New York
September 2004
"Detective Williams," Danny said absently, answering his phone with one hand while signing requisition forms with the other. His partner, Tony, smiled at the sight. Danny had become an expert multi-tasker since becoming a father. Tony's smile faded as Danny's expression - normally cheerful, even if somewhat exasperated - became tense and solemn.
"What floor? Okay, thank you. I'll be there as soon as I can." Danny paused and shook his head. "No, her parents are still alive. It's just . . . I'm listed as her medical proxy for a reason, okay? If she comes to, tell her I'm on my way." Danny hung up the phone and scrubbed his hand over his face.
"Danny, what's up?" Tony asked, looking across their back-to-back desks, cluttered with papers and coffee cups.
Danny sighed. "My rookie is in the hospital . . . again."
"Nolan?" Tony asked, smiling. "Who did she pick a fight with this time?"
Danny shook his head. "It's unclear at this point; but since I'm still listed as her emergency contact, I guess I'm going to find out."
"Want me to drive you?" Tony asked. "I've got time, partner. What about Rachel? She got a little testy last time."
"Ah, the delightful Rachel has taken Grace to visit her parents. She said she needed a 'respite from the tedium' of New Jersey. And yeah, if you're sure, I'd love the company."
Danny cleared their exit with their sergeant, who was sympathetic to the situation despite Danny's frequent calls to check Jacqueline out of the hospital - or convince her to stay.
()()()()()()()()
2004
"Officer Williams, here for Officer Nolan," Danny announced to the nurse, showing his badge.
"Right this way, officer," she said, leading them down a hallway and around a corner to a quiet room. She opened the door and stepped inside the room, picking up the chart at the foot of the bed. "Officer Nolan was brought in to the emergency room. She was unconscious, suffering a broken arm and a concussion, along with a host of contusions and lacerations, consistent with a beating or a bad fall. CT scan shows no internal bleeding, and the break was a simple fracture of the ulna. The bruises, of course, will take time to heal. The primary concern was the significant amount of water in her lungs -"
"Wait, what? Why did she have water in her lungs?" Danny asked. "No one said anything about that." Danny looked at Jacqueline and did a double-take at the inky black hair spread over the pillow. That was new. It complemented the purple of the bruise forming on her jaw.
The nurse looked up over the top of the chart. "Officer Williams, I'm sorry. Officer Nolan was pulled out of the river. She apparently was thrown off the Montauk bridge; a homeless veteran was encamped underneath and saw her go in. He went in after her and got her to the ER. It's really very remarkable. We've put her on a round of IV antibiotics as a preventive measure against pneumonia."
"Has he been interviewed?" Danny asked.
"I'll call, Danny," Tony said. "You focus on Jacqueline, okay? Let me call and see if they interviewed this guy." Tony stepped out into the hallway, pulling out his cellphone.
Danny ran his hands through his hair. "Sorry," he said, turning his attention back to the nurse. "I just had no idea this is what happened; I was only told about the concussion and broken arm."
The nurse smiled sympathetically. "I understand Officer Williams; but I like your partner's idea of letting him get the details of the case, while you focus on Officer Nolan. She's going to need a friendly face; she should be regaining consciousness any time now. She'll be free to go as soon as the IV is done." The nurse frowned as she glanced back through the chart. "Officer Williams, I see you've been responsible for discharge for . . . well, for almost all of Officer Nolan's hospital visits." She paused and peered over her glasses at Danny. "Except, of course, for the ones where she refused to have you called, and signed out AMA." Danny shrugged. He couldn't help that. "Is there no one closer who could assume responsibility for her medical proxy?"
"Apparently not," Danny sighed. He pulled up a chair next to the head of the bed and took Jacqueline's hand in his. Her forearm was sporting another nasty bruise, and Danny's jaw tightened as he recognized the distinctive pattern of finger marks just above her wrist.
The nurse smiled encouragingly at him. "She's not in any hurry to join us . . . to be honest, we're not sure why but she seems reluctant to regain consciousness. Perhaps if you talk to her, you could coax her into a more conscious state," she said, as she left the room.
Danny took Jacqueline's hand in his. "Hey, kid. Okay, so first, why are you still unconscious? We're usually having to dope you with a second dose of stuff to keep you still. So, work on that. Secondly, I look forward to the explanation of the hair. This is . . . wow, so not your color. So, again, work on waking up so you can explain that to me."
Tony stepped back into the room. "Her sergeant says that they interviewed the guy that brought her in. He's not entirely stable, though he certainly had it together enough to go in after her and get her to safety. No id on a perp - the guy just insisted that she was 'wrestling with a demon' and that she needed help. That's all they could get out of him. They assume some guy got the drop on her, either random mugging or maybe associated with her most recent case."
"Which was - let me guess - undercover," Danny said, pointing to her hair.
Tony grinned. "Yeah, she was doing a UC for Vice, running with a bunch of street racers."
"Oh, good Lord in heaven, her brother would be rolling over in his grave," Danny groaned. "He convinced her to go to the police academy to get her out of that scene." He looked down as he felt her fingers twitch beneath his.
"Hey, babe," Danny said softly, reaching with his other hand to brush her hair out of her face. "Come on, sweetie, come back. You can go home as soon as your IV is done."
A sound between a whimper and a groan was the response as her fingers tightened on his.
"There you go, honey, open your eyes for me, okay?" Danny encouraged.
"Billy . . . I can't find him . . . " she mumbled, barely conscious, and Danny's heart broke a little. Again. Three years, countless calls, and this was how it usually started: with her regaining consciousness and asking for her brother, and Danny having to break the news to her all over again.
He felt Tony's hand, comforting and heavy on his shoulder. This wasn't the first time he'd witnessed this little ritual.
"Hey, it's Danny. I'm here," he said, stroking her cheek.
Her eyelashes fluttered, dark against her pale skin, and then her startling green eyes were locked onto Danny's.
"Danny?"
"Yeah, babe, they called me," Danny said, leaning forward to brush away a tear as it made its way slowly from the corner of her eye toward the pillow. She turned her head away from him, and he frowned. In all the times he'd sat beside her in the hospital, she'd never done that. It was almost as if she was disappointed to see him.
"Jacqueline, who did you think would be here?" Danny asked, wondering if there was someone else she had hoped to see. Maybe there was a guy . . .
"Billy," she whispered. "I thought I'd see Billy."
"Oh, babe, I'm so sorry," Danny said, kissing her forehead.
She closed her eyes and drifted back off to sleep. Something nagged at the edge of Danny's mind but for once, she wasn't arguing and ripping out her own IV, so he dismissed it.
()()()()()()()()
"McGarrett," Steve said, efficiently and to the point. It had taken a year to break himself of automatically using his full title; not that it wasn't still his to use. "Yes, Governor, we're all in the office, he can come over any time. Captain Grover as well? Okay. Yes. Thank you, sir."
Steve stood and walked out toward the center console table. Danny looked up from his desk, and a simple lift of Steve's chin let him know that something was up, so he headed out.
"What's up, Steve?" Danny asked.
"I'm not entirely sure," Steve said. "That was Denning; we've got someone from Homeland Security on the way over, along with Grover. Looks like MS-13 is making another play for activity on the island."
Chin and Kono had noticed them standing in the center of the room and came to join them.
"Why is Homeland here for gang activity?" Chin wondered.
"We're about to find out," Steve said, nodding as the elevator dinged.
Grover exited the elevator first.
"McGarrett, this is Agent Greg Davidson," Grover said, as the man reached to shake Steve's hand.
"Agent Davidson," Steve greeted. "The rest of my team: Detective Williams, Officers Kelly and Kalakaua."
After a quick round of introductions, Agent Davidson got right to the point. He pulled a flash drive out of his pocket, which Chin quickly accepted and inserted into the computer table.
"Homeland Security has been actively involved in prosecuting human trafficking cases, as you know. Of course, we work in connection with the FBI and local law enforcement, but Homeland is in a unique position to track international movement. We've recently been working with local law enforcement to start adding human trafficking to the list of gang-related crime. There's a growing awareness that not all gang participation is voluntary, for one thing; for another, it gives us another angle to prosecute gang activity - especially across national boundaries," the agent explained. He confidently manipulated the computer and files began to appear on the plasma screen.
"Sounds like a very reasonable approach," Steve agreed. He appreciated the agent's no-nonsense approach, as well as his mild manner which indicated that he wasn't there to throw his weight around.
Davidson nodded. "We've been seeing good results so far. I'm here in Honolulu, and specifically here at Five-O, because we understand that MS-13 is slowly building a presence on the island."
"Yeah, there was an incident just a few months back," Danny said. "A school shooting, ending in a full-out armed confrontation at the docks."
"I understand Officer Kelly was injured," Davidson said. "It caught our attention; we hadn't expected MS-13 to be quite so aggressive so early on. Obviously, your excellent work slowed down some of the major players, but there's been continued activity."
He flashed a couple of pictures onto the plasma. "We're monitoring a potential situation with MS-13 recruiting a remnant of The Company gang members."
"The Company?" Chin asked, surprised. "That's really old school."
"Very true," Davidson responded, "but we're seeing a resurgence, and MS-13 is breathing new life into the old gang connections. We're pursuing several angles of criminal activity, all linked to the new gang activity. Our current focus is on a group of street racers that have a direct connection to the alliance between MS-13 and The Company."
"How can Five-O help?" Steve asked, curious.
"We're asking for help from Five-O and from HPD," Davidson answered. He hesitated, then put a file up on the screen. "We'd like to reactivate an undercover officer's role here in Honolulu. It's been determined that this cover identity is still intact, and we have every reason to believe that it's the perfect opportunity for an insertion into the local scene."
Danny reacted immediately. "You're kidding, right? Grover, please tell me he's kidding." The team looked at Danny in surprise, as he started pacing and gesturing wildly toward the screen. "Please tell me you are not considering signing off on this. Have you read the file? Do you know how that op ended?"
"Danny, what . . . " Steve said, then trailed off as he got a second look at the picture on the screen. A young woman, inky blue-black hair, pale skin, green eyes . . . "Oh. That's . . . wow. Okay."
"What?" Chin said, as Kono looked on in confusion.
"That would be Officer Nolan, summer of 2004," Grover explained; speaking to the cousins but watching Steve and Danny.
Agent Davidson stood quietly during the discussion.
"This can not happen. Find someone else," Danny demanded.
"Totally not your call, brah," Kono said. She was sympathetic to Danny's protective tendencies, so her tone was gentle even as she called him out. "Has anyone asked Jax?"
"Officer Nolan has already agreed to cooperate. She's turning over some equipment and getting another medic officer up to speed. She'll be joining us in a few minutes," Grover said. His voice was level and his face impassive; Steve couldn't get a read on him, which was unusual.
"You signed off on this, then?" Steve asked Grover.
"I did," he replied slowly, "on the condition that Five-O be fully integrated into the operation." He looked at Danny. "It was the best option for support and protection for Officer Nolan."
Danny shook his head and threw up his hands in exasperation. He turned on his heel and stormed into his office.
"Wow," Kono said, looking after him in alarm. "I know he's protective of Jax, but seriously, this is above and beyond, even for him."
"Let me talk to him," Steve said. He took a deep breath and opened the door to Danny's office. Danny was still, and quiet - which was so out of character that it instantly spooked Steve.
"Danny," he said quietly, "talk to me, partner."
"I saw Jax at the end of that op, Steve," Danny said, staring out the window of his office. "In a hospital bed. She'd been badly beaten, had a broken arm and a concussion."
Steve nodded, and waited for Danny to go on.
"She had water in her lungs, too. Because a homeless vet, God bless him, saw her go over the Montauk Bridge and fished her out, got her to safety." Danny finally looked up and met Steve's eyes.
"The Montauk . . . " realization dawned on Steve. "Shit, Danny. Shit."
"I should have known, Steve," Danny said, looking back out the window. "They interviewed the guy; he wasn't entirely stable, said she was 'fighting a demon'. Everyone assumed that some perp had beaten her, tossed her over. He was trying, Steve, the guy who rescued her was trying, in his way, to tell the staff that she'd . . . but as an officer, and with an assortment of injuries, they assumed . . . well, they assumed."
"You couldn't have known, Danny, we've been over this," Steve began, but Danny silenced him with a hand.
"She cried," Danny said. "She cried, and she turned away and wouldn't look at me when I got to the hospital, Steve. She looked . . . when she came to, and I was there, she looked so damned . . . disappointed. I should have known. But I didn't, not until a couple months ago when she was looped out on pain meds, sitting next to you on your sofa, and it slipped out."
Steve sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "We can't say anything, Danny, that would be a huge invasion of her privacy and betrayal of her trust."
"I know."
"She agreed to the op."
"I know."
"Grover's already signed off on it, Homeland is involved . . . "
"I know, Steve."
"Well then what do you want me to do, Danny?" Steve asked, more than a little frustration bleeding into his tone.
"Ask her not to do it," Danny said, turning pleading eyes to Steve.
"I - Danny, I can't do that," Steve said, gripping the edge of Danny's desk and dropping his head down in defeat.
"She might turn it down if you asked her to," Danny continued.
"Yeah, she might," Steve said slowly. "And then she'd resent me, Danny. Come on, you know I'm right."
Danny stared at him a long minute, misery etched in his features. Then he gave a sad smile, and chuckled.
"My relationship with Rachel . . . this is why it was doomed. I couldn't give it up, and she couldn't understand," Danny said. He straightened his collar, pulled himself up to his full height, and clapped Steve on the shoulder. "And this, my friend, is why you and Jax will succeed where Rachel and I failed. But only if we keep both of you crazy idiot ninja people from falling on every available grenade, so let's go see what the plan is."
They turned to move toward the door, and looked through the glass walls toward the center of the room. Jax had arrived and was standing next to Grover, looking at the files on the plasma screen. Even in her boots and uniform, she stood barely to his shoulder blade. Her weight was shifted to one side, still favoring the bruising from the day of Gracie's field trip. Steve had traced his fingers over it just that morning, in the shower . . .
"What color is it now?" she'd asked, amused at his fascination.
"Sort of a . . . chartreuse," he'd said, grinning.
"Seriously? You've been with Danny too long."
"How about we don't talk about Danny right now . . . "
"Steven?" Danny's voice drug his attention reluctantly back to the office. His blue eyes were filled with concern as he looked up at Steve.
"Danny," Steve said hesitantly, still looking at Jax. "Everything I said . . . I think I take it back."
Danny nodded sympathetically. "I know, babe," he sighed. "But, and you don't hear me say this often, so enjoy it - you were right. Now, let's go make sure these people take care of our girl, yeah?"
()()()()()()()()
A/N - In response to the guest who complained about injuries . . . your suggestion has been taken under advisement. However, the genre of this series is "hurt/comfort". It's kind of a thing. There's a whole category devoted to it, even. That said, this is a new story line (as designated by the new chapter title) and I'll gladly accept the challenge of keeping everyone in one piece for a change. No promises, though. I don't always seem to have a lot of control over my characters and they don't always behave the way I ask.
