****** As always – THANK YOU for the kind reviews and many of you are asking…YES, there will be Steve whump as well as emotional turmoil for our favorite duo (coming soon)! *******
Danny raced his Camero through the streets of Oahu towards the Grothe home.
Troy had grown silent and Danny was terrified as he continued to try to get the boy to respond to him.
"Troy, buddy come 'on kiddo, talk to me…..please talk to me…"
He heard the boy say faintly, "I'mm sso ssoorry Mommy"
"Keep talking Troy, that a boy. Help is on the way"
"Simmon ddied…..I'm ssorry"
"It's not your fault Troy…..it's not your fault"
Danny then heard the horrified screams of Troy's parents as they entered the room. His eyes welled with tears as he listened to the tortured cries of Wendy Grothe at her son's side.
Moments later Troy's Father came on the line, "Hello?"
"Mr. Grothe this is Danny Williams, I'm one of Troy's coaches. He had called me Sir. Help is on the way, we've called an ambulance and HPD. Is he breathing Sir?"
"Yes….….yes he's breathing"
"Good, good….is he still conscious?"
"Barely. He's mumbling softly"
"I know you're scared but it's very important that you try to keep him alert. Do everything you can to keep him conscious. Coach Palacio and I will be there shortly. Don't hang up the phone Mr. Grothe"
"Okay, okay…thank you"
Danny continued to listen as he sped through the street, praying softly for God to please spare the boy.
He arrived at the home a few minutes later to find the ambulance and HPD already on site.
He raced to the door and HPD allowed him in, leading him towards the child's bedroom.
As he walked past the living room he saw Wendy Grothe sitting on the couch surrounded by her three other children. Once in the bedroom he stood off to the side of the bed as the EMT's worked on the boy. Troy's Father was kneeling at his son's side, holding his hand tightly.
It didn't take long for the EMT's to have him on the stretcher and moments later they were wheeling him outside.
Danny remained in the bedroom with two HPD Officers and they shared with him what they had found, a ziplock bag filled with OxyContin and Vicodin.
Danny asked softly, "Did the EMT's say anything?"
"No, it doesn't look good though. He was unconscious by the time we got here"
"We need that bag and the pills sent over to Charlie Fong to analyze for prints right away. Give me or McGarrett a call if you find anything else okay?"
"Yes Sir"
As Danny left the house, he ran into Coach Palacio who was in obvious distress.
Danny placed his hands on the Coaches arms as he asked, "Danny, how is he?"
"The ambulance just took him away…..I don't know his condition"
The man was shaking and Danny guided towards the door, "Come with me, get some fresh air"
They moved over to the Camaro and as they both leaned against the car, Danny dialed Steve.
"Danny? Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine but we've got another OD partner"
"Oh shit"
Danny told him what had happened and all he knew, "I'll head over to the hospital now"
"No Danno, you and the Coach head home and try to sleep. You're both going to need to be at the school tomorrow. Just give me a call when you wake up in the morning"
"Well at least now we have more than just fingerprints on Miller"
"Yeah….….I hope the kid pulls through"
"Me too Steve. I'll call you in the morning"
Hanging up the phone, Danny told the Coach about Steve's interview being set up for tomorrow morning with Jason Miller. He also told him about Steve's willingness to offer a deal to Miller in exchange for info on how he obtained the drugs, the names of anyone who helped him and the names of all the people he sold to.
"What kind of a deal can he offer Danny?"
"If we're right about this kid, he got hooked and he needs help. If he cooperates and if his family agrees to enroll him in a re-hab facility, Steve will do everything he can to see that Jason's sentence is light"
"He can do that?"
"He's got the ear of the Governor. None of us want to see Jason destroyed. He's just a kid, we all want to see him recover and live a clean and successful life"
The Coaches' voice shook with emotion, "Jason is not a bad kid. I've known him for almost three years….he's from a good, loving family"
Danny responded softly, "I've seen too many families torn apart by drugs. I've seen so many good people do horrible things. We're going to do everything we can to make sure no other kids die and Jason is the key to that. Steve is a very good interrogator, he'll get answers from the boy. HPD's taking care of things here and Steve's going to the hospital. Head home Coach and try to sleep, we're going to have a tough day tomorrow"
The men shook hands and after the Coach thanked Danny they both left the scene and headed home.
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Danny didn't sleep much and when his alarm went off at five o'clock he groaned and hit the snooze button.
Once he was up and in his truck he phoned Steve.
"Good Morning Superman"
"Hey buddy"
"Where are you?"
"I just got home. The kids gonna make it Danno. You got to him in time brother, you saved his life"
"Oh thank God, thank God"
The relief in Danny's voice was evident and Steve said, "We're going to end this today Danny, no more kids are going to die….we're going to end this"
"Do me a favor and call me after you're done with Miller. I'll get away to take the call"
"I'll call you. I'm going to try to grab a couple hours of sleep now"
"Good idea, I'll talk to you later…bye"
Jason Miller arrived at 5-0 headquarters along with his parents and attorney a few minutes before nine o'clock.
In an effort not to scare the boy more than he already was, Steve had decided to interview the boy in his office instead of in an interrogation room.
After pouring coffee for the adults and a hot chocolate for Jason, he sat behind his desk and began.
"Before we start I do need to read Jason his rights for his own protection"
They all nodded and after reciting the rights Steve asked, "I would like your permission to record this interview"
Receiving their approval, Steve started the recorder and began.
"My name is Steven J McGarrett, head of Hawaii's Government 5-0 Task Force. Today is Tuesday March 22, 2012 and I am interviewing Jason Miller, date of birth July 18, 1999. Jason is accompanied by his parents, Bryant and Maureen Miller and his Attorney Ronald Dreisen. Jason has been read his rights. Jason, do you understand your rights?"
The boy looked at his parents and then nodding he replied, "Yes Sir"
"Are you here of your own free will?"
"Yes Sir"
"Do you waive your right to remain silent with the understanding that anything you say can be used against you in a court of law?"
Jason's Father nodded to him and the boy responded nervously, "Yes Sir, I do"
Steve sat forward in his chair and he spoke in a firm, but calming voice. "Jason, we have fingerprint evidence tying you to the drugs that have resulted in the overdose deaths of seven of your middle school classmates. The State of Hawaii is willing to cut a deal with you Jason. We don't want to see any more victims, there have been too many young lives lost. We need you to tell us how you gained access to these drugs and we need the names of everyone you sold them to. In exchange for this information, several things will happen. First, and most importantly, your parents must enroll you in an in-patient re-hab facility for a term of no less than thirty days and you must see a psychologist during your stay. Upon your release, you will be required to continue out-patient treatment until your caregivers determine treatment is no longer needed. You will also be required to perform two hundred hours of community service to be determined upon your release. Once these requirements have been met to the court's satisfaction, your record will be expunged. Jason, Mr. and Mrs. Miller do you understand and accept these terms?"
The boys' attorney asked, "Can I have a few minutes alone with my clients Commander?"
"Of course" Steve stopped the recorder and then he left the room.
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Forty minutes passed before the Attorney opened the door and told Steve they had made a decision.
As the SEAL re-entered the room he smiled and asked if anyone needed more to drink. After re-filling their coffees and Jason's hot chocolate, he sat back down at his desk and faced the others.
As Steve re-started the recorder, Bryant Miller spoke "On behalf of my son, we accept your terms with sincere gratitude Commander McGarrett. We realize our son has an issue with drugs and that he needs help. He will follow all the guidelines you laid out and he has compiled a list for you"
Jason slid the list in front of Steve, who glanced at it. It had twenty two names on it….including the seven deceased children. Steve set the paper down and leaning forward, he folded his hands and asked, "So tell me everything Jason"
The youngster closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, "About a month ago I was talking with two of my teammates, Adam Finley and Grant Detweiler. We were angry about not having enough money to buy concert tickets and Adam suggested we sell pills. Adam's Dad works in a pharmacy and he went to work with him one Saturday and stole the pills when his Dad was helping a patient. His Dad didn't catch him and he put the bottles into a back pack he had brought with him. Then we started selling them for two bucks each and we split the profit"
Steve asked, "So this list you gave me, are these the names that all three of you sold to?"
"Yeah, this is everybody….we kept the list together"
Steve breathed a sigh of relief and Jason continued, his voice now shaking with emotion, "Sir we never thought anyone would die…I swear to you"
Steve looked the boy squarely in the eye for several seconds before saying, "I believe you Jason, and I want to help you. Do you understand everything I said about your treatment and your community service?"
"Not really"
Steve smiled warmly at the child, "The treatment means that you will stay in a facility where there are Doctors and Counselors who will help you get off the drugs. During this time, for at least 30 days and maybe longer, you cannot see your family or friends"
"Not at all?"
"It will be up to the Doctors, but probably not. You'll be able to talk to your parents on the phone and you can write letters but you need to concentrate on getting healthy again"
"Okay…I understand"
Steve continued, "Performing the community service is something you must do in order to avoid being locked up in a juvenile facility. The Judge will assign you jobs, probably picking up roadside trash and cleaning parks…..things like that"
"Okay Sir, I understand now"
"Do you think you can do this Jason?"
"I know I can Sir" Steve smiled and extending his hand the boy shook it firmly, saying "Thank You Sir"
Steve replied, "There's one other thing we need to discuss and agree on. I need to confer with the Governor on how we are going to proceed with Adam Finley. His theft of the drugs is a very serious offence. If the Governor decides to pursue charges against Adam, I may need you to testify against him. Would you be willing to do that?"
Looking at his parents, the boy replied firmly, "Yes, I will do whatever you need me to do. What about Grant?"
"I will offer Grant the same deal I offered you. It's imperative that you do not talk to anybody about this meeting or our agreement. If you do, the offer will be retracted and you will face a trial, do you understand me"
"I do Sir, I won't say anything"
The SEAL ended with, "You made a bad mistake son. I want to see you off these drugs and I want to see you succeed in life. You have loving parents and you can do this"
"I will"
Shutting off the tape, Steve let them all know that he would be in touch with them in the next couple of days to finalize the paperwork on the agreement.
Shaking hands with them all, they left headquarters and after pouring himself another cup of coffee, Steve went to work.
****** Next up …..Tracy joins the team for dinner - DON'T FORGET TO WATCH 5-0 TONIGHT ON TNT - WE HAVE TO GET THOSE RATINGS UP ! ******