DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own "Hawaii Five-0" or any of its characters. I do, however, own Tina, Pete, Doc, etc.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hi everyone! I hope you all are safe and healthy!
I'll be quick...
1. Thoughts are, as always, in italics.
Also... please don't kill me. Remember Maddie has only been in Hawaii for a week. I know the story has been long, but the actual time frame has not been long to them. This story is titled "The Long Road" for a reason. Things will be up and down at times. Gotta keep everyone on their toes.
I know my updating has been few and far between over the years, so I suggest refreshing your memory on the story. A lot of things will be referenced. For this chapter Maddie thinks back to the threats the stalker made to her as well as what her dad said to her before her show. Also, there's a brief reference to Arthur who helped Tina when she ran errands. They talked about meeting for a drink. More will happen with this in the next few chapters. And remember, Arthur is really Maddie's stalker. It was one of his disguises.
As always, reviews are much appreciated. It helps me as a writer and it's really nice to know what you guys are thinking. It's a lot of work and time, and I love doing it, but reviews are much loved.
Anyway, I'll let you get to reading the new chapter. I'll post the next one in the next day or two. I would love to post it tomorrow, but I have to write it first. lol.
XX
Laura
Chapter 38
Even with the siren on, Steve was driving only as fast as he was comfortable with, which was nowhere near as fast as he drove by himself or with another member of Five-O. He had Maddie in the car and refused to risk getting into any kind of accident. He glanced over at her. She was shivering loudly while moaning in pain. "I take it your adrenaline rush is gone," he said to her trying to distract her from the pain she was in.
"Mm hm," she trembled. Her teeth were chattering noisily.
"Can you look at me?" he asked. He was focused on driving and not crashing, but he wanted to look at her lips. Slowly she turned her head. Her eyes were half closed, whether because she was tired or because she was in pain he didn't know. Most likely it was a combo of the two. Her lips were tinted blue and her skin was pale. Not the same kind of pale it was when she was tired, but instead it had a light bluish tint to it. "We're almost home," he told her. He didn't want to tell her what she looked like so she wasn't scared. He would worry enough for the both of them. He turned on her street and pushed his foot down further on the gas pedal since there weren't any other cars on the road. As he approached the gate at the base of her driveway he hit the opener he had in his car. As he flew up her long driveway he couldn't help but think how it seemed to never end. Every other time he loved that her house was so far back from the road, but not in this instance. As he continued to drive he grabbed his phone and opened the alarm app and disabled her house alarm. When he reached the house he threw the car in park and took the keys out of the ignition at the same time he opened his door. While rushing around to the passenger door he found her house key on his keys. Steve pulled her door open and reach over to unbuckle her. He scooped her up and closed the car with his arm before jogging to the front door. She moaned in pain from the movement, her body stiff and aching from the cold. "I'm sorry, baby," he murmured as he used his right hand to unlock the front door. "We won't be moving too much longer. We're gonna get you warmed up." Even though her body was stiff she was completely leaned into him at the same time. With her head resting against his left shoulder he could feel how cold her skin was. He shut the front door behind him and locked it before running up one of the sweetheart staircases by the front door. He rushed into her bedroom and then her bathroom. He carefully set her on the edge of her bathtub and reached in her shower turning it on. He set the temperature to cool, but not cold. He hurriedly untied his boots and discarded them where neither would trip over them and then took his socks off and tossed them in the same spot. Kneeling in front of Maddie he pushed her pant legs up high enough so he could unzip each of her boots. He dropped them to his left with her wet socks before standing up and quickly pulling her arms out of her robe and sliding it down. She fought him, not so much with her body, but with her insistent groaning. She was too cold to fight him physically.
"I know," Steve murmured calmly to her. "Gotta get this off so we can get you warmed up." Now solely in her costume he picked her back up and walked into the shower holding her. Her head was now leaning on his right shoulder. He leaned against the wall of her shower and slowly slid down. With his legs stretched out in front of him he was completely sitting on the shower floor. The shower rained cool water onto them as she tucked her arms to her chest in an attempt to keep what little body warmth she had from leaving her body. In his now soaking wet clothes he cradled her to his body hoping his body warmth would help warm her. She continued strongly shivering, almost as if she was convulsing. Her teeth chattered and she kept groaning in pain. After a few minutes Steve reached up with his left hand and made the water a little warmer. He continued this process for the next ten minutes.
Maddie's shivers were subsiding slightly, her painful moans also waning. She buried her face further into Steve. Having warmed up enough that she had relaxed a bit, his worry was considerably less. Her skin was still cold to the touch, but nothing like it'd been.
With the water now set to warm, Maddie was starting to thaw. The exhaustion from her show as well as the last four days began to hit her. Plus, she felt so safe in Steve' s arms. Tired, she thought as her she began dozing.
Steve felt her body start to fully relax and knew she was getting too sleepy. "Stay awake," he whispered to her kissing her forehead, something he'd been doing every so often since they'd been in the shower. That and her wet hair. Most of the time he wasn't even aware he was kissing her. It was just instinct. He was obviously not happy the water temperature on stage had been altered, but he was grateful for the chance to hold her for an extended period of time.
Maddie didn't respond to his order. "Madeline, wake up," Steve told her, his voice no longer a whisper. He forced her head from his shoulder and neck where he could see her face. Her lips and skin were still lightly tinted blue, but her skin color had gotten better. Using his left hand he tapped her right cheek in an attempt to wake her. She moaned in annoyance as her eyelids opened slightly. "You gotta stay awake, okay?" He told her, looking into her tired, hooded blue eyes. She groaned. She just wanted to sleep in his arms as he warmed her up. "I know. You'll be able to sleep in a little bit, but for now I need you to stay awake." Maddie snuggled her head back into his shoulder and neck. He kissed her head. "When did you think to have Maroon 5 perform in the middle of your show?" he asked her deciding he was going to need to keep her engaged so she wouldn't sleep.
Maddie sighed deeply. Why won't he just let me sleep, she wondered. He's been after me to sleep the entire week. She was so tired, her brain so foggy from exhaustion and being cold that it took her a minute to answer. "I reached out to them the day I found out about the show to see if they would do a song with me." She sighed again. "Two days into rehearsals I called them back asking if they'd do a set instead. I knew I was gonna need a break to be able to do that show."
"Smart," Steve said to her. He reached up with his left hand again and made the water even warmer. He smiled as she groaned in happiness. "Feel good?" he mumbled.
"Oh yeah," she answered. "Took you long enough to make it warm."
He laughed. "I know. Just making sure I do this right."
"Warmer," she murmured.
"Let's give it a couple minutes," he chuckled. She was definitely warming up since she was actually talking and not just shivering. She yawned. "Stay awake."
"That water was cold," she stated. "Longest performance of my life." She groaned.
"I bet," Steve replied. "I would have never known though. You acted like everything was fine."
"I don't even know how," Maddie exhaled on a sigh. She was definitely becoming more alert. With her right hand she started patting down her body. "Am I still in my costume?"
"Yeah," he was a little worried she hadn't realized until now. "You don't remember Pete picking you up and bringing you to my truck?"
She was quiet as she thought it over. "Mmmm… I guess now I do," she answered. She patted her waist and thighs. "Am I still in my harness?"
Steve glanced down. "Yep." To be honest, he hadn't realized that until just now. He'd been too worried about Maddie freezing to death. Plus, she'd been wrapped in her robe when Pete rushed to the car. He reached up and warmed the shower again. She practically purred into him as the warm water hit their bodies. He chuckled. "How ya feeling? Warmed up?"
"Warmer than I was, thank you." Maddie nuzzled into him further, her arms wrapping around his waist.
Steve kissed the top of her head followed by her forehead. "You're welcome," he whispered. He rested the side of his face against the crown of her head, reveling in the fact that she was willingly snuggling with him. They stayed like that for several minutes, silent as he held her.
With his left hand he caressed her right arm to take in the temperature of her skin. It was so much warmer. It was still cold, but nothing like it had been. "Alright, let's get out of here and get you in bed," he begrudgingly told her. He wasn't sure she was going to let him snuggle with her once he got her in bed. But, he knew they couldn't stay in the shower in their clothes forever.
"I need to shower first," Maddie told him.
"No, let's get you in bed."
"I just sweated my ass off for three hours straight. I definitely need a shower," Maddie explained.
Steve sighed. He didn't like the idea of her in there alone where she could slip. He knew she'd received an injection in her knee to be able to do the show, but he was sure it had either worn off or was about to. Plus, her lips were still light blue. Just in case, he didn't want her to be alone. However, he understood why she wanted a shower. "Alright, but you have five minutes. And you need to sit down on the bench," he hesitantly agreed. "Can you stand?" he asked.
"Yeah," Maddie mumbled. Slowly she pulled her head away from his shoulder. She shyly looked at him. "You're all wet," she stated. "Sorry!"
"No big deal," he smiled. "It's just water."
Using him as leverage she started to stand. Son of a bitch, she thought as she put weight on her right foot and knee. The shot in her knee had definitely worn off. And her bandaged, infected foot was officially over being stood on.
As she stood she took inventory of her entire body and not just her right leg. Everything ached. Everything felt stiff. She could tell that the injection in her tail bone area was starting to wear off too. Ugh, pain, she thought. She swallowed and was reminded of how sick she was. Suddenly she started coughing. Now standing himself, Steve reached out to her. He put his hand on her forehead to check her fever, but it was hard to tell since her skin was still cool. "Five minutes, Maddie." He took in her stance, trying to discern if she was steady or not. "Sit down on the bench."
Thankfully her coughing spasm was over. At least for the moment. Maddie didn't fight his instructions since there was no way she could stand for much longer on her right leg.
Quickly, Steve hopped out of the shower, water dripping from his wet body. I'll clean it up once I get her in bed, he thought. He grabbed towels from the cabinet and placed them on the outside of the shower. "I'm leaving your bathroom door open in case you need me. Just call out."
"Okay," she mumbled. He started walking out only to be stopped by her. "Wait!" He turned around hurriedly, worried something was wrong. "I need help. Can you unhook the back of this top?"
You mean the diamond bra thingy, he thought. "Yeah, of course," Steve told her as he opened the shower. He was nervous. Now that there was this new part of their relationship, scenarios that were once no big deal now took on a whole different meaning.
Maddie stood, walked to the open door, and turned around, holding her long hair forward to keep it out of his way. She was feeling the same nervousness and apprehension he was, but just like him, she didn't let on to the what she was experiencing.
Steve forced his hands not to hesitate as he reached forward to unclip her top. His fingers lightly brushed the wet skin on her back. Maddie effectively fought from shivering at his touch, not because she was cold, but because she like the feel of his skin against hers.
He cleared his throat to cover his nervousness. "There you go," he mumbled.
She kept her back to him, holding her top to her breasts. She looked back at him from over her shoulder. "Thanks."
Steve licked his lips. There was something so sexy about the way she was looking back at him, her naked back wet as the warm water hit her skin. Their eyes lingered on one another before he finally said, "No problem." Come on Steve, look away, he told himself. His gaze left hers as he closed the shower door. "Five minutes," he reminded her.
"Okay," Maddie whispered. It felt like butterflies were flitting around in her stomach. Come on, Maddie, get it together, she chastised herself.
Steve left her bathroom to give her privacy even though there was a part of him that had wanted to peel her wet clothes off with his and lose themselves in the warm shower together. Don't go there, he reprimanded himself. Since he was soaked he rushed into the room next to hers and hopped in the shower taking a Navy Shower. Minutes later he was dressed in light sweats and a white t-shirt, his hair almost dry from towel drying it. He could hear her still in the shower. She still had two minutes, so he ventured into her massive two-story walk-in closet deciding to brave it to find her some pajamas. By some miracle he was able to find a pair of black sweats, socks, and a pair of her lace boy-cut underwear, an article of clothing that was causing many images of Maddie wearing them. Get it together, he told himself again. Luckily he remembered where she kept his clothes she'd stolen, something that still made him smile. He grabbed another one of his Navy t-shirts she'd obviously stolen as well as one of his hoodies. He wanted to keep her as warm as possible. Exiting her closet he heard the shower turn off.
Inside her bathroom Maddie limped out of the shower, wrapping herself in the warm pale blue towels. She'd left her wet clothes and harness inside the shower figuring she'd deal with them later. Needing to sit down she hobbled over to the edge of the bathtub, plopping on to it.
"You decent?" Steve asked from her bedroom as he held her warm, dry pajamas.
She sniffled and coughed before answering him quietly. "Yeah." She felt terrible, something she was becoming more and more aware of as each moment passed by.
Steve walked in to see her sitting on the edge of her bathtub, her shoulders hunched forward. She had wrapped one of the towels around her body while the other was in her hair. "Do you need any help?" he asked her hesitantly as he handed her her clothes.
Maddie shivered slightly as she shook her head. She had tried to be subtle, but he caught the movement. "Hurry and get dressed so we can get you bundled in bed where it's nice and warm." He watched her nod. "I'll be right outside." Just like before he left the bathroom door open in case she needed him. He waited a couple minutes in her bedroom. Finally he got impatient. "You dressed?"
She coughed. "Yeah." He hurriedly walked in and without warning picked her up and carried her to her bed. She had been at her sink trying to brush her hair. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "I can walk, you know."
Steve set her on her bed. "Oh yeah?" he looked at her his eyebrows raised. "And how does it feel to walk?"
Maddie mock glared at him as he covered her with her big, fluffy blue and white duvet. While she finished brushing her hair he turned the thermostat up in her room. "I'll be right back," he told her. He looked back at her. "Don't move from that spot," he ordered. Oh boy, here's overprotective Steve, she thought. She knew she'd be dealing with his overprotective side once the show was over and that was before he knew anything about the incidents that occurred during rehearsals. It was for that reason that she wasn't fighting him. Finished brushing her hair she set the brush on her nightstand and slid down further into her bed reveling in the feel of her soft mattress and covers and squishy pillows. "Man, I missed this," she sighed as she relaxed and snuggled into her bed. She could tell he'd slept there the last several nights since she could smell him. It only made her relax more as she breathed his scent in, her eyes fluttering closed.
"Hey," Tina greeted as she and Pete walked into the kitchen.
"How is she?" Pete anxiously asked. "She warm?"
"Yeah, she's doing much better," Steve answered as he continued making her a cup of warm Sleepytime tea. "She's showered and in bed."
"I'm gonna take her her stuff," Tina told them as she headed to the stairs.
"I'm right behind you," Steve replied.
Tina entered Maddie's room with her bag and purse. "Hey Mads," she greeted.
"Hey," Maddie whispered from the comfort of her warm bed opening her tired eyes.
Tina set the items on the couch in her room. "You look cozy."
"I am," she answered. "How are they? They had to be just as cold as me," she asked, referring to her dancers.
"They're warming up. Doc was just finishing with them before heading here. He said because you're sick that you probably felt the cold even more," Tina answered. She sat on the other side of the bed just as Steve came in with the steaming cup of tea. He set it on her nightstand.
"You look comfy," he said to Maddie.
"I am," she murmured.
"That's good." He paused. Even though she was pale and exhausted, and still cold, she was beautiful. He knew what he was about to say was going to affect the comfort that had set in between them, but he had to ask. "Maddie… what happened with the water?"
Tina suddenly started feeling nervous. Instead of excusing herself to give them privacy she stayed just in case Maddie needed help reasoning with Steve. Not that she thought they'd be able reason with him. When it came to Maddie's safety it was his way or the highway. It was a subject they fought over fairly frequently. However, now that there were "more than friendship" feelings involved she imagined he'd be even more unmoving on the subject.
"I don't know," Maddie answered, which wasn't a lie. She didn't know for sure, but she had a pretty good idea. With the direction this conversation was taking she knew she'd have to tell Steve what had happened. She didn't want to, but she had promised Pete.
Steve didn't like her response. The temperature of the water hadn't just changed itself. If it had been a few degrees difference then maybe he would buy that, but thirty degrees difference? No way. "Maddie…" He was doing his best to remain calm, but they could hear the slight warning tone to his voice.
"I honestly don't know. I was on stage and then with you," she told him.
He knew she was telling the truth with that statement, but for some reason it just served to frustrate him even more. He decided to bring up another pressing topic. "What were you thinking stage diving and crowd surfing with a stalker out there?" He was mad, something made apparent by his barely controlled tone.
"It was the last show," she quietly muttered as if that was a good enough reason to risk her life. "And… it's fun." She knew she shouldn't have said the second part, but for some reason she did. It was like she wasn't in control of her mouth.
"Fun?!" he yelled. "Fun?! That's why you put your life at risk?" Steve was furious. The image of Maddie being carried further and further away by her fans was still on repeat in his head. It had been a truly terrifying moment he wished he had never witnessed.
Maddie was quiet knowing there was nothing she could say to appease Steve's anger. He was so upset that there was no way she was going to tell him about the incidents right now. I'm sure Pete will understand, she told herself. Tomorrow is probably better timing. Deep down she knew there was never going to be good timing. She knew she was just being a coward.
Pete had been walking down the hall to Maddie's bedroom when he heard Steve's angry voice. He couldn't make out what he was saying, but he could tell he was mad. Maddie must have told him everything, he thought. He wasn't looking forward to the confrontation he knew he was about to have with Steve, but he was glad he was now aware of everything. He had hated having to hide things from him, especially when it came to Maddie. She was the most important person to him. As he entered her bedroom, Pete said, "I'm sorry, Steve. I don't know how it happened. How he got to the skates and to the stage. We were constantly vigilant and on top of things."
Tina and Maddie tensed and momentarily stopped breathing. Fuck, Maddie thought. She prepared for a poor reaction from Steve, and that was putting it mildly.
"What are you talking about?" Steve asked turning to look at his fellow Navy Seal. He had a bad feeling.
Pete glanced at Maddie and immediately knew she hadn't told him yet. Her eyes were shut in dread. Knowing she couldn't avoid it any longer she opened her eyes and whispered, "I hadn't told him yet."
"Shit," Pete cursed.
"Someone better start explaining," Steve said, his voice eerily calm. He looked between Pete and Maddie. "Talk. Now."
Maddie was silent. This is bad, she thought. Her hands clenched into her duvet. If she thought it would work she would have slid down even more in bed pulling the blankets over her head.
Sighing, Pete relayed what had happened the last few days while she'd been rehearsing. Although there was no yelling on his part, they knew Steve was furious. When Pete was finished Steve licked his bottom lip as he tried to contain his rage. "So, we lost evidence because you let her convince you not to call me?" he asked, his voice jarringly calm.
"We didn't lose any evidence," Pete hesitantly answered. Before Steve could even ask, Pete said, "Chin came and processed the scenes."
Maddie averted her eyes unable to look at the hurt she knew she'd see on Steve's face. This is so much worse than I imagined, she thought. She found herself wondering if maybe she should have just let Pete call him even though she was upset. She'd unintentionally pulled his friends and coworkers into this, forcing them to keep things from him. Something that wasn't fair. She knew she'd messed up… big time.
"Where is the evidence?" Steve asked, a bite to his tone.
"Chin took it with him." Pete felt horrible and so guilty for not telling him when things happened. I should have just called him even though she didn't want me to, he thought. However, he understood why she hadn't wanted him called and he couldn't fault her for that. She had done what she felt was best for herself at the time. And some could argue she'd been right since she just killed her show, a show she never should have been able to do given her physical state. But she'd done it.
Without hesitating Steve grabbed his cell phone from the bottom of Maddie's bed and called Chin, all while avoiding looking at her.
"Hey McGarrett," his coworker greeted. He and the rest of Five-O were still at the arena. They were processing the scene, making sure to gather whatever evidence they could from her tampered cables from her opening number as well as from the tampered water equipment.
"Where is the evidence?" Steve asked ditching any pleasantries. His voice was devoid of any emotion except annoyance.
Chin was quiet for a second, thrown by Steve's question. He hadn't been expecting that to be what he was calling about. He was filled with guilt knowing how upset he was. "It's in Charlie's office… except the roller skates. They're bagged and in the bottom drawer of my desk. Locked of course. The chain of custody intact."
"Is that Steve? He knows everything?" Danny asked having been eavesdropping on Chin's side of the conversation.
"Danny knows, too?" Steve asked. Now his eyes met Maddie's. She could see the anger there, which was no surprise. And yes, that upset her and made her feel guilty, but what made her feel worse was the hurt and deep betrayal she saw. Chin's lack of response was response enough. "I'm assuming you're gathering evidence from the tampered water equipment." It was a statement not a question. Pete hadn't filled him in about that, but Steve wasn't an idiot. Now knowing the other things that happened while she'd rehearsed for the show it was obvious that the temperature had been changed on purpose.
"Yeah, and the problem with her cables from the opening song," Chin answered. His chest ached with the guilt he was feeling.
"The cables?" He continued staring at Maddie, his eyes now fiery. He recalled at the start of her show when she'd released her harness from her cables and plummeted to the stage where Ryan and Tyler had fortunately caught her. How could she take such a risk? he fumed. Now that he knew it wasn't a practiced move he was livid. He'd been upset when he thought it'd been choreographed that way, but now it was worse. That and her stage diving and crowd surfing… does she have a death wish? He also reminded himself that she'd taken off from security on two different occasions over the last couple days.
Chin realized Steve didn't know about the cables. Unbelievable, he thought. This just keeps getting worse. "Don't worry, evidence wasn't lost at any time," he tried to reassure his friend and boss. He didn't know what else to say to him.
Steve said nothing. Instead, he hung up. There was nothing he could say that was going to be helpful to the situation. Chin knew he was angry. He just wanted to get to the bottom of things. He wanted to find this sick prick and either lock him up or kill him. In all honesty, he wanted to kill him so there was never a chance he could bother Maddie again.
Pete's ringing cell phone pulled Steve from his homicidal thoughts. "I'll be right back," Pete told them before leaving her room and heading downstairs.
With Pete now gone, Steve started changing out of his pajamas. Quickly, he pulled on a pair of clean khaki cargos. Maddie knew it wasn't the time, but she couldn't help herself and stared at his body. He's beautiful, she thought. He pulled his shirt over his head and rifled through his bag for a clean one. Maddie continued staring, practically drooling over his rippling muscles and chiseled chest. Finally, he located a clean shirt. Just as he was about to slip it on he looked at her. He'd felt her eyes on him while changing. In normal circumstances, the lust and want he saw in her tired blue eyes would have turned him on. But these weren't normal circumstances. Maddie had lied to him and had gotten his friends and coworkers to go along with it. He was hurt and furious. "Why don't you take a picture. It'll last longer," he said to her. It wasn't said as a joke. He smirked, making it seem like he thought her attraction for him was laughable. In the moment, he didn't realize the motives behind what he said, all he knew was he was mad. But in reality he was hurt and wanted her to hurt. Something he wouldn't realize until much later when he'd calmed down. He didn't mean it, but anger could be a dangerous thing.
Maddie's heart shattered at his words. I knew he thought of me as a joke, she should have never let their friends get in her head. Once again he'd led her to believe he cared for her as more than a friend. He'd gotten her to begin letting her walls down and then destroyed her with only a few words and a condescending, laughing look. How could I have fallen for it again? she wondered, silently berating herself.
Without a second look in her direction Steve grabbed his shoes and bag and walked out. No "bye", no "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it". Nothing. Just silence and fury radiating from him. Tina sat there shocked. And mad.
Steve continued to the front door, passing Doc and Pete as he walked out of Maddie's house. Once at his truck he quickly slipped his boots on and then left, saying nothing. As he waited for the gate to open at the bottom of her long driveway, he texted Chin telling him to meet him at Five-O Headquarters. He then sent a similar text to Charlie. Angry, he drove away, never once giving a thought to the damage he'd just caused to his relationship with Maddie.
"That didn't seem good," Doc said to Pete as Steve drove away.
"No, it didn't," Pete replied. What did he do? Please tell me he didn't say or do anything stupid, he thought. "He knows about what happened to Maddie during rehearsals."
"Yikes," Doc said. They made their way into the kitchen and Doc looked around. "The house is beautiful."
"You haven't been here before?" Pete asked.
"No, I've been to her place in New York and Los Angeles, but never here." He looked around, taking in his surroundings. "Her other properties seem like her, but this is her home. I can feel it. It makes me happy that she has that." He smiled to her head of security and friend. "I'm so glad you brought her here. This is what she needed."
Pete sighed heavily. "Hopefully. Unless Steve just made things worse. Maybe I shouldn't have brought her here."
"It's gonna work out," Doc reassured him.
"God, I hope so." Pete just wanted this whole stalker nightmare over. He wanted to see Maddy happy. He wanted see her constant smile and silly sense of humor again. It felt like he hadn't seen that side of her in forever. Sure, she'd shown moments of it the last few days, but they were few and far between and nothing like she used to be.
Although devastated, Maddie refused to cry. She wouldn't shed another tear over Steve. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Maybe her stalker wasn't crazy. He had warned her that he'd just been trying to protect her from Steve the night he'd texted her the photo of Steve with Lori.
Maddie swore she would never let him in again. In all honesty she never wanted to see him again. She understood him being mad, but him being cruel? She didn't know this Steve. He had changed. And she wanted nothing to do with him. I am not staying in Hawaii, she thought. There's no way.
As Tina sat next to Maddie on her bed, she didn't know what to say. She was furious with Steve. She knew he was incredibly hurt, but of all the things to say to Maddie out of anger that was the last thing he should have ever said. Maddie didn't need to say anything for her to know what she was thinking. She knew she believed Steve was making fun of her and thought her feelings for him were a joke. If she'd been in her shoes she'd be thinking the same thing. There was no defending Steve this time and she wasn't going to even try. All she could do was let Maddie know she was there for her. She grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it, offering her silent support. Without saying anything Maddie squeezed back.
Pete and Doc appeared at the open door to Maddie's room. They stared at the two women completely silent, both lost in thought. They knew something had happened. Fuck, Pete thought.
"Hey guys!" Doc greeted, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You look like you've warmed up a lot," he told Maddie.
Swallowing the emotional knot in her throat, she looked at Doc. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better."
He approached her, setting his bag on her bed and sitting on the edge to look her over. The first thing he checked was her body temperature. She was still cold, but nothing like before. Steve had done a good job warming her. He pushed the covers away to look at her foot. He slipped her sock off to see she'd taken the wet bandage off. It looked angry and painful, and infected. He put the antibiotic ointment on it and then bandaged it. "You need to stay off this foot completely. It's not in good shape. It's worse than it was earlier since you just performed for three hours on it." He looked at her swollen knee. "You need to stay off this entire leg. It needs a lot of rest." He knew she needed to be wearing her knee brace. The heavy duty one that circulated ice water. But, since she was still cold he wasn't going to put it on her. It wasn't worth the risk. "Let's put the other knee brace on in a little bit. The one with the ice pack." She shivered just thinking about it. "I know… and you have to use the crutches." Pete had them in his hands and set them against her nightstand so she could easily reach them. Doc felt Maddie's wet hair. She really shouldn't be sitting with wet hair, but she'd towel dried it a lot and it was more just damp at this point. "I want you to eat something before I give you medication. I don't want any of this to upset your stomach."
The last thing Maddie was was hungry. She just wanted to sleep through the pain of Steve's words. Not that she thought she'd be able to quiet her mind long enough to sleep, but it was worth a try.
Pete caught Tina's eye and motioned her into the hall. "I'll be right back, Mads. I'll go get you some food. Anything sound good?"
"No," Maddie whispered.
Once downstairs, Pete didn't waste time. "What happened?" He questioned. "Doc, called letting me know he was down at the gate and needed to be let in."
Sighing heavily, Tina told Pete everything.
"Fucking asshole!" Pete nearly bellowed.
"I know," Tina responded. "I know he's just hurt and scared and mad. But why did he have to go there?"
"He might be badass when it comes to his job, but when it comes to her and realizing he has feelings for her he's a complete idiot." Pete's mind was running a million miles an hour. "What was her reaction?"
"She hasn't said anything. She didn't cry…" Tina thought back to Maddie's lack of reaction. "She's just shut down."
"Is this fixable?" Pete asked the dreaded question.
"I don't know, Pete." She finished the peanut butter and jelly sandwich before meeting his eyes. "I honestly don't know."
Pete groaned in frustration and anger at his friend. "I was going to leave Sunday, but I think I'm gonna stay longer."
"I was thinking the same thing," Tina told him as she grabbed a paper towel placing it with the paper plate Maddie's sandwich sat on. "Do you think she'll even stay in Hawaii?"
"Fuckkk…," Pete whispered. "I don't know. I hope so. They have got to figure things out." He paused. "He's gotta somehow convince her to tell him what she knows about this stalker. Cause she's keeping something."
"Well, I can't imagine she's in a very forthcoming mood right now."
Pete knew Tina was right. "Well, one thing at a time. First things first is getting her to sleep."
"I doubt she will with what just happened," Tina told him as he walked with her towards the stairs.
"I'll talk to Doc about it. Maybe there's something he can give her." Pete then took Tina in. He sighed, not really wanting to bring it up, but knew he needed to. He liked that she was talking to him right now. "How are you? You okay? How's your head? Are you dizzy? Have you been sick again?
Pete's worry over her brought the pain from earlier back. God, she loved this man, but she knew they'd only ever be friends. And after all, he was dating someone. I know how Maddie feels, she thought. To love someone who doesn't love you back… it was the worst pain. However, she knew that in Maddie's case Steve did love her, he was just being a complete and total asshat. "I'm fine."
"Tina," he started, pausing to collect his thoughts. "You scared the shit out of me earlier." He met her eyes and saw some emotion flicker in them. Before he could decipher it it was gone.
"I'm sorry, Pete. I should've said something when I first started not feeling well."
"After you give this food to Maddie I want you to go to bed," he told her seriously as they walked down the hall to Maddie's room.
"She might need me. She's devastated even if she won't admit it." Without thinking Tina mumbled, "I can relate."
"Woah, what?" Pete asked, shocked by what she said. What is she upset about? he wondered. He reached out and placed his hand on her arm to stop her. "Talk to me… what's goin' on?"
Tina looked down at his hand on her arm and her heart ached. She looked up, meeting his concerned, gorgeous hazel eyes. She sighed, not realizing her sadness was evident in her eyes. He searched them worriedly. What's going on in that head of hers, he pondered.
"Everything's fine, Pete. I'm just tired. You're right," she lied. Well, she was tired, but that wasn't what was wrong. One of the benefits of being gone for the last two months was that she wasn't forced to be with him every day. But then one of the worst parts of being gone was that she didn't see him every day. So confusing, she thought, frustrated. She needed some sort of distraction from her feelings. Hopefully that guy Arthur calls me, she thought, thinking about the kind stranger who had helped her earlier when she'd been running errands. Her attention went back to Pete who was looking at her intently, a concerned look in his eyes. She could tell he was going to say something else. Before he could she said, "I better get this to Maddie. She needs to take her medication."
Pete sighed. He was frustrated with both Tina and Maddie. Why can't they just tell me what's going on, he thought. I am not trained in this. I'm a Navy Seal for fuck's sake. He leaned against Maddie's open bedroom door as he watched Tina hand Maddie the food. Then she crawled on the bed to sit near her friend. They're both going to be the death of me, he thought.
"You gotta minute," Doc whispered, interrupting Pete's thoughts.
"Yeah, what's up, Doc?"
"Downstairs," he replied. He had some questions for Maddie's head of security. The two men walked down the hall and then down the stairs before sitting at counter in her kitchen.
"What's up?" Pete asked. "Is everything okay? Is she okay?" He was growing more concerned.
"Yeah, she's hangin' in there," Doc answered. "I know something's been bothering her for the last several months. She's been tired and withdrawn. Several times over the last couple days I heard that she's having nightmares. Do you know anything? She hasn't said anything to me about them."
Pete sighed, the memory of that horrible and terrifying nightmare she'd had the other night coming back to haunt him. "Yeah, she won't tell us what they're about. We've been able to figure out they're about Steve in some way. We think something's happening to him in them. But, she's having them every time she sleeps. Some are worse than others." He then described Maddie's nightmare from the night Steve had gone out with Lori. "She was turning blue. It was like whatever she was experiencing in her nightmare was really happening." He paused. "I've seen my fair share of nightmares being in the military, but this was really scary."
Doc was quiet as he digested everything Pete had told him. "It sounds like she's having both nightmares and night terrors... Does anything seem to help?"
"Only if he sleeps with her. But, after what happened tonight I don't think that'll be happening any time soon," Pete told him, his frustration and anger at Steve returning.
"That bad, huh?" Doc asked. He'd had a feeling something had happened between Steve and Maddie.
"Oh yeah, that bad." Pete shook his head as he thought of what Steve had said to her. "Is there anything you can give her to help her sleep tonight?"
"Yeah, I filled Ambien for her earlier after I'd heard about the nightmares. There's another medication I'll get for her tomorrow. Hopefully, that will help her nightmares a little bit. It's given to soldiers with PTSD and can help a lot. We don't really know why it works, but it does provide some relief from nightmares."
"That's great, Doc. Thank you so much!" Pete said, relieved.
"Alright, she's hopefully eaten by now and I can give her some meds. She desperately needs sleep," Doc stated. He had left his bag upstairs, but her brace was still down here. He handed the extra ice packs to Pete to put in the freezer then the two headed upstairs.
Maddie was nibbling on her sandwich in silence. Tina sat next to her, her presence an unwavering source of support. She turned to look at her friend and assistant and gave her a small smile in gratitude. Tina understood what she was wordlessly saying and smiled back.
Steve's words had been playing on repeat since he'd left. That, and the look on his face. Almost a snarl. My dad was right. He will never love me, Maddie thought. She was so grateful Tina hadn't been trying to tell her Steve hadn't meant what he said. That, she couldn't bear. The silence with Tina, that was fine. But she couldn't handle anyone trying to convince her of something that wasn't true. Maddie was doing her best to not let her mind wander to the moments Steve had held her and kissed her and called her baby. Things will never be the same, she thought sadly. She missed the easiness and closeness of their friendship. But Maddie knew she could never trust him. What he'd done had been mean.
"You eat enough?" Doc asked as he and Pete entered Maddie's bedroom.
"Yeah," she mumbled. She hadn't eaten much. She'd nibbled on the sandwich eating a third of it, and that was being generous. They all knew trying to get her to eat any more was a losing battle tonight.
"Okay, let's get this on you." Doc uncovered Maddie's legs and put the knee brace on. She shivered. He covered her back up. "Sorry, I know it's cold, but you need to wear it." She said nothing in response. Her mind was somewhere else. "Here, take these." He handed her several pills, including pain medication, her prednisone, and an Ambien. Once she'd swallowed them he gave her the small medicine cup filled with cough medicine. She took it, chasing it with water. "Alright, sleep well, Maddie. You need it and deserve it. You killed the show tonight. I don't know how you did it, but you nailed it. Now sleep." She snuggled down into the bed and he pulled the covers up to her neck. "Alright, I'm gonna head back to the hotel, but I left Tina and Pete your meds downstairs in case you wake up and need another dose. I'll be back in the morning."
"Okay, thanks, Doc," Maddie whispered. "I really appreciate it." He smiled at her and then said goodbye to Pete and Tina before leaving.
"Want me to sleep here with you," Tina asked Maddie.
"I'll be okay. Thanks, Tina," she smiled at her friend. She'd missed her so much the last couple months. "Get some sleep. You earned it."
"Yes, I agree with that statement," Pete said from his spot leaning against one of the posters of her big bed. "Tina, head to bed."
Tina ignored Pete. She refused to let herself wonder why he'd been so protective of her the last few days. "Want me to unpack your bag, Mads?"
"No, it's all good. I'll take care of it tomorrow." Maddie knew she couldn't let Tina do anything with her bag until she'd removed the screws and note from her stalker. She needed to put it with everything else he'd ever sent her. She also needed to add to the journal she used to document everything. She hoped that one day it would be safe enough to give everything to Pete or Steve. When that day happened she wanted to make sure she hadn't forgotten a thing, so she'd been documenting everything in journals. She needed to describe what had happened the last few days. She'd been hiding everything in her room, but needed to get it to a safer location in her house. But in order to do that she needed to be alone so they wouldn't see where she went. She couldn't risk anyone finding everything right now.
"T, bed. Now," Pete ordered.
Tina looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Fine, dad." As she got off Maddie's bed she handed her her cell. She hoped Steve would wise up and reach out to Maddie, however she didn't think that would happen tonight. And, she didn't think Maddie would answer if he did.
Maddie took her phone and set it on her nightstand. "Thanks, T. Sleep well."
Tina handed her the remote to the TV. She didn't think Maddie would be able to clear her mind to fall asleep without it, but Tina didn't know Doc had given her sleeping meds.
"Tina, I got Maddie. Go to bed," Pete said as he walked forward and gently took her by the arm. Then he guided her to the bedroom door and ushered her out.
"I'm going, I'm going," she mumbled as she begrudgingly walked down the hall to her room.
Pete turned around and took a seat on Maddie's bed.
"What is with you and Tina?" Maddie asked, a small tired smile on her face. "You have feelings for her?"
Pete was surprised at the question. "I'm just concerned because she hasn't slept much more than you." Maddie didn't know the specifics of what had happened with Tina earlier that day. Steve hadn't wanted her to know, a decision he agreed with. Maddie had had too much to worry about.
"That wasn't a no," Maddie teased. I think he likes Tina, she thought, something that would make her so happy. She thought they'd be a cute couple.
Pete sighed and rolled his eyes. He refused to think about Tina in that way. He had too much to worry about right now. However, he was still wondering about her behavior earlier. "Do you know why she was upset today?"
Maddie only continued staring at him. Her lack of a response was answer enough.
"She upset with me?" he asked.
"I wouldn't word it like that," Maddie hesitantly replied after thinking it over. She obviously didn't want to betray Tina's trust, but she did want to help her. If her instinct was correct about Pete entertaining the idea of Tina as more than a friend then she wanted to help. One of us deserves a happy ending, she thought sadly.
"Maddie, what did I do?" Pete asked, concerned.
"Nothing intentional." She responded giving him a sad smile.
"Mads, come on," Pete urged. He wanted answers.
Maddie was quiet as she thought it over. "I'm sorry, I can't betray her trust."
He sighed. He knew it was unfair of him to ask her to betray Tina's trust. He looked at her pale, exhausted face. Now that all her stage makeup was off you could see the dark circles under her eyes. Although she wasn't saying anything, he could see the sadness in her blue eyes. "Maddie, I'm sorry. When I heard him raise his voice I thought you'd told him. I thought that's why he was mad."
Maddie gave her head of security and friend a small shrug and sad smile. "I know. It's okay, Pete. He was going to react badly no matter how he found out." Maddie could tell he felt horrible. "I'm sorry I put you in the position to lie to him. That wasn't fair."
"I understand why you didn't want him to know about everything when it happened. I'm not upset with you. I'm just sorry he was such an ass." Pete wasn't sure if he should address the elephant in the room, what Steve had said to Maddie in anger.
"It's not your fault," Maddie told him swallowing the heartbreak at the mention of Steve's reaction. "It is what it is."
"I know I've been telling you this for days, but he loves you and he was just angry tonight. It's no excuse, I know." He paused. She was really hard to read, something he took as a bad sign. "You guys will work it out."
No, we won't, Maddie thought in response. However, she would never say that to him. She was never going to let Steve in. Tonight had been the end of them. She couldn't trust him and if she couldn't trust him then she couldn't be around him. "I love you, Pete. Thanks for always being there and taking care of me. I know sometimes I can be a pain in the ass and drive you crazy."
"Sometimes?" Pete smiled at her. "I wouldn't change it for the world. I love you, too." He paused, chuckling softly. "I'll never confirm this if you tell anyone, but I would much rather have you taking off and crowd surfing than you being sad." She smiled sadly at him. "I mean, you nearly give me a heart attack on a daily basis, but my life would be so boring without you." Her smile grew. "Speaking of heart attack, I had a massive one when you dropped from your wires during 'Bad Romance' tonight."
Maddie hadn't been expecting that and she laughed out loud. He joined her, her laugh a beautiful sound. "Like, no big deal, let me just plummet and hope Ryan and Tyler catch me!" he did his impersonation of her voice making her laugh harder. She started coughing. "There was no hesitation on that, Maddie!"
She giggled. "The show must go on," she replied.
"You know, whoever said that, I hate them so much. I cringe every time I hear that statement," he joked with her. She laughed as she fought the sleepiness that was taking over. There it is, he thought, watching as her medication hit her. He'd stayed with her for a reason. He wanted to distract her until the meds kicked in. "Close your eyes, Shorty. Get some sleep."
Maddie did as he said, her eyes fluttering closed. "Mmm hmm," she murmured.
"Call me if you need anything." He grabbed her phone from her nightstand and flipped it to silent. He didn't want anyone waking her up.
"Love you," she slurred.
"Love you, too," Pete whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her head. He did love her. She was the closest thing to a sister he had. And he would do anything to keep her safe. He just hoped that didn't mean having to keep her safe from Steve.
I hope you guys liked it and don't hate me too much right now. All this heartache will make it so much sweeter when they get together!
Leave a review and let me know what you think!
xx
