Chin grabbed Williams' by the arm when the alarm sounded from inside the room. The color drained from the injured man's face and he twisted to see what was happening inside. Chin could see the nurse scrambling as another one rushed past them.
"What's going on, Nora?" Janet Wallace asked as she moved to the bed and looked at the monitors that seemed to be working properly, but something had set off the alarms. She quickly pulled the curtains across in order to give some privacy as Nora Holt pulled back the blankets.
"He knocked the monitor loose," Nora said and quickly turned off the alarms as she reattached the leads.
Chin and Kono stood on either side of Williams, anxious to find out what was going on. When the door opened they expected to see a worried nurse, but instead the woman smiled at them.
"He's fine. He knocked the leads loose. It happens sometimes, but not as often a you might think," Janet explained.
"He's really okay?" Williams asked.
"Yes, he is, but he's sleeping, so why don't you go back to your room and do the same?" the nurse ordered.
"Come on, Danny, I'll take you back," Chin said and waited for the other man to move.
"Chin, where's Mary? Has she been in to see Steve?" Williams asked worriedly.
"She had to take a flight or lose her job," Chin explained. "She didn't want to go, but she didn't want to disappoint Steve either."
"I doubt she could have disappointed him," the Jersey native said.
"Maybe not, but this is the longest she's ever held a job. She thought she'd be back before they let him wake up, but her flight was delayed. She's called me every two hours for an update on both of you. I'm picking her up in two hours," Chin answered.
"I'm good..."
"Sure you are," Chin said once they reached Danny's room and he was laying down on the bed. "Do you need anything?"
"Just water," Williams told him and closed his eyes. God, he was so damn tired and yet sleep was a commodity he didn't seem to have much of. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help thinking that Steve had nearly given his own life for him. Sure, he'd do the same damn thing if the roles were reversed, but that didn't make it any easier to live with. On top of that, there was Charles. What if the baby was his? Would Rachel stay with Stan? Not that it mattered to him anymore, he'd already been down that road and had the emotional scars to prove it. If Stan and Rachel stayed together, he would not fight Rachel for custody, but he would make it clear that he wanted to spend time with them.
Danny didn't want a day here or a day there anymore, he wanted scheduled visits and he wanted to be able to take them places just as Stan and Rachel did. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with his daughter and son and he would continue with his life and his promise to keep his family safe.
"Danny, are you sure you're all right?" Chin asked upon returning with a pitcher of ice water.
"Just thinking too much," Williams answered and poured a glass of water.
"Rachel and the baby?"
"Am I that transparent?"
"No, but you're a father and I know how much you love Rachel..."
"Love isn't enough, Chin...you need to like the person too and I'm not sure I do any more," Williams told him.
"There's a fine line between like and love."
"I know, but she crossed that line," Danny said tiredly. "Look, Chin, I'm going to grab some shut eye."
"All right, Danny, but if you need anything..."
"I'll call," Williams answered and smiled before Chin left the room. He kept his eyes closed when the nurse came in to check on him and drifted toward sleep as the truth of what he'd told Chin kept replying itself in his mind. It was true that he still loved Rachel, and that she was a wonderful mother to his children, but he no longer wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
5050505050
Mary McGarrett had never felt so tired, but she would not let that stop her from seeing her brother. She wanted him to be proud of her and this job was something she wanted to excel at, not only for herself, but for Steve. She needed to prove to him that she'd changed and that she really could stand on her own two feet.
Steve had always been the person she looked up to, even before their father's death. He was the one she tagged along with, the one who wiped her bloodied nose after a fight with a friend, turned enemy, and now friend again. He'd been the one she talked to about boys, not the intimate details, but he'd given her insight when she broke things off with her boyfriend. At the time she'd thought all boys were out for one thing and she'd sworn off dating until Steve introduced her to a friend's younger brother. They'd dated for nearly a year, but decided things were going too fast and he wanted to do a stint in the Navy.
Mary had jut the single carry on as she exited the plane and headed toward the passenger pickup area. It didn't take long to spot her ride and she smiled in spite of her worries. "Chin, how's Steve? Did he wake up yet? Have they taken the tube out?"
"Steve's good...yes, he was awake and yes, they took the tube out," Chin answered.
"Steve's good?" Mary asked and couldn't help, but smile.
"Well, you know Steve, he'll probably be fighting to get out before they've weaned him off the heavy duty pain meds," Chin told her.
"What did the doctor have to say?" Mary said when they reached chin's vehicle and climbed inside.
"He's in bad shape, Mary, but we've heard that before too," Chin said and drove out of the parking lot.
"Steve was always the strong one...even when we were kids. He hated being sick and never told anyone until he had no choice..."
"By no choice you mean passed out and having no choice in the matter?"
"Something like that," Mary said and stared out the window. She sighed heavily and thought about living here again, but for now she would have to be content with visiting her brother. God, help her, but she hoped her visits didn't always coincide with hospital stays.
"Mary, did you eat?"
"I had a sandwich before leaving New York," she answered.
"I'm going to stop at the deli and grab something for Danny. Would you like something?"
"Maybe some soup," Mary told him. "And coffee...strong."
"Sounds like a plan," Chin told her.
"What about Wo Fat? Where is he?"
"He was being transferred to the prison just before I picked you up. Joe White was escorting him."
"I wish he'd died."
"I know, I think we all do," Chin said and pulled into the deli parking lot.
5050505050
Fighting for his life was nothing new to Steve McGarrett, but this time it wasn't just his life he was fighting for. This was for Mary and Danny, and Chin, and Kono, and Grace, and Charles and anyone else Wo Fat's evil had touched. He stood on shaky legs and circled the bastard who could be his half brother and smiled in spite of the anger and pain warring for dominance in his mind and body.
Steve could see the dark, bitter soul that belonged to Wo Fat through the eyes that glared at him as they circled each other in the cage. There were screams from beyond the cage, some excited, while others sounded liked cries of agony and he knew he had to stop the suffering.
'I'll kill you,' he thought and lashed out, but found his body weighed down as he struggled to get to hie nemesis.
'You are weak! I will kill everyone you hold dead, Brother!'
'N...no!' Steve spat and fought to free himself as Wo Fat pulled someone into the cage. He could see his sister's face and saw the sorrow in pain in her eyes and watched helplessly as Wo Fat snapped her neck.
"Bas...bastard...no...please...not Mary...Mary..."
"I'm right here, Steve," Mary said upon entering the room to find her brother lost in some nightmare only he could see. She reached over the bed rail and placed her hand over his. He continued to struggle with whatever he was seeing and she spoke softly as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. How could her brother, a man whose very presence was overpowering, look so beaten? 'Damn you, Wo Fat,' she thought.
"No...not Grace...please...Danny, sorry...didn't mean...don't..."
"Steve, Grace is safe and so is Danny. You have nothing to be sorry for," Mary said and watched as the eyelids slowly opened, revealing glazed eyes that worked hard to focus on her.
"Mar...Mary?"
"That's right, Big Brother, you could have asked me to come visit instead of doing of getting into a cage with that bastard," Mary told him and swallowed several times in an effort to get her emotions under control.
"Seemed l...like a good i...dea at the time," Steve told her and reached up to wipe the tears from her cheek.
"And now?"
"Ask me again wh...when I'm out of here."
"That won't be for at least another week, possibly longer, Commander," Lewis said and smiled at the woman standing beside the bed. "Miss McGarrett, it's good to see you again."
"Thank you, Dr. Lewis, but I keep telling Steve there has to be a better way to get me to visit him," Mary said.
"You won't get any arguments from me there," Lewis told her and reached for McGarrett's chart.
Mary watched as the surgeon went over the notations made by the nurses and waited anxiously for what he had to say. "How does it look?" she asked.
"Not as bad as I thought, but his temperature is still elevated and I'd like to see him taking deeper breaths to get his O2 sats where they should be," Lewis answered and looked at McGarrett who was fiddling with the nasal canulas. "Commander, I'm going to put you on an oxygen mask..."
"Hell..."
"Suck it up, Steven," Williams said from the door.
"Actually, suck it in is more like what I want," Lewis corrected and looked at his patient seriously. "I know with your injuries it hurts to take a deep breath, but you really need to try, Commander. I'm going to have a respiratory specialist see you before we move you out of SICU."
"When?" McGarrett asked.
"Well, not until tomorrow, but that depends on how you respond to treatments. I'm going to take a look at your wounds so if you two would wait outside I'll check out my patient," Lewis said.
Mary leaned over the rail and kissed her brother's cheek before leaving the room with Danny Williams. She waited for the door to close and the nurse closed the curtain, affording him and his patient a modicum of privacy. "Danny, how are you?"
"I'm good, Mary," the Jersey native told her.
"Now you sound like my brother."
"I'm getting there, Mary," Williams answered honestly and smiled as the woman looked at him.
"How long before they release you?"
"Hopefully by tomorrow, but Dr. Adamson says it depends on how things go. He's got me on antibiotics and pain meds, but it's not as bad as he seems to think," Williams answered.
"Ah, Danny," Mary said as she spotted the man who stood just behind her friend.
"That's wonderful news, Dr. Williams."
"Crap...damn, Doc, I thought you went home."
"I was on my way out, but figured I'd check on you first. I thought I told you to rest?"
"You did, but I wanted to check on Steve and..."
"From what I hear Commander McGarrett will probably be moved in with you tomorrow. How long after that will you two be acting like an old married couple?"
"We don't..."
"Danny, you do," Mary told him.
"Look, Detective, give yourself time to heal before you go standing vigil over a friend. Let the other watch out for both of you until you're on your feet and strong enough to do it yourself," Adamson warned. "Stay and see Commander McGarrett and then go back to your room and get the rest you need."
"I will, Doc," Williams said.
"I'll see that he does," Mary said.
"Thank you, Miss McGarrett," Adamson said and left the duo alone.
Mary leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest as she looked at Danny. Although he was pale, his cheeks showed just a hint of red that spoke of a lingering fever. In spite of the bickering between them, she knew Steve and Danny would back each other up no matter what. There was no doubt of their friendship, and she wished she could meet a friend like that. Like the old saying that went something like 'Someone who would not just bail you out, but would sit in the cell with you shouting what a hell of a ride!'.
"What are you thinking about, Mary?"
"Just trying to figure out you and Steve...and wishing I had a friend like you," she answered as the door opened and Lewis exited the room. "How's my brother?"
"He's stubborn, but right now that's not such a bad thing. Go see him...stay a few minutes and then let him sleep," Lewis ordered.
"We will, Doc. Thanks," Mary said and took Danny's arm as they entered her brother's room to find him turned slightly on his side. She studied his face, worried about the tiny beads of perspiration that gave credence to just how badly injured he was. She felt Danny shift slightly and was grateful for his support and felt guilty when she heard a hint of a gasp that told her she'd done something to hurt him. "Thanks, Danny."
"You're welcome," Williams said and smiled when McGarrett managed to open his eyes.
"Mary, you okay?" McGarrett asked tiredly.
"I'm fine, but you're a mess..."
"And he's out of uniform," the Jersey native told her and saw her frown. "Cargo pants."
"Oh, well, I'd say that probably makes the nurse's job that much easier," Mary observed.
"That it does," Nora said. "Now, Commander, the medication you were given is going to make you sleep, so stop fighting it."
"Go ahead and sleep, Steve, I'll see you tomorrow," Mary said and kissed him before turning Williams toward the door. "Come on, Danny, I'll get you back to your room before Dr. Adamson decides you need help staying in the bed. I hear he threatened to handcuff you to the bed."
"I think he was kidding."
"Do you really want to take the chance?" Mary asked and heard a soft chuckle from her brother. She turned her head and smiled slightly before leading Williams into the hall.
5050505050
Joe White took a deep breath as he drove away from the prison. He'd stayed to make sure Wo Fat was locked up tight and that the warden and the guard understood they would answer to him should he escape. The warden understood just who he had in his prison, and vowed that the animal would remain behind bars and face the charges against him.
Joe knew more about Wo Fat than he'd told anyone and thought about John McGarrett. There was nothing of him in Wo Fat, nothing that would change what fate had decided many years ago. It had started in that little village called Shelburne and even now the ghosts of those involved were probably rolling over in their graves.
"I'm sorry, John, I should have known things could never be that simple," he whispered and slammed his hand on the steering wheel. Wo Fat would never hold a candle to Steve McGarrett and Joe knew the bastard would never stop trying to take his half brother down. For now he was locked up, but for people like Wo Fat, prison was simply a word to be defined in their own way. Perhaps it was time for him to disappear permanently.
TBC!