I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Notes:

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Chapter Eleven

"My name is Elise Wells, I'm an HSA here … a health assistant … I work with the nursing staff." Elise smiled sweetly at the two HPD officers as she showed them her hospital credentials, but neither budged. Even with a thick white blanket tucked in her arms supposedly for the patient in room 202, neither man moved. No matter her pleasantries or winning smile, absolutely nothing happened. Arms folded in stern warning, they rudely shrugged as they determinedly blocked her progress. Because quite unbeknownst to Elise, their orders were clear. No female staff was permitted in the detective's hospital room, and of the few male nurses, only three were on the allowable rotational schedule.

"Please check with your manager," one officer finally conceded to offer more. However based upon a long lingering silence, that remark was to provide her only suggestion.

"I don't understand. It's just a blanket...," she began again, interrupted this time by Doctor Lemke who came from behind to place a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Elise. A few things have been updated in regard to this particular patient," Lemke explained conversationally. "I guess you haven't had time to meet with the nurse manager?"

"No, I was running a bit late for my shift," Elise confessed, which did hold a small spark of truth. Her extended walk with Silas had brought her twice in front of Williams' house. An intentional route taken for her to visually inspect the property to see if it had been disturbed or if anyone was there minding the man's home. The house was blessedly quiet and so, she was indeed late for work after getting caught up in the obsessive distraction of calculating various schemes. She had worked late on her dining room table making plans and organizing her dangerous medicinal tools, including the preparation of two syringes of LSD. One of which currently was burning a not so guilty hole in the pocket of her light blue cardigan sweater. Except for what was currently hidden in that pocket, she had hesitated in actually acting. She had almost returned to his home in the darkness of night, but had changed her mind rather than risking folly. Instead, she had decided to wait one full day after assessing the detective's condition in the ICU. She would listen and learn before continuing to firm her intentions once his doctors estimated his pending release and recovery needs.

During this very early morning shift which began in the pre-dawn hours, she had intended to loiter in his space with the hopes of finding ways to antagonize his mental state. Her idle plans included slipping a bit of her covert drug into his light liquid meal if an opportunity might present itself. Not too much; just enough to affect his mood, make him even more pliable and impressionable. A small trace amount which would toy with his depleted system and physical woes. An amount negligible enough not to require such a reaction as to warrant medical concern. While this act wasn't a mandatory part of her game, the challenge had intrigued her and as such, Elise wished to be prepared.

However, she could now merely stare in puzzlement at Doctor Lemke as he gave her a succinct version of the changes in the detective's care. With no preamble or much of an explanation, Lemke advised that only he or Doctor Ramirez would be consulted; no one else. Alarmingly though and to bolster the HPD presence, only three particular nurses would be granted access to the man's room. Not even classified as a true nurse, Elise's face reddened because no matter what Lemke said next, she obviously was not going to be one of the final approved staff members.

"Is something wrong? Are his injuries related to a police case... was he attacked? Or, did something else happen? Is that the reason for all of this police presence and added security?" She dared to ask the physician these questions, but Lemke was brusque and unwilling to offer much else in way of reason. Behind the doctor's body, Elise could just see the profile of the Five-0 commander as he stood sentry nearest the window. As dark as the early morning hours, she could just barely see his profile and nothing of his reflection in the window's glass as he stared into the blackness outside. Pursing her lips, she fought to hide any other of her emotional responses. She needed to know how much was suspected before she could move forward.

"I can only say that these changes were put into place by both the task force and Doctor Ramirez," Lemke offered after a short pause. "Since they compound the patient's safety and well-being without adversely affecting other patients or staffing, this hospital has no objection."

"Alright," Elise murmured, further incensed when Lemke had the audacity to pleasantly smile as he relieved her of the blanket. Easing by the officers, he bade her good-bye only to then traipse into the room, himself.

"Thank you," she managed to control her glower, just barely. With a reticent sniff and final glance backwards, she controlled her ill temper until she got to the first available smaller public restroom. Angrily, Elise's face crumpled as she locked the door and leaned her back against it. She looked at her hands to find that she was trembling at having been thwarted from continuing that day's plans.

"You aren't going to win this time," Elise hissed into the air. She was finally happy and didn't want to revert back to how she felt - or even looked - before her permanent move to the island. Glaring at her reflection in the restroom's mirror, she refused to go back to that place where she was plain, mousey and depressed Victoria Elise Morse-Wells.

She was always and forever taking care of the needs of someone else. But they all had left her. First her husband from cancer, then Louis at the hands of the Five-0 Commander, and finally Vincent. In her mind, Vincent had been her gravest lost after being killed by the detective. Murdered within a game that her brilliant brother had designed purposefully to win and his loss tore at her very being.

Elise now refused a role as that lost soul who once had nothing to do. Nowhere to be. No defined purpose to her day. Forever tied by blood to Vincent and Louis, she had regained her purpose through vengeance.

"It's my turn… this is my time," Elise muttered belligerently. Months before her move, she had no one to call or look after; worse yet, there had been no one to call her asking for advice or seeing how she was faring. Oahu had become her home and she now had her beloved Silas. Her life had purpose in more ways than one and beyond her crazed plans, she was blissfully happy.

"I'm not going to lose this," she whispered, resentful that her happy morning had been rudely dashed at her feet. As she regained her composure in the restroom, Elise was positive that Five-0 didn't suspect her in particular; she was brazenly certain that her role on the hospital staff was secure. What she need to know was what - or who - they suspected and if the authorities had been in Williams' home. She needed to know if her contaminants had been discovered as precious little was shared beyond the stoic personalities of Lemke and Ramirez.

"You get today, Daniel," Elise whispered. "But only today." Her fingers literally ached to do something to the downed detective but she was forced to bide her time. Even the deadly syringe hidden in her pocket would have to wait as she altered her plans. Elise was required by the game to remain patient and be the dutiful nursing assistant every minute of each passing hour while in the confines of the hospital walls.

Something had happened though.

"Why male nurses?" Elise mused. "Are you causing trouble Daniel? Or, is it something else?" Lips tight with a nasty sneer, Elise considered the move by the hospital as instructed by Five-0. She never doubted that any blood test would reveal the drugs. That was an anticipated risk which would happen within hours of any required medical intervention. However, his physical condition was completely unexpected and as such, momentarily fouled her plans as she struggled to find ways to spin his injuries to her advantage.

She wanted to think that his friends believed he had gone out alone to purchase illegal drugs or even had tried to kill himself. Male nurses could be an option to work with or manage a recalcitrant patient and as such, an attempted suicide could be a consideration. Lemke wouldn't say though and even if she wanted one of those things to be the truth, the concept of suicide wasn't nearly credibly established. Plus as far as she knew, there was nothing in Williams' reports regarding a belligerent temper or violent behavior. She growled angrily under her breath as she realized her inability to call up his records on the computer at the nurse's station was part of Doctor Lemke's grander design.

"Hmmm, I wonder," she scrunched her face in consideration. They might still think he was an addict; yet again, not enough time had gone by to manipulate such credibility and Elise waffled on her own concept. This larger move meant that something had happened to imply that a woman was threatening the detective's life. It was an incredibly new hitch to her plan which she hadn't ever considered despite having antagonized the incoherent man upon his arrival in the ICU.

"What could they possible know?" Elise wondered aloud as small pang of discomfort managed to settle in her stomach. Even so, as she pondered these threatening possibilities related to female nursing staff, she still felt personally safe from scrutiny. For the first time, her lowly role as an assistant was likely of little interest. "What are they doing? What did you tell them, Daniel, that they actually believed?"

Whatever their secrets, she knew the Commander never left his partner's side regardless of the HPD contingent. At least, he didn't go far barring the need for a quick restroom break or rapid bite to eat. At most, she would have had ten minutes to interfere while Williams was still feeling residual effects from drugs and injury. Elise grimaced to herself while stroking the syringe in her pocket. She found consolation because she wouldn't have had much opportunity anyway.

"My game simply has to change again," Elise promised her reflection, heaving in a shuddering breath because she had to return to work. Tempers were high and the Five-0 team's focus was on diligent guard. Elise was far from stupid, but being blocked from accessing the hospital room was an unanticipated complication leaving her little recourse except to resume drugging the man through his daily routine. While at work, she needed to remain visible to prove a false innocence so she reluctantly pushed herself roughly off the door before glaring one final time in the mirror.

"Spiders and flies, Daniel. I'll be waiting for you with open arms," she vowed within the confines of the tiled restroom. Before he returned home she needed to do something very important to shed at least some doubt on the detective's mental capacity. Elise smiled at her new idea: one that required her to re-enter his home before he was released. Her burgeoning plan required that she remove what she had planted so she could eventually start over. But first, she needed to determine if her subterfuge had been discovered. The scheme would take time, but would be well worth the long-term effort.

"Let them wonder," she hissed under her breath. Already feeling confident in her new plans designed to alter her winning game, Elise began to smile. "I just need time and then let him try to deny knowing how he obtained the drugs. He'll lose it all... it's just a matter of time."

Shreds of truth. Suspect white lies. Small seeds of malcontent.

Not everything she manipulated would go far, but her actions would buy more time to extend the game. She needed to control the situation and prolong his inevitable downfall. Her newest thoughts were bold and fortified her resolve. After leaving the restroom, Elise was happily humming along as reached the nurse's station.

She only needed to know if the authorities had been in the detective's home thus far. And even then if they had gone there, she wasn't sure if it would ever matter.

~ to be continued ~