A/N: When I started watching the series back in March, Magnum was the youngest among the four friends, based on the actors' ages on their IMDB page. By mid-2020, however, Zachary Knighton's bio was updated, making him 8 months younger than Jay Hernandez. Anyway, for this story, I'll be keeping the guys' ages based on the original info.

Also, this wasn't written for Whumptober 2020 – I'd totally forgotten about it when I posted the first chapter. I really need to work on my timing. :D

Chapter 2

"Come on, brother. We're family. That's what we do for each other." – Theodore 'TC' Calvin

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Rick dropped his head dramatically into his hands as Teuila 'Kumu' Tuileta made the final move on the Konane board, winning the game. The cultural curator of Robin Masters' estate had introduced them to the classic Hawaiian board game very similar to checkers during one of Thomas' downtime last year, when the PI had all but badgered TC, who was nursing a bad case of the flu, to temporarily move into the guesthouse.

Recognising the ringtone, Rick hit the answer button, setting his phone on speaker mode. "Hey, man, how's it going?"

"Any idea what's up with TM? He's not planning anything, is he?" the owner of Island Hoppers said without preamble, his voice unusually low and raspy.

"I don't think so," Rick answered after a moment's thought. "What's going on?"

"No idea. He's been asking me to crash at the guesthouse – again. You know what? If I didn't know better, I'd say our boy's in major mother-hen mode…"

At the King Kamehameha Club, Rick stopped midway through his inventory count as TC's words triggered a distant, almost forgotten memory. He reached over and picked up the phone. "Yeah? Maybe you should take him up on his offer, buddy. You do sound kinda rough."

TC sneezed and then blew his nose before answering, "Don't you also start, okay? It's just the flu – nothing I can't handle. Besides, like I told TM, don't you think I'm old enough to take care of myself?"

Rick was silent long enough that TC thought the call had disconnected. "Hello? Rick? You still there?"

The beach club manager walked over to a nearby stool and sat down, rubbing a hand over his face. "Yeah, still here. Sorry, man."

"You okay?"

"Listen, I think I may know what's going on with Tommy–," Rick started and then stopped, suddenly unsure how to continue.

"Rick? What is it, brother?" TC asked, feeling a slight twinge of worry at the abrupt shift in the conversation, especially if it involved Magnum.

Despite him being the ranking officer during their time in Afghanistan, and while they would follow him to the ends of the earth, there was something about Thomas that brought out a protective streak in them. Perhaps it was how he would take on everything that came their way on his shoulders without complaint or his infuriating way of always putting himself last when it came to his own well-being. The latter drove them all crazy and frustrated Rick to no end. In spite of their best efforts, every now and then, Thomas would still manage – though not deliberately – to disregard his own safety, causing the Marine door gunner to go off on the younger man, ranks be damned. Of course, after Rick read him the riot act, Thomas would send them an apologetic grin and then carried on as if nothing happened.

TC could tell that Nuzo worried about Magnum on a whole other level – which was understandable given their shared history as Team guys and from knowing him longer. Then again, the Marine chopper pilot needed only to draw on his own experiences with Thomas for him to appreciate what Nuzo undoubtedly went through with their wayward brother-in-arms long before the four of them became a team. And that instinct to protect the youngest among them had only increased when Thomas deliberately took the brunt of the numerous punishments and abuses they suffered during their time as POWs.

"I don't think TM even realises that he's doing it," Rick was saying and TC frowned as his friend continued, "But asking you to stay over is probably his way of making sure you're safe, you know, especially after what happened to Nuzo…"

This time, it was Rick who wondered if the call had disconnected before the colourful expletives coming from the other side of the line had him chuckling. "One thing's for sure, bud, you swear like a sailor..."

"I'm sorry, man," TC said, regret heavy in his voice. "I should've realised sooner what was going on in that head of his."

"That's ok, bro, I forget too," Rick sighed. "What you said earlier reminded me of a story Nuzo once told me. The big guy said Tommy kept such a close watch on him after he was injured in an ambush in one of their earlier missions together that those few weeks nearly drove him nuts. Nuzo also said it was probably the reason why he recovered way earlier than anyone expected."

TC gave a snort of laughter. He could just imagine the aggravated look on Nuzo's face at Thomas' constant hovering and the younger man's response of wide-eyed innocence each time his fellow SEAL brought up the matter.

"He made it sound as if you'll be doing him a huge favour, didn't he?" Rick hazarded a guess.

"What do you think?"

Rick huffed out a laugh. "That's our boy, all right."

TC ended up staying at the guesthouse for an entire week, with Rick moving in the last few days just for the heck of it. Aside from the great company, it was always fun to see Thomas verbally go up against Higgins – his good humour and sunny disposition a natural counter for the majordomo's acerbic wit. The pilot knew that if Nuzo had been around, he would have been highly entertained by their many exchanges, although most of them were face-palm moments and generally at Thomas' expense.

"Best of five?" Rick asked Kumu with a hopeful voice that had TC chortling.

"Dude, you've already lost three games in a row," the big man gleefully pointed out. "That's already best of five."

Rick eyeballed the pilot. "Whose side are you on?"

"You mean for this game? Definitely not yours, my brother," TC answered solemnly before bursting into laughter.

"I'd love nothing better than to play another round with you, Rick, but I have to get to my meeting at the cultural centre," Kumu said with a laugh as she stood up. "TC, take over from me?"

"Gladly," TC grinned as he took Kumu's vacated seat and rubbed his hands together. "Get ready to lose, Wright."

"Have fun, boys," Kumu called out to them. She stopped beside the couch on her way out and looked down at its occupant. "As for you, make sure you get plenty of rest, okay? Aloha."

"Bye, Kumu. Mahalo," Thomas replied with a drowsy smile before turning his half-lidded gaze once more towards his best friends. "You guys don't really have to stay, you know. I'll be fine."

"Don't worry about it, buddy," Rick answered as TC started placing black and white pebble pieces back on the wooden board. "It's not like we have anything planned for today."

The doctor would have preferred to keep the injured man overnight but, as usual, he managed to wheedle his way out of it. Given Thomas' penchant for ignoring medical advice, Rick decided as he drove them back from the hospital that he would keep a close eye on his friend, at least for the rest of the day. Unsurprisingly, TC had the same idea and cleared his schedule as well.

Higgins was relieved, to say the least – she had an urgent task to complete for Robin, and she didn't like the idea of leaving Magnum alone in his condition, even though Kumu had offered to push her meeting to a later time. It wasn't that she didn't trust the older woman to watch over Magnum but she felt that his buddies stood a better chance of keeping him in check compared to someone with a soft spot for the affable PI.

It didn't take them long to get Thomas settled in his bedroom once they were home. Rick was in equal parts glad and concerned when his best friend fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and made a mental note to have a talk with him as soon as the man was well enough about running himself ragged, case or no case. However, a brief chat with Juliet before she left for her errand, where she shared with them her personal observations on Magnum, caused Rick to wonder if they'd missed something else altogether. Kumu showed up at the guesthouse before he could bring it up to TC but Rick could tell that the big man was troubled by the conversation as well.

Thomas slept for a little more than an hour before he surprised his friends by walking unsteadily into the living room, eyes half closed and tuffs of hair sticking up every which way. After some coaxing by his brothers, he finally agreed to take a pain pill but refused to return upstairs, stating that he preferred their company to the empty bedroom.

Rick's casual reply had Thomas shooting both men a disbelieving look.

"Don't you both have a bar or a tour business to run?" he countered, gingerly adjusting his position and melting even further into the couch. He never realised how comfortable it was until now. Or maybe it was the medication. It was certainly working its magic – he still ached all over but his headache had lessened considerably while the soreness in his side was now a dull throb. He yawned widely.

"Thank you for that absolutely disturbing visual of your tonsils, Magnum."

"Higgy!" Thomas opened his eyes and greeted his partner in delight. "You're back!"

"Yes, apparently just in time to see the pain meds kicking in," Higgins surmised as she walked closer, her lips forming a smile in spite of herself. It was almost impossible not to respond to such enthusiasm. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be fine," Magnum stated, stifling another yawn, clearly fighting against sleep. "Kumu says to rest though." His voice dropped to a confidential whisper. "I probably should do as she says – I've seen her with a gun."

"You've seen us with a gun," Rick groused loudly from his spot at the table. "But TC and I still had to twist your arm just to get you to take your meds."

"You're both family," Thomas mumbled, eyes closing. "Of course I trust you with my life…"

"As usual, I have absolutely no idea where he was going with that. What I do know is, at this rate, he'll probably be the death of me some day," Rick shook his head, exasperation warring with amusement, as Magnum dropped off to sleep mid-sentence. "But I can live with that."

"You called it, brother," TC agreed, bumping his fist against the one that Rick held up.

Higgins tucked the blanket more securely around Magnum before joining them at the small table. She sat in companionable silence with the men for a while, alternating between watching TC deftly arranging the black and white pebbles on the pitted wooden checkerboard and casting contemplative glances at her sleeping partner. Finally, leaning back in her chair, she asked, "How is he, really?"

Rick rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "My guess? Likely in more pain than he was willing to admit to but that's Thomas for you. He wasn't keen on taking any of the meds when he woke up earlier so we compromised."

"Compromised?"

"He agreed to one pill," Rick said, his worried gaze on his injured friend. "But it looks like it was enough to knock him right out."

"Let's hope it'll be a lot longer this time – he obviously needs the rest," TC added as he placed the final pebble on the board. "So, Higgy, up for a game? You can probably teach my man here a move or two."

"Hey, those are fighting words!"

Smiling at Rick's mock outrage, Juliet pushed back her chair and stood up. "I'd love to, TC, but perhaps later? I'm going to see about getting dinner delivered. I'll order in for you gents as well."

Rick tilted his head. "Thanks, Jules."

"Appreciate it, Higgy baby," TC added with a grateful smile.

"You're both welcome. I'll let you know when the food's here." After another quick check on Thomas, Juliet left, closing the door of the guesthouse quietly behind her.

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A/N Since discovering the show, I've enjoyed some of the best stories here – many of you make writing seemed effortless. They haven't shown much, so I'm really in awe of those of you who've created detailed backstories or vivid snapshots of the guys' time as POWs, such as Wrong Side of Heaven by Ice Queen1 and Digging In by Frankie McStein. Too many favourites to list but I also highly recommend gaelicspirit's Witness Marks, MadalineGrace's The Life of a PI, and DinerGuy's Wide Awake. Happy reading!

barbiec: Thanks for the review. It made me laugh. When it comes to Magnum, I guess it takes a village, or in his case, his entire Ohana. :D