taken from them had broken him. But what really rubbed salt into his wound was that those people had told his grandson that his Hawaiian blood, his blood was wrong and that they needed to remove it.
Haulani took some time to calm his temper however then he looked back at what Danny had told them. Then a smile appeared on his face. His eyes connected with Danny's who noticed the smile. "They don't know you are here at all, do they?" He said trying his best to control his temper. Danny laughed, Haulani hadn't heard that for a long time, not since his father had died and Haulani saw that. Maybe Danny had healed a little being away from the island however he could have been around family that cared for him.
Danny then spoke, "Don't think they wanted me to ever come back. But I don't really care about what they feel now. I had been working but then I saw that there was a transfer available in Hawaii and took no time in taking it. Not that I didn't like being a cop in Norfolk but didn't feel like home." Danny said with a shrug and a small smiled. "I also knew that it would really annoy them if they ever found out." He added looking at Haulani, who had been listening to what Danny had said. But the one part that surprised him was the part that Danny had said that he was a police officer.
"You're a police officer?" Haulani asked looking at Danny who nodded at the question. "Just like your father." He muttered, however Danny heard it. He looked up and nodded. Haulani was suddenly more proud of his grandson. He had followed his father's footsteps, however he also knew that would be hard to try to work in the same area that his father did. But also to try to live up to his father's memory.
Sam laughter brought everyone in the room to look at him, Sam smiled and looked at his cousin warm hearted and spoke, "I remember Duke telling us that we were getting a mainland cop that was transferring, but he didn't tell us that infact our mainland cop was an islander?" At Sam's words Alika spoke. In a way defending Duke.
"He didn't know it was Danny, he asked but I was told to keep it quiet." Alika explained, to which Sam nodded understanding why Alika and the others wanted to keep Danny's arrival a secret. Sam then turned and smiled at Danny who looked a little confused. "Looks like we will be working together."
Danny laughed at this, not believing that the fact that his cousin was also a cop. He had remembered Sam say that he wanted to make a difference however he never put it together that his cousin had joined the police force. To be clear, he didn't think he would either.
Soon the five cousins were left to talk about their lives. Danny learned that Alex had married his girlfriend at the time of him leaving, and that they were expecting their first child very soon. Also he learned that his cousin had trained as a paramedic. Alex had always had a kind nature about him. Sam had also married, and being a cop his wife Susan understood the risks. They had already two children together, Hadley and Rose. Hadley was the older of the two and from what Sam told him he was a little version of Sam when he was younger. Rose was only still a baby however Sam told Danny that he needed to come to and meet his family right after their first shift.
Danny quickly promised that, he needed to reconnect with this family. Tommy told him that he owned his own gym in Honolulu and that he was training a few fighters. He also was honest that he had a small drinking problem when things got on top of him. However it was back in hand thanks to the family. They talked for hours together and laughed at funny moments of each other's lives. Danny also told them about his life, time in the coast guard and then the police. They listened with open ears, Danny finally felt like he was home.
As night fell in, Alika and Danny both agreed that Danny needed to head home. Danny knew that he needed to get some rest for his first day. He knew that he was going to get some grief because he knew many would believe that he was from the mainland. Alika quickly collected his keys as Danny said goodbye to Tommy, Alex and Sam before heading to Mary and Haulani. He said goodbye to them but promised that he would come and see them after shift if he could.
Mary quickly ordered Danny that he would be having dinner with her, Alika and Haulani after his first shift and that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Danny knew better than to argue. Giving them both a hug he headed to the door. "Danny." Haulani said making him stop and turn to look at his grandfather. "Your father would have been proud of you." Danny couldn't speak but silently nodded before following Alika out the front door.
Danny knew that he needed to report a little early to speak to Duke however then Sam said that he would meet him there so he can talk but also so the others would soon learn that Danny wasn't a mainland.
As they walked out of the house, they both spotted the young man from before however now he didn't have his friend with him. Danny remembered that the young boy's name was Pete. Pete was stood next to Alika's car looking down at his feet.
"What do you want Pete?" Alika demanded, Danny spotted the warrior tone that Alika developed through his question. Alika had not forgiven Pete for speaking to his cousin in the way he did. It was true that Danny didn't look very Hawaiian however he did have some features of his heritage. And Alika did not take kindly to anyone taking the mick out of members of his family. But he was so much more protective over Danny, had been since they were kids. At this moment he was prepared to defend Danny by any way possible.
Pete however didn't look at Alika, he looked at Danny and then spoke, "Look I'm sorry for what I said before. Just never seen you around here before and we have been having some problems with the haoles lately and well I guess I acted without thinking." As Pete finished, Danny couldn't help but fall back on his cop training and he knew the kid was telling him the truth. Danny also knew that he would get the same reaction from others but he was glad that the kid had chosen to come back and apologize for what he said. He knew that others wouldn't.
Danny moved towards Pete, watching the kid's body language. He knew that Pete was worried about what Danny was about to say to him, but also what Alika might do. "No hard feelings." Danny said holding out his hand to Pete who looked a little shocked. But then Pete shook his hand.
"I know what this family is like, don't worry about it." Danny then saw the relief in Pete's eyes. Alika moved to the driver's side and watched as Pete smiled at Danny before speaking, "Welcome Home." Pete said as he ran off.
Alika looked at Danny, something was different about his cousin and he couldn't place it fully. However as Danny headed to the car he remembered. It was like looking back at his uncle. He remembered that his uncle was always the one to give a right talking too rather than arrest them. And Danny had that gift. As Danny opened the door he looked up and saw Alika watching him. Alike smiled and then spoke.
"Well, I am betting that the whole island will soon learn that your home." He said climbing into the car followed by Danny who was laughing. Danny knew it was true, soon the rest of his family and all his old friends would learn that he was back and would want to see him.
As they drove through the now dark streets, Danny could only think about his old life and how he was so much different from that. He knew that he had a lot of things to catch up on but he also was scared in a way. He only hoped that he fitted back in with the other officers. He was just glad that he could count on Sam to give him a hand if he needed it.
As Alika pulled off the road and came to a stop outside Danny's house. "Good night brother." Alika shouted as Danny climbed out of the car and as Alika pulled away he waved, knowing that he was home. Danny didn't bover and turn any lights on, he locked the front door and then checked the back door. Finding it locked he headed upstairs to bed. Placing his plan clothes ready to put on in the morning, he got ready for bed. Falling on the bed made his memories of the house, the island came flooding back to him.
As he turned to switch off the light he noticed a framed picture on the nightstand. A photo taken with him and his father when he had turned five. Seeing his father's face made him smile not just on the outside but on the inside. His eyes closed but his mind still remained on his father's face. His father smiling at him as he fell into the land of dreams.