Chapter 12

When Dan looked out the window, he saw a large truck with a wide plow blade attached to the front, pushing volumes of snow to the side and leaving a clear path behind. Maguire's patrol car, occupied by Ed, Steve, Tony and Lars, followed in the truck's wake. While Dan was relieved to see the fellow officers, he was concerned that there wasn't an ambulance in sight. The vehicles stopped and Maguire left the blue and white, sprinted to the cab of the plow truck and spoke briefly with its driver. While the four cops headed for the cabin with Ed in the lead, the plow truck driver revved the engine and began driving back and forth, clearing a large area by the road. Dan opened the cabin door and Ed bolted through, not stopping for any formalities.

"Jenny!" was all Maguire could utter when he saw his wounded officer on the floor. He rushed to her side, squatted next to her and inspected her bandaged leg. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, Ed. I just want to get out of here," Jenny replied weakly, embarrassed to be the center of attention. Tony and Lars also hovered over the woman, worry etched on their faces. "Hi guys," she greeted them with a slight smile while Lars squeezed her shoulder.

McGarrett's relief at seeing Williams again was genuine and it showed on his face. But the tall cop's brow wrinkled and his expression turned serious when he caught sight of the damage inflicted to Dan's cheek. "You okay, Danno?" Steve asked as he reached out and lifted Dan's chin, tilting the bruised and swollen jaw toward the light. "That looks painful," he commented; his eyes boring into his second-in-command. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," Dan replied quickly, trying not to wince at his boss's touch. While he was more than happy to see Steve, his attention was still fixed on Jenny. "Where's the ambulance?"

"There hasn't been enough time to clear the snow from the main roads, so Ed ordered a chopper," Steve explained, noticing that Dan had barely looked away from the downed officer by the hearth. He nodded toward the tarp draped corpse. "Danno?"

"Jimmy caught me off guard, Steve, knocked me down; knocked my gun out of my hand. He was going to…" Dan hesitated as a shiver traveled down his spine. He nervously ran a hand through his curls and fought to keep his voice steady. "I managed to trip him just as he fired at Jenny but she was hit." There would be time to give a full, detailed statement later. Right now, he only cared about getting O'Neal to the hospital. "Jimmy had the upper hand…would have killed me…Jenny saved my life, Steve," Danny finished in a serious tone, low enough so that only McGarrett would hear.

Dan's brief explanation of the close call instantly increased his boss's heart rate. But thanks to O'Neal, Danny's life had been spared. Gratitude replaced concern in Steve's mind. He gripped his second's shoulder, a gesture that sufficed for what he could not put into words. Williams started to say something else, but he was drowned out by the unmistakable deafening noise of a helicopter setting down just outside.

In no time, two paramedics entered the cabin carrying a basket stretcher and an emergency medical kit. The New York cops moved aside so that the professionals could assess O'Neal's condition and prep her for transport. Jenny was relieved that help had finally arrived. But as the men worked on her, she suddenly realized that she was going to be stuck in the hospital for at least a couple of days. Danny and Steve would be flying home soon. Would she ever see Danny again or was this it? Her dejected expression was mistaken for pain as the paramedics lifted her off the floor, one on each side of the stretcher, and they quickened their pace.

"We're all ready, sir," one of the paramedics announced to Maguire who then returned to O'Neal's side.

"May I ride along?" Ed asked, with every attempt to sound professional, as he tried to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Yes sir, we have room for two," the young medic replied loudly enough for Jenny to hear.

O'Neal scanned the room as much as she was able from her prone position. She was relieved when she saw Williams moving to the side of the stretcher.

"Danny?" Jenny called out, looking into Maguire's eyes with a pleading expression. Ed squeezed her hand.

"Right here, Jenny," Danny reassured the woman as he stepped closer so that she could see him without lifting her head.

"Steve, do you mind if Danny rides along?" Maguire asked. "He can give me his statement while they're working on Jenny."

"Good idea," Steve responded tersely. "And you can have someone take a look at his jaw while you're there."

Dan shot Steve an annoyed look, but was happy to have a reasonable excuse to stay with O'Neal. And he was well used to his boss's overprotective tendencies toward him.

"Will do, Steve," Maguire responded tersely.

"Mahalo, Ed," Steve called out as they left the cabin and moved toward the helicopter. "I'll take care of things on this end."

No further conversation was possible once the pilot started the chopper's engine and the rotating blades accelerated to the speed necessary to lift the craft off the ground. In the small area behind the cockpit, one of the medics started a saline IV, injected a mild pain reliever and covered the patient with a wool blanket. Danny was seated on the floor next to the stretcher, holding Jenny's hand tightly. He wasn't sure if he was feeling something for the woman other than concern mixed with gratitude; he only knew that he didn't want to let go of her hand right now.

Ed sat near the top of the stretcher, his hand cupping the crown of O'Neal's head, the physical contact calming his frayed nerves. Finally warm enough and with the edge taken off the pain, Jenny slipped into a light sleep.