Chapter Twenty-Four
Steve stood at the window in a Queen's Hospital waiting room, staring out as the sun slowly disappeared into the ocean.
He'd been standing there for close to an hour, but his mind was not on the water or the sun, but on the Pacific Crest Trail, reliving memories of his time there.
Some were frightening which caused him to shiver, while others were sad which caused him to wipe away the moisture in his eyes, but most were good which caused him to break out into a smile. Amongst the variety of events they all had one common denominator, Amber.
It made him mindful of his life with Catherine. It had taken him years to say the words 'I love you' to her, yet he felt it so strongly now for Amber after only a few months. Was it because the two women were so different or was it because he was different now?
Her death had awakened emotions in him that he never knew existed, even after all the death he had witnessed in his life, hers was crippling. He felt lost, numb, detached from life. All of his happiness was dead and buried so deep that he had to run away to find something, not even knowing what that was. He pretended that it was a change to get his life back but that wasn't entirely true, he was looking for something to live for.
He found it on the day Caleb Daily stole his backpack.
He smiled at the memory of standing stark naked in front of Amber. He always felt it was a chance meeting, but maybe it wasn't. Maybe they were meant to cross paths. Maybe the universe had put them in that exact spot because they belonged together? He spent hours fighting it, but he knew better than anyone on earth that you couldn't argue with Mother Nature. She always won.
He didn't want to fight it anymore. He didn't want to question it either. He just wanted to live it.
He wanted to live with Amber in a life that celebrated what they had together. He deserved it and gods know she did too.
A smile emerged on his lips as he made the decision right then there that he was going to marry her as soon as possible.
The euphoric rush over his spontaneous decision didn't last for long and slowly faded as well as the smile on his face as he was brutally reminded where he was standing at the moment.
"She's going to be fine," he said out loud, thinking that Mother Nature wasn't that much of a bitch.
"She's ok?"
He heard Danny's voice and turned around seeing him standing a couple of steps behind him.
"Did you talk to the doctor? Is she out of surgery?"
"No," Steve replied, "I haven't heard anything yet, but she's going to be fine and so is the baby. I just know it."
Danny nodded; glad to hear the positive coming out of him. "Yea she is," he reaffirmed, patting him on the arm. "I've got the cherry to top off your ice cream too," he smiled.
Steve's expression turned perplexed over that odd statement. "What do you mean?"
"Amber's in the clear as far as her bogus arrest warrant too," he clarified.
Steve stared at him in awe, "Are you serious, Danny?"
"Of course I'm serious."
"How? That was so quick, and is it full-proof?"
"Is it full-proof?" he mocked him, using a Jersey accent, "Who do you think you're talking too?"
"Again," Steve said with a cocky grin, believing him wholeheartedly but couldn't help but to purposely annoy him, "is it full-proof?"
"You always think you're so funny," Danny replied irritably, "but you're really not."
"I have my good days," Steve replied. "So tell me then, was it the webcams?"
"Yes, we have clear shot at a stop light of him and the kids in the car, no one else, Amber never left the house, but they also had a security system. It was disengaged at 5:06 am that morning, around the same time that Amber had said in the report and then automatically reset fifteen minutes later, there was no more activity leaving the house until 7:15am when the police arrived. You were also right about Hairfield's partner back in Indiana. I had a talk with John about an hour ago. He did a little investigating on his own after you guys talked this morning. Turns out that the Junkie witness that Hairfield claims saw Amber on the morning of the murders, John interrogated him and got him to confess that Hairfield offered him immunity on a drug charge that was his third strike. He was looking at ten years minimum."
"Really?" Steve smiled, "I take it John decided to read both reports then."
"I like him," Danny grinned, "I tried to talk him into moving to the islands, promising him a job."
"I'd hire him," Steve agreed. "We think a lot alike."
"Never mind then," Danny blurted out. "I can't take more of you."
Steve smiled at the joke as Danny took a seat in one the many cushioned, wooden armchairs lined up against the wall. Above his head were displayed two paintings of Diamond Head from different angels but from the same artist. The TV hanging in the corner of the room played a Sponge Bob cartoon but was on mute.
"So," Danny said, "our next line of bushiness is Hairfield." He watched Steve's relaxed expression turn sour as that name entered the conversation.
"We're going to arrest him for manufacturing evidence, falsifying a police report and assault on Amber," Steve replied. "And he better pray that HPD gets to him before I do."
Danny smiled, "Already on it. Kono's putting together an arrest warrant and Chin's checking out that rental car info you gave us, as soon as we get a location we'll pick him up."
"Good," Steve replied. "I don't like that he's out there running around our island."
"You don't think he had anything to do with Amber's accident do you?"
"Not directly, but my actions weren't the smartest. She was pretty shaken up when she left. I shouldn't have let her leave in that condition."
Danny stood up, hearing that familiar blame in his voice that he recognized from a year earlier. "Hey, take a step back a minute. First off, you did not put her in any danger you avoided it by getting her in the car and to a safe place. You didn't know this guy or what he was capable of. You did the right thing by getting her out of harms way. That accident was not your fault, Steve, by any means."
"She had a lacerated liver and a bad bruise below her ribcage. They said she lost control of the car. She more than likely had passed out, so the injury was what caused the crash. Which means that Hairfield did it to her. I put her in that car and sent her home with a lacerated liver, Danny. What if she would have made it home and passed out there all alone?" he questioned frantically. "Or what if the crash would have been worse and…?" he looked at him with frightened eyes.
"But it wasn't," Danny argued.
"But it could have been."
"But it wasn't!" he yelled. "She didn't even know she was injured, how the hell were you supposed to know?! You couldn't have seen it coming, the same way you couldn't have seen the car coming that hit Catherine. You didn't put either one of them in danger, Steve. You would lay down in traffic for either one of them so how can you believe the other?"
He bent his head, hearing his words and trying to make sense of everything. "Why is this happening to me again?" he whispered.
Danny grabbed him by the arm, "It's not! The baby is ok, and she'll be ok. You said it yourself. Don't let yourself slip. She needs you now more than ever. She loves you man, I see it, and you love her too. I see that even more. Take this for what it is, Steve. This is exactly what you went looking for when you went on that crazy hike, and now here it is right in front of your face. Don't fuck it up and let your guilt from Catherine take away from this happiness."
He nodded, knowing he was right but the fear of history repeating itself was tapping on his shoulder, taunting him. It had been hours since he'd seen her or heard anything about her condition. The waiting game was paying havoc with his mind. He needed answers to ease him down.
And just then his pleas were answered.
"Amber Scott?" Dr. Kahale asked as she stood at the door to the waiting room with a broad smile, assuming one of the two men were her husband since they were the only ones there.
Steve turned and slowly returned the smile, relieved that it had to be good news about Amber. "Yes. Is she all right?"
"Amber's going to be fine," she announced as she entered the room, talking to he and Danny respectively. "The baby is also doing very well under the circumstances. I repaired the damage to the liver and the bleeding has stopped. The Plastic Surgeon on duty stitched up the gash in her forehead and he said there should be minimal scaring. She's awake and in recovery but is still very groggy and running a low fever so we're going to keep her in ICU for a just a little longer. If you would like to see her I can arrange that."
"Yes, please," he replied eagerly.
She looked over at Danny, "Only one visitor for the time being," she said to him.
Danny held his hands out, "Well then of course it should be me," he joked taking a step toward the door.
Steve put his arm up, blocking his path, "Very funny, stay boy."
Danny let out a low growl and then smiled. "Story of my life, you get the girl and I get to chase the bad guy."
Steve turned, slowly walking backward toward the door, following the doctor. "Thanks, Danny for clearing her name, and thanks for putting my head straight," he said sincerely.
"If you would just listen to me more often, "he joked, "our lives would be so much easier."
"Don't push it," Steve grinned, turning and eagerly following the doctor down the hall.
He was very anxious to see her, awake or asleep, he didn't care. He just wanted to be in the same room with her, hating that Hairfield was still out there and a threat to her, knowing his presence at her side was the best place for him and the safest for her. Danny was right, he would lay down in traffic for her, perhaps even kill if he had to.
He felt his temper begin to swell as he followed Dr. Kahale past the secured doors that led to the recovery rooms. He was glad for them; it was just an extra precaution. His mind was on Hairfield and the many ways he was going to punish him for what he'd done, hoping Danny found him quickly.
He was prepared to go to battle for her, prepared to protect her and stand guard over her, but what he wasn't prepared for was the wave of emotions that suddenly saturated him, stopping him in his tracks, forgetting all about Hairfield and threats and revenge.
Amber and only Amber filled his mind and his heart as he saw her lying in the bed.
Her eyes were closed and her face was pale, but she looked beautiful. He never really took into account how beautiful she really was until that second when he had finally set aside that past and allowed himself to breathe in his future that was right before his eyes. He could see it, he could feel it, but more than anything else he could trust it.
He began to walk toward the bed in the small room that was being monitored from the desk just outside the door. Amber's was only one of fifteen that encircled the nurse's station.
As he drew closer he could see more clearly the devastation that had been afflicted upon her. Her left eye was swollen and the white gauze on her forehead hid the stitches from the injury that she had sustained from the passenger door window. The back of her hand was bruised as well, where the IV that fed her medication and nutrients was inserted.
His eyes moved down her body and over her stomach as he laid a hand there, thanking the Akua's for protecting her and the baby, knowing how close he came to losing them both.
He closed his eyes and caressed her stomach, quietly reciting a Hawaiian prayer of thanks.
When he opened them he saw Amber looking up at him with a gentle smile.
It was all he needed to ease him down from the fear but it was more emotional than he had anticipated as the mental fatigue gave way to tears of joy. He was beyond thankful and felt truly blessed for this moment, knowing more than anyone how easily it could have gone the other way.
He leaned over the bed and kissed her lips, remaining close to her as they looked at each other fondly.
"Everything's ok," he said to her. "You and the baby are going to be fine."
"I know," she whispered. "I told you, I won't leave you, ever."
Her heart felt confession cut the last thread that had been holding him together. He rested his forehead on her shoulder and for a brief moment he allowed himself to be vulnerable to her, letting her comfort him, which was more of a benefit than he had anticipated needing.
"You worry too much," she said to him, her voice weak and scratchy.
He chuckled over that, wiping his eyes as he looked at her again. "Then stay out of trouble."
She smiled over that. "Now I know how to get your attention."
"You always have my attention."
"I love you," she said drowsily
Steve smiled as her eyes bobbed open and close from the pain medication and the after effects of the anesthesia. "Sleep well, Amber," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead next to the white bandage. "I love you too."
"Hmm," she hummed quietly hearing the sweet words just before she drifted off.
He pulled the chair that was by the wall close to the bed and sat down. He didn't take her hand that was lying next to him, but instead he rested the palm of his on her lower belly as he pulled out his phone and checked his messages, settling in for the night. The most important job he ever had was just beginning.
…..
Chris hung up his cell phone still hearing John's voice as he criticized him over the foolish attempt to falsely arrest Amber Scott and the serious trouble he was now in. He also informed him of the car accident she was in and the charges that would be brought against him by the state of Hawaii and most likely be enforced, regardless of him being a police officer himself, not to mention the same offence that would come from his home precinct. He'd broken the law and no one was above the law. Worse yet, he'd threatened and physically assaulted a fellow cops pregnant girlfriend, also informing him that McGarrett and his team were not going to ideally sit back and let it go by. He was in serious trouble, he said again.
"Fuck off!" Chris said as he tossed the phone on the bed, hating John even more for going behind his back and siding with McGarrett, a potential suspect himself he thought angrily.
He went to the hotel room closet and grabbed his suitcase, setting it on the bed as he began to quickly pack.
"Shit!" he growled, holding a wad of his shirts in his arms, angrily throwing them in the open suitcase. The impact of his dilemma was beginning to set in. He was packing, but to go where?
"Son of a bitch," he grumbled as he sat down on the edge of the mattress and dropped his head in his hands.
John's words hung around him like the great threat that they were. Not being his partner anymore was one thing he'd said, but that didn't bother him as much as the threat of HPD and even more so this McGarrett guy who obviously had something serious going on with Amber, just finding out that she was pregnant with his child, which aroused his suspicion of them even more. This McGarrett guy was sneaky and had even somehow turned his own partner against him. He and Amber were a perfect match, they were both master manipulators.
He went and stood at the sliding glass door to the lanai, looking out at the top of the infamous Diamond Head volcano that peaked just above the apartment complex that was next door to his less that dazzling hotel. He got the cheapest one he could find on such short notice and was still appalled at the price per night.
"What would Kevin do?" he whispered, letting his head hang, missing his friend and companion.
Kevin would have known what to do next, he thought. He was always the one that had a plan and then a backup plan as well. He himself had come to Hawaii with a plan but not a backup, never assuming it would go as sour as it had.
"What do I do Kevin?" he whispered nervously. The thought of losing his job frightened him, not knowing who he was if he wasn't a Police Officer, but the idea of going to jail frightened him even more, especially since he was in fact a Police Officer. He heard horror stories of cops being sent to prison and the horrible things they endured.
He felt his heart begin to race and panic set in over that assumption that was becoming a reality as he heard John's voice again telling him he was in serious trouble.
"She's guilty," he growled. "She's hiding behind that asshole and he's protecting a murderer. He's the one that should be in serious trouble, not me!"
He slammed his fist into the palm of his hand over and over as his temper flared. "I did nothing wrong! She's to blame for all of it! I'll get justice for you one way or another, Kevin," he said bitterly. "I promise to avenge you and your children. I promise."
He was no fool and knew that if the police were looking for him then they would find him quickly by simply tracing his credit card, which would lead them to his rental car and his hotel room.
He needed cash to end the trail, and to buy the necessary ingredients that would allow him to get close to Amber without having to be in the same room with her.
He smiled as his plan unfolded.
He and Kevin had met in the service, both ex Marines who served in Iraq and worked the same job while they were there, Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit.
They only served as backup to the diffuser, but he learned a lot about homemade bombs from the simplest materials and how to hide them.
…
"Are you sure?" Steve asked the nurse as Amber sat on the edge of the bed. "It seems kinda soon to have her up and walking around already."
The nurse lowered Amber's bed so her feet touched the ground, "I can assure you that it is perfectly normal and recommended for patients to be up and walking around shortly after this type of surgery."
"They know what their doing, Steve," Amber replied, putting her hand on his bicep, "but thank you," she smiled up at him.
"He's just worried about you," the nurse added. "That's very sweet. Most husbands sit in the chair glued to their phones or watching TV. Consider yourself lucky."
"Oh I do, believe me," Amber responded, smiling shyly over his mistaken identity as her husband. "I'm very lucky."
He didn't reply but she could see the appreciation on his face over that.
The nurse stood on one side of her while Steve was on the other as they helped her stand up.
It was slow moving but they made it around the room twice and ended up at the window as Amber looked out on the Ko'olau Mountain range. The highest peaks had clouds formed around them like a blanket while the lower half glistened in the sun from an afternoon shower.
"Isn't that pretty?" she commented, looking out on what the nurse and Steve took for granted, seeing it almost everyday of their lives.
They all three admired it.
"I can get you a wheelchair," the nurse suggested, "and you can go up on the roof deck and sit for a while if you'd like?"
Amber looked at Steve hopeful.
"Let's go," he smiled.
A few minutes later she was sitting in the chair with Steve's hands on the handles behind her, getting last minute instructions.
"Don't stay for too long," the nurse ordered. "And if you start to feel any kind of discomfort, then come back. That's just your body telling you it's had enough of this and wants to lay down, understood?"
"I promise I'll come back if I start to feel any of that. I would just love some fresh air."
"I have every confidence that your husband will keep a close eye on you."
Steve put a hand on her shoulder, "I will."
"Ok," the nurse shooed them away, "take the elevator up to the ninth floor and go right as you come out. Have fun."
The outdoor courtyard was like walking into a Zen experience complete with two bubbling waterfalls and a paved pathway around a variety of small gardens with signs dedicated to the volunteers who maintained them.
Steve selected an area away from the other visitors that had a small bench. He positioned Amber's wheelchair so she could have a view of the mountains on one side and a slight peek at the ocean if she turned her head to the other side. He took a seat on the bench next to her chair.
She looked up at the afternoon sun, closing her eyes and smiling. "This feels good."
Seeing her so happy and relaxed jumped across at him, making him feel the same. "You look good," he said. "Your color is back."
Amber looked over at him, "Thank you for staying with me."
"Its where I want to be. When Piglets in trouble, Pigpen jumps in."
Amber laughed over that. "You are far from Pigpen anymore, Sir."
"I know, they keep referring to me as your husband now," Steve replied with a sexy grin.
Amber rolled her eyes bashfully, "I know, I'm sorry about that. I should have corrected them."
"Why?" he blurted out. "I don't mind it. I like it. Do you mind it?"
Amber looked at him shyly and then shook her head, "No, I don't mind it. To be honest, it makes me feel proud when people say it, or think it."
Her reply was just the response he was hoping for.
He reached over and took her hand that was sitting on the arm of the chair. "Why don't we make it official then?" he suggested.
Her mouth came open as she stared at him in awe. "What?"
"Why don't we get married? I love you. You love me. We have a baby on the way. We get along great. Why not?"
She heard his explanation but it sounded more like a stopping off place in life that people did on their way to the next chapter, rather than a heartfelt question.
"Are you asking," Amber said quietly, "because of the baby and it would just make sense, or are you…"
"I'm asking," Steve interrupted, knowing exactly what she was thinking, "because I fell in love with you. I'm asking because I feel something with you that makes me feel…" he paused looking for the right word to describe what he felt with her.
"What?" she asked, fully engaged now in his request but wanting to know what it was that kept him close. "Makes you feel what?"
He looked up from her held hand to her eyes.
"Alive."
It was a powerful word to use considering both of their lives in the past year, but one that was fully comprehendible to her as well.
She nodded as tears filled her eyes. "Yes."
He saw the happiness spread across her face amongst the tears. "Is that a 'yes' that you agree to my reply, or is that a 'yes' that you agree to my proposal?" he asked with a teasing grin.
Amber let out a sweet laugh, squeezing his hand that held hers. "Both," she smiled brightly. "Yes to both."
He leaned over and kissed her, remaining close to her as she put a hand on his face while she spoke.
"I love you too, and I know I'm not the first, Steve."
She saw his expression soften over her meaning.
"I don't want to take Catherine's place. I think there's room in your heart for both of us and I won't feel crowded or jealous, I just feel thankful that you chose me too."
He leaned his forehead down on hers; mentally thanking whatever God had brought her to him, because he was thankful, beyond words.
"Thank you," he said sincerely and then kissed her cheek, whispering in her ear, "And that's why I chose you."
…..
Chris came through the doors of Queen's Hospital carrying a large bouquet of flowers, his face hidden behind them and under a black baseball cap with the letter 'H' on it.
He approached the Information counter that had the word displayed above it in bright blue colors with Hawaiian flowers along the edges.
"How can I help you?" the young Hawaiian girl asked.
"I have a delivery for Amber Scott," he said, keeping his face hidden.
"Ok, one sec," she said, typing in the name, knowing the routine of flower delivery which was a common event, but this name that came up was not. "Oh um," she said, looking across her computer at him. "You can't take those up. You have to leave them here and we'll take them. She's not allowed visitors."
He nodded, anticipating that. "Ok, that's cool. Can you do it quickly though?" he asked. "I guess this order is late and my boss will blame me even though it's not my fault. I need this job really bad and I don't want to get fired."
She looked at him sympathetically. "Oh sure, no problem. I'll take them up myself right now."
He smiled and as he backed away, keeping the brim of the hat low, "Thanks I appreciate it. You have a good day." He turned and walked briskly out the door, pulling the plastic gloves off his hands and tossing them in the garbage can by the exit.