Steve and Lou barely drove for five minutes when Duke called and told them.
"Steve, we have the suspect in custody, you can go back to HQ."
"Is the suspect hurt?"
"He was shot twice; but it's not life threatening."
"What do you mean, shot? Who shot him?"
"One man from the Kapu handled him, while the others secured the area, no one else is hurt."
Lou asked Duke, "Did you see Danny anywhere? He might be there; he is with the Kapu."
"I just saw a silver car driving away; I didn't see him."
"Thanks Duke, we might want to come over and question the suspect ourselves."
"No problem Steve, Lou."
"I can't believe Danny would risk his life like that, did he forget that he has Grace, even though he is not working with the police anymore?" Steve asked.
"Steve, neither of us know how he is dealing with being alone and what happened in his life. He may not have many friends left, and only the Kapu appear to be on his side." Lou added his 2 cents.
"Yeah, I suppose you are right."
While Steve drove back to HQ, he sneaked glances toward his partner, and Lou, noticing his looks, asked, "Is something bothering you?"
"No, I was just wondering about the tape that you gave the governor, has he told you anything?" Steve asked.
"Well, he told me that the investigation is closed, but he will check it out, and told me to get back to work, and that he'd rather I was working on actual cases rather than Danny's old case."
"So, basically, nothing that will help get Danny back in the team." Steve came to conclusion.
"And if Danny has the option to come back, do you think that he will take it, knowing that no one of his team wanted him around?" Lou asked.
"Good point," Steve replied and then he added cheerfully, "We have to question the suspect."
"Yes, we do, let's hope that Danny was not hurt, if he was the one that handled this suspect."
Three days later, Grace called Steve.
"Uncle Steve, I've missed you."
"Hey Gracie, I missed you too, I didn't see you for, what, 6-7 months now?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, Uncle Steve, is Danny with you?"
"No sweetie, he is no longer working with 5-0, why?"
"Funny, mom never mentioned it, I thought that he was still working with you. He didn't answer my calls or my texts, and mom said that he couldn't see me anymore, something about custody, and I didn't see and speak with Danno in a long time, I miss him Uncle Steve."
"Custody? Grace, is you mom there?" Steve asked, and wondered why Danny didn't ask for his help, or maybe he did, but Steve answered that he won't. Steve tried to remember, and then the memory came to his mind, about the day that he asked for Danny's badge and gun, it was the same day.
"Yeah, mom, Uncle Steve want to talk to you."
"McGarrett, why are you calling my daughter?" Rachel tone sounded a bit harsh heard on the phone.
"Grace called me." Steve replied and he could hear her mumbling "Oh."
"I just want to ask you if you heard the rumors about Danny and where did you send him the file for custody?"
"Oh, about that, so, is Danny still working for 5-0?"
"Nope, he lost his job due to the rumors."
"That serves him right," Rachel said and then she added, "I knew that he wasn't a good man like he presented himself to me."
"He is a good man, but why were you using the rumors to take the most important thing from him away?"
"I guess I am not the only one," Rachel told him and added, "You know that he called me and told that he wants to break up with Gabby so he could be with you?"
"No, I didn't, so I guess that I'm not the only one that hurt him."
"I saw the video, Grace shows it to me and Stan," she sighed and added, "He looked pretty bad and so thin."
"I better see the video that Grace sent me."
"You do that, after all, Grace will need her dad."
Steve noticed the Governor also trying to reach him, as he said to Rachel, "I got to hang up, the governor is calling to me."
When he answered the other call, the governor asked for him to come to his office, as he needed to talk with him.
"I've got to go, the governor wants to see me, but before that, I really need to see the video, so let's watch together on the big screen." Steve told his team.
He put his phone on the computer desk and opened the video, to see his ex-partner working alone, shooting the man, Danny's eyes were dull while fighting and he was ignoring the burns on his hands while the other man pointed the nozzle of the flamethrower toward him.
Steve saw Danny fighting for his life, for survival, he did look tired and thin as Rachel told him, and he also looked like he had nothing to lose at all.
Steve wondered about what the governor would want him to do, and he thought that it was about the video that was spreading like the rumors had.
After the video stopped, Steve took his phone and headed outside.
"I'll come with you." Lou said and walked with him.
Once they were in Lou's car, Lou asked him, "So, what do you think the governor wants from you? Think it's about the video that we just watched?"
"Might be."
When they arrived to the governor's office, Lou waited outside, as he saw the Seal coming out he rose from the armchair he was lounging at and they both headed for the car.
"So, what did he want you to do?" Lou asked.
"Well, we have a mission to recruit Danny back to 5-0, do you think that he'll join us?" Steve asked, and then he added, "Maybe if I brought Catherine along with me, it will go smoother?"
"Seriously McGarrett, how would that girlfriend of yours help us in recruiting Danny?"
"She might, what have we got to lose?" Steve grinned at him.
"Right… well McGarrett, it's on you then. I'll just sit and watch the show." Lou said in a doubting tone, while Steve drove his car toward Kawika's place.
On the way to Kawika's place, Steve called Catherine and asked her to meet them there.
Once they all meet outside Kawika's place and Kawika came toward him, he notified them that he sent to Danny to the restaurant to do something for him.
"Can we have the restaurant name?" Catherine asked.
"Why would you want to see him?" Kawika asked.
"Well, the governor wants him back in 5-0." Steve replied.
"Well, you find him yourself, after all, he is part of my Ohana now and I don't think that he'll want to see any of you ever again, the harm has already been done."
With that, Kawika turned and went back to the house.
"Okay then, we'll just follow the GPS signal from the car for now." Catherine suggested.
"Good point, let's head to the cars then."
Lou followed them, not knowing what they would do next, McGarrett called 5-0 HQ as soon as they got to the car.
"Chin, try to get a trace on Danny's GPS, and tell us where we can locate him."
"I'll get right on it Steve." Chin said and started to work on the computer. After a minute or so he said:
"Steve, the car is near Dillingham Blvd, close to some shops I presume."
"Thank you Chin."
Steve said to Lou, "See, that was easy, now I need to let Cath knows, so maybe we'll grab some food for Chin and Kono while we're at it."
The two cars headed for the address Chin provided and parked near the silver car, they were glad that the car was still there, since that meant Danny should still be around.
"Lou, wait outside, while we talk to Danny."
Lou nodded, knowing that was not a good move on the part of Steve, especially if the Seal was coming with his girlfriend to talk to Danny, no good was going to come from that.
As Lou was wandering about, he spotted Danny walking toward the "Wingstop" food place. Picking up his phone, he called McGarrett.
"Steve, Danny is at the 'Wingstop' food."
"Thanks Lou."
Danny noticed the line, and stood after the last person, but as soon as the manager spotted him he asked him to come forward and be served.
"I know you," he said and then he added, "You are the guy that saved us all from the flamethrower man."
"Yeah," Danny said, and then he added, "Maybe I should just wait for my turn now."
"No, that won't do, so what can I give you?"
"Well, I came to collect Kawika's order." Danny replied while turning around and apologizing to the men and women that were waiting in line.
"Oh, there it is," the manager said and gave him the order bag, though he added another bag including a drink, and said to him, "It's on the house, you don't need to pay, after all you did save my shop."
Danny's hands were still bandaged from the burns, but it didn't stop him from taking the bag, and then he thanked the manager and headed outside, only to run into Steve and Catherine, staring at him.
"Maybe we should talk outside." Steve suggested as Cath moved to help Danny with his bags.
"I don't see any point in talking to you two, besides I need to go." Danny said coldly and headed toward his car.
Steve was startled at his ex-partner's reply. "Look" he said, "I know that you are working and living on the street or staying with Kawika with you Ohana, but the governor wants you to come back and work with 5-0, so, are you coming to work with us?"
Danny laughed at him and headed toward his car, but before he closed the driver's door, he just said, "I have my Ohana, who are actually there for me, I can't say the same about 5-0, and you can tell the governor that he had his chance about 6-7 months ago. because now, it's too little too late, and I won't come back to the team that didn't want me in the first place. how will I know that you will be there for me if circumstances like that would happen again?"
"Point taken." Steve said, and he heard Danny closing the door, and just as Danny was about to start the engine, he asked, "So, what should I tell Grace?"
"Well, I can't talk to her, it's part of what Rachel added to the full custody she has on my daughter, tell her what you want," Danny sighed and put the drink near to him, drank a bit and then he added as he pointed toward Catherine , "I thought that you broke up with Catherine, I guess nothing has changed."
With that Danny drove away, leaving Steve behind in the dust and with a sense of lost hope, while Lou just grimacing, and Catherine confused about what just happened.
TBC