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Summary: Post E Malama. Season 1 Episode 16. Housing Commissioner Bruce Hoffman goes after Danny with a vengeance after Danny threatens him over the Stan issue. Hiring professionals to first obtain Stan's tapes which Danny now has and then to dispose of Danny.
NOTES: I'm sorry if this chapter might be tedious and lacks action, but the muse says the story must be told like this. Sooooo …..
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Chapter Eleven – Under the Island
Peeking out from under her old denim baseball cap, June smiled as she watched her mother picking flowers in the garden. On her knees and weeding in the dirt, she had forgotten how pleasant it was to simply be outside in the sunshine. Her unease and sporadic flashes had stopped after her last call to Kono and June was relieved. And then she was virtually vibrating with happiness after getting Kono's call later in the day that Danny had been found. With all the jumbled pieces in head now threaded together, June was quite simply - happy.
But getting up to move to the next row, June felt briefly dizzy and then uneasy. She had an odd feeling of being watched and she searched the quiet yard. But other than a few birds and her mother of course, no one was there.
"Great." She commented to herself. "Here we go again." Moving to the next row of flowers, June knelt down slowly and closed her eyes in the warm sunshine. Acknowledging her growing unease, she tried to figure out where is coming from but couldn't put her finger on it. Rising to her feet again, she called out to her mother.
Expecting to say that she was going in for a glass of water, what came out of her mouth instead had her eyes widening in surprise. "He's coming again." And then after uttering the words, she had a terrible dark and menacing feeling that frightened her.
Shielding her eyes from the sun, Loni kept at her flowers and said, "Who dear? Is he coming here?" Not getting a reply, she looked up and saw her daughter's rather shocked face. "Oh! June! Is it about the Detective again? Can you tell yet?"
Shrugging, June was distracted as she felt an eerie chill and then a strong need to get to the hospital. "I'm going to the hospital. I want to talk to Kono and maybe Detective Williams. Just to be sure."
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Already at the hospital, Rousseau was amused by how easily he walked in through the front door, done a brief circuit of a few floors blatantly by elevator, and then had gone on to the cafeteria – all in plain view.
During his roughly one hour excursion, Rousseau knew exactly how many and where the HPD officers were stationed near the operating and ICU areas. He also had identified laundry closets and employee locker rooms. In essence, his overall his plan was quite simple. As a non-descript orderly, he'd best be able to gain access to Edward's during a late night shift change.
And he was gleeful at the variety of choices afforded to him in a hospital setting. Drugs abounded and the thrill of providing an overdose was an exciting option. As a test, he had neatly pocketed the multi colored pills from a small paper cup that had been left on an elevated tray in an empty hospital room. Hearing the bathroom flush on his way out, he realized that the room's occupant was only indisposed. But his small experiment had energized his imagination and he now had five unknown pills in his jeans pocket.
But unfortunately, he needed more time to fine-tune his escape route options based on the hospital's location and antiquated layout. And anxious to start, that major detail made him very unhappy.
Now having a hot coffee and supposedly reading a newspaper, he was doing his own recon of sorts as he casually watched the comings and goings around him and listened to bits of conversation - most of which meant nothing. Adjusting his seat to allow four off-duty EMT's to pass and take a larger table, Rousseau paged through his paper irritably as he listened to snippets of the new conversation behind him.
"…. was some beach rescue earlier today."
"Nah, … was a cave. Not …. beach but Frank Porter was involved. ….. a great guy. HPD was there."
Hearing the word "cave" he froze and immediately knew. Rousseau held his breath as he paid closer attention to the EMT's conversation. "Seems okay I guess. Heard he was beaten and just left there. Can you imagine that?"
Getting up abruptly, Rousseau was glowering in a rage as he stalked out of the cafeteria. "Williams? He should be dead. How did they find him?" Briefly uncertain, he kept his head down as he walked briskly and with purpose off the hospital grounds. He needed a new plan and one that would now take care of two loose ends.
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Feeling a soft hand on her shoulder, Kono turned around from the nurse's station to find June Pane'e smiling face.
"Hi June!" Kono remarked in surprise, as she took her hand and gave it a friendly shake. "What are you doing here?"
Feeling uncomfortable, June briefly looked around at the chaotic waiting room. "I know you're busy and I'm sorry. But can we talk for a few minutes? Somewhere a bit more private maybe."
Moving towards the cafeteria and mere minutes after Rousseau had left in his huff, June suddenly felt a strong pang of fear. "Oh Kono. It's true. He's here." And then she stuttered in confusion. "Or he was here …"
Grabbing her arm, June changed her mind about talking. "Can I please see Detective Williams now? Please?"
Kono was both doubtful and worried. "June, I don't know. Danny's not up to having any visitors." She unsuccessfully tried to change June's mind and get her to refocus. "Why don't we just talk here a little bit and go over things like we did at the office?" Showing June her notebook, Kono smiled gently. "I have lots of paper and we can find a quiet corner to hash it out together?"
Persistently and continuing to urge Kono, June managed to turn her away from the entrance to the cafeteria. "Please. I just need to see him. I promise I won't say a word. I need to know what this is."
Sighing, Kono finally agreed as she reluctantly allowed June to pull her towards the elevators. "Steve's going to have my head though." She muttered to herself contritely.
Speaking briefly to the HPD officer on duty, Kono and June quietly entered Danny's room. As expected, Steve was lounging in the uncomfortable chair near the bed as Danny slept and he carefully rose to his feet when he saw them.
Staring only at Danny, June barely acknowledged Steve and then wandered past him and nearer the bed. "I'm sorry. I need to make sure he's okay." She whispered under her breath.
Motioning to Steve, Kono pulled him over to the corner of the room as June quietly approached Danny. "What's this all about?" he asked bluntly. The team had already met and reviewed the data on Rousseau and Steve was on edge. Frankly, everyone was on edge.
Tucking her hair back and behind her ear, Kono apologized again. "Yeah, I'm sorry about this but June was rather determined … and very upset." She added softly. "Honestly. She was scaring me Steve."
"You know what." Steve put up one hand in agreement as he watched June standing quietly by the foot of the bed. Taking a breath, he watched as she closed her eyes as if in deep thought. "It's alright."
Amazed at the change in attitude, Kono took a step back. "Really? Because I thought you'd literally have my head for this."
"No. Definitely not. She's been unexpectedly helpful." Nodding towards June, he was pensive and almost worried. "Why is she upset? Is it Rousseau? Does he know about Danny already?"
"Not sure. In the cafeteria she said "he was here" or "he is here" and I didn't know what she meant. Truthfully, I don't know if June gets it yet herself. But after, she just had to see Danny."
Neither knew it as they spoke, but June was quaking inside as she stood at the foot of Danny's bed. As before, her feeling of immense dread was back and she was truly afraid. Opening her eyes, she moved around to stand closer to Danny's head and bravely reached down to gently touch one hand that rested on his chest. And again the threatening images came fast and hard enough to take her breath away. Snatching her hand to her throat as if she couldn't breathe, she backed up quickly and only wanted to escape the room. Noticing the immediate and radical change, Steve intercepted her and she wound up crying into his chest.
"Stay here." He instructed Kono, as he turned and kept June shielded in his arms. Leaving quickly, he escorted her down the hallway and to a small break room. Sitting June in a chair, he knelt in front of her and took her trembling hands in his own. "Okay, now tell me. What's going on with you?" He was calm but very firm as he impatiently waited for her to get herself together.
Squirming to escape his hold, June was upset that Steve was effectively keeping her in place. She felt like she was suffocating and wanted to leave as intensely as she had first wanted so very badly to visit Danny.
"He's evil. And he was here in the hospital." She whispered in a small frightened voice and Steve was shocked at the statement. Looking directly at him, June then meant Danny. "It's not safe here for him. He's still in danger."
"What else?" Steve was brooding and stern as he peppered her with questions. "Why isn't it safe June? What kind of danger?"
Unnerved by the overwhelming sensations and unable to segregate them yet, June couldn't immediately provide an answer. But needing to trust him, she took a deep breath and tried to explain herself. "Okay. I can tell you that I felt an oppressive weight and couldn't breathe. The danger is close and here. It's here in the hospital."
Searching Steve's face she waited to be judged and was relieved when he simply nodded and encouraged her to go on. "Thank you." June said softly and she gained some confidence to continue.
"The only thing I think I know is that he was definitely here. He was here in the hospital and not too long ago. And he knows something – and that makes him angry." On the verge of tears again, June was bewildered as she put one hand to her forehead. "But I don't know what he knows or why he's so very very angry. So I can't help you."
But Steve knew all too well. And as he gave her a gentle hug he murmured into her hair. "Rousseau was here in the hospital making plans for Stan. But now he knows that Danny's really alive. And that makes him even more dangerous than he was before."
~ to be continued ~
