Danny Williams looked into the rear view mirror at his children and felt his heart swell with love and pride. He had to be the luckiest sonofabitch in the world. He had two kids, and he loved them equally, and would do everything in his power to keep them safe. It was one of the reasons he remained a cop even after he'd been shot and Rachel had given him the ultimatum that ended with their marriage in the toilet.
"Danno, is Uncle Steve going to be at Kamekona's?"
"No, Grace, not this time. It's just us, Uncle Chin, and Aunt Kono," Williams answered.
"Is Uncle Steve with Aunt Catherine?" Grace asked.
"No, Uncle Steve had to go away for a while. We're here," Williams said and pulled his car to a stop behind Chin's bike.
"Swim…Char…go swim, Dan…no," Charles said and bounced up and down in his special chair.
"We will, Charles, but first we need to see if Kamekona needs any help," Williams said as Grace hurried toward them.
"Hi, Grace, how would you like to help me set up the picnic?" Kono asked.
"Sure," Grace said and took her hand while Chin moved to take the diaper bag and other items from the open trunk.
"Did you find out anything new?" Williams asked as he lifted his son into his arms.
"Not really…we're still trying to figure out where they are. Kono set up a new search perimeter that might give us an idea of where he spends most of his time," Chin answered.
"I can't help thinking we need to find him soon, Chin. Steve's not going to sit by and be a kept man," Williams said.
"Are we sure that's what she has in mind?"
"You have another idea?"
"Not really…"
"Wat...ter….Char want swim…"
"I hear you, Little Man," Williams said and couldn't help, but smile at his son as he carried him toward the group near Kamekona's home. They'd set up away from the house and closer to the beach so those who wanted to go for a swim could.
"Danny, let me take him," Kono said and took the boy from his father.
"Thanks, Kono, his swim clothes are in his diaper bag," Williams said and joined Kamekona and Chin.
"That's two good looking kids you got there, Brah," the big Hawaiian observed.
"Thanks," Williams said. "What's the word on the street?"
"Word on the street is Paulina has a place somewhere on The Big Island, but so far no one's said for sure. I've got my people checking into it, but she's covered her trail. If she took McGarrett…"
"She took him," Williams vowed.
"Danno, are you coming?" Grace asked and frowned when she saw the serious faces.
"Not yet, Monkey…you go ahead and listen to Aunt Kono," Williams told her.
"Okay," the child said with a hint of disappointment.
"I'll be there in a few minutes, Grace," Williams said and saw the change in his daughter. It brought a smile to his face in spite of his worry over his partner. He had no idea where McGarrett was, but he prayed the man wasn't doing anything that might get him killed. Something told him Paulina Donaldson was not about to let Steve get away from her and Danny knew it was only a matter of time before Steve attempted to escape.
"Evans is an alias," Kamekona said.
"What did you say?" Williams asked.
"Kamekona heard from his sources that Evans is an alias McCallum used on several occasions," Chin answered.
"We knew that already," Danny said.
"Did you know he has a sister?"
"Yes, we spoke to her and she gave us some information on her brother," Williams answered. "Will you check with your sources and see if he has property on The Big Island?"
"Of course," Kamekona told him. "Now, why don't we serve up this culinary masterpiece before the turkey is as dry as a buzzard's butt."
"Nice," Chin said and chuckled softly as they began placing the food on the long table Kamekona had set up earlier.
5050505050
McGarrett stood up and gritted his teeth as Paulina took the end of the leash and began to lead him toward the house. His side burned, but he refused to show any discomfort. It took every ounce of strength he had to make it into the house and to the bedroom without giving her the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.
`Why don`t we get you undressed so Dr. Liana can help me close that wound," Paulina suggested.
"I don't need…"
"Do you really think you have a say in this, Steve?" the woman said as Liana came into the room carrying a bag. "Let's get you out of that shirt."
"I can do it."
"Not without passing out," Paulina said and pushed his hands away as she ease the shirt from his body. "Okay, Steve, lie back so we can take care of you."
McGarrett knew he had no choice as he lay back against the pillows. The bandage covering his side was soaked in blood, and he knew that was the reason he'd felt dizzy. He had no idea how much blood he'd lost, but if what he saw was any indication, it was more than was healthy for him.
"Paulina, I'm going to start an IV to get some fluids into him," Liana said.
"I can do that," Donaldson said and took the supplies from the other woman. "Now, Steve, just relax and we'll get you…oh, I almost forgot to fix your restraints."
Steve cursed as he felt her lock the cuffs around his wrists and ankles. He'd seen Kishi and McCallum come into the room and knew better than to try anything, but he was hoping she would forget to attach the restraints. He gasped when Liana removed the bandage and heard her curse.
"Paulina, this is deep and I'm going to have to put in…"
"Just do it, Doctor," Paulina said as she swabbed an area on the back of the captive's left hand.
"Can I give him something for pain because this is not going to be easy?"
"I am not cruel, Doctor, so go ahead and give him some morphine," Donaldson ordered and leaned down to kiss the back of his hand before inserting the IV. "See, Steve, I really don't want to see you in pain."
McGarrett felt Liana insert the needle into his arm and knew the morphine would take effect pretty fast. It also meant he wouldn't be able to think clearly and that was something he needed to do. The longer he was unable to act, the harder it would be to escape. No matter what happened, he knew Paulina was unstable and would not forgive any mistake he made.
"Steve, I'm going to freeze the area around the wound, but the morphine should keep you comfortable until I'm done," Liana told him.
"Steve knows how to deal with pain, Doctor, but go ahead and freeze the area," Paulina said and taped the IV in place before checking the rate of the flow. She smiled as her captive seemed to relax and his eyes slowly closed. She settled in beside him ad shifted so that his head soon rested against her and listened to the sound of his breathing.
"He's asleep, Paulina," Liana said as she readied the instruments she would need.
"Perhaps, but one thing I have learned since we first met is that Steve is a wonderful actor and can make it appear as if he's sleeping. Go ahead and put in the stitches…and please make them neat. I hate that he's adding more scars to the ones he already has," Donaldson said.
5050505050
Danny tucked his children into bed and kissed them both goodnight before making his way to the living room. God, he was tired, but he knew if he went to bed he would just lay there and stare at the ceiling. He made his way into the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. Dinner at Kamekona's was good, and Grace and Charles enjoyed the attention, but the truth was he couldn't relax. The fact that it was Thanksgiving was hard to face, and he knew he had plenty to be thankful for, but Steve was still missing.
Danny sat forward and reached for his cell phone when it began to ring. He didn't recognize the number and was tempted to put it down, but instincts told him it could be important. "Williams."
"Danny, it's Catherine."
"Catherine, where are you?"
"I'm on The Enterprise, but we were in total blackout until this afternoon. I saw three messages from you and wanted to find out what's going on. Where's Steve?"
"That's just it, Catherine. We don't know," Williams said.
"What happened?"
"We're not sure, but we think it involves one of the nurses from Queens. She disappeared the same time Steve did and we think she's obsessed with him. Several of her co-workers told us she used to check on Steve whether he was her patient or not."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not yet, but we think she has a place on The Big Island, and bought a yacht called The Summer Breeze. She's got a merc named Patrick McCallum working for her and we believe he's probably the one behind the kidnapping itself," Williams explained.
"How long has he been missing?"
Danny quickly told her how much time had elapsed and explained what they'd been doing to find him. He didn't leave anything out and told her that White and Gutches were also involved.
"I don't know if there's anything I can do from here, Danny."
"I know, Catherine, but I thought you needed to know what's happening," Williams said.
"Thanks, Danny…find him, okay?"
"We will, Catherine."
"If you find out where they might have taken him let me know and I'll see if I can check the area from here."
"Won't you get in trouble?"
"Not really. Steve's in the reserves and he's made a lot of friends in the service. My CO is one of the people in Steve's debt. Look, I need to go, but I'll check in when I can."
"Take care, Catherine and try not to worry," Williams said and sat back as the phone went dead in his hands. He leaned back and rubbed at his temples in an effort to keep the mounting headache at bay, but it was a lost cause. He lay down on the sofa and hoped by morning there'd be something new to go on and a reason to give thanks.
5050505050
Paulina sat on the edge of the bed and watched him sleep. He was turned slightly on his left side, eyes closed as tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Once Liana had put in the neat row of stitches and covered the wound with a bandage she'd ordered them out of the room and lay down beside him. She'd slept for several hours and woke to a soft moan as he shifted on the bed.
Paulina reached down and gently straightened the blanket so that it covered him to the waist. The bandage covering the wound showed a hint of red at the center and she regretted hurting him, but he had made her so angry. Why couldn't he just accept that what she was doing was best for both of them? How could he think that putting his life on the line for people who didn't give a damn about him was right? Why was he so angry at being with her when she offered him so much?
Paulina touched her fingers against his cheek and felt a hint of fever as she slowly ran them down his strong jaw and stopped at his lips. How could he not see how much he meant to her? How could she prove her love and make him realize they were destined to be together forever? Would he ever relax and allow her to make love to him? Not that it mattered, because when the time came, when she was ready, she would have him.
"Oh, Steve, why can't you see this is right for you…for us? We could be so good together and our life could be so wonderful," Paulina whispered and leaned down so she could press her lips against his. "You and I are meant to be together and you will love me, Steve. I know you will because I can give you so much."
"Paulina, I need to check his wound."
"It's fine, Doctor," Paulina told her.
"I won't be long," Liana said.
"He has a fever," Paulina said and nodded for the doctor to do what was needed. She glanced at the nearly empty IV bag and reached for the new one on the dresser.
"Have you given him anything for pain?"
"No, he's been asleep since you left," Paulina said and hung the new bag above the bed.
"That's good. When he wakes up I want you to give him some Tylenol to help with the fever. It's not too bad right now, but if left untreated it could get higher and that's something we don't need to deal with right now," Liana told her.
"He brought all of this on himself, Helen. If he would just accept what I offer and realize it is best for both of us then we could enjoy our lives. I didn't mean to hurt him, but he made me so angry when he started talking about that bitch. I really wish she was dead…maybe I should find a way to bring her here."
"Paulina, if you tried that you'd have the US military searching for her and that would be dangerous. Right now you're simply dealing with his team and they have very little to go on, but that could change if you go kidnapping a US naval officer. Give Steve a chance to know you and ease up on the drugs. If you show him you love him without causing him pain and without drugging him you might just find he'll allow himself to relax with you. It's that old saying about catching more flies with honey," Liana said as she removed the bandage and covered the wound with a cream to prevent infection.
"Do you really think he could love me?"
"I think so, Paulina, but it will take time and patience. If you show him a simple kindness, then it will come back tenfold. How could he not love what you offer? The problem is he's a man of action and he probably thinks he's the one who should make the first move. You've taken that away, but you can give it back by allowing him to choose certain things."
"I know, but it takes them so long to see what I have to offer. Why can't they see I want what's best for them? Why doesn't Steve realize he could live in luxury and not have to worry about anything anymore?"
"Because it goes against his nature, Paulina…tell me what it is you see when you look at him."
"A man who doesn't realize what he does to a woman," Paulina answered.
"Okay, what made you fall in love with him in the first place?"
"He looked so vulnerable in the hospital like he needed someone to take care of him."
"How did he end up in the hospital?"
"He was trying to help people and was injured for his troubles."
"So he's a hero?"
"I guess, but heroes always get hurt and I don't want to see him hurt," Paulina said and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I know you don't, but you need to realize that helping people is second nature to men like Steve. They'll defend anyone they think is being persecuted and anyone who does something wrong is apt to go to prison. It's what they do…it's what he does," Liana told her.
"Not anymore…"
"But isn't that why you fell in love with him. What happens if you do change who he is? Can you or will you still love him?"
"My love is unconditional."
"Is it? You've already put conditions on his life that could potentially change his. You need to face the fact that what you're doing could make him hate you…"
"No! Don't you dare say that! He will learn to love me and we will live our lives together! He just needs a little more time to adjust to what I offer him!"
"Is everything all right in here?" McCallum asked from the open doorway.
"Everything is fine; Patrick, Dr. Liana and I were just having a disagreement. It's done now and she can leave," Paulina told him and turned to Liana. "Could you ask Asami to serve breakfast in here this morning?"
"I'll tell her," the doctor said and reluctantly left McGarrett in her hands.
"Are you sure you're all right, Paulina?"
"I'm fine, Patrick," the woman said and gently ran her fingers along the sleeping man's right cheek before pressing her lips to his. "She's wrong, Steve. I know in my heart that no matter what she says about you changing you'll still be the man I love. I'll be the person you turn to for love and adventure, but it won't be dangerous and we can live our lives to the fullest. All you have to do is let go of the past…let go of that bitch and we'll be fine."
TBC
Author's note-I'm back and had a wonderful vacation. As promised here's the next part…..Winnie