"I don't need a babysitter," Riley said pointedly, looking over the top of her coffee cup at Steve and Danny. The impromptu football lesson - "It's important that Riley start integrating into American culture, really," Danny had said - led to a couple more beers, and Danny had crashed on the sofa. Despite Steve's insistence that she take the heavy-duty painkillers sent home from the hospital, when Danny shuffled to the bathroom in the early hours of the morning, he'd heard muffled cries coming from Riley's room. His parenting instincts had kicked into overdrive and he went, naturally, to try to wake and comfort her . . . and was now sporting a black eye, and various other bruises which he'd carefully hidden under his work clothes.
"Riley, Danny is just going to give you a ride to Five-O," Steve explained. "I'm going to the hospital to talk to Joe. I don't think it's a great idea for you to be in on that yet - but I promise I'll include you in the briefing when I get back. You're not being babysat." Steve was looking a little the worse for wear, and poured a second cup of coffee, dropping in a plop of butter, to Danny's dismay. By the time he'd rushed down the stairs at the sound of scuffling and shouting coming from the guest room last night, Riley had pinned Danny against the wall, shouting at him in Korean. It had taken their combined efforts to re-orient her to time and place, and while she and Danny had both managed to go back to sleep, the flood of adrenaline had kept Steve awake the rest of the night.
"Okay," Riley agreed somewhat reluctantly, "but then Danny has to explain what all the butt-patting is about in NFL football. He dodged the question last night."
"Much like you're dodging talking about what happened after the game last night?" Danny pressed gently.
"I'm really sorry I hurt you, Danny," Riley said, looking down at her mug.
"That's not what we need to talk about, Riley," Danny said. He glanced at Steve, who looked concerned, but at a loss. Baby steps, Danny thought, he'd done a lot of talking last night. Talking was definitely more Danny's area of expertise than Steve's.
"I'll be okay, Danny," Riley insisted. "Can we just please, not talk about it now?"
"Fine," Danny sighed. "Wouldn't have needed the DNA test to prove you and Steve are two of a kind. Well, come on then," he added kindly, tousling Riley's hair. "Let's go. We'll get you set up with a computer at the palace."
Riley's eyes lit up.
"Behave," Steve said sternly.
#*#*#*#*#
Joe White pulled the cell phone out from under the hospital bed mattress. It had been an easy thing, really, to pull it out of the phlebotomist's lab coat; and it would be an easy thing to "discover" it between the bedrail and mattress when she came looking for it. Using a civilian's phone to make the call was risky, but time was running out; he was sure of it. He'd not been contacted by the CIA or the SAD, which could only mean one thing - he had been cut loose.
A sleepy voice answered on the other end.
"Sorry to wake you," Joe said, "but I don't know how much time I have. No, still in the hospital, but I'll probably be discharged today. No, I've not heard from either agency. I imagine I've been disavowed. No, there is no reason to panic. I suspect Steve will decide to 'keep his enemies closer'; in which case, I'll have even more access. Well, it would not be in our best interest for Mary to get involved at all; a distraction may be necessary, if they start noticing that she shares none of their common physical traits. No, I won't let her get hurt if I can help it. I understand but you know that . . . yes, there are always greater interests than that of one person."
There was a longer pause.
"You haven't been compromised . . . well, they know you are Shelburne, they know about your involvement with WoFat. But they don't know if you're alive or dead. Which way do you want to play it?"
Another pause.
"Agreed. Do not try to contact me; it will be too risky. Don't tell me where you are, or even where you might be. Disappear."
Joe pressed a series of several keystrokes to eliminate the obvious signs of his phone call from the cell phone. If anyone thought to look, they could easily find a record of it. He was counting on no one having a reason and pressed the button to call the nurse.
"Yes," Joe said, when the nurse answered the call. "I just noticed . . . the young woman who was in to take my blood earlier . . . I believe her phone must have slipped out of her pocket. You will? Thank you."
#*#*#*#*#
Steve nodded at the uniformed officer standing outside Joe's door.
"Anything unusual, officer?" he asked.
"No, sir, Commander McGarrett," the officer replied. "Only the approved hospital personnel have been in and out."
Steve entered the room quietly and stood, arms folded, just inside the door.
"Good morning Steve," Joe said. "To what do I owe the honor? How's Riley?"
"You don't get to ask about Riley," Steve said. "You might want to ask about Agent Fielding, though."
Joe sighed. "Let me guess. I've been disavowed."
"Pretty much. You're a liability to them. They've already initiated all of the protocol that makes your knowledge obsolete."
"They're doing what needs to be done," Joe said mildly. "This is how it works, son. Let me guess - you've been told that you're in control of what happens to me next. You know that's an illusion, right? But for the sake of argument, what are your supposed options?"
"I can use you or send you up for court martial," Steve said impassively. "I haven't decided yet."
"Well, the information I have is already useless," Joe said. "You could get revenge; have me court martialed. I'd be stripped of rank, pension, at the very least. You could probably see to it that I spent some time in the brig, even."
Steve studied him. "Is that what you want?"
"What I want is irrelevant, son."
"Stop calling me that!" Steve exploded. "You don't get to call me that. You are not my father. I don't even know who you are, Joe. I thought I could trust you. I have trusted you, my whole life. Now, I don't know what to do."
"I taught you to trust your instincts, Steve. I suggest you do that now. What do your instincts tell you to do?"
"My instincts? Oh, that's a dangerous thing to suggest, Joe. My instincts tell me to torture you the way you tortured Riley; the way WoFat tortured us both . . . see if anything you have is still useful to me. Or, you know, do it just for the hell of it, for information you don't even have," Steve growled.
"Nothing's stopping you," Joe said, looking steadily at Steve.
"Yeah, actually, Joe, a sense of honor, of humanity, of basic decency is stopping me," Steve said. "But don't think I'm not tempted."
"The choice is yours, Steve," Joe said. "You're in control here."
"Really?" Steve said, "Because it damn sure feels like Riley, Mary, and I have never had any choice, or any control. We seem to be the only people in this situation who haven't had any say whatsoever in the matter."
Steve turned to leave.
"So what are you going to do?" Joe asked.
"Hell if I know, Joe," Steve said. "But I'm not going to do anything without letting Riley have some say in it. No one else ever has."
Steve refrained from slamming the door, in deference to the other patients, and headed for the elevators. He took a few minutes in the ride down to calm himself, and stepped out on the floor of the emergency department. He knew the hospital like the back of his hand; which Danny would be quick to point out was usually a result of his - or Kono's - propensity for leaping into danger headfirst.
He spotted Malia at the charting station.
"Steve," she said warmly. "What brings you here? No new injuries, I hope."
"No, I wanted to see if you could tell me when Joe was going to be discharged," he said. "Oh," he added, "and could I get some more of that cream for the electrical burns?" He'd almost forgotten while he was distracted in talking with Joe, but the injuries were still painful, and he was running low.
Malia entered a few keystrokes into the computer. "Joe's doctor is suggesting discharge this afternoon," she said.
Steve sighed. Not much time to make a decision.
"Is that a problem?" Malia asked.
"No, no problem . . . leave it to the alphabet agencies to conveniently dispose of a problem and make you think they're doing you a favor . . . I'll just have a lot to figure out between now and then," he said.
"If you need us to delay it, Steve, I'm sure that can be arranged," Malia said. "Now, if you'll come with me, I'll get you some of that cream."
Before Steve realized what had happened, he'd followed Malia into a treatment room, and she was gently lifting up his shirt.
"Malia, did you just trick me into a follow-up visit?" Steve asked, pretending to be exasperated.
"It's the only way to get you to comply," Malia said. "These are healing as expected, but I'm sure they still hurt. Be sure to keep the cream applied; it's going to help prevent infection. How are the ribs?" she added, pressing gently.
Steve winced a bit. "Just a twinge, nothing to worry about," he assured her.
Malia patted his shoulder as she finished, and turned to a cabinet. "I'll send you with two tubes; if you're running low, then I'm sure Riley is as well. Speaking of which, how is she doing? She will need a follow-up visit too, and I'd be happy to see her."
Steve hesitated, and rubbed his hand over his face.
"What's wrong?" Malia asked.
"She had a rough night last night," Steve admitted. "Danny tried to wake her up from a nightmare . . . actually, we might need to get Danny checked out."
Malia winced. "That bad?"
"I'll be honest, Malia, I was afraid I was going to end up hurting her, trying to pull her off Danny," Steve sighed. "Danny . . . really goes above and beyond, dealing with the McGarrett night terrors."
Malia smiled and patted Steve's arm in sympathy. "I'm sure he doesn't mind, Steve. Do you think you could bring Riley over today, let me follow up on her injuries?"
"Yeah, I'll do that," Steve said. "I think . . . I might need to give Riley the opportunity to confront Joe before he leaves the hospital; before I decide what to do."
"With Joe?" Malia asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Steve sighed, rubbing his face again. He was exhausted and the day had just started. "Once he's released from the hospital, he's my problem to solve. Thanks, Malia - we'll be by later."
#*#*#*#*#
Steve took a deep breath before he stepped off the elevator onto the Five-O floor. On the drive over from the hospital, he'd turned over a dozen scenarios that would allow him to safely remove Riley from this mess . . . it could be done, but even utilizing all of his resources, he'd worry about her safety. There was nothing for it; she would have to know exactly what was happening with Joe. He'd promised not to lie to her, and he had to keep that promise.
Chin glanced up from his desk as Steve came off the elevator. His smooth brow furrowed in concern; Steve looked exhausted. When Kono and Riley were distracted with something on the computer, Danny had filled Chin in on the rough night they'd had.
"Steve, you look axed, brah. What do you need?" Chin asked, gripping him by the shoulders. Steve was his boss, sure, but he looked so lost that for a moment, all Chin could see was the young sophomore quarterback intent on beating all his records.
Steve shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "Honestly? I really, really wish my dad was here, Chin. I have no idea what to do."
"Go sit down," Chin commanded kindly. "My office. I'm getting you some coffee, and you're going to catch me up on what's happening. I'm not your dad, but I'm your friend. Go - I'll be right back. Danny and Kono took Riley to tour the armory . . . I wasn't trusting the way she was eyeing up the computer."
Steve collapsed in a chair in Chin's office, staring pensively toward the center of the room. He was perfectly at ease making split second life-and-death decisions; calm under fire; had absolutely no problem leading a team of lethal SEALs. But this . . . unraveling these family secrets, getting tangled up with the CIA and the SAD . . .
"Okay, Steve," Chin said, handing him a fresh cup of coffee, "tell me what's happening. Danny said you were talking to Joe this morning."
"I'm so out of my element," Steve said, taking a sip of the coffee, and nodding his thanks at Chin. "The CIA and SAD have cut Joe loose. He's been . . . well, disavowed sounds very dramatic, but that's the sense of it."
"Wow," Chin said. "So what's next?"
"Well," Steve answered uncomfortably, "that seems to be up to me. I can utilize Joe as an 'asset', or I could have him brought up on charges. Court martialed."
Chin's eyes widened. "That's horrifically unfair."
"Well, he did kidnap Riley . . . not to mention his 'training' methods with her a few years back," Steve said, a bit confused as to Chin's defense of Joe.
"Oh, Danny filled me in on Joe's training . . . no, I meant it was horribly unfair to you, to dump this responsibility on you. He was your mentor, your commanding officer . . . and now you're responsible for him? Right on the heels of finding another sister. In WoFat's compound, no less." Chin shook his head sympathetically. "No wonder you look exhausted. You're losing sleep over this, aren't you?"
Steve took another sip of coffee and nodded. "None of us got much sleep last night."
"Yeah, from the looks of that shiner Danny's sporting, Riley has a mean right hook," Chin said.
"You have no idea, Chin. You saw the damage she inflicted on WoFat's men. I haven't even told you . . . when we were in Korea, tracking down Frank, we got jumped by three thugs. She took them out without even breaking a sweat - still injured from her first encounter from WoFat. Last night . . . I had a hard time pulling her off Danny," Steve said quietly. "Chin . . . I've never been able to manage Mary, that's no secret."
Chin chuckled.
"But Riley . . . Chin, I have no idea what she's even capable of, and I don't think she does either. And the nightmare she had last night . . . "
"You know a little about those, I'm guessing," Chin said sympathetically.
Steve nodded. "Yeah. Danny . . . he's had to wake me up sometimes." Steve looked at Chin over the rim of his coffee cup. "I know you all orchestrate this, by the way - you never let me go home alone from the hospital."
"Guilty as charged," Chin said mildly. "But Steve, none of us go home alone from the hospital. Think about it."
Steve paused a moment.
"So, basically, we just do for you what you make sure is done for each of us," Chin pointed out. "Is it so hard to wrap your brain around that?"
From the way Steve blinked at him, Chin assumed that yes, perhaps it was. He shook his head. He loved John McGarrett, he did - the man had meant the world to him. But sending Steve away, when he did, right after his mother's death . . . it had sure done a number on him.
"I think I need to let Riley weigh in on the decision," Steve said. "What do you think?"
Chin nodded. "If she plans to stay here, close to you, then definitely."
"Oh," Steve said, looking mildly horrified. "I hadn't thought . . . I'd just assumed she'd want to stay here. But Mary didn't. Oh my God, what if she feels like I'm holding her hostage?" Steve stood up and started pacing around Chin's office.
"Steve," Chin said, standing up and placing a hand firmly on Steve's shoulder. "I am sure she doesn't think that for a minute. And I'm sure that she does want to stay here. Mary . . . Mary finished growing up in LA; she had the opportunity to make a life there, one that suits her free-spiritedness." Chin looked up at the sound of the elevator. "Look; talk to Riley. And whatever you decide, Steve, you aren't going to have to do this alone. We're here for you; for both of you."
Steve watched as Danny, Kono, and Riley exited the elevator. Danny still looked tired, and his eye was a horrible shade of purple - Riley had nailed him but good, that was certain - but he was smiling and laughing, squeezing Riley's hand affectionately. Steve stood and walked out of Chin's office.
"Hey, kid," he said, smiling at Riley. "You staying out of trouble?"
"I don't know, Steve, you may need to inventory the grenades," Danny said, pretending to be grumpy. "Kono can't hide them in her skinny jeans, but Riley's wearing cargo pants. As if we needed yet more evidence that you share DNA."
Riley shrugged. She was still wearing the clothes that Renee had picked out for her, and she thought they were perfectly fine. "I did not steal any grenades," she said solemnly. In the same tone of voice, Danny thought, in which she had said that she hadn't drugged him, which wasn't reassuring at all. Riley turned to Steve. "You met with Joe. Tell me," she said.
"Did you, um, want to go in my office and talk?" Steve said. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do that or not; honestly wasn't sure how to go about this without Danny and Chin, but it felt like he should at least offer her some privacy.
"I'm new around here," Riley said, "but I've already figured out that you guys pretty much live in each other's pockets. Everyone is going to end up knowing; besides, this affects everyone here. So, no, I don't want to go in your office, just tell me what you're going to do about Joe."
"I was going to ask you how you felt about it," Steve said, leaning against the computer table and rubbing the back of his neck.
Riley looked surprised. "Why should that matter?"
"Riley . . . Joe - what he did to you, the lies he told . . . he took you at gunpoint from our home, for crying out loud. It matters how you feel. It matters to me," Steve said.
Chin put an arm around Riley's shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. Danny had spent more time with her, but he was the one who had literally carried her out of WoFat's clutches, and he felt just as protective of her as Steve and Danny. "Riley," he said, "how you feel matters to all of us. We're going to back you and Steve up one hundred percent - you're right, this affects all of us - and we all want to know that you're okay with whatever is decided."
"The only thing that matters is what is most strategically advantageous," Riley insisted. "My personal feelings should have no bearing on the decision."
Danny started to open his mouth to protest, but Steve caught his eye and he stopped.
"Okay," Steve said easily. "What do you think is most strategically advantageous?"
"Well, what do you want: retribution or information?" Riley asked. As if it was that easy. As if they weren't discussing someone who had betrayed them - betrayed her - in the worst possible way.
"What do you want?" Steve retorted back to her.
Danny, Chin, and Kono watched expectantly as Riley and Steve stared at each other. Finally Riley took a deep breath.
"I want answers," she said quietly. "And for all that Joe's done . . . he's still Joe."
"Yeah," Steve said. "Yeah," he sighed. "Me too."
"Okay, then, it's settled," Danny said. "Joe is our responsibility."
"No, Danny, just mine," Steve started, but Danny held up his hand.
"Chin said it, Steve. We're all in this with you. Whatever you guys decide, it affects us - because you're not doing this alone. You might be a SuperSEAL and a . . . a . . . honey badger, or whatever, but you're not alone."
"Honey badger? Really, Danny?" Riley huffed.
Danny pointed to his black eye. "Honey badger. Look it up on Discovery Channel."
"Okay," Chin said, breaking in before Danny could cause any more trouble with his animal analogies. "So it's decided. Steve, didn't you say Joe was getting discharged from the hospital today?"
"Yeah, this afternoon, Malia thought. Oh, and speaking of Malia, she wants to see you, Riley, for a follow-up visit," Steve added. "I was thinking I could take you over, you see Malia, and then we talk to Joe. Together. Before we make a final decision."
Riley nodded. "Sounds like a plan. But really, I'm fine, I don't need to see Malia."
"Humor me," Steve said, looking at her skeptically.
"Do you need back-up, boss?" Kono asked.
"For Joe, or to convince Riley to see Malia?" Steve asked, smiling.
"Either or both," Kono said, smiling at Riley. "Because either sounds better than the mountain of paperwork I have waiting for me."
"No, I think Riley and I can handle this," said Steve. He felt lighter, now that a decision had been made. "Thanks, guys; I mean it. This is a lot of crazy to add to Five-O. I really appreciate your support." He pulled his keys out of his pocket. "Hey, Danny, don't you have Gracie this weekend?"
"Yeah, just for this evening . . . I have to take her back first thing in the morning," Danny said.
"But, it's your weekend," Steve said, confused. He knew Danny's schedule with Grace almost as well as Danny himself.
"It's . . . " Danny hesitated, and Steve noticed that Kono was biting her lip.
"What?" Steve asked.
"It's Mother's Day weekend, Steve," Danny said gently.
"Oh. Okay, yeah. All of you, finish up what you have to and then get out of here; it's Friday, start your weekend. Maybe we'll get lucky, and all the criminals will take a break, and give us one, too. I'll see you guys on Monday," Steve said, waving them off.
As Danny, Chin, and Kono drifted into their offices to wrap up, Riley leaned against the computer table next to Steve. He put his arm around her and kissed her temple.
"You sure about this, Riley?" he said. "I can pull any number of strings, make any kind of arrangements for you. I don't want to assume that you want to stay here. I could try to get you away from all of this."
"Would it be better for you if I went back to Korea, and stayed with Frank?" she asked, but her eyes were downcast.
"Riley, no . . . God, no that's not what I would want, and no it wouldn't make things easier for me. I'd be worried sick about you. But, if it's what you want, I could arrange it. Even arrange some security measures," he said.
"It's not what I want," she said, leaning into him. "I'm being selfish, I know - but I just found you. I like it here. I like your team. I'd like to stay here, with you, if I can."
"Then it's settled. I won't even bring it up again, but look - if you change your mind, you let me know, okay? I mean it. I have connections, Riley, all over the world," Steve assured her.
"So does WoFat, apparently," Riley replied, seriously. "I'll take my chances here, thanks."
"Okay, then let's go get you checked out and have a little chat with Joe," Steve said, pushing himself off the table and heading for the elevator, with Riley effortlessly falling in step beside him.
#*#*#*#*#
Malia stepped into the hallway, where Steve was waiting anxiously.
"How is she, really?" he asked Malia. "She just keeps insisting she's fine."
"Physically, she is . . . well, I keep using the word, but - remarkable. She's healing very quickly. Her stitches, the burns, the cracked ribs - everything healing well ahead of schedule," Malia said, still making notes in the chart. "She's young, in great shape, and my guess is she's had very little sun exposure, living in Tokyo, so her collagen is flawless, which would explain the quick wound healing."
"Advantages of the young," Steve said.
"Indeed," Malia said, nodding. "So she's saying she's fine, because between her high tolerance for pain - which, I'm sorry, if I understand correctly, was partly a learned behavior - and her fast healing, she is managing the pain. I couldn't really get her to talk about the nightmares, though, other than for her to worry about Danny and how badly she might have hurt him. I'm afraid that's going to take some time and patience."
Steve nodded.
"Catherine suggested that it might be good for both of you to see someone," Malia suggested gently. Catherine and Danny had both confided in her that Steve's sleep was often disrupted by violent nightmares, usually involving classified missions. Perhaps Steve's reluctance to seek help would be overcome if he was willing to do it on Riley's behalf.
"We'll think about it, Malia," Steve promised, as Riley came out of the room.
"Thanks, Malia," Riley said. "And sorry again, you know, about the computer thing."
"It's okay, Riley," Malia assured her. "I know who to call if I'm trying to work remotely and can't log in."
Riley smiled and nodded. "Okay, let's go talk to Joe," she said to Steve. "I want to get this over with."
#*#*#*#*#
Steve was glad that Joe was still in his hospital gown, awaiting discharge, when they got to his room. As petty as it sounded, he was thankful for the psychological edge it gave them: nothing like having your ass hanging out the back of a flimsy hospital gown to put you at a disadvantage.
"Riley," Joe said, as they came through the door. "It's good to see you're okay."
She nodded and eyed him warily. "I'm surprised WoFat's men left you in one piece," she said.
"It took the only two left standing to drag you out the door," Joe replied. Steve couldn't miss the pride and fondness in Joe's voice. "You were the objective; I was just collateral damage."
"How badly were you hurt?" Riley asked. Steve sighed. He was afraid of this, to a point - for all Joe had lied to and misused Riley, there was still obviously a bond between them. Not that Steve could claim any different.
"I'm fine, Riley," Joe said. "Steve, to what do I owe the honor of a visit from you and Riley? I do appreciate you letting me see her. I hadn't expected it." Steve listened carefully, but there was no discernable trace of sarcasm in Joe's voice.
"I wanted to talk about what happens when you're discharged today, Joe," Steve said, "and I felt like it was only fair to Riley to be included in that conversation."
"Sounds reasonable," Joe said.
"Neither of us want to see you sent up on charges," Steve began. "But we do want some straight answers, and some cooperation. I'm willing to suggest an honorable discharge, retirement, pension; if you're willing to cooperate with Five-O in the investigation and search for WoFat."
Joe pondered the idea. Doris couldn't resurface until WoFat was found. Feigning cooperation with Five-O was the best way to maintain control of that situation; control that he had lost.
"I assume that's the best offer I'm going to get, under the circumstances," Joe said.
"Circumstances that include assaulting two HPD officers, kidnapping Riley at gunpoint - and that's just the recent history," Steve said, "yeah, I'd say it's a safe assumption I'm the best offer you'll get."
Joe nodded. "I've always enjoyed working with you, Steve. It seems fitting that my career would bring me full circle to work for you; work with Riley. I'd be honored."
"Don't for one minute think that you are working for or with Five-O, Joe. You are an informant; a source. You are never to be anywhere near Riley without my permission, and only then if I'm there, or one of my team. Understood? You figure out your life based on your pension and retirement from the Navy, and I'll let you know when I want to talk to you, where and how. Are we clear?" Steve said, crossing his arms and staring hard at Joe.
"Clear, Steve," Joe said.
"And the minute - the minute we find out you've lied to us? The deal is off. I can and will bring you up on civil, criminal charges," Steve said. "And if that doesn't work, I don't think I need to remind you what I'm capable of."
"I do know. I taught you," Joe said.
"Did you know Olivia was really my mother?" Riley blurted out. She glanced at Steve apologetically, but he just nodded at her. She had a right to demand answers.
"I did," Joe answered.
"Is she alive?" Riley asked, in a quiet voice.
"Your mother was a Yakuza target. That's why she went underground, and had me take you to Frank. That was over three years ago. Has she been able to evade the Yakuza all this time? I believe it's possible that she's alive. But I have no idea where she is," Joe answered, choosing his words carefully. Too carefully, Steve thought, but he couldn't put his finger on which part didn't ring true.
"Why were you trying to make WoFat believe that my - our father was Shelburne?" Steve asked.
"I thought it was the best way to satisfy WoFat, and give your mother the opportunity to come out of hiding," Joe said. "I was trying . . . hoping to make up for some of my past actions by being able to reunite your family."
"What's left of it," Steve said bitterly. "And you almost got Riley killed. No more, Joe. No more playing God with our lives. From now on, Riley, Mary, and I make the decisions."
"I would keep Mary as far away from this as possible," Joe cautioned. "You don't want WoFat to have another target."
Steve nodded. "Mary is the one person you haven't been involved with, and I fully intend to keep it that way. If I find out that you've reached out to her, contacted her . . . "
"It won't happen, I swear it," Joe said. He had all kinds of reasons that he wanted to keep Mary on the sidelines. He wasn't about to initiate contact.
"You can stay on base at Pearl while your discharge is being processed," Steve said. "You don't set foot on my property. And there will be MPs discreetly shadowing you." His intention wasn't to humiliate Joe, but he hardly trusted him.
"Understood," Joe said.
"You'll be provided with a ride to the base when you're discharged," Steve said. "Rest up over the weekend. I'll call for you when I'm ready to start tracking down WoFat."
"I'm surprised you haven't set up a command station in my hospital room," Joe observed.
Steve put a gentle hand on Riley's shoulder. "I've learned to rethink my priorities since leaving the SEALs," he said. "But don't mistake my putting Riley first for a lack of will in finding WoFat and bringing him to justice."
"Understood," Joe said.
"You'll be provided with a phone," Steve said. "You should assume it will be monitored." He tugged gently on Riley's hand. "Let's go, okay?" he said quietly. "We'll get more answers, I promise."
She nodded and followed him out the door.
"Want to help me set up a phone for Joe; one that we can track?" Steve asked as they walked toward the elevator.
"Hell, yeah," Riley said, grinning broadly. "Also, could we have ice cream?"
#*#*#*#*#
They stopped by Jerry's and picked up some more equipment for Riley.
"I don't even want to know, man," Jerry had said, when Riley started to explain what they were doing. "Plausible deniability."
The evening passed pleasantly, all things considered. Steve was impressed with Riley's proficiency at setting up the phone, and Riley was impressed with ice cream.
"Really? Never?" Steve asked. He couldn't believe that Danny had just introduced her to the stuff.
"No, but don't look at me like a sad puppy," she laughed. "I grew up eating world class sushi. Hey - what's this Mother's Day thing Danny was talking about? He seemed sad."
"It's . . . well, it's an American holiday, a Sunday every May, where people honor their mothers. You know, flowers, that sort of thing," Steve answered awkwardly. "Danny and Rachel divorced, and Rachel remarried. He gets Gracie every other weekend; and this weekend is normally his, but because of Mother's Day . . . he wouldn't want to keep Gracie from being with her mom. He's okay, Riley. That little girl is his life, and he just wishes he could have more time with her."
"Did you and Mary . . . you know, do Mother's Day? When you were little?" Riley asked.
"Yeah, we made horrible breakfast in bed, picked flowers from the neighbor's yard," Steve said, smiling at the memory.
"Oliva never mentioned Mother's Day," Riley said. "Probably because she wasn't supposed to let on that she was my mother. I was supposed to believe that I'd been taken away . . . anyway, it never came up."
"It's like we had two different mothers," he said quietly.
Riley was silent, and Steve worried that he'd upset her.
"I'm sorry," he said, "I shouldn't . . . "
"No, it's okay," she assured him. "I think we did have two different mothers, in a way. I mean, Oli - Doris was probably in her early forties when I was born. She was young when she had you, and Mary. You've heard about my childhood, tell me more about yours. I bet you were a handful."
Steve laughed. "A little bit, yeah. I think I was really stubborn. Mom was a teacher - I thought - and Dad was a cop, so things were really strict around here. But we had fun. I think I thrived on the order and the discipline; I remember feeling secure . . . safe. Mary . . . oh, God, Mary must have hated it. When we got sent away . . . I was devastated. I just threw myself into the academy and then into the Navy. But Mary . . . she was only about twelve. She hadn't started high school yet. So, she landed with Aunt Deb in LA and I think she loved it. Aunt Deb was a free spirit, and so was Mary."
"What is Mary like, now?" Riley asked, curious about this sister she'd never met. "And are you going to tell her, you know . . . about me?"
"Mary - well, I love her to pieces," Steve started. "She's still a bit of a wild child; I worry about her constantly. She's a tiny little thing, cute as a button . . . a bit of a flake, to be honest. And of course, we're going to tell her. I'm waiting for the dust to settle, so I'm not putting her in more danger by giving her information."
"Will she be angry?" Riley wondered quietly.
"With you? No. But with our parents? Furious," Steve said.
"I didn't mean to cause -" Riley started, but Steve put a finger gently across her lips.
"Don't," he said. "Don't blame yourself, Riley, not for any of this, not for a minute. You had zero control over what's happened. I'm so glad we found you; don't ever doubt that, no matter what. Got it?"
Riley nodded, and Steve wrapped her in a hug, kissing the top of her head.
"Let's call it a day, okay? Tomorrow, we'll regroup, maybe start looking at a plan of action; but I also want you to get some rest. And I need to show you around a little bit, let you get oriented to the island. Sound like a plan?" Steve asked.
Riley gathered up their dishes and headed to the sink. "Sounds like a great plan," she answered, smothering a yawn.
#*#*#*#*#
Riley crept to the top of the stairs. Steve's muffled, hoarse shouts had woken her from her own fitful sleep. She was reasonably sure no one had entered the house; still, she'd grabbed a knife from the kitchen, just in case.
By the time she tentatively opened the door to his room, she could make out the name he was mumbling . . . Jenna.
"Steve?" she called out quietly. He twitched, but didn't respond. Checking behind the door, she assured herself that no one else was there. She put the knife on the dresser, safely out of Steve's reach.
At this point, she was at a bit of a loss. She knew that he was likely to come up swinging, just as she had. But apparently, one was supposed to do something when someone was having a nightmare. Steve turned over rather violently, flinging one of his arms over the edge of the bed. Riley edged closer, and eased herself onto the floor next to him, taking his hand in hers.
"Steve," she whispered, "wake up. It's okay, you're dreaming."
Steve flinched, and when he opened his eyes, he was staring into a mirror image of his own
"Riley?" he rasped, squeezing her hand. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied, awkwardly patting his hand. "You were having a bad dream . . . you were calling for Jenna."
Steve sighed and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "I'm sorry I woke you up."
"It's okay. I wasn't sure . . . did I do the right thing?" she asked, uncertain.
"You mean, coming up? Yeah, Riley, it's just fine. Wait," Steve said, a thought occurring to him. "Why do you ask?" Steve traced his fingers over the back of Riley's hand, brushing carefully over the stitches.
"I didn't know you were supposed to wake people up when they were having a bad dream. Until you and Danny . . . I didn't know. That it was a thing to do," Riley explained.
Steve propped his head up on an elbow. Riley was still sitting cross-legged on the floor next to his bed. He brushed a lock of hair out of her face.
"Didn't you ever have bad dreams as a kid?" he asked.
Riley nodded. "Lots of them."
"Doris didn't . . . she didn't come wake you up, check on you, anything?" Steve wondered.
"No, never." Riley was quiet a moment. "She did with you and Mary?"
"Yeah," Steve said. "Riley, I'm sorry. I don't understand . . ."
"Frank did, once. Checked on me, when I was having a bad dream. Joe was mad at him. Frank told him to take his training and his methods and shove it up his ass," Riley said, smirking.
Steve chuckled. "Good for Frank."
"So," Riley persisted, "I did okay?"
Steve wrapped his hand around the back of Riley's neck and gently pulled her to him, kissing her forehead. "You did great, kid." He closed his eyes, trying to settle the flare of anger at his mother, and Joe.
"I'm really sorry about your friend Jenna," Riley whispered.
"Me, too," Steve said. "Listen, I'm okay now. I'll tell you about Jenna some other time. Why don't you try to go back to sleep? You need me to go downstairs?"
Riley looked at him incredulously. "Are you suggesting that you . . . what - tuck me in?" She laughed, and patted his hand. "You're funny." She retrieved the sizable butcher knife off his dresser, and his eyes widened.
"You're putting that back in the kitchen, right?" he said, warily.
"Ummhmm," Riley answered, yawning. "Good night, Steve."
#*#*#*#*#
The next morning, Steve's internal debate over whether or not to risk going for a swim was settled with an early morning text from Danny.
Gonna admit it. Can't stand this weekend alone.
Sorry, Danno. What can I do?
Can't believe I'm suggesting - what about one of those god-awful hikes?
You. Want to go hiking?
Okay, yes. No TV, no social media reminding me it's Mother's Day weekend. I miss my crazy family in Jersey and I'm missing my weekend with my baby girl.
Okay, Danno. Sounds good. We'll pick you up.
Thanks, partner.
Steve showered and threw on hiking clothes, and by the time he headed down the stairs, he heard Riley puttering around in the kitchen. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and she'd put on a pair of soft cargo shorts and a lightweight t-shirt. She wordlessly poured a second cup of coffee, expertly dropped a scoop of butter into it, and handed it to Steve, padding barefoot and silent across the kitchen.
He grinned at her as he accepted the coffee.
"What?" she said, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Nothing, it's just . . . uncanny," he remarked. "Hey, the boots that Renee picked out for you - they fit well? Comfortable?"
"Yeah, they're great," Riley said. "Why?"
"Danny is feeling a little at loose ends, wanted to know if we wanted to get out, go hiking or something," Steve said. "You feel up to it? I know plenty of trails that aren't difficult; besides, with Danny, we have to pick something easy or he'll bitch and moan the whole time."
"Yeah, but . . . what about getting leads on WoFat? What about Shelburne?" Riley asked.
Steve sighed. Normally, when he was tracking someone, he was single-minded and fixated to a fault.
"I have every contact in every country looking, Riley; Catherine has permission to utilize the assets of Naval Intelligence . . . so far, we don't even have a lead. Until we have something - anything - to go on, it's pointless to spin our wheels," Steve explained. His years in Naval Intelligence had taught him that patience, while not one of his personal virtues, was essential.
"What about Joe?" Riley said.
"I'm hoping that if we leave Joe to his own devices for a day or two, he'll attempt to contact someone," Steve admitted. "In addition to the obvious MPs I have watching him, I've put some other measures in place."
"You didn't tell me," Riley said, but she was amused. "What Jerry said - plausible deniability?"
"Something like that," Steve grinned at her.
Riley shrugged. "I have a keystroke echo program wedged in his most commonly used email accounts. I can just pull up the report when we get home."
"You -" Steve stared at her in disbelief. "How?"
"He wasn't at all careful when he nabbed me and drug me off to try to create the history that would implicate your father as Shelburne. I mean, he's obviously smart enough to create all new . . . well, all new everything . . . but human nature means he will be dying of curiousity; he'll check each of his old accounts at least once, I guarantee it. And if he does, I'll know." Riley shrugged again, as if this was an every day occurrence.
"Okay, but you realize that is highly illegal, right?" Steve asked.
"I thought you had immunity and means?" Riley suggested innocently.
"Five-O has . . . okay, look, it's okay. But you've got to quit exercising your powers without restraint and direction," Steve said sternly.
"You sound just like the monks," Riley muttered.
"It's settled; I'm definitely keeping you away from technology until I can . . . I'm going to have to register you, or something, the governor . . . anyway, go get your shoes, I'll gather up the rest of what we need," Steve said, shaking his head.
"Are big brothers always so bossy?" Riley asked, as she went off to her room.
"Yes, it's part of the job description," Steve called after her.
#*#*#*#*#
"It's absolutely amazing," Riley breathed, as they sat on the rocks next to the waterfall. Steve had chosen a perfect route; a gradual incline on a shady path, which led to a quiet overlook.
"That it is," Danny said, raising his water bottle in salute.
"I'm sorry you couldn't be with your little girl today, Danny," Riley said. "But thank you for suggesting this." Riley winced as she bent to retrieve a water bottle, and Steve frowned.
"Are you hurting?" Steve asked quietly, scooting over to a rock next to Riley, and placing his hand at the small of her back. She winced again.
"Riley?" Danny asked in alarm.
"I'm okay," she waved them off in dismissal. "Those stupid burns are just bothering me."
"Why didn't you say something?" Steve asked, rummaging in his pack. He retrieved the tube of cream Malia had given him, and some antiseptic wipes. He gently lifted the back of Riley's shirt; the light sheen of sweat from their hike had irritated the circular burns, and they were inflamed and red. Danny reached over to hold the edge of Riley's t-shirt, as Steve opened the package of wipes. Their eyes met as they leaned behind Riley, and Danny could see the barely suppressed rage that Steve still felt toward WoFat. But his hands were tender and soothing as he cleaned and applied the cream.
"There, is that better?" he asked, as he finished, and carefully pulled her t-shirt back into place.
Riley nodded, not trusting her voice. The unexpected and unaccustomed kindness had thrown her. Steve turned to put the supplies back in his pack, but Danny continued looking at her steadfastly.
"Don't," she whispered, and glanced at Steve.
"You're trying to protect him, still," Danny murmured. "From what?"
"I'm wrecking his life, Danny," Riley whispered. "His life would have been so much simpler if -" She broke off abruptly and stood up, walking toward the edge of the path, away from Danny and Steve. Her movement caught Steve's eye, and he glanced her way. They watched as she sank gracefully into a cross-legged seated position, her back straight, palms up on her knees.
Danny stood, as if to go to her, but Steve held up his hand and sat down quietly next to Danny instead.
"She's upset?" Steve asked Danny quietly. "Any ideas?"
"Yeah, she is," Danny said. "I think she's not at all used to anyone being nice to her, Steve. She's worried about wrecking your life. What is that - yoga?"
"My guess is this is something her monks taught her," Steve said, nodding toward Riley. "Give her a few minutes."
"Monks?" Danny asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, remember I told you she took us to this little monastery, spent the night there when we went to find Frank? It was amazing, Danny. Like something from a movie. I didn't think such places really existed. She lived and trained there, for a while, when she was with Frank," Steve explained.
"Layers and layers; she's a complicated one," Danny said, shaking his head. "That's where she learned to render me unconscious," he added, absently rubbing his thumb.
"She's already bugged Joe's email accounts," Steve said. "I'm not sure what to do, here, Danny. I'm at a bit of a loss."
"Hire her," Danny joked.
Steve looked at him, a slow smile spreading over his face.
"I wasn't serious," Danny said.
"I know," Steve said, "but Danny, think about it. What else do we expect her to do? I don't think she is going to acclimate to civilian life."
"Well, she certainly can't go around knocking people out and hacking into computers. She'll get thrown in jail," Danny groused.
"Exactly. But in Five-O . . . "
"She can knock people out and hack into their computers. Immunity and means," Danny finished. "Okay, you may be onto something."
"Plus, I can't think of a better way to protect her, than to keep her at Five-O," Steve said, nodding in satisfaction.
"Whoa, whoa big guy . . . hold on," Danny said, holding a finger up. "She's going to feel smothered if you try to handcuff her to you. Plus, she's a bit of a loose cannon, Steve. I mean, look, I love her already, but there's a whole lot of stuff in her head right now. I've still got the bruises to prove it."
Steve looked at Riley for a long moment. "You're right," he said. "So, I put her in the lab. Let her work under Charlie Fong."
Danny nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. And you see to it that she finishes her degree, got it? Because some day, this whole Shelburne, WoFat fiasco is going to be behind you. And she might want to make her own way, and even though we both know she's already smarter than ten degrees, that piece of paper might be important to her."
"Wow," Steve said. "That's . . . you're right, Danny. Thanks, man."
"Hey, I think like a dad, Steve," Danny said, slinging an arm over Steve's shoulders. "And that young woman . . . has not had much of that in her life."
"No," Steve said, sighing as he looked at Riley. "She has not. And I can't stand it, I'm going to check on her."
Danny chuckled. No, patience was definitely not one of Steve's virtues. Maybe Riley could teach him that yoga looking thing.
Steve slipped quietly onto the rock next to Riley, looking out over the waterfall.
"Hey," he said quietly. A tear had escaped and was glittering in the sunlight on Riley's cheek, and he thumbed it away gently. "Is your back feeling better?" Always easier to start with the literal wounds.
"Yeah," she said, smiling at him. "Much. Thanks."
"Good." He handed her water bottle to her. "So, is this," he gestured to her crossed legs and upturned palm, "something the monks taught you?"
Riley laughed. "Frank. I was having trouble controlling my temper; I kept blowing up at Joe and pissing him off. Frank taught me this. He would sit next to me and smoke."
"Ummhmm," Steve said. "How's it work without the secondhand high?"
"Not as well," Riley admitted, laughing and pressing her hands to her eyes.
"Hey," Steve said, carefully taking her hands in his. "Talk to me."
"I've ruined the memories of your mom, Steve," Riley said brokenly. "If you'd never met me, you'd only know her as this wonderful person who was taken from you tragically; you'd never have known she was Shelburne, you'd never have asked if she'd -"
Steve nodded. "I'd have never known that she left you alone in the dark, when you were just a little kid with a bad dream. Riley, honey, you can't do this to yourself. None of this is on you, got it?"
"I miss her," Riley whispered. "She was trying so hard to make me self-reliant, I think. She was afraid something would happen to her. And it did."
"I miss her, too," Steve said. "I've missed her for longer, and I still miss her. You're not ruining my memories of her. It's . . . well, it's a lot more complicated now, but Riley, the truth always, always comes out."
"Do you think we'll find her?" Riley asked.
"I don't know," Steve answered honestly. "But we're going to look. And, Danny has an idea about that."
"Yeah?" Riley said, looking up at him, curious.
"Yeah. Danny has suggested that you officially work with us. Five-O and HPD have a top-notch computer forensics lab. Charlie Fong - well, actually, he's Dr. Charles Fong - heads the department. He's excellent. How would you feel about working for him? So, you'd be working with us, at Five-O, and with HPD, on all of the cases, and of course helping me follow leads on WoFat," Steve explained, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. The stitches need to come out, he thought absently. That was quick.
"Really?" Riley breathed. "Seriously?"
"Really, seriously," Steve chuckled, and then the breath was practically knocked out of him as Riley launched herself at him - and how did she do that, really, from her lotus position, he wondered briefly - and wrapped her arms around him. He rubbed soothing circles on her back, and cradled her head against his shoulder.
"Thank you," she whispered, over and over again.
When she finally let go of him, Steve held her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Danny suggested that you work on finishing your degree, too. So that one day you can . . . " and Steve laughed at himself for already getting choked up at the idea, ". . . you can, you know, go on to do something different. Once we eliminate the threat of WoFat."
Riley nodded. "Okay," she agreed readily. Danny had stepped over to sit next to them, and he found himself wrapped in a hug from Riley as well. "Thank you, Danny," she said. "For everything."
"Hey, babe, I gotta have reinforcements keeping this neanderthal in line, are you kidding?" Danny joked.
Riley reached out a tentative finger to the bruise, still dark, on his cheekbone. "You've gone above and beyond, Danny."
"Yes, you have," Steve agreed. "Come on, let's head back. I'll throw something on the grill."
"Now you're talking," Danny said, clapping his hands together.
#*#*#*#*#
It didn't take much to convince Danny to crash at Steve's again. Honestly, he hated his empty apartment, and he'd rather take his chances with the assorted McGarretts and their nightmares. But it was a peaceful night, and Sunday found them all sleeping soundly, until Steve and Danny's phones started going off at the ungodly hour of five am.
Riley heard their phones and tumbled out of bed and into her clothes. She was pouring coffee by the time Steve and Danny sorted themselves and came into the kitchen.
"Do we have a case?" Riley asked, as Danny grabbed his coffee before she could put butter in it.
"We have a bomb threat," Steve said, grabbing the coffee thermos.
"Oh my God," Danny groused, "you're smiling. You're both smiling. This does not bode well for me, not one bit."
"Do I need to sign a paper or something, before I go to work?" Riley asked, hopping on one foot as she shoved her other foot into a boot.
"I'll call the governor on the way to the office," Steve said casually.
"Sure, on the way to the office, standing in the middle of the garage, wherever it's convenient," Danny grumbled. "Then you shove into people's apartments and bulldoze them into joining your taskforce."
"Into being my partner," Steve reminded him, as they climbed into the Silverado. "And he loves it, don't let him fool you, Riley."
"I do," Danny sighed. "So help me, I do."
Steve shot him a shit-eating grin and turned on the lights.