Oh my God! This is the next chapter. I know ... I know ... I said that there was only one chapter left and It was, I swear. But when I finished editing it, it had over 10,000 words! I tried to shorten it, but my beta suggested it was better if I divided it into two chapters. I'm sorry about that. I'm fixing the final details on the second part. I hope to post it tomorrow. Thanks for staying with me and please tell me what you think.
CHAPTER 20. This is your family now. (Part one)
The scent of home at the best time of year permeated his senses when the door opened. The Williams' house was fully lit by thousands of multi-colored spotlights that gave it a festive atmosphere and reminded him of past times… better times, when his family had not yet been dismembered.
Danny and Steve, with a restless Charlie on his shoulders, stood by the door and watched the scene. A huge Christmas tree reigned from one corner of the living room; the fireplace was lit, and all the family members who were already there, were sitting around the coffee table, which was covered with an immense number of goodies. Those Green and Red iced cookies and Grandma Williams' famous hazelnut chocolate brownies, made Charlie squirm and yell at him, "I wanna go down now, Uncle Steve!"
He bent down and put the kid on the floor; Before Charlie could run away, Steve watched Danny catch him and took his snow-soaked jacket and the hat. He was a little intimidated when someone yelled out "They're here!" and all eyes focused on them. Clara walked towards them, approached Danny and gave him a hug and a loud kiss on the cheek, "Here is my boy!" she said smiling; Then she hugged Steve with the same love, whispering in his ear, "I'm glad you're here..." He hugged her back, still embarrassed about what happened the last time he was in this house, and said, "I'm also glad to be here... thanks for inviting me."
To say that the previous eight months had been difficult would be the understatement of the century. After Grace's brief visit, they managed to develop something like a routine. Dr. Robbins had advised them to find some activities that allow them to distract their minds from therapy; He told them about a community sports center in which there was an olympic pool, so Steve started swimming five afternoons a week... In that place, he met a boy… he was about fourteen or fifteen, and was in a rehabilitation program for children with drugs or alcohol problems... he soon began working there as a volunteer counselor. Danny, on the other hand, had started teaching some classes of Macro and Microeconomics, as a substitute teacher at Rutgers, and they both spent some time furnishing and decorating the kids' rooms.
Soon, the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months; That time was full of ups and downs: The sessions of the Exhibition phase began; Sam managed to gather a small group of ex-navy SEALs, who met once a week to talk about their experiences in the field… those sessions were especially painful. Sometimes they left him physically and emotionally drained; in those days, to avoid arguing with Danny, he'd get home, enter his bedroom directly, and sleep twelve or fourteen hours.
Other times, Danny was so depressed by the absence of the children, that he behaved like a real curmudgeon, complaining about everything: the traffic problems, the water pressure in the shower, the leaves of the trees that accumulated on the ledge from the window or Steve's excessive fondness for exercise. However, the joint therapy sessions were very helpful. As agreed, they tried to find a way to talk about the problems to solve them.
Things seemed to improve with Charlie's arrival in the summer, Rachel found a new job, so Charlie stayed with them every Tuesday and Thursday, as well as two weekends a month. In those days, Steve spent hours playing with him, both lying on the carpet in the kid's room, which had a complicated race track design. They moved miniature cars all over the place, simulating engine noise, or made complicated ramps for cars to do the boldest stunts.
Sometimes the three of them went swimming… or they rented a small boat and sailed down the Hudson. At night, he liked to stand by the door, listening to the increasingly elaborate sleeping stories that Danny made up for the boy.
After two months, things finally seemed to be going in the right direction. Finally, the day came when Governor Mahoe's deadline was met. He and Danny had talked about it a lot the night before and decided that each of them would talk to her on their own. That afternoon, before Danny came home, Steve called her by video conference.
" Commander McGarrett!" She greeted him warmly, "It's really nice to see you. How are you?"
Steve smiled. In the three years he worked under Mahoe's orders, she had always treated him courteously and professionally. But now, she seemed genuinely pleased by his call. Not knowing very well how to react, he simply replied, "I'm fine, ma'am, thank you. I'm getting better."
"I'm glad to hear that..." she said, "I hope you have good news for me."
"I don't know if they are, ma'am. Last week I spoke to Captain Grover, according to what he told me, things seem to be working very well in Five-0 and Lt. Cole is doing well as team leader."
Mahoe didn't seem quite sure what direction the conversation would take, so she spoke cautiously. "Yes ... Lt. Cole is doing a good job... but he's not you, Commander. We miss you here… I'm going to be completely honest with you… Steve."
"Yes ma'am."
"Five-0 is not the same without you and Detective Williams, it's true that it's still a very efficient taskforce… one of the best in the country, but it lacks your energy, your spirit. The team takes longer to solve some of the cases. Apparently, they need an… let's say… unconventional perspective… an ingredient that, according to Captain Grover, came from you and your unusual association with Detective Williams. We need you both. The team misses you… and so do I."
"I don't know what to tell you, Governor, I really miss the team too, but… there are still many things to solve here. I was diagnosed with PTSD, which, apparently, was not a surprise to anyone... and things are progressing step by step, but this is not over yet and I don't know when it will... Listen, Governor, I promised you we'd talk in three months and here I am. I need to be honest with you, I can't go back right now… and I still don't know if I'll go back to Hawaii anytime soon."
Mahoe had a sad expression when she said, "I can't say I'm surprised, Commander, but I was hoping that, by now, you'd have a date for your return… Or that you'd have at least made a decision as to whether you really want to come back to Hawaii."
"Sorry ma'am. This is a difficult decision and I don't want to take it lightly, Hawaii is my home... it will always be my home and the team will always be my Ohana, I'm sure that I'll return one day, but for now, I must focus on solving all problems in my life, before deciding what to do next."
She sighed, "I understand, Commander... I guess Detective Williams has made a similar decision..."
Steve thought about it for a few seconds before answering, "I can't speak for him, ma'am. What I can tell you is that he'll call you this afternoon, to give you his answer."
"So I guess we'll have to extend the deadline..." She said, but Steve interrupted her: "No ma'am... I don't think it's fair to you or the team... I mean, you can't just wait for something we don't know when it will happen... or if... I mean, I want to return to Hawaii someday, but I'm almost sure I don't want to do the same things I did before... I wanna do another job... one that isn't full of violence and death. My therapist, Dr. Robbins, says that my condition was exacerbated by the continued stress I was subjected to in Five-0, after my transfer to the reserves… Listen, Governor, I've served my country for twenty-five years… more than that, if you count my time at the Army-Navy Academy, I think it is time."
"Okay..." She said and sighed again, resigned, "That's bad news, but I guess you're right... The sooner the team knows that you won't be back, the sooner they will get used to the idea and develop their own way of doing things ."
Steve nodded and said, "I think it's the right thing to do."
That afternoon Danny also called the governor and told her more or less the same thing. It was decided, they would stay for a while, until things were done. Those months of emotional crisis and therapy had really put them to the test, and if Sam's words were something to trust, they were both progressing quite well… until that day in late November.
The sessions of the last two weeks were especially difficult; the guys talked about some missions that went sideways, Op's in which they had lost brothers in arms. When it was his turn, he began to talk about his last mission in North Korea. Steve spoke for over an hour and a half as the memories gathered in his head, saturating him.
He started by talking about the way he met Freddie in Annapolis. Until then, Steve had remained on the sidelines; Although he had a good relationship with his classmates and many of them followed him, due to his ability in sports and his natural leadership, Steve was a lonely and quiet guy…. Until the day that noise and joker midshipman appeared.
Freddie's natural charm made it easy for him to make friends, and Steve couldn't help it: they immediately liked each other and became friends. When they both entered the SEAL training program at Coronado Naval Base, Steve realized that Freddie was the brother he never had. The two pushed each other, passed through BUDs, and beat Hell Week together, and were eventually deployed to Iraq, as members of the same unit.
Steve talked about the mission in which his brother died. Anguish caught in his throat as he forced the words out of his mouth and the memories hit his head.
"The relationship between Dark Sun and the Hesse brothers is still unstable. However, we picked up chatter that indicates Victor is sending his brother Anton to finalize a major arms deal with Dark Sun."
"Commander, we have a window of opportunity to roll this guy up. The first confirmed face-to-face in years. And the intel is good. So, we need to act now."
"Stealth will be the operative word here, Commander."
"You want me to insert, snatch up Anton Hesse, exfil the area without getting compromised, sir."
"Exactly, but bear this in mind. This mission does not exist. If you're killed or captured, you're on your own."
"Yes, sir."
"That means no rescue attempt. No negotiations. Not even an acknowledgment of your service."
"I understand."
"Steve, we're not going to send you downrange all by your lonesome. Pick a team member to go with you. Someone with extensive operational background."
"I know just the man, sir."
Steve talked about how Freddie had sacrificed himself and saved his life that day, distracting Han Ji-Woon's men, so he could get out of there with Anton Hesse. The man had been brutally murdered just when he had just married… Steve remembered the little golden-haired girl, Freddie's daughter.
"What are you so cheerful about, huh? You've been grinning like a clown ever since we got airborne."
"I got married over the weekend."
"No, you didn't…"
"Yeah, I did… Kelly and I decided we just couldn't live without each other, so..."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Last week, you hated each other!"
"That was last week. Then we found out we're having a baby, so... It's a girl!"
"Fred, you hit?"
"I'm good. I'm fine, keep moving… Get the package out of here, I got your six."
"What are you talking about? Get off your ass. We're moving. Let's go. Let's go!"
"Do the job…! Now do the job!"
"My job is not leaving anybody behind!"
"You won't. Look at me, hoss. I'm not going anywhere…! Don't let this be for nothing…"
"Steven… I need you to do something for me."
"¡No, no, no, no, no!"
"All right, listen to me…"
"What are you talking about, man?"
"Listen to me... One day... tell my daughter... you tell my daughter that Daddy loved her. Promise me…! Promise me!"
"I promise… All right, I promise."
"Now go! Hooyah, brother!"
When he got home that afternoon, he was depressed, and a strong pain throbbed in his head. Danny still hadn't come home after picking Charlie up from school, so he took a couple of painkillers and decided to lie down and get some sleep.
The sound of the gunshots gave him an electric shock that ran down his spine. He was standing on the freshly cut grass. The day was splendid, there was no cloud in the blue sky and it was hot ... he could hear Catherine's soft breath beside him and feel the imposing presence of Joe.
The captain approached him and took the folded flag, turned it around, and knelt before Kelly: "On behalf of a grateful nation and a proud navy, I present you this flag in recognition of your husband's years of honorable and faithful service to his country."
Steve reached out to Kelly and put his hand on her shoulder, then he hugged Freddie's mom and shook his father's hand when he said, "Commander. We thank you for bringing our boy home."
"It's my privilege, sir." He replied, then leaned down to kiss Kelly's cheek, but the girl turned her face away. Steve sighed and knelt in front of the girl, pulling Freddie's dog tags out of his pocket. "I loved your daddy..." he said as he placed the chain around her little neck, "And I know he would have loved you very much ... Now wherever you go, he'll always be with you."
She frowned at him and asked, "Why did you take my daddy away?"
Steve felt as if he had been stabbed, "I..." he tried to answer, but at that moment, a man approached them from the trees. He wore his dress blues… the man pressed against his abdomen as blood spurted and soaked his fingers.
"Why did you choose me?" He asked out loud.
Steve got up just as Freddie passed next to Danny. He stopped and looked at him briefly; then he kept walking until he was a couple of feet from Steve. "Why…? You could have chosen anyone else to go with you on that suicide mission... Why me?" He repeated, "Kelly and I had just got married... we were expecting our baby... I had the chance of a life with them and you took it from me!"
Steve tried to put his hand on Freddie's shoulder… He should help him stop the flow of blood that completely soaked the cloth and collected around his friend's feet. "Fred ... let me help you! he whispered. But the man took a step back, horrified, and said, "No! Don't touch me! I don't need you to do anything for me...! I think you've done enough…"
Danny was arranging the blankets to cover Charlie's sleeping body. The kid was so tired that he didn't even hear the end of the story... and it was a fantastic story! Suddenly a scream startled him. He got up and ran out of Charlie's room.
When he opened the door, the room was dimly lit by the light from the living room... the bed was empty and the sheets were tangled... He cautiously entered and looked around. A dark lump was in the far corner of the room, hunched over and sobbing.
Slowly, he moved closer and squatted down in front of Steve. His shirt was drenched in sweat, his breathing was shaky, and his body shook uncontrollably.
"Hey..! Danny said in a whisper. "Steve... Shhh. It's all right…"
Steve raised his head and looked up at Danny with tears filling his eyes, "No... it's not!" he said sadly.
Danny tried to reach out to stroke Steve's face, but the man gave him a push that made him lose his balance and he fell back, "No! nothing is okay…!" Steve yelled, "Don't you get it…? I killed him!"
Danny tried to stand up, but a cry caught his attention and made them both turn their heads to see Charlie in his pajamas, standing by the door with his face covered in tears. For a moment Danny didn't know what to do... but Steve said hoarsely, "Go Danny... go with him!"
Danny got up and walked over to Charlie, picked him up and hugged him, "Shhh... buddy... Everything is fine." He left the room and took the crying kid to his bed. It took a few minutes to calm him, stroking his hair and cradling him on his lap. When Charlie's breathing finally returned to normal, the boy reached out and stroked his father's cheek, "Did Uncle Steve hurt you, Danno?" he asked.
Danny smiled, "No, buddy. It's okay. I'm fine… I just lost my balance and fell onto my butt, but he didn't hurt me… he never would."
"But..." Charlie frowned, trying to understand what was happening, "He pushed you, Danno . Is he mad at you?"
Danny stroked his son's soft hair again as he tried to explain what had happened, "Remember when I told you that Uncle Steve had some problems and he was suffering a lot?" Charlie nodded silently and Danny spoke again, "Well… sometimes those problems give him some pretty bad nightmares… that's what happened there. Uncle Steve had a nightmare."
"Did someone hurt him?" the kid asked, "Why did they hurt him if Uncle Steve is a good man, Danno ?"
"I don't know, buddy," Danny answered honestly, "but he's seeing a doctor who's trying to help him, he'll be fine... it will take a while, but he'll be fine."
"Do you think if I go over there and give him a hug, he'll feel better?" Charlie asked as he moved away from his father to get up. Danny smiled at him, "Surely one of your hugs would make him feel better, but not now, Charlie... How about you hold that hug and give it to him in the morning?"
"Okay, Danno." Charlie replied, as Danny settled him on his bed and covered him again with the blankets; When he got up to leave, the boy asked him, "Can you stay with me until I fall asleep, Danno?" He nodded and sat down on the bed next to Charlie again.
It took Charlie a few minutes to go back to sleep. Silently Danny got up and walked to the door, turned off the light, and went out into the living room. He went to the kitchen to have a glass of water and returned to his room; When he entered, he saw Steve sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows resting on his thighs and his head hidden in his hands. Slowly, he sat down next to him.
"Hey..." he said quietly.
"I'm so sorry, Danny...!" Steve said without raising his head. "Is Charlie okay?"
Danny started gently stroking Steve's back and said, "Yes… he's 's sleeping. What about you? Are you with me now?"
Steve nodded and Danny asked, "Do you need an emergency pill?"
The man shook his head from side to side, "No… I don't think so. I'm fine… it's just that…"
"It was a bad nightmare, wasn't it?" Steve nodded and Danny said, "Okay... drink some water." Finally, the man raised his head and took the glass with a trembling hand. He took a sip and sighed. After putting the glass down on the nightstand, he got up from the bed and took of his soaked shirt. While taking a clean T-shirt from the drawer and putting it on, Danny asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Steve looked at him and said, "Want? No… but I think I have no choice." He sat back on the bed and said, "It was Freddie's funeral. The ceremony was already over and I approached his family, remember?"
Danny nodded, he resumed his caress between Steve's shoulder blades, encouraging him to continue, "So, when I gave his daughter Fred's dog tags, she looked at me and she asked me why I had taken her dad away from her." Steve took a deep breath, trying to hold back the new tears struggling to come out, "Then… then Freddie appeared… He was there, Danny! But he was hurt… I tried to help him and he asked me why I chose him."
Without stopping his caress, Danny said, "I don't understand..."
"That day, when I was assigned that mission, Joe told me to pick someone to come with me. 'Someone with extensive operational background' he told me. Freddie was the first choice that came to mind, Danno. He was good... very good. With a single glance he could find the weak points of any place before we started any attack… he was brilliant in the field, that's why I chose him."
"It seems like a wise choice." Danny said.
"Yes ... but he was my friend too… and I took a chance, Danny. I knew it was an operation behind enemy lines ... If anything went wrong, the Navy would deny any knowledge of the mission. I knew that once we were in enemy territory, we were on our own. And there were a lot of things that could go wrong, Danny... the bets were against us and even knowing that, I took him there! I should have chosen someone else."
"No, Steve... You said it yourself. Fred was the best option... what happened there wasn't your fault. He knew what could happen. War is a dirty business Steve… you've told me that a lot of times. I'm not saying you shouldn't feel bad about what happened… I'm not saying you shouldn't mourn Freddie's death… but I know and you know that his death wasn't your fault… and Freddie knew it too."
Not quite convinced, Steve nodded.
An insistent buzz woke them up after only four hours of sleep. A throbbing headache forced him to close his eyes again and cover his head with the pillow, while Danny picked up the phone.
Suddenly, he felt a small hand caressing his chest. He removed the pillow from his head and opened his eyes, Charlie was there, standing by the bed. "Good morning, Uncle Steve..." the kid said.
"Hey Charlie...!" Steve tried to hide the stab of concern, "Are you okay, buddy?" he asked as he sat up and took Charlie and put him on his lap.
"I'm okay, Uncle Steve... are you okay?"
"I'm fine Charlie..." he replied.
The boy frowned, reached out and stroked Steve's cheek, saying, "I was worried about you, Uncle Steve..."
Steve tried to hold back his tears, "I know, Charlie… I'm sorry I scared you."
"Danno told me you had a nightmare... Are you feeling better now?"
"Yeah..." Steve ruffled the boy's hair and said, "I feel better now, but do you know what would make me feel even better?"
Charlie nodded and asked, "A special hug?" Steve nodded and the boy wrapped his little arms around his neck, squeezing it tight.
Steve stroked Charlie's back and said quietly, "That's a big hug...! Thanks Charlie."
As he moved away, the boy asked, "Can I ask you a question, Uncle Steve?"
"Of course, buddy."
"What was your nightmare about? When I have nightmares, my mom tells me that if you talk about them, then the nightmares don't come true…"
Steve cleared his throat and said, "It was about a friend of mine… he died a long time ago… when I remember him, I get sad and have nightmares about him. But, I feel much better this morning."
Charlie stroked Steve's cheek again and asked, "Do you miss him?"
Steve wiped his eyes with his thumb and said, "Yes Charlie… I miss him so much."
At that point, Danny ended his phone call and said, "Okay ! Who is hungry?"
Charlie gave a leap and fell into his father's arms, "I'm hungry, Danno...! can we have some pancakes?"
Danny started tickling the boy while saying, "Mmmm I don't know... do you think some pancakes fit in this stomach?"
Steve watched them with a sad smile, while Danny buried his fingers in Charlie's stomach; The boy writhed with laughter and said, "Noooo , Danno..."
Finally, Danny smiled and put Charlie down, "Okay… pancakes will be. After breakfast we have to get ready before your mom comes to pick you up, okay? Why don't you get dressed while I make breakfast?"
Charlie pouted and asked, "Should I go, Danno?"
"Yes, buddy." Danny replied as he got up, "But we'll see you at dinner tonight, remember? It's Thanksgiving and the whole family will gather at Nanna's house."
Charlie started walking toward the door, but he stopped for a moment, turned around and said, "Uncle Steve?"
Steve tried to force a smile and said, "Yes Charlie?"
"I'm sorry your friend is dead... but we are here... so you can't be sad today, okay?" The kid smiled and ran to his room.
Steve wiped his eyes again and said, "He's a great kid, Danny!"
"Yes he is..." Danny walked over to him and put a soft kiss on his lips, before saying, "Come on... hurry up, we have a lot to do."
Steve got up and said, "About that... I was thinking... may be… it's not a good idea for me to go to your mom's house tonight, Danny."
Danny was already walking towards the kitchen, but he stopped and turned to look at Steve, "Oh yeah? And why do you think that?"
He shrugged and said, "I don't know... I don't feel in the mood for celebrations with a lot of people I don't know... plus I think I'm not going to be a good company today, Danny... Your family deserves to have a nice Thanksgiving and I… I mean, with my state of mind, I will only ruin it."
Danny walked up to him and hugged him as he whispered into his ear. "Listen, babe… I know that yesterday's session was difficult… I understand that you need space… and any other day, I'd tell you to stay home if it is what you want… but it's Thanksgiving… the first Thanksgiving you'll spend with my family. Mom has been planning it for weeks...! Grace and Charlie will be there... I promise there won't be anyone you don't know... just my parents, my sisters and my nephews... my mother invited Rachel and Erick arrived yesterday morning... that's all, there will be no one else, I promise. "
Danny pulled away from the hug and looked Steve in the eye, "Babe... It's important to me that you're there. I want the three people I love most to be with me today... there are so many things I should be grateful for this year and you..." Danny blushed and stuttered a bit when he said,"You're... you're the most important."
Steve sighed, leaned down and kissed Danny tenderly, "Okay..." he said, "But don't say I didn't warn you..."
Danny drew a wide smile and said, "You won't regret it, I promise. Thanksgiving in the Williams house is mainly about the family, and this is your family now... you'll have a good time and maybe distracted yourself... Now, we must hurry up and make breakfast. After Rachel comes to pick up Charlie, you and I have to go to Carlo's to pick up the apple pie."
Before resuming his walk to the kitchen, Danny patted his butt and said, "Come on, Super SEAL, take one of your navy showers and come over for breakfast."
When they arrived at the Williams' house that afternoon, Steve was stunned. As expected, Carlo's had been crowded; Although they had ordered the apple pies in advance, it took more than an hour to get out of there; people were running through the streets, making the last-time purchases, and the traffic was unbearable.
Eddie and Clara approached them when they entered the living room. After kissing both of them on the cheek, she took the two huge apple pies and Eddie put two bottles of ice-cold beer in their hands. At that moment, Grace and Erick entered through the garden glass door and looked at them.
"Hey!" Erick said enthusiastically as he approached them. He hugged Danny first. "Hi... Uncle D... anny!" he said, patting his favorite uncle on the back, while Steve hugged Grace. "Hi honey!" he said, after kissing her on the cheek, "what time did you arrive?"
Grace smiled, "Just half an hour ago," she replied, "I stopped by the apartment first to drop off my stuff, I hope it's not a problem."
Steve frowned and said, "Don't be silly! Of course it's not a problem. That's your house."
Grace winked at him and said, "By the way, I saw that the other two rooms were already furnished... I loved mine, Thank you." She gave him another kiss and went to hug her father.
Erick looked at Steve and said cautiously, "Hey ... McGruff!"
Steve smiled and hugged him warmly, "Hey kiddo!" When they moved away, Steve asked, "How's everything in Hawaii?"
Erick took a deep breath and said, "Fine… I guess. But I miss you guys. I mean... that guy, Cole, he's good people, but he's somewhat.. serious. Things are not the same without you there. Captain Grover has become somewhat grumpy and Tani and Junior seem… out of place. I don't know if I you get it… things are fine, but… they're not fine."
After the greetings, everyone gathered in the living room. The talk was starting to get fun when the doorbell rang. Clara opened the door and Charlie came running like a whirlwind, quickly disappearing through the garden door to join his cousins. Rachel greeted everyone politely and leaned over to Danny to whisper, "Listen... we need to talk..."
Danny looked at her incredulously and asked, "Now ...? Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
Rachel shook her head and said, "Now Danny. Please."
Danny shrugged, smiled reassuringly at Steve, and walked behind Rachel toward the kitchen.
When he came in, she closed the door and said without preamble, "Charlie told me what happened last night..."
It took him a few minutes to understand what she meant, then he looked at her defiantly and replied, "Yes… and…?"
Rachel seemed to flinch for a moment and said, "Don't look at me like that, Danny. I'm just worried... about you and Charlie."
Danny felt a surge of anger rise up his chest, he knew this woman too well and he guessed right away what was going on. "Worried, why exactly?"
Listen, Danny. I know Steve is having a difficult time… I'm not familiar with all that post-traumatic stress involves, but I know it's not a cakewalk… I'm just saying that…"
"Enough of the detours, Rachel! Say what you have to say at once."
"I'm just asking if you're sure it's… safe for Charlie to be there, while he… I mean… he could be violent."
Danny tried to contain his contempt and said, "You better go Rachel…"
She couldn't hold back any longer and yelled, "He pushed you, Danny…! He could have hurt you…!"
The conversation in the living room stopped abruptly when everyone heard Rachel yelling in the kitchen. Clara excused herself and walked over there, she opened the door just when Danny said in a low but angry voice,
"That's not what happened, Rachel... if you had a little common sense you'd have asked me before making all this scandal."
She yelled again: "That's what I'm doing, right now Daniel! I ask you what happened ... if he could hurt you, why wouldn't he do the same to Charlie? "
"No, Rachel... you're not asking. You're assuming something without having the complete information… First of all, he didn't push me, I lost my balance. Secondly… listen to me carefully, because I'll only say it once… Steve would cut off his hand before doing something that could hurt Charlie, you understand?"
At that moment, Steve felt a wave of panic… Rachel's screams and Danny's attempts to calm her down were clearly heard from the living room… everyone was looking at him. Suddenly, he got up, put his beer bottle on the table, looked at Eddie and said apologetically, "I better go… I… I'm sorry…" Then his gaze focused on everyone and said, "Please excuse me."
He walked to the door, but Grace walked up to him and grabbed his arm, trying to stop him, "Uncle Steve...!"
He looked at her sadly, "No… Gracie. Don't worry… Please tell Danno I'll call him, okay?" Gently he pulled away from Grace's hand and opened the door, "Excuse me ..." he repeated and went out, closing the door behind him.