Chapter Twenty-One
Sorry for uploading this last chapter after so long but I was just not being able to come up with a proper ending for Sarah and Steve. I hope you all enjoy this as much as you have loved this story. Thank you to all who have followed this story as well as reviewed it. It has been a pleasure to write it.
Sarah sat quietly, watching her daughter sleep after she had been allowed to feed her. She had been patted down before she had been allowed to go into the make shift kitchen to use the microwave.
While she had been out, she had tried her best to look around the little room to see whether she could spot any exits that she could sneak out of. Goodness, she rolled her eyes, she sounded like Steve! How was she supposed to sneak out of an armed safe house in the middle of the Hawaiian forest?
She surveyed the room she was being held in. It was tiny and neat with a narrow cot that passed for a bed and a dresser, nothing else. She opened one of the small closet doors and found a navy blue slicker, the one that would cover her entire body and she would still be able to strap Stephie underneath it.
She quickly stripped the sheet off the bed, all the while making sure the door was firmly shut. She somehow managed to fashion a sling to strap Stephie to her front. Ideally she would have liked to keep her on her back to shield her, but she needed to have her back to these people.
Now all she needed to do was figure out a way to get out of this room. The room was not as high up that she wouldn't be able to jump out. The window was locked but it was made of glass and she could break it. But how to break it without bringing attention to herself?
As if on cue, the rain started accompanied by a loud rumble of thunder. "Thank you God!" she muttered to herself. Now all she had to do was wait for the thunder to break the window. Goodness, but it sounded so easy. Knowing her luck she would get caught. She peered out of the window, no one was around and she could slip out the back, find some sort of path to follow.
Sarah turned from the window and gazed at her sleeping baby. Should she do this? What if something terrible happened to Stephie? Would she ever be able to forgive herself for harming her daughter?
She didn't have any answers to any of those questions. But in her heart she knew that she would definitely not be able to forgive herself if she just sat there and did nothing to get them out of here. Call her a stupid woman and a bad mother to put her child at risk this way, but she had to do this.
She got ready, praying all the while she strapped Stephie to her front securely that she would remain sleeping. Stephie was startled by the loud crack of thunder; Sarah shushed her and rocked her soothingly. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she went slack again. Not for the first time did Sarah appreciate and thank God for giving her such a good baby.
After putting on her rain slicker she went to stand near the window, her eyes glued to the door and her ears tuned to the thunder, in her hands the short hanging rail of the narrow closet. Now she just had to wait for the thunder to be loud enough.
-X-
Steve led his team as quietly as he could through the thick vegetation. The rain was washing away any trail he could find and he only hoped the coordinates that McCauley had given him, were correct. They had been walking for more than forty-five minutes and there was no structure in sight that could be considered a safe house.
He turned around to watch Danny walking right behind him, Chin next to him and Kono behind him. All of them were drenched to the bone, trying not to lose their footing in the forest.
Suddenly a figure moved ahead, it was bulky and hid behind vegetation, trying to hide, not doing a bad job of it. Chin lifted his gun, but Steve indicated that he lower his weapon, not wanting any unnecessary noise to attract attention to them.
There were voices approaching, but he couldn't make out anything. Steve indicated to all of them to move behind and see what was going on. A number of men stopped just in front of where they were hiding, but Steve had his eyes in the direction of the hiding figure, waiting for it to make a move.
Suddenly, a whimpering sound came from the hidden figure's direction. All the attention turned there, making Steve realise that the figure was non other than his wife and daughter.
He made his move fast. He stood up from his spot and lunged on the closest guy to him, catching him in a death grip. He knew the rest would have his back. The man flipped, turning on Steve to jab a hand in his face, which he ducked. Again he lunged at the man's waist, knocking the breath out of him as he went down to the ground. Without hesitation Steve twisted the man's head, breaking his neck.
When Steve raised his head, he was aware of his surroundings and knew that the three men who had been there would not be an issue, but where was the fourth? He watched as Danny raised his weapon and opened fire at the man approaching Sarah; he went down in two shots.
"You think there's more?" Danno asked.
"Not sure. But we need to move fast" Steve spoke as he made his way to Sarah. As he approached her, a blue hooded head stuck out from behind a tree.
"Steve?" was all she said before he broke into a run.
"Oh my God, woman. What the hell were you thinking?" he asked as he pushed away her hood, to watch her dazed expression. "Baby, Sarah" he shook her shoulders lightly, "Tell me, were there more men?" he asked as he opened her slicker to check on Stephie.
His daughter was fussing and slightly flushed, but she seemed fine.
"Wo Fat was there" she said, looking at the indisposed men around her. "Oh God I'm gonna be sick" she muttered before she clutched Stephie close and bent her head to retch.
Steve ran his hand down her back soothingly, "Relax sweetheart. Its all over now".
"Steve, I think we should just get out of here" Chin spoke, keeping an eye around them.
"She just said Wo Fat was there. I need to get him" Steve said as he checked Sarah over.
"Are you serious? You need to get Sarah and Stephie out of here and back to civilisation. Not run after your arch nemesis half cocked without a plan" Danno spoke.
Sarah cleared her throat, "Besides he isn't there now".
"Alright fine. But we do need to get out of here fast" Steve gathered Sarah's hand and started walking.
It took them shorter to walk back to the highway and within forty minutes they were on their way to the hospital. Danno drove as Steve sat in the back with Stephie cradled on his chest and Sarah leaning heavily against him. He looked down and she had fallen into a heavy exhausted sleep.
"I think she passed out" Danno said, looking into his rear view mirror worriedly.
Steve touched her cheek then the side of her neck, her pulse strong but her sleep very deep. "I think you might be right" he said as he continued to look at her.
At the hospital, both Sarah and Stephie were admitted in for check up and because Sarah had passed out, she had been kept in for observation. She had refused to stay unless she had Stephie beside her, so the hospital had made arrangements for them to be close to each other.
Steve watched both of them sleeping, Danno and Kono standing next to him, "I cant imagine how she got out of there".
Kono laughed, "You're rubbing off on her, boss. She had to learn something from you".
"I don't know whether to strangle her or kiss her for pulling this stunt" he touched her still hand; she murmured something in her sleep. "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to her. To both of them".
Kono laid a hand on his shoulder, "Don't think about it. They're here and they're safe. That's all that matters".
Steve turned to both of them, "We have thirty minutes before we have to meet Wo Fat. He probably already knows what has happened and he has lost his only bargaining chip. But he is still desperate enough to get to my mother".
"What do you suggest?" Danno asked from his position near Stephie's cot.
He thought it out. How was he going to lure Wo Fat back out. Now that he had Sarah and Stephie back, Wo Fat didn't have to show.
His thoughts were interrupted when his phone started buzzing, "Its McCauley" he said to the room before he answered it, "Yes?"
"I am assuming that your wife and daughter are safely with you?" was the first question.
"You assume correctly" Steve answered.
"I followed you guys to the safe house and guess what I found?" he asked amused, but before Steve could ask he supplied the answer, "Jacobson clonked over the head, lying unconscious outside what I can only assume was the once pristine window of the room your wife was being held in".
"You've gotta be kidding me. Is he alive?" he asked as he looked over at Sarah.
McCauley laughed, "Yeah he is, though he is trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey and in custody. He also told me that Wo Fat does not know yet that Sarah is no longer with them".
"So basically the drop is still on as far as he is concerned".
"Pretty much. How do you want to proceed?" he asked.
"I have my team but I will need back up" Steve said.
"Not a problem. You head there and there will be enough back up there to assist you guys".
"How do I know I can trust you?" Steve asked, too ware of his past experiences.
"Didn't I lead you to where your wife was being held?"
"How do I know that's not some kind of trick?"
"What does your gut tell you?" he asked enigmatically.
Steve sighed, "Just get your men there".
Kono and Danny looked expectantly, "What's up?"
"Kono I need you to stay here with Sarah. I don't trust anyone but you guys at this point, but I also cant just sit here and not do anything".
"No problem Steve. I'll make sure nothing happens to them. I'll also call for a police escort to stand outside" she said as she took out her phone to make a call.
Steve walked to Sarah's bedside, "Hey babe" he kissed her lips lightly. She stirred and looked at him.
"Hey" she answered sleepily.
"I have to go but Kono is here with you and a Police backup will be posted at the hospital. I'll be back".
Sarah ran her hands through his ling hair, "Just come back please. And be safe" she kissed him, her lips clinging to his.
-X-
Wo Fat had come to the conclusion that if he wanted something done correctly, with minimum to zero mistakes, he had to do it himself.
Which was the reason why he stood outside the hospital watching Steve McGarrett, Danny Williams and Chin Ho Kelly getting into a vehicle. He could only guess they were on their way to their original meeting point.
He should have known the wife would have tried something. But he had not banked on her survival instincts being stronger than self – reservation. He had never imagined, and neither had the others, that she would risk not only her own life but the life of her child in order to get out. It taught him not to underestimate the McGarrett women – first the mother, then the sister and now the wife.
Wo Fat checked his reflection. His disguise complete in the HPD uniform, his cap pulled low over his brow so his face was not completely visible. He knew officer Kalakaua was there to protect Sarah and her daughter, but he also knew he could take her on. He was much more experienced than the rookie cop, although one couldn't call her unskilled. After all she had one of the best as a mentor – McGarrett. Not to mention her own cousin.
He may want these people dead, but he had to admit that it was exciting to clash with people of such skill. It challenged him and he always liked to keep his mind sharp.
He jogged across the road and into the main entrance of the hospital. He spoke to the front desk, explaining he was here as protection for Mrs. McGarrett. He made his way to the ninth floor and toward her room. He touched his weapon, knowing that he had to be quick. Get in – get the job done – get out. He hadn't done this, executing a hit, in a while and he could feel adrenalin and excitement coursing through his body. He should do this more often.
The hallway outside Sarah McGarrett's room was fairly empty. The last remaining nurse smiled sweetly as she walked past him. Checking for no other interferences, he pulled out his gun, quickly screwed on the silencer.
"Oh My God" came a muttered sound from behind him. Wo Fat turned and it was the same nurse who had smiled at him. He raised his arm, aimed and shot her. Without a sound her lifeless body slumped to the floor.
Without giving a further thought to her, only that he needed to hurry, he turned to go into the room.
-X-
"Something's not right" Steve said as he drove, Danny beside him and Chin in the backseat.
"What do you mean?" Danno asked. He hung on as Steve swerved around a car. They had only been on the road five minutes and already he was queasy.
"We need to get back to the hospital. He's there" Steve said, looking for an opening, then making a sharp u-turn, tires screeching as he turned on his lights.
Steve watched the traffic, "There is no way he doesn't know that Sarah got out".
"Can we risk not showing up?" Chin asked even as he pulled out his cell phone to call for backup.
"Can we risk underestimating him? He has always been one step ahead and I cannot let it go on".
Steve drove like a maniac and made the five-minute journey in two. As soon as they reached the hospital, they got out and ran inside.
"Is there an officer posted outside my wife's room?" Steve asked the security officer standing near the elevator.
The guard looked at his watch, "He went up a couple minutes ago".
Steve started to sweat as he got into the lift "Take the stairs, he may be using those" he told Danno.
As soon as he got out of the elevator, he pulled out his gun, Chin followed suit. There was no one at the nurse's station so they quietly made their way to the hallway leading to Sarah's room. The fire stairs opened, a panting Danny came out. He only nodded his head to indicate no luck.
They spotted a crumpled form on the floor, a young nurse had been shot in the chest and neck, a pool of blood around her. Chin stopped to check for a pulse, "She's dead".
Just then they heard two loud shots ring out. They ran to Sarah's door and took in the scene.
Kono was lying on the ground, her gun pointed in the direction of the wall next to the door. Wo Fat lay slumped, his legs splayed out before him, his hands lying limply by his side. He looked like he was still breathing, but shallowly.
Sarah stood next to Kono and was now helping her up. She also carried a gun with a silencer attached to it. It was clear that Kono and Wo Fat had been in a physical altercation and somehow his gun had been kicked away from him.
A moment later there were three doctors and more nurses, taking in the scene, working on Wo Fat. He was immediately taken into treatment, Danny went with them to keep an eye on him. Kono also had been shot in the shoulder and was also taken away to emergency.
Steve held Sarah close to him, "Thank God you came back" she said as she pulled away slightly.
"I just had a feeling that he would be here. He has always been ahead of us and there was no way he would have not known that you had gotten away" Steve looked at his wife and not for the first time felt his chest tighten with pride. "You still haven't told me how you got away from the safe house. McCauley told me that someone hit Jacobson on the head".
Sarah looked a little sheepish, "I waited for the thunder and then I broke a window. And for the record I had no idea who I was hitting at, I saw a guy smoking with his back toward me and I hit him on the head" she swallowed, "I know I put Stephie at risk and I am sorry for doing that and if you're mad at me then please forgive me, but I couldn't just sit on my ass and wait" she looked up and winced, "No offence".
Steve laughed, "Are you kidding me? I couldn't be more proud of you for as you put it so nicely 'not sitting on your ass'. And yes you put Stephie, not to mention yourself at risk, but your main instinct at the time was to survive and get out of the danger you were in" he took her face in his hands, "I just wish I had been there to watch you kick ass" he kissed her nose and mouth.
"There was no kicking of the ass. I just swung a hanging rod praying that I would hit my target. I was never any good at hitting a piñata, so this was probably divine intervention as well" she accepted his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder with a tired sigh. "I'm just glad the nurse had taken Stephie for a nap in the nursery when he came".
A doctor came in to check on Sarah as well, just to make sure that she was doing okay. "How is Officer Kalakaua?" she asked.
"She's doing fine. A bullet was extracted from her shoulder and she will have to be here for a few days not to mention a sling for a few weeks" the doctor said as he checked her pupil response to check for shock. After declaring her fine and that she could leave after he organised her discharge papers, he left.
"I'm gonna go check on Kono, you want to come?" Steve asked her.
"Give me two minutes to change and then lets go" she went to bathroom and changed into a pair of hospital scrubs she had been given, since her own clothes were filthy.
They held hands as they went to Kono's room, where Danny and Chin had also made themselves comfortable. When they entered, all three of them turned.
"Hero of the hour" Danny said as he came to her and enveloped her in a bear hug. "Being Steve's wife finally paid off".
"Hey!" Steve voiced his offence.
"I think the hero of the hour award needs to go to Kono" Sarah said as she moved to the bed.
Steve had to second that. He watched his friend and colleague, as she lay injured, while protecting his family. This entire episode just highlighted the place that his team had in his and Sarah's life.
They had surpassed a work relationship and become a real family.
-X-
It had been a week of bliss and also a period of major adjustment for the McGarrett household. After a lot of insistence on both Sarah and Steve's part, Doris had moved in with them, although she maintained it would only be temporarily.
Things had been slightly awkward since there was still a lot of hurt and anger that Steve held and he was trying his best to work through it all. Mary was a different story.
Her reaction to the whole thing was something none of them could have predicted. She had been extremely angry with Sarah because she had not told her about Steve. She refused to speak to anyone and even refused to come and see her mother.
"Give her some time" Doris said one day after yet another phone call to Mary, where Steve begged her again to come for a weekend.
"We are all to blame for what she has gone through" Steve said as he rubbed his forehead. "I should have let Sarah tell her. I always underestimate her and I can't blame her for wanting nothing to do with us".
Sarah watched as mother and son sat on the lanai, Doris holding her granddaughter in her arms. It was great that she had taken such an interest in Stephie, taking time out to get to know her and play with her, being a regular grandmother and loving every minute of it.
"Don't worry. Family is very important to Mary and she will come around" she said as she joined them. Steve reached for her hand and pulled her to sit on his lap. Sarah caught the small smile Doris had on her lips as she watched them together, followed by a glimpse of sadness.
"I have missed so much in both your lives that I have no idea how to make up for it" she said, her eyes misting over.
"I can't speak for Mary, but I know that you just being here and being a part of our lives actively is enough for me. Especially if you are a part of Stephie's life" Sarah looked at her husband and he was trying his best to suppress his emotions.
"I would love to get to know you and for you to be a grandmother to Stephie" Sarah said as well to support a relationship between mother and son. "And I became very close to Mary, so I will try my best to emotionally blackmail her into coming here and being a part of this family" she smiled as she said this.
"And if I know my wife, she'll somehow get her way" he smiled at her, kissing her with a loud smack.
-X-
Steve kissed his mother goodnight, leaving her out on the lanai. She said she would head to bed soon and wanted to take in the beautiful night. He knew she was pining for his father in reality. The last time she had been in this house, they had been a happy family. Although after getting to know his mother's past, he wondered how much of a real family they had been. His parents had never given them an indication that anything was out of order.
He was so deep in thought, he hadn't even realised that he had reached the bedroom door. The room was quiet so he went to the adjacent room, which was Stephie's nursery. He went to the cot and watched his daughter sleep peacefully, her dark lashes resting on her pink cheeks. He reached out his hand and gently smoothed his finger down her soft cheek. She stirred slightly but remained sleeping.
"Don't you dare wake her up" came Sarah's whisper from behind him, followed by her slim arms wrapping around his waist, "I want some time alone with my hubby" she said as she nuzzled her face in the back of his neck. He felt her kisses down his naked back.
They had still not made love because there had simply been too much happening during the days and by the time they got to bed, they were both exhausted. Besides, Steve had been waiting for Sarah to give him the green light.
"Are you sure this is okay?" he asked as he turned to pull her closer to his chest. He bent his head and took her mouth in a deep kiss, slipping his tongue into her warmth.
"Its long overdue sailor" she smiled and spoke against his mouth, "McGarrett you big stud, take me to bed or lose me forever" she winked as she said it.
Steve laughed, "Aye, aye ma'am" he swung her up into his arms and headed for the bedroom, "I bet you're itching to take my imaginary hat off and put it on your head instead".
She gave him a wide smile, her arms looped around his neck, "And how did you know that?" she asked.
"Because wife, I know you love those corny movies with men in uniform" he deposited her on the bed, "Is that why you married me?" he kissed her neck and rewarded by her giving more access to her throat.
"What can I say, Maverick was busy, not to mention imaginary so I had to make do" she shrugged casually, all the while smiling at him. "Besides you look way hotter than him".
"I aim to please" he kissed her. He turned sombre then, "You make me so happy and I love you so much, baby. I just want to say I'm sorry for putting you through so much".
Sarah took his face in her small hands and looked deep into his eyes, "Steven J McGarrett, I would not change our lives for a minute" she kissed him on the mouth, "And just for the record, you make me VERY happy as well" she pulled him on top of herself. He didn't need much more encouragement than that to make love to his wife.
A few hours later they lay in bed, just enjoying being together. Steve lay with his head resting on Sarah's heart, listening to it beat steadily. He enjoyed her soothing motions through his now short hair.
"I know how you can make it up to me" she spoke quietly, but he could hear the smile in her voice.
He looked up at her, "And how is that?"
She looked at him very seriously, "You can take me on a really long honeymoon".
He laughed as he reached for her hand, kissed it then kissed her mouth, "I think that can be arranged ma'am" he spoke against her mouth.
Sarah's only response was a deep sigh as she slanted her mouth and proceeded to seduce him into making love again.
Soon they drifted off to sleep, the sound of waves, the knowledge that his mother was sleeping in the house and the soothing sound of Stephie's breathing through the baby monitor surrounded him. The added warmth of his wife's sleeping form in his arms gave him an inner peace he had never imagined he would have in his turbulent life.
As he finally closed his eyes, he couldn't help but think that in that moment his life couldn't be more perfect. He realistically knew that there would be troubled times ahead as any marriage and family faced, but he also knew that they would get through anything that came their way.
The McGarrett's always did.
The End
Having the story end does not mean that Sarah and Steve have ended. I will be adding some short single chapter updates on their lives just as a catch up to see what's going on in their lives.
Thank you once again for all the reviews and support. Knowing that this, my first story ever was so well liked has really encouraged me to write more and become more confident in my abilities as a storyteller.