By the time they caught sight of Steve he was already in the parking lot. And by the time they reached him he was next to his truck with his hand on the door handle.

"Don't you think you owe it to Danny to stick around?" Chin said as evenly as possible given the high tensions of the situation.

Steve let out a grim chuckle. "Ironically, I was thinking that's exactly why I should go. I owe it to him to leave him alone."

"You don't get off that easy, boss."

"Kono, I can't deal with this right now."

"You can't deal with this? This isn't about you!" she fumed stepping forward only to be pulled back a step by Chin.

"What about Danny? From what I heard in that room he has an awful lot to deal with himself."

Steve looked his old friend in the eye briefly before looking away and saying, "He doesn't need me to add to it."

"To add to it…no. But he does need you to help him through it." Seeing Steve just shake his head, Chin advanced. "Damn, McGarrett…what is wrong with you?"

On instinct Steve held up a balled fist.

"What…you gonna hit me too? Unlike Danny…I'm not hurt and I will hit back."

It was Kono's turn to pull back Chin. "Hey…easy, brah."

"I…um…I…," Steve looked at his fist quizzically as if it didn't belong to him. "I don't know what's wrong with me." He lowered his hand shoved it into his pocket.

Chin and Kono shared a concerned glance; in the moment Steve looked less like their fearless leader and more like a lost little boy.

"Boss, Danny needs you," Kono tried with a softer approach. "And I have a feeling you need him just as much."

Steve finally opened the door and got inside the truck. His last words before taking off were strong and deliberate, even though he was looking at the steering wheel while he delivered them. "Wrong…I don't need anybody."


Steve sat on the sand staring at the never-ending ocean before him. He had driven aimlessly for hours before finally arriving at the familiar spot where he had spent many an hour thinking and problem solving over the years. He had hoped that the tranquil environment would help him sort out the jumbled thoughts and emotions floating around in his mind.

"You one tough dude to find, McGarrett."

'So much for tranquil,' Steve thought as the enormous shadow of Kamekona appeared beside him.

The large man sat down heavily on the sand and handed Steve a paper bag. "Shrimp Tacos…you eat…you getting' real skinny, brah."

He couldn't help but smile; Kamekona seemed to have that effect on people. "Thanks, man."

"You got some friends lookin' for you."

Steve's head drooped. "I'm not sure I have any friends anymore."

"Whoa…so what am I…shave ice?"

That comment was enough to raise his head back up to question, "shave ice?"

"I don't like chopped liver," Kamekona shuddered. "Gives me hives just thinkin' about it."

"Fair enough."

"Chin called, man…he and Kono are real worried about'cha."

Steve sighed. "I don't deserve their worry…or their friendship."

"Ah…instead of the tacos I should have brought a cake since you're throwin' yourself a pity party."

Again, Steve couldn't stop the grin from forcing his lips upward. "I guess that's what it looks like."

Kamekona put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Talk to me, brah…what's really goin' on?"

"I…I'm so confused. It's like I don't even know myself anymore."

"Well I know you, and I think you're being too hard on yourself. You think too much, man…you need to just let yourself feel...and follow where them feelings take you."

"I…I don't think I can do that."

"You gotta try, man. Look at me," he demanded and waited until two cobalt eyes met his brown ones. "Do you care about Danny?"

"Of course I do!" Steve's answer was immediate and strong. "I love him like a brother."

"Then it's easy…you belong at the hospital with him and not here."

"But I said and did some real bad things."

"So? Haven't we all at some point? You're only human."

It was the second time the lieutenant commander was hearing those words in a couple of days. "So I've been told."

"You wanna know what I think? I think that all this Wo Fat stuff has made you think about losin' your mom and pops…it brought back all them bad feelings. And now you're pushing away your friends…especially Danny…'cause you're afraid of losin' them too."

Steve let the big guy's words wash over him a few moments so he could fully absorb them. It was a simple explanation, but it was also the right one. It made perfect sense; he was lashing out against the people he cared about to protect himself from getting too close.

"Kamekona…how did you get to be so wise?"

"It's a gift, brah," he beamed. "So what you gonna do now?"

"I'm going to go back to the hospital." Steve reached for the bag. "Right after I eat this taco."

TBC…