Steve woke in the middle of the night to cries coming from the bed next to him.
"Kono…..Kono…"
"NNOOO …STOP….NNOOO"
She was obviously having a nightmare and he needed to help her. He pulled the IV's from his hand and Steve McGarrett once again with no worries about the pain he would feel, pushed himself out of bed and shuffled the five feet to the young detectives' bed.
He leaned close to her and first tried to rouse her without touching her. "KONO….BABY WAKE UP FOR ME…KONO, WAKE UP"
"PLEASE DON'T…...NO"
Steve gently touched her cheek, "Kono, wake up"
Kono woke startled, eyes unfocused. Pulling her arms up she grabbed Steve's arm firmly, "NNO SSTOP!"
"KONO, IT'S STEVE…..IT'S STEVE, LOOK AT ME BABY…...that a girl relax, you're safe now, ssshhhhhh"
"Steve…oh God I'm sorry…..I'm sorry…let's get you back to bed….I'm sso ssoorry" The tears began to fall and she was shaking uncontrollably as Steve pulled her to his chest and stroked her hair.
"I'm fine sweetheart, I've got you…..ssssshhhhh"
After several seconds she pulled away from him as his pain was obviously increasing. "Steve, let me help you back to bed and we can talk. I'm okay"
"Okay"
Kono held onto Steve and they made their way back to his bed. He sat back onto the bed and Kono helped ease him back onto the pillow. He tried to fight the pain but he couldn't hold back the low moan, ""I'm okayyy….ookay…."
Kono grabbed a glass of water and brought the straw to Steve's mouth and he took several sips.
"Thanks….Kono, now talk to me baby. Tell me what happened?"
"Steve…..nothing, really it was nothing"
Steve grasped her hands in his, "Obviously that's not the case Kono. You had a nightmare and you were hollering 'no…stop'….please Kono, tell me what happened so I can help you"
"Really it was nothing….I don't understand why I'm reacting like this. I'm so sorry….I feel so weak"
"You are in no way weak Kono"
Several seconds passed before she spoke, "They didn't assault me Steve…..but…..twice….."
"Just say it honey, you need to say it"
"They touched me, that's all…..I'm sorry…I'm being silly" "Keep going Kono, it's alright"
"One of the men…he touched….my breasts when I was hanging. One of the others….he pulled him away from me" Steve reached up and tenderly wiped the tears from her cheeks. "The other time…God Steve it's nothing really…." She was shaking again and pushing himself up he pulled her into an embrace, not talking, just comforting and after several minutes she spoke softly as he held her, "I was so scared…they made me take my clothes off…...he said I wasn't so tough now and that you weren't there to protect me….he…..he licked me…my face…..my ear" Steve felt her body shudder in his arms and he held her tighter, "It made my skin crawl….I was so scared…...I was so weak, I'm so sorry….." Her shoulders wracked with sobs and Steve held her and caressed her face.
He spoke soothingly, "Kono, you were not weak….you were unbelievably strong. I'm so sorry this happened to you sweetheart. Those animals had no right to touch you, to abuse you. I'm so sorry baby" He then just held her and comforted her, "It's over Kono, you're safe now…..let it all out…sssshhhhhh, I've got you…..ssshhhhhhh"
They sat like this for quite a while and Kono felt so safe in his arms. As her tears subsided she listened to his breathing, his pain obvious. "I can't do this anymore Steve. I'm sorry but I'm just not strong enough"
"Kono, please don't make a decision like this impulsively. You've been through a traumatic experience and you need time to recover. I'm here for you and Danny and Chin are here for you. Kono whatever your decision is, I will stand by you and I will respect it. I just ask you to think about it"
"I can't endanger you guys anymore…I just can't"
"What? What are you talking about? This wasn't your fault?"
"Steve, you risked your life for me because you thought I had been raped. You should have been in a hospital…you could have died"
"Whoa….stop Kono….I would have done the same thing if it had been Danny or Chin being held. Was I concerned that you may have been raped? Yes, of course I was…but that's because I love you and I care about you. I don't ever want to see you hurt but you are NOT responsible for what happened to you or what happened to me and Danny. In this line of work we are always in danger. All we have is each other. I promise I will always do everything I can to keep you safe. You are a hell of a detective and I trust you with my life. I hope you decide to stay on our task force because we need you. Promise me that you'll think about it before deciding"
"Thank You Steve, for everything"
"Kono, you need to give yourself time….time to heal physically and mentally. I'm always available if you need a shoulder to cry on or if you need to talk. Call me anytime, day or night and I'll be there"
"Steve, please don't tell Chin…..not the details…please"
He stroked her cheek his fingers, "Okay. Whatever you tell me stays between us, I promise. But if you think you need any help, from a professional…..just tell me. I'll get you whatever help need"
"I'm a very lucky girl to have the three of you in my life"
"Kono, we're lucky to have you"
"You need rest Steve, do you need any more pain meds?"
"No….I'm fine…...but I better have them reinsert these IV's huh?"
She leaned in and kissed his cheek, "Thank you dear friend"
He smiled at her, "You're welcome"
Kono called the nurse who came in and after reinserting the IV's and checking his vitals Steve was soon sleeping again.
As she lay watching him, she now knew that everything truly would be okay.