CHAPTER 13

Saturday afternoon, TAMC:

The emergency department at Tripler Army Medical Centre was quite full for a Saturday afternoon. Mostly full of police officers, that is. The uniformed men and women had crowded the hospital waiting room, making other patrons understandably nervous.

With Roberto Vivaldi and his men having been brought in for medical care, several officers had come in to make sure the prisoners were secure. It was overkill, but Vivaldi had been on every officer's radar since the FBI had been forced to work with Five-0. No one was going to let the man get away with anything. Not on their watch.

The Five-0 team, on the other hand, were waiting further down the hall. Not long after Vivaldi had been taken away, Steve had collapsed. He had been medevaced to TAMC and now they were waiting on news about their fallen leader. The last they heard was that he had been taken to surgery. Something about bleeding, but no one had the time to explain it to them. That was two hours ago.

As much as they wanted to find Vivaldi and give him a few punches of their own, they knew there was nothing they could do right now except wait. It was killing them inside, not knowing if Steve was going to be okay.

Kono was sitting on a chair, her legs tucked under her chin as she stared at the door, hoping it would open any minute and a doctor would tell them they could see Steve. Danny was pacing up and down the hallway, glancing at the clock every time he passed by. Chin stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the blank wall directly in front of him.

"Has Mary called back yet?" Danny asked for the third time.

"No," Kono said.

That was another problem. They hadn't been able to contact Steve's sister and make sure she was okay. Chin had told them how concerned Steve had been about her after Vivaldi's threat. It could just be that she was busy and didn't have her phone on her. Or…no, they wouldn't think about worst case scenarios.

Danny sighed loudly as he ran his hands through his hair before starting another circuit of the hallway. Chin just closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He couldn't help feeling that all of this was his fault. If John had just told him what was happening, none of this would have happened. Maybe they could have found Steve sooner.

"Family of McGarrett?" an unfamiliar voice called.

Danny, Chin and Kono all turned to face the doctor standing in the entrance to the hallway. He was tall and thin with a large, thin nose. His glasses kept sliding off his face as he surveyed the harried looking team.

"Come with me," the doctor said.

The trio followed the doctor to a small looking office. The doctor motioned for them to take a seat in the large armchairs.

"I am Doctor Sam Brunning. I am Commander McGarrett's primary physician," the doctor explained as he finally took his glasses off and put them in his coat pocket.

"How is he?" Danny asked immediately.

"He's currently in the recovery ward. We had to take him to surgery to stop the internal bleeding caused by the abuse laid on his abdomen. Thankfully, we were able to find the source and fix it. He has one broken and two cracked ribs on his left side. The stab wound was surprisingly easy to deal with. The knife went in clean, missing all vital organs. That should heal quite quickly. He had a deep laceration on the left side of his head. That has been stitched and dressed. He has a moderate concussion, so he will experience headaches, nausea and maybe vertigo for a few weeks. The scans show there is no sign of bleeding, but we will continue to monitor it. It also appears that his eyes are having trouble adjusting to the light. I suspect, from what I've been told, that he was kept in the dark for the duration of his captivity. While long-term sensory deprivation can be debilitating, I don't think that will be the case. His eyes will be sensitive to light for a while, but that will fade with time."

"What about his shoulder?" Kono asked.

"The wound itself was a clean through and through. The bullet did crack his collarbone as it went through, but that should heal in four to six weeks with limited activity. However, the wound went without treatment for a long time, so it is infected. We are currently treating the Commander with a strong course of antibiotics to fight it."

"What's his prognosis?" Chin asked.

"Given time, all his injuries should heal just fine. Right now, we are fighting the infection. His temperature is quite high and we are still trying to get it down."

"What does that mean?" Danny asked.

"Right now, his body is directing all his energy to fighting the fever instead of healing. If we can't get the infection under control, it will spread, eventually leading to sepsis. That is the worst case scenario. Best case, he will overcome the infection in the next day or two and be out of the hospital in another two days."

"Okay. Thanks doc," Danny said.

"I will have a nurse come and get you when he is placed in a room," Doctor Brunning said.

"Thank you," Chin said as he shook the doctor's hand.

"My pleasure," the doctor said.

The team retreated back to the waiting room. They weren't sure whether they should be relieved it wasn't worse or if they should be upset by how bad it really was. Regardless, they had no doubt in their minds that Steve would be okay.

"Detective Williams?" a familiar voice called.

Danny turned around to see Agent Weir approaching them. He had dreaded this moment since they had found Steve. Having to explain to an FBI agent why they went around them was not a conversation anyone wanted to have.

"Agent Weir," Danny said, his voice neutral.

"Can I have a word with you?" Weir asked.

"Of course," Danny said.

Weir glanced around at the waiting room full of HPD personnel. "In private?"

"Sure," Danny conceded.

The pair walked out of the waiting room and made their way to the cafeteria. They both ordered a coffee from the kind lady behind the counter.

"What did you want to talk about?" Danny asked as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

"I wanted to say thank you," Weir said.

Danny's eyebrows nearly reached his hairline.

"I know we didn't exactly start off on the best of terms," Weir started.

Danny snorted. "You could say that."

"I apologise for that. I was…inconsiderate. I'm sorry about your friend, Reardon. Without his help, we would never have even gotten close to Vivaldi. He was a good man."

"I appreciate that."

"I'm also sorry for inconceivably allowing you to believe that McGarrett was not my highest priority. I thought that finding Vivaldi would lead us to McGarrett. I'm also sorry that your team got caught up in his plans."

"Yeah, well. Now you don't have to choose between the two. As far as I'm concerned, we were able to rescue Steve while putting away a bad man. That's a win in my book."

"The key you guys found? We managed to find where it goes…Let's just say that Roberto Vivaldi will never see the light of day again. Thanks to your team," Weir said. "How is McGarrett?"

Danny shrugged. "He's hanging in there."

"That's good to hear."

"You know, Weir? I blamed you for all of this. For letting Vivaldi get away, for allowing him to kidnap my partner and threaten my team. Mostly, I hated you for being such a dick. Now, I understand. People like Vivaldi are serious threats. You did what you had to do…I guess what I am saying is, as much as I hated your methods, I get it."

"Thank you, Detective," Weir said. "Do you remember the day when we chased down Kuznetov?"

"Yeah?" Danny asked, not sure where Weir was going.

"I thought you were going to let him beat the crap out of me."

Danny chuckled. "Honestly? I thought about it."

"I know you did," Weir paused. "But, I just wanted to say thanks for the back up. If you hadn't been there, who knows what could have happened. You are a better person than me."

Danny stared at Weir and noted how sincere the other man was. It was a completely different side to Weir than he had seen before.

"Well, I just wanted my partner back," Danny said pointedly.

Weir looked down at his shoes in contrite. "I'm sorry for that too. Please tell McGarrett that the FBI is sorry for what he experienced."

Danny didn't believe that for a minute. He knew the FBI used the opportunity to get what they wanted. They didn't care what happened to Steve in the process as long as they got all the credit.

"Sure, I'll tell him," Danny said.

"As for Vivaldi, he's being tried in New Jersey for multiple counts of murder, kidnapping, attempted murder…well, you get the idea. I promise we will make sure he gets punished."

"Thanks."

The two men shook hands and Weir went on his way. Danny would be glad if he never saw the other man again. He still didn't trust Weir. There was just something about him that was like chewing on tinfoil. Unfortunately, in their line of work, it was possible that their paths would cross again. Danny just hoped it wouldn't be anytime soon.

Danny returned to the waiting room where Chin and Kono were waiting eagerly for him.

"What did Weir want?" Kono asked.

"He wanted to apologise for his behaviour and tell me that they found all the evidence in the box the key unlocked. Vivaldi will be going away. There's no doubt about it," Danny answered.

"Good," Chin said.

Then there was that. They had put away a murderer. An evil man with no moral compass and a desire to make the world burn was now in jail. If only they could enjoy the win. Right now, they had other things to think about. Like if their friend was going to pull through.

Saturday evening, TAMC:

It had been just over ten hours since Steve had his final confrontation with Roberto Vivaldi. The team had been permitted to visit him an hour earlier. So far, no one had moved from the room. They were all reluctant to let Steve out of their sight, even to go and get a cup of coffee. Even the nurses couldn't find it in themselves to tell the team to go home and get some rest.

Chin was sitting on Steve's left side with Kono sitting in another chair next to him. Kono had fallen asleep on Chin's shoulder a few minutes ago, having finally given in to the exhaustion that was plaguing them all. Danny sat on the opposite side, leaning his elbows on his knees and his head on his fist as he stared at Steve's face.

Steve's hair was damp with sweat and his cheeks were flushed with fever, visible underneath the bruises. His left shoulder was heavily bandaged and the arm was strapped to his chest. There was a white bandage covering the wound on his side, a stark contrast to the purple and red bruising covering his abdomen. He had an IV in his right hand, delivering fluids and antibiotics.

A small groan broke the silence in the room. Danny stood and grabbed Steve's free arm, mindful of the IV's placed in the back of his hand. Danny was surprised at the heat he felt on his partner's skin.

"Steve?" Danny asked.

He was rewarded with another groan. The sound woke Kono from her nap. She quickly jumped up and left the room, presumably to find the doctor.

"Come on, Steve. It's time to wake up," Chin said.

Steve's eyes fluttered before slowly blinking open. Danny and Chin watched as Steve's eyes roamed over the room, assessing the situation. Danny saw the moment when Steve realised where he was. Steve groaned, this time in frustration.

"Hey man. Good to see you awake," Danny said with a small smile.

"How…" Steve coughed. "How long?"

"You've been here for less than a day. You had surgery a while ago to stop some internal bleeding," Danny answered.

Steve nodded appreciatively at the information.

"How do you feel?" Chin asked.

"Fine," Steve replied.

Danny rolled his eyes at Chin. They hadn't expected any other response from their leader. At that moment, Kono returned with Doctor Brunning in tow.

"Good evening, Commander. My name is Doctor Brunning. How are you feeling?" the doctor asked.

"I feel fine," Steve said.

"Commander," the doctor said sternly. "You had surgery a few hours ago. You have a fractured collarbone, thanks to a bullet ripping through your shoulder. You have a stab wound in your side and you are bruised all over. You also have a moderate concussion. I highly doubt you are 'fine'."

"My shoulder aches a bit. And I feel a bit warm. Happy?" Steve said petulantly.

"Ecstatic. But not because you are in pain…The shoulder will be sore for a while, at least until the bone heals. You also have quite a high fever, thanks to the bullet wound being left untreated for several days," Doctor Brunning explained with a hint of sarcasm.

"When can I get out of here?" Steve asked.

"Not for a couple of days yet, Commander McGarrett," the doctor answered.

Steve groaned loudly. "Really?"

"Yes. At least until the infection is under control. Until then, just rest."

Doctor Brunning exited the room, leaving the rest of the team to deal with the irritable Commander.

"Have you guys been here the whole time?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. Where else would we be?" Kono said.

"I don't know. Home, getting some rest. Maybe a shower?" Steve suggested.

"Says the man who walked into an armed robbery with no backup when he was supposed to be at home!" Danny argued.

Chin and Kono shared a 'here we go' look with each other.

"I didn't walk into it. It happened when I was already inside the shop," Steve defended himself. "I didn't intentionally go looking for trouble."

Chin and Kono sat back in their chairs, keen to watch the show. Steve and Danny's bickering was often very amusing. Kono wished they had some popcorn to go with the movie.

"Didn't intentionally go looking for trouble? Did you just say that? You don't need to look for it…trouble usually finds you. Did you even think to call for backup?" Steve opened his mouth to speak, but Danny continued.

"No, Mr you're-the-backup McGarrett doesn't need such things. He has his trusty sidekick - a gun. Except the bad guys had bigger and better guns. Do you remember how that turned out, huh?"

"Yeah, Danny. I remember. There's a gaping hole in my shoulder right now," Steve said angrily.

Danny sighed. "I know. I know…it's not your fault. You used what you had available to you. But seriously, only you could get caught up in an armed assault on a supermarket in the middle of the night."

Steve smiled. "It wasn't the middle of the night."

"Who in their right mind goes grocery shopping at nine o'clock anyway?"

"What's wrong with that? Is it another thing that's banned in Jersey?" Steve asked.

"No…"

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is that you were shot and kidnapped. Your car was left in the parking lot of a crime scene that you were the victim of. Then we spent days trying to find you. Then I had to hike up a mountain to find your sorry ass and drag you off it."

"So, you're mad about the hiking?"

"No, I'm mad that Vivaldi used you as a pawn is his stupid game and that people take you for granted!" Danny yelled.

Steve frowned in confusion and glanced at Chin for answers.

"It's a long story," Chin supplied.

Steve gave Chin a look that said they would be discussing it later. Chin nodded in agreement.

"Well, he didn't succeed…Now, I'm tired. Why don't you all go home and get some rest? I'll be here for a few days anyway, apparently," Steve said as his eyes started drooping.

The team stood slowly, but stopped when Steve spoke again.

"Has anyone heard from Mary?" he asked with his eyes closed.

"Not yet, Steve," Chin said, sharing concerned looks with Danny and Kono.

"Okay. Let me know," Steve said as his breathing evened out.

Saturday evening, Halawa Prison:

Jimmy Russo was used to this.

His cell was small and dull. It smelled mouldy, but nothing he hadn't encountered before. He would be out of here soon, anyway. His boss would make sure of it. Working for the Galinto crime family had its privileges, one being a get out of jail free card whenever he got jammed up while working. Russo had no idea how that worked, and he found he didn't care as long as it meant he would be free.

Russo paced his lonely cell, waiting patiently for the moment when he would be liberated. It had already been four days. The longest he had ever been incarcerated was a week. He knew he could hold out longer if he had to. But did he want to? Hell no!

Russo sat down on the thin mattress that was his bed and stared at the metal toilet directly in front of him. That was something he could do without; having the bathroom and bedroom so close together.

There was a tap at the door before it slid open suddenly. Jimmy stood up eagerly, hoping this was his ticket out of there.

"Russo, let's go," a man dressed in a guard's uniform said.

Russo followed the man out the door. He knew it. He would be free. He followed the man down the corridor and to the left. Russo was surprised when they reached a dead end.

"Uh, where are we going?" Russo asked, turning around.

"Nowhere," the man said.

Before Russo knew it, the man lunged and stabbed a sharpened piece of plastic into his abdomen and twisted. Russo grabbed the man's arm and tried to stop the man from killing him. It didn't take long before the blood loss caused his vision to darken.

As Russo slumped to the cold, hard floor, his last thought was that it was odd the man was wearing gloves.