Warnings: Strong language throughout, Attempted murder, Vomit warning (though not detailed or descriptive), Improper use of medical drugs

Disclaimer: I don't own Hawaii Five-0, or its characters they belong to CBS. Only ones I own are the ones I've stated I do (I created Jeff Taylor and his son Dominic), so all the bad guys except for the ringleader Georg Rutherford.

Author Note: I'm not a medical professional so I have no clue if what happened to Scott with his coma could actually happen. Probably not, but it's fanfiction and I'd allowed to take liberties with my own characters to a degree I see fit as being still somewhat realistic.

Though there is one medical procedure that I am experienced with first hand, and what happens to Scott with the drain removal happened to me. Not a fun situation to be in at all.

A/N: Not much Steve in this chapter sadly, although there is a reason for that.

Sorry for the delay in update. This chapter was supposed to be way longer, but I found a better place to end it than originally planned.


Navy Lingo

MCPO - Master Chief Petty Officer - Ninth and highest enlisted rank in the Navy.


Read. Review. Enjoy.


Chapter 12

0500 Hours. 23 June 2019 - Sunday. Tripler Army Medical Center Chapel, Moanalua, Oahu.

Lane has been in far too many chapels and churches over his time in the Navy. Though why he's here now, isn't for one of a dozen or so SEAL teammates he's lost over the years. No, last night seeing Scott in his bed reminds him of his mother, who died of breast cancer when he was a sophomore in high school. Which got him thinking of his partner's mother, Doris McGarrett, and Scott's non-relationship with her.

Scott rarely talks about Doris, but when he does, it's about how she never agreed with or liked his decision to join the Navy. This is of course after her being 'dead' for twenty some years. She always brings it up and Scott always retorts, 'you weren't even there, we all thought you were dead, why should you care what I do.'

Sitting on one of the long benches his head bowed his hands are clasped together in front of him. It's now been five days since the shooting at Ala Moana shopping center, five days since Scott's been in a coma. Lane's praying and hoping he wakes up soon. That'll make him feel that much better with this whole Steve situation. Though that brings up a whole other issue of how to tell Scott about Steve, not to mention telling Scott about Brandon. Lane doesn't know how he's going to do that.

He needs to his partner, it'll take time for Scott to get better and accept what's happened to him. Lane'll vows to be by Scott's side every step of the way. As long as he can, what with the case still be active and the real killer to catch who murdered Brandon Montgomery early yesterday morning.

He tries not to think about it, but if Scott had waited any longer Tuesday evening in the ER it could be a very different story right now. So in hindsight all things considered being an amputee isn't all that bad. Lane's pretty sure, Scott'll be able to go back into the field in full capacity with the right prosthetic. Again getting him to accept it and actually wear it is a whole other issue. First he's got to come to terms with the fact that he'll be an amputee. His life and his partnership with Lane will be different. Lane knows this is probably be the toughest fight of his partner's life.

Lane eventually leaves the chapel an hour later, he goes down to the first floor coffee cart to get himself some coffee and then goes back up to Scott's room. Since he's next of kin for Scott he's exempt to that 'no visitors' rule between 0600 and 0800.


0614 Hours. TAMC - Neuro Intensive Care Unit Patient Room 646, Moanalua, Oahu.

When Lane gets to Scott's room he sees his friends' day nurse Kami checking his vitals, and replacing the empty saline and nutrients bags with full ones. Kami gets a quizzical look on her face as she looks at the night nurses notes from the previous day.

"Good Morning Kami." Lane greets the young nurse. "What's wrong Kami?" Lane asks as he sets his coffee down on the window ledge. He sees the look on Kami's face it's one of confusion as she looks at the readings and notes.

"I don't believe it I really don't I've never seen this in all my time here." Kami says astounded.

"What, what haven't you seen before Kami?" Lane is getting a bit agitated now.

"Scott woke up last night, when you wake up from a coma you generally don't go back into it. His EEG reading's show normal brain wave activity. His breathing and heart rate are normal. He's just sleeping right now." Kami explains to Lane. "It wasn't for long at all, maybe a minute or two, but his EEG also shows he was dreaming or by his heart rate having a nightmare last night. It must have been so strong and vivid that it was enough to pull him out of his coma."

Lane sits down on the chair so he doesn't fall down, realizing what had to have happened to Scott. "He had a flashback last night, what's his temperature like now?" Lane asks suddenly.

"It's 104.5 I'm going to go get his doctor show him these readings. I'll be back soon."

Lane moves his chair closer to his friend's bedside, he takes Scott's left fingers and intertwines them with his own. "Scott? Scott buddy if you can hear me squeeze my fingers?" Lane asks.

Lane sees Scott's eyes squeeze themselves tightly shut like he's in pain, and a sheen of sweat forming on his brow. "Come on Scott open your eyes for you me man. You can do it?" Lane pleads. Lane puts a hand on Scott's left shoulder it's meant to be comforting but it has the opposite effect.

"No!" Scott cries out, his blue hazel eyes opening wide in shock his eyes flitting around the room not focusing. "No, don't touch...touch him!"

Who had him, the Taliban, the South African warlords.

Room is white sterile. No no not here can't be here. I'm not not like him.

"Scott? Scott it's me Lane. Easy there, calm down."

"No, don't touch him, take...take me in...instead." Before Lane can react properly or even register what's happening. Scott's left arm swings out in his thrashing about and whacks Lane hard in the face. Lane rears back and clutches his bleeding nose, that's now throbbing painfully. Lane hits the nurse's call button, and within minutes Kami, two orderlies and Major Shepherd rush into the room.

"Kami push 10 of Ativan now!" Major Shepherd orders. Kami quickly gets the right syringe and pushes the medicine into Scott's IV port. Scott's thrashing around stops and his muscles start relaxing. His facial features relax too into that of sleep.

"Agent Sullivan are you alright?" An orderly asks Lane as he sees the man holding his nose with both hands. His hands are covered in blood.

"Do I look albright he broded by node. Damn cadt." Lane grumbled between pinching his nose to stop the bleeding. Wincing because it hurt his nose to pinch it.

"Kimo escort Agent Sullivan here down to the ER, and make sure someone from plastics is down there to look at his nose." Major Shepherd orders the orderly of Hawaiian descent. "He may need surgery."

"No, surbery. No leabe him." Lane points towards Scott lying in the bed.

"It's only if Agent Sullivan, now go you don't want your nose to set like that." Shepherd orders.

"Come on Agent let's get that nose looked at." Kimo says and gently guides Lane out of the room. Lane gives his now sleeping friend a look and then follows Kimo out of the room.

"I've never seen a patient react or come out of a coma the way Agent McGarrett has. He's a true mystery." Major Shepherd remarks looking at his patient. "His fever is still high I want you to keep an extra close eye on his temperature. A seizure is still quite possible we're still within that early post traumatic seizure stage."

"Of course Dr. anything else I can do."

"Not right now no." Major Shepherd tells Kami. As Dr. Shepherd is checking is rechecking his patient's lines and tubings are still in place. He can feel his patient's nurse looking at him. "Ask what you want to ask Kami it's okay?"

"Have you really not seen this before Major Shepherd?"

"Never, I've never heard of vivid flashbacks causing a patient to come out of their coma. Guess you do see something new every day."

"His vitals are all steady, his temp is still 104.5 Dr."

"Keep an eye on that temperature, notify me the minute it changes either higher or lower and if he develops any other symptoms of a seizure."

"Of course Dr." Kami looks over her patient one last time before both she and Major Shepherd leave Scott's room.


0625 Hours. Emergency Room 3rd Floor - Treatment Room Bay 2, Moanalua, Oahu.

Lane knows exactly who Scott is talking about or rather shouting about in his delirious state due to his fever. Adrian "Andy" Cortez, tortured literally to the brink of death and then he had his neck snapped in some dingy dark dank building in Ramadi, Iraq in 2003. Scott had been in the SEALs for eight years at that point. Scott was twenty four at the time and it wasn't the first time he'd lost someone.

Lane himself doesn't count the losses of his brothers how many friends he's lost how many funerals he's been too.

"Mr. Sullivan." A voice breaks Lane out of his reverie.

"Hey Doc." Lane greets a young looking plastic surgeon. He doesn't think he needs surgery he's broken his nose before as a kid, fell off his skateboard. His nose hadn't been fully formed and shaped than. Now it is though. He hopes he doesn't have to get surgery.

"I hear you broke your nose, how'd that happen?" The female Captain asks him.

"By bartner brode it, with hib dab buckin' cadt." Lane explains as best he can with his busted-up nose distorting his speech.

"Let me see if I got that your partner, if I had to guess your partner isn't your domestic partner and he hit you right?"

"Yeb I bean no, worb bartner."

"Work partner?"

"Yes NBIS."

"NCIS?"

"Yeb, hib be with his cadt, nightbare trieb waking hib up."

"Ah I see, well don't you worry Mr. Sullivan, even with the swelling it doesn't look like you'll need surgery just a simple realignment procedure."

"Tank Bod." Lane tries to breathe through his nose but ends up coughing instead.

Lane's plastic surgeon puts a pair of sterile blue gloves on and sits on a rolling stool in between her patient's legs. She positions her fingers on either side of her patients face. Near the bridge of his nose and the nostril. "On three okay Mr. Sullivan. I need you to keep your head still and not rear back okay."

Lane nods at the doctor in front of him. "1...2...3." There's a loud crick and Lane cringes and swears.

"Ah fuck that hurt." Lane swears.

"Well Mr. Sullivan, it looks like your nose is all fixed now. Radiology is already back up and it's not even 0700 yet, but when they open up, I'll give you a call, and I want you to get your nose x-rayed to make sure it's aligned properly we're working within a two hours window here."

Lane sniffs and breathes in through his nose. "I can breathe thanks doc." Lane lets out a great big huff through his nose. "Do I have to get that x-ray. You said it was all fixed."

"I've read your file you went through the Sniper program you're good at waiting Senior Chief I think you can wait for an x-ray, no."

"Yes, ma'am are you discharging me?" Lane asks hopefully.

"No I'm not I'm keeping you in the system, and I'll be notified when the flow in Radiology is less packed and I'll call you directly. Is your number still..." His doctor rattles off a cell phone number.

"Yes ma'am it is. So I'm free to go?"

"Not quite yet, I'm going to splint your nose up to make sure it stays in the correct align and then in about 30 to 45 minutes we should be able to get that x-ray for you."

"And then if it's clear I'll be discharged?" Lane may have had sniper training and knows how to be patient and wait, but when his partner is the cause for his impatience or 'ants in his pants' as his six year old son would say. He's anything but patient, and he couldn't care less that Scott accidentally broke his nose. They've both accidentally hurt each other before in sparring in similar situations that Lane found himself in not twenty minutes ago.

"Yes then you'll be discharged, for now go see your partner, go get something to eat. I'm sure your partner won't be going anywhere in his condition..."

Lane looks into the doctor's soft brown eyes. "How did you?..."

"Word travels fast around here and plus everyone in the ER that day has been interviewed and questioned about what they saw something about a negligence charge for a triage nurse."

"Oh, I hadn't realized."

"Really you hadn't realized?"

"Okay I knew that was happening sometime this week, but I've been a bit preoccupied with my case and my partner. Am I good to go now?"

"Yes you are Agent, stay on post though I don't want to have to go sending a search party out for you am I understood." His doctor says a bright smile on her face.

"Understood ma'am." Lane hops off the gurney and decides to head to the cafeteria. He's suddenly starving now and he's left his coffee upstairs in Scott's room untouched.


0650 Hours. Neuro Intensive Care Unit Patient Room 656, Moanalua, Oahu.

It's ten minutes to 7 a.m. and Isaac's finally alone. Imani had woken up to a phone call earlier, it was Havika at his parents' house. Marcus had had an asthma attack and had called the paramedics. Imani had left saying she'd be back when she'd seen to Marcus. Isaac had woken up as well to the sound of the phone ringing. He convinces his wife to take Savannah and Marcus to church to one of the later morning church services after Marcus had been checked out by the paramedics. Routine is good for the kids and keeping it the same is what they need.

Church on Sundays is one of those routine outings. Savannah and Marcus are 13 and 10 years old respectively and it's Summer they don't need to be spending every waking minute of their Summer in a hospital. Or for however long he's going to be stuck here. Hopefully not too long he hates being inactive, and feeling useless they've still got an ongoing case that they're working.

Plus Isaac is a prideful man he doesn't want his kids to see him like this. More than they have too anyway. Once Imani is gone and his nurse has checked his vitals he asks her to put up the no visitors sign outside his room. Teammates to be included, he just needs peace and quiet time to himself. Well as much as he can get with his nurse coming in every 15 minutes to check his vitals and then every six hours to help him, Isaac shudders at this 'relieve' himself. The only time a man should have to have help with that such thing is when he's old and senile and when he's first born when he can't help but not know how wipe his own ass.

He hates this. He really does. Hate is a strong word that he doesn't use it very often. He doesn't often hate things, he makes it a point to not use the word and not let his kids use that word either. You can strongly dislike something or someone but not hate. But this…there is just no other word for how Isaac feels about the situation.

God has a plan, his mother said to him yesterday when she'd called to check in with him see how he's doing. He has a plan for you son. Isaac doesn't see how being paralyzed is at all in God's plan for him. Everything happens for a reason, yeah he used to think that way not so much anymore. He never saw this coming. He can't really be badmouthing his Momma though if she were to come here from New Orleans with his Dad, she'd tear him a new one. Not that he'd be able to feel it. Okay verbally tear him a new one than, for thinking bad about the good Lord. He can't help it his Momma isn't the one living through it, he is and by extension so are Imani and his kids. Yes it may be temporary, but that thought of it somehow becoming permanent is always in the back of his mind. He's only been fully awake, two days now. He doesn't much count Friday since he was pretty much out of it when he first woke up from his medically induced coma.

Isaac feels that he has the right to be grumpy, angry, miserable, pissed and scared. So damn scared. That's part of the reason he didn't want his Momma or more so his dad here to see him so vulnerable and physically weak. He feels like absolute crap he's got the mother of all headaches damn concussion, his abdomen hurts well the incision site hurt where they had to take out his spleen. His damn groin muscles are driving him up the fucking wall he thinks about calling his nurse to help him transfer to the wheelchair he's using. But decides against it. It's still too early to visit Scott, and he hasn't eaten yet.

He can't feel anything below his waist. Absolutely nothing. He knows that everything works just fine. He knows that, he just can't get his brain to function right now, to move his legs. They're fucking useless right now and he wants to scream. And that's exactly what he does, he turns over as best he can in bed. With his head face down in the pillow he lets out the loudest muffled scream he dares.

A bit okay a lot exhausted from just that simple action he's huffing and puffing like an old man. First item on his agenda order breakfast and then maybe he'll go for a wa- God he's even still thinking like an able bodied person. He has no idea how he'll handle this if it's permanent. He just has to stay positive, but it's just so damn hard to. He's only been like this two days. He's not counting the days he was in a medical coma.

He reaches over to the corded phone in his room and calls for room service. The good thing about being here if he can say that is that even though this is a military hospital, with strict hours for almost everything. Breakfast is served all day until 2100. He orders himself a fluffy egg veggie omelet with sausage links, hash browns and sliced apples. He's thanks the operator, who then says his meal will arrive in forty five minutes. His breakfast should arrive around 0735, so looks like he's got some time to kill.

When his nurse Devonte removed the foley last night and told him how they expect him to relieve himself in the future, he just snapped. He couldn't help himself and he started crying. Devonte was really understanding in the only way another man could be, he wasn't condescending or didn't say anything about him being less of a man. He just sat down by Isaac's bedside and let him cry.

Isaac cried himself out, last night, that's why Imani didn't come in until way later. Devonte stopped here from coming in. That's why Devonte stayed so long, and why Isaac was so tired, and had such a bad headache after he left. He didn't even register Imani coming in last night. He was so tired and he fell asleep almost as soon as Devonte left last night.

If he can't go back into the field Havika is going to have to take up his position as unit chief permanently and then Seeger would be promoted to SFA, and then Evan would be a field agent. The only new person they'd have to get is a new junior field agent. That isn't even counting the CRT. There's no way Jackson, Kali and Lane especially Lane will ever permanently replace Scott on their team. If anything Lane will take Scott's position and then Blackburn will have to replace Lane's position with another CRT medic. Lots of stuff for Isaac to think about some of it is personal and he doesn't want to think about but other stuff most of it is unit oriented so he focuses on the needs of his unit before himself as always. Just like how he did with his Recon Marine unit back when he was in the Corps. Push forward always forward never look back.


0720 Hours. Trauma Intensive Care Unit - Patient Room 606, Moanalua, Oahu.

Steve wakes up with a start and to the steady beeping of a heart monitor. He sits up in bed and wait it's not just any heart monitor it's his own heart monitor. He's at the hospital. Last night hadn't been a horrible dream. He's been arrested by Agent Warren than taken to the Naval Brig where he got the shit beaten out of him during processing. And now here he is in the hospital.

Steve turns to his left and sees a blond tuft of hair sticking out from a blanket on a reclining chair. Danny. Danny had stayed with him all night last night. He's got a massive headache from hitting his head yesterday on the concrete wall or maybe it was the tile floor that did it. Either way he knows he's not going to be signing himself out AMA this time around.

"Danny." Steve croaks his voice rough from sleep. The blond blanket tuft stirs and the blanket falls down to Danny's lap revealing a Newark PD t-shirt.

"Hey babe." Danny greets warmly his own voice rough from sleep. Danny looks down at his watch almost 7:30, "Wow babe you slept in it's almost 7:30."

"Yesterday happened didn't it?" Steve asks sitting up a little in bed raising the bed so he's sitting up.

"Fraid so Steven I can't believe it, can't believe you did what you did." Danny says remembering how he's supposed to act. He hates, how easily the lie rolls of his tongue. "What made you do it Steve finally just snapped, couldn't take it?"

"Danny no I'd never, not you too. Please I need you to believe me." Steve begs and pleads with his husband.

Danny shakes his head and gets up from the recliner. "Evidence doesn't lie Steven, and NCIS has plenty of it and it all leads back to you. You murdered MCPO Montgomery."

Steve is distraught beyond recognition. "You know evidence can be tampered with we've seen it before."

"What you think NCIS framed you or something they're the best of the best Steven. Your prints are all over the murder. And they have video surveillance of you at the house. You're going to go away for a long time and I am sorry for that babe. There's nothing I can do. You did the crime now you have to do the time for real this time."

Steve can't believe what he's hearing. Doesn't want to believe it but he can hear perfectly fine and what's coming out of his husband's mouth is true. He did do this, and now he has to put up with the consequences of his actions. Steve hangs his head miserably and looks over at Danny as he leaves the room. What had he done.


0800 Hours. Neuro Intensive Care Unit Patient Room 646, Moanalua, Oahu.

Lane and both of Scott's doctors, Captain Carson his trauma surgeon and Major Shepherd, Scott's neurologist are talking about Scott's prognosis. Now that he's actually awake and out of his coma depending on how he is mentally they may make the move to move him to the trauma ICU within the next few days.

"The Trauma ICU, but I thought that was for patients who had been seriously injured. Scott's past that point isn't he?" Lane asks.

"Yes while he is passed the initial trauma, he no longer needs the Neuro ICU critical care, the swelling in his brain has decreased and his MRI's and CTs have come back clean." Major Shepherd tells Lane.

"His MRI and CT scans show signs of a severe TBI, and with his amputation there still could be issues regarding that, so when he's more coherent we'll be moving him back there." Captain Carson adds.

"So he won't be moved to a step down ward anytime soon?"

"No he won't surgical or medical, he'll be going to the major trauma inpatient rehab wing on the third floor for the duration of his stay here again once he's deemed stable enough."

"When'll that be?"

"Probably in a week or so, possibly next week Friday if everything looks good with his surgical site. The sooner we can get him in occupational and physical therapy the better his recovery will be both for his amputation and his TBI."

"That sounds like a good plan doctors thank you."

The ongoing conversation near where Scott lays is the reason for the sonorous hum and its persistence helps build the tenuous thread needed to peel his eyes open. However after that monumental effort, he remains out of sorts and unable to truly focus on the three blurry images hanging so closely over his head. Two of them are wearing long white coats.

He doesn't understand that the hum is really a translation of speech. Vision is a colorless merging of black and white; dark and light. Words evade him, as did the ability to think and come up with what he thought he's seeing.

With no ability or compulsion to do more, he stares upwards and tries to absorb the soothing hum. It ebbs, flows and something changes around him, yet for the most part, it stays relatively constant. It's enough to let it just happen and allow it to wash over him.

"Scott?" Lane looks over at his partner as he lays with his eyes partially open, yet utterly still and unresponsive. He waits a fraction of a second longer before reacting to the ghostlike stare. He looks over at his partner's two doctors.

"Scott can you hear me?" Colton asks his patient. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me?" Slowly Scott reaches up with his right hand and squeezes the other man's hand hard. Strong.

It takes Scott a minute or two to recognize the blond haired man with the white surgical strips on his nose. "Sully. Laney." Scott rasps a ghost of a smile on his face. Scott recognizes him, recognizes his partner and that almost makes Lane want to tear up and cry himself. He's been so worried these past five days. He knows how serious and severe TBI's can be. From mild to very severe, and all the complications in between that can occur. The doctors have been saying severe ever since the shooting. TBI's don't really ever get downgraded that's not how they work.

Scott blinks a few times as if clearing the cobwebs out of his head. Everything's fuzzy in his head. He doesn't know how he got here or why he's here, and his right leg feels funny. "Whha hppn'd?" Scott asks looking between all three men with fearful flitting eyes back and forth not entirely focusing on any one of them. They've all seen this before this is the look of a scared man, no almost like a scared kid. Scott is gripping the top of the hospital blanket with his right hand in a vice grip. Like a safety blanket.

Major Shepherd kneels down next to the right side of his patient's bed so he seems less imposing and threatening. "You were in an accident, you're in the hospital."

"Hos'pil?" Scott asks slurring the word.

"Yes the hospital. I've got a few questions to ask you can you answer them for me? They're very easy, and not hard."

Scott nods his head slowly. "Okay, let's start, can you tell me your full name and rank?"

"Sc-Scott Ale-xander McGarrt, Mas-ter Chief Pet-ty Officer."

"Good job, can you tell me your birth date?"

"May 19, 1979."

"Good you're doing really well Scott." Shepherd smiles at him, and Lane smiles encouragingly. "What month are we in?" Scott takes a few minutes to answer with a little help from Shepherd, "Is it April, May, or June?"

"June?" Scott states likes it's a question.

"That's right, can you tell me what day of the week it is?"

"Tuesday." Scott says. He looks in between the two men in the white coats. It has to be Tuesday right. He remembers going to bed on Monday, and falling asleep so yeah it's Tuesday.

"No Scott it's Sunday June 23rd." Shepherd corrects his patient.

"Sunday?" Scott questions eyes bulging wide. What the heck happened to Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. What the heck happened to him. Scott's heart rate monitor starts beeping a bit faster, and it becomes louder in his ears. He doesn't remember he just can't remember what happened.

Colton look at his frantic patient. "Easy Scott it's okay take slow easy breaths for me." He places the oxygen mask back on Scott's face briefly. His heart rate and breathing have evened out again. "Are you ready to continue with the questions?" Scott nods his head in the affirmative after taking the oxygen mask off.

"Can you tell me what year we're in?"

"Two thou-sand nine nineteen."

"Can you tell me the name of the hospital?"

"Tri-Trip- Tribler."

"How do you know that Scott?"

"Ass- asked fo-for rank." Scott says slowly, looking around still like someone's going to come in and hurt him. "Where- where Stevie? See him?"

The three men look between each other and the patient lying in the bed. A silent conversation being had.

"Scott." Lane starts. Scott looks over to his left at Sully. How to explain this delicately to his brain damaged friend. Again they still didn't know exactly how bad his injury is, and how this news will affect him. Lane decides to go with the easy soft approach. "Steve's was hurt yesterday pretty bad, but he's okay now though he's in the same hospital as you."

"Can see him?" Scott asks hope seeming through his voice. God it's killing Lane to see his partner like this so innocent like and...he doesn't want to say it, but broken almost childlike. He can't help but think this is partly his fault. If he had taken charge and forced him to stay back and monitor for HQ they might not be in this situation right now.

Blake steps forward now and kneels down next to Scott's bed just like Colton has done. "You can't right now Scott. Your injuries...you can't walk. I don't want you getting out of bed just yet." Neither of his doctors know how to break the amputation news to their patient. He's been unconscious for the last five days he hasn't felt anything everything's been taken care of for him. Now that he's aware somewhat and awake that'll soon change.

"Hot." Scott says suddenly changing the subject. He feels overwhelming sense of fear and panic. "I'm hot, don't feel...feel right."

"Are you any pain?" Shepherd asks Scott. "Your leg, your head?"

He is but it's not either of those this is a different kind of pain. It smells kind of funny in the room too.

"No."

"What's wrong than Scott?" Lane asks his friend in concern. Scott squeezes his eyes shut in clear pain and then opens them up again.

"Sometfings not right. Do- Don' feel good." Lane sees fear and confusion in Scott's eyes when he finally looks at him. Scott is about to say something when his eyes roll back and he starts to convulse. Both Shepherd and Carson spring into action. Blake runs out of the room calling for a nurse and two orderlies.

Lane watches in horror as Scott's nurse and Major Shepherd tend to a still convulsing Scott. Lane is unceremoniously pushed out of the room.

"Roll him on his side." Major Shepherd orders. Two orderlies roll Scott on his left side so his stump of a right leg doesn't have pressure on it, this also eases his breathing so he won't choke either. He and Captain Carson try to hold down their seizing patient. All the while counting the seconds that slowly tick into minutes. 1…2…3.

Three minutes the seizure lasts three long minutes. Lane waits outside the room for what feels like forever but in reality is only a few minutes when Captain Carson comes out of the room.

"What happened Doc?"

"You got the list of complications email Major Shepherd sent you and the Commander." Lane nods his head he'd only gotten halfway through the list he couldn't through all the possible complications of a severe TBI. "Early post traumatic seizures was on that list. It's why he was running such a high fever. We're preparing him for a CT and EEG now."

"What caused the seizure? Scott said he didn't feel right before it happened."

"Now I'm not neurologist but I've seen my fair share of seizures resulting from severe TBI's and now the symptoms. My best guess it's a result of the head trauma and subsequent surgery he endured. We are doing a CT scan to rule out a spontaneous bleed which was also on the list of complications."

Kami, Scott's primary nurse for the day, steps out of Scott's room, "We are ready to transport him to radiology Captain."

"Good, I'll head downstairs with Shepherd for the scan. Lane you can wait here for our return Major Shepherd will let you know the results of the scan as soon as we have them."

Lane nods and watches as Major Shepherd and a couple of orderlies plus Captain Carson push Scott's gurney towards the elevator. After the doors close, Lane heads back into Scott's room and decides to the unit and see what everyone's doing right now.

Jackson and Kali are actually at the office going over the crime scene surveillance tapes with Havika. They strategically place cameras and other surveillance equipment around and caught a Nissan sedan leaving the Montgomery residence. The same Nissan that was later found tortured by the docks. Now they can't get anything off the torched car now, but with the surveillance from before they can get a plate number and see who it's registered too and where it was bought or rented from.

Brianna texts Lane back saying she's taking a personal day and that she's got Evan as her unwanted shadow for the day. Lane's good at reading through the lines of texts. There's something going on with Agent Seeger ever since she went to go talk with her father before the storm. Or possibly even early that day before the storm. Lane'll have to call Havika later and see if he knows anything about what's going on with Agent Seeger.

Everyone in the unit needs to be in tip top shape both physically, mentally, and emotionally if they're going to carry out this case and get justice for those dead service members.

Havika also tells Lane that they did manage to recover a phone that was dumped about a block away from the crime scene. Jackson's working his tech magic on the phone and seeing if they can get anything off the phone. Numbers called, texts received, other transactions that sort of thing. Anything to lead them to the real killer.

Lane also updates the rest of the team on Scott's condition. That he just had a seizure and the doctors are taking him back for more tests to find out the cause of it. That group text also includes Isaac so he can stay updated on the case and on Scott's condition. Even though he's literally right next door to Scott's own room.

Lane waits for over an hour before Scott is brought back to his room, he appears to be sleeping as he doesn't stir when they transfer him from the gurney back to his bed. A few minutes later Major Shepherd enters.

"What's the news Doc? How's he doing?"

"Scott didn't suffer a spontaneous bleed. He woke up briefly during the scan so we gave him a light sedative; he is sleeping now and will probably sleep for several hours. It appears that the seizure is a result of the trauma and surgery."

"Is he going to suffer seizures for the rest of his life?"

"Scott suffered what we like to term early post traumatic seizures. A seizure that happens within the first week after a brain injury. About 25% of people who have an early post traumatic seizure like Scott did will have another seizure months or years later."

"He had more than one it didn't look like it?" Lane asks worriedly.

"Oh no he didn't, that's just a name for it. He only had one seizure and we timed it, dated it and what he was doing before it happened. I'd recommend keeping this as a seizure journal." Shepherd hands Lane the medium sized notebook and pen. "So you can identify possible seizure triggers." Lane takes the notebook and places it in his duffel bag.

"What about his speech?" Lane asks suddenly remembering Scott's speech patterns when he spoke. "He was really slurring his words."

"His slurred speech could just be from being so out of it right now but it also could be another side effect the surgery and TBI. My guess is it's a little of both. We won't know until he's awake for a longer period of time and more coherent and aware what parts of his brain are damaged. Regardless, if the speech impediment is a result of the TBI he'll need speech therapy along with physical and occupational therapy to help him recover as fully as he can."

Lane sucks in a breath at the doctor's last words of recover as fully as he can. Do they not think he can make a full 100% recovery.

"You don't think he'll make a full recovery do you? He won't be 100% like he was before." Lane states it like a fact and not a question.

"With the injury your partner sustained five days ago and the other mild TBI's throughout his NCIS and Naval career, plus the severe concussion he suffered back in 2008, in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. No, I'm afraid he won't be 100% like you said. His brain now is just too damaged." It'll be a miracle if he doesn't develop post concussion syndrome with the knock to the head he took. He's already showing signs and that's worrisome.

Shepherd'll be surprised if Scott doesn't end up completely mentally incapacitated, he's surprised it hasn't been worse before this. The man's medical history alone and what he's been through is enough to write a book on what not to do, in the Navy and how to prevent such accidents from happening. Though with what little speech he did hear from his patient before the seizure he's positive now that having a debilitating intellectual disability or being severely mentally handicapped won't be an issue.

"So he really scrambled his brains this time." Lane laughs quietly to himself not in a malicious way more of a sad way. "I always knew one day there would finally be something one of us wouldn't be able to come back from. I just didn't think it would happen like this."

"There is good news though with occupational therapy for his amputation and his TBI and physical therapy coupled with speech and memory therapy all done right here at Tripler he will recover and he may even be able to go back to work eventually if he wants. Though it'll be strictly sitting behind a desk for a while before he can even think about getting back in the field and leading a team. It'll take time and a lot of effort on his part, but he doesn't strike me as a quitter. He'll get through this with your help I'm sure."

"Thanks Doc, since you said his ICP is normal now are you going to take out the drain in his head." Lane asks looking over at his sleeping friend on the right side of his shaved head a tube is attached and draining cerebral fluid out of his head.

"Yes we will when he wakes up since he'll be asleep now for several hours. It's a simple bedside procedure. We'll numb the area heavily and then slowly and carefully remove the tube and then put a bandage over the wound. There shouldn't be a need for anymore surgeries."

"Sounds like a plan sir." Lane smiles then looking at his partner knowing he's just sleeping now and not in a coma. "Well since he's playing sleeping beauty for the next couple of hours I'm going to go home and change and then head into the office."

"Okay, I'll be back to check on Scott in the next hour or so, and Kami'll will be in every 15 minutes as usual. If you have any further questions for me, you have my number and you can call me. If anything comes up before he wakes up I'll call you and let you know whether you need to come in or not. He's doing remarkably well so far Lane despite how he woke up, he's doing well, you shouldn't worry so much."

"I'm his partner sir. It's my job to worry as it is his if the roles were reversed." Lane bids the blond neurologist goodbye picking up his duffel bag and pocketing his phone and heading out of the ICU. Though not before stopping off at Isaac's room about to go in, but he sees the no visitors sign up, and makes an about face and heads back in his original destination respecting his boss' wish for privacy.

Outside the hospital entrance he bumps into a scruffy chestnut haired guy in light blue scrubs, the scrubs that the nurses and orderlies where in the inpatient psychiatric ward. "Sorry didn't see you there man." Lane replies.

The young looking man replies hurriedly. "No, no my fault I'm late really late should have been looking where I was going. Have a nice day Chief." Than the young nurse hurries into the building and up to the 5th floor.

Lane brushes off both the physical dust and dirt from his pants, the kid had actually managed to knock him down he was moving so fast. As well as the comment of 'Have a nice day Chief'. There's no way that guy knows Lane's rank, I mean all Chiefs he's known in the Navy in his time have all gone by the nickname of Chief at one point in time or another. It's coincidence. Nurses are bound to know or even slightly recognize any one of the NCIS team I mean they've been in and out of the hospital as visitors for the past five days now.

Lane shrugs it off, as the guy just being friendly and heads to his black Ford Expedition having driven the CRT truck back to the office yesterday after Jackson had dropped it off at Scott's house yesterday morning after the storm. He out of the parking lot completely missing the black Chevy truck parked up by the entrance of the hospital.

It's 0945 by the time he's showered, changed and parking his SUV in the parking lot of the NCIS field office. He grabs his repacked go bag with his work essentials and then a different go bag for the hospital for Scott. He grabs his repacked and organized work go bag and locks his SUV as he heads inside the building.


0950 Hours. NCIS Field Office - MCRT Bullpen, Pearl Harbor, Oahu.

"Morning guys." Lane greets everyone in the bullpen a broad smile on his face. He can't keep the smile off his face.

"Okay what's got you in such a good mood, it's Sunday and we're here working." Brianna asks.

Lane sits down on top of Isaac's desk one leg crossed over the other. "Scott woke up last night his GCS score is 13, it's not perfect, but he's out of his coma, and he's talking." Lane tries to focus on the positive seeing as he's already texted the unit a full update on Scott about him having a seizure and what the doctor said Scott's prognosis is now. They didn't know he'd woken up though.

"He did, that's great news Lane." Kali walks over to her second in command on her team and hugs him than pulls back. "Jackson and I are really glad the team isn't the same without him."

"Yeah there's no one to gripe about my love of rules and regulations, even in our special unit. Laws are there for a reason. Does this mean we can see him now?" Jackson asks.

"It does, I texted his doctors while I was still in the parking lot, and they said once he's awake again they'll see about Scott having visitors. Isaac doesn't want visitors by the way today."

"He doesn't?" Havika asks worriedly about his own partner.

"No he doesn't I thought Imani would have told you." Lane asks. "I only saw the sign when I went to go see how he was doing and saw the no visitors sign put up."

"I don't think she knows, she said Isaac told her and the kids to go to church and enjoy their Sunday. I'll call in an hour or two, their church service should be just starting now."

"I wouldn't blame him." Evan comments from where he's leaning on his own next to the right of where Lane is sitting.

"Yeah, I agree man I can only imagine what he's going through. Temporary paralysis, that's gotta be tough." Jackson adds in.

"Maybe later when we visit Scott we can see if the boss man's up to visitors." Brianna suggests.

"Sounds good we can maybe even sneak in some food." Evan replies.

"Okay less lunch plan talk more investigation talk Jackson did you manage to get into the phone you and Kali found?" Havika asks.

"I did Havika and I was able to get the deleted messages back and there are messages from an R and C. Clearly this person thinks they're smart by just using only initials, but we know R is for Rutherford we just haven't figured out who 'C' is."

"Brianna and I went to talk to the neighbor directly across the street, and he said he saw the Nissan and the man getting out of the car." Kali informs Havika. "Description, tall, wearing all black and looked to be of South American descent and complexion, about early to mid-30's. Said he also saw the Commander there earlier before he saw the Nissan pull up."

"Okay that confirms what we know, Steve was there on a run, and he ran past the Montgomery house. We already know he didn't do it. But this does get us closer to the real killer. At least we know who we're looking for now."

Havika puts his hand under his chin thinking about all the info they have on the latest shooting. "Jackson see if you can't track or trace any financial records or transactions like an online banking app or something. This guy's got to be getting paid somehow."

"Do we know how McManis or Wilkes are getting paid?" Kali asks. "It's probably the same way."

"Wilkes is getting paid by a bullet to head to according to him. I stopped by the psych ward yesterday to talk to him, that's how he thinks he's going to die. He's obsessed with Scott and Rutherford doesn't like that. A bullet to head just like he put in Gunnery Sergeant Hurley."

"He could be poisoned just like Sergeant Powell was at the bar in Kaneohe."

"Do you think we really should be speculating how a perp dies guys. I know you all want to see him taken down but this isn't the way." Havika tells his teammates. "When the time comes he'll face trial, and judge and jury. We don't play all three. At least not this time."

"He still won't give up his branch of service. The only reason he's in the psych ward at Tripler is because his doctor did give up that he was at some point in the military. It's the only reason he wasn't transferred to an outside facility." Lane tells the team.

"Does he have any identifying marks that could clue us in to which branch he served in." Evan asks.

"If it was that easy Evan don't you think I wouldn't be standing here saying I don't know." Lane remarks.

Havika gives his friend a certain look as if to say 'cool it'. Kali has Jackson bring up a picture of Wilkes. It's the one of him in the black SEAL team 5 sweatshirt from Monday on the hospital surveillance.

"If we think of it terms of plausibility and the skills and knowledge he seems to possess we should be able to rule out at least of the five right away." Kali notes.

"Technically it's only four if we're talking branches of the military the Coast Guard is under Homeland Security not Department of Defense." Jackson corrects his partner.

"Okay so that leaves four options, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army. The Marine Corps is actually a Department of the Navy and follows under their jurisdiction under the broader DoD." Evan informs the group.

"Let's look at age how old is he? Do we know that?" Havika asks.

"He's two years younger than you sir, he's thirty four."

"So the youngest he could have enlisted is seventeen with a parents' permission. Let's go back to the brother theory let's say Wilkes does have a brother, a younger brother just hypothetically and they enlisted together that puts the enlisted age of Wilkes up to nineteen at least if he had a younger brother who also enlisted." Havika is thinking out loud now.

"Don't think you have to think hypothetically anymore boss." Jackson does some looking through the various databases they have access to. He pulls up two service records both under the name Wilkes.

"Well that throws my Air Force theory out." Kali says in shock.

"And my Army theory." Evan puts in.

"Knew that he wasn't Navy. He couldn't be he had a certain air about him." Brianna says.

"It's worse he's a Marine. A Marine never lies, cheats, or steals." Lane remarks remembering what Isaac told him once about what Marines first learn in boot camp. Literally that's like the first day, Black Friday he thinks is what Isaac calls it where the recruits meet their drill instructors.

"And he's done all three and then some to get where he is now." Havika looks up at the two service records and the pictures accompanying them. On the right facing Havika is Deegan Wilkes on the left is little brother Declan Wilkes, two years younger.

"That's not all he's done. His discharge was going to be a dishonorable one, but the powers that be somehow got it changed to a medical discharge citing, Staff Sergeant Wilkes was mental unstable and unfit to continue service.'" Jackson reads of the service record. "Also says he was strongly reprimanded for trying to severely injure his bunkmate back in boot camp."

"I'll say he's mentally unfit, more like fucking mentally disturbed it's like he's obsessed with Scott." Lane bites out. "You all saw the pictures that Five-0 found on Wilkes' laptop. That screams obsession."

Brianna takes a closer look at Deegan's photo analyzing it rolling around the all information they have on the man so far. What he's done where he's been. This is right up her alley, she stops treating him like a perp and more like how they treated unsubs back in the BAU.

"We need to find his stressor." Brianna looks back to the assembled agents.

"His what?" Lane asks.

Brianna shakes her head at the older agent. Sometimes she forgets she not in the FBI or with the BAU anymore. Not everyone knows what she's saying. "His stressor Agent Sullivan." She doesn't know why she was also so formal with the man but she is. "It's can either be physical, emotional mental even environmental stressor."

Lane crosses his arms over his chest and stares at the picture of Deegan. As if staring at it will give him answers or more likely burn a hole through it with his nonexistent laser vision.

"Find what made him snap Lane, his medical records show he was diagnosed with OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder at 16." Brianna reads through the record. "And it looks like from notes the doctors at Tripler made diagnosed him with 'Brief Psychotic Disorder."

"Wait wait OCD at sixteen, he should have been automatically disqualified from servicing. If it was documented and he disclosed it to his recruiter back in 2004." Jackson notes. "Almost all preexisting psychotic disorders are immediate disqualification full stop with very few exceptions."

"So why wasn't he then?" Evan wonders aloud. "It was three years after 9/11 recruiters couldn't still be that desperate for recruits after that tragedy right."

"No I don't think that was the problem Evan. I'm starting to think maybe Deegan threatened his recruiter into letting him serve. Or he somehow hid his OCD symptoms and 'slipped' through the cracks." Kali guesses.

"I could see threatening his recruiter as a possibility. I mean with little brother also joining he could have thrown in the old faithful 'I'm a big brother' I have to be there to protect my little brother." Havika says looking at Lane who is the only one in the room with a living younger brother.

"I'm nothing like that psychotic bastard, if Ryder wanted to enlist I'd embrace it, I wouldn't threaten my recruiter. I'd accept my faults for what they were, and move on." Lane states matter a factly.

"Not saying you are brah easy there don't bite my head off." Havika puts his hands up in a 'I surrender' gesture.

Evan opens up a bag of Cool Ranch Dorito chips, with a 'Riiiipppppp' and pop of the bag. "What I'm hungry." Evan says sheepishly as he offers the bag around the bullpen. Nobody takes the proffered snack food.

"Okay so enlistment wasn't the issue. He's Irish American it's what it says right here in the little nationality box. Wilkes isn't his birth last name at all actually." Jackson pulls up the other documents on the big touch screen monitor in the bullpen.

"It's not then what is it?" Lane asks.

"I found name change documents, made in the state of California. Papers were filed by a Nathan Wilkes, for minors then Deegan Whalen and Declan Whalen to take father's last name of Wilkes. Mother was served divorce papers a few months prior. Doesn't state the reason for divorce just that the name change was due to the divorce."

"Why would he change his last name?" Evan asks.

"My best guess, something happened between Deegan and his mother, and he no longer wanted to be associated with her so he changed his last name to that of his American father." Lane answers the younger agent.

"Maybe that was the stressor may be whatever happened between the mom and Deegan was bad enough to cause him to snap." Evan replies.

"Could be but he was sixteen when he changed his name he didn't enlist in the Marines until he was nineteen. I'm thinking it's something happened later in his life. Otherwise be obsessed about a guy you don't know. He didn't know Scott when he was sixteen, there's a six year age gap between the two. Scott was twenty two at than, and dealing with a lot more shit at the time than some punk kid from Ireland." Lane offers up that tidbit of information.

"Okay so let's look later in Deegan's life after he joined up let's look at a connection directly between Deegan, Scott and NCIS." Brianna says. She looks and Havika and sees him playing with a bracelet on his wrist. It's a nervous habit of his. One that he can't shake. "Is there something you want to share with the class, boss."

Havika realizes what he's doing and stops himself. Though not before catching Lane's eye and there's a stormy look in those hazel eyes. Havika knows Lane knows he knows something.

"No, you're all doing great, excellent investigative skills everyone." Havika praises his team. He knows this would come back to bite them one day.

Havika just expected Scott to be there with him when it happened. "Why don't we take five we've been at this for an hour and a half now." Havika quickly excuses himself and heads for the direction of the locker room, until he's out of sight of his team than he backpedals and heads to SAC Blackburn's office. He knows the other man is in there even on a Sunday. He has a dog sitter for his German Shepherd Diesel, so he can really theoretically stay at the office as long he wants without worry.

Ten minutes later, Havika comes out of Blackburn's office looking much better and slightly relieved at having talked to his boss. He walking back over to their bullpen when he sees up alongside Scott's service record file, the NCIS case file that was opened and sealed shut back in '09. The case that some would say put them all on this crazy trajectory in the first place. Though did he really know ten years ago that he'd find himself in this very spot looking up at the file he never wanted to look at ever again. Up alongside the case file is also Scott's criminal record file, in California, that accompanies the case file.

"Something you want to share with the class." Lane asks arms crossed over his chest standing up to his full 6'2" height. He's a full two inches shorter than Havika, but he's got power behind his height right now and he's totally pissed off.

"This isn't my story to tell Lane, but I will tell you the relevant portions of the case."

"Relevant portions Scott murdered a Marine." Lane barks out.

"Allegedly it just has to look like that Agent Sullivan that's all I can say. Scott didn't murder anyone." Havika says evenly. "In order for Declan Wilkes to stay alive, big brother has to believe his little brother is dead."

"And at the risk of Wilkes trying to kill Scott. Kill my partner!?" Lane asks. "Can't you tell me please."

"I can't tell you any more than that. But I'll leave this file here." Havika pulls a file from behind his back, and plops the case file down with a resounding 'SLAP' on the left hand corner of Isaac's desk. He then proceeds towards the exit of the building. Maybe Isaac's feeling up for visitors now or maybe even Scott. He hasn't seen him since he was admitted on Tuesday.

Lane fingers the edges of the file, but now that he has it in his hands literally the secret that's been gnawing at his insides to find out. He doesn't know if he wants to find out what's inside of it. Even if it could be relevant to the case and it sounds like it is. He feels like it's an invasion of his friend's privacy somehow. He doesn't want whatever is in that file to destroy their friendship, and it's come a long way since they met 18 years ago.

The others have left for the day, they said they'd meet up at hospital in an hour to surprise Scott. A sort of welcome him back to the land of the living party. At the prospect of seeing his friend again Lane shoves the thoughts of the file into a deeper part of his brain compartmentalizing it. He then neatly puts the actual file under his arm to carry out to his SUV to put into his go bag to read later maybe.

In the parking lot of NCIS, Lane calls the nurses station at Tripler and asks to speak to Kami Scott's nurse. He asks if it's okay for him to bring in outside food. Because hospitals are a stickler on that sort of thing. She says yes he can, but there are a few restrictions to what he can eat. They're not major so, Lane goes ahead with his plan for the little party. After stopping off at one of Scott's favorite eateries in town with enough food for the whole team and then some he heads over to the hospital. Hoping to lift two friends spirits little does he know what's waiting for them.

Before he leaves the pizzeria parking lot. He sends a text to Brooke and he sends Scott's sons a group text telling them all that their dad has woken up and his awake and talking. And that they can come and see him anywhere from 1200h to 1400h. Lane gets a text back saying that the boys and their mom will be there at 1300h sharp.

Lane puts his vehicle in reverse and pulls out of the parking spot and onto the road heading over to Tripler a smile on his face the whole way.


1120 Hours. Neuro Intensive Care Unit Patient Room 646, Moanalua, Oahu.

Lane parks in the closest parking spot he can get without pulling out his police parking sticker. He's going to be here overnight with Scott so he's left Scott's go bag up in his room. He grabs his own overnight bag along with the pizzas and heads inside the hospital. Meeting his five other teammates in the lobby all adorned with their badges and credentials, they head up to the Neuro ICU to see their teammates.

Standing outside the double door entrance to the ICU floor, Havika picks up the wall phone to his right and tells the nurse who they're here to see and what ICU they're in.

"Okay Agent Kamaka I've informed the patients nurses. Now I understand your bringing outside food in was it cleared with the patients nurses?" Havika answers yes that it has been cleared. "Okay I'm buzzing you all in now."

"Thank you ma'am." Havika thanks the nurse manager, and then hangs up the phone. A minute later they're buzzed in and walking through the large oak doors saying INTENSIVE CARE UNIT on the top of the door. On the door it says, RESTRICTED AREA Visitors Use Wall Phone for Admittance.

The agents all take the familiar route to the Neuro ICU and greet one of the nurses at the nurses' station. "Good Afternoon Izzy." Havika greets a dark haired nurse.

"Good Afternoon Agent Kamaka, it looks like you're gearing up for a little party." Izzy eyes the food and bags the other four agents are carrying.

"Scott woke up this morning so we're celebrating. Now we're hoping we can all get back to a new normal now." Havika answers as he casually holds out his right hand for his electronic visitor mapping bracelet.

Once everyone else gets their visitor mapping and tracking bracelets, they head over to where Isaac and Scott's room are. Both are located on the east side of the nurses station. Before any of them can get close to either room Kami comes out of Scott's room closing the sliding glass door behind her.

"How he's doing Kami?" Lane asks. "Has he woken up yet?"

"Yes he woke up earlier than expected, he hit his call button because he said he was having leg pains in his right leg."

"So...he knows what his doctor did?" Kali asks.

"Oh yes he knows and ever since he woke up last night he's been defying all normal responses to what's happening to him. Major Shepherd believes it's because of the damage done to his temporal lobe. He can't regulate his emotions, and his responses to situations aren't not normal, they're just unexpected for him."

"Did you have to sedate him again?" Havika asks.

"No, we didn't Captain Carson was called and he was able to get him to calm down, he's resting now, but he's in a rather foul mood."

"Does he not want visitors?" Kali asks concerning lacing her voice for her team leader.

"When I asked him if he wanted the sign up for no visitors he just shrugged his shoulders and didn't answer me." Kami tells the group of five agents. Even though it's Sunday they have been at work and they all still have their shields, credentials and handcuffs, minus their sidearm this time. This is a hospital after all, they're forced to surrender them to security.

"Thanks Kami." Lane turns to his other teammates. "Why don't you guys see if Isaac's up for visitors I'm gonna see if I can't get Scott out of his funk."

"Just holler if you need us brah. We're right next door." Havika reminds his friend as he, Evan, Brianna, Kali and Jackson head next door to Isaac's room.

Lane enters Scott's room having given the food and everything to the others to take into Isaac's room. Lane sees Scott curled up as best he can on his left side facing away from his door.

"Hey look who's awake sleeping beauty." Lane tries to joke. "I know you're awake I can see you breathing."

"Fu-Fuck off Lane." Scott grumbles barely moving his head from his pillow. This can't happen to him, this happens to other people. He's seen it happen before to other soldiers, Marines and even a SEAL buddy or two, but he never expected it to happen to him.

"Ah that hurts pal, is that anyway to treat a friend." Lane says as he moves closer to his friends' bedside. Lane puts his hand on his friends' right shoulder trying to comfort him. "Hey Scott...

"What!? What the fuck do you want a new par-t-ner." Scott gripes still not looking at him.

"What no, I just...wanted to see how you were doing the doctor's say you're doing good and you'll be out of this ICU in a day or two."

"Go...Go fuck yourself. Go'way!" And there goes the mood swings. Lane thinks.

"Scott come on, talk to me man what's going on it that head of yours?"

Scott lets out an angry little sniffle. "Look at me!" Scott throws the blanket off of him and rolls over onto his back facing Lane. Eyes red and puffy tear tracks staining his cheeks. "Ho-How am I s'posed to do my jo-job like dis. Tell me huh. How?!" Scott gestures with his right hand to his stump of leg.

Lane knows the answer he can give, the answer Scott's doctors would give. Hell Scott probably knows too, but he doesn't want to hear that right now. Lane for once doesn't know the best way to answer his friend. His partner. What is he supposed to say everything's going to be okay. Everything's going to go back to normal. No, things'll never be how they were again never to be normal again for either of them.

At Scott's outburst Kami comes into the room and looks between the two men. "Is everything alright in here, Lane?"

"I'm good everything's fine. I've got this under control." Lane tells Kami. "Really no need to worry."

Scott has his arms crossed over his chest and is staring hard and angrily at his partner. Determinedly not looking at his nurse. If he looks at her, he'll break down again most certainly and he doesn't want that. Once is enough he doesn't plan on doing it again.

"O-Okay if you're sure Agent Sullivan."

"I am I can handle him." Kami leaves shortly after to attend to her other patient. "Hey Scottie?"

"What?"

"I know what you can be for Halloween this year the youngsters would really love it." Give Scott a goal get out of here by October by Halloween. He knows his goal orientated partner well and hopefully this works.

"Oh yeah what's that?"

"Capt'n Petey the peg leg pirate." Lane says with a straight face for all of five seconds and then starts laughing. Then Lane hears it a little chuckle, then that chuckle turns into a snort and then full on belly aching laughing. That's what he wants to hear from his friend laughter. If one cannot laugh at himself who can he laugh at. This is good right now. They both need this for the long road that's ahead of them. They'll look back on this moment and laugh again. "And Eddie can be your trusted first mate, with own little costume and everything."

"Stop, don' make me laugh any-anymore it hurts my head." Scott grabs his head in pain and squeezes his eyes shut for a minute breathing deeply.

"Sorry you okay you want me to get Kami?"

"No...no I'm good. I-I'm sorry I blew up on you there...I...wha-happn'd to me?" Scott asks in an impossibly small voice.

Lane pulls up Scott's blankets to cover his leg back up and make sure he's comfortable. Lane sits back down next to Scott on his left side.

"You were in an accident." Lane tells Scott.

"Acc'dnt?"

"Yeah, it wasn't good. You hit your head really hard, and you hurt your leg. You lost a lot of blood in your leg, and to save your leg Captain Carson had to amputate 5 inches below the knee."

"What happ'ned what acc'dnt?" Scott asks again, meaning to ask what kind of accident.

"Scott what do you remember before waking up? Do you remember anything from Tuesday?"

"No-No I don'" Scott says scared. "Member, going to sleep, after massage, than...nothing, wo-woke up here." Lane realizes then and there that Scott doesn't just not remember getting shot not that anyone has told him he was shot.

They've all been avoiding telling him the nature of the accident even his doctors. It's only been not even a full day since he's been awake yet. He doesn't remember Tuesday period. He remembers Monday, and then waking up here in the Neuro ICU. Nothing in between. He doesn't remember, Tristan's hiking accident and he won't know about Grace and Jake's car accident. Or worse about the true nature of Steve's injuries.

"That's, that's okay man, it's probably for the best you don't remember anyway."

"Really? Was...was it bad? Did I do somefin' wrong?"

Oh God Scottie you're killin' me man. If Lane is any less Scott's friend he'd have run out by now, but he's his blood brother Scott's got one of his kidney's inside of him. He's not going anywhere, not now. Not after all they've been through.

"Why's your nose taped? Did I do that?" Scott asks biting his lip nervously.

Lane chuckles. "Yeah you did you big doofus, but guess I shoulda ducked huh."

Scott's face falls and looks away from Lane. "M'sorry Sully did-didn't mean hurt you."

Lane hears the hurt in his friends' voice clearly he's not himself, or is this the new Scott. The 'old' Scott would have laughed it off and agreed with him. "It's okay Scott, hey look at me." Lane asks in a soft gentle voice. Scott looks at him and he looks on the verge of tears again. Lane can't help but feel like a total ass. "It's okay bud I know you didn't mean it. I'm okay the nice doctor down in the ER fixed me, all up."

"Really you-you not mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad. What do you say to some lunch and some company they're some friends of yours who want to see you."

Scott's frown turns right side up and he wipes the tears from his eyes with his right hand. "Yeah okay bring team in."

Lane takes his friend's casted left hand and curls his fingers around Scott's own squeezing them in comfort. We're going to be okay Scott, you'll get through this. I'm going to be here every step of the way.

He pulls out his phone and texts the team saying Scott is up for visitors and also his current headspace Lane wants to call it but that doesn't seem right. Anyway he lets them now of Scott's mental state and that he doesn't remember Tuesday at all. So not talking about the shooting is paramount objective. Lane doesn't know how Scott'll react, if they start talking about it.

Agent K: Be there in 5.

11:34 PM

Five minutes later the group of agents are walking or in Isaac's case rolling into the room all smiles and joking. Laughter really is the best medicine.

"Hey Boss, glad to see you awake." Kali greets her team leader.

"Go-Good to be aw-awake again, Kali." Scott greets her and Lane can see he's really struggling to not slur his words.

"Yeah McSEALDaddy you had us all real scared there brother." Isaac says. "Glad to see you talking, and hey I'm sure you'll be walking around in no time."

"Why you in wheelchair I-Isaac?" Scott asks noticing for the first time that his friend is sitting down and not standing like everyone else. "Did you get hurt too?" Scott asks concern in his voice.

"I did, I was chasing a bad guy and he knocked me down and hurt my back real bad." Scott looks down at his own legs, leg at that. "But the doctor says it's only temporary." Isaac sees Scott's brow crease in confusion. "It won't be forever just a little way. I'll learn to walk again. But hey look what I can do. Evan, take the pizza boxes off my lap."

Evan takes the pizza boxes off his boss' lap and Isaac takes ahold of the push rims and easily shuffles onto the back two wheels of the chair. He spins around a time or two. The first time he does that his nurse almost has a heartache at watching him.

"Whoa cool, I want to do that." Scott exclaims.

Lane's mind immediately flashes back to wheelchair racing the two leads of Five-0 had a few years ago. Lane immediately vetoes that idea well at least in his head. He doesn't want to upset Scott in front of the others by telling him he can't do something.

"Let's get you up and standing on your own first kay there Speedy. Who wants to eat I'm starving, and I think there's a ham pineapple pizza with your name on it Scott." Lane tells his friend smiles on both their faces.

Havika breaks out the plates cups and utensils and everyone grabs the food they want and they all settle into a nice laughter lunch together. There's no talk of work or any bad times or thoughts. Just good thoughts, memories and funny anecdotes. In between this hour, Kami steps in periodically to check Scott's vitals, Isaac offers her a slice of pizza and a malasada.

"Take it please Kami you look hungry. Nurses have to eat too. We've got plenty." Isaac offers.

Kami looks at the decent food spread and as if to agree her stomach grumbles. She can't remember when she's last eaten. "Mahalo Agent Perry." Kami thanks the African American agent as she walks back out of her patient's room with food and drink that she savors back in the break room.

It's now noon and official visiting hours have started, it's also the time that Major Shepherd said he'd come back to check on Scott. Right on cue, a knock at the slightly ajar patient door.

All heads turn to see Major Shepherd standing at the door. Captain Carson right behind him. "Wow looks like you two are special. Look at this spread." Captain Carson says as he walks into the room beside his colleague. He's eyeing that box of malasadas hard, all he's had to eat today are protein bars and a protein shake his husband made him this morning.

"Well we had to pull out all the stops for these two doc. Have a little welcome back party." Evan says.

"We see, but unfortunately we have to cut this party short."

"Ahh really?" Scott asks clearly not remembering this morning and what Shepherd told him.

"I'm afraid so, I've got a little procedure to do. So we're going to need the room." Shepherd tells the agents, "And the food is going to have to go."

"I think the kids and teens in the teen and sibling lounge would love the food." Blake suggests. Than Blake turns to look at the only wheelchair bound agent. "Agent Perry you really should be in bed, but I think if you ask your nurse to ask your doctor he'd let you go outside to the gardens for an hour or two if like."

"Thank you for the suggestion doc I think I'll do just that. Let's move on out team give the docs their space." Isaac says and then looking over at Havika. "Uhh...

"No no totally fine bossman. You heard him guys lets' go. We'll be back in a while Scott okay."

Scott nods and waves to his teammates and friends. "Laney stay?" Scott looks into his friend's hazel eyes.

"Of course I'll stay bud." Then he turns to the doctors. "That's okay right?"

"Of course you can stay for any and all bedside procedures. It's your right as next of kin, and if anyone a nurse or therapist tells you, you can't stay you tell them we said you could." Blake tells Lane.

"Thanks." Lane sits back down and grabs a book out of Scott's overnight bag. He doesn't know how Scot'll react to this, but he hopes he lets him continue to read to him. Now that he's awake. He seemed to really have liked it when he was in a coma. He pulls out The Berenstain Bears book, and cracks it open.

To Lane's delight Scott does let him read to him completely paying the two doctors next to him no mind.

"Okay Scott everything looks good, the incision looks good and clean. I'll have your physical therapist stop by later in the afternoon and show you some socks you can wear on your stump. It'll help with the swelling and help reshape your limb."

"Okay..." Scott looks down at his newly wrapped limb in the thick white gauze.

"I think the sooner we can get you up and standing and into physical therapy the better you'll feel Scott I'm sure about that. Now if you'll excuse me I've got other patients to see."

Scott waves by to his doctor friend, and then realizes his other doctor is still there he's standing with a tray next to the bed with some sharp looking tools on it. He sees the needle and he immediately inches as far away from the doctor as he can.

"No pointy stick. No like pointy." Scott says looking fearful. Scott hates needles always has. Before he became immunocompromised with immunosuppressants he's on he hadn't had a full shot voluntarily since he's been back on the island. In the Navy medical exams and shots were necessary so he dealt with like a good sailor should.

"Oh, Scott that's okay you see this needle here it's going to give you medicine in your IV port here. So you don't feel any pain when I take out your tube in your head."

"Is that okay Scott can you be brave and let Dr. Shepherd help you?" Scott nods his okay.

"Lane if you can have him focus on you I can start now." Major Shepherd asks. Lane pulls out an I SPY book and opens it. Scott is perfectly occupied and Lane thinks he'll go through the whole procedure without incident until Major Shepherd starts to tug on the tube in Scott's head.

"Oww oww, -top, please hurts. Oww, Sully." Scott cries out in pain tears rolling down his cheeks.

Shepherd immediately stops at hearing his patient cry out in pain. "Okay, okay it's okay Scott. I've stopped." Colton steps back a bit holding his hands up. "I'm not going to touch you anymore."

"No more hurt?" Scott asks looking at him suspiciously.

"No, no more hurt okay." Shepherd tells his patient. Then Colton looks over at Lane. "This is normal for some patients. Some are just more sensitive than others even with the localized numbing agent."

"Okay, so what happens now?"

"I'll go in surgically and remove it under general anesthesia. I'll book one of the first OR slots for tomorrow and get this all taken care of." Colton says. "I would book it for later today but he's eaten so I can't. It's no big deal I didn't know this would happen."

"How long will it take tomorrow?"

"No more than 30 to 45 minutes from putting him under, to taking out the tube, to having him recover back up here."

"Okay so he can eat dinner tonight?"

"He can, but nothing to eat or drink after midnight and nothing but clear liquids twenty minutes before surgery time."

"Sully." Scott whines holding his stomach and hunching over. "I don't' fe-el good."

"Are you going to be sick Scott?" Lane asks. Scott nods. Before Lane can do anything Shepherd's already got a light blue square plastic vomit bowl under Scott's chin.

Scott heaves forward and proceeds to throw up what little lunch he did eat. A slice and a half of pizza, a small portion of mac salad, and half a malasada, and half a cup of coke. Makes for interesting color of vomit, but the smell is the same as anything coming back up. Horrible and vile smelling. Scott spends five minutes with his head in the bowl Lane holding the left side for him since he can't.

In that time Major Shepherd has left with his supplies and come back into the room. "Are you done or do you have to throw up more?" Lane asks.

"Done Sully." Scott says sounding sad. Lane gets up to go wash the bowl out in the bathroom sink after he dumps and flushes the contents down the toilet.

"I'll put this right here if you need it okay." Lane puts the bowl within easy reach just in case. "Guess you weren't ready for a full on meal huh buddy." Scott just shakes his head miserably.

"This is perfectly normal with the surgery he's had and with the fact he hasn't eaten solid food in five days. We usually start patients on bland dry things that won't upset their stomachs."

"I should have known, guess I overdid it a bit. I just wanted him to have some normalcy. Well we won't be trying that again until you're ready Scott." Looks like he'll be on the feeding tube for a while yet. It's not like the NG tube is something he's not used to what with the diabetes and his blood sugar and all that.

Scott just nods agreeing. He doesn't like puking he feels gross and yucky afterwards. Even after Lane has cleaned him up and brushed his teeth.

"I'll get that OR scheduled, and call you when the time's been arranged okay Agent Sullivan."

"Thanks doc. Scott does your head hurt?" Lane asks him seeing him squeezing his eyes shut and gripping his head. A slight nod.

"I'll up his pain meds now, and Scott you just rest now take it easy okay." Colton orders gently.

Scott nods, and turns away from his doctor turning towards Lane and curling in on himself. Clearly being sick took a lot more out of him. Colton checks his patients' vitals and writes them down, and then leaves the room.

Lane runs his right hand over Scott's buzzed head. Captain Carson had to shave it in order to perform the craniotomy. It's hasn't been this short since Scott had gone through BUD/s. He actually looks good with a buzz cut, but much prefers it a longer short as he's worn it since he was out of BUD/s and in the Teams.

"Sleep now Scott it's okay I'll be here when you wake up." Lane puts away the two books he'd been reading Scott and pulls out a book of his own he'd been meaning to try and finish. While Scott slumbers away peacefully.


1230 Hours. Inpatient VA Psychiatric ward - Patient Room 502, Moanalua, Oahu.

Calvin McManis knows the layout of this hospital like the back of his hand. It helps that he has a photographic memory. He's been in and out of the hospital for the past five days. They're really isn't a need for that. He got the layout of the whole hospital within three days. He'd gotten nurses and doctors schedules and shift changes down in two days. Getting the required drugs he needs and the correct dosage is a little harder than he thought but he manages to do it. He goes three separate times under a different name each time with a different doctors' signature. By Friday he had what he needed.

Calvin makes sure to keep his patient drugged up so he never can really recognize him. If he had recognized him he wouldn't be able to do what he needs to do. Dressed in a light blue scrubs with a fake I.D. name tag pinned to he walks confidently towards his patient's room. He waves to a few other nurses and orderlies on the ward who are tending to their own patients. His patient is the only one with three HPD officers outside of it.

"Afternoon boys how's my patient doing?" Calvin asks one of more senior looking officers.

"He's up and he's just ordered room service about twenty minutes ago. He's one cranky patient he is" The senior HPD officer tells Wilkes' nurse.

"I'll see if I can't help calm him down." Calvin tells them and heads into the room.

Wilkes looks up as he hears someone enter his room. He actually has a smile on his face until he sees who it is. "Hey you're not my fucking food. I ordered food twenty minutes ago. Where is it?"

"Mr. Wilkes there's no need for that language here." Calvin says deceptively calm.

"I don't fucking care I want my damn food." Wilkes argues with his nurse. He doesn't see his nurse prepping the syringe.

"You ordered it twenty minutes ago. It takes forty five minutes for them to get it you sir there are sixteen other patients on this ward right now. If you'll just be patient your food'll be here soon."

"They better not forget my jello this time." Wilkes grouses. He's handcuffed to the left side of his bed. His IV port is in his right arm.

"You're in pain still from your shoulder Mr. Wilkes I can tell, I'll just give you something for the pain and you'll just drift off into the abyss." Calvin's heart is hammering in his chest. This is too easy as he opens the IV port and plunges the needle into the port.

And then another and another. Wilkes notices unfortunately. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Shhh don't fight it just sleep now I'm giving you a different medicine it'll help you. Calm down."

Wilkes' breathing becomes shallow and there's beads of sweat on his brow. His chest is hurting, what the hell was in that syringe? Ugh God my chest hurts.

Calvin turns and walks out of the room calmly as you please past the officers. He knows he has time to get out before the drugs really take effect. He just makes it out of the secure ward before he hears the code being called.

Code Blue Code Blue VA Psych ward Patient Room 502.

Minutes before the code is called Wilkes eyes roll in the back of his head and he stops breathing. An officer comes in to check on him and he sees the handcuffed patient not moving, he's not breathing. He whacks the red nurses call button and runs out of the room.

"Help! Help the patient's not breathing get a doctor here NOW." The senior officer yells into the hall. Than he turns to one of the two other officers. "Someone get an update to Agent Sullivan 911 on Wilkes."

The female officer brings out her phone and immediately starts pulling up Agent Sullivan's number. And texts the four simple words.

Officer Kekoa: Wilkes 911 Code Blue

12:37 PM

Meanwhile back up a floor in the Neuro ICU, Lane gets a text. The text tone goes off and it's loud. He silently curses himself for not putting it on vibrate. He looks over at Scott's still slumbering form and breathes a sigh of relief when he doesn't wake up. That relief is short lived when he reads the text from Officer Kekoa.

To: Agent L. Sullivan

Wilkes 911 Code Blue

12:37 PM

"Shit." Lane swears. He's up and out of his seat before he even realizes. He runs over to Isaac's room and pops his head in. Kali and Brianna are in there talking to Isaac. "Brianna 911 from Officer Kekoa it's Wilkes. Let's go. Kali can you sit with Scott please he's sleeping now, but I don't want him to wake up alone if he wakes up."

"Sure, no problem brah." Kali answers. She looks at her unit chief with regretful expression on her face.

"Go Agent Lahele I'll be fine here. You two go find out what the hell's wrong with Wilkes we need him alive if he's going to go to trial and we can't do that if he's dead." Isaac orders. The two other agents rush off and run out of the Neuro ICU at a full sprint they take the stairs down to the fifth floor.

As Kali leaves Isaac's room, both agents hope Wilkes hasn't done something stupid, to get himself hurt. He's a bad man, and man who's going to spend the rest of his miserable life in prison for what he's done. She gets herself comfortable in one of the chairs next to Scott's bed.


1246 Hours. Inpatient VA Psychiatric ward - Patient Room 502, Moanalua, Oahu.

The psych ward isn't staffed with doctors equipped or able to perform certain tasks, so they had to get a doctor from the medical wing to come over. That's a waste of precious time. Time Wilkes doesn't have. Brianna and Lane come running down the hall, and come face to with the three HPD officers assigned as Wilkes' protection detail.

"What the hell happened?" Lane demands.

"I went to check on him Agent Sullivan as you told us to do, and when I went in there he was dead still he wasn't breathing." The senior officer explained to the dirty blond haired federal agent. "I called for a doctor, and one of the psych doctors called the code. A medical doctor's in with him now. They kicked us."

Well they sure as hell aren't gonna kick us out. As much as Lane hates to admit it they need Wilkes alive as much as he'd love to put two between his eyes. This isn't just about Scott anymore. He pushes the NCIS file and criminal record to the back of his mind and focuses on the task at hand.

"Thanks for the update Officer you did well. Come on Agent Seeger let's get in there." Lane says and Brianna's right behind him as they enter Deegan Wilkes room.

"Does anybody know what the hell happened?!" The doctor grunts as he's performing CPR on Wilkes. Lane notices that the handcuffs are missing. "I said no more people in here what are you doing in here?"

"He's in NCIS custody doctor, if he dies dozens of Marine Corps and Navy families won't get the justice they deserve for their loved ones." Lane tells the doctor. Okay he may be stretching the truth there right now, but he needs the doctor to understand the gravity of the situation he finds himself in.

Brianna's answers the doctor's question seeing as Lane hasn't still watching the doctor do CPR. "The officer outside said Wilkes' nurse came in to give him calming medication, said he was cranky. About ten minutes later the nurse walked out and left. That's all we know."

"What medication?! He's not on any medication besides morphine for the pain in his shoulder. I didn't order anything else check his chart!"

The doctor grunts again, meanwhile going all out doing chest compressions. A nurse and orderly are setting up the defibrillation equipment, and when ready, the doctor orders them to shock Wilkes while he continues CPR. "Again!" he barks. "And where's that epi!"

Lane and Brianna stand off to the side clear out of the way of the nurses and orderlies. Lane has an almost murderous look on his face. His lips in a thin line arms crossed over his chest. Just staring at the Wilkes lifeless body. You're not taking the easy way out you motherfucker. Not today.

If he dies Brianna thinks. His secrets die with him, and I doubt Agent McGarrett is in any shape to tell us anything about him, if he doesn't even remember Tuesday it's doubtful he'll remember Wilkes.

The orderly injects the epinephrine into the IV running from Wilkes' right hand. "Flush it at a high rate, we need to get it to circulate ASAP." Still compressing Wilke's chest, the doctor looks over his shoulder at Agent Sullivan he seems to be the lead agent here. "He's gone into cardiac arrest, and I want to know why!"

"So do we Doc you're the doctor don't you know? Wait Seeger go bring in the Officer who found Wilkes like this. Go!"

Brianna runs out of the room and asks the Officer, Officer Akuna the senior officer to come in. "What do you need Agent Sullivan?"

"You talked to Wilkes' nurse before he entered checked his ID tag right?" Officer Akuna nods in the affirmative.

"He checked out sir. He's been in and out of Wilkes' room since he was moved in here. He's the only one who tends to him."

"What did he look like? Can you give me a description?"

"Sure, tall about 5'10, lean, lanky build, chestnut quaffed hair deep green eyes. Looked kind of nerdy."

"Fuck..." Lane swears he then let's out a string of very colorful words and some foreign swears mixed in.

"That's McManis' description to a tee Sullivan." Brianna realizes.

"I know. We need to lock down the hospital NOW." Lane turns to Officer Akuna. "Go find whoever's in charge of this ward, and have them call a Code Silver, last known location VA inpatient psych ward."

"Right away Agent Sullivan, what are you going to do?" Akuna asks.

"I'm going to find that fucker..." Lane kneels down and lifts his right pant leg revealing his ankle holster and Glock 19, he pulls it out and clicks off the safety. "And make him talk."

Brianna is already getting her badge off her left hip and putting it on her chain and slinging it around her neck. She too then takes out her own backup a Glock 26 and putting it in empty right hip holster.

"How did you get guns in here, this is a secure ward?" One of the nurses not attending to Wilkes' asks.

"Please we've got a way to get around a little security precaution." Brianna says and for once is happy about their carte blanche ruling granted by Director Vance. This is the second Code Silver in the same week for hospital. She can bet that's never happened to the hospital before. Before she can say anything else, the PA system goes off over head all throughout the hospital.

Emergency Code Silver, VA Inpatient Psychiatric Ward, All staff, patients and visitors, please seek shelter or remain in a room with the door closed and secured.

Emergency Code Silver, VA Inpatient Psychiatric Ward

Emergency Code Silver, VA Inpatient Psychiatric Ward

"Twice in one week this is not good." Officer Akuna observes.

"Agreed Officer. You're coming with us to hunt this guy down we need all the help we can get. Brianna..."

"Already on it notifying hospital security, and putting an all call out to the team." Brianna answers already heading out the door with Officer Akuna fitting an earpiece into her right ear and syncing it with her phone.

"Good." Lane replies. "Let's head out at best he's got at least a fifteen minute head start on us." Lane turns back to the doctor still working on Wilkes. "Don't let him die Doc we need him alive."

"So you've said before Agent, I'll do my best."

With that the two NCIS agents and HPD Officer Akuna head out in search of McManis. Lane sends an additional text to just Kali about the books he has in Scott's duffel bag to distract him. That's just if he wakes up though. He's hoping his friend for once manages to sleep through the chaos going on around him.


1250 Hours. Neuro Intensive Care Unit Patient Room 646, Moanalua, Oahu.

Emergency Code Silver, VA Inpatient Psychiatric Ward, All staff, patients and visitors, please seek shelter or remain in a room with the door closed and secured.

Emergency Code Silver, VA Inpatient Psychiatric Ward

Emergency Code Silver, VA Inpatient Psychiatric Ward

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Kali whispers lowly under her breath. Kali's phone vibrates in her skinny green cargo pants. She pulls out her phone and sees the text from Lane.

Agent Sullivan: It's McManis don't know what he did yet. Looking 4 him now. Books 4 Scott in duffel on the couch he likes If You Give A Mouse A Cookie lately :) Or I SPY

12:51 PM

Kali texts back. Agent Lahele: Good 2 know. Keep me updated; Kami w/h me too. Thnx 4 suggestion; Scott still asleep 4 now (fingers crossed emoji) 12:51 PM

Lane sends Kali back the praying hands emoji in thanks, as he, Brianna and Officer Akuna search systemically floor by floor. Just like they did during Monday's lockdown.

Kami has pulled the curtain around Scott's bed so the room looks empty from the outside. Kami gets up from the couch to check on Scott's vitals. She still has a job to do even during a lockdown and if her patient is asleep.

As she's checking his tubes and lines Scott stirs and blinks his eyes open slowly. "Kami?" Scott asks blinking back sleep in his eyes. He rubs his eyes with the back of his right hand.

"Hi Scott did you have a good nap?"

"Hmmm. Good sleep. Where Sully?" Scott asks her looking around the room seeing it's darker, and the curtains drawn around his bed. He knows it's not nighttime yet it couldn't be. Scott looks to his left and sees Kali sitting in the chair Sully usually sits in. "Where Sully?" Scott asks again this time a bit more edgy and frantic. "He leave me?"

Kali gets up and reaches over to let the left bedrail down and takes Scott's thicker fingers in her smaller ones. "No, Scott everything's okay." Kali starts. "Lane...Sully he..." How is she supposed to explain this to her team leader in a way he'll understand. At the little gathering earlier Kali was observing Scott and his mannerisms. They were slightly like that of a young child. So she figures a simpler and hopefully easy to understand explanation will work. "He went to go help the team find a bad guy who hurt a patient." Kali stops to see if he understands. He nods.

"We're safe in here Scott." Kami adds in. "The bad guy is in a different part of the hospital."

"Safe here with Kali and Kami." Scott states firmly.

"Yes Scott you're safe with us here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Kali assures her team leader in a calm and soothing voice.

"Read story to me pleez. Mouse Cookie?"

"Sure we can read, IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE" Kali goes over to Scott's duffel and sees its full of children's books. And some clothes are at the bottom of it. She quickly finds the right book and brings it over. Kami turns on the over the bed light that she uses when it's the evening to check on Scott so Kali can read in some light to her patient.

Kali begins reading softly yet enthusiastically to Scott. And soon Scott is engrossed in the book and all bad thoughts he had of Sully outside his room in the hospital disappeared. His mind filled with images of Mouse and Cookies.


1321 Hours. Near Barber Shop and Food Court - 1st Floor, Moanalua, Oahu.

Calvin can't believe his luck he'd made it to the first floor. Now the lockdown's been called he knows those NCIS do gooders will be looking for him. The first floor is almost deserted no one in sight. His breathing quickens with the anxiety and anticipation of actually getting away with this. He's going to get paid big bucks for this, and he's going to get away with this...

He spots the tall muscular broad shouldered Hawaiian and the way his hands are positioned he's holding a gun out in front of him. His back is turned to Calvin right now. He's going to turn around any second now, and Calvin's out in the open completely exposed nowhere to run or hide. He's trapped. Havika turns around to check behind him, and it's like everything happens in slow motion in Calvin's eyes.

"Stop. Hold it right there!" Havika orders walking forward a few steps. "Put your hands up on your head interlock your fingers. Get down on the ground NOW!"

Calvin is stuck like a deer in the headlights he freezes, waits all of a second before complying he knows he's caught. It's over, but at least he has the satisfaction that idiot Wilkes is dead. Calvin kneels down with his hands atop his head and fingers interlaced as ordered. He hears the heavy foot falls of boots walking behind him.

Havika takes Calvin's left hand and places the cuff around his wrist and then follows with the right effectively cuffing the younger man's hands behind his back. Havika pulls him up with a grunt, "Come on up on your feet."

Holding Calvin's cuffed wrists with his left hand he keys his earpiece and speaks into it. "Agent Sullivan I've caught him, McManis is in custody. Yeah, made it to the first floor almost made it out he did. I'll ask." Havika turns to Calvin and asks, "What'd you put in that that syringe what'd you give him?"

Calvin may have given in but he isn't going to make this easy for the agents where's the fun in that. "I'm not telling?" Calvin says in a sing songy voice.

Havika grips the man's wrists tighter. "Tell me what's in that syringe or Rutherford won't be the one you have to worry about. We'll book you and throw you gen pop, and they don't like Hero killers, you won't last a week in there someone'll snatch you up really quick." Havika says.

He watches Calvin squirm and his eyes go wide as he gets older and taller man's meaning. "No, no I ain't a fag you can't do that. You can't."

"This says I can do that and more. Now. Tell. Me. What. Was. In. That. Syringe?"

"Potassium Chloride." Calvin shouts out trembling in Havika's grasp.

Havika radios Sullivan again and tells him what Calvin said was in the syringe. Calvin isn't stupid he's telling the truth Havika knows that. Lane keys his earpiece up on the third floor with Brianna and Officer Akuna. "It's working doc's giving Wilkes' something to reverse the effects. He's coming back round."

"Good, you want to come pick up the trash? Yeah, right by the food court and Barber Shop. Okay see you in ten."

Ten minutes later, Lane, and Brianna followed by Officer Akuna come out of the north side main stairwell and over to where Havika is sitting on a bench with McManis looking miserable.

"Agent Kamaka!" A voice calls from his right. Havika turns and sees both Agent Carson and Agent Santiago coming towards him. Agent Carson is the one that called out to him. As the two younger team members got closer they looked at McManis in handcuffs. "Well you guys have been busy here." Evan remarks.

"Yeah you could say that partner." Brianna says in lieu of greeting a thin sheen of sweat running down her neck. She's just run down three flights of stairs. "You missed all the fun."

"Well we're here now what can we do?" Jackson asks looking at his temporary unit chief.

Havika looks at the HPD officer. "Officer Akuna was it?" Akuna nods. "You had first contact with McManis here. I want you to handle the booking process personally." Akuna gives an affirmative nod. Then Havika turns to Evan. "Agent Carson I know you're supposed to be on medical leave, but you've kind of already broken that rule by being here. I need you and Agent Seeger to accompany Officer Akuna to HPD to oversee the process."

"Can do Boss." Evan answers. "But what about..."

"Don't worry about your doctor Evan I'll talk to him and get you cleared. You're not going to be doing field work let's just call it 'administrative assistance.'" Havika tells Evan.

Lane addresses Jackson, "Agent Santiago, I'm going to need you upstairs on protective detail." Lane pulls out his phone and texts Jackson given present company.

"Got it Agent Sullivan, what about Agent Lahele?" Jackson gets another text. He reads it and then answers, "Understood, I'll head up now." Jackson leaves to head back upstairs.

"Now we have Mr. McManis here in custody I'll call hospital security to give the all clear." Lane tells Havika as he calls up hospital security on his phone tells them they've caught the perpetrator and he's currently being taken off the premise and is being taken to HPD.

"Officer Akuna I want you to notify me if there are any complications with the booking process. My number is (808) 585-2965."

"Will do Agent Kamaka and you'll tell the two other officers I was with where I am."

"Yes I will they'll know where you are."

"Okay." Akuna responds and then turns to the cuffed man. "Come on up you." And Akuna hauls McManis up by his cuffs.

"We'll take the Camaro, Agent Kamaka do you have the keys sir?"

"I do, here take them. I've got to go get pick up a special package." Havika tells them. 'Special package' is code for having to pick up unit member kids. They use it when in the presence of perps or criminals at crime scenes. So far, it's kept the kids safe and out of harms' way. No one's noticed the correlation.

Keys in hand, Brianna looks towards her partner and HPD officer holding McManis. "Let's go gentlemen." Brianna swings the Camaro keys around one of her right fingers.

"I almost feel sorry for Evan almost." Lane says aloud to himself.

He's standing in the middle of the now deserted food court, just as the all clear comes over the PA system. It goes off three times.

Emergency Code Silver: All Clear

Emergency Code Silver: All Clear

Emergency Code Silver: All Clear

Lane sends a text off to Kali. He hopes Scott is still asleep and somehow slept through all this. Though it's doubtful.

Agent Sullivan: ECS All Clear. How r u and Scott?

1:36 PM

Kali's text back is almost immediate.

Agent Lahele: All good over here now. Slight panic attack at not seeing you when he woke up. Managed to calm him down IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE is his new favorite.

1:38 PM

Agent Sullivan: Good 2 hear. Tell him I'm coming up now.

1:39 PM

Agent Lahele: See u soon.

1:40 PM

Lane watches slowly as the hospital comes back to life and the first floor is soon bustling with people again. On his way up to the sixth floor he decides to take the elevator for once, he gets a text from Wyatt.

Wyatt McG: Mom's backin' out, heard news of lckdwn is Dad ok?

1:42 PM

Uncle Lane: He's okay, issue's been dealt with (handcuff emoji) Going to see your Dad now.

1:44 PM

Wyatt McG: Good 2 hear. When can we come see him next?

1:45 PM

Wyatt is sitting back at home in the loft with his brothers watching a movie. Or trying too anyway. This is really hard on all of them he can't imagine what Grace, Charlie and their cousin Joanie are feeling. Especially the two youngest. He knows visiting hours are almost up. And they won't make it in time. Not even with Cooper's Mario Andretti driving tactics. They haven't physically seen their Dad in six days now, though their Mom has been giving them updates on their Dad's condition. They know he's awake now and talking which is good. They also know that he had a seizure yesterday and he knows what his doctor did to his leg. He's also not his usual self, his Mom says their Dad can't control his emotions now. So that could mean angry violent outbursts but that hasn't happened yet.

Uncle Lane: 1600 hours. Quiet Time between 1400h to 1600h

1:47 PM

Wyatt McG: Kay will call when we want to come over

1:48 PM

Uncle Lane: Sounds good, see u later Wyatt :-)

1:50 PM

The elevator dings and Lane steps off onto the sixth floor and buzzes himself into the ICU and heads back to Scott's room.


1350 Hours. Neuro Intensive Care Unit - Patient Room 646, Moanalua, Oahu.

Lane walks into his partner's room and sees his lying down in bed the vomit bowl from earlier now sitting off to the side on the side table. He must have been sick again for some reason. Lane thinks to himself. Kali is sitting on Scott's left side reading him IF YOU GIVE A PIG A PANCAKE it's a part of the IF YOU GIVE series.

"How's he doing?"

"Lane!" Scott exclaims happily. "You're back did you get the bad guy? So-sorry coul-couldn't help."

"I did, hey it's okay partner. You're only job right now is to focus on getting better okay."

"Kay." Scott rubs his eyes like he's tired with his right hand. Kali closes the book and bookmarks it. So that Lane can pick up the reading later. Scott looks over at Kali and sees she's closed the book. "Kali can you fin-ish story pl'eez."

"I'm sorry Scott but Kali has to get back to work now." Lane tells Scott then turns toward Kali. "Kali I want you to help Jackson down on the fifth floor." Lane informs Kali texting on his phone. Kali pulls out her phone and checks the new text for the room number and details.

"Got it Boss."

"Hey! I'm your boss." Scott interrupts affronted at her calling Lane 'Boss'. "Can you finish story please?" Scott tries hard to pronounce all the little simple words right.

Kali sees the look on Scott's face he's mad and upset, Kali knows he's not mad at her just mad angry and upset at his situation. "Scott, can you look at me please?" Kali waits until Scott's blue hazel eyes have settled on her before speaking again. "I promise I'll come back later when it's visiting hours again, and I'll read to you, do we have a deal?"

Scott's seems mull it over in his head before answering. "Deal." Scott says as he lets out a big yawn. He quickly tries to cover it up.

"Whoa that's a big yawn for someone who's not tired." Lane remarks. "Kali why don't you go, Jackson's waiting for you."

"Bye Scott." Kali says waving goodbye to her boss. "I'll see you in a couple of hours." Kali leaves and heads down to the fifth floor to stand guard duty or protective detail with Jackson in Wilkes' new room. Alongside the two HPD officers outside of the room. They're the only two that can do it. Havika's busy with McManis and coordinating that mess, and Lane's not allowed anywhere near Wilkes anymore. Not like he's actually tried anything yet, and he won't he knows there's more than just Scott at stake here. Apparently, Wilkes got around quite well before he settled here on Oahu. There's five families in California who lost their sons because of this man. There's an unofficially restraining order put on Lane by Havika.

After the incident with McManis Havika and Lane figure out Wilkes may be actually mentally disturbed, but he's lying about being psychotic. He played them all to be able to get into a safer place in the hospital. So as to hopefully avoid getting killed. Though that didn't really work out all that well. He still technically 'died' for a few minutes. The doctor is able to revive him though.

"Sully will you stay wif me pl'eez." Scott asks him.

Lane looks over at the door where Kami is now standing and kindly reminding him of the time by tapping her watch. "I have to leave too Scott, it's quiet time now so you and all the rest of the patients can rest."

"But I'm not ti-tired." He says as he lets out another half-suppressed yawn.

"Scott you've been up for an hour since you last woke up from your nap after lunch. That's way too long I'm surprised you stayed awake this long. You're tired just accept it and sleep okay, please. For me?" Lane half asks half begs. Scott nods. "Thanks bud, and when I come back I may even come back with a surprise." Lane doesn't know where this 'bud' talk and buddy talk is coming from.

He's not trying to be demeaning or degrading to Scott, Scott doesn't even seem to mind. It just seems natural and easier to talk to him as if he were like a young child. Like his six year old son, Caleb. It's natural because he's a father, and knows how to take care of stubborn, scared, excitable kids. He just has to be delicate about he does it. There's no doubt tomorrow he'll even remember him calling him bud or buddy. When Scott goes for his MRI to officially determine the damage, Lane'll know what how he can and can't talk to Scott.

Scott slowly nods and tries to get more comfortable under the covers. He turns to his left, but there's that painful pull in his groin area. He hates that tube with a passion and wants it out. Lane's just stepping out of the Scott's room when Kami stops him. "Are you okay Agent Sullivan?"

"I will be now that he's awake he can focus on getting better. If that's all I better get going get out of your hair." Lane replies smiling at Kami.

"I'll see you in a couple of hours Lane. Don't work yourself too hard." She calls out to the dirty blond haired NCIS agent.

Lane has a lot to do in just three hours. With Havika having taken Isaac's son and daughter back to his house to give Imani some time to her herself. Havika's got his hands full with two Perry children and his own kids. Lane's the only one with 'free time' if he could call it that. As he sits in his SUV he thinks about the record they found on Scott and NCIS file with it. He's thinking about opening it, but he's still having reservations about it. They're still no closer to finding Montgomery's killer, and it's frustrating, it's only been a day since the incident happened. They have to give it time. The more time they lose the more likely his killer is going to go free or commit another murder. That's something they can't they let happen.

He decides to drive back home to his house and start on the work that Danny told him Steve is looking into. Since Steve won't be of much help as of tomorrow morning. On the way to his house he wants to call Brianna and Evan to see how things are going with McManis, but he doesn't want to make it seem like they don't know what they're doing. He knows they know what they are doing and are completely capable of doing their jobs.

He also decides to call Allison Montgomery and see how she and her boys are doing. It's only been a day since it happened, but Lane knows from experience that most spouses or those left behind want to get the funeral arrangements and have the funeral as soon as possible. Funerals usually happen about a week or two after the death. So if his life isn't already stressful enough now he's got a self-imposed timeline of finding a killer within two weeks. So the family can have closure.


1427 Hours. Honolulu Police Department - 801 S Beretania St, Honolulu, Oahu.

Brianna and Evan are overseeing McManis' booking process. Looking like the big imposing federal agents they are. Guns strapped to their holsters and badges prominently displayed around their necks. Officer Akuna is helping a younger officer who really looks fresh out of the Academy with the whole process. It's moving very slowly and it's driving both Agents up the wall.

"I think I'd rather be at the hospital on guard duty." Evan whispers to Brianna as they're leaning up against a back wall while McManis is getting his mugshot taken.

"You and me both, this is agonizingly painful." Brianna whispers back. "I mean I could do this kid's job. I mean yeah I get who he's booking, he's scared but this is just sad."

"Agents will you come over here and watch Mr. McManis while I run his prints through the system." Officer Akuna asks. Evan and Brianna walk over to the row of benches in the middle of the room, and collect McManis while Akuna runs the detained man's prints.

"Sit your ass down." Brianna roughly shoves McManis down onto the bench. On either side of the bench is a row of holding cells, and at the end of the holding cells is a larger drunk tank with about a dozen guys in it. For about 2:30 pm on Sunday it's pretty full.

"Move or even make the slightest move to get up, and I'm tossing you in the drunk tank with those lovely men over there." Evan says a smile on his face. Looking at some of the men in the drunk tank.

Calvin's eyes go wide in fear. "Ple-please no. I'm not that way. You can't do that. I-I'll..."

"You what press charges?" Brianna asks. "I think a few guys in there would love to have you there with them for a couple of minutes." Brianna looks over at her partner. "What do you think partner?"

"I'd have to agree Agent Seeger." Evan comments. Evan even notices a few of the guys in there looking at him.

"No you can't do that please." Calvin begs. New he's just a scared punk. A science smart punk, but the kid's only twenty-six and he's ruined his life. Brianna thinks.

"I don't know this badge here it doesn't say HPD, it says NCIS, and you've royally pissed off the wrong agents Calvin."

"I wouldn't test her man. She's just been itching for a reason to hurt someone." Evan tells the cuffed man. Before Calvin can reply the young HPD officer who is 'helping' Officer Akuna process Calvin's fingerprints through the system speaks up.

"Umm Agents there's a warrant out for McManis' arrest on the mainland."

"What? Are you serious right now?" Brianna asks.

"Yes, ma'am says so right here." The young officer swivels the desktop computer around to show them in big red letters OUTSTANDING ARREST WARRANT. It's true McManis does have an outstanding arrest warrant on the mainland.

"Seeger!" Evan calls out to his partner who is at the desk looking at the computer. "We gotta a runner!" Evan watches quite calmly as McManis is up and running past the drunk tank and further into the police station where the bullpen is.

Brianna looks back at young police officer a look of displeasure on her face. "Damn I knew I should've run today. Stop him!" Brianna yells to the passing HPD officers. She follows at a sprint closely behind their perp. For a lean guy he's surprisingly fast. She won't be surprised if he ran track or cross country in high school.

Evan watches as Brianna chases after their perp through the station. Running after a handcuffed perp unfortunately counts as field work and that's a no no for Evan right now.

Calvin doesn't get very far within the station he gets about as far as the main bullpen, before a female officer kicks out her leg and trips Calvin. This gives Brianna enough time to catch up to him and pick him up.

"Thanks for the assist Officer." Brianna thanks the female officer. Then Brianna pulls up Calvin by his handcuffs. "Do you not get it Calvin, running never turns out well for you." Brianna shakes her head as she walks Calvin back to the booking area.

"You okay partner?" Evan asks as he sees Brianna red faced hair plastered to her forehead.

"I'm good, Officer Akuna what do you have on McManis here?" Brianna asks the HPD officer.

He's got an outstanding warrant for his arrest." Officer Akuna answers the female NCIS agent.

"Where and who's the arresting agency?"

"Illinois, North Chicago, and uh you are Agent Seeger. I mean NCIS is the arresting agency. He's a wanted fugitive for three four murders."

"Thank you for that information Officer Akuna, Agent Carson call up Agent Kamaka let him know of the development." Brianna takes on the more senior role in this situation.

Evan takes out his phone and phones Havika and lets him know of the new development. Evan hangs up his phone. "He says it's the NCIS Great Lakes office based out of the Naval Station Great Lakes, in Great Lakes Illinois. He's calling up SSA of the elite unit over there."

"What's he want us to do with McManis in the meantime?"

"Hold him here he says, McManis is still in our custody Agent Kamaka arrested him."

"Looks like you're getting lucky and going in a single occupant holding cell." Brianna tells Calvin. Brianna gets Officer Akuna to open up one of the holding cells and then uncuffs Calvin and shuffles him into the cell, and slams the door shut behind him. Just something Calvin's going to have to get used to where he's going. But first he has to make it to his destination, just about 4,149 miles away.


TBC...

Mahalo again and keep reviewing, favoriting and following.

So looks like Brianna and Evan are taking a little trip. More Steve next chapter, and his first day in Halawa Correctional how will he handle it? What will he find out about his little brother? Why does one inmate seem so familiar with Scott? All that and more...next time

Till next time folks!