DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own "Hawaii Five-0" or any of its characters. I do, however, own Tina, Pete, Ryan, Lyle, Mo, Doc, etc.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! Here is Chapter 36 Part 3. Happy you didn't have to wait months for it? Or even a full week? lol. Anyway, this part is the next 40 Microsoft Word pages of Chapter 36. There is quite a bit of Tina and Pete and Chin in this update, as well as the stalker. I cut the update off right before it goes back to Steve and Maddie at the arena. So, the next update will pick up there.
I will try to have Part 4 up in a couple days. My goal is Friday night. Most of it is already edited. After Part 4, I need to finish Chapter 36. A TON of stuff happens in this chapter (as a whole - including all the individual updates/parts). That's why I made it sooo detailed. A lot of things happen that are building blocks for the next several chapters, which will go much faster.
Anyways, here are some random things to tell you...
1. You can google and see what Tina's purse looks like. Just type in "purple Mini Giant 12 Gold City Balenciaga bag". It was a recent gift from Maddie.
2.I wanted to let you know how detailed and anal I am when writing, which is one of the reasons it sometimes takes me a bit longer than anticipated to finish a chapter and why my writing is so detailed. An example of this is that in this chapter I mention actual street names. I looked at a map of Honolulu, found the Blaisdell Arena (which is where Maddie has been rehearsing and where her show is going to be) and looked at the streets near by. So, the street names I mention in this chapter are REAL! Also, I went back to Season 2 and found out what Chin's REAL badge number is, which I mention in this chapter as well. These are just 2 examples of how detailed I am.
3. Also, I keep forgetting to mention that the outfit Steve is wearing during this day, Wednesday, which has spanned numerous updates, is from Season 1, Episode 14 "He Kane Hewa'ole". You can see the full outfit 13 minutes in to the episode. Just in case you wanted an actual visual of it! :o)
4. I wanted to remind you guys that both Steve AND Pete's faces are bruised and cut up from their fight during the barbeque on Saturday. The bruises are still pretty dark, but beginning to lighten the littlest bit. Steve is the only one with stitches. Pete didn't need any.
- I reference a few different things from previous chapters. Here is a list of them.
1. In Chapter 20, during the barbeque at Maddie's, Steve discovers she's been slowly stealing some of his clothes. He calls her his "little klepto". That is referenced in this part of Chapter 36. Here is the excerpt from Chapter 20.
-EXCERPT-
Steve's stomach sunk as he felt the tears hit his bare skin. I'm the reason she's crying. Damn it! he thought, feeling so guilty. "I want you to keep them. It's really cute how you like them…you're my little klepto!" he softly told her, his mouth almost against her ear.
-END OF EXCERPT-
2. In Chapter 12, Steve and Maddie kiss for the first time EVER. They begin making out, but it only lasts for a few minutes before Pete arrives and interrupts them. I'd post the excerpt from the chapter, but it's too long to put in the Author's Note. If you want to refresh your memory, you can go back. The part is about three quarters of the way through the chapter.
3. In Chapter 13, after Steve gets back from meeting Lori for drinks, Maddie's upset. She'd received the text message from her stalker. It was a picture of Lori straddling Steve while they kissed with a message attached saying, "You should have listened to me! I'm only protecting you!" It upset her.
4. In Chapter 13 towards the end, Steve and Maddie kiss again, the same night as their brief make-out session in her home movie theater. It happens after he gets her calmed down. (Her stalker had reached out and scared her.)
5. Chapter 25. After tracing the phone that texted Maddie the photo of Lori and Steve, Five-0 discovers that the phone was registered to a man named Walter Seasius. Five-0 goes to his apartment and questions him. Turns out his girlfriend's car was broken into and numerous items were stolen, including his cell phone.
As always, thoughts are in italics. In this chapter, text messages and flashback thoughts are in bold.
I want to remind you, like I always do, that although it seems like it's been a TON of time since Maddie has been home in Hawaii, it's been 6 days. And Steve hurt her on Sunday morning and now it is Wednesday, and they haven't seen each other since. With her being so hurt and unlike herself, it is unrealistic for her to just believe him right off the bat. Especially when she has sooo much going on. Steve doesn't push the conversation because he knows her head is all over the place. He just wants her to get through the show. So, he is doing what he can to just support her without forcing the topic of what happened. But he will definitely force the topic on a lot of things once the show's over. That's a promise. And don't worry, he WILL set Lori straight. However, he's not going to do it in front of everyone. That would be mean.
What's cool is that before the show you will see some flashbacks of how Maddie used to be. They will be video clips that Ryan shows them. Hard to explain, but I am going to include it in the chapter so you guys can see she is really not like this. Shes usually a strong woman, who doesn't need anyone babying her. That is why Steve is soo worried. He's never seen her like this. It worries him so much that he starts babying her and watching her every move. He knows his best friend and he knows something is wrong.
Anyway, just wanted to throw that in there.
I appreciate the few people who reviewed. However, I didn't get nearly as many as I usually do, which, to be honest, is why this chapter wasn't up 4 days ago, which is when it was ready to go. I can't stress enough how much reviews mean to the writers. Especially when we stay up hours and hours and hours writing these and put all other things aside. For me, I've put a lot of work aside and I have people hounding me for things. So, when I don't get feedback, it bums me out, and I know I'm not the only writer that feels this way as a lot of writers of fan fic have PM'd me and we've chatted about it. I know a ton of you are enjoying this fic as I have a lot of people who have favorited it and have put it on alert and am constantly getting more. I do understand you are bummed that the last several updates have been months apart, but if you want that to change, remind me how much you like it because it definitely makes a difference. However, you don't have to worry about there being months in between each new update. There might be a week in between updates, at most, but the story is a priority for me right now.
On another note, I CANNOT wait until the show is over and you guys see what happens! I literally am sooooo excited to write those chapters. As soon as we get finished with the show, the chapter updates will be frequent! Very frequent! I won't need to write them minute by minute, which will make me really happy because then the chapters dont take as much time to write. :o) Plus, some AWESOME things happen!
Anyway, here is the next 40 pages of Chapter 36. I hope you enjoy. And Please please please, leave a review or feel free to send me a private message! Thank you to the fantastic people who not only reviewed, but sent me private messages! You know who you are!
xoxo
Laura
CHAPTER 36
Part 3
As she drove to her second stop, Tina moved her sunglasses up a bit and rubbed at her eyes. She was so incredibly sleepy. Sure, she'd been tired all day thanks to the fact she hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep over the last several days, but this was completely different. It had come on fairly quickly after she'd gotten dizzy and lost her balance in the makeshift bedroom in Maddie's dressing room. Not only that but her head was pounding. Sure she'd had a headache building once she smacked her head on the coffee table, but what she was experiencing now was a whole new kind of headache on a whole other level. She'd never felt anything like it before and it was only getting worse. "Just gotta hold it together until the end of the show," she told herself, hoping if she talked to herself it would help her stay awake. After all, she was driving; she really couldn't afford to fall asleep. "Then you can sleep like you've never slept before."
As she pulled into a parking spot, Tina yawned. She patted her cheeks a couple times, hard enough that it made a sharp slapping noise as flesh collided with flesh and caused a slight sting. She hoped it would help her wake up. She sighed. It didn't have the desired effect.
With her feeling worse and worse as each moment passed, she knew she needed to hurry up and finish her errands so she could get back to the arena. She knew she shouldn't be driving. Maybe I should've taken Frank or Carl, she thought, recalling how Pete had made her promise she would take someone from security with her. "Oh well, too late now."
Tina exited the black SUV, her sunglasses on and her purple Mini Giant 12 Gold City Balenciaga bag, the one Maddie had recently bought her as a surprise "thank you for everything", hanging from her right forearm. She closed the driver door and leaned against it, resting her forehead against the window as she waited for the dizzy sensation to lesson. The occasional dizzy spells were a lot worse since she'd hit her head again. "How did Maddie handle this as well as she did?" she whispered before taking a deep breathe and straightening. She couldn't let how she was feeling slow her down at all. She had too many things she had to do. "And she hit her head a thousand times worse!"
Across the parking lot, in a four-door, graphite colored Acura, a man inconspicuously took photos of Tina. He'd been following her since she'd left the arena and had been pleasantly surprised when he'd noticed she was alone. That she wasn't accompanied by anyone from Maddie's security team.
He smiled, thinking how this was a perfect opportunity to mess with Pete. To scare and rattle him even further than he had been over the last few days. He wanted Pete on edge for the show. He smiled, happy his years of planning were coming together so flawlessly. In fact, it was working out better than he ever could have imagined.
Originally, he'd wanted Maddie and of course would mess with Steve in doing so. Making sure the almighty and talented "Super Seal" got knocked down a few pegs. He wanted everyone to finally realize that Steve wasn't anything special. That he himself was better than Steve, always had been and always would be. It was the second reason of his plan, the first, of course, being to get Maddie. He'd known since the first moment he'd laid eyes on her that she was his soul mate. It had always infuriated him that everyone always thought she and Steve would end up together, claiming it was their destiny. He was enraged just thinking about it.
He took a deep breath as he calmed himself down. "Focus on the task at hand," he whispered as he brought the camera up and took more photos of Tina. He already had plenty since this was her second stop.
The moment she'd stepped out of the car at her first errand, he noticed something was wrong. She didn't feel well. She seemed to be dizzy. Because of this he knew he'd be able to rile Pete even more.
Tina was clueless to him watching her as she walked slowly towards the store she was heading to. Maybe getting a smoothie will make me feel a little better, she thought, seeing a Jamba Juice next to the location she was heading to.
Finished with the errand, she walked towards the big, black SUV she'd borrowed. However, she was struggling to keep her eyes open, the sleepiness only growing stronger and harder to fight.
Just for a split second she let her eyes drift shut as she continued towards the car. Suddenly her eyes jolted open as her right foot smacked into something hard. It was a miracle, given her physical state, that she was able to keep from falling as she tripped over a cement wheelstop in a vacant parking space a few spots away from where she'd parked.
As she tripped, she felt a hand suddenly make contact with her right forearm. She jumped, nearly dropping the contents in her arms, including her delicious Jamba Juice smoothie, but the hand didn't let her fall. Something that, although she was startled and on alert, she was grateful for. She couldn't afford to fall again and possibly hit her head.
"I'm so sorry, miss," a male voice said, releasing his hold on Tina's arm. "I didn't mean to scare you."
Tina leaned away, taking a couple hurried steps away from the hand and voice, causing her to nearly fall again.
"Careful!" the man said, reaching for her again, not wanting her to fall. However he was sure to make his touch more tentative since he'd obviously frightened her the first time.
"Are you alright?" he gently asked, his hand still on her arm.
Finally feeling steady on her feet, Tina took a second to catch her breath before squinting behind her sunglasses towards the man's face. Although her glasses were polarized, the sun was still bothering her eyes, which only exacerbated the jack hammering in her head. As her vision cleared enough, she was able to see the concerned, smiling face of the stranger who was touching her arm. She relaxed immediately, feeling completely unthreatened by him. She forced a smile. "Yes, thank you so much." She paused. "Guess I need to be more careful and watch where I step." She shook her head in a way she hoped made light of the situation.
The stranger smiled, pulling his hand away from her arm now that she was steady. His smile grew, both outwardly and inwardly, the thrill of being close to her without any knowledge of who he was sent a surge of adrenaline through his body. He loved this "game", the danger of it. It excited him. "I get it, it happens to all of us. I'm just glad I was able to help. Keep you from hurting yourself."
"Yes, it's been a long day and it's still early," Tina said, smiling politely at the man. Now that her heart rate had decreased from her near fall, two of them, she took in the stranger who had kindly come to her aid. He was tall and slim, but incredibly fit. She could see his toned biceps under his loose-fitting white t-shirt. Her eyes flitted to his face. He was tan with green eyes, his hair, light brown with blonde streaks throughout that shimmered when the sun hit them just right. He had a mustache the color of the brown in his hair. It wasn't too big, but not too small either. In fact, she felt it fit his bone structure and shape of his face perfectly. She noted that he wasn't super good looking, but he wasn't bad looking either. He was average. However, she didn't care one way or the other. Looks had never been that important to her, but that didn't mean she didn't appreciate when someone was easy on the eyes, so to speak.
"I hate those kinds of days," he smiled, showing a mouth full of nearly perfectly straight white teeth as he shook his head. "I'm Arthur, by the way. My friends call me Art," he told her. He reached his hand out for her to shake.
"Tina," she grinned, moving the smoothie from her right hand to the crook of her left arm, so she could free her hand to shake his. She held her left arm close to her body, keeping the large smoothing in place. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise…Tina," Arthur said, his smiling widening as her name left his full lips. Now that he was close to her, he took in her appearance, trying to figure out what was going on with her. It had been difficult to determine as he took pictures of her from his car. Although her sunglasses were on, he could see she was paler than normal.
Subconsciously, Tina used her right hand to rub at her right temple, trying to ease the pounding in her head.
Noticing, Arthur furrowed his brow lightly. "Are you okay?"
Tina immediately realized what she was doing. Her hand quickly dropped to her side as if it'd been burned. "Oh yeah," she blushed slightly, "I just have a headache from the Devil himself." She chuckled and forced a smile, hoping it didn't appear as uncomfortable as it felt. It did.
Hmm, he thought. Interesting. I wonder what's going on. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said, making sure his voice was filled with sympathy. "Here, let me help you to your car."
Tina shook her head, smiling at him through the intense surge of pain the movement caused. "Oh no. That's not necessary." She moved her Jamba Juice back to her right hand. "I appreciate it though."
He grinned, taking a step towards her. "I insist." He reached out to her and gently, in a non-threatening way, took the two bags and one medium sized box from her left hand and arm, leaving her with only her purse and smoothie. "Okay, which car is yours?" he asked, looking around the parking lot at the various cars as if he didn't already know which one was hers.
"Oh, um," she stuttered, feeling guilty that this stranger was now carrying her items. "It's right there." She pointed to the SUV four cars to her right.
"Perfect," Arthur said, beginning to head in that direction.
As they walked side by side, Tina rummaged through her purse searching for the car keys. She ignored the funny feeling growing in her stomach, hoping it would disappear.
Arriving at the SUV, she hit the "unlock" button on the keys she'd finally located.
"Where do you want them?" Arthur asked, referring to the items in his hands.
"Oh, the back seat is fine," Tina told him, hurriedly reaching out and opening the back driver's side door. He gently set the bags on the seat while he placed the box on the floor. "Thank you so much for your help! And thanks again for saving me from another fall today."
She hadn't realized what she'd said until he asked, "Another one? You fell already today?" He shut the car door and looked at her. So that's what happened, he mused. She must have hit her head when she fell.
Embarrassed, her cheeks pinked lightly. "Oh. Yeah." She couldn't believe she'd said that without realizing. "Freak thing. But I'm okay. No big deal," she assured.
"That's good!" He beamed at her while there was a silent pause. "Well, I'm glad I could help. Nothing better than aiding a beautiful woman in need," he flirted.
"Thanks!" Tina's blush darkened slightly. She opened the driver's door, reached in, and set her Jamba Juice smoothie in the cup holder and her purse on her seat as a way to look away and hide her shyness at his comment. At least something good happened to me today, she thought. Unfortunately, this brought back the memory of Pete and her discovery that he was seeing someone.
Suddenly she had an idea. "Do you live here in Hawaii?" she asked Arthur.
He fought to keep from smirking triumphantly, knowing where Tina was going with her question. "I do. You?" he replied.
"Not exactly," she answered. "But I come here for work." Nervous, she debated whether to continue. Just do it. You could use a distraction, and he seems nice, she told herself. And what do you have to lose? Nothing.
"Oh, okay. Right on! What do you do?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"It's complicated," Tina replied. She didn't just tell anyone what she did and who she worked for, not without getting to know them first. This is a perfect segue, she thought, gathering her courage.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to appear as confident as possible. Here goes nothing… "I'd love to tell you about it, but I don't have a lot of time. I'm in a rush, gotta get back to work. But, would you want to get together sometime? I'd like to buy you a drink. It's the least I could do after all your help." She finished, giving him a flirty, sweet smile, while blinking slowly a couple times. And not because she was batting her eyelashes, or for any other stereotypical girl flirting technique, but because she'd been fighting her heavy eyelids their entire conversation and it was growing more and more difficult.
A genuine, cocky smile appeared on his tan face. I couldn't have planned for this, he thought happily. Now I can subtly pick her brain and discover Steve, Pete, the rest of the security team, and the members of Five-0's weaknesses. Well, any others I don't already know… Now I can really rattle and mess with them! "I'd love that," he answered. "Why don't you give me your number? I'll give you a call. We'll get together when your head feels better."
Tina smiled. "Sounds great!" She turned slightly and reached inside her purse sitting on the SUV's driver's seat. Out of a pocket she pulled a business card. It didn't say her job title or her place of employment, or anything along those lines. It just had her name, number, and e-mail. "Here you go." She handed the card to Arthur.
He quickly glanced at it. "Okay, Tina Monroe. I'll see you soon." He gave her a flirty smirk as he took a couple steps backward. "Have a good day!"
"Yeah, you too!" she smiled. "And thanks again!"
"Anytime. Mahalo!" he responded before giving her a quick wave and walking away.
Tina watched him disappear down a row of cars, heading to his vehicle. At least that's what she assumed. Picking up her purse, she climbed into the driver's seat, closed the door, and placed the object on the floor behind her seat.
Before driving away, she rubbed at the back of her head, the spot she'd smacked twice in one day. She winced at the pain she felt. "That's definitely gonna be sore for a while," she said out loud before buckling up and heading to her next destination. At least something good came out of today, she thought, referring to Arthur. Hopefully he'll help keep my mind off Pete and his mystery woman.
Twenty minutes later, she'd run two more errands, but still had one more stop to make before picking up the flowers Steve had special ordered for Maddie. She smiled at the thought. God, I hope they figure things out,she mused. They'll be so cute together! Plus, she grinned wickedly, they'll have the cutest kids. And Maddie will be such an amazing mother. Steve will be a great father. However, I feel bad for any daughter he has….when she starts dating…oh man! She chuckled at the thought. She yawned, rubbing at her tired eyes behind her sunglasses.
As she turned right onto Konunu Street, Tina reached forward and blasted the air conditioner, pointing all vents directly onto her face. She was hoping it would help her stay awake as it was becoming harder and harder to keep her eyes open. As much as she tried to be in denial over it, she knew she was experiencing symptoms of a concussion.
She squinted her eyes as she brought her left hand to her stomach. In the last few minutes she'd begun to consistently feel nauseated, and it seemed to only be getting worse. Great, she thought. The headache and sleepiness weren't enough? Plus, she hadn't been able to take her sunglasses off in any of the stores she went to because her eyes had grown quite sensitive to any light, whether artificial or natural sunlight. In fact, she was finding it hard to drive on the beautiful and sunny day even though she had her sunglasses on. The brightness outside was still bothering her eyes, which surprised her since she her glasses had dark brown lenses with UV protection. The sun had never bothered her before when she was wearing them.
Sitting in the left turn lane at the red light at Konunu Street and Kalakaua Avenue, she couldn't fight it anymore. "Just for a minute. Just while the light's red," she whispered as she let her eyes close. A minute later her eyes flew open and she grabbed her head, the honking from the person behind her causing an intense burst of pain in it. "Okay, okay, geez," she muttered, pulling out into the intersection and turning left. Some people, I'll tell ya…
As she drove along Kalakaua Avenue, Tina's eyes drifted shut. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't keep them open anymore. Suddenly she felt the SUV hit something and her eyes flew open, her heart stopping in fear as she slammed on the breaks. "Ow!" she cried out, the jerking from stopping the SUV so suddenly caused her head to bump the back of the seat. Of course, the part of her head that made contact with the black leather was the spot she'd already hit twice that day. She glanced around and realized she'd been lucky, she'd veered to the right and bumped into the curb. She exhaled a sigh of relief as she used her right hand and slipped the car into park. She squinted her face in pain as she held the back of her head gently with her hand. "Oh man," she murmured. It felt as if her head was literally going to explode.
Since she was already parked on the side of the road, Tina thought it was probably a good idea if she just closed her eyes and maybe slept for fifteen minutes. At least then she thought she'd be able finish her last two stops and head back to the arena without falling asleep at the wheel again. It wasn't just safer for herself, but for other driver's on the road. She'd never forgive herself if she hurt or killed someone.
Tina glanced around, taking in her surroundings. Satisfied that it was a safe and legal place to park, she turned the car off, but turned the key in the ignition just slightly so she could keep the air conditioning running. It was too hot and humid not to have any air, especially with the way she was feeling.
She made sure the doors were locked and then crossed her arms on the steering wheel and laid her head on them. This'll do, she thought. She was so sleepy she didn't even have the energy to lean the seat back and take a nap like that, even though it probably would have been more comfortable. As soon as her eyes closed she was out, dead to the world.
He had gotten back in his car after talking to her and followed her as she left Jamba Juice and made two other stops. He'd watched as she seemed to feel worse and worse. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see she was exhausted. He'd been behind the car that had honked at her at the light. He couldn't believe she'd fallen asleep. Once he had a good picture of her to use to mess with Pete, he hadn't planned on following her, but after talking to her and finding out about the fall and her headache, he was worried. He'd always liked Tina and didn't want to see anything happen to her, so he'd followed her. Plus, his beef wasn't with her.
He was a bit relieved when she chose to stay pulled over after she'd fallen asleep at the wheel and hit the curb. He made a U-Turn and parked across the street, his car facing the opposite direction. Knowing Pete, he knew it wouldn't be long until he worried that she wasn't back yet. He smirked, deciding it was the perfect time to screw with him. He wanted him completely on edge for the show. More so than he already was, thanks to the little mishaps he'd been sure to cause while Maddie rehearsed. He smiled just thinking about it. He could only imagine what was going on in his head as he tried to figure out how the hell someone was getting in and messing with things while he and his team were there.
He pulled the memory card from the SLR camera he'd been using to take photos of Tina and placed it in the laptop sitting on the passenger seat. He quickly transferred the photos onto the computer before plugging in the new cell phone he'd stolen from a paparazzo outside the arena. One he knew was a huge fan of Maddie. He smiled, knowing Steve and his Five-0 team would follow the trail of breadcrumbs he was purposely leaving them. Of course nothing I've left will help them find me, he thought happily as he chuckled. He was really going to enjoy watching Steve run around in circles trying to catch him.
As he scrolled through all the photos he'd taken of Tina over the last forty-five minutes, he laughed. Picking one of her getting out of the car, he got it into the stolen iPhone before unplugging the device from the computer. He opened a new text message and entered Pete's cell number before typing a quick message and attaching the photo. He laughed maniacally as he hit send. He set the phone down in the cup holder and looked around. Noticing there weren't many cars – and the ones that were there were parked with no one inside – and no one was walking around, he decided it was time to change out of his "Arthur" disguise and into a new one. As a rule, he very rarely changed disguises out in public just in case he was spotted; he couldn't risk there ever being any witnesses. However, he made an exception this time since no one was around.
Arthur was easy to shed. He simply pulled the wig and mustache off and removed the green contacts, tucking everything inside a black duffel on the passenger seat. Putting on his next disguise was more of a process, but luckily he had time since he was sitting in his car waiting for someone to come look for Tina, who was asleep in her SUV across the street.
After slipping the new color contacts in his eyes and putting the eyebrows made of real hair in place, he carefully pulled the silicone face mask he'd created for this particular character of his out of it's protective packaging. He had put it on and then smoothed the neck down, pulling a small round container from the duffel. He took a sponge, patted it in the substance in the container, and began blending the sides of the mask into his skin. This was necessary if it was to look like he wasn't wearing a mask.
Once satisfied it was secure and blended, he put the new, dark brown wig on, followed by the wire-rimmed glasses. He then grabbed the red, plaid, long sleeved, button down shirt and worn looking Yankees hat from the bag and put them on, completing the look.
Pulling down the visor, he checked his reflection in the small mirror. He smiled at the face staring back at him. "Well done," he complimented himself. It didn't look anything like him. He looked much older thanks to the wrinkles he'd made sure to put in the mask when making it.
As he continued to look at himself in the mirror, he shifted his head slightly making sure all the edges of the mask were blended and invisible to the eye.
Satisfied, he closed the mirror, leaned back in his seat, and waited for the show to begin with an evil, mischievous grin on his face.
Steve and Maddie had been back in her dressing room for thirty minutes. She had taken her usual spot in the middle of the couch, and Steve had sat next to her on her left, like he had for the last several hours. While Kono, Lori, Chin, and Steve had been chatting, Maddie had kept quiet. However, she would force herself to join in anytime they all laughed, so they knew she was listening, at least somewhat. Steve stole quick glances at her out of the corner of his eye every couple minutes or so, worried whether he'd be able to fix the damage her father's statement had caused. In fact, he wasn't the only one concerned about her, Kono and Chin kept eyeing her as well. However, they figured her quiet and distant behavior was a result of seeing her father, they didn't know it was really more about Steve.
"Things okay in here?" Pete asked as he walked through the door.
It took Maddie a few seconds to shake the repeating thoughts from her head. She turned to look at him. She nodded.
Pete could see it as soon as she looked at him, something had happened. Suddenly it dawned on him and he glanced at his watch. "Damn it!" he cursed and looked back up to her. "I'm so sorry, Mads."
She gave him a small smile, and to Steve's surprise, a genuine one. "It's fine."
"She speaks!" Chin cried out, laughing.
Maddie turned to look at him, a bigger smile on her face. "Yes, but I'm not supp-osed to be." Her voice cut out. "It's only getting worse," she explained, referring to her voice, or lack of it.
"Now she follows Doc's advice," Kono cracked, chuckling.
Maddie shrugged her shoulders and gave them a sort of 'whachya gonna do?' look.
Pete walked further into the room, stopping behind the armchair Kono was sitting in. He placed his hands on the top of the back of the chair and leaned forward slightly. "You should've called me, I would've gone with you," he told to Maddie.
Before she could answer, Steve spoke up. "I went with her."
Pete's eyes widened in surprise. No, more like shock. "Is there a bloody mess that needs to be cleaned up? Are the cops coming to arrest you?" he quipped, knowing how Steve felt about Maddie's dad, Henry.
"Almost," Steve replied, his shoulders squared as anger emanated out of every pore of his body. They could all tell he was completely serious.
The silence and thick tension that had fallen over the room was uncomfortable, something they all felt. They glanced at one another, hoping someone would say something to break the tense moment. Finally, Pete spoke up.
"So, Mads," he began with not only a mischievous tone, but a coinciding look on his face as well. Hearing that, they all turned to look at her.
Forcing herself to try and act normal and not dwell on Steve and what her dad had said, Maddie glanced around at all their waiting faces. "Huh?" she finally said to Pete.
"Derek needed to run a quick errand," Pete started. Maddie immediately fought to keep from smirking, knowing exactly where this was going. "Wouldn't you know, he walks out to his car only to discover it isn't there."
"Really?" she replies. "That's so we-ird."
Pete stared at her, a small smirk on his face. "Mads…" He waited for her to say something. When she didn't, he continued. "Where's his car?"
What? Steve wondered, confused. His head whirled to his right to look at her. "Madeline?" he said with a slightly warning tone.
She leaned back into the couch further as she sighed, snuggling into the blanket more. She was so tired. "Ryan needed to borrow it," she answered nonchalantly.
"And how exactly did Ryan get the keys?" Pete asked, smiling. "Because I know for a fact he didn't ask Derek for them."
"Who knows?" Maddie answered, shrugging her shoulders. "Ryan can be quite sneaky." She smiled sweetly at her head of security.
He looked back at her, waiting for her to tell him the real story. When it was clear she'd said all she intended, he said, "Are you sure you're talking about Ryan?"
"Who else wo-uld I be talk-ing about?" she asked, meeting his eyes. Steve had not stopped looking at her and she was doing her best to act like it wasn't getting to her, because it was. It really was.
Pete took a second to take Maddie's complexion in. The small amount of color she'd regained in her face after her hour-long nap was now gone. She was pale and looked extremely tired. He looked between Steve and Maddie. By the way she was sitting further away from him than she had been all day and how she made sure that her blanket didn't get anywhere near him, he could tell something had happened. Damn, he'd seemed to have made a little improvement with her. Not much, but it was better than nothing, Pete thought. I wonder what happened? Wonder what he said or did this time?
"Hm, let me think," Pete jokingly said as he scratched his head. Finally, he ended the charade and looked. "Okay, fess up. You pick-pocketed him, didn't you?"
Maddie's eyes widened as she gave him an innocent look. "Me? That hu-rts, Petey." He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows, wanting the truth. "Fine," she sighed loudly, sniffling as she did. "You go-t me. Can't get anyth-ing past you, P."
Steve sighed, his eyes closing briefly at her admittance. It's not that he wasn't impressed by her skills, because he was. It was that he wished she'd stop using them while she was in trouble. While she had a psycho after her. She'd already taken off twice in the last few days, at least twice that he knew of, and what if she'd used the keys she'd taken? God forbid the psycho would get a hold of her, or she' d fallen asleep behind the wheel. He tensed considerably, the worst case scenarios on his mind.
Pete shook his head, smirking. "When?"
She debated answering him; she didn't want to give away all her secrets. However, ultimately, she decided it didn't really matter. "When I was rehearsing that new song earlier. He was excited at how it looked and gave me a hug. I slipped them off his belt loop."
"Madeline," Steve said, obviously not happy about it.
"What? I wasn't gonna take the car myself," she said to him, the tone of her voice much different from when she was talking to Pete.
"Nice job sistah!" Kono laughed, standing up and leaning towards Maddie. The two fist-bumped.
"Tha-nks," Maddie replied, smiling. She used her other hand to cover her mouth as a sudden tickle appeared in her throat causing her to cough.
Steve glimpsed at his watch, checking the time. Another forty-five minutes and she can have some more meds, he thought.
As Kono sat back down laughing, Pete reached his hand and jokingly tugged lightly on her ponytail. "Do not encourage, Kono!" he laughed.
"Sorry, P," she replied, trying to keep from giggling.
"I'm impressed," Lori said, feeling as if she should say something.
"Why thank you!" Maddie slightly smiled at her sitting on the other couch across the coffee table.
"Not you too, Lori," Steve said. "No encouraging her." He looked from Lori to Kono. "Either of you."
Lori smiled, happy Steve was engaging her. "Oh come on, Steve. It's funny. No harm, no foul. Lighten up," she said to him, a huge, flirty smile on her face. She batted her eyes slightly at him.
Maddie straightened slightly seeing her flirt with Steve. Not wanting to see his response, she looked away towards the closed door to the adjoining room. Maybe I should just go lie down in there, she wondered. I am tired, plus I wouldn't have to be sitting here with Steve. I won't have to watch the looks Lori is constantly sending him. Or his responses to them. However, she hadn't actually seen the looks he sent to Lori, since number 1, there weren't any, and number 2, she always looked away, refusing to look. She knew it would hurt too much. However, she knew they were there. Or rather, she assumed they were.
Steve noticed the sudden change in her and assumed it had something to do with the fact she thought he was dating Lori. I told her I wasn't, he thought. I can't believe she didn't believe me. However, if he was being honest with himself, he couldn't blame her. He'd said and done so many things since she'd been in town only to take them back. And he'd kissed her Saturday night, insinuating more, only to laugh at the idea of them as more than friends the next morning. If the roles were reversed, he couldn't say he wouldn't be feeling the same.
"Ryan's not in any kind of trouble is he?" Pete asked.
Maddie quickly looked over at him, a serious and truthful look on her face. "Of course not! I promise, he just went to run some errands. Get away from the arena for a bit before soundcheck and the show. That's all." I'm not exactly lying, she thought. Per se…
"Okay," Pete nodded, accepting her answer. He knew if she thought Ryan was in trouble, she'd tell him. "But no more stealing, you little klepto," he teased.
Steve smiled, his mind immediately thinking back to Saturday night when he'd called her the exact same thing after discovering that Maddie had been stealing his clothes and wearing them, for God knows how long. Definitely years. Of course, this prompted an image, well more like a fantasy, of Maddie wearing nothing but one of his button down shirts to pop into his head. Oh man, he thought, feeling his body react to the mere idea.
Ever since they'd kissed in her media room Friday, all he wanted to do was do it again. He'd only gotten to experience the way she felt underneath him for a few brief minutes before Pete had come back to the house and interrupted them. He'd gotten another quick taste later that same night, but she'd ended it quickly and pulled away from him abruptly. He was anxious to go there again with her. So much so, that he wasn't sure he'd be able to restrain himself and go slow the next time, something he felt was incredibly important. When he was finally able to kiss and touch her like he was so craving, he wanted to take his time. After waiting twenty years to go there with each other, he didn't feel it was something that should be rushed, and he wasn't just talking about sex. Not only did he want to take his time, but he wanted to make sure she knew that he cared about her and was attracted to her on more than just a physical level. That is if we get to go there. If I can fix things, he thought.
Steve glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. If she only knew how I really felt, we'd probably be in the other room right now, he thought, his pants tightening even more at the thought. He reminisced over their short moments. He loved the way her lips had felt against his. When he thought back to when they'd kissed, he could swear he could still feel her soft lips against his. If just kissing her does this to me, I can't imagine what going further will do. He fought to keep from smiling at the thought. His pants became even tighter. What had just been a sort of stirring in his nether region was now a small growing erection. Crap, he inwardly cursed, realizing quickly that his thoughts had gotten out of hand and fast. Worried someone would notice, he moved around, pretending he was trying to get comfortable. Think about something else, he told himself. Anything else.
"Hey, on a completely different subject, where's Tina? She asleep in the other room?" Pete asked, motioning with his head to the closed door leading into the adjoining room. He was still leaning his arms against the back of Kono's armchair as he unconsciously played with her ponytail. He was really hoping the answer would be yes, that Tina was getting some much-needed sleep. He knew he'd feel so relieved.
"No," Maddie responded. However, before she could finish, she started coughing.
"Where is she then?" Pete asked, letting go of Kono's hair. That's weird, he thought. I haven't seen her around the arena in the last little while.
As Steve watched Maddie carefully, just in case she needed her inhaler, he answered Pete. "She left to run some errands."
"She did?" he asked. Pete immediately straightened, no longer leaning on Kono's chair, and reached for the walkie-talkie at his waist. "Roll call," he said into the device. His carefree, laid back demeanor was gone immediately, replaced by his "head of security", all business persona.
The room was quiet while he listened to the responses coming through his earpiece. "Thanks," he said tightly into the walkie-talkie, before returning it to the clip on his belt. "My entire team is here. She must've gone alone."
At the slight anxiety in his buddy's voice, Steve turned to look at him, no longer worried about Maddie since she'd stopped coughing. "What is it Pete?" he asked, his tone serious, something Maddie picked up on. Her eyes darted between both men.
"I specifically told her to take security with her when she left." He slid his fingers through his hair, his mind running a million miles an hour.
"Okay, but she didn't. It's no big deal," Maddie told him, curious as to why he seemed so anxious about it. She'd never seen him like this before, not over something so small and insignificant as errands. Sure, he'd been worried about Tina before, but this was different. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but it was.
"It is a big deal. I didn't want her driving after what happened earlier," he answered, his tone slightly clipped.
"What do you mean? What happened?" Chin asked, sitting up straight in his chair, a bad feeling beginning to churn in his gut.
Pete sighed and then took a deep breath, hoping it would help himself calm down. "I ran into Tina in the hall earlier. She was acting really strange." Pete paused, noticing how Maddie averted her eyes from his. She knows something about why T's being weird with me, he thought. He decided he'd ask her about it later. Right now, he needed to find Tina. "Anyway, she said she was going to get Steve and Maddie lunch, so I went with her, wanting to make sure everything was okay. To make a long story short, we sat down while we waited for the food. When it was done she stood to get it and almost passed out."
At Pete's statement, Steve and Maddie's heads shot to one another, their eyes wide. They immediately grew worried since they knew she'd hit her head.
"What is going on?" Pete snapped, noticing the look the two best friends were sharing. He was trying to keep his cool and hide his emotions, but his façade was slipping.
Steve gave Maddie a look. "Yes, tell him. I agree," she told Steve, understanding what he was silently saying.
"Tell me what?" Pete asked, the anxiety he was trying to hide, creeping into his voice.
Steve turned to his fellow Navy Seal and longtime friend. "Earlier, when Doc was looking Maddie over….Tina was helping her out of her jeans, so he could get a good look at her knee. She somehow slipped backwards and smacked the back of her head on the coffee table."
"She what?" Pete calmly asked, the information not quite sinking in. His relaxed tone surprised them. "How?" he asked, his tone much different now. Much more anxious. They could hear the anger and concern bubbling inside him, begging to be released now that the situation had registered.
Steve shrugged. "Doc and I were in the kitchen. We only heard it happen."
Pete looked to Maddie, silently telling her to explain. "My skinny jeans wouldn't come off, so she put every muscle into it and pulled hard. Of course they came loose and she went flying backwards and smacked her head against the coffee table."
"And you guys are just now telling me this?" Pete questioned, his voice rising slightly as the realization of the situation began to hit him.
"She didn't want us to say anything to anyone," Maddie explained.
Pete shook his head, angry at them, as he hurriedly pulled his phone from his pocket. As he went to his "favorites" list in his iPhone, he asked, "Did Doc look her over afterwards and make sure she was okay?" Finding Tina's name he hit 'call' and held the phone to his ear. As it began to ring he looked to Maddie and Steve, waiting for them to answer his question.
"Yes, when she left after bringing our lunch back, Doc was going to check her over," Steve said.
"He must've given her a clean bill of health since she was up and around," Maddie added.
Pete's eyes closed as he listened to the phone ring and ring and ring. He clenched his jaw and his nose slightly twitched as he licked his lips. It was obvious he was doing everything he could to try and keep his cool when inside he was freaking out. Her voicemail came on. "Hi, you've reached Tina Monroe! Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! Thank you so much and have an amazing day!"
"Hey, T. Call me back the second you get this. I mean the second!" he said, his voice tight as he left the message. "No answer," he said, pulling the phone from his ear. He quickly dialed again as he began to pace lightly.
"That's weird," Maddie admitted, growing incredibly concerned about her best friend. "She always answers! No matter what."
While Pete held his phone to his ear, calling her again, he tried to keep his mind from jumping to all the worse case scenarios.
"Do you think she fell again?" Chin suddenly asked.
That pulled Pete from his head. "What do you mean again?" His tone was a lot harsher than he intended, but they all understood. He was scared and worried.
Knowing exactly what his co-worker was referring to, Steve answered, "Before T left, she came in and went into the other room to get Maddie's sneakers. While she was in there, we heard a crash."
"Did you check on her?" Pete asked incredulously, trying to keep his cool. He couldn't believe no one had told him any of this. What the hell? he fumed.
"Of course!" Steve replied sharply, offended that he even asked.
"I was closest, so I went in there," Chin stated.
"And?" Pete asked, his flashing eye flitting to Chin. However, just before Chin answered, Pete cursed, "Damn it!" He pulled his phone from his ear, his hand clenched around it, and stuffed it into his pocket. He scraped his top teeth over his bottom lip and then released it. "No answer." He took a deep breath and then looked back at Chin, wordlessly telling him to continue.
"She was standing, but she definitely seemed flustered."
"What did she say happened?" Pete asked, trying to decide what he was going to do.
"She claimed she bumped into the table in there," Chin answered.
"How did she seem? Was she acting any weirder?"
"Not really," Maddie answered. "I don't know, P. I was distracted at the time. Plus, she left shortly after that." She paused, feeling incredibly guilty. What if something had happened to Tina? Something she could've prevented if she'd only been paying closer attention instead of worrying about seeing her dad. "I'm sorry."
Suddenly Pete's phone dinged and he quickly pulled it from his pocket with a hopeful look in his eyes that it was Tina. 1 New Message his phone read. Noticing it was from a number he didn't recognize, he opened it, disappointed it wasn't her. He wasn't sure how he was able to act so nonchalant over the message he was currently staring at. His Navy Seal training kicked in and he knew he needed to completely hide his emotions. "I'm gonna grab my laptop and see if I can't locate her phone," he calmly said, although he was anything but. He began walking across the room to where his laptop case was sitting. He forced himself to walk at a normal pace, not wanting to let Maddie know what was going on. He was able to quickly catch Steve's eye without her noticing. He gave him a look.
"Here, let me help you," Steve said as he stood. After being teammates for so long, their lives in each other's hands, he'd understood what Pete was saying with his look. He took a few steps to his left before turning left again and walking to the kitchen table located behind the couch. He came to stand next to Pete as he booted up his laptop on the table. Pete silently handed his phone to Steve, who immediately froze as he looked at the screen. It was a text message that said, "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Attached was a photo. He tapped the small picture so he could get a better look, however he was pretty sure he already knew what it was of. Sure enough, he was right. As the picture filled the entire screen, his stomach dropped. It was of Tina. Her sunglasses were on as she exited the black SUV she was driving. Steve looked up and met Chin's eyes.
At the serious look his boss gave him, Chin stood and smiled. "I'm gonna help too. One worried Navy Seal is bad enough, but two? I better supervise," he joked, smiling at Maddie. It was obvious they didn't want her to know about whatever was going on.
Maddie smiled. As much as they drove her crazy at times, she was so lucky to have such wonderful, caring men in her life. They'd do anything for someone they cared about. Maddie looked at Kono. "Men," Kono smirked, rolling her eyes. "A woman doesn't answer her phone a couple times and they freak out and track her phone." The three women chuckled a bit.
Kono looked over at the men standing at the table in front of Pete's laptop. Steve gave her a look and tilted his head in Maddie's direction. He was thankful her back was to him, so she couldn't see anything they were doing. Understanding, Kono looked to her friend and began chatting, hoping to distract her from what was going on behind her.
Steve also met Lori's eyes, silently letting her know to help Kono. She smiled at his worried, but handsome, face. She was ecstatic that although she'd only been part of the team for a short amount of time, she and Steve were already close enough that they could communicate solely with their eyes.
Since he'd specifically asked her to help, she was more than happy and immediately joined the conversation with Kono and Maddie.
While the three women chatted, the three men were able to locate Tina's cell phone. Of course they'd tried her several more times, but she never answered.
As the three were standing huddled around the computer, Pete in the middle, his hands on his laptop, they studied the red dot on the map. The red dot was the location of Tina's phone. They occasionally glanced at one another, concerned that it wasn't moving. If she was driving or walking, or moving in any way, and her cellphone was on her, it should've been moving with her. The fact that it wasn't concerned them. "Maybe she left her phone in the car," Chin suggested, his voice quiet so only they could hear. "That would explain why it's not moving and why she isn't answering."
"Yeah, it's a possibility," Steve said softly, licking his lips as he thought things through. His eyes never left the stationary red dot on the screen's map. "Zoom in, Pete." He thought if they could see the map closer, with all the street names, not just the main ones, and the businesses, they'd have a better idea.
Pete's stomach dropped. "She's not even in a parking lot. It's just sitting on that street. There doesn't appear to be any shops or a reason she would need to leave the car."
His concern quadrupling over what this could mean, Pete reached for his walkie-talkie. He was going to send two members of the security team to the location of Tina's cell phone. Although he desperately wanted to go himself, he had to stay with Maddie. She was his priority. The three men knew that it was possible it could be a trap to lure Pete away from Maddie, so her stalker could try and get to her. Therefore, it was safer to send someone else to Tina.
Steve placed his hand on his friend's forearm, stopping him from using his walkie-talkie. Pete questioningly looked to Steve, worry etched on his tired face. "Go," Steve whispered. "I'll stay with her. She's completely safe with me. You go find Tina and make sure she's okay."
"Are you sure? What about Maddie?" Pete asked, grateful and relieved Steve was telling him to go.
"Yes, absolutely." Steve gave him a small smile. He wasn't sure what was going on, but all day he'd been getting a feeling maybe something had changed between his fellow Seal and Maddie's long time assistant. Whether the feeling was mutual, he didn't know. He wasn't even sure if that's what he was picking up on. However, seeing how Pete was reacting to hearing that Tina had hurt herself and now was possibly in trouble, he was really wondering if Pete didn't have feelings for Tina. With Maddie in some kind of trouble, Steve knew how worried he was. How he wanted to be with her every moment. If Pete was indeed discovering he had feelings for Tina, then Steve knew how badly he'd want to go find her. "I trust you implicitly, but Maddie will always be safer with me."
"I know," Pete smirked, understanding what he was saying. He wasn't insulting him, it was just a fact.
"So, go! Don't feel bad or worry about Maddie because I have her. Just focus on T and bringing her back safe and unharmed," Steve whispered to his long time friend.
"I'm gonna go with you," Chin announced from his spot on Pete's other side. They were all speaking in hushed tones, so Maddie wouldn't overhear.
Pete turned his head and met his friend's face. "Thank you," he nodded, more grateful and appreciative than he knew how to express.
"Keep me posted," Steve told them. "I'll keep the computer open and watch in case her phone's location begins to move…Oh, and let me know if you guys think you'll need backup and I'll send some!"
"Great!" Pete called out as he and Chin rushed towards the dressing room door.
"We'll be back!" Chin shouted over his shoulder.
The three women's conversation came to an abrupt halt as they watched Pete and Chin rush out the door. They were gone before either of them were really able to process what was going on, let alone before they had a chance to ask any questions. Both Pete and Chin had seemed worried and scared, and not just because Tina wasn't answering her phone.
Am I missing something? Maddie wondered. Beginning to panic, she twisted around to search for Steve in the kitchen, behind her. "Ste-ve?" she asked, looking towards him, her voice cutting out in the middle of his name.
Hearing her unsure and worried voice, he immediately looked up from the computer screen at her. He could see that although she was trying to hide it, she was scared, especially since Pete and Chin had just run out of the room. He gave her a reassuring smile as he picked up the laptop and strode over to the couch. He set it on the coffee table as he sat next to her. He made sure to close a bit of the physical distance she'd put between them only moments earlier. "Everything's fine, baby," he said to her, purposely using the pet name to provide more comfort. He rubbed her upper arm in a soothing gesture. "T probably just left her phone in the car. It'll be fine."
Maddie eyed him for a few seconds before nodding. "Kay," she whispered, leaning back against the couch. She was tired, and that was putting it mildly.
Steve stared into her exhausted blue eyes before letting them scan her face. She looked like she didn't feel well. He glanced at his watch, checking the time. Those meds I gave her are beginning to wear off. It's almost time for more, he thought.
He was just about to say something along those lines when Lori asked, "Did Chin go with Pete?"
Lori had been watching the way Steve was looking at Maddie and she hated it. It was upsetting. It was obvious he cared deeply for her, she just hoped it was as a friend and as nothing more. Her stomach was churning and her heart was breaking. She needed to pull his attention away, so she asked the first thing that came to her mind.
"Yeah," Steve replied adjusting his position on the couch. Instead of sitting facing Maddie, he turned and leaned against the back of the couch, eyeing the open laptop on the coffee table. He made a note that the red dot, Tina's cell phone, hadn't moved.
Seeing Maddie's worried look, Kono said, "I'm sure she's fine and that you're right Steve. She probably just left her phone in the car." However, Maddie wasn't really listening, she was miles away, lost in her own thoughts.
Although Chin had really tried to convince him otherwise, Pete had insisted on driving. "I can tell you and Steve trained and went through the ranks together," Chin said as he gripped the passenger door's inside handle with his right hand so hard that his knuckles weren't only white, but his hand was actually starting to hurt.
"How's that?" Pete asked, his jaw clenched and his eyes laser focused in front of him as he weaved in and out of cars.
"You both drive like complete maniacs when you're concerned," he bluntly answered.
Pete glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, never once moving his head. He noticed him holding on for dear life and then eyed the speedometer. "Guess I can slow down a little," he mumbled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"It's okay," Chin smiled. "I get it. If anything every happened to Malia..."
"Yeah, but you and Malia are together. Tina and I are just friends," Pete responded as he came to a complete stop behind the four cars in front of them. "Stupid red lights," he muttered. Although he was trying to keep his cool, trying to keep his intense worry hidden, it was peaking through. The way he impatiently began shaking his left leg and tapping the steering wheel. The way he glanced around at all the cars in front of him, to each side, and behind him, looking for a way around them so he could get moving again and stop just sitting there.
"Hm…interesting," Chin said. He decided it wasn't the time to ask him questions about their "friendship".
Pete ignored the comment, at least for now. He'd ask him what he meant by it later because at the moment he needed to focus on getting to Tina. "God I hope he didn't get to her," he stated.
"Who is this guy?" Chin asked incredulously, posing the question to the universe.
"I don't know, but when we find him I'm going to rip him apart with my own two hands," Pete growled, the anger apparent in his voice. "Come on!" he suddenly yelled, laying his hand on his horn. "Green light means go!"
Chin decided it would be better to not say a word. He knew he was terrified. "We're getting close to the address on Kalakaua Avenue. I'm gonna double check with Steve that it hasn't moved."
"Good call," Pete replied as Chin quickly texted Steve.
"No, it's still the same address," he reported, hearing back immediately from his boss.
"Please just say she left her phone in the car," Pete whispered as he turned right onto Kalakaua Avenue. Knowing he was only a few blocks away from her cell's location, he once again pressed his foot down hard on the gas pedal.
"We're gonna miss the spot if you keep going 80mph," Chin calmly told him, although there was a hint of exasperation in his voice. "I'm not even going to mention that the speed limit is 45."
Pete ignored him as he glanced around the area, looking for any sign of Tina or foul play. Anything that would hint as to what was going on.
"Slow down," Chin suddenly said. "This is the block we are getting the signal from." He began scanning the area while Pete pulled into a metered parking spot at the beginning of the block. "Do you know what car she took?"
"Yeah, a black Escalade," Pete answered, quickly throwing the car into park and pulling the keys from the ignition. With his left hand hovering over the door handle, he reached into the center console and grabbed an extra magazine for the gun safely holstered to his hip.
"Good call," Chin said. "Got another one?"
Pete said nothing. He answered by pulling out a second magazine for him. Chin gratefully took it and both men exited the SUV.
"Let's split up," Chin suggested. "You look for the car and I'll look around for her cell phone or purse or hopefully her." Pete's jaw visibly clenched at the end of Chin's statement, knowing that if they found her cell phone or purse laying around it would mean she'd been taken by Maddie's stalker.
"Sounds good," Pete said. "By the way, her purse is purple." He didn't bother to hear Chin's response as he walked away briskly, glancing at the cars parked on the side of the street near theirs. He sighed. None were an SUV, let alone a black Escalade. He glanced to his right to see a bank parking lot. He jogged towards it, hurrying down the different rows. He saw a large, dark SUV out of the corner of his eye. Tina, he thought, running towards it. However, his shoulders slumped as he came to a stop once he noticed it was a suburban and it was midnight blue. "Damn," he whispered, running his hands through his hair as he looked around, studying his surroundings. "Where are you T," he asked himself, licking and biting at his bottom lip.
Pete sighed. The car wasn't in the bank parking lot. He jogged out of the lot and back to the sidewalk. He stopped. His actions were beginning to mirror the franticness he was feeling, but had been trying to hide. His head moved back and forth as he scanned the area for the car. Suddenly his head abruptly stopped as he studied an SUV parked at a meter on the other side of Kalakaua Avenue, the street they were on. He unconsciously took a few steps forward and leaned his left hand on the car to his left as he focused on the SUV across the street. Black Escalade, he thought as he broke out into a run.
He wasn't sure if it was her car since he couldn't see the license plate, but he didn't care. It didn't stop him from running out into oncoming traffic. Tires squealed as cars slammed on their brakes, trying to keep from hitting him. The drivers honked their horns. Some rolled down their windows and yelled incredibly obscene profanities at him, but he didn't care. He didn't even bother waving to them in a lame attempt at an apology. To be honest, he didn't even notice the chaos he was causing. He was focused on one thing and one thing only. Tina. And how he was praying to God that it was her car. He just hoped she was somewhere close and hadn't been abducted.
Hearing the commotion, Chin stopped talking to a woman walking her dog and glanced around. He knew whatever was going on had to do with Pete. Seeing Pete running across the street with no regard for his safety or wellbeing, he looked back to the woman. "Thank you for your help. You have a wonderful day! Aloha!" He smiled at her before turning and hurrying to where Pete was headed. Stupid Navy Seals, he thought, hoping Pete didn't get himself hurt or killed.
Pete panted as he reached the back of the car. He glanced at the license plates. Seeing it was in fact the car she'd taken, he cupped his hands around his face and leaned against the back windshield, looking in the trunk. He squinted his eyes as he tried to see through the tinted windows. Luckily they weren't severely tinted, so he was able to see that there was nothing out of the ordinary back there. Just a couple of bags he assumed she'd picked up on her errands. He glanced around hoping he'd either see her walking towards the car or would see a location she might be in. Trouble was, he didn't know what errands she was running. Well, except to the phone store.
He glimpsed around to see if he saw one. He sighed when he didn't. "Where are you T?" he mumbled to himself as he walked from the back of the car and up to the backseat window on the driver's side of the car. He again cupped his hands and peered in. Nothing. Only a box and two bags.
With his hands still cupped around his face, Pete took steps to his left, the entire time peering into the car. "Tina!" he cried as he reached the driver's window and looked inside. The immediate happiness and relief he felt upon seeing her in the car disappeared as he took her in.
She was hunched forward, her arms crossed on the steering wheel with her head lying on them. He couldn't see her face as she was lying on the left side of her face, which meant she was facing the passenger seat.
Chin came to a halt next to him, breathing a bit heavily since he'd been running and had been a lot further away. Before he could even ask anything, Pete said, "She's in the car."
While Pete searched his pockets for the extra set of keys he'd decided to grab just before they left, Chin looked through the window at Tina. A worried look immediately came over his face seeing her. "Tina!" he yelled, knocking on the window.
As Pete pulled the keys from his pocket, he glanced up, wanting to see if she had responded. His stomach clenched when she didn't move even the slightest bit. Neither man voiced their fears, hoping if they didn't acknowledge them then they wouldn't be real. But in reality they were terrified. Both had automatically looked her over, as best they could through the window, looking for any signs of blood or trauma. They'd felt a bit relieved not seeing anything, but at the same time, they couldn't really see her that well the way she was hunched over, her back to them. There was also the possibility that she'd been drugged or something similar since Pete had received a text from Maddie's stalker. He was so worried he'd done something to Tina. There was also the possibility that she was dead. However, both Pete and Chin refused to even entertain the notion.
Pete quickly hit the "unlock" button on the remote control attached to the keys. He pulled the door open the second it unlocked. "T?" he said as he leaned inside the Escalade, his body more than halfway inside. He went to touch her, but pulled his hand back at the last second. He was scared. Scared he'd discover she'd been seriously hurt, or possibly killed. He wouldn't put it past Maddie's stalker after the stunts he'd pulled over the last several days.
He took a deep breath and let it out as he saw her back rise and fall in breath. She's alive, he thought, relieved and happy. "Tina," he said again, this time placing his hand on her upper back. He began to gently rub it. "T, wake up!"
Chin noticed Pete's voice had taken on a tone he'd never heard from him before. It was hard to explain. It was definitely gentle, and he could hear the fear in it, but there was also something he couldn't quite place. It's not the time, Chin told himself, pushing it from his mind.
"I'm gonna go on the other side," Chin declared as Pete tried to wake her up Pete said nothing, only nodded quickly before calling out to her again.
"T, come on, wake up!" Pete cried. He stopped rubbing her back and instead began to carefully shake her.
"Mmmm," Tina groaned, her eyes fluttering behind her sunglasses before they closed again. (The light had bothered her too much to take them off, so she'd slept with them on.) A huge smile appeared on his face at the noise she made. "Thank God," he whispered without even realizing it. He briefly made eye contact with Chin, who now was kneeling on the passenger seat.
"Tina, come on….wake up," Chin coaxed., gently pushing a few strands of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear that had slipped into her face while she'd slept.
Tina slowly began lifting her head, both men's hands hovering near her. Although the movement was nothing drastic, her hands immediately flew to her aching head. "Owww."
"Just take it slow," Pete said as he carefully guided her back to lean against the seat. It was obvious that Maddie's stalker hadn't gotten to her. Whether he was going to go after her or not or whether he was just taunting him, he didn't know. And in the moment, he didn't really care. He just cared that she was unhurt, well except for the obvious concussion.
Now leaning back against the seat, she felt Pete unbuckle her seatbelt. If she hadn't felt so awful, she would have enjoyed the way his large hands grazed her upper thighs and lower abdomen as he freed her from the confining strap. "What are you doing here?" she asked him, her eyes closing again under her sunglasses. She was so tired. Plus the trace amounts of sunlight she could still see through the dark lenses of her sunglasses were worsening her headache.
"You didn't answer your cell phone," Pete replied as he tenderly brushed some hair from her face. "I got worried." He took a deep breath as he felt his racing heart and blood pressure begin to return to normal now that he had found Tina and she was safe.
She shook her head lightly in response. However, it didn't matter how careful she was, it caused a surge of pain in her head. She grabbed at it again, whimpering. She took a deep breath. "I'm fine," she lied.
"I heard what happened," Pete responded, his hand sliding up to the side of her head. He gently rubbed it, his fingers getting lightly tangled in her dark brown hair.
"Nothing happened," she mumbled, her voice trailing off. Her eyes were still closed and her sunglasses still on. By the sound of her voice, the way the ends of her words were dropping into a mumble, he could tell she was trying not to fall back asleep.
"Oh really?" he replied as he gently pulled her sunglasses from her face. He wanted to be able to see her eyes; he wanted her to stay awake. Until he physically watched Doc look her over, he wasn't going to let her fall back asleep and possibly slip into a coma.
Tina immediately squinted at the bit of extra light. However, it wasn't much since she was parked in the shade. Seeing her reaction, he glanced at Chin; they shared a knowing and concerned look. Neither were doctors, but both knew she had a pretty serious concussion. She had the classic symptoms. Sleepiness, sensitivity to light, pain when moving. "T, what were you doing in the car?" Pete asked.
"I was just taking a nap. I got so tired," she murmured as her eyes drifted shut.
"No. No, Tina. Open your eyes. There's no sleeping. Not until you get checked out by Doc," Pete told her as he rubbed her upper arm, hoping the gesture would make her open her eyes.
"I'm fine. Doc already checked me out. He said it was just a little bump," she told him as she eyed him through barely open eyes, appearing as nothing more than little slits. It was as far as she could keep her eyes open with the light bothering them.
"I'm gonna take it that you lied to him, just like you did to me." He paused. "I knew-" He stopped mid-sentence as he watched a funny look cross Tina's face. Her eyes moved from side to side. "You okay?"
"I don't feel so good," she whispered.
Pete's face showed concern. "Okay, let's get you back to the arena." He changed positions. "Can you walk?"
"Of course," Tina responded, a bit of attitude laced in her voice. "I'm fine. I'm just tired."
Not one to get attitude with him, well except over the last couple hours, he usually would have frowned, but he found himself smiling. He took it as a good sign, a sign that, although she had a concussion, she was, indeed, just fine.
Pete grabbed her left upper arm while Chin, still kneeling on the passenger seat, took hold of her right arm. Together the two helped her towards the edge of the seat.
She was surprised at how much help she needed to get up, but Pete being the gentleman that he was, didn't say anything about it. He only helped her stand. He was grateful that he'd kept his arms near her because once she was on her feet she faltered, falling slightly against his chest. He watched her head move a bit from side to side and immediately realized she was feeling dizzy. How dizzy? He wasn't sure. Although, she didn't appear to be experiencing the degree of dizzy spells Maddie had. He was grateful for that since it meant she had a milder concussion than Maddie.
"Need any help?" Chin asked as he came around the car to stand near them.
Before Pete could answer, Tina groaned. "I'm gonna be sick."
No sooner had she said that than she leaned forward. She would've fallen had Pete not had one arm around her. He quickly held on with his other one as well as she lost the contents in her stomach while Chin held her hair back for her. Pete's eyebrows furrowed in concern noticing she wasn't throwing any food up, but orange liquid instead. Did she not eat anything today? he wondered. How did I not realize that? He was annoyed with himself. Wondering what she had that was orange, he glanced back into the car. His eyes immediately fell upon a Styrofoam Jamba Juice cup. It all made sense now.
He helped her straighten once she was done. Chin let go of her hair, opened the backseat door and searched around. Finding a box of Kleenex, he pulled a few and handed them to her. "Thanks," she whispered as she wiped her mouth.
"No problem," he replied, giving her a sympathetic smile.
Tina felt awful. Everything was spinning. Here stomach was churning and her head was pounding. Her eyes fluttered closed as she collapsed against Pete. He was quick and immediately had her in his arms. He walked briskly around the car to the passenger door, which Chin opened for him. He carefully set Tina on the seat. "T, wake up. You can't sleep," he whispered, rubbing her cheek with the back of his hand.
She groaned. "Why not? I'm so sleepy."
"Not until Doc looks you over and makes sure you'll actually wake up if you go to sleep," he responded.
"I just need a quick nap, then I'll be fine. I have stuff I gotta do," she mumbled. He said nothing. He wasn't even going to bother arguing with her since no matter what she said he wasn't going to let her do a thing.
Tina opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings and what was going on. She glanced down at her lap, where Pete's hands were on her seatbelt. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Buckling you in," he stated, his tone very matter of fact.
As he began to stand, finished buckling her in, she quickly unbuckled it with her left hand and began to try and get out of the car. He could tell her head hurt and was probably a little dizzy because her movements were a bit sloppy.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Pete asked, reaching for the seatbelt with his left hand, while he placed his right on her upper left bicep. He didn't have to use much strength or pressure to keep her from going anywhere since she was so tired.
"I have errands still. I'm in the wrong seat. I can't drive from here," she told him, her eyes fluttering closed.
"Tina, you're done with the errands. And there's absolutely no way in hell you are driving this car or any other one. I'm surprised you didn't kill yourself," he told her, his voice firm and slightly angry, leaving no room for argument as he buckled her seatbelt again. He couldn't believe she'd driven in this state. It was a miracle she hadn't been in an accident.
"You can't stop me!" Tina told him, her voice rising a bit. However, she immediately regretted it and winced at the surge of pain that started at the back of her head, where she'd hit it, and up the sides and top. She rubbed at the sore spot.
"I'm not arguing with you about this, T," Pete told her, grabbing her hands when she tried unbuckling her seatbelt again. "I'm telling you, we are going back to the arena."
"Why are you doing this? I'm not your job. Maddie's your job. You don't get paid to worry or care about me, so stop," Tina spat at him, still hurt and upset that he was seeing someone, even though she had no right to be. She pulled hard, trying to get her hands from his. It hurt too much to have him be like this with her. To have him worrying and caring. I get what Maddie's going through, she thought, well as much as she could think with her pounding headache.
Pete's eyes widened at her words. He would be lying if he said they didn't hurt. She thinks I only care because I feel I have to? That it's part of my job? he asked himself. He was so confused. He had absolutely no idea why she'd all of a sudden started acting weird around him and why she'd been keeping him at arm's length all day. They'd always been really good friends and he was starting to wonder if maybe there was more between them. Ever since she got back from her vacation he'd been trying to ignore the idea and thoughts he was having, but getting that picture on his phone and not being able to reach her had scared the hell out of him. Let alone seeing her passed out in the car. It all scared him more than he felt it should have. More than he should feel scared if she was just a friend.
He clenched his jaw as he tried to keep from snapping back at her. She'd hurt him, but he reminded himself that she was hurt, and not just physically, but emotionally. That somehow he'd upset her and she was just protecting herself. So, he said nothing as he met her half open eyes.
Although his face never changed, Tina saw a bit of hurt creep into his eyes. However, no sooner had it appeared, it was gone. Either way, she felt bad. She leaned back against the seat and didn't try and take her seatbelt off again. No longer able to look at him, she cast her eyes downward to her lap.
Thankful she was done trying to get out, Pete came to a standing position just outside the passenger door. He looked her up and down, making sure she was completely in the car before shutting the door.
"You okay?" Chin asked, having heard what Tina said as he leaned against the back passenger door.
Pete turned his head to the right, the opposite direction of Chin, cleared his throat and sighed. Satisfied his emotions were safely hidden, he turned to his friend. "Yeah." He paused. "I'm just glad we found her."
"Yeah, me too," Chin replied. "You know, she was not like that when she left," he told Pete, wanting to be sure he knew that they would have never let her go if she had been.
Pete gave him a small smile. "I know." He licked his bottom lip, letting his top teeth scrape over it. "That crash you guys heard from the other room, she must have hit her head again. You said it was right before she left?"
"Yeah, she left a couple minutes after that." Chin stepped away from the car. He turned around and faced Pete.
Pete nodded. "The timing makes sense. She started feeling like this once she was gone. Knowing her, instead of calling someone to come get her, she was probably trying to hurry and finish her errands as fast as possible, so she could get back."
"Yeah…probably." He paused. "I'm sorry, I should've pressed her when I went in there to check on her," Chin told him.
Pete shook his head. "No. She and Maddie are the same in a lot of ways. They both don't like worrying people around them." He rolled his eyes thinking about how this trait they both shared only made their close friends worry more. "She wouldn't have told you the truth no matter what you did, especially today of all days."
While Pete had been talking, Chin had unconsciously started looking around. His brow furrowed as something caught his eye. "Pete," he uttered, his voice taking on a questioning and concerned quality.
Pete immediately became alert. His right hand slowly and automatically neared his hip where his sidearm was secured. "What? What's up?"
Chin pointed low and behind him. He turned around to see what he was trying to show him. It didn't take long for him to see what Chin had. He dropped his hand, not needing his weapon. His jaw clenched as both worry and relief filled him at the same time. "She must have fallen asleep," he said as he stared at the mark on front right tire and rim of the escalade. His eyes automatically glanced to Tina in the passenger seat. Seeing her eyes closed he tapped on the glass. She opened them slowly, wincing and sending a half glare his way at the obnoxious sound his fingers had made on the window.
"That's why she pulled over," Chin solved.
"Yep," Pete stated, his voice tight as he tried to keep the array of emotions he was feeling from showing. "So I guess, thank God she fell asleep when she did and that she only hit the curb. It could've been a thousand times worse."
Chin nodded, silently sending a quick prayer of gratitude up to God. Seeing Tina's eyes flutter closed again, he said, "Let's go…before she falls asleep again."
"Definitely," Pete stated, walking around to the driver's side of the Escalade. "I'll meet you back there."
"Sounds good," Chin replied. "Oh and I'll call Steve and Doc from the car. Let them know we found her and to expect us."
"Good call," Pete responded as he opened the driver's door. After the two gave each other a quick wave of the hand, he sat down while Chin began walking down the street towards the crosswalk. He felt they'd already experienced a lot of luck and he didn't want to push it. Not only had he and Pete pressed their luck on jaywalking, but Tina had fallen asleep at the wheel and didn't have a scratch on her, or hurt anyone else. "We've had enough luck already today. Don't wanna push it," he whispered to himself as he approached the end of the block and intersection.
He'd crossed the street and was walking down the sidewalk towards the SUV they'd driven when a voice stopped him. "Excuse me?" it said. Chin turned around and saw a man standing next to his open driver's door.
He was probably around six foot with dark brown hair hidden underneath a worn New York Yankee's hat. His light brown eyes under bushy dark eyebrows and wire-rimmed glasses were wary and looked at Chin suspiciously. He was in a loose-fitting white t-shirt with a red, long-sleeved, plaid, button down shirt over it, which he left unbuttoned. By the wrinkles around his mouth as well as the crow's feet wrinkles near the outside of his eyes, and the couple on his forehead between his bushy eyebrows, Chin guessed him to be in his late 40's, early 50's.
"Yes?" Chin answered.
"Is everything okay with the girl across the street? I was just parking and saw your friend carry her from the driver's side," the stranger explained.
"Oh yes, she's fine. Thank you for your concern," Chin replied, giving the man a polite smile.
"You aren't kidnapping her or anything, are you?" the man asked, his eyes narrowing at Chin in a suspicious manner.
Chin had to bite back the laugh that was creeping up. He shook his head at the concerned citizen. "No, she's a friend of ours. Just wasn't feeling well, so we came to get her." He casually lifted the hem of his blue and green Hawaiian short sleeve button down shirt, exposing both his sidearm and his Five-0 badge. "Five-0," Chin smiled. "Nothing to worry about."
"You don't mind if I get a closer look, do you?" the man asked, his face appearing a bit sheepish. "Can never be too careful." Chin could tell the man felt bad for asking, but he appreciated that a citizen was doing his due diligence after seeing something a bit weird. Because seeing two men pull a woman from a car and carry her to the passenger seat was just that. He closed his driver's door and began walking towards Chin.
"Of course not," Chin answered, giving the man one of his perfect toothy smiles. He unclipped his badge from his belt and met the man at the front of his car. "I appreciate you asking. I wish everyone was this aware and asked questions," he said as he handed his badge to the man. As he looked it over, Chin continued. "I do believe it would cut down on crime quite a bit, or at least if everyone was as observant it would help us solve crimes faster because we'd have fantastic witnesses to give us accurate and helpful information."
After looking the badge over thoroughly, the man handed it back to Chin. "I agree one hundred percent…and I'm sorry to have pried, but you can never be too careful nowadays."
"No problem!" Chin smiled, clipping his badge back to his pants. "Again, I really do appreciate your due diligence."
The man walked the few steps back to the driver's side of his car.
"I didn't catch your name," Chin suddenly said.
Giving the Five-0 team member a genuine smile, the man answered, "It's Walt. Short for Walter. But, I haven't gone by that name since I was in high school. Too much teasing as a kid." The man chuckled.
Chin laughed with him, being polite. He couldn't help but think how odd it was to meet another person named Walter in the last few days. Before coming across Walter Seasius during their investigation into Maddie's stalker, he couldn't remember the last time he'd met a Walter. What a coincidence, he thought, but shook it from his mind. "Nice to meet you Walt. My name is Chin."
"Thanks for keeping our beautiful island safe, Chin," Walt said, grinning.
"My pleasure," Chin replied. "And again, thank you!" Walt nodded and Chin turned, heading back down the street towards his car. He climbed inside and headed back to the arena.
Walt had gotten back in his car after Chin had walked away. He closed the door and waited until he saw him pull the big SUV out into traffic and drive off before a huge smirk appeared on his face. He laughed maniacally, shaking his head. "It's like taking candy from a baby," he whispered, reaching for his laptop secured in a case in the passenger seat foot well. He typed in a password and the computer immediately sprung to life. He quickly opened an ongoing document he had of important information and entered in Chin's badge number: 13353. That'll come in handy further down the line, he thought, smiling and shaking his head at how easy it had been to get it. He saved the changes he'd made and closed the computer, sliding it back in its case.
"Walter," he chuckled, tickled with amusement. He just couldn't help himself when Chin had asked for his name. Couldn't help but give the name Walter after their dear friend Walter Seasius, the man whose phone he'd stolen and used to send Maddie the text message Friday night. The one with the photo of Lori straddling holier than thou Steve while they kissed.
Giving Chin the name Walter was his way of teasing Five-0. "The best part?" he whispered to himself as he continued to laugh. "They have no idea I'm even teasing them!" What started with a small chuckle was now something much more. His eyes watered as he roared with laughter.
He thought back to how surprised he was that Pete had come to get Tina himself. Now that, he hadn't been expecting, which both infuriated him and made him ecstatic. He was angry because he prided himself on knowing exactly what they'd do and when they'd do it. That was, after all, one of the ways he knew he'd stay ahead of them and keep Steve and Five-0 from finding him. That and misleading them at every turn by purposely leaving evidence behind that, when analyzed and studied, would lead nowhere.
But he was also happy that Pete had come because it showed how much he cared for Tina. Going on a date with her might rattle him in itself, he thought happily. Before he was just planning on getting useful information from her without her realizing. Information he could use against Steve and Pete, the rest of her security team, and possibly Five-0.
Glancing at his watch he realized he better get moving. He had to hide the current car he was in, a four-door, graphite colored Acura, and change out of his disguise. Not wanting to risk changing his appearance in public again, he decided to change when he hid the car. Then he'd head to the arena to see Maddie. He smiled brightly, the very thought of seeing her always brought a warm, euphoric feeling over him. He started the car, a permanent smile on his face, feeling fantastic over how things were going so far.
"Hey you, no sleeping," Pete said to Tina as he closed the car door and buckled himself in the driver's seat.
She said nothing, only groaned at him. He glanced over to make sure her eyes were open. They were. However, barely. But he didn't care as long as they were open. As long as she was awake.
There was an awkward silence as he turned the key already in the ignition, pulled out onto Kalakaua Ave., and drove down the street. He wasn't exactly sure what to say to her. He felt nervous, something he'd never been with her before. Plus, her words were echoing in his head. Why are you doing this? I'm not your job. Maddie's your job. You don't get paid to worry or care about me, so stop. He then recalled her comment earlier. The one she'd said in the hall after he'd seen her get dizzy. I'm not yours to worry about Peter, so stop. He shook his head slightly as he thought about her words. He didn't understand why all of a sudden she was pushing him away. The only reasoning he could come up with was that he'd possibly hurt her in some way, he just didn't know how. He'd been wracking his brain since their first abnormal encounter and hadn't come up with anything. However, it was obvious he was the reason she was upset.
Pete glanced over at her. Her eyes were closed. "T, come on, stay awake," he told her as he reached his right hand out and rubbed her left forearm.
As much as she liked it, she pulled her arm away and opened her eyes. "Can I have my sunglasses back?" she asked, her voice sounding distant and emotionless.
"No, because I won't be able to tell if your eyes are open or not," he replied, trying to ignore how much he was bothered by the way she'd immediately pulled away from his touch. In fact, it stung. He tried to tell himself it was because they were such good friends.
"It's bright," she groaned.
"It's a symptom of a head injury, T," he told her. "Here, this should help." He glanced away from the road for a quick second as he pulled the passenger visor down, effectively blocking some of the sun coming in the window and streaming into her green eyes.
"Thanks," Tina murmured. Because of it, she was able to open her eyes a little more. However, there was still enough sunlight coming in that it hurt her eyes and head, but she was able to suck it up. She glanced around. "You're going the wrong way," she told him.
Pete furrowed his brow, confused. "No, I'm not. The arena is this way."
"But we're not going back to the arena just yet. We have to make a stop," she replied.
He straightened, inwardly preparing for an argument. "No, Tina. We are going straight back to the arena. Doc needs to check you out," he declared.
As he stopped at a red light, Tina turned to look at him, squinting her eyes from the light coming through his windows. "Pete, just one stop. It's really important and it's not far."
Pete studied her face before bringing his eyes to hers. He could see that whatever it was seemed to be important to her by the intensity he saw in her green eyes. "What is it?"
Tina hesitated, not wanting to betray Steve's confidence.
Seeing she wasn't going to tell him, he shrugged and then turned his attention back to the line of cars stopped at the red light in front of him. "Well then, no."
She sighed heavily. "It's for Steve," she finally quietly admitted.
Pete turned his head to her quickly, a look of confusion on his handsome, but still bruised and cut up face, thanks to his fight with Steve at the barbeque Saturday.
"He special ordered her the blue glittery roses. The ones from the story he told us," she told Pete, giving him a small smile.
Pete couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face as he thought about his tough as nails Navy Seal "brother" ordering glittery flowers. He probably had to go to a ton of florists before he found one that would do it too, he thought. He'd wished he been there to see Steve ordering glittery flowers over and over again as he went from florist to florist trying to find one that would make them.
"Pete, he's trying to get through to her. To fix things." She paused, waiting to see what he said. When he remained quiet, she tried again, "Can we please go get them? I told him I would."
He turned his head to look at her. Seeing the concerned look on her face, concern for Maddie and Steve when she herself felt awful, he couldn't help but be in awe of her. Against his better judgment, he asked, "Where is it?" He couldn't help the large grin that appeared on his face as Tina gave him the biggest smile he'd seen all day. What made him even happier was that he knew he'd caused the smile.
"It's at that small florist shop by the grocery store we always go to when we're here," Tina answered, blinking slowly as she continued to fight the sleepiness.
"Okay, we'll go, but on one condition," he told her, still sitting at the red light. Apparently this is the longest light in the world, he thought, annoyed. He just wanted to get the flowers and get Tina back to the arena so Doc could check her over thoroughly.
"Huh?" she asked, yawning as she did so. She leaned her head back against the seat. She couldn't help it, her eyes drifted shut.
Seeing this Pete said, "No, T. Open your eyes."
Reluctantly, she did. "What is your condition?" she asked, swallowing the nausea she was experiencing.
"Actually there's two. Two conditions….First one, keep talking to me so I can make sure you stay awake…and-" He paused, as he looked around, taking in their surroundings. "The second condition, you gotta be straight with Doc when you see him. Tell him exactly how you're feeling. It's important, T."
She was quiet for a second, not expecting that to be part of his condition. Luckily the fact the red light changed to green gave her a second to think about whether she was going to agree to his conditions. He started driving, but her silence didn't go unnoticed. He gave her a minute to say something. When she didn't, he spoke up. "T?"
She swallowed audibly as she turned her head away from his and stared out the passenger window. Well, it only looked like she was looking out the window. In reality, it was too bright for her, so she closed her eyes. "Okay."
"I know you hate doctors, Tina, but you have to tell Doc what's going on."
"I said okay, Pete," she snapped, not wanting to discuss it anymore.
"Alright." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Turn your head. I can't see your eyes."
Tina sighed, doing what he asked.
There was silence for the next ten minutes. Pete had continued to glance at her every minute or so to be sure she was awake. They were getting closer to the florist shop, maybe only another five minutes.
"Pete?" Tina suddenly said, her voice sounding odd.
"Yeah?" he quickly turned his head to look at her, the sound of her voice not quite right. He immediately noticed she was paler.
"Pull over," she murmured. She'd been hoping that it would either die down or she could hang on until they got to the arena, or at least the florist, but there was no way. She tried to swallow the extra saliva that had been building up over the last couple minutes. She was so nauseated; her mouth was watering profusely.
"Alright." He immediately turned his right turn signal on, changed lanes, and pulled over. She was grateful that it only took him maybe twenty seconds to do so. He jumped out of the car and ran around to the passenger door while she fumbled with her seatbelt. He pulled her door open just as she freed herself. She tried scooting out of the car, but was having some difficulties. She was forced to close her eyes because of the intense sunlight. Pete reached for her and helped her from the car. With his left arm around her waist, they took a few steps towards a trashcan. Thank God there just happened to be one by the car, he thought as they made it just in time.
He was holding her in such a way that his left forearm was around her middle and her back was flush against the front of him. With both hands, Tina grasped his forearm at her stomach, leaned forward, and began throwing up. Pete used his free right hand to hold her dark chocolate brown hair back. Having already vomited the Jamba Juice, there was nothing left in her stomach. She dry heaved for a couple minutes before she straightened and leaned her head back against his chest. Given the difference in their heights, the top of her head was right below his chin.
She groaned. She absolutely hated throwing up. Plus, she was doing it in front of Pete, the man she loved. Real attractive T, she told herself, embarrassed he was seeing her like this.
Feeling her soft hair tickling the front of his neck and under his chin, Pete smiled. Without thinking, he kissed the top of her head, something he'd never done before. His eyes flew open in surprise, as did hers, however he couldn't see her face. What was that? he asked himself.
Shocked, Tina forced herself not to react to the gesture. It helped that she didn't feel very well. Her eyes fluttered closed as she continued to lean into him.
Knowing it wasn't the time to dwell over what he'd just done, Pete asked, "How do you feel? Think we can get back in the car?"
Tina said nothing, only nodded, something he could feel against his chest.
"Alright," he said. Before she even had a chance to step out of his grasp, he picked her up, his right arm under the backs of her legs while his left arm was around her back. Usually she would have argued, telling him she was completely capable of walking on her own two feet, but in this case, she didn't mind. The main reason was because the light was bothering her eyes so much that she had to keep them closed. She couldn't really walk to the car with her eyes closed. At least not efficiently. The last thing she needed was to fall yet again.
It was obvious that getting sick had taken a lot of energy out of her as she'd given into him completely. She let him buckle her seatbelt. She didn't even lift a finger to try to do it herself. Pete began to feel more anxious. He knew he really needed to get her back to the arena.
Once he was back in and driving, he said, "T, I'll send someone to go grab the flowers. I wanna get you back."
She turned her head to look at him. "No, Pete. I told him I'd do it. I'm worried if other people find out it'll embarrass him and make him feel unsure about the whole thing. Then he might say or do something stupid again. Or not give them to her."
He stared straight ahead, his eyes on the road as he thought over his options. He was conflicted. She definitely had a point. A very valid one.
When he still hadn't said anything a minute later, Tina spoke up. "I know they're just flowers, but you know this is a big deal for him. And you know it's going to mean so much to Maddie when he gives them to her. This could really help them."
Pete knew she was right; he was just worried about her. More than he was letting on or showing. A lot more. "Okay, but that's the only errand."
"Okay," she mumbled, turning her head back to look out the front windshield. Thinking back to what she had accomplished and what she still had left to do, she remembered her last remaining errand, besides the flowers. She turned her head to look at Pete. She could see he was tense by the way he sat, back straight as a board, his shoulders back as his hands gripped the steering will tightly. The muscles in his face were permanently contracted as he clenched his jaw while his eyes were focused intently on the road. Even tense he's so handsome, she mused, getting distracted.
After feeling her eyes on him for what felt like a few minutes, but was only maybe thirty seconds, he turned his head to look at her. "T?" he asked, his voice gentle. He was surprised by the look on her face as she stared at him. He wasn't really sure how to describe it or what to make of it, but for the first time that day, she didn't seem distant or upset. Wonder what she's thinking about? he wondered.
His voice pulled her from her thoughts and he watched as the distant look returned to her face. What the hell is going on? he asked himself.
"There's one errand besides the flowers that I haven't done yet," she told him.
"I don't care. Flowers and then back to the arena," he told her, his eyes moving back to the road ahead of him as he eased the car to a stop at another red light. Once completely stopped, he turned to look at her.
"I didn't have a chance to go to the phone store yet. To get Maddie a new number," she explained.
Pete gave her pale face a small smile. "It's okay, T," he assured. "I'll take care of it tomorrow. It's not a big deal. One day's not gonna make a difference."
"Mmkay," Tina mumbled, leaning her head against the seat as she continued to look at him.
Without thinking, he reached his right hand out and took a hold of her right hand. He was thankful she didn't pull away, however she did look down, unable to look at him.
Still holding her hand, he brought his focus back to the road in front of him, making sure the light was still red. He continued to stare straight ahead, not realizing that Tina's eyes had fluttered closed as she gave in to her tiredness. With Pete holding her hand she felt so calm and relaxed. The simple gesture seemed to allow her to ignore her headache and churning stomach. Feeling content, there was no way she could fight the sleepiness, so she gave in. I'll be fine, she thought as she began to drift into sleep. He's just overreacting. With that last thought, she was asleep.
Pete didn't realize it until several minutes later when he felt her hand relax in his. His head whirled to look at her. Seeing her eyes closed, his stomach tightened. "T, come on. Open your eyes. There's no sleeping right now." He glimpsed back at the road, making sure he was still in his own lane while driving.
When she didn't wake up, he nervously tried again. "Tina, wake up." His voice wasn't as gentle this time as worry flooded his system.
She didn't move, just continued to sleep. The panic rose in him, making him feel as if something heavy was sitting on his chest. Looking away from her sleeping face, he nervously scanned his surroundings. "Almost there," he told himself, realizing he was maybe a minute from the florist. Although it wasn't his first choice, it looked like he was going to have to wait until he was stopped to get her to wake up.
Worried about her, Pete picked up his speed, desperate to get to the florist and wake Tina. He didn't know what to do if she slipped into a coma. He wasn't sure how severe her concussion was, but he wasn't willing to take a chance.
Not too long after Chin and Pete left, there was a knock on Maddie's dressing room door. Steve, Kono, Maddie, and Lori all looked towards it. Whomever was on the other side waited a couple seconds before opening the door and walking in. "Hey Mads," Lyle greeted as he walked towards the little living room area where they all were seated.
She gave him a small, tired smile in return. She'd been quiet ever since she and Steve had come back from seeing her dad. He knew what was wrong with her, what she was thinking about, and he absolutely hated it. He wanted more than anything to bring it up and talk through it all, but he knew she needed time to think before he could do that. He knew if he brought it up now, she'd only get upset that he'd been listening and retreat further into the protective shell she'd been hanging out in so much lately. Plus, they weren't alone and it wasn't a conversation they could have in public.
Having worked with Lyle for years, Maddie knew why he was visiting her. He looked at her, saying nothing as he leaned on the back of Kono's armchair, much as Pete had done not too long before. She stared back before straightening, no longer sinking back into the overstuffed couch. She nodded at him.
Thankfully with all the commotion, Steve hadn't had a chance to get her big, ice tank knee brace back on her. She still had on her mobile one while her leg was elevated on the coffee table. She carefully brought it down, gently setting her injured right foot out in front of her. "'Come and Get It'?" she asked. Lyle nodded. "'Gimme More'?" she asked again. He nodded. She sighed, licking her bottom lip as she shook her head slightly, frustration on her face. Kono, Lori, and Steve looked between the two of them, completely lost and unsure of what they were talking about.
"And-," she began. However, Lyle knew exactly what she was going to say.
"Yep," he interrupted.
The room was quiet as Maddie and Lyle communicated with just a few words. Bringing her right hand to her mouth, she coughed a couple times, wincing at the pain she felt in her throat and the soreness in the muscles surrounding her ribs, stomach, and back.
"You up for it?" Lyle asked.
Maddie knew he was just being polite with his question. In all honesty, it didn't matter if she was up for it or not. She had to do it. It was part of her job. Not that she minded it at the moment. She welcomed the distraction with everything she had going on in her head. She needed something she could throw herself into and this was just the thing.
She nodded, giving him a tight, tired smile without showing her teeth.
Lyle walked to the wall next to the door leading into the other room and grabbed her crutches leaning against the wall. He then walked to the couch, standing on her right, where no one was sitting.
"Mads," Steve said, not liking that it looked like she was getting up and going somewhere. "What are you doing?"
"She's gotta rehearse the choreography to a couple songs real fast," Lyle answered as he bent down to help Maddie to her feet.
Although his instinct was to hold her back and keep her from standing, Steve didn't want her to hurt herself, so he quickly stood, placing his hand on the small of her back to help steady her. "Maddie, no. You need to rest, not rehearse."
Lyle handed her her crutches. As she leaned her armpits on them and grabbed the handle grips, she turned her head to look at Steve. "I gotta do this. They're just quick run-through's."
"Yeah, we aren't even using the stage," Lyle added. Maddie turned to him, giving him a questioning look. "Some of the opening acts are soundchecking right now," he told her, explaining.
She nodded, understanding. "Closed soundchecks, right?" she asked, double-checking. She didn't just have surprises for her audience, but for her crew as well. A few of which had to do with who would be opening the show that night.
Lyle nodded before looking to Steve. "I shouldn't need her more than forty-five minutes. She hasn't done a clean run-through of a few songs and I really need her to before the show tonight."
Maddie's face turned a light shade of pink as he said she hadn't gotten the choreography for the songs. Her eyes closed and her lips pursed as she shook her head slightly, her jaw clenched in anger. Not at Lyle for sharing, but at herself. In her book it was inexcusable. She didn't know why she wasn't getting some of the choreography. Most of it had to do with balance. Something she normally didn't struggle with when she was dancing. In everyday life? Yes! She was always tripping or knocking things over. But when she was performing her songs, she never really had those same problems.
Steve didn't know what he could do. He couldn't stop her. Not with this. He licked his lips and shook his head. "Forty-five minutes, Maddie. That's it," he told her, his voice firm as he glanced at his watch. "I mean it, forty-five minutes."
Her jaw clenched and her eyes sparked for a quick second as she met his. He knew exactly what she wanted to say to him, but for some reason she didn't. She wanted to tell him that he wasn't the boss of her and he had no right to tell her what she could or couldn't do. To be honest, he wished she would've said it. The fact she didn't caused a knot in his stomach. He took it as a bad sign she wasn't fighting him. He really didn't want her to give up on them.
Glancing at Lyle quickly, Maddie said, "Let's do this." Her face was blank. There was no emotion. Just pure determination, which Steve wasn't sure was a good thing. He admired her for it. Her hard work and disciplined work ethic were traits to applaud and respect. However, she'd been known to keep going at something over and over, running herself into the ground until she got it. It was this that worried Steve.
Damn, Steve thought. He had no idea how he was going to get through to her after what her father had said. Stupid Henry. She's an adult and he's still causing trouble and hurting her. However, if Steve was honest with himself, he knew it wasn't Henry's fault that his statement had Maddie so withdrawn. It was his. If he hadn't said and done everything he had, she never would have thought what her dad said was the truth and it wouldn't have bothered her. But, she did think it was the truth. She did think he'd never care for her as more than friends because she was too damaged and broken. It couldn't be further from the truth and it killed him that she didn't see that. And it killed him that she even could think that she was broken or damaged. She'd never thought of herself like that before. It was just another example of how much she'd changed recently. How the stress of whatever she was hiding from him, he assumed more information on her stalker, was affecting her.
Maddie began crutching towards the door with Steve staying close to her.
After all, Pete wasn't there, so Steve was taking his position as head of security (not that he wouldn't have stayed close if Pete had been there). Lyle, Kono, and Lori followed. Once they were at the door Lyle stopped and motioned for the two women to go through first. They thanked him and followed Steve and Maddie as they walked down the hall towards the main room.
Thanks again for continuing to read my story! You guys rock! Can't wait to get done with this day! I'm more anxious than you all are, TRUST ME! Anyway, please, please, please, review and/or private message me!
Hope you enjoyed!
xo