AN: Chapter posting seems wonky again... this one is up as of July 20 (Happy Moon Landing Day!)

Chapter 26

"Cassandra," the NASA Administrator's voice called from down the hall in his standard greeting for her. Cassie looked up to see her boss standing in front of his office with two Navy officers. She smiled, thinking these two men were meeting with him, then she recognized one of them as Steve's friend Robbie. She frowned and his next words stopped her cold. "These gentlemen were looking for you."

The blood drained out of her face and she put a hand out to catch herself on the wall. Robbie moved toward her, reaching out an arm for support. She shook her head and stood up straight. She couldn't ask the question, though, so Robbie just held out a phone and said, "McGarrett."

Cassie's hand shook as she took the phone. "Steve?"

Steve got right to the point. "He's alive. It's… bad, though. Can you leave?"

Knowing that Steve wouldn't ask unless it was critical, and knowing that she'd go even if she couldn't, she said, "I'll get the first plane out."

"It's covered. You're on a transport from Andrews. They're holding it for you; Robbie will get you on base."

"Steve…"

"Just… just get here, Cass." The call disconnected, and Cassie stared at the phone for a second.

"I have to go," she said, almost to herself. She could barely hear her boss ask Robbie what had happened over the roaring in her ears and the other man responding.

The other officer came out of her office carrying her purse and computer bag. "Ma'am, if you'll follow us?"

Cassie made it out of the building somehow and into the car. It was the fastest drive she'd ever had to Andrews; Robbie didn't have lights and a siren, but he drove like he did. He talked most of the way, telling her what he knew. "It was an active shooter situation, but the guy also had explosives. Danny was caught by part of the building coming down while he was getting people out. They airlifted him to Queen's. McGarrett called me before they took off and again after they got to the hospital." As they pulled off the Beltway onto the base access road, Robbie said, "You'll be in the air about ten hours, flying with a SEAL team headed out to Pearl for training. Steve said he or one of the team will meet you at the airfield."

Cassie's phone rang, causing her to jump. She hurriedly fished it out of her purse and saw it was her brother.

Zach didn't even let her say hello. "Hey, sis, I don't want to worry you, but we just heard about a thing in Honolulu. Have you talked to Danny today?"

She tried to hold it together but her voice broke as she said, "Steve is putting me on a plane from Andrews right now. He's alive, but it's bad." Before Zach could say anything else, she asked, "Can you call Mom and Dad and let them know? I don't know if I'll be able to call from the plane."

Zach said, "Will do. Call when you know more, and if you want me to come out there, just say the word."

Robbie got her on the plane and the members of the SEAL team got her settled. Cassie vaguely thought that Steve had either called in a lot of favors, or he owed a lot of new ones, to make this happen.

Ten excruciating hours later when the plane landed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Kono and Lou were waiting for her when she walked off the aircraft, Lou's SUV parked as close to the plane as he could get. Cassie actually felt better seeing them, knowing that if Danny hadn't made it, Steve would be there to tell her.

Kono enveloped her in a tight hug. "It's better than they thought at first," she said. "He's out of surgery."

Lou hugged her as well. "McGarrett didn't want to leave him or Grace, otherwise he would have been here."

Cassie nodded. "Good. Let's go."

While Lou drove, Kono sat in the backseat and told Cassie what had happened, ending with Danny saving the life of a young girl. "There's no way she would have made if Danny hadn't gone back for her, then shielded her when the building came down. She's got some ear damage and cuts and bruises, but the doc says they'll clear up on their own."

Lou added, "There's no way any of those kids or adults would have made it if Danny hadn't gotten them out. The kids didn't even realize things were that bad because he kept them calm and moving." Lou sighed. "He managed to get enough cover to keep anything big from landing on them but there was a lot of flying debris. His vest stopped some of it, but he got pretty banged up. He was losing blood when they got him in the bus and they were worried about internal bleeding, as well as his lungs with all the smoke and dust." Kono caught his eye in the rear-view mirror, so he added, "He's tough. You know that. Not going to let a little thing like this keep him down for long."

Cassie nodded, her face pale with worry, and Lou stepped on the gas pedal a little harder.

When they got to the hospital, Lou cleared the way through the halls with the speed of a running back and the presence of a blocking tackle, Kono flanking Cassie in case she needed a hand. The whole team was gathered in the ICU hallway, along with Grace, Max, and Adam, sitting in the uncomfortable chairs.

Grace saw Cassie first; she shifted in her chair, but hesitated. Cassie stopped, and whatever Grace saw on her face overcame any hesitation. The teenager flew down the hall and threw herself at Cassie, who caught her, arms wrapping around the girl, holding tightly. The two clung together wordlessly. Steve stood and moved toward them. Cassie's eyes tracked him, trying to discern his expression. He put a hand on Grace's back; she let go of Cassie, but didn't move more than a step back.

Steve reached over Grace's head to hug Cassie. "They're keeping him sedated a little while longer, but the surgery went well."

She held on for another second, then pulled back to look at Steve. "When can I see him?"

"Probably when they move him out of ICU. The doc should be here shortly to give us an update." Cassie nodded. Steve could tell she didn't know what to do. He gave her another hug and said, "It's going to be okay, Cass. I promise."

Grace pulled her over to the chairs and tucked herself under Cassie's arm as they sat down. On the other side, Chin leaned over and gave her a hug with one arm. Steve sat back down on the other side of Grace and they waited.

When the doctor came out, he took in the large group in the hallway, and then looked at Steve. "Commander McGarrett, I think it would be better if we talked somewhere private."

Steve nodded and looked at Grace. "Gracie, do you want to come with me and Cassie or wait for us to fill you in?"

Grace sat up straighter at being treated like an adult by her uncle and said, "I'd like to come with you."

Cassie looked at Steve with a silent question on her face. He gave her an even look back. "Of course you are. You know Danny would want you there." Grace grabbed Cassie's hand and nodded.

The doctor looked like he was going to object. Steve fixed him with a cold, resolved stare and Chin said kindly, "You're not going to win this one, doc."

The doctor looked around at the people gathered in the hall, and they all looked back at him with determined expressions. "Right, then. Please come with me," the doctor said.

The doctor outlined Danny's injuries and what they'd done in the surgery. Danny had been hit by something that caused a large cut on his leg, which was where most of the blood loss happened, and they'd had to repair an artery. He'd also suffered smoke inhalation and bruised ribs, in addition to other smaller cuts and bruises. The doctor was optimistic, but wanted to keep a close eye on Danny to see how he did overnight. Although Danny still had a fair amount of recovery in front of him, if no new problems cropped up, he was likely going to be okay.

Danny heard the soft hum and beep of the machines first, then felt the heaviness of the IV line in his arm and oxygen thing in his nose. Somewhat incongruously he thought, oh that's good, at least there's not a tube down my throat. He thought there might have been, before, but he wasn't sure he'd actually been awake. Too many times in a hospital bed to remember which is which.

He tried to move his head, but that was a bad idea, so he twitched his fingers. Better. They brushed against something soft, and he thought about that for a second. He twitched his fingers again, and thought hair. Not-short hair. Grace? He struggled to open his eyes so he could see. The hair resting next to his hand wasn't brown like his daughter's, but he knew that color.

Cassie. Why was Cassie here? Oh. Right. Hospital. IV. Something really bad had happened to him. Don't think about it right now. Hurts to remember, so think about it later. Except… Steve. Steve had been outside. And Cassie was here. And Danny knew Steve was the reason she was here.

His fingers continued to twitch over the strands of hair, and he wasn't surprised when she gave a little start, then slowly lifted her head. "He...y, babe." His voice sounded awful, he thought. There had definitely been a tube down his throat. "Whatcha doin here?"

She blinked slowly and said, "Steve put me on a C-17 from Andrews."

"'Course he did." He tried to remember more. "How long have I been here?"

"So far?" She looked at her watch. "Forty-six hours and fifty-two minutes."

"How long've you been here?"

Cassie tilted her head. "Thirty-six hours and three minutes." Danny tried to move his head, but she reached out to stop him. "You're wired up, babe. Don't move. I'm going to get the doctor, okay?"

"Don't leave."

The smile she turned on him could have put stars to shame. "Love, I'm not going anywhere." She hit his call button and it wasn't but a few seconds before a nurse hurried in.

The older woman grinned. "Looks like our patient decided to join the party." She began checking machines and looking over Danny. "You've had quite the crowd waiting on you to wake up, Detective Williams."

For some reason, that triggered part of Danny's memory. "Kids?"

"Safe. Including the little girl you went back for," Cassie said. Danny vaguely remembered blond hair covered by dust. "Her parents have stopped by a couple of times."

"Steve?"

"I finally managed to talk him into going home for a few hours. He's going to be upset he missed you waking up." Danny tried to give her a look. "Grace has been taking care of both of us, I promise. She made me go home a few hours ago."

"She's okay?"

"She's good. She's been… really, Danny, she's been amazing. She's been taking care of Steve and me while the team works."

Danny couldn't resist the pull of sleep, but he had to know. "Case?"

"New one. Nothing you need to worry about. Chin, Kono, and Lou have it covered. Go back to sleep, love. We'll be here when you wake up again."

The next time, it was easier to open his eyes. He felt a little less hazy, and this time he opened his eyes to find his partner sitting next to his bed. "Look like shit, babe. Whatcha been doing?"

Steve sat up straight, then leaned forward. "Watching you sleep, Danno. It's boring as hell, man."

Danny tried to laugh. "How many doctors have you scared since I got here?"

Steve snorted. "One." He thought for a moment. "Cassie got the rest of them."

Danny found it easier to grin, too. "You two."

"Grace is on her way back with Cassie. Think you can stay awake long enough to see them?"

"I'll try." He wanted to talk more, but it was easier just to lay there while Steve sat quietly with him. He may have slipped back into a light sleep, but when Cassie and Grace entered the room he heard them and opened his eyes.

Grace was at his bedside immediately. "Danno! You're awake!"

"Hey, Monkey." He struggled to sit up more, and Steve put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Stop it, Danny. You're not supposed to move," his partner said.

Danny, gasping for breath from that little bit of exertion, agree. "Now you tell me."

"I didn't think you'd try to jump out of bed two days after a building blew up and fell on you," Steve said, exasperated.

Danny snorted weakly. "No, that's your play."

Steve and Cassie shared a relieved look at how normal he sounded. "I always knew you wanted to be more like me, partner," Steve said.

"Yeah, it took my second near-death experience with a collapsing building to show me the error of my ways." Grace and Cassie both went still. Danny sighed and said to them, "I'm on pain meds and have no filter. Ignore everything I say, okay?"

"So, status quo?" Steve said, standing and directing Grace to sit down in his place.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, status quo." He looked at his daughter, then at Cassie.

Cassie nodded and said, "Steve, I saw some flowers and things for Danny at the nurse's desk. Come with me to get them?"

Steve started to object, but saw Danny give him a nod. "Yes, ma'am. Gracie, you want us to bring you back anything?" She shook her head.

Danny said, "What about me? I might want something."

Steve smirked. "I'm sorry, I thought I was supposed to ignore everything you say."

"Go away, Steven." After Cassie prodded his partner out the door, Danny held his hand out to his daughter. She took it, and Danny said, "I'm okay, Monkey."

"I know, Danno. But it was scary."

Danny thought about what to say. "I'm sorry I scared you."

Grace shook her head. "You were doing what you always do and taking care of everyone. You saved a lot of people." Danny tried to wave a hand, but the IV got in the way. Grace got a stubborn expression on her face that Danny recognized from looking in a mirror. "You did and there are a lot of people who want to say thank you. You should let them, Dad."

Danny couldn't argue with his little girl, so he gave him more or less gracefully. "I hear you've been taking care of people, too."

Grace sat back with a thump. "I thought you were bad, Danno. Cassie and Uncle Steve are way worse than you are." Her expression softened. "Really, we've been taking care of each other."

Danny nodded a tiny bit. "Good."

Danny's eyes started to droop and Grace said, "Sleep, Danno, so you get better fast." Danny tried to nod again, but he was already out.

By the end of the next day, Danny was able to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time. Better yet, he was able to move if he did it slowly and carefully. His doctors wanted him up walking as soon as could, so he was trying to push himself in that direction.

The team rotated through his room, sitting by the bed and keeping him entertained. Cassie was there more often than not, and Grace was there after school.

The nurse made them all go home that night, and as much as Danny wanted to be near Cassie, he also wanted her to get a good night's sleep. She was back the next morning, looking better and more rested.

And because she was amazing, she snuck in malasadas and coffee, even though she wouldn't let him have much of either.

Danny made it down the hall and back for the second time that day, and had just settled back into the bed to wait for the doctor to stop by on his morning rounds when Governor Denning walked into the room.

Denning shook Danny's hand. "Detective Williams, I wanted to stop by and see how you were doing in person. And say thank you."

Danny looked embarrassed, but also proud. "I didn't do anything the rest of my team wouldn't have done."

"Still, if you hadn't gotten those kids out, they still would have been in the building when it collapsed, and from what they say, you made sure they all got out safely. I imagine we'll have a more formal recognition ceremony when you're up for it - at the very least, you've earned a public thank you for your actions."

Danny grimaced. "Really, that's not necessary."

Denning laughed lightly. "Oh, yes, it is." He looked over at Cassie. "Ms. Wallace, I'll make sure we schedule it at a time when you're here."

"I'd appreciate that."

Denning shook Danny's hand again and told him to get some rest. Before he left, he asked Cassie if she would walk him out.

Out in the hallway, Denning stopped and said, "Can I ask you a candid question, Ms. Wallace?"

"If you'll call me Cassie, then of course."

Denning smiled. "Cassie. Are you planning on moving to Hawaii?" She looked surprised, and he continued. "Sorry, that was a bit direct, I know. But if I can offer some incentive for you… Linda Hale is leaving her job running the Council on Innovation and Technology."

Cassie looked up, worried, and Denning reassured her. "For the best of reasons. Her older son and his girlfriend just found out that they're having a baby, so Linda and her husband are moving to California to be there and help out while they both finish their last year of college. She's delighted and although I hate to lose her, family comes first. She and I were talking about who might take her place, and your name came up."

Cassie was stunned and it took her a second to ask, "You're offering me a job?"

Denning nodded. "I'm asking you to seriously consider it. I'm guessing there are any number of companies here that would jump at the chance to have someone with your background on the payroll, and I know Jack Kahele at HDEM would take you in a heartbeat. But Linda suggested that you would be able to both follow her work and create new opportunities, and I agree."

"I'm honored, Governor. Linda's done amazing work with CIT and she's going to be a hard act to follow."

"Is that a yes?"

Cassie studied him and hesitated. "I have to ask one question. It's not because..." she looked back in the direction of Danny's room.

"No." Denning said firmly. "I would certainly have offered you any assistance I could for Detective Williams' sake, just as I would any of my people, but there's not a doubt in my mind that you are the best person for this position right now. I believe you can help us bring in new industries to Hawaii, create programs that help our students, and I think you can be an example of someone who moved here and found not only a welcoming place, but a new ohana."

"That's…" she paused, looking for the right words but didn't find them. So instead, she straightened up and said, "Thank you, Governor."

He chuckled. "Is that a yes?"

Cassie smiled brilliantly. "Yes."

She walked back into Danny's room a few minutes later, looking a bit stunned. Danny cocked his head, worried. "Everything okay, babe?"

Cassie mirrored his tilted head. "Hey, um, what do you think about me working for the governor?"

His eyebrows shot up. "Here?"

Her mouth quirked. "I hope so." Cassie perched on the edge of his bed. "Linda and Tom are moving to California to be near one of their sons, and she suggested that I take her place."

Danny thought it over for about a quarter of a second. "You're perfect for that job. Denning's smart to recognize that."

"So, you're okay if I take it?"

He held a hand to his chest. "Cass, I'm fine if you want to start your own company or write the great American novel or give boat tours. If you're happy, I'm happy." She looked down, picking at the edge of the sheet. He reached out for her hand. "Hey. Do you want the job?"

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I really do. Working at the state level would let me really make a difference more directly. I think I could be good at it."

Danny grinned at her. "So. You're taking the job?"

She lifted one shoulder and dropped it. "Well, since I already told the governor yes…" She grinned back at him.

The nurse walked in a few minutes later to let the detective know it would be a few more minutes before the doctor was able to see him, but she backed out slowly, since the detective was obviously keeping busy while he waited, deciding to give her charge and his lovely girlfriend another minute of privacy first.

Danny was even stronger the next day, though the doctor wanted him to stay another two days or so just to make sure he was healing well. Grace thought that sounded reasonable and wouldn't let her father argue with the doctor. When Danny looked to Cassie for support, his darling girlfriend merely shook her head at him and gave Grace a thumbs up.

Cassie and Grace ate dinner with Danny, and he pretended to grumble at Grace after she stole his jello and ate it. Grace laughed and promised Danny that he could steal bites of her pie next time they went to the diner.

Cassie drove Grace home after she'd spent a couple of hours with her dad. Grace sighed as they approached her house. It was so much like being in the car with Danny, Cassie thought. "What's up, kiddo?"

"Why can't I go home to Danno's with you?"

Cassie nodded, less in agreement and more to stall for time while she thought of a way to answer. "You know I would be okay with that, right?" Grace nodded. "And your dad doesn't have a problem with it."

"I know. He doesn't want to upset my mom."

"That's right."

"Why? It's not fair." It was such a teenage thing to say, but Cassie understood Grace's frustration. "She never worries about upsetting him."

Cassie tilted her head. "Maybe not, but I think that's because she's trying to protect you the best way she knows how."

"I don't need protecting. I'm not a little kid."

"Everybody needs protecting, Grace." Grace shot her a betrayed look and Cassie shook her head. "It's not a kid or an adult thing. We all need someone looking out for us. Your dad protects me, Uncle Steve protects your dad…"

"It's an ohana thing."

"Exactly. We all watch out for each other. And parents, well, it's hard for them not to protect their kids. Your mom's doing her best."

Grace thought about it. "She wouldn't have to know. I could tell her Uncle Steve was staying with me."

Cassie snorted. "Not a chance, kiddo. That's the biggest non-starter of all non-starters."

Grace nodded, not really surprised. "You know, technically, you were my friend first."

Cassie tried not to laugh. "This is true, and as your friend, I will always, always, be here for you. If we're not at your dad's, you can always call me or text. Just don't lie to your mom about it. And if you want to go to your dad's and stay for a bit, I will talk to him about talking to your mom. Key word there is that we're all talking to each other." Cassie pulled the car up by the driveway gate. "Okay?"

Grace undid her seatbelt and flung herself across the console to hug Cassie. "Thank you! Love you, Cassie."

"Love you, too, Gracie. I'll see you tomorrow."

Grace grabbed her backpack and nodded, and got out of the car. Cassie watched her go, blindly grabbing for her phone and dialing.

As the call connected, she heard, "Hey, girl. Everything okay?"

Cassie said, "Tell me I did the right thing, Jen."

She told Jen about her conversation with Grace, and her sister-in-law assured her she had handled it well. She was still on the phone when she got back to the hospital and saw Danny and Steve sitting on a bench out front.

"Look at you!" she called as she walked toward them after telling Jen she'd talk to her later. She kissed Danny's cheek and said, "How do you feel?"

"Like SuperSEAL is going to have to combat carry me back to the room." Both Steve and Cassie looked worried, and Danny waved a dismissive hand at them. "I'm fine. Give me a few minutes to enjoy the sun and I'll be ready to go back."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "Enjoy the sun? Danno, you sure you're feeling okay?"

"You're very funny, Steven." Danny noticed that Cassie seemed tired or troubled; he couldn't tell. "Hey, give us a minute, would you? And then, yes, I will need your help to get back to the room."

Steve immediately looked at Cassie and caught the same thing Danny had seen. He nodded. "Call me when you're ready."

Danny tugged at Cassie's hand to get her to sit by him. "What's wrong, babe?"

Cassie half laughed. "See, this is the thing when your boyfriend and all his best friends are trained investigators. I'm never going to be able to get anything past you, am I?"

Danny pursed his lips. "Tell me you're fine, or don't want to talk about it, and I'll give you space. But I can tell something's bothering you."

"Not bothering me, just… I thought I might have gotten in over my head with Grace, and I needed to call Jen to get some advice." Danny waited patiently to see if she wanted to tell him more. She told him about the conversation, and when she was done, he nodded.

"You did good, babe. I wouldn't have said anything differently." He ran a hand over his head. "I might need to have a conversation with her, though, about not telling her mother things."

Cassie shook her head. "I don't think you need to do that. She knew it wouldn't fly. Jen said she was just testing boundaries."

Danny gave her a small grin. "Protecting her, are you?" Cassie started to protest and he reached for her hand. "Thank you. For handling it and for protecting her." He tugged her closer for a kiss. "Would you be okay staying with her at the house?"

"Of course."

Danny studied her, wondering if she was wanted Grace to stay there because she needed company. "You know, you can always go stay at Steve's if you're lonely. Or with Chin. Maybe he'll let you drive the Mustang." He grinned at her.

Cassie laughed a little. "I know. They've both tried to convince me, but Steve would hover and Chin would be quietly concerned, and it's sweet, but I'd rather be at your place. And I'm pretty sure that Steve has extra patrols driving past your house when I'm there so I'll feel safe."

"You sure you want teenage company then?"

Cassie nodded. "Having Grace there isn't about me wanting company. She needs to be there, I think so that she feels like she's closer to you. And I think we might need each other right now."

Danny nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll talk to Rachel." And there it was, a tiny flinch. So that's what was bothering her, he thought. He replayed the conversation in his head. Ah. "You agree with Grace about Rachel?" he asked gently.

"I'm never going to say anything bad about her mom, not to Grace and not in front of her. You don't have to worry about that."

"I'm not worried, babe, not about that. But that's not what I asked."

Cassie sighed. "She has a point. Rachel doesn't seem to care if she upsets you. And, yeah, I kind of have a problem with that."

Danny couldn't hide a small smile. "You protecting me, too?" She wrinkled her nose and nodded. "I love you, you know that?" he said.

Cassie smiled in response. "I do know that."

"Come here, babe." He tugged her closer, letting her do most of the work since it hurt to lean. He kissed her as thoroughly as he could, which granted, wasn't much, but he gave it a solid effort. "I'm going to need a raincheck on the rest of that, okay?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Cassie said.

"Yeah, me, too." He sighed. "As far as Rachel goes, you don't have to worry about me."

"I know I don't have to, but I do."

"Yeah, I know and I love you for that." Danny tilted his head and shrugged. "For a few other things, too, if we're being honest."

Cassie smiled and carefully leaned her head against his shoulder. Danny sat there in the sun with the woman he loved and enjoyed being alive.