Sorry about the wait. A friend of mine invited me on a two-week vacation. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing before her sister cancelled at the last minute. No laptop! Just fun at the beach!
It was early evening when Kamekona showed up with take-outs. He entered the room quietly, glancing at the sleeping figures on the beds; then made his way to Kono and Chin.
"I brought you some decent food."
"You're a Godsent, Kame," Kono enthused.
"You have spicy shrimps in there?" Chin guessed from the smell.
"You bet ya, brah." He placed the boxes on the table. "I brought some for Jersey in case the doc says it's ok."
"Heck yes the doc says it's ok," Danny chimed in from his bed.
"Hey, look who's awake!" Chin stood and walked over to Danny's bed. "How d'you feel?"
"Hungry."
"That's good but I don't think your stomach is ready for Kame's food."
"Just a bite, to get the taste to linger in my mouth. I'm sure it won't hurt," Danny whined.
"Not…good..for…you," the feeble voice mumbled from the next bed.
All heads turned toward Steve who stared at the group inquisitively.
"Steve!" Kono exulted, striding up to her boss' bed. "Welcome back!"
Steve closed his eyes heavily and nodded. When he opened them Chin was smiling down at him. "Wher…where am I?"
"In a hospital," Chin replied.
"You gave us quite a scare, boss," Kono said as she gave a friendly tap on his arm.
"How?" Steve asked, confused.
"Helicopter crash," Chin said, pausing to gauge Steve's reaction. "You don't remember?"
"You wrecked my chopper but it was for a mighty good cause," Kamekona jested.
"I'm sorry, I…" Steve shook his head dejectedly. "I just don't remember."
"But you remember us?" Kono asked expectantly. Steve nodded. "That's good. For a minute there we thought the amnesia was permanent."
"Was anyone else hurt?"
"Just you and Danny. We thought you were dead. We couldn't find you."
"Danny?"
"I'm right here, babe," Danny called from his bed. Chin and Kono parted to drive a wedge between them for Steve to take a peek at Danny.
"How bad?" Steve asked with concern.
"Like Humpty Dumpty but the pieces are fusing back together. About you? You feeling alright?"
"Just numb."
"No wonder with all the drugs they pumped into you to keep the pain at bay," Chin explained. Steve squished his eyes together, trying to recall bits and pieces in his muddled mind. "Perhaps that was an understatement."
"I'll go get the doctor?" Kono said worriedly before heading out the door.
"I'm ok. Just…trying to focus."
"What do you remember?" Chin probed.
"Not much. It's all a blur," the dazed patient mumbled out.
"But you do remember all of us?"
"Yeah." Steve looked up at Chin and Kamekona looking expectant. "What?"
"When you first came to, all you said was Malia's name and looked at us oddly as though you didn't know us."
"Sorry I...I don't remember. Why would I say her name?"
"We were hoping you could tell us."
"Sorry."
Doctor Quinlan made his entrance with Kono. "Well Commander, Miss Kalakaua here tells me you remember everyone?" He asked as he glanced up at the monitor to read the vitals.
"I think so."
"You think?"
"Well I...I know these people that's for sure."
"That's good." Quinlan leaned over and flashed his penlight into Steve's eyes to check the corneal reflexes. "Any aches or pain?"
"No. Just numb."
"It's better this way. You have some serious injuries that are still on the mend. However I must say you and your partner have made a remarkable recovery considering what you've been through."
"Steve, what about Malia?" Chin jumped in, receiving a puzzled stare in return. "You kept repeating her name."
"I'm sorry I don't have a clue." Steve shook his head.
"You were clinically dead for a few minutes, could it be that…" Chin's voice faltered at the inane possibility that his friend could have seen his wife in his delirium.
"I'm sorry, Chin" Steve could only offer with a dejected shake of the head.
"Folks, let's not beset him with questions just yet. It's good that his amnesia was only temporary, let's not push it."
"There was a man in the room. He looked at me and..."
"Who was it?" Chin asked.
"I don't know. I was really out of it."
"Beside Doctor Quinlan here and us there, the only two men who visited were the night intern and Doctor Anderson."
"Could be one of them. I just got a weird vibe off him."
"How so?"
Steve shook his head annoyingly. "That's just it, I don't know. I know you must be getting annoyed by my repeating it but …maybe when the drugs wear off I'll be able to think clearly."
Chin looked at Quinlan. "Can we do that?"
"That all depends on your tolerance to pain, Commander."
Danny was heard scoffing in the background. "Don't get him started."
"Danny, I need to remember. It could be important," Steve argued weakly, with eyes blinking heavily.
Chin turned to Quinlan and asked, "Doctor Anderson said he was your colleague."
"That's right. We've been working together for nearly five years. Reliable and one fine doctor," Quinlan replied. "Why are you asking?"
"No reason in particular. Just fishing for answers."
"Does anyone wanna know what I think?" Kamekona piped in. The room's attention shifted on him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H50~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What are you doing?" Danny chided.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Steve replied as he tried hauling himself out of his bed. Two weeks had passed and on this day, Danny was being released but Doctor Quinlan was reluctant to allow Steve to follow suit.
"What did Doctor Quinlan say, huh?"
Steve huffed in annoyance. "He said I was fine. That my test results were good and that I could get out of here."
Danny pushed Steve down. "Unh unh, he said and I quote: You are getting there, the results were encouraging and that you had to stay in the hospital for another forty-eight hours."
"And I can vouch for that," Chin stated amusedly as he entered the room. "Rachel and Grace are outside. They'll be here in a few minutes."
"Thanks," Danny said , then turned to Steve with a steely look. "And YOU, stay right in that bed until Doctor Quinlan tells you it's ok to leave."
Steve crossed his arms against his chess. "Twenty-four hours," he bargained. "Not a minute more."
"Thirty-six," said the voice from behind Danny. "That's my final offer," Quinlan mocked as he stepped into the room with Doctor Anderson in tow. "Doctor Anderson here will fill in for me for the next two days. Family emergency. My mother broke her hip early this morning and I have to catch a plane to San Diego."
"Sorry to hear that," Danny sympathized. "I hope it's not too bad."
"According to her doctor it's not, but I want to be there nevertheless. Commander McGarrett I would appreciate if you didn't give Doctor Anderson any grief while I'm gone. I'll be in touch with him regularly to account for your progress and if your final tests are negative, he'll sign the discharged papers. How's that?"
"I can still walk out of here now. I'm telling you, I'm fine," Steve argued with his usual stance.
Silence ensued as Quinlan pondered the alternative. "Alright, I'll allow it this evening AFTER some tests and only if they are negative…" Steve's grin prompted the doctor to issue a warning, "IF, only if you have someone who can watch you for the next twenty-four hours."
Steve turned to Danny with an expectant look. "He can stay at my place."
"Alright then. I'll sign your release for five o'clock."
"Thank you," Steve said with great relief and turned to Danny with a thankful smile. "Thanks man."
"You're welcome, babe. Rachel and Grace will play nurses for us, so you'd better behave and not give them hell."
"I'll be a good boy."
"Doctor Anderson, may I see you for a minute?" Quinlan beckoned Anderson out of the room to give him instructions.
Danny then turned to Steve and laughed. "Wipe off that aneurysm face, babe. It's just another few hours. Believe me, it's better this way." He glanced at Chin on the other side.
Chin signed. "I hope so."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H50~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In mid afternoon, Steve was sitting in bed working on his laptop when Doctor Anderson enters. "You shouldn't be doing that," he scolded good-naturedly.
"I'm bored," Steve huffed out. "Are you here with the released papers?"
"Doctor Quinlan signed them for five o'clock and it's barely three."
"Come on Doc! You can't be serious as to argue over two hours?"
"I have my orders."
"What's holding me back here? All the test results are in. I'm fit as a fiddle," Steve insisted.
Anderson chuckled as he read the vitals on the monitor. "Is your partner around?"
"No. He said he'd be here around five."
"Since he's your ride, you need to wait."
"I can call him right away and he'll drive up to pick me up."
"Relax, Commander. If you want I could give you something to relax."
"No way! No drugs. I've had enough to last me a lifetime," Steve was quick to reply. He then returned his attention on the laptop screen sitting on the bed tray.
Anderson closed the medical chart and turned to Steve with a stoned face. "Commander McGarrett."
"Yeah," Steve answered without lifting his eyes off the screen."
"Malia has a message for you."
Steve froze. His fingers stopped dancing over the keyboard and he looked straight out.
"Do you remember her?" Anderson asked icily.
"Yes," Steve replied monotone.
"She knows her brother is out to kill your best friends, Danny and Chin. Now you don't want that, do you?"
"No."
"I will let you leave the hospital ahead of time so you can go take out Gabriel. You must stop him from ever hurting your friends."
"Yes."
"I will give you a gun and directions on where to find him and how to get to him without sounding the alarm. He'll probably be with his two bodyguards who are heavily armed. You'll need to proceed cautiously."
"No problem."
"Now go get dressed. I'll bring a wheelchair around and get you a taxi. Once the job's done, you'll call me from a pay phone and I'll pick you up. Malia will thank you for it."
