My usual couple of notes. Once again, thanks to all who gave a review of the last chapter. It warms my heart to know that you are still reading.
Secondly, this was completed before Monday's episode. After watching the finale, please note that the governor was written as the person I have respected throughout the season. Enough said on that subject!
Chapter 9
Dr. Palakiko had just sat down in the break room for a late lunch when her phone beeped. Staring at her Cheez-its and Diet Coke, she sighed, putting the phone to her ear. "Doctor, McGarrett in Room 6 is beginning to come around."
"Already? Good for him. I'll be right there." She took a long sip of her drink then set it on the counter, hoping it would still be there when she returned. She knew the Cheez-its were a lost cause and would be up for grabs the minute she left the room.
Entering the ICU, she grabbed the medical chart and made her way to Room 6. "What do we have, Naila?"
The nurse had her hand on her patient's shoulder, rubbing it in slow circles. "He's trying to wake up. Getting a bit agitated, too."
Palakiko looked at the monitors next to the bed, and then performed her own check by placing her fingers on her patient's wrist to check his pulse the way she could always rely on. "That's better than an hour ago," she mumbled, making a notation in the chart. "OK, Commander, let's see what you've got." She set the chart on the bedside tray and leaned over to talk to her patient. "Commander McGarrett, can you hear me? Do you want to wake up? If so, you need to open those eyes for me."
She watched as he tried. The eye lids fluttered but could not open although his head turned in the direction of her voice. The doctor placed her hand on his forehead, trying to ground him and spoke to him again. "Commander, everything is fine. You're in the hospital. Just relax."
He shivered and she and the nurse pulled the blanket up closer around his neck. She saw his lips move beneath the mask. "Just a second," she told him, before unsnapping the strap holding the mask to his face. "There, that might feel better for a couple of minutes. Can you talk to me?"
"C-cold." To emphasize the point, he shivered once again.
She looked across the bed to the nurse. "Can you get another warm blanket for him, please?" Turning back to her patient, she spoke louder. "We're working to get you warmed up, Commander. Now, can you open your eyes?"
The eyelashes fluttered on his pale cheeks before finally opening half way.
"Good job," she praised, placing her hand back on his forehead. "Can you tell me your name?"
His eyes slid closed.
"No, come on, now, look at me. What's your name?"
He opened his eyes and stared at her once again. "Mc-McGarrett."
"Good. Do you know where you are?"
"Hos…pital?"
She reached for the oxygen mask and held it over his face. "That's right. You're at Tripler. I'm Dr. Palakiko and we met last night although I know you don't remember that." She left the mask where it was and raised up as the nurse returned. "And here is a warmed blanket for you." She quickly flipped back the one that covered him while the nurse replaced it with the warm one. They both tucked the new one around him.
"There, is that better?" she asked, watching as his head slowly nodded in appreciation.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a penlight, turning it on. "I need to check your pupils, so just relax for me." She turned on the light and flicked it into his eye, not prepared for the reaction she received.
McGarrett squeezed his eyes tightly shut and jerked his head away, his groan turning into a gag. The doctor and nurse both grabbed for him. "Easy, easy. Sorry." She picked up the putrid pink emesis bowl while the nurse raised the head of the bed slightly. "Get it all out of there, OK?"
The nurse washed his face and cleaned him up when he was finished. His eyes were tightly shut and he was still shuddering beneath the blanket, looking altogether miserable. "Water?" he asked.
"Yes, you were in the water," the doctor replied. "But they got you out and you're going to be just fine."
"No. Thirs…thirsty." He turned again to the sound of her voice and opened his eyes.
"Oh…I'm sorry." She shook her head. "We'll get you some ice chips, but we're still trying to get your body's electrolytes back in balance. We can't give you any water just yet, OK?"
The look he gave her was almost her undoing. She gave him an apologetic smile. "Don't look at me that way. I'll get you some ice. Naila, could you hand me that cup and then check with the front desk? Pharmacy should have delivered the drugs by now."
Palakiko spooned out a couple of the chips and slid her hand behind his head to lift it so she could drop them in his mouth. "Is that good?"
He closed his eyes and didn't speak, savoring the wetness. And then he shivered once again.
"Maybe you don't really need the ice just yet, OK?"
The doctor reached the cord for the light above the bed and turned off the down lights that were shining on him.
"Commander, you have a concussion and I need to check your pupils. I made it darker in here and I want you to look down and not at me. I'll shine the light from above just to get a look." He did as she asked. "That's all; I'm done. Pupils are still a little sluggish, but better than last night. We'll give you something for the pain and you can go back to sleep." She saw the nurse return while replacing the mask on his face.
"Unh…" He shook his head.
"Be quiet…just rest. Let me fasten this and I'll push the drugs.
"Off. Need…talk."
She understood his words and removed the mask. "Just for a minute. What do you need to tell me?"
"Need…my team."
"They'll be back tonight. Dr. Bassett made them…and the governor, too…go home and get some rest."
"No…get team. Have to talk."
"Sorry, Commander," she smiled at him. "But I don't think you're ready for visitors. Don't worry, they'll be back later."
"Now." The wheezing increased as he got aggravated at her.
She tried to replace the mask and he twisted his head beneath it. "Phone. Gimme."
"No, you cannot use the phone."
"Are you…Army?"
"Captain Elaine Palakiko, at your service. Just got back from a tour of the 'Stan three weeks ago."
"Then I out…rank you. Get my team."
She laughed. "Really? You're pulling the rank card? If you weren't so sick, you'd realize you aren't in charge right now."
"Need…commanding officer."
"You need whose commanding officer? Mine?" she asked, amazed at his tenacity. She shook her head at him. "Nope, sorry, he's not going to help you out either."
McGarrett closed his eyes once again, panting to breathe.
"This will help you relax and help the pain," she assured him, uncapping a syringe.
He turned his head and once again opened his eyes to stare at her. "Please, listen. Need…my team. Ur-urgent. Not lying." He paused before adding another "please" for good measure.
She hesitated, seeing the determination in his pain-filled eyes and knew he had something important to tell his team. "OK," she told him, placing the cap back on the syringe and setting it down on the bedside table. "It's against my better judgment, but here's the deal. We'll try to call, but I won't promise anything. If we contact them, will you quit fighting me?"
"No drugs. Haf'ta talk to…Danny."
"It may be a while before they can get here. I'll give you—"
"NO! Pro—promise." He began gasping and she fastened the mask back down.
"Shh… That's it. No more talk. The deal is five minutes. If we can get them. Naila, there is an emergency number for Detective Williams in the front of his chart. Can you have someone at the desk call him please?" She looked back down at her patient and saw the relief in his eyes before they slid shut in exhaustion.
~~~~ H50 ~~~~
The trio rushed to ICU and stopped at the nursing desk. "I'm Danny Williams. Dr. Palakiko called us about Steve McGarrett."
"Yes, Mr. Williams. Please come this way. Commander McGarrett is back in a private area in Room 6."
They followed her down the short hallway, trepidation building when Dr. Palakiko came out from behind a curtain to speak with them.
"I thought it would be best to talk to you here, rather than over the phone," she began. "But I told you I would call you if there was any change in the commander's condition."
"What happened?" Danny asked, his heart beating so loudly he was sure the doctor could hear it.
She shook her head. "Follow me," she requested.
Dr. Palakiko held aside the curtain for them to enter the partitioned space. McGarrett looked about the same as he had that morning except the head of the bed had been slightly raised. All the beeps and blips on the monitors appeared to be making the same noises as earlier. The only change was that the bruising they had seen earlier in the day was now in Technicolor.
Danny turned to her for explanation, but she held up her hand before he spoke. Moving to the bed, she placed her hand on McGarrett's shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. "Commander? Your team is here." She turned back to Danny, Chin and Kono and explained, "Someone refused pain meds until he had a chance to talk to you. He said it was important."
Palakiko turned back to her patient and watched as his blood-shot eyes opened to half-mast. Releasing the strap on the oxygen mask, she gently removed it, saying, "Our deal was five minutes, and not a second more." She stepped back from the bed to allow them to move closer. "I swear I don't know what it is with you people, because I never make deals with my patients, or their visitors."
Williams blew out a sigh of relief and ran one hand along the back of his neck as he stepped up to the bed. "All right, Rambo, what is so all-fire important that you're already outstaying your welcome here?" Danny leaned on the bed rail and continued, "If it were me, I'd take the drugs, no questions asked."
"Name," Steve began, slightly turning his head to look at his partner.
"What name?" Danny shook his head, letting McGarrett know he wasn't following.
His partner swallowed and tried again. "I got a name from one…one of the perps."
"Really?" Chin moved closer. "We have the guy you shot and he's not giving up anyone higher on the food chain. So give us some leverage, Boss. We need it to put these guys away."
"Kap—" His voice gave out and he tried to take in more air.
"Wait a second," the doctor stopped him. She reached for the mask and held it in place when he tried to struggle against her. "Don't fight me. Take it slow, breathe in and then I'll take it back off," she explained, not removing the mask until he was able to breathe without wheezing.
"Kapule," he told them. "Tha's all I know. Just get him." He closed his eyes, panting to breathe.
"Now will you take your medicine like a good boy?" Danny asked. He gave the doctor a questioning look. "Why didn't you just stick the drugs in the IV?"
She shook her head and glared at her patient who had the audacity to open his eyes and stare right back. "Why, you ask? Well, let's see…he pulled rank, he threatened to call my superior, and then he begged."
"Begging? Really, Steven."
She admitted, "Bottom line, I knew it had to be important because I know he's in pain." She nodded to the nurse who uncapped a syringe and inserted its contents into one of the IV tubes. "I kept my promise. Now that will ensure you'll get some rest."
"No, wait-"
"Too late," she replied, smiling at him while reaching again for the face mask. "Tell your friends goodnight."
He slightly shook his head before she managed to cover his mouth and nose with the apparatus once again. "I get five minutes."
"Then I'm watching the clock," she countered.
He turned his head to find Chin. "How? How'd you…get me out?" In addition to struggling to breathe, Steve was finding it hard to keep his eyes from closing.
Chin Ho grinned. "We had a lot of help. The governor called in the SEALs."
"Huh?" Sedative or not, he was again awake, eyes wide open in surprise.
"We met your friends, Boomer and Buck," Kono told him, grinning. "And a couple of others."
"Boom-? He looked to Danny. "That man," he paused for a breath. "is bat-shit crazy."
Williams nodded. "Yeah, he's a SEAL. Your point?"
"You let him…He blew up…cave? With my foot…stuck inside?"
The wheezing was to the point that the doctor replaced the mask without further complaint from her patient. "Time's up."
"Just a small underwater charge, Boss," Chin assured him. "No harm done to the rest of the area. And thankfully your foot is still attached."
They saw a small nod before his eyes finally slid closed.
Dr. Palakiko smoothed the covers over her patient's shoulder. "I think he's finally out."
"How is he, really?" Danny asked.
She glanced at the monitors for verification. "His last temp check was almost 98 degrees, so that is good although he still has bouts of shivering. Blood pressure is still low. Kidneys are functioning – that's good, lungs still have some blockage and his stats aren't normal, but given where he was twelve hours ago, he's doing great. I can't believe he was even conscious this afternoon, let alone able to recall what happened."
"He believes that all rules were meant to be broken," Danny told her. "At least once."
They took one last look at their sleeping friend before turning to leave. "Are we allowed back tonight?" Kono asked as they stepped back into the hallway.
"Yes, of course. The deal was at six, wasn't it? But I intend for him to sleep for as long as possible. In addition to the pain meds, he has a muscle relaxant in the IV. If he continues to do well this evening, we may move him to a room sometime later tonight. I'll wait and let Dr. Bassett make that call."
"If he gives you any trouble, let us know. We'll make sure someone will be available to make him behave. If nothing else, we'll call the governor. She's the one person who can put him in his place."
"I'll keep that in mind," the doctor said with a smile. "Thanks for coming in."
"Thank you," Chin replied. "With Steve's help, we now have one of the two names we need to close this case. Maybe we can lock it down tonight."
~~~ H50 ~~~