Chapter 23

Hello guys, i hope you're all well. Here's another chapter. Thanks for the support always.

Lynn heard the bedroom door slam, Steve yell and the fight that followed. She grabbed her cell, keys

and ran. Feeling like a coward running, she still did as Steve said. Grateful that she input that annoying

detective's contact info in her phone, she called and screamed in frustration when she got Danny's

voicemail. She hit the call button angrily while the other hand repeating hit the elevator call button.

Finally, after what she thought was an eternity, the elevator doors open. Lynn ran blindly into Lou

Grover.

"Hey, hey, calm yourself little sister."

"Quick! He's killing Steve!" Lynn screamed.

"Who's killing Steve?" Danny asked as they started running toward penthouse #1.

"George! My bar manager!"

"The big Russian guy?" Danny asked as they arrived at her door. He grabbed the key out of Lynn's

shaking hands. One hand turned the key while the other hand pulled his gun. He looked at his partner.

"Do it." Lou already had his weapon drawn.

"Stay in the hall." Danny instructed the terrified woman.

Lynn nodded and pressed herself against the wall as the detectives rushed in.

George loomed over the unconscious sailor trying to decide what to do now. He looked at broken

ashtray and decided to cut his throat and be rid of him once and for all. The cut crystal object d' art

shattered into three big pieces and George chuckled evilly as he selected one of the smaller but sharper

pieces. He grabbed McGarrett by the hair and exposed his throat.

Kimba watched her nemesis plot the unknown man's demise. She knew her mistress liked the man on

the floor and from her hidden place atop the dresser' mirror, she screwed up her courage and jumped.

George was ready to cut the navy man's throat when a hissing, clawing white fur ball landed on the back

of his neck. Bellowing in rage and pain, he dropped McGarrett's head and the crystal shard and tried to

grab the hated cat. Even though he grabbed a handful of fur, he couldn't get the damned cat off him.

Kimba had jumped on George's shoulders and dug her claws as deep as she could into his soft flesh.

When the man yelled out in pain, she repositioned herself and dug her thick back claws into the man's

scalp and ear and pushed off and ran for the bedroom door, ignoring the pain as her fur was ripped out.

She was one body length away when the door slammed opened. Kimba ran past two men, right through

their legs and out into the front room.

Danny opened the door and rushed in with his gun level at the ready. He cleared the room and looked

towards the kitchen then the bedroom. He heard the kerfuffle in the bedroom and headed that way

with Lou hot on his heels. The bedroom door was closed so he kicked it in. Something white flew

passed his legs. "What the hell?"

"Cat." Lou said as both men rushed the bedroom. "POLICE! Hands in the air, comrade."

Danny had already replaced his gun to his hip holster and had grabbed his handcuffs. "Turn around.

You have the right to remain silent…"

Lou went to the fallen sailor and bent down to check on Steve. "He's got a pulse!" He pulled out his cell

phone. "Yeah, this Officer Lou Grover and I need a rescue unit and ambulance at the Traveler's Oasis

hotel. I need the trauma team to respond now!"

"… Do you understand these rights as l have explained them?" Danny finished handcuffing the bar

man's hands.

"Da." George grunted.

"Lou? How is he?"

Lou had limited experience in evaluating injuries of any kind but he had seen enough head wounds to

know the Commander was in trouble. "He is a rough shape, Sarge. I've already called for a trauma

team."

Danny looked Steve over. "Isn't he just out cold?"

Lou looked grim. "The back of his head is a mess." He reported quietly as he held out a bloody hand.

"Pressure, NOW!"

"I found him that way! I think…" George started to volunteer.

"SHUT UP." Danny yelled with rage. He shoved the big man down into a kneeling position. "Cross your

ankles. Try to get up and I'll shoot you in the back, clear?!"

"Da."

"Let's get him up on the bed." Danny grabbed Steve's legs while Lou had his shoulders, careful of

Steve's neck and head. "My God, he's heavy!"

Lou grunted in agreement. "Muscle is denser and he is out, dead weight."

Danny threw his partner a dirty look at the word 'dead'. Then, he checked for himself: Steve was

breathing, a bit shallow and uneven but he was breathing on his own. His chin was bleeding, his eyes

were partly open and unfocused with one eye that worried the detective. "Lou, are they sending out

the trauma team? He has a blown pupil."

"Trauma team was on the way, eta when I called was less than five minutes." Lou reported. "Want me

to go own to the lobby to meet them?"

"No. I'll send the manager." Danny moved to leave when he passed George, still obediently kneeling.

"Stay that way.'' He growled as he pointed his finger at the bartender's nose. "Or my partner with put

two in your back. Got that, Comrade?"

"With pleasure." Lou promised, driving the point home .

"Da, da." George answered in a defeated tone.

Danny went to the front room, stopped and called his team. "Chin? Williams. Get down to the hotel,

manager's penthouse. McGarrett's been hurt. Bring that forensic tech Candy with you and anyone else

you think you need. Bring a couple of unis with you to take the Russian into custody and escort him to

the hospital."

"Yes sir. Kono and l will be there in 10." Chin Ho assured his boss.

"Yeah, Kono. I'm going to the hospital with McGarrett. Need me, call me."

"10-4."

Danny hung up and continued his search for the hotel manager. He found Lynn in the hallway, sitting

with her back against the wall. She was holding Kimba and crying. "Can you please go down to the

lobby and escort the trauma team up here?"

Lynn didn't look up, obviously in shock.

Danny took a knee and made eye contact. "Hey, Steve is hurt pretty badly. He needs your help. Go

down to the lobby and escort the trauma team because they aren't going to know where to go. Those

minutes, those seconds, could mean life or death for Steve. Do you understand?"

Lynn focused and thrust the upset cat in the surprised detective's arms. "Put her in my bathroom, she'll

be fine." She was up, in the elevator and on her way to the lobby before Danny could react.

The detective stood and turned back to the penthouse and headed toward to the bedroom. He found

the Russian sprawled on the floor, face down and unmoving.

Kimba peered at the policeman with big, green cat eyes then looked down. The cat hissed at her

tormentor and then looked back at Danny.

"Never doubt the senses of animals." He stepped over the bartender and opened the bathroom door.

"Now, you're safe and you're going in the bathroom without trouble, right?" He put the cat on the

counter in the bathroom and shut the door. He turned to his partner. "What the hell happened in here,

Lou?"

"Well, I remembered that you should keep unconscious victims warm so I moved to the other side of the

bed to get the blankets untucked to cover him. Our comrade friend moved so I gave him a knee him to

the jaw." Lou confessed unapologetically.

"He was warned." Danny shrugged and frankly, could care less. "How's Steve doing?"

"Not good. Is the manager …"

"Yeah. Does the Commander have a cell phone on him? We should contact his fiancé." Danny moved

back to the other side of the bed. Steve looked pale, almost grey. The sergeant searched the naval

officer's pockets and found it. He pocketed the cell phone and Steve's wallet.

"Best take his watch and Naval Academy ring too. I would hate it if someone robbed him while he out."

Lou handed his sergeant an evidence bag. "But leave his dog tags on, has his blood type on it."

"I don't want to move his head anyway." Danny dropped the contents of Steve's pockets in the

evidence bag. He felt he was robbing a dead man and quickly chased that to the back of his mind.

Feeling guilty for pushing him into doing this, he looked at the navy man: pale and defenseless, not the

stiff backed stalwart he came to know and like, in spite of their personality differences.

The trauma team arrived with Lynn following. The team stopped at George.

"Not him, HIM!" Danny pointed to the bed.

"The back of his head …" Lou started.

"We got this." The trauma team lead medic assured the detectives as he stepped over the unconscious

Russian nonchalantly.

Lynn stood the doorway and took in the situation. When her eyes found Steve, the tears returned. Lou

took her by the shoulders and led her into the front room.

"Sit down, Ms. Downing." He looked around for a tissue box. Finding it on the end table, he put the box

in front of the distraught woman. "Are you strong enough to talk about it?"

Lynn dabbed at her eyes. "I was on a date with Commander McGarrett. We had lunch in the garden

and come back here for…a drink. Steve, I mean Commander McGarrett, went to wash his hands. The

next thing I heard was the door slamming and him yelling for me to run."

"So you didn't know the bartender was here? Does he have a key? What's your relationship with him?"

Lynn's stomach tightened. Was now the time? The interview was interrupted by the trauma team

coming through with their patient.

"We called for a regular rescue team for the other man and they should be here presently. We have the

Commander stabilized and our best cranial trauma specialist on stand-by at the hospital. Are you going

with him?" The Team's lead medic asked Danny who was following. "We'll catch a Life Flight to New

Brunswick. By ambulance it will take two hours l doubt he has that kind of time." He looked at Danny.

"You get airsick?" The trauma team was already on the move.

"I don't think so. Lou, I'm going with him." Danny tossed the keys to his partner. "I'll get him situated

and make …" He looked at Lynn. "… the notifications."

"Is he going to die?" Lynn asked tearfully.

"He's a tough son of a bitch. He'll pull through." Danny said for himself as much as the shaken woman.

He turned and hurried to catch up with the departing medical team.

"We'll be right behind you, boss." Lou called after him and got up to leave.

"Please, may I go with you? I can get a Lyft back." Lynn asked tearfully.

"Yeah, I guess. We'll leave when my back up gets here."

Lynn dabbed at her eyes then got up. "I'll get a coat and my purse together." She was off like a woman

on a quest.

Just a few minutes later, Chin Ho Kelley arrived in the doorway, carrying one of Kono's forensic kit bags.

"Hi Lou. How's McGarrett? What happened?" He asked as Kono appeared behind him carrying the rest

of her gear.

"Russian bartender attacked him. Head injury; medi-vacing him to a New Brunswick Trauma Center as

we speak. The Sarge went with him. When the unis get here, I'm driving there and taking Ms. Downing

with me." He gestured toward the bedroom. "Comrade is out cold in there; I'm waiting for a scoop and

scoot for him."

"Go when you're ready, Lou. I got Boris until the uniforms get here. Do you want me to go to the

hospital or the backup?"

"You stay with Miss Kono. No screw ups collecting evidence, nothing a defense attorney can refute.

That guy is going down for what he did to Steve." Lou directed. He looked around for Lynn. "Ms.

Downing, time to go."

Lynn appeared with her coat and purse. "I'm here. Please, my cat is in the bathroom. Don't let her

out."

"Yes ma'am. Does she need food and water?" Chin asked.

"Oh yes. Cat food is in the kitchen and just turn on the facet on a trickle. Her name is Kimba. Please,

she's my baby."

"Will do." Kelley tuned back to Grover. "Lou, please let us know."

"You'll know when l know." Lou promised.