THROWING DARTS
Based on the Hawaii Five-0 Series Finale | Season 10 Episode 22: Aloha
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CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
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VILANOVA DE SAU - JULY 14, 2020 - 0500 HOURS
Steve, Junior, Kono, and Danny breached the compound with little to no resistance. Coen was trying to keep a light footprint, which kept his additional personnel to a minimum. Kono and Danny fanned out along the perimeter and secured the grounds as Junior kicked in the front door. Steve was first in as they searched the first floor.
"First floor clear." Junior barked over their comms. "Coffee maker's still running. Someone's here."
Steve signaled to the basement door as he as Junior paused before rushing down the stairs. A figure whipped around the corner and aimed at Steve, but was too slow. Two shots was all it took and Andrew Coen was dead in a pool of his own blood. "Coen is down. I repeat. Coen is down." Steve relayed into their earpieces.
Junior grabbed McGarrett's shoulder as they prepared to breach the room that was secured with padlocks. Steve looked over his shoulder and nodded a countdown to his partner.
THREE.
TWO.
ONE.
Junior shot both padlocks and rammed the door open as Steve whipped inside. His gun dropped to his side and his heart stopped as he saw his wife slumped over, shackled to a chair, with a knife in her leg. Igor Basayev was dead at her feet with a knife to the heart.
"MED-EVAC NOW! CALL IT IN!" He shouted as he held his fingers to her neck, praying that she had a pulse.
"Steve?" Junior's voice was calm as he waited for the verdict.
"She's got a pulse." Steve whispered as tears streamed down his face. "She's alive. Give me the bag."
Junior hurried over and tossed him the pack he was wearing before returning to stand guard at the door. "Target is secure. She's alive." He repeated into the comms. They could hear sighs of relief from the rest of the team when they heard that Catherine was safe.
Steve fastened the tourniquet around her leg before removing the dagger and bandaging the wound. Catherine began to stir as the knife left her body, "I don't know!" She pleaded in a whisper. "I keep telling you…"
"Hey...Cath..." Steve whispered. "It's just me. You're safe. I've got you."
Junior searched Basayev's body for a key but came up empty. He stepped into the hallway and frisked Coen's corpse and found it. He jogged back in and began to uncuff Catherine's hands and feet.
"Where's my chopper?" Steve barked into his earpiece.
"T-2 minutes, Commander." Harry replied.
Steve slung his gun onto his back and gently scooped Catherine up into his arms. "Let's go."
"Guys, we have company." Juliet Higgin's voice came over their frequency as she sat in her sniper's nest. "Black SUV pulling into the driveway. You've got about forty-five seconds."
"Stall." Junior shouted as they hurried through the house and out the back door. "Danny, Kono, get in the chopper. We're almost there."
Juliet stretched out on her belly as she aimed her weapon. The front tire of the SUV blew out with the first shot. She reloaded and aimed, hitting the back tire. "Thirty seconds."
Junior hopped into the waiting helicopter and helped McGarrett lift Catherine's limp body into the bay. Steve jumped in and slammed the door shut as shots began to ricochet off the side of the bird.
Catherine's eyes fluttered open momentarily as she mumbled, "I didn't tell them, Steve…" She whispered. "I didn't." Her eyes closed again as she laid on the stretcher. Steve sat silently at her side as the medics began to do their best to stabilize her.
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U.S. NAVAL HOSPITAL ROTA - Cádiz, Spain- JULY 14, 2020 - 1300 HOURS
"Can I get you a cup of coffee, Commander?" The young nurse asked as she checked the various machines that Catherine was hooked up to.
Steve shook his head, "No thanks." His eyes never left his wife as he sat beside her bed and held her hand.
The med-evac flight to Cádiz was relatively short. Steve was grateful that there had been a Navy hospital in the country, and that they didn't have to fly to Landstuhl, nevertheless, it didn't ease the pit in his stomach. Catherine was alive. That was all that mattered.
There was a quiet knock on the door as Danny and Kono walked in. Steve forced a soft smile as they pulled up chairs beside him. "Harry called his guy at Interpol and they got the house secured. They're, uh, they're working with the CIA to make sure that anyone associated with Coen and Basayev gets thoroughly investigated."
"That's good." Steve nodded.
"Have they said anything yet… about the baby?" Kono asked.
Steve shook his head. "Not until she wakes up." He sighed, "But given the extent of the damage that bastard did… it doesn't look good." The corner of his mouth quivered as Danny put his arm around Steve's shoulders. Kono moved to sit on the other side of Steve and wrapped her arm around him as well.
Junior knocked and walked in silently. "I just got off the phone with the rest of the team. Let 'em know what happened." He forced a smile. It broke him to see Steve so crushed. He joined Danny and Kono and stood behind Steve, putting his hands on his shoulders. "You know we've always got your six, Commander."
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U.S. NAVAL HOSPITAL ROTA - Cádiz, Spain- JULY 14, 2020 - 1900 HOURS
"Are you mad at me?" Catherine's voice was hoarse and scratchy as she tried to sit up in the hospital bed. Steve's head shot up from the hospital bed railing that he had fallen asleep on. His eyes were wide as he stared at her. Catherine swallowed painfully, "Okay, you're mad…. So now it's not a question of if you're mad, but how mad are you?"
Steve didn't say another word. He leaned over the bed and pressed a gentle kiss onto her lips. "H-how c-could I be m-mad?!" He trembled as he smiled, tears ran down his face as he kissed her forehead.
"I guess this is what those vows meant when we said 'for better or for worse'... This is definitely worse." She smiled as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "How bad is it?" She asked quietly as her eyes were drawn down to the many bandages covering her body.
"Broken wrist on your right hand. Your left arm is broken in so many places they lost count…. Concussion. Your shoulder was dislocated again… The stab wound in your thigh…" He rambled.
"And the baby?" She asked as she moved her less-worse-off arm to cover her stomach.
Steve shrugged, "I don't know yet… they wanted to wait until you were awake."
"How long have I been out?" She choked back tears.
"We breached the compound at 0500. You were out of it. Got here around 0630 and you went into the OR. They let me come back here at 1300." He glanced at his watch. "It's 1900 now."
Catherine nodded. "What about Coen and Basayev?"
"They're dead, Cath."
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There was a courtesy knock on the door as a doctor walked in the room. She smiled kindly as she flipped open Catherine's chart. "Lieutenant Rollins, my name is Lieutenant Brenda Miller. I'm the attending physician on your floor tonight. It's good to see that you're awake." She pulled out a pen light and clicked it on, shining it in Catherine's eyes. "I understand you were on an assignment with the CIA, is that correct?"
Catherine nodded. "Yeah."
"I also see here that you're pregnant." The doctor raised her eyebrows.
Catherine nodded again, "Do you know… do you know if everything's okay? With the baby?"
The doctor's eyes cut over to Steve. "Commander McGarrett, would you mind stepping outside?"
Steve's mouth gaped open as he looked at Catherine, knowing the worst was about to come. Catherine gripped onto his hand, "Stay." She pleaded.
"Lieutenant Rollins, it's completely unheard of and totally inappropriate for a commanding officer to be present while a physician discusses private medical information with a patient." Lieutenant Miller stated.
"He's my husband. He stays." Catherine snapped.
"I see." The doctor nodded, "Very well, then." She sighed as she sat down on the edge of Catherine's hospital bed. "I have no medical explanation as to why, other than an act of God…." Lieutenant Miller paused, "But your baby is completely healthy... " She shook her head in disbelief as her eyes scanned the charts in front of her. "She's fine! She must be a fighter like her momma."
Catherine moved her bandaged hands to cover her face as she sobbed. Steve leaned over and rested his head on her good leg as he cried. Catherine wiped the tears from her face, but they just kept falling, "Wait…. Did you say…. She?"
Steve's head jerked up at the revelation.
Lieutenant Miller nodded as she smiled, "Yes. Your baby… you're having a girl. Didn't you know?"
Catherine shook her head, "I thought I was only a couple weeks along….I haven't even had a pre-natal appointment yet."
The doctor smiled. She wasn't quite used to giving good news like this, "You're about fourteen weeks along. A little early for an anatomy scan where you'd usually find out the gender, but technology nowadays...We can tell a lot earlier!" She laughed, "Please, when you get out of here, please go home and see an obstetrician!" Lieutenant Miller gave Catherine a kind look as she stood up, "And stop going on covert assignments."
Catherine looked at Steve with a grin on her face, "We're having a baby girl!" She whispered.
Steve cleared his throat as he tried his best to compose himself, but it wasn't happening. Catherine was okay. The baby was okay. The baby was a girl. They were going to have a baby girl!
Lieutenant Miller slid a black and white photo out of Catherine's file and handed it to Steve, "Why don't you hold onto that." She smiled as he took the ultrasound photo from her and his jaw dropped in awe. "Catherine, we're going to continue to monitor your head injury for a day or so, and given you feel up to it, you can go home then." The doctor nodded as she moved to the door. She turned back to face them as she smiled, "Congratulations."
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U.S. NAVAL HOSPITAL ROTA - Cádiz, Spain- JULY 15, 2020 - 1000 HOURS
Steve hurried to the door of Catherine's hospital room to open it before the knocking woke her up. He cracked the door open, to be met by Danny holding a suitcase. Steve smiled and silently slipped out of the room and walked with him to the waiting area where Harry, Juliet, Kono, and Junior had convened. His eyes were red and puffy from crying out of sadness and grief, and then joy and elation. In the last twenty four hours, he and Catherine had shared every possible human emotion. Steve sat down with them in the waiting room and rubbed his face in an attempt to rid himself of the exhaustion he felt.
"How is she?" Kono was the first to speak up.
"Good." Steve nodded, "She's, uh, finally sleeping… so that's good." Steve stared at his feet as another wave of emotion hit him, "Thank God she's okay." He whispered into his hands as he felt tears running down his face again. Kono leaned over and pulled him into a hug. The rest of the team was quick to follow suit, enveloping him in a massive group hug. After a minute of silent solidarity, they returned to their seats, all trading looks as to who was going to ask the next question.
Danny finally cleared his throat and looked at Steve, "And, uh.. The baby?"
Steve couldn't hold it in any longer. His quivering lip turned into a full on grin. "She's good. She's okay. They didn't find anything wrong." He tugged the black and white ultrasound photo from his shirt pocket and smiled down at it. The edges were already bent and worn from how tightly he had been holding it ever since Lieutenant Miller had given it to him.
"She?" Junior grinned.
Steve nodded, "Apparently Catherine's a little further along than we, uh, than we thought." He chuckled, "We're having a baby girl." He smiled under the cheers and praise of the group.
Harry and Juliet stood up and hugged Steve one after the other. "Well, chap, seeing as your lovely bride is doing well, I think it's best if Higgins and I part ways with you here. The, uh, Navy isn't too keen on having two former MI6 operatives on their lovely base." He chuckled. Steve passed along his gratitude for their help and promised dinner and drinks the next time they were on O'ahu.
Danny pointed at the bags. "We, uh, we packed your stuff up and checked you out of the hotel in Barcelona. Figured you'd wanna leave from here and not drag her back up the coast."
"Thanks, man." Steve nodded as he pulled Danny into a hug. "I mean it. Thank you." He glanced over and saw a doctor slip out of Catherine's room. "She's probably awake now. You guys wanna go see her?"
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"Hey, Steve, can I talk to you for a minute?" Junior asked hesitantly after Kono and Danny had turned to go into Catherine's room.
Steve waited until the other two were out of earshot, "'Course, man. What's, uh, what's going on? He crossed his arms as his brow furrowed. It was odd for Junior to be this nervous.
Junior shifted between his feet awkwardly, "I, uh, I know it's not a good time…with Catherine and all… but I think I could use some advice…."
"Okay?" Steve nodded as he waited with baited breath.
"I'm, uh… thinking of proposing…" He cringed.
Steve chuckled, "You wouldn't happen to be planning on proposing to a loud-mouthed, mermaid obsessed brunette with a quick temper and a killer right-cross, would you?"
Junior smiled sheepishly. "Am I crazy?"
"Probably. She's insane." Steve smiled. "But take it from someone who regrets waiting as long as he did…You don't want to miss out on something great just because you're waiting for the right time. The right time is when you man up and do what you want to do."
"I asked Koa for his blessing." Junior chuckled as they walked towards Catherine's room.
Steve grinned as he patted him on the back, "Good for you."
They stopped just outside the door when Junior turned to look at him, "I know Tani looks at you as a big brother of sorts, so I, uh, I was hoping to get your blessing too."
"Absolutely." Steve nodded, "Because you know I'll kill you if you hurt her… Although, she's feisty…" He mumbled. "Maybe it's you I should be looking out for." He chuckled. "But you have my blessing, and I, uh, I can't wait to hear how it goes."
Junior grinned, "Thanks, McGarrett."
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Steve walked into the hospital room behind Junior and met up with Danny and Kono at Catherine's bedside. "Hi." He smiled as he bent over and pecked her lips before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Hi, yourself." She smiled drowsily.
Danny cleared his throat, "I was just telling Catherine that Gracie is gonna flip when she hears that you two are havin' a girl." He chuckled.
"I'm so excited for you two." Kono beamed. "I'm gonna have to make it back to the island in a couple of months to meet her."
Catherine smiled, "You sure you're not planning on coming for another reason? I saw you and Adam getting cozy at the wedding." She giggled.
"It was one dance! We were being civil!" Kono laughed. "We share a drink and one dance and all of you act like we hopped into bed."
"There was a drink too?!" Catherine exclaimed as Kono blushed.
Steve looked down as his wife joked and cut up with their best friends. Even with the current state of her broken and bruised body, she found the best in people. The glass was always half full, and in her mind, the grass was green everywhere. And if Catherine couldn't find any grass, she was more than happy with a beach full of sand. Steve couldn't wait to take her home.
Danny glanced down at his watch, "We've, uh, we've got a plane to catch." He motioned to Kono and Junior. They nodded in agreement and said their goodbyes.
As the trio left, Catherine yawned and closed her eyes. "Hey Steve?"
Steve immediately darted to her bedside, "What's the matter? Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?"
Catherine laughed quietly, "I'm fine, Sailor." She smiled. "You can stand down." She joked as she patted the spot on the bed beside her. "I was just gonna tell you that Coen cloned your phone and there's spyware on your computer at the office." She yawned again.
Steve chuckled, "We can deal with that later." He kissed her forehead as he stretched out and settled into the space beside her on the bed. "Just rest." He urged as his hand slid onto her stomach and caressed her belly.
"Yes, sir." She smiled as her eyes closed.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
I hope this chapter made up for me tantalizing you all with cliffhangers the last few days! SO TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS!
Two things:
1. SHOUTOUT to the Guest Reviewer who figured out that "Gina" in Chapter 28 is actually real-life CIA director Gina Haspel! I do a TON of research when I'm writing these stories as far as locations, languages, people, etc. When I started resarching Haspel, her bio mentioned a brief stint as an agent at Guantanamo Bay during the time that the show mentions Steve had worked there. So, logically they would know each other, and Steve, being the charming SEAL that he is, would have cultivated a great professional relationship with her.
2. Steve's emotions. Before you all blast me in the reviews for Steve crying mid-rescue, you have to keep in mind that Steve isn't the robotic Navy SEAL we met in 2010. He's grown as a human being and age has done him well. I think he's finally realized that it's okay to care and love. I think the fact that he broke down when he saw her gave us an inkling as to how much he loves Cath.
WELL! It's been a whirlwind few chapters! I hope you all enjoyed them and I can't wait to read your feedback! I absolutely ADORE reading the reviews you all leave each chapter, so keep 'em coming!
XO,
-Mags-
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