Chin didn't feel anything as he looked at the woman in the bed. From what the nurses had told him, there wasn't much they could do for her. Like Steve, she was on life support, but the poison she'd ingested had more time to work and the damage to her vital organs was irreversible. This woman had nearly killed Steve McGarrett, and from everything they'd found on her, she'd murdered at least eight men over the last ten years.
He looked at her face, her eyes closed, her hair soaked with sweat, tubes running down her throat, and still he felt no pity for her. How could he, when she'd caused so much pain to the families of those missing men. Would they ever find the bodies, and were there even more than they already knew about.
Toshi Ito had given them solid information about the whereabouts of Jose Ruiz, but they'd two other graves nearby. Max Bergman was working on establishing their identities and notifying their families. It would be hard on them, but at least they would have some closure where their loved ones were involved.
Chin looked at the overhead monitor and saw the evidence that she was still alive. What would happen if he just pulled the plug on her? Would she live or would she succumb to her injuries? Could he really do something like that when she looked so vulnerable? The answer was instantaneous and he knew he could never do something so damn cold.
Chin knew Paulina Donaldson wasn't going anywhere and turned away as the nurse began checking the more intimate equipment. He knew the cop outside the door would not leave the spot until he was relieved. He spotted Kono at the end of the hall and walked toward her, but she held up her hand before he could say anything.
"Yes, Catherine, he's alive and they are working to find out what she gave him…no, all they know is she used several different toxins and poisons and it's effecting his nervous system and vital organs. They have him on life support…yes, they've got several doctors…specialists working on the antidote and Wade Gutches gave Danny the names of a couple of people associated with the military…I'll call you as soon as we know anything new…I know there's no point in telling you not to worry…okay, I'll tell him," Kono hung up and turned to her cousin.
"They're not holding out much hope for Paulina. Her kidneys are shutting down and they're having trouble stabilizing her heart," Chin told her as they walked toward McGarrett's room.
"What's the old saying about you reap what you sow…I don't hold a grudge, but she deserves what she's done to herself," Kono told him. "Catherine's going to put in for a leave of absence, but if she can't get it she'll be here for Christmas."
"She's good for Steve," Chin said.
"Yes, she is…they complement each other," Kono said and looked into the room where Danny Williams was watching over their boss. She was glad they'd caught the woman who'd been stalking and kidnapped Steve, not just for his sake, but for the threats the woman made against Grace and Charles. "Danny looks like I feel."
"I think we're all worn out, Cuz, and since there's no point in telling Danny to get some rest you and I should go see if we can get something to eat," Chin told her.
"I hope they find an antidote," Kono whispered.
"They will," Chin said and headed toward the elevator with Kono close behind him.
5050505050
The hours dragged for the people waiting for some news from the people working on an antidote for Steve McGarrett. The hospital staff cared for his every need while his friends stood vigil in the room with him. They'd talk to the injured man, even though he was in a medically induced coma, hoping and praying they could get through to him and give him the strength to hold on a little longer.
Steve's condition continued to deteriorate as the poison in his system affected his vital organs. Lewis, Maynard, and Caldwell worked together to come up with the best course of treatme3nt while coordinating with the specialists who worked behind the scenes. They were able to identify one of the poisons and would be starting treatment to counteract the effects while they continued to work on the final one that was causing McGarrett's heart rate to fluctuate.
Paulina Donaldson, whose name they now knew was Marcia Burton was slowly dying in spite of the treatment they were giving her. The poison was damaging her kidneys and if she lived she would need dialysis for the rest of her life. There were other problems, including her lungs and heart and some would have said to just let her go, but McGarrett's team wanted her to live in order to give Steve some closure. If she died then he would not get the chance to face her, but if she lived he could at least face the woman who had fixated on him in a dangerous way that could kill them both.
Danny Williams watched as Dr. Lewis and the day nurse connected the new medication into McGarrett's IV line and silently prayed it would make a difference. In the last 24 hours he'd felt as if Steve was slipping away from them. He'd heard the doctors talking about Steve's heart rate and the newest problem was that his urine output was low. He really didn't understand the medical terminology, but there was no mistaking the worry in their voices as they discussed the treatment.
"Doc, how long before we know if this is working?" Williams asked.
"It depends on Commander McGarrett," Caldwell answered. "Dr. Lewis told us he's stubborn…"
"That's an understatement," Williams observed.
"Good, then he won't let this beat him," Maynard told him.
"And neither will we," Williams vowed.
"Good, he's going to need all of you to fight his way back from this. The poison she gave him is affecting every part of his body and he's going to have to fight hard to get back to form," Maynard said. "We need to get something to eat and grab some shut-eye while we can. Carl, we'll check back with you in a couple of hours."
"Thanks, Richard, I'll let you know how he reacts to the new medication," Lewis said and watched the two men leave.
"Doc, will this work?" Williams asked.
"It will…against the poison we identified, but that still leaves one more, and that's the one that has me worried the most right now. I'm not going to sugar coat anything, Detective…we really need to find out what it is and get him started on the antidote before the effects are irreversible," Lewis answered.
"What about her? Is she getting the same treatment?"
"Yes, she is, but she's not responding to anything we've done for her so far. From what you told us she took the poison before she went to the commander's home and her tests show it's not the same thing she gave him. It's a waiting game, Detective…at least for now," Lewis said, and checked the monitor before assuring Williams they were doing everything they could to make sure both survived.
Danny looked at Steve's face, partially covered by the tubes and breathed softly before taking the chair beside the bed. He'd gone home long enough to shower and change his clothes before coming back to the hospital. Rachel had called and he'd updated her on McGarrett and assured her that Paulina would not be a threat any longer.
For all intents and purposes, according to what the doctors were saying, no matter what happened, Paulina Donaldson would never be a threat to anyone ever again. In his mind, that was a reason to celebrate. People like her were dangerous, not only to McGarrett, but to anyone he cared about. He closed his eyes and rubbed at his temples in an effort to ease the headache he felt building behind his eyes and didn't hear the newcomer until he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Danny, why don't you get some sleep?" Chin suggested.
"I'm good, Chin…"
"Have you looked in the mirror lately, Brah? You look like they should push another bed in here and put you in it. There's a comfortable sofa in the waiting room at the end of the hall…I know...I already took advantage of it," Kelly explained.
"They just started him on something new so come get me if anything changes."
"You know I will…go," Chin ordered and took the seat Williams vacated.
5050505050
Kono looked into the room where Paulina Donaldson was being treated and moved back as an alarm sounded. Medical personnel hurried into the room and worked to save her life as she watched. The curtains were soon closed, leaving her to wonder what was happening inside. 48 hours had passed since she'd poisoned Steve, and he was still fighting for his life in a room down the hall.
She kept looking at the clock above the nurse's station and counting each minute that clicked by, and still senses the flurry of activity behind the closed curtains. She wasn't sure how she felt, but life would be a lot less dangerous for Steve if the woman died. Those thoughts were cut short when she heard a second alarm sounding from a short distance away and a worried Danny Williams exited the room and a second team went through the door.
"Danny, what's wrong?" Kono asked as she hurried toward him.
"I don't know…the alarms went off and the nurse sent me out," Williams answered as Lewis and another nurse hurried into the room. God, help him, but he couldn't help the anger he felt toward Paulina Donaldson and the pain she'd caused. He heard something about epinephrine, but he had no idea what else was being said.
"He's not going to quit on us, Danny," Kono told him.
"God, Kono, he better not…I won't be able to train another partner to do those damn faces he makes," Williams said and hoped she understood what he was saying. He leaned against the wall and waited for word on McGarrett as his own heart seemed to be beating a little too fast. When the curtains were finally drawn back and Lewis exited the room, Danny wasn't sure if what he saw was good or bad.
"He's still with us and that's a plus right now. Look, just before this happened Dr. Maynard called to tell me they may have identified the poison and pretty sure they can have the antidote ready by this evening. If so we can start him on it immediately and then it'll be up to the commander and the Man up above," Lewis explained and looked at Williams and Kalakaua. "His temperature's higher than we like and he's been placed on a cooling blanket, but he's proving to be exactly what you told me he was…a stubborn sonofabitch."
"Thank god for that," Williams said.
"It's going to take a while before we get the antidote, but rest assured as soon as it gets here we'll start the commander on it," Lewis said. "Now, why don't you two go grab some coffee and something to eat because this could take some time?"
"Thanks, Doc, we will," Williams said and swallowed several times when he looked into the room where McGarrett was being treated. God, he silently prayed the man would continue to beat the odds and give Maynard and the others the time they needed to get the antidote they needed.
5050505050
The waiting game began, with Williams, Kelly, Kalakaua a constant in or near McGarrett's room. Kamekona visited on several occasions, bringing food and coffee for the trio and getting an update on the SEAL's condition.
Governor Denning and Wade Gutches also made their presence known as the specialists worked to find the final answer that would save McGarrett's life. The governor was in constant contact with Chin Ho Kelly even when he wasn't at the hospital. Gutches contacted Joe White every few hours to let him know exactly what was being done and whether they were any closer to an antidote to the final poison.
Danny Williams glanced at the clock over the main desk as he waited for McGarrett's nurse to finish what she needed to do for him. Time was passing too fast without an answer from Maynard and Caldwell, and Danny knew the longer it took the worse Steve's chances of making a full recovery was. He'd managed to catch a couple of hours of sleep, but the couch in the waiting room was getting to be downright uncomfortable.
"Danny, has there been any word from Lewis this morning?" Kono asked. She'd gone back to the office with Chin in order to make sure the case against McCallum, Liana, and the Itos were properly filed and logged. There was no way in hell they would allow these people to go free on some technicality.
"Not yet, I think he's making rounds right now," Williams answered. "Where's Chin?"
"He's making sure we have the names of Paulina's other victims. We need to let their families know once we've identified them all," Kono told him.
"Did they find any more bodies out there?"
"Two more…that brings the count to seven and there could still be more," Kono said.
"All those lives lost just because she was obsessed with them," Williams said as the curtain was drawn back and the nurse motioned for them to come back inside.
"Dr. Lewis will be here shortly," the woman told them as she continued to care for the injured man.
"I hate seeing him like this…it's just so unnatural," Kono observed.
"I know. I was thinking the same thing," Williams told her and turned when he heard familiar voices outside the room. He recognized the three doctors and hoped their excitement meant they'd come up with an answer. Lewis looked toward him and nodded as he hurried into the room. "Tell me they've got something?"
"We think so. Dr. Caldwell had a breakthrough this morning, but there's really no point in me trying to explain it to you. We're going to start Commander McGarrett and Paulina Donaldson on it right away, but it could be hours before we know if it's working," Lewis told them as the specialists came into the room. "Why don't you two go grab some coffee while we set things up here? It's going to take about half an hour before you can come back in."
"Will this work?" Williams asked.
"The preliminary tests look good and we're hopeful this is going to work," Caldwell answered. He could tell the duo was worried, but he needed to be truthful with them. McGarrett's condition was deteriorating, and he didn't have time for them to go through as many tests as they would like.
"Come on, Danny, my treat," Kono told him and took Williams arm as she led him from the room. They walked to the small nurse's lounge and made coffee before heading back to their friend's room. They waited outside, leaning against the wall as McGarrett's doctors worked behind the closed curtain.
"What's going on?" Chin asked. He'd finished what he needed to do at the office and made his way directly to the hospital. They now had the names of six of the seven victims and Governor Denning had been notified. The man was proving just how much he cared and trusted Five-O and was making the calls to the families himself.
"They think they found the antidote," Kono answered.
"They think?" Chin asked.
"They are pretty sure, but they said Steve doesn't have time to wait," William explained.
"When are they going to start him on it?" Chin asked.
"They're setting it up for him right now. They're going to start her on it too," Kono told him.
"Do they know how long before we know if it's working?" Chin asked.
"No, but we didn't really have time to ask questions," Williams answered; turning back to the door when he heard it open and Lewis rejoined them. "Doc, how long before we know if it's working?"
"That's up to Commander McGarrett right now. Hopefully we'll start to see some improvement within the hour, but you have to realize it's going to be a while before he's on his feet."
"When will you let him wake up and take him off life support?" Kono asked.
"Again, it all depends on how he responds to the treatment," Lewis said. "The nurses will be monitoring him around the clock and they'll notify me as soon as they notice anything. For now, I need to go check several other patients, so I'll check back in an hour."
They watched him leave and waited for the two specialists to leave the room before stepping inside. McGarrett had a new IV set-up and several new fluids running into his arm, but other than that nothing had changed. The beeps and clicks remained constant and were a welcome sign that at least he was still with them. The waiting game seemed to stretch out ahead of them, but at least McGarrett was still with them.
TBC