"Trouble In Paradise. Again."

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Title: "Trouble In Paradise. Again."

Author: Michelle Heath

Rating: MA for adult language and situations

Summary: Even paradise has its ups and downs. The Hawaii Five-0 family is about to discover more of each.

Date Written: February 24, 2011

Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately!

(By the time Danny and Chin have stopped off at his house so he can take a "real" shower and change into more comfortable clothes and reach the base hospital, Sam and Tony have finished their morning P.T. Steve and Kono lean against the wall outside their rooms waiting on them and are very surprised when both Sam and Tony come flying down the hallway at almost normal speed. Although they are both breathing hard when they come skidding to a stop at the same time, they both have much more color in their faces and look more alive than they have in days. Danny and Chin were approaching from the opposite direction and Chin's face breaks into a wide grin at the conclusion of the "race".)

"You guys are obviously feeling much better."

"Yeah, it's amazing what having something to do other than put misguided SEALs in their place can do for a person."

"Just like a fly girl to insinuate they can keep up with a SEAL."

"Hey! I wasn't insinuating anything, Lieutenant, I was stating fact, and do I look like a girl to you?"

"Um, no ma'am. Definitely not a girl."

"Okay, then."

(But Steve just cannot let it go and throws a smirk in Sam's direction."

"That's my girl."

"Steve!"

"What? You're not my girl?"

"Know what? Let's just go in my room and see if we can find this guy."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, and you will pay for that later, Sailor!"

"Damn."

(The group works in Sam's room through lunch, but are forced to take a break when both Sam's and Tony's doctors make rounds to check on their progress. While Steve and Kono remain in their respective spouses rooms while the doctors are there, Danny and Chin go down to the waiting room to make some phone calls and check in with the alphabets. An hour later, Danny and Chin walk back into Sam's room to find her and Kono practically dancing around the room and Steve and Tony with huge smiles on their faces.)

"I take it your docs brought good news?"

"The best, Chin! Sam and Tony get to go home tomorrow."

"So, okay, how about we set up the ops center at our house again? That okay with you, Steve?"

"Does it matter, Sam?"

"Not really."

"That's what I thought. Okay, then, the McGarrett house becomes 'Bad Guys Central' once again."

"Just one thing . . I told Gracie she could come over and hang out with me, so when she's there, no bad guys."

(The rest of them mumble their agreement and they get to work. A couple of hours later, however, they are interrupted again. This time, it's Senior Chief Newton and the rest of Tony's SEAL team who are the culprits. Both Sam's and Tony's faces light up when they see the men who saved their lives, but Kono reacts more quickly than any of them as she gives each of the men a great, big hug and kiss on the cheek. Her eyes are somewhat misty when she greets them.)

"Thank you all so much for saving my husband's life. I can't thank you enough."

"We can't thank you enough. I'm glad yours was the last face I saw before I blacked out, Senior, 'cause I knew you'd get me out of there or die trying."

"No problem, Sir, and you're welcome, Mrs. Montgomery, but we didn't do anything the Lieutenant wouldn't have done."

"Well, regardless of that, Senior, thank you for getting me into that helo."

"Again, no problem, Commander. Didn't want the Boss pissed with me because I left his wife behind; which I would've never done, Ma'am."

"I know you wouldn't have. Thank you."

(Steve has walked over to join his wife and reaches out to shake Senior Chief Newton's hand. The look in his eyes communicates volumes to the Senior Chief about the gratitude Steve feels for the other man.)

"Thank you, Tim, for getting my wife, and Lieutenants Thrasher and Montgomery, out of that Hell hole. I owe you."

"No, Sir, you don't owe me, any of us, anything. You'd do the same for any of us, Commander. . . Scuttlebutt has it your running another op. We'd like to volunteer our services, Sir. That is, if you can use us."

"Well, Senior, we just might be able to use your help. Let me bring you all up to speed."

(And for the next several minutes, Steve proceeds to do exactly that. When he finishes up by telling them their house is going to, once again, be the ops center, there are grins on the faces of all the SEALs and Sam is trying awfully hard to control the laughter that is about to bubble out of her. She loses the battle and only laughs that much harder when Steve looks at her with a strange look.)

"Something I should know, Sam?"

"Your SEALs like my cooking."

"Yes, ma'am, we certainly do!"

"Well, you're going to have to earn your grub, Senior Chief. What's your schedule looking like?"

"We just returned from an op last night, Sir. We're on stand down for seventy-two hours."

"All right, be at the Five-0 office at 0700 tomorrow. You can pick up some computer equipment and take it out to our house. We'll be there as soon as Lt. Cmdr. McGarrett and Lt. Montgomery are discharged."

"Aye, aye, Sir, and, we'll take care of lunch and dinner since the Commander's been in the hospital."

"No, no, I've got it, Senior. You all will, however, be on KP detail; I cook, you guys clean. Deal?"

"Deal, ma'am."

(The SEALs depart and the group continues to sift through the new material they've received from several different sources. They work through dinner and it's Sam who, this time, calls a halt to things so they can get some sleep and get an early start in the morning.)

"Doc's not going to discharge you until he makes rounds at 0730, Beautiful."

"Which is why I intend to be up, showered, and dressed by 0715, Sailor. If I'm ready to go, all he has to do is say, 'Goodbye and good luck, Commander.' Thanks for bringing me a uniform, by the way."