I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: Phew - we got here! almost done!
Chapter Twenty-One
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Almost two weeks later, Simon de Vos was released from the hospital and he took a cab back to his family's townhouse. His father had come immediately and for that, Simon had wound up feeling quite grateful. He had escaped the horrific car accident with two broken ribs, internal bleeding, a punctured lung and a concussion. He had escaped certain death by the continued kindness of strangers. And he still was stunned by his apparent good luck at not yet being charged as a criminal. But with Erick Selebi and his one hired gunman now deceased, no one was the wiser.
He had insisted that his father leave just a few days prior to his release for an important business meeting in Amsterdam. Vowing that he was fine and would simply remain at the townhouse to further recover, his father had reluctantly departed. And much to Simon's embarrassment, his father was proud of him. Proud that he had stepped forward and then risked his life to aid the officials in their investigation. However, the man had no clue how that over-flowing pride had negatively impacted his son.
Simon was fraught with guilt and he had tried to purge his guilt twice while in the hospital. Once to Roy Willard and then a second time to Kono. But he had stopped each time with a voice that failed him and he was unable to say what the decent and good part of him demanded.
So now when he was discharged, Simon left the hospital early even though Roy Willard was expecting to pick him up. Another unsolicited act of kindness from his own countryman .. and Simon was sure now that he didn't deserve any of it. His way of running from the embarrassment and confusion was to leave the hospital alone and hire a cab. Struggling by himself up the short walkway and then the staircase to the front door, he let himself in and then eased down into a lounge chair on the patio. And then he wound up once more heaving himself carefully to his feet for a jacket. Even in the warm sun, Simon felt chilled.
He hesitated though in the kitchen but only stared at the unopened white pharmacy bag because he was suddenly and completely distracted by what lay beyond it. The silver lighter engraved with Bernard''s initials sat near the coffee machine. Under that, was their old photograph. Simon shuffled forward and studied them quietly before sliding the photo towards himself. He stared at it one more time and then in a silent fit of anger, ripped it completely in half and let it fall to the floor before going back outside to sit in the sun. That part of his life was over and he was done.
In an odd way, he suspected that Captain Charles already knew; the man was brilliant and read him like an open book. And that knowledge also began to eat away at him and the doctors had only reluctantly released him as he lost weight and refused meals. He would wait another full week before making plans to fly back home to Cape Town when his father returned from Amsterdam. They would travel together from Honolulu and after that, Simon assumed that some fashion of normal life would follow. But frankly, Simon didn't want to see or speak to anyone as a strong depression settled deeply in his soul.
Simon sat morosely in the sun and watched the waves roll onto the shore over and over again. But he was really thinking about each Five-0 officer, especially Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams who were by now well on their way to recovery. There were reminders almost every day; every time he saw one of them which was still often enough. The Commander's occasional limp. The Detective's still slung arm and mention of therapy to regain use of his shoulder. It was his fault that they were injured in the first place; he was as sure of that truth as he was positive Bernard had so terribly changed.
He sat there completely alone for two hours. Not moving, eating or taking the prescription medication that he had haphazardly tossed by the kitchen sink before going outside. His chest hurt with each shallow breath but he couldn't bring himself to care. There was a startling movement behind him in the house and he rocked to his feet in a frightened, painful stumble. And it was Roy Willard that caught him by the arm before he could fall to the hard concrete floor.
"I didn't mean to scare you like that. The door was open; you didn't hear me." Roy was immediately apologetic as he tried to explain his intrusion. "Why didn't you wait? I said that I would pick you up myself and drive you here."
"I wanted to be alone." Simon was ghostly pale and very thin as he stated the simple truth. Frowning, Roy sighed and then muttered to himself as he helped him re-take his seat. And then without prelude, he got immediately to the point.
"Charles thinks you have more to say. I tend to agree .. and you need to say it, Simon." He growled to himself when the man didn't look up or make an attempt to speak. This withdrawn behavior had become the norm over the last few days and Roy could understand the doctor's reluctance to release him from the hospital. And looking at him now, Roy realized that he had never seen Simon de Vos actually smile. Not once in any meeting, discussion or casual conversation before or after the case had gained momentum.
"You look terrible. Maybe if we talked about it .. now that you're home. It will help." He was weighed and measured again with a much too wise, steady gaze and this time, Simon knew he had to make that confession. Suddenly older and feeling weary, Simon nodded and closed his eyes. Roy was right; in fact everyone was so right and Simon was so very, very wrong.
"I lied from the beginning. It's my fault .. the helicopter .. the fact it was shot down." Simon found that keeping his eyes closed helped as he continued the monotone hum.
"I shot first. And I could have killed them and I don't know why. I have no idea .. why. And then, that day when we had made the plans for the mission. I knew that Erick might recognize Kono. Again, I did nothing. I've done nothing from the very beginning. Much of this is my fault .. I was part of everything from the first night."
It was a surprisingly brief confession and his voice trailed off. Simon couldn't say that he actually felt better, but he felt something and knew his hands were trembling again. And even though the speech was short, it left him breathless and he rubbed at the deep ache it caused in his chest.
He sensed Roy leaving the patio but he only opened his eyes when a glass of water and two tablets were pushed gently into his hands. "Here. Charles also thought you might leave and wanted me to check the airport first. I came here instead and I must say .. I'm pleased you stayed."
Roy frowned as he loomed over the chair. He had found the torn photograph on the tiled floor by the sink and it was only in this one destroyed picture that he had a glimpse of Simon's old smile. For some reason that made him angry and Roy reprimanded him in an attempt to spark a reaction. "You haven't eaten? You didn't take your mediation? The front door wasn't even properly closed all the way, Simon. Are you going to tell me that you've been sitting out here .. completely alone ... since you've been released?"
And again Simon just sat there dully which confirmed Roy's suspicions and he threw his hands up in disgust. "Ag, sies, man! "Ek is siek en sat van sy nonsens!" ("I'm sick and tired of his nonsense!")
Roy's clearly annoyed expression barely got a rise out of him though. He didn't care about staying or leaving and seemed unable to make the smallest of decisions.
"What happens next?" He only swallowed the pills when Roy insistently prodded his hands and then waited for an answer.
"To tell you the truth .. we aren't sure." At twenty-five years of age, Simon had an irritating way of acting like an insecure child. But now he looked aged and worn down to his very bones and Roy found himself even more sympathetic and worried about his welfare. "Good people do stupid things sometimes."
He ran his hands over his face and studied the recovering man. Whatever were they going to do with him? Regardless, if he kept on with his self-destructive behavior, Simon might actually never get well and Roy scowled unhappily. But he needed to press for more information because what he might say next would be the lynch-pin. So he phrased the questions carefully for the others that were listening in on their conversation.
"Tell me Simon, was the rest of it a lie, too? The parts about why you came here and then refused Bernard's and Erick's fine offer? The part about trying to get Botha to leave and go back home with you so he would abandon this illicit alliance with Selebi? Was all of that a grand scheme to have yourself exonerated .. was it all a complete farce?"
Roy waited and watched as Simon slowly shook his head no. His eyes were closed again and his face was lined with fatigue. "That part happened .. just as I said. We argued numerous times. But he wouldn't leave .. he refused and said I was letting him down. After all these years and when he needed me the most, he said that I was a terrible friend and a major disappointment."
Simon quietly described the final night and how he had gotten caught up in the gun play. "But then .. it was all too real. The blood .. the noise .. and how very excited everyone was to track down and kill two strangers." His eyes were haunted when he finally looked up at Roy and then shrugged.
"So I left. I was going to leave anyway. I simply walked away in the middle of the night after Erick told me that Bernard had been killed on the trail. We argued after that because he wanted to chase them all down. And I refused and then managed to talk him out of it. I waited until he fell asleep and I left because it was all I could think to do."
"And then you came back." Roy added quietly before reaching down and taking Simon's arm to help him to his feet. He had heard enough and hoped the story would define a more suitable future for Simon de Vos.
"You need to eat and frankly, I'm starving. What type of food do you have in this obscenely, expensive hovel?"
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"What do we do with all of this?" Danny snorted softly through his nose. They had all grown to like Simon de Vos but held varying degrees of belief in his original story. It had become more apparent as time passed, that indeed something else was wrong. The more kindness he had been shown, the more withdrawn Simon had become and to such an extent, he was putting his own recovery at risk.
Captain Charles had his suspicions from the very beginning. But Roy had been clearly uncertain along with the rest of the larger team. They were listening to the conversation through the wire that Roy was wearing; and the more they all heard, the more confused they each became. The somber confession was swaying them in its truth. And what Roy had mentioned was also true: good people did do stupid things sometimes.
"Does he realize what he did?" Chin noted. "By arguing with Selebi and refusing to participate, no one followed us that night."
"Of course not." Charles made a face and then shrugged to minimize the reasons behind the act. He was clearly not ready to move beyond certain other critical facts. "Self-preservation will do that. Which is why he doesn't realize it. It was not his intent to save you all."
"But then he stayed. And in reality, he could have left at any given moment." Kono remarked softly. "And yes much of what he did was was entirely self serving, but he nearly died to bring in Selebi. None of us would have gotten this close to bring this to an end."
Chin was straddling both sides of the fence because Kono had been in a great deal of danger and his continued silence had completely undone the operation. Of all the things Simon had either done or not done, this was the biggest grievance. And no one could dare argue that blatant fact. Collins would boast an impressive scar and Danny had managed yet another short hospital stay for smoke inhalation. And only recently did Steve's limp begin to fade from the dual injuries to his left leg.
"He could still be denying everything and we'd have to let him go." Kono's last succinct comment stopped everyone's deep conversation. "And he knows that and listen to him .. he's still in there and talking to Roy. His father is a decent man, too. He's just as worried and confused by all of this."
But Captain Charles was shaking his head to disagree as he leveled a very angry look at Steve and Danny. "He could have killed you both at the onset. He acted with negligence and with complete disregard for human life. He attacked officers of the law. Not to mention what happened and why at the marina."
"True." Danny said quietly. "But the Yakuza fingered Albert Selebi and your men in Durban brought him in with the goods. And we have the Yakuza to rights with the diamonds recovered in the second Mercedes. The weapons in the trunk were simply an added gift from god. Diamond smuggling and arms dealing .. such a nice combination. It wasn't all a complete bust by any stretch of the imagination. And besides, Kono's right: Simon didn't have to say anything just now. He was given another chance to walk and yet, he didn't take it."
With that, Danny stared meaningfully at Steve and he nodded in agreement. The shared look drew a dark scowl from Captain Charles and he folded his arms arrogantly. "What is that about?"
"It's about cutting a deal for Simon de Vos." Steve challenged back. "Bad deals have been cut for worse criminals. It's clear to me that Simon de Vos made a mistake and he's certainly remorseful. I think we can do more here than ruin a man's life."
Completely at peace with the idea, Danny smiled and stared Captain Charles down until the man groaned and the scowl lightened to an unhappy nod. "He's not getting off scott-free. In the United States, assault against a police officer is a felony charge. And I need to come to terms with this conspiracy."
They all agreed to those facts, but neither would he be tried to the full extent of the law. After much discussion, Danny insisted that he could not be charged with aggravated battery because of one key fact: Simon had no way of knowing with reason that he was firing on an officer.
"My vote is to charge him with a simple battery. It carries a fine .. a penalty and he goes on probation. Maybe community service."
"That's only a misdemeanor." Captain Charles flatly stated. The eyes that bore into him demanded that he also consider dropping the conspiracy charges from the South African stand-point and remove any onus with the Selebi brothers. And he knew that if Roy could weigh in, the man would also agree and he sighed in annoyance. The conversation he had just witnessed confirmed Willard's penchant for tolerance if not total absolution.
"What you are suggesting .. all of this .. is extremely ... lenient."
Steve nodded and shrugged. "I plan to speak to Governor Denning .. gain his perspective and hopefully his agreement. You and Roy are welcome to attend that meeting. But I think, this is a special case. And I understand your stance on his association to the larger conspiracy, however his complete cooperation should count for something."
~ to be continued ~