Title: Saving Grace
Author: Proclaim Thy Warrior Soul
Rating: K+
Summary: It should have been a simple task, taking Grace to the mall to choose Danno's birthday present, right? Wrong. Nothing is ever simple in the life of Steve McGarrett. He just hopes Danny can one day forgive him for this one, because he's not sure he can ever forgive himself…
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my cat…
Author's Notes: Forty reviews for the last chapter...what?! Gobsmacked...seriously! So, because I adore you all, have a new chapter! (Please don't expect the next one quite so quickly - I'm only human, okay?) I've responded to everyone kind enough to leave a review - if I missed anyone, I'm sorry. And to my guest reviewers...mahalo!
Saving Grace: Chapter Nine
Steve grit his teeth as he slumped against the wall, allowing himself a moment to catch his breath as he slipped his bandaged arm into the 'borrowed' purple sweater, the front zip covering all signs of the hospital scrubs underneath. The nurse he'd all but chased from his room twice now had been kind enough to return the clothes he'd been admitted with whilst he'd been unconscious, which fortunately meant he didn't have to attempt this escape whilst flashing his rear to the entire hospital. Not that it would have stopped him if he'd been unable to find his own clothes... He'd have to remember to thank her – and to apologise for being such an ass – if he ever managed to see her again.
Whilst his own shirt was damaged beyond wear, his cargo pants and boots were passable so long as no one looked too closely at the scuffs, bloodstains and torn material. Steve wasn't worried. He didn't plan on hanging around long enough for anyone to get a close look.
Sneaking out of his room, past Kono and Chin, had been the easy part, even though Steve felt a strong pang of regret at the way he'd left things with his friends. They'd been comforting each other in the hallway when he'd seized the opportunity to leave, their backs towards him.
Pushing off against the wall, the aches and pains of his body returned in full force, reminding him that there was very good reasoning behind him being on bed rest and that he wasn't supposed to be sneaking through the busy hospital hallways with a concussion and busted ribs. Viewing the CCTV footage, however, had unlocked a sense of urgency alongside a scarce few flashbacks of his time at the mall. Glass smashing, terrified screams...Grace!
With the random flashes of memory came a harsh realisation: the men that had taken Grace were dangerous and they meant business.
Thankfully, so did he.
It was his fault Grace was missing and now it was down to him to get her back. It was the only way Danny, who had yet to show his face, was ever going to forgive him; the only way McGarrett would be able to look his partner - his team - in the face and not feel like a complete failure.
First things first, he needed to return to the mall; take a fresh look at the car park where the kidnapping took place. From there he hoped to remember more details of the kidnapping. Whilst the CCTV footage had drawn a basic picture of what went down at the mall, there was something...a feeling; an instinct, that urged at him to get out of the hospital; to return to the scene of the crime. He needed all the information he could get if he planned on finding Grace, and what better place than the Ala Moana mall where it had all started?
With his decision made, the Navy SEAL used the haunting flashes of Grace; her shrill screams; her look of utmost terror, to fuel each painful step, the leftover drugs in his system combined with the concussion making his path a difficult one. Wiping at the sweat that dripped down the back of his neck, Steve pulled the hood of his sweater up to better conceal his face as he attempted to read the blurred sign above him, wincing as he touched the bandage above his eyebrow.
He needed to find the exit; to get out. The sooner he was away from the hospital, the better. The thought sat like a heavy burden on his chest. Part of him knew he was being irrational; knew that he should leave the heroics to those not struggling to stand steady on two feet, but he couldn't stop his body from reacting to the perceived threat.
Glancing over his shoulder, Steve caught the eyes of a uniformed maintenance man and quickly looked away, hunching his shoulders as he stuffed both hands into his pockets. The light cast on his wrist made the movement awkward but he ignored the dull ache and pushed his way onward.
Danny glared at his cell phone, as if directing his angry thoughts at the device would force it to solve all of his problems. It hadn't worked with any of his previous few attempts but the blond detective couldn't quite bring himself to look away.
Rachel's worried voice played over and over, her voicemail stuck on a loop as he pressed the replay button again and again and again.
"Danny? It's Rachel. I got your message... Is everything okay? Are you okay? Oh, God, is Grace okay? You're scaring me, Danny. Please...just return my call, will you? I'll be here waiting. Call me, Daniel."
This time, as the message finished, Danny didn't allow his finger to hover over the replay button, instead taking a deep breath in preparation for the terrifying conversation he knew was coming as he hit the call button.
Time seemed to stand still as he waited for the line to connect, his throat suddenly tight with anticipation. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long.
"Daniel? Thank God, is that you?" The sound of his ex-wife's voice was both a blessing and a curse.
Danny had to clear his throat before he could answer, screwing his eyes shut as a wave of fatigue came over him. "Yeah, Rach. It's me..." He slouched heavily against the brick wall and ran a hand through his messy hair.
"I've been worrying myself sick, Danny. Your cryptic message had me in hysterics! What's happened? Is everything okay?"
The detective knew that if he didn't interrupt now, he'd never get a word in. When she was upset, the woman was almost impossible to talk to in a calm, rational manner. "Rachel, I need you to stop for a minute so you can listen to me, okay? Where are you?" He kept his voice calm and even despite his own fears and the desperation that threatened to overwhelm him at any moment.
There was an instant of silence as his words seemed to sink in. "Stan's in a business meeting so I'm waiting for him in our hotel room... Danny, you're scaring me. What's wrong?" Her voice was growing more hysterical with every passing second.
"I... Rachel, I need you to sit down for me, will you? Stay calm and let me finish what I need to say before you overreact and misunderstand what I'm telling you. Can you do that?"
"Danny!"
"Rachel, please..."
The desperation in his voice seemed to cut through her blind panic as she quietened down. "Okay... Okay, I'm sitting. Now tell me, what's wrong?"
Danny glanced over his shoulder as the back doors to the hospital were thrown wide, a man in a purple hooded top stumbling his way into the open. Something about the slouching figure in grubby cargo pants screamed at the detective to pay attention, but his thoughts were currently preoccupied with his own problems. "This is extremely hard for me to say, Rachel, so I'm just going to say it. Something happened at the-"
There was a clatter as something skidded across the floor, the hooded man all but tripping over his own feet as he came to a stop a few steps away from the building. "Damn it..."
It was the familiar sounding curse that broke the Jersey native from his distracted daze. Temporarily forgetting his phone call, Danny shielded the sun from his eyes and took a proper look at the figure in front of him.
"What the Hell... Steven?"
McGarrett felt his skin crawling, the sensation of being watched becoming more apparent with each step. He fought the urge to check over his shoulder, knowing he was risking discovery the longer he spent wandering the halls looking suspicious. Chin and Kono would realise he was missing at some point very soon and then his chances of evading them would drop dramatically. He needed to find the exit, and fast. Grace was counting on him.
Turning a corner, relieved to find the way out finally in his sight, Steve used the opportunity to inconspicuously glance behind him.
The same maintenance man he'd spotted earlier was still in view, now with his cell phone to his ear as he cast quite obvious looks in the SEAL's direction. Steve's racing mind couldn't help but put two and two together, linking the man to the prior incident in his room. Was he the one that had been taking photographs of him whilst barely conscious in his hospital bed? The thought sent a shiver down his spine, raising a number of new questions. Suddenly the desperate urge to leave didn't seem like such a crazy one.
Pushing through the doors to the exit, the sudden influx of sunlight sent daggers straight to Steve's brain and caused him to stumble. Slouching further into the hood of his stolen sweatshirt, McGarrett's foot caught on a discarded soda can that he sent skittering across the tarmac as he tried to clear his vision, the unexpectedly loud sound causing him to freeze. "Damn it…" Real graceful there, McGarrett.
Aware that he was quickly running out of time, Steve assessed his immediate surroundings through heavily lidded eyes, the bright sunshine a source of great discomfort. Apart from a few parked cars, the area ahead seemed clear enough for him to make his exit so Steve moved off again, conscious of the fact that he had an unknown at his six who was likely to have played some part in Grace's kidnapping.
Thoughts lingering heavily on his next move, the unexpected sound of his partner's voice hit him like a physical blow from out of nowhere.
"What the Hell… Steven?"
Every instinct screamed at the SEAL to acknowledge Danny, whom he belatedly realised was standing a few feet away - had been, in fact, since he'd exited the hospital. On any other day, Steve would have followed that instinct without fail. Today, however, with the GHB still idling in his system and a concussion that caused his head to pound in time with his racing heartbeat, Steve made the rash decision to keep moving.
"Hey, McGarrett! They let you out already? Wait, where do you think you're going?"
The sound of the double doors crashing open behind him set Steve's adrenaline coursing, encouraging an extra burst of speed as he attempted to put as much distance between himself, Danny and his stalker as possible. The last thing he needed was Danny caught in the middle of all this...whatever this was. Did they plan on taking him out of the equation? If so, why wait until now? They'd missed the perfect opportunity to eliminate him permanently at the mall, and yet again whilst he was out of commision in the hospital. It didn't make sense...
The screech of tyres and the stench of burning rubber had Danny dropping his cell to the concrete, his call to Rachel forgotten as he reacted to the scene before him. A large white van screamed to a stop in front of the rabbiting SEAL at the same time that the blond detective caught sight of the maintenance man exiting the building, gun drawn and aimed squarely at his partner.
With a heartfelt curse, Danny drew his own weapon and aimed it at the phony hospital worker, torn between keeping an eye on Steve and protecting any innocent passers-by from stray bullets. "Hey, drop your weapon, buddy. That's an order!"
At the sound of Danny's yell, Steve took his eyes off the van in front of him, slowing his pace as his concern for his friend easily overrode any thoughts for his own well-being. It was at that point that the van's side door flew open, three masked men jumping out to surround him.
Two sets of beefy arms grabbed for the SEAL as the third man casually pulled out a concealed weapon, taking aim and firing twice.
The first bullet was a flesh wound; the second a head-shot.
Steve caught Danny's pained gaze; spied the fresh blood covering his partner's pale form as he hit the floor. "-Danny, no!" He made to move towards him, only for the two thugs at his side to roughly drag him back.
Any further thoughts dissipated as a filthy rag was clamped tight over his nose and mouth, the sweet-smelling aroma of chloroform invading his senses and causing his legs to fall out from under him before he could react. The bruising grip on his arms was the only thing that kept the SEAL from kissing the pavement as his vision faded to black.
Author's Notes: *hiding* So...did anyone see that coming? :) PTWS
