The Shallow Grave of Secret Longing
Chapter 21
*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0* Hawaii 5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*5-0*
Here's another. Finished it a little earlier than scheduled. Steve's ohana is still hot on his trail and we get to find out a little more about Kekipi and what happened to our wayward SEAL after the ruckus.
Still happily amazed by the response to this story. You guys are awesome, thank you!
Disclaimer: If I made money from this, ninja cats would have a self-cleaning litterbox or at least the servant to whom they seem to think they are entitled to clean it for them.
Kama'aina
He felt hands on him.
They were going through his pockets. He tried to hold still and not give any indication he was awake. He heard voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. The cave floor was damp; the iciness of it seeped into him and he shivered.
He heard a male voice say, "If he doesn't want to tell us who he is, maybe we can find some I.D. Uh oh, he's waking up." Was that in English or Dari? He understood it but in what language was it spoken? His head felt as though it was stuffed with soggy cotton, heavy and dense. It had to be 'them'. It had to be his captors looking for whatever information would be useful to them.
Where were the women and children? He couldn't hear the babies crying anymore. He hoped they'd only been herded elsewhere with their mothers but maybe they were all gone now, maybe they were dead too.
They knew he wouldn't tell them anything. They'd certainly beat him enough to know he wasn't going to give-up any information. Were they planning some other kind of torture? He had nothing else on him. They'd already taken his weapons and his watch. There was nothing else. What do they want?
Gathering himself without trying to be obvious about it, he got ready to fight them off. He knew it would surely be futile but he'd try again. The last few times had only gotten him beat to a pulp but he had to try.
"Hey!" someone yelled as he opened his eyes trying to focus on the blurry forms bent over him. Lurching violently upward, he struck out at the shadowy outlines.
His weak, uncoordinated flailing connected with someone's face. He thought he heard someone yelling for him to stop but he couldn't make out who it might be. He only knew he had to escape. Hands came at him again, pinning him down as he struggled with all his might until it once again became dark and quiet without the sound of children.
….
Danny didn't know whether to be hopeful or not. The guy in the pawnshop had also identified the image displayed on Danny's phone as their wayward SEAL. Okay, they'd established that Steve had spent some time in this neighborhood. It was a start.
"He looked pretty rugged brah." said Louie Lo, the pony-tailed clerk at Island Pawn. "I thought he was just another one of those poor guys who'd just come back from deployment and had partied a little too hard."
Danny's lips thinned as he listened. The watch lay in front of them on the counter. It was definitely Steve's, he seen it often enough and even remembered when his friend had gotten the expensive timepiece. It had arrived at the office via FedEx in a brown cardboard box and when the box was opened, there was a smaller beautifully wrapped package inside.
Catherine hadn't been able to get leave that year for Christmas and her 'not my boyfriend' had been depressed about spending the holidays alone with nothing much to do. He told Danny that in the past, when he hadn't been on deployment, he usually volunteered for duty during the holidays. It freed up others who had families with which to celebrate.
To Danny, even paperwork was preferable to sitting and staring at four walls with only inane reruns of Christmas 'specials' on television. If he saw that stupid animated Rudolph again, he was going to shoot the fucking thing. He was stuck on the island without his daughter because she was spending Christmas with Rachel and her family in England. Steve had become the rock that Danny had clung to in his misery. He didn't even have the money to get back to Jersey for the holidays and wouldn't accept his friend's offer of a loan.
Steve had too easily been talked into opening the beautifully wrapped gift. Despite saying he'd rather wait until Cath could see him open it when she finally got here after the New Year; it hadn't taken much for Danny and the cousins to talk him into tearing off ribbon and paper. Danny always thought it funny his BAMF partner was so childlike when presented with gifts. They seemed to absolutely delight him no matter what they were. At the time, he didn't realize that maybe gifts may have been few and far between since Steve had been sent away from home at such a young age. There'd been no hiding the goofy grin when he put the watch on his wrist for the first time.
Suddenly realizing there was someone waiting expectantly before him, the detective asked, "How much did you give him for it?"
"As much as I'm allowed. The formula worked out to two-hundred dollars. I was sorry I couldn't give him more."
Danny warred with himself. He could wrongly declare the expensive watch 'evidence' and confiscate it until Steve came back. He knew what it had meant to the man and was disturbed that Steve had even chosen to sell it. It just pointed out how desperate he is or how close to doing something 'stupid' as Dr. Esquivel had put it. Frankly, it frightened the crap out of the little detective.
The price tag attached to the band read four-hundred-ninety five dollars plus tax. It may as well have been four-hundred-ninety-five million.
"Could you just hold it here for a while?" he finally asked the clerk.
"I'm sorry brah, I can't do that. I mean I would if I could but as soon as the boss heard what I'd done, he'd just kick my ass and put it back in the window. He'd be yelling about how 'A pawnshop isn't a charity, Louie'," said the clerk, making air quotes around the phrase and lowering his voice into what was probably an imitation of the unseen boss. "Believe me; I've been through it before and I still need this job."
The clerk looked sincerely distressed about it then brightened saying, "I can give you a kama'aina discount if that will help. That's ten-percent off. You live here right?"
"Yeah, but what's a kama'aina?" asked the blonde detective. He'd seen it posted in a few shops but no one had ever offered it to him before.
Kono spoke up. "That's a discount for natives of Hawaii or even just current residents. I always ask if they have one when I buy something."
"Why am I only finding out about this now?" he asks half to himself.
…
"Hey, Rain Man? Wake up boy. We have to get you home before the cops show up."
Cops? Why were cops coming here?
There were other words too but not addressed to him. "That's what you get for going through his pockets."
"I was doing it for you, not me! He could be another Charles Manson for all you know!"
"If he doesn't want us to know his name, that's fine. Just leave it be. Just don't touch him again until he's conscious. It's how Joey used to wake up too. You're lucky. Malu got his nose busted once."
Kip? What was she doing in this cave?
"Rain Man!" You have to wake up now! Wake up dammit!"
He slowly blinked open his eyes and found two very worried looking people staring down at him. One of them was holding a bloody tissue under one nostril.
"What happened?" he croaked out, recognizing his breakfast companion and the hardware store clerk he'd seen earlier.
"You trashed some really stupid guys." said the clerk, his voice sounding muffled behind the wad of Kleenex.
"Stupid guys?" he repeated, in confusion. His face hurt. His chest hurt. What the hell . . . ?"
Hands reached down for him and this time he didn't fight them. They tugged him to his feet where he swayed and wobbled as the ground refused to stand still under him. His wary observers gingerly took an arm on each side to steady him.
"We have to get the hell out of here before the cops, err make that 'the cop' shows up." warned Kip.
"Don't worry, we don't actually have to run or anything, brah" said the clerk, stuffing the tissue into his pocket; his nose apparently no longer bleeding. "He's as old and fat as that dog of Kip's. It will take a while for him to get his butt in gear and get here but I wouldn't wait too long 'cause he's probably as mean as that 'ilio too."
He heard the old woman say, "Oh, shut it Howard. Even, you'd be mean if you were treated the way that dog had been - though I don't know about Sargent Hakoda's problem. Maybe he was just born that way."
"I always thought maybe it was 'cause he probably wore his bibidees too tight."
"Come on Rain Man, maybe those marbles in your head have stopped rolling around enough for us to get to my place. It's not too far."
With both people supporting him, they walked/staggered up the muddy street and turned left onto the dirt road that ran up the hillside just outside of town. It was true, it wasn't too far but under the circumstances, it may as well have been a ten mile hike. After only a little way, he was wheezing as though he'd run a marathon.
By the time they arrived at a small house on top of a hill behind a bigger hill that hid it from view of town, he was completely winded. His head and chest ached unmercifully and the dizziness threatened to roil his stomach enough for it to give up his recently ingested pancakes.
With her ample backside, Kip pushed open the door and they staggered into the small living room and across it through the archway into the kitchen.
"Can't go any farther, sorry. Gotta rest for a minute." he gasped as the spots once again began to dance around in his vision.
"It's okay, boy, we'll just set you down right here for now." She took a chair and pushed it behind his knees and he sagged into it, leaning forward to place his head on the kitchen table that was halfway covered with a giant puzzle of puppies and kittens in a big wicker basket.
"Howard, you'd better get back to the store before those kolohes realize you're not there and rob you blind."
"I don't really think they're in any shape to rob anyone right now. You sure you're okay with this guy?" asked Howard, concern for Kip showing on his lined brown face.
"Yeah, don't worry. Ua Kane and I are old friends." she assured him.
He looked at her with doubt but reluctantly went toward the door. "Call me if there's any trouble Kip."
"I think 'trouble' already got its ass kicked today." she smiled back at him, not hiding the fondness in her expression. "Just go Howard . . . and remember to put some ice on your nose!"
"I'm sorry Kip. I didn't mean for you to get involved in this mess." she heard McGarrett's muffled voice from where he'd placed his head on arms folded on the table in front of him. "Is Howard okay? Am I the one who gave him the nosebleed? I'm sorry, it's just sometimes I'm confused about things."
"No worries, boy. Howard's tougher than he looks and, besides, those little assholes had it coming. I'm just glad I could help you give 'em what they deserved. They've caused enough trouble around here. You were doing a pretty good job though until Jimmy Waiwaiola joined in. You'd already wrecked his brother Timmy."
She went to the sink to get a large pot and fill it with warm water then to the bathroom to get some antiseptic, gauze and tape.
Returning to the table and her battered friend she said, "Here, let me look at your face."
She took his chin in her hand to raise his head and examined the bloody gash on his cheekbone and the forming bruise beneath it and the other one on his temple. Muttering oaths to herself, she gently cleaned it, trying to wash away the embedded dirt from the walkway he'd crashed onto. He didn't make a sound or even wince. His long lashes were fanned out on his pale cheeks and it made him look so much younger than he'd first appeared. So, so familiar . . . she thought for the umpteenth time.
"Where else does it hurt?" she asked, knowing he probably had worse injuries than were apparent.
"I'm okay."
"I didn't ask you if you were okay boy. I asked you where else you're hurt." she said in a stern, no-nonsense voice.
"Are you always this pushy?" he smiled with his eyes still closed. "You remind me of someone I know."
"Bet your ass. I'm the scourge of man and beast around here. They all know I mean business. Just ask those idiot goats." she smiled.
"I bet you are." He smiled back, eyes till closed. "Uhh, do you mean real goats or is that another name for those lolo punks?"
"No distractions boy. I asked you what else hurts." she admonished. Okay, she thought, he's just trying to distract me or he has a case of ADD. There's gotta be more to his injuries.
"Sorry, uhh chest and ribs."
Those Waiwaiola boys were pretty strong and didn't hesitate to use that strength to push people around. That little group of assholes had been plaguing the town for over a year. They were the reason people had begun to lock their doors. People's belongings had begun to mysteriously disappear and she'd noticed the new shoes, clothing and electronics they all suddenly seemed to have.
She felt along his ribs and wasn't surprised when he flinched as she got about halfway down his left side but he still didn't make a sound.
"You got at least one busted rib." she announced. "Not much we can do for that but maybe use an Ace bandage to wrap them up. "That alright with you?"
"Yeah, fine. I'm really sorry to put you through . . . "
"Shut up." she ordered. "I don't want to hear that again."
"Okay." he said meekly.
"Good boy." she smiled, looking at his bruised face. He hadn't opened his eyes during the entire process. She figured he maybe had a concussion that made opening them result in dizziness. He looks so familiar and he seems to know the language too well to be just a random haole, she thought as she began uncapping the tube of antibacterial ointment she usually used on the rabbit. It was like there was a memory lurking in her brain just waiting to make itself known.
"I'm going to get the bandage for your ribs and some tea and aspirin and then you're going to lay down." she ordered. Tonight she'd have to watch him and wake him every few hours.
"Kip, really, you don't have to babysit me. I'm good."
"My ass!" she replied "Just shut up and accept that you've just been beat to shit and that you're not going anywhere. Remember, I still have that bat."
"Yes ma'am."
"Good boy."
….
He felt someone staring at him. He knew he was lying on a bed this time but not where that bed may be. He tried to move and it made his ribs hurt unmercifully but he didn't make a sound and wouldn't until he figured out where he was.
Turning his head, he opened his eyes and saw a green eye, just one, staring unblinkingly at him. It startled him into sitting up abruptly which he instantly regretted. The room spun and it felt as though a mule, a very large and angry one, had kicked him in the ribs.
"Shit!" he groaned as he tried to get his eyes to focus again, hoping the disturbance in his vision wouldn't set off any nausea. Puking right now would really, really hurt.
"You okay in there?" he heard Kip's voice from the open doorway. Oh yeah, this was her house, her bed.
"Uhh, yeah, I think." He called back to her, his voice hoarse sounding and foreign to his ears.
"Don't let Jack bother you. He just likes to stare at stuff. You're just a new thing to stare at."
Jack, he assumed was the big ginger cat that sat on the pillow next to where his head had been. Its one eye examined him carefully, tail twitching in irritation at the abrupt movement of his current object of fascination.
"Does he bite?" asked McGarrett, not yet wanting to risk touching the big one-eyed tomcat.
"Not unless you bite him first. He's too lazy." said Kip from the kitchen, the sound of pots and pans adding background to her voice.
He sat still for another moment as the rocking ocean of his vision seemed to subside. Cautiously, he swung his legs to the floor and was surprised to find himself dressed in pajamas. He didn't remember getting undressed . . . oh crap.
The big cat's unblinking stare was creeping him out. He could feel it watching from behind him.
Jack raptly studied the man who tried to stand and lost his balance to plop gracelessly back onto the mattress. The animal's unblinking gaze only gave the SEAL more initiative to get out of bed and find out what had happened since he'd been so out of it.
The clock on the bedstand read four-thirty-five and he could see through the half open curtains of the small bedroom that the sun was at a low angle. That meant that he'd been asleep for at least five or six hours. He didn't remember dreaming. That was strange. Any time he'd fallen asleep for longer than a couple of hours, the nightmares would wake him.
The cat continued to stare.
Able to stand on his second try, he moved a little unsteadily into the kitchen. Kip looked up from a steaming pot on the stove and smiled a greeting. The steam from the bubbling pot had made her thick hair frizz up and mass on her head like a fluffy grey cloud. If it weren't for the color, she'd actually appear a lot younger. Her face was smooth and nearly unlined and her dark eyes were bright with what could best be described as mischief.
"So, Ua Kane, I guess that tea helped?" she smiled, "You've been asleep for about five hours. I woke you a couple of times to make sure you weren't in a coma or anything but you just mumbled something and went back to sleep."
"I don't remember that or even drinking any tea." he said unsurely, "What kind of tea was it?"
"A little of this and a little of that. All stuff you can find growing on the island. My mother used to give it to us kids to quiet us down when we got too rambunctious for her. I guess drugging your kids is illegal these days but it didn't seem to hurt us any. My brothers have actually stopped twitching and drooling now."
He blinked at her open mouthed for a moment before realizing she was pulling his leg. He smiled back at her shaking his head then regretting it when the room began to spin again and he grabbed for the back of one of the kitchen chairs.
"Sit down Rain Man before you kiss the floor. Scrawny as you are, you're still too big for me to drag you back to the bed. Don't make an old lady work that hard. It's not polite."
"Rebellion, huh?"
"Bet your ass."
Suddenly, from outside, came a chorus of barks and bleats and honks. It sounded as though Noah's ark had disembarked in the front yard.
"Shit." exclaimed Kip, "I bet that's the cop."
Steve looked alarmed and his eyes darted toward the back door. No way was he spending any more time locked up somewhere.
Kip turned her head toward the front door and when she turned back again to tell Steve not to worry, he was gone.
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Reviews would make me do somersaults. (Well, anyway, I'd be thinking it in my head). ETA for next chapter is five to seven days.