May 3, 2011

To Steve McGarrett, it seemed to be forever before he saw her walking into the room. At first, he only saw her shoes. They were dress shoes, only worn for special occasions and black. He saw that she was wearing a light blue t-shirt, and although the weather was sweltering, she wore a long white coat, the ones the medical doctors wore.

Her eyes were still the same, Steve observed. They were the same eyes that had saved his screaming self from dying with his mother nineteen years ago. It had been a dream. Yet, Steve noticed, the eyes were not the same. The eyes had confidence in them, and love. There was compassion in those eyes. Only the hair remained the same. Her hair remained sunning as the Hawaii sun.

Lily Newton.

Then the eyes met his own.

Without a word to one another, both of them stood, breathing, not daring to move. It was as if they were savoring the moment, as if they were noticing that nineteen years had passed.

Then Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett and Dr. Lily Newton held each other close.

Danny's POV

Danny surveyed the scene carefully. What was going on? The closest thing Steve McGarrett had come to a hug was a handshake. And yet this blonde doctor who had come out of nowhere was able to steal a hug from him.

"Who is this woman, and what has she done with Steve McGarrett?" Danny whispered to Chin. Chin shrugged, observing. Kono was staring as well.

When the two finally pulled apart, the stood on each other's side. At a glance, they both looked embarrassed, keeping a distance from each other.

"Danny, Kono, Chin." Steve gestured his hand to indicate Lily. "This is Dr. Lily Newton. She is Commander Joseph Long's daughter."

Danny shook hands with the woman who had obviously captured his partner's heart. I wonder what happened with Catherine. This woman was a shorter than the tough brunette that Danny had just met recently, by a couple of inches. She was blonde, tied up in a neat ponytail. Her eyes were green, green as the forest trees. Her handshake was firm. "It is nice to meet you, Detective Williams." The woman known as Lily smiled, and greeted Chin and Kono in the same fashion.

She's more like Catherine than I'll ever admit.

Lily and Steve now were talking quietly together, speaking in whispers.

Steve's POV

"When can we see him?" Steve whispered.

Lily sighed. "As soon as Joseph is finished with his visit."

"Joseph?" Steve repeated.

"My teenage son," Lily explained.

"Oh." Steve replied, suddenly self-conscious. "How is the Commander doing?"
Lily opened her mouth to answer when another voice filled the air.

"Mom? Who is this man?" A teenage boy walked outside of the Commander's hospital room. Steve almost shook with shock. The boy was like a clone of his teenage self, down to the wavy hair and blue eyes.

"This is Steve." Lily gestured her hand to indicate Steve. "The man I said that was going to visit Commander."

The boy, Joseph, raised his hand for a hello. Steve nodded, acknowledging it. Then Joseph looked around nervously. "Are these his friends?" he asked, glancing nervously at the gleaming badges.

"It's all right, Joseph, they won't hurt you," Lily soothed. Joseph instantly soothed.

Steve had a sudden flashback of assuring Lily that everything was all right. Then Joseph's question brought him back to the present.

"Isn't this the man you're always talking about that is actually your boyfriend?"

Steve turned his head away, pretending he didn't hear a thing. He caught Danny's eye. Danny mouthed, "Are you?" Steve shook his head. Danny gave him thumbs up.

Turning his head to Lily, Steve noticed that she was blushing. Heaving an impatient sigh, she walked inside the Commander's room. Steve followed behind her.

Danny's POV

The kid was silent as he sat in the hospital waiting chair. Danny sighed with impatience. Steve and that woman Lily had been gone for ten minutes. Kono and Chin were reading. The kid looked over to Danny.

"You know Steve McGarrett?" The question was asked quietly. Danny looked over at the sixteen-year old.

"Hell yeah, I do." Danny replied. Then a sudden thought entered his mind. "Do you know him?"

The kid shook his head. "Mom talks about him sometimes."

"Sometimes." Danny muttered. He didn't believe it. There was something going on here. First Maryland, then the sickly Commander, and now this. Were Lily and Steve in a relationship after all?

As if reading his thoughts, the boy stood up. "They're not in a relationship!" Then more quietly, "I don't know the whole story. I only know bits and pieces." He sighed.

"What do you know, Joseph?" Danny asked. The boy looked at him.

"I only know that a man named Steve McGarrett saved my mother's life."

Danny clenched his jaw. He could see that Chin and Kono were listening silently.

"You have a lot to explain, Steven."

Steve's POV

When Steve had entered the room, he wasn't certain what to expect. Now, as he saw the Commander staring at the ceiling helplessly, this was not what he had been expecting at all.

The Commander was thin and bones. Steve could see several ribs poking out of his chest. The Commander's eyes were slits, barely seeing anything. The Commander was fighting to breathe. Then the Commander saw Steve and Lily.

Steve let go the breath that he didn't know that he was holding.

"Steve...Lily..." The Commander greeted them weakly. "Come and sit down."

They did. Steve waited for the Commander to speak.

"I...apologize for you...seeing me like this." The Commander apologized, looking at Steve.

"You wanted me to come." Steve tried to smile, but it ended up a grimace.

"You're so strong now." The Commander smiled, taking Steve's hand into his own gnarled one. "Both of you," he added to Lily.

"I'm...so sorry about your father...Steve." The Commander continued to find it difficult to speak. "His death...must have been hard on you. You both never had closure."

Steve swallowed. Most days, he didn't think of his father until night. Now the same thoughts that surrounded his mind every day since Victor Hesse murdered – no, executed his father. They came rushing back.

Steve didn't know what to say.

"Did you know?" Steve suddenly rasped.

There was remorse in the Commander's eyes. "Yes. I knew." Steve held on tight to the Commander's hand. He didn't know what to think. Was he angry? Was he angry to know that the man that had raised him on the mainland had lied to him.

"We...thought...it was the best for you." The Commander continued. "To protect you."

"You could have told me the truth." Steve accused. He let go of the Commander's hand.

"You could have gotten killed." The Commander whispered fervently. "Not you. Not then. Not now." The Commander sighed. "You are like the son I never had, Steve. I could never allow anything to happen to you. The Yakuza...Wo Fat...They'll come after you after I'm gone."

Lily was watching silently, her eyes wide.

"Promise me you'll protect everyone you love. Promise you'll protect yourself."

"I promise." Steve promised. He put his hand over the Commander's.

The Commander cracked a grin. "That's a boy. Little McGarrett..." he trailed off.

Steve knew something was wrong. He shook the Commander.

"Commander!" The Commander didn't wake. "Commander!"

Steve's hand hurt. He looked down and saw that his hand was held in the Commander's own. How did that happen? Then he realized that the Commander must have held onto Steve's hand as he died.

He saw the blissfulness of peace on the Commander's half-open eyelids.

It was then he realized that the Commander was gone.