CHAPTER 34
The Five-0 team stood frozen in the doorway.
When they had heard the gunshot from outside, they had expected to find their friend dead, lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Instead, Qari Nazeef was lying on the ground in a crumbled heap, blood dripping from a perfect hole in the middle of his forehead.
Looking up from the corpse on the floor, the team saw Steve and Walker entangled together. Steve had a gun in his hand, which was pointed at them before his hand fell limply to his side and the gun slipped from his grip and fell to the floor with a clunk. Walker extricated himself from Steve's hold, pulled his injured arm out of his sling and brought it down on Steve's legs. Belatedly, the team realised that Walker had a syringe in his hand.
Danny was motionless as Steve's body hit the wall behind him and slowly descended to the floor.
"Steve!" he yelled.
Danny saw Steve's lips quirk upwards in what he assumed was a smile, before his face went slack. His best friend lay in a crumpled heap on the dirty floor of the cabin and Danny found himself unable to move, rooted to the spot in shock. Chin and Kono rushed to Steve as a white noise filled Danny's ears.
Danny realised the white noise was actually laughter. Maniacal, insane, laughter. Danny turned and quickly identified the source of the unnatural sound. Walker was sitting on the ground, literally shaking with mirth.
"What the hell are you laughing at?!" Danny yelled at Walker.
"I won," Walker said, sounding completely lucid, except for the insanity reflected in his eyes.
"What?" Danny asked, confused. Obviously Walker wasn't concerned about the team showing up, alive and well.
"The Commander is the last of them. I won," Walker explained calmly, like it was obvious.
Danny raised his gun and aimed it at Walker's head.
Walker laughed as he looked up at Danny. "You shoot me and McGarrett never gets the answers he so desperately needs."
Danny frowned and glanced over at Steve. Chin and Kono were working furiously, checking Steve over. Kono pointed to Steve's right wrist and shook her head at her cousin. Chin was busy checking that Steve was breathing. Danny turned his attention back to Walker.
"I know everything. I am the Commander's only chance," Walker said proudly as he watched the cousins assessing their fallen friend. "I am the last one left. There is no one else. They are all dead."
Now it was Danny's turn to smile. "Is that right?"
Walker's wild gaze shot up to Danny. "Yes," he said, the uncertainty clear in his voice.
Danny grinned. "You see, that's where you are wrong. We have Jordan Kupahu. He told us everything. He's even decrypting the drive for us right now."
Walker smiled again. That smile sent shivers down Danny's spine. "You won't have him for long. Nazeef sent people to take care of him."
"Yeah, well. We have a team of SEALs protecting him. Here's a little fun fact about SEALs…they don't like it when you threaten one of their own," Danny said, with an air of indifference. "They tend to act rashly."
The smile fell off Walker's face, only to be replaced with an angry expression. With a growl, Walker suddenly launched himself off the ground and at Danny. The air was forced out of Danny's lungs as his body collided with the wall. Walker held an arm over Danny's throat, almost crushing his windpipe.
"Danny!" Danny only just heard Chin's yell over Walker's screaming. Danny likened the behaviour to that of a rabid dog.
Danny was able to get a knee under him as Walker was distracted by Chin and Kono trying to pull him off of Danny. Danny pushed hard in the groin area, causing Walker to stagger backwards clutching his injured genitals.
Before anyone could do anything, a gunshot echoed throughout the room.
Everyone paused, not willing to move.
For a moment, nothing happened. It was quiet as everyone's eyes darted around the room, searching for the source of the sound.
Then Walker's body dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Danny stood over Walker's body, taking in the pale skin and the blood oozing from a hole in his chest. A shot right to the heart. He kneeled down next to the disturbed man's body and pressed two fingers to Walker's throat.
"He's dead," he announced when he felt no beat.
Danny glanced at Chin and Kono. They were staring at Walker's body. Danny saw their hands were empty. Neither of them had fired their weapon. That meant…
As one, the team turned in Steve's direction. Steve was sitting up, well, leaning on one elbow, and holding the gun he had dropped earlier. Despite still being conscious, Steve looked like it was taking all his remaining energy and then some just to keep his eyes open.
Danny rushed up to Steve as he collapsed, boneless, to the ground. Danny had no idea where his partner had gotten the energy to put up one last fight, to save their lives, but he was definitely thankful that Walker was now dead and he was alive to make sure his partner made it out in one piece.
As Danny looked down at his partner, he thought about reneging on the 'in one piece' bit. Steve was pale and his chest was barely rising with each shallow, irregular breath. Steve's shirt was tattered, revealing skin that was severely bruised, cut or burned. Danny didn't want to imagine what the rest of his body looked like.
Danny held a shaky hand to Steve's neck, feeling for a pulse. He held his breath as he waited for Steve to show he was still alive, that Nazeef hadn't won. Danny let out his breath, relieved when he felt a pulse. It was weak and slow, but it was there.
"He's alive," Danny announced to Chin and Kono.
Danny looked down at Steve's right hand and shuddered at the sight. His wrist was purple with bruising and was swollen to almost three times its normal size. The deep cuts on both of his wrists did nothing to stop Danny from imagining the immense pain his partner must've been in during his captivity. Danny didn't even want to think about what else could have happened if they hadn't gotten there in time.
Danny tapped Steve's face. "Steve? Steve, come on. Wake up!"
Steve stirred slightly and opened his eyes to slits. Steve blinked and tried to open his eyes more, but they were just too heavy.
"D-Da-Danny?" Steve breathed.
"Yeah, babe?" Danny asked.
"Why…Why a-are y-you…here?" Steve rasped. "D-dead?"
"No, you are not dead," Danny replied.
"N-n-not…me," Steve managed as his eyes fluttered closed.
"Steve?" Danny called, slapping Steve's cheek again. "Don't go to sleep yet."
Danny kept slapping Steve's cheeks, trying to keep Steve awake. Danny's eyes went to Steve's arms and he noticed the track marks on both of his elbows. He hoped it was only the drugs, whatever they were, that were causing Steve's disorientation and not any underlying issue.
"G-g-g-grace…sc-school…now," Steve mumbled as his chest worked overtime to breathe.
"Yes, Steve," Danny said in relief. Even if Steve couldn't open his eyes, Danny knew he was still conscious. "Grace is at school now. She's safe."
Steve forced his eyes open as far as he could. Danny was surprised by the determination he saw in Steve's eyes, not matter how small his pupils were.
"N-n-no," Steve stuttered as he tried to get in enough air to talk. "Sc-school…d-d-dan-ger."
"What do you mean?" Danny asked in concern as Steve's eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Steve didn't respond. Danny shook his shoulders, but Steve didn't stir. In fact, Danny couldn't see his chest rising anymore.
"Steve!" Danny yelled. "Steve!"
Danny put his ear over Steve's mouth and nose, hoping to feel at least a puff of air. There was nothing. Danny immediately began compressions, pushing down hard on Steve's already broken ribs.
"Come on, Steve! You didn't come this far to let the bastard win!" Danny screamed as his eyes filled with tears.
Danny's mind went back to eight months ago. It was almost creepy how similar the situations were, except there was no bullet wound leaking a vital, life-saving substance. Instead, there was an invisible culprit behind Steve's lifelessness and Danny felt helpless to do anything about it. As a cop, he'd seen countless overdoses with few survivors. Even then, the survivors had deficits.
"Medivac is on the way." Kono's voice sounded so far away.
Danny hadn't even realised that Kono had left to get a signal to make the call. He had been too caught up in keeping Steve awake that he hadn't even thought to get help. He was too focused on what Steve was trying to tell him between breaths.
"Grace!" Danny panted out as he continued compressions.
"Chin's on it," Kono said as she knelt down next to Steve. "Let me take over."
Kono quickly took over the compressions and Danny sat back, trying to stop his heart from racing. Between his daughter and his partner, Danny was sure he was headed to an early grave because of the stress. Danny watched as Kono pushed on Steve's lifeless body. Was this it? Had he just witnessed Steve's final moments?
No, Danny refused to give up. He would not let his best friend die. Besides, Steve was too stubborn to die. He had proved that to him before.
Two paramedics stormed into the cabin, startling Danny and Kono. Danny stood and pointed his gun at the intruders, before realising they were there to help. If the two paramedics were scared of Danny, they didn't show it as they immediately made their way to the patient.
"What happened?" the young, brown haired woman asked.
"Uh," Danny said as he ran a hand through his hair. "He was tortured for at least a day. Evidence of severe bruising, cuts and burns. Right wrist broken. We suspect an overdose on some form of opiate, probably heroin. He stopped breathing on his own five minutes ago and we started compressions. Before that, he was having issues staying conscious and breathing."
The medic nodded at the information as she took her own assessment of Steve. The other medic, a male with blonde hair, had already gotten the equipment ready to help Steve breathe. Danny and Kono stood by as the paramedics worked. Steve remained motionless throughout it all.
Before they knew it, Steve was being strapped into a basket and carried outside to be lifted up to the medivac chopper. The speed and efficiency with which the task was conducted was impressive. Danny and Kono watched as the chopper turned and flew away, leaving them behind in the dense Hawaiian forest.
"He's going to be okay," Kono whispered, more to herself than to Danny.
After what he had just witnessed, Danny wasn't sure he should even entertain the thought.
The waiting room at Tripler Army Medical Centre was becoming a very familiar place. Danny even had his favourite seat in the corner. He knew exactly how many tiles covered the ceiling of the waiting area (fifty seven, if anyone wanted to know). He knew how bad the coffee tasted and the location of all the vending machines in the hospital and which ones had the best snacks.
Danny sighed in frustration as he stared at the clock on the wall. It felt like each second lasted for five. It had only been two hours since Danny and Kono had arrived and demanded information on Steve. They had been told to take a seat and that someone would talk to them soon. Those two hours slowly morphed into three.
Danny looked down at his phone, hoping for a message from Chin. Kono glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"He'll call as soon as he knows something," Kono reminded him again.
"He should know something by now," Danny said.
"Steve wasn't very specific. He could have meant anything. A bomb, a gas leak, a drive-by shooting. Chin's just being thorough."
Danny sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "You're right."
"I know," Kono said with a smug smile.
"Has Tillman called yet?" Danny asked.
Kono shook her head. "No."
Danny stood abruptly, causing Kono to flinch at the sudden movement. "So, he could be dead right now and we would have no clue?"
Kono quickly glanced around the waiting room and noticed many people had turned their attention on them. "Danny, keep your voice down."
Danny looked around and noticed the stares from the people in the waiting room. "Right. Sorry."
"It's okay," Kono said, her tone soft. "Tillman will call. He's not so easy to take out. He's probably leading Nazeef's men on a wild goose chase as we speak."
"What about Kupahu? What if Nazeef's men got to him?" Danny asked.
"Tillman wouldn't let them. Rodger knows how important that information is. He would protect it with his life," Kono said confidently.
Danny sat down next to Kono again. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew she was right. She often was.
Every time the front entrance to the hospital opened, Danny and Kono found themselves turning to see who was coming inside, in the the hope that it was Chin or Tillman, maybe even Duke. Every time, they had been disappointed.
"Do you think this is over?" Kono asked suddenly.
Danny thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I hope so. Steve deserves closure. So does Tillman and all the families affected by Nazeef's actions."
"But, with both Nazeef and Walker gone, how will we know?" Kono asked. "How do we know there aren't still people embedded in HPD or the government?"
"Hopefully the information on that drive will tell us everything. We will make sure Perry's death means something," Danny vowed.
Kono nodded and became silent, choosing to glare at the clock that remained stubbornly slow. She could still feel the eyes of the other patrons on her. She wondered briefly why they were still staring before remembering the Five-0 team was supposed to dead. That was going to be difficult to explain later.
There were now two dead bodies in a cabin in the middle of the Mokule'ia Forest Reserve, one of which was a highly decorated Navy Vice Admiral and the other was a back-from-the-dead terrorist. Carl Rogerson was probably on Max's autopsy table by now and the Palace had been burnt down. All of that was only in the last day and a half. The paperwork alone was going to be a nightmare; the rest of the month not included.
The hospital entrance doors slid open and Chin walked inside, looking around. As soon as he spotted Danny and Kono, he walked straight towards them with urgency in his steps.
"Have you heard anything yet?" Chin asked, his voice was steady but his face revealed his concern.
"Nothing yet," Kono answered.
Chin sighed and sat down next to Kono. He looked as exhausted as the other two felt. It had been a long month, and the last two days were like a sprint to the finish line of a marathon.
"What happened at the school?" Danny asked quietly.
"By the time I got there, the students had already been let out. Grace is fine, by the way. She's with Rachel," Chin replied.
Danny nodded appreciatively. The knowledge that his daughter was safe lifted a huge weight from his shoulders. "Thanks, Chin. I really appreciate that."
Chin nodded before looking at the other two seriously. "Steve was right. We found a bomb in the locker room next to the gym."
Danny's stomach clenched and his mouth dropped open. His daughter's school had a bomb inside it. A real life, ticking, about to explode, bomb! Danny felt sick when he thought about all the young lives the device could have been ended with the flick of a switch.
"Danny?" Chin asked when he saw the colour drain from Danny's face.
"Sorry," Danny said, shaking himself from dark thoughts.
"Grace is safe," Kono reminded him, rubbing a hand over his arm.
Danny nodded numbly.
"The device was set to go off tomorrow morning, just after classes started," Chin added.
Danny didn't need any more details. Thoughts of charred remains of children was enough to keep him awake at night for a week. He didn't need to know how close his daughter, and countless others, had come to being blown apart by shrapnel.
Once again, his partner had saved his daughter's life. That was a debt he would never be able to repay. He was still working on the last one.
Danny placed his face in his hands as he tried to get his emotions under control. His daughter was home with her mother, but his partner was lying on a hospital bed because of the same man that had threatened his daughter's life. The bastard had used Danny's daughter against his partner. If Steve hadn't already put a bullet through the sick man's head…
Danny felt a hand on his shoulder. Without looking, he knew it was Kono's, showing silent support. Grace had captured the hearts of the entire team. It wasn't just Danny that felt how close it had been. Now, more than ever, Danny was thankful for the family he had found when he met Steve.
"Thanks, Chin," Danny choked out.
"Has Tillman checked in?" Chin asked, ignoring Danny's emotional platitude.
"Nope," Danny answered hoarsely. "Hopefully he's okay."
Chin nodded and the team returned to waiting in silence. People came and went from the waiting room as another hour passed. Kono was staring at the ground, her hands clasped together and her forearms resting on her knees. Chin sat with his back straight, staring at the blank wall on the opposite side of the room. He rarely blinked. Danny paced in the nearby hallway, running his hands through his hair repeatedly.
"Family of McGarrett?" a familiar voice called.
Chin, Danny and Kono stood up instantly and made their way over to Doctor Eric Palamo. He stood waiting for them in his white coat. His face gave nothing away, which made them even more nervous. They followed the doctor to the private room they had visited a few times before.
Doctor Palamo held the door opened and waited for the team to enter and sit down before he closed the door behind them.
"Well, you all look much more alive than the news channels would suggest," Doctor Palamo said.
Each member of the team looked at the doctor sheepishly. "It was necessary to let everyone believe we were dead," Chin explained.
"I'm sure you did what you had to do," Doctor Palamo said, waving a hand to say no explanation was needed.
"How is Steve?" Danny asked desperately.
The doctor glanced at each person before explaining. "Commander McGarrett is in critical condition. We had a hard time stabilising him. He was extremely dehydrated and we had trouble giving him the fluids he needed. He has severe bruising over the majority of his body. That alone will cause him pain for a while. The bruising is deep and was probably the result of a beating with a bat or brass knuckles. Luckily, there were no signs of internal bleeding. The rib he cracked a week ago is now broken, as are several others. That limits his capacity to take a deep breath. We will be watching him for signs of pneumonia."
Doctor Palamo paused, giving the team time to digest that information before continuing. "He broke his right wrist, but luckily it was a clean break and should heal well, given time. He also strained some ligaments in that hand. He also managed to tear the ligaments in his left shoulder again. Physical therapy will strengthen it, but it will take longer to get back to full strength because of the repeat injury. He also had several deep cuts on his wrists and ankles. They have been stitched as needed and as long as they are kept clean and dry, they should heal with no scarring."
The team groaned when they thought about the last time Steve had to wear a sling while recovering from a shoulder injury. Knowing it was going to take longer to recover did not instil relief in the team.
"He also received multiple hits to the head. The scans are clear of bleeds, but he will have headaches and issues with vertigo and nausea for a while."
"Okay. That's manageable," Danny said.
Doctor Palamo sighed. "There's more."
Danny swallowed nervously, and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Chin grab Kono's hand.
"He was tasered multiple times, putting a dangerous amount of pressure on his heart. Currently, his heart is not beating regularly. We will be monitoring it and if it doesn't stabilise after twenty four hours, we may have to intervene."
Danny closed his eyes as the information washed over him.
"Which brings us to our other problem. He was given pure grade heroin in multiple doses over what I'm assuming is at least a twenty four hour period. He overdosed…It slowed his breathing considerably. He was not able to get enough oxygen into his lungs. In addition to a slow heartbeat, his body was not able to circulate blood to his organs and brain."
"What are you saying, Doc?" Danny asked, his voice tight with emotion.
"I'm saying that Commander McGarrett has slipped into a coma."
Danny stopped breathing. He heard Kono's gasp and Chin's muttered curse, but he couldn't bring himself to comfort them.
"Danny," Doctor Palamo said. "As Commander McGarrett's POA, you may have to make some difficult decisions in the near future."
Danny stood on numb legs and walked out the door, not hearing Chin's protests. He walked until he couldn't walk any more. He had no idea where he was, but the water's edge was alluring. He collapsed on the sand and finally let himself grieve.
