CHAPTER 16

Tuesday evening, TAMC:

Steve glared at the ceiling.

He'd made it only one day.

One day of freedom. If one could call it that. Being cooped up inside his own house was not Steve's idea of a good time. Steve's mood had taken a serious downward turn when he'd realised his night would be ending with a trip to the hospital. Again!

Steve glanced down at his shoulder. It had been covered in gauze and his arm was strapped to his chest. He wouldn't be able to move it even if he wanted to. All he could see of his arm was the pink tips of his fingers.

Steve tried to shuffle his body into a more comfortable position, which reawakened the pain in his side, ribs and shoulder. He barely contained a groan as the pain pulsed in time with the beating of his heart.

"What do you think you're doing?" Steve cringed at the tone of Danny's voice.

"Getting comfortable," Steve answered. "Not that it's possible with this stupid contraption."

Danny sighed a long-suffering sigh. "That's there to stop you from doing any more damage to yourself."

"Well, it's annoying."

"Well, that's what you get when you break your collarbone because you took off your sling in the first place!" Danny argued loudly.

"I took it off so I could protect myself against a hitman!" Steve yelled.

"And look where that got you! Not only did you break your collarbone, but the doctor also had to put new stitches in your bullet wound and your stab wound. Which he did a day ago! Not to mention the lovely array of colours on your face and your now broken ribs."

"Why are you so angry?" Steve asked.

"I'm angry because you nearly got killed by a deranged psychopath!" Danny cried.

Steve opened his mouth to say something in response, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Doctor Brunning entered and stood in front of Steve, his arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed his patient.

"Commander McGarrett, I thought I told you to go home and rest. This doesn't look like resting to me," the doctor said, his voice low.

Steve had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry, doc."

The doctor glared at his patient for a moment before shaking his head. He set the chart down on the bed and approached Steve. He checked Steve's shoulder, inspecting the sutures and made a noise that suggested he approved of what he saw. He then moved to Steve's fingers.

"No swelling, good circulation. How does your shoulder feel?" the doctor asked.

"Fine," at both Danny's and the Doctor Brunning's incredulous looks, Steve amended his statement. "I mean, throbbing a little. But it's manageable."

"We had to repair almost all of the stitches from your various wounds. Would you like to inform me of how they got popped a day after them having been placed?"

"I, uh…" Steve glanced at Danny for help, but he just shook his head. "I got into a fight."

"Did I, or did I not, tell you no work?" the doctor asked, exasperated.

"You did, but it wasn't my fault," Steve started to explain.

"It's true, doc. It wasn't his fault. He's just a trouble magnet. He was at home, resting, when someone decided to have another go at trying to kill him," Danny added in Steve's defence, having finally taken pity on his partner.

The doctor sighed. "I'm guessing this means you won?" Steve nodded. The doctor whistled as he took in all the new bruising on Steve's face and chest. "I'd hate to see the other guy."

"So, when can I go home?" Steve asked, not one to be deterred.

"Are you seriously asking me that right now? You just had a broken bone realigned, multiple stitches placed and had your bell rung pretty good. You are in no condition to leave right now," Doctor Brunning stated.

"Look, doc. I can rest much better at home. I promise to follow all of your orders and stay at home," Steve pleaded his case.

The doctor took a few moments to think it over. "I'm pretty sure that's the line you fed me last time…Fine. You will stay the night and if everything looks good in the morning, I will release you. But if you even think about going back to work or getting into another 'fight', I will have you back in this bed in no time. Am I clear?"

"Yes, doc," Steve said innocently.

"Good," the doctor said. He took one more look at his patient and then left.

"I think you pissed him off," Danny commented.

"Why does everything assume this was my fault?" Steve asked.

"We don't, Steve. We know this was out of your hands. You did everything you could to protect yourself," Danny said.

Steve sighed. "I honestly wasn't thinking about myself. I was thinking about the fact that I was the only one left that could testify against Vivaldi. If I didn't, then he'd walk. Without Kuznetov and Russo, the evidence would be thrown out of court."

"So, you still want to testify?" Danny asked.

"Yes," Steve said, his eyes burning with defiance.

"Okay then. Let's make sure he gets what he deserves."

Six days later, Five-0 Headquarters:

Steve McGarrett walked into Five-0's bullpen with a huge grin on his face. He passed by Chin and Kono, who were working at the smart table and made his way straight to Danny's office. Danny looked up when Steve entered his office without so much as a knock.

"What are you doing here?" Danny asked, staring at his partner.

If Danny recalled correctly, Doctor Brunning had been very specific about Steve staying home and relaxing.

"Working," Steve answered, still with that goofy grin on his face.

"No, the doctor said you aren't cleared for work yet," Danny answered confidently.

Steve slapped down a piece of paper in front of Danny. "Actually, he did clear me. For desk duty, anyway."

Danny stared at the piece of paper Steve had just placed in front of him. That couldn't be right.

"You're cleared for desk duty?" Danny asked in disbelief.

Steve nodded, obviously delighted by the outcome.

"What did you threaten the doctor with? Did you tell him you would put him in a shark tank until he would sign the papers? Or maybe hang him off the roof by his ankles?"

"Danny, I didn't coerce him into anything. He said I was ready for desk duty," Steve said, not losing the amused grin from his face.

"But, you're still injured," Danny argued weakly.

"Yes. My collarbone will take time to heal. The stab wound is healing nicely. Doctor's words, not mine. Even the shoulder wound is healing. I'm fine, Danny. I'm ready to work…I need to work."

Danny sighed. "Okay. Whatever. Go make yourself useful and get us some coffee. We've been working this case non stop and need a break."

Danny shook his head in amusement as Steve eagerly went about the menial task without complaint. He joined Chin and Kono by the smart table.

Chin hooked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction Steve had gone. "What's with him?"

"He got cleared for desk duty," Danny replied.

"Isn't that a little soon?" Kono asked.

"Not in his opinion. But I have the paperwork, signed by Doctor Brunning himself, to prove it," Danny said as he waved said papers in the cousins' face.

"Well, we could definitely use an extra set of eyes on this," Chin said as he rubbed his own tired ones.

They were still stuck on the robbery-murder case. Between worrying about Steve and helping the FBI with the final reports on the Vivaldi fiasco, the team hadn't had much time to work on the case that had been assigned to them by Governor Jameson.

"Is Steve still going to testify against Vivaldi?" Kono asked.

"Yeah. And don't even think about trying to change his mind. He's pretty determined," Danny answered.

"What's to stop him from sending another hitman after Steve?" Chin asked.

Danny sighed. "Nothing."

Danny, Chin and Kono were working quietly by the time Steve came back with four, freshly brewed and steaming hot coffees, all carried carefully in his right hand. The team sipped their coffees, inhaling the scent of Kona coffee and waiting for the caffeine to hit.

"Have you heard from Mary yet?" Kono asked Steve.

Steve swallowed his mouthful of coffee. "Yeah. We talked last night. She's been on a team-building course with her co-workers. She got a job as a receptionist in some adventure sports place. I can't remember what the name of it was. Anyway, they were out white-water rafting for the last week. She sounded good."

"That's nice," Kono said.

"I wonder how long she will keep that job," Danny muttered.

Steve glared at Danny.

"Good on her," Chin said, trying to defuse the situation.

"Yeah. She said she was really enjoying it. She really liked the people she's working with," Steve said, smiling.

It was nice to see Steve smiling. It had been a while since that had happened. Talking to Mary probably had something to do with, in addition to the relief everyone felt knowing Steve's younger sister was safe.

Tuesday afternoon, McGarrett residence:

Danny Williams knocked on Steve's front door and waited for his partner to answer. He had a bucket of plaster in his hands and tubs of paint waiting in the back of the car. Steve opened the door and stared at Danny, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Hey," Danny said.

"Um, hi," Steve said, still frowning.

"Can I come in?" Danny asked.

"Oh…sure," Steve said, standing aside to let Danny in.

Danny made his way inside and deposited the bucket next to the lanai door.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked.

"I'm going to help you fix the wall, what does it look like I'm doing?" Danny said, as though it was obvious.

"Yeah, I get that. But why?"

"Because there is no way I am letting you do it one handed. Plus, I'm pretty sure there are one or two more holes that need to be fixed from the General Pak incident anyway. Might as well get it all done in one go."

Steve stared at Danny. "You don't need to do that. I'll get around to it when I'm healed."

Danny just rolled his eyes at Steve and proceeded to go about preparing the area for repair. Steve walked to the kitchen and retrieved two bottles of beer from the fridge. He passed them both to Danny, who opened them and passed one back to Steve.

"Thanks," Steve said.

Danny nodded and took a gulp of the cool drink. Steve sat on the couch and watched in silence as Danny worked.

"When's the trial?" Danny asked.

"In two weeks," Steve said.

"Are you still sure about testifying?"

"Yep."

There was a moment of silence as Danny thought about how to ask the question he had come here to ask.

"Can I come with you?" Danny asked.

Steve thought for a moment before answering. "Sure…but I'll be fine."

"I don't want to go for you," Danny said with a smile before turning serious. "I want to pay my last respects to Mitch."

Steve almost choked on the beer at Danny's honest answer.

"Can I come with you?" Steve asked the same question Danny had asked him seconds earlier.

Danny turned around, surprised by Steve's question.

"No. I'll be fine," Danny said with a small smile to show Steve he was joking.

Steve stood up and faced Danny. "This is the second friend that you've had to say goodbye to in a year. You don't have to it by yourself."

"I almost had to say goodbye to you too," Danny reminded him.

"But you didn't," Steve said seriously.

"Yeah."

The rest of the afternoon was spent in comfortable silence, except for the argument about what colour to paint the wall. Eventually, all the holes in Steve's house had been patched up and painted over.

It was like nothing had ever happened.

Two weeks later, New Jersey:

Steve tugged at the tie around his neck. It felt too tight, too constricting. He almost felt like he couldn't get enough air in. He felt a hand on his arm and looked over to see Danny glaring at him. He stopped fidgeting with his tie and let his hand drop back into his lap. His other arm was still trapped in the sling. Steve really hated the sling.

He wasn't nervous. He was just tired of waiting. At least, that's what he told himself. Any moment now, the prosecuting attorney would call him as a witness and he would start his testimony against Roberto Vivaldi.

The hitman, later identified as one Darren Boden, had immediately confessed to being hired by Vivaldi to take out Russo, Kuznetov and Steve. Between the hitman's and Steve's own testimony, there was no reason why Vivaldi shouldn't be convicted of the crimes he had committed. It was just waiting for the official proceedings to finally convict the man that made the whole process feel drawn out.

Steve sat still, trying to contain his nervous energy as the court proceedings took place. Vivaldi turned in his seat to face Steve. He smiled, his off-white teeth glistening in the artificial light. Steve glared back.

Suddenly, Steve heard his name being called. He stood and made his way to the stand. He could feel the reassuring presence of his team behind him as he walked to the stand, where he was sworn in. The whole time, he stared right at Vivaldi. As he recalled the atrocities committed by the man against himself, he never took his eyes off the man that had caused many people pain.

Finally, it was done. Steve was able to leave the stand. Instead of returning to his seat, he walked straight out the door and to the open courtyard. As soon as the fresh air hit his face, he took a deep, invigorating breath and let it out slowly. He could feel some of the tension leaving his body as he inhaled the fresh, crisp air. He allowed himself to get lost in the moment.

He jumped when he felt a hand tap his shoulder lightly. He turned to see Chin standing behind him with an understanding smile on his face.

"The jury has made a decision," Chin announced.

Steve looked down at his watch. He hadn't realised how long he had been outside, but he knew it hadn't been too long. The jury obviously had enough to make a decision quickly. Steve followed Chin back inside the court room and took his seat next to Danny.

The judge asked Vivaldi to stand as the foreman read the verdict.

"On the count of first degree murder of Mitchell Reardon, we find the defendant…guilty," the foreman announced.

Steve didn't need to hear the rest. He couldn't even if he tried. There was an intense buzzing in his ears as the verdict sunk in. Vivaldi was going away. For good.

Steve watched in a haze as Vivaldi was escorted from the court room. As he passed, he glared at Steve, who only smirked in response.

It was finally over.

Later that day, George Washington Memorial Park:

Danny stared blankly at the grey stone sticking out of the ground.

Steve was right. This was the second friend he had said goodbye to this year. Both of them had been murdered for doing their jobs. Meka, and now Mitch. Steve had nearly been added to that list.

Danny knew that he should feel relieved that Steve wasn't also buried under a ton of dirt, but he felt…He didn't know what he felt. He felt, ashamed maybe. It was like he traded one friend's life for another. Thankful that one was alive while the other was dead. He knew that wasn't fair. He didn't know Mitch Reardon all that well, but he still felt his loss.

Another good cop, dead.

And for what?

Well…That's what needed to be celebrated. Another bad guy locked away. Without Mitch, Vivaldi would have gotten away with a lot more. On another note, things could have gotten a lot worse too. Especially for Steve. But Danny didn't want to think about that right now.

He was just thankful that his best friend was still alive.

Danny looked up from the stone and turned slightly to the left. There, he saw Chin, Kono and Steve standing and trying not to look at him. They wanted to support him, but also give him his privacy. Danny smiled. How did he get so lucky to have a group of people that cared about him like that?

Danny said his goodbye's to Mitch and then walked over to where his team was waiting in silent support. His phone started ringing as soon as he reached them. He took his phone out and glanced at the caller ID.

"Hey Dave," Danny said as he answered.

"Hey Danny," Dave McClean said.

"What's up?" Danny asked his old partner.

"I just got word…Vivaldi is dead."

Danny's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"No one knows how it happened. It looks like a heart attack. He's gone, Danny. I just thought you should know," Dave said.

"Um, thanks."

"No problem," Dave said as he hung up.

Danny numbly put his phone back in his pocket before making eye contact with the team.

"What did Dave want?" Kono asked.

"He…um…he wanted to tell me…" Danny stuttered.

"Tell you what?" Chin asked.

Danny took a deep breath before announcing it. "Vivaldi's dead."

Steve and Danny locked eyes and gave each other a knowing look.

It really was over.

The end.