Chin and Kono were relieved when they got the call from Gutches that McGarrett had been found and was on the way to Queens. The chopper they were in flew in low over the house and landed near the beach. Several shots were fired at them before they exited the craft, but they were able to return fire and find cover.

"Kono, cover me!" Chin ordered and waited for her to get into position before racing across the ten yards of open ground. Several shots rang out, kicking up dirt near his feet until Kono managed to take one of the men down. Terrance Martin and Jerry Cox had exited the chopper and were making their way toward the house.

Kono knew from the information Gutches had given them that they were dealing with six people. Five if her shot was true and the man was down for good, but she couldn't count on that yet. She'd seen a man near the pool area and patiently waited for him to show enough of himself for her to shot to count. It took less than a minute before he raised up enough for her to fire and she knew she'd hit him when he was thrown across the ground and didn't move.

Chin smiled at the shot his cousin had made and knew she was a damn good marksman. He was proud of Kono and knew she could probably outshoot him in target practice, whether stationary or moving. He was glad Steve had given her a chance to shine, and that's exactly what she was doing.

"Chin, behind you!" Kono called, relieved when her cousin took down the man who was sneaking up behind him.

"Don't shoot…we're coming out!"

"Keep your hands where we can see them!" Chin ordered as the front door opened and two people stepped outside. He recognized them from the pictures they had, but didn't see Paulina Donaldson.

"We give up!" Toshi told them.

"Where's Paulina Donaldson?" Kono asked as Gutches team checked the three men who'd been walking the perimeter.

"We not know…she leave before you get here," Asami answered.

Kono looked at the smaller woman as her instincts kicked in. There was something about Asami Ito that was like biting on tinfoil. Her husband stood beside her, but she knew it was Asami who called the shots and she quickly put the cuffs on the woman as Chin did the same with Toshi.

"I'm going to check the house," Chin told her.

"Be careful," Kono warned as Jerry Cox followed her cousin through the main door.

"Paulina made us help her!"

"Shut up, Toshi," Asami ordered, smiling when her husband cowered away from her.

"Why? She left us here to fend for ourselves and it is time we realized she used us," Toshi snapped.

"We would have died long ago if she had not rescued us from the streets. You should remember and remain loyal to her."

"Not anymore," Toshi said. "What of our son? Are you willing to let those people hurt him?"

"If Kishi helped McGarrett then he deserves whatever they do to him!"

"How can you say that? How can you turn your back on him?"

"I do what I must to survive and remain loyal. Paulina will come back for me and when she does I will tell her of your betrayal."

"Do what you will, but you should know I will be asking for a divorce."

"A divorce. You are such a fool, Toshi. We will be in jail and I don't think they will give a damn about whether we are married or not," Asami said and turned her back on him.

Kono looked at the woman and quickly read them both their rights before turning to Toshi Ito. The man could not meet her eyes, but she understood this was the week link and the person who would tell them what they needed to know.

"I do not need a lawyer. I feel shame for my part in this and will cooperate with the police. Please tell me when you find my son. He is helping Steve McGarrett."

"If you cooperate I'll put in a good word with the DA," Kono said as Chin returned with another woman in cuffs.

"I was forced to do as she said," the woman said and looked to Kono for sympathy.

"Save it for the judge," Chin snapped. "Did you read them their rights?"

"I did, but Toshi is ready to cooperate," Kono answered as a boat pulled up to the dock. This house was situated so the only way in was by air or water. You could walk in, but there were no roads and that was probably why Paulina had chosen it. She didn't recognize the officers, but she was glad to turn the prisoners over to them and follow Martin and Cox to the helicopter after they identified themselves and updated the police.

5050505050

Paulina smiled inwardly as she drove the small speedboat away from the hidden dock. She hadn't told Asami or the others about this addition to the property because it was her last refuge, last chance to escape. She knew exactly where she was going and had called ahead to make sure everything was ready for her.

She thought about the people she'd left at the house and how close she'd come to being caught. The exhilaration she felt made her heady and she knew there was only one thing that could make her whole. She would hide, biding her time until she could visit Steve McGarrett. She'd already left a trail that would make the police believe she'd left the country.

Paulina knew she'd made some basic mistakes with Steve, but she could fix those. All it took was money and contacts and she had plenty of both. The place she was headed for belonged to an elderly couple who had passed away many years ago and left everything to her. Of course, they'd thought she was their great-granddaughter and who was she to ruin their happiness.

She was lucky she'd spotted the helicopter while on the terrace and instincts that had kept her alive and free had kicked in. Without a word to anyone and not even stopping to collect her things, she'd quickly made her way through the thick brush to the dock where this craft was waiting. There'd been gunshots shortly after she'd reached the boat, but she didn't regret leaving them behind. After all, they were well paid for what they'd done and she didn't deserve to be caught just because she saw what she wanted and wasn't afraid to take it.

What was it with men like Steve McGarrett? Why did they keep putting their lives on the line for people who didn't give a damn about them? They should be ready and willing to embrace the lifestyle she so willingly offered. Men were stupid creatures and seemed to think they could save the world and be the hero people wanted. She would gladly show him how wrong that was when they were together again, and they would be together again no matter how hard others tried to keep them apart.

Paulina smiled as she continued toward her final destination and thought about how she could arrange a reunion with Steve McGarrett. She understood that he wouldn't come willingly, but if she had something he cared about then he would do what he'd been conditioned to do. He'd play the knight in shining armor and come to her.

Catherine Rollins would be a good choice, but the bitch was out on maneuvers somewhere and unattainable. Danny Williams was a good bet as were Chin Ho Kelly, and Kono Kalakaua, but they were extremely dangerous. There was another way, but it would be dangerous and would bring down the wrath of New Jersey on her.

Grace and Charles Williams would make the perfect bait for her trap, but it would make her an even bigger target with Danny Williams. She could probably kill him if she needed too, or she could make him understand that she would give his children back if he gave her back her lover. She could handle him, especially if she threatened his children, and Steve would gladly turn himself over to her if he thought she would give them up for him.

It was time to rethink her plan and find a way to bring him back into her loving arms forever. Perhaps that was for the best…perhaps if she made a suicide pact with or without his knowledge then they would be together forever. If she couldn't have him in life, then surely she could have him in death.

"Death is only the beginning," she quoted aloud from her favorite movie as she put more distance between her and the man she loved.

5050505050

"Dr. Lewis, the chopper is less than a minute out," Donna Carlyle told the resident as he exited a treatment room. They'd been notified of the injuries to Steve McGarrett and already had Trauma Two set up for the injured man.

"Thanks, Donna; make sure Dr. Morgan is notified," Lewis said as he grabbed a gurney. Joanna Tyler joined him and helped guide it through the ER doors as the sound of a helicopter reached their ears. He knew they were ready, and hoped things weren't as bad as they sounded, but since this was Steve McGarrett he was pretty sure it was probably worse.

Danny Williams looked at McGarrett as the helicopter landed with just the slightest bump and shook his head. Steve's eyes were open and he understood how hard the man was fighting to stay conscious. During the trip he'd filled his partner in on how they'd narrowed down the search grid and apologized for being so damn long finding him. Steve, in his usual manner, told him he didn't blame his team and was grateful they hadn't given up on finding him.

"Detective, stay put until we get him on the gurney," Lewis ordered. The nurse helped him position a collar and backboard as a precaution because of the bruises that covered his upper body. Once McGarrett was lying down it was clear that he was having trouble breathing. Lewis quickly raised the head of the bed before shaking his head and looking at his patient. "You really should try coming in through the main doors, Commander. It's a lot less painful for both of us."

"I'll ke…keep that in mi…mind," McGarrett said and nodded toward Williams as the medical personnel whisked him toward the ER doors.

"Commander, we're going to start a couple of IVs and see about making you more comfortable before sending you for a CT scan," Lewis told him.

"O…kay," McGarrett wheezed.

"Joanna, let's get him started on oxygen," Lewis ordered as the door opened and Jake Morgan entered the room.

"What have we got, Carl?" Morgan asked and reached for the surgical gloves when he saw the bloodied bandage covering the wound to the patient's right side.

"Knife wound, possible broken ribs, bruises and contusions. Oxygen levels are low and we've got him on O2. Blood loss and fever are in the danger zones," Lewis told the trauma surgeon as the nurse started an IV and started running the fluids into McGarrett before setting up for a second one and handing five vials of blood to a second nurse before cutting the remaining clothing from the patient's body.

Steve felt like a pincushion as the nurses continued to start IV's and hook up monitoring equipment. God, he felt like crap and heard Lewis say something about the possibility of damage to his lung and silently prayed he hadn't punctured it during his struggle with McCallum. He felt darkness reaching for him and surrendered to the welcoming void as someone touched the wound in his right side.

5050505050

Danny called Rachel and updated her on the search and rescue for Steve McGarrett. He promised to call with an update as soon as he spoke with Lewis. His second call was to Governor Denning and he knew the man would be there as soon as he finished an afternoon meeting with some planning committee. He paced back and forth in front of the large window and hoped this was a case of no news is good news as Chin and Kono came into the waiting room.

"How's Steve?" Chin asked worry evident in his voice.

"I don't know. They took him into a trauma room about 15 minutes ago. I've seen several nurses go in there and figure someone has to come out soon or there'll be no breathing room for anyone," Williams griped.

"Easy, Danny, I'm sure they'll come out as soon as they can," Kono said.

"I know…I've just never been a patient man," Williams told them.

"I don't think any of us are when someone we care about is involved," Kono observed.

"Shit, I forgot to call Catherine," Williams said.

"You can't, her ship is on radio silence," Chin told him. "Did you eat anything…"

"Detective, I've only got a couple of minutes, but I wanted to give you an update on Commander McGarrett," Lewis said and motioned for the trio to sit down.

"How is he, Doc?" Williams asked.

"Well, he's beat up and running a fever. The wound in his side is deep and shows signs of infection. He's got several broken ribs on both sides and he's lost a lot of blood. We've started several IV's and a blood transfusion. He'll be going for a CT scan and Dr. Morgan will take care of the knife wound if there's no significant damage to his organs. He's also having some trouble breathing…now that could be because of the discomfort involved with broken ribs, but we're going to watch him closely."

"Is he going to be all right?" Kono asked.

"Steve's too damn stubborn not to be," Williams told her as Lewis smiled.

"That stubborn streak has seen him through some pretty rough times, so I'm betting on Commander McGarrett to beat the odds again…"

"Whoa, wait…beat the odds. Are you saying the odds are against him?" Kono asked fearfully.

"No, sorry, just a figure of speech. We're doing everything we can and the odds are in his favor so why don't you three go get something to eat and hopefully we'll have more answers by the time you get back," Lewis ordered.

"I'm staying, can I see him?" Williams asked.

"You can stay with him until he goes for the scan," Lewis said.

"Chin, did they catch her?" Williams asked.

"She wasn't at the house," Chin answered softly.

"Damn, get a state wide APB out on her," the Jersey native ordered.

"Already did," Kono assured him.

"Danny, Kono and I are going to head over to the office and have a chat with the Itos. Call me when the results of the tests are in," Chin told him.

"I will. Listen, call Kamekona and tell him his information panned out and I owe him a drink," Williams agreed and followed the resident to the trauma room. He pushed open the door as a nurse finished checking the monitoring equipment. "Dr. Lewis said I can stay with him."

"Okay, we'll be monitoring his vitals from the main desk," Joanna said with a smile before leaving the room.

Danny took a deep breath before moving to the chair beside McGarrett's bed. He sat down and rubbed at tired eyes, surprised when he looked at his partner and noted his eyes were open.

"You look like I feel," McGarrett told him.

"In pain?"

"No, dopey," Steve said in an effort to lighten the mood.

"Ha ha," Williams said, but couldn't help the relief that washed over him because McGarrett may be battered, but he was far from beaten.

"Did they catch Paulina?"

"She wasn't at the house, but there's a state wide APB out on her. Chin and Kono are going to the office to talk to the Itos."

"Tell them they failed at parenting, but Kishi was a damn good man in spite of what they tried to make him," McGarrett said.

"What?"

"Their son helped me escape, and it got him killed," the SEAL told him.

"That's not your fault, Steve, so wipe that look off your face because you've already got aneurism face and constipated face and a bunch of others I've added to my dictionary of SEAL masks," Williams told him.

"Detective, I'm afraid you'll have to wait outside," Joanna told him.

"I'm going with him," Williams said and realized they would need to keep a guard on McGarrett because Paulina Donaldson had not been caught.

"You can't go into the room."

"I know…I'll wait outside, but Commander McGarrett is going to be under police protection," Williams said and shook his head when the injured man tried to protest. "She's crazy, Steve, and she's not going to give up…besides right now I'm stronger than you."

Steve knew Danny was right and didn't have the energy to argue the point, for now. Once he was on the mend, he planned to set up a trap for her, with or without Danny's help. He'd prefer the former and hoped he could convince him to help bring Paulina down. He closed his eyes as the nurse and an orderly took control of the gurney and felt himself slipping toward sleep once more.

TBC