Chapter 6
"Flashlights and Secrets"
"I'm not writing that last name!" Natalie cried. "I'm not! I'm not!
"Natalie, no one is going to make you if you don't want to," Mrs. Schofield, the Principal, assured her.
"I want my daddy!" Natalie wailed. She sat on a blue upholstered chair rocking back and forth with her arms clutching her sides.
"He's on his way, honey," the woman said, kneeling next to her. "Please try to calm down."
Natalie could not relax and the sound of her gasping sobs filled the Principal's office.
"Is there anything I can get you, Natalie?" Mrs. Schofield asked.
The little girl looked up into the kind face and replied, "My backpack…I need my backpack."
"I think I can get you that," Mrs. Schofield said as she pushed back her metallic blue framed glasses, which was not out of necessity, but more out of habit.
She stood and walked to the office door and asked her secretary to locate the little girl's backpack. A few minutes later the bag sat on Natalie's lap.
The older woman watched as the little girl furiously sifted through the backpack until she pulled out a small flashlight. Mrs. Schofield noted the object seemed to bring her comfort and she wondered if the man Natalie referred to as "daddy" had given it to her.
She heard a man's voice in the outer office asking for Natalie. The little girl must have heard it as well, for she twisted in the chair and listened intently. Then suddenly, she sprang up and dashed for the open door. The light haired girl and the tall, dark haired man collided in the doorway.
"Hey," Steve said. He felt Natalie trembling as he lifted her into his arms. "It's okay, sweetheart."
"Daddy, tell them that isn't my last name!" Natalie cried as she clung tightly to his neck, her hand still clutching the beloved flashlight.
Steve looked to Mrs. Schofield for an explanation, and his brow furrowed as she described what had happened.
"I'm afraid the teacher did not fully understand the delicate nature of Natalie's legal last name. It seems Natalie was writing 'McGarrett' on her papers instead of…" she mouthed the name "Keller".
Steve nodded, understanding the situation, but seemed uncertain how he should proceed.
"I would suggest," Mrs. Schofield began, "that Natalie go home for the day. Of course, it's entirely up to you, but in light of her emotional state I think that would be a wise decision."
"Thank you, ma'am," Steve replied. "I think so, too,"
"Would you mind if I gave you a call later this afternoon, so we can discuss a few things, or if you would rather, I could call Miss Reilly."
"No, call me," Steve insisted.
"Alright then," she said, handing Steve the little girl's backpack. "Take care, Natalie, I hope we will see you tomorrow."
Steve carried Natalie into the outer office, where Danny was waiting, and without a word they made their way outside to the truck.
As they pulled out onto the road, Danny said in a low voice, "She looks shell shocked."
Steve adjusted his rear view mirror downward, so he could catch a glimpse of the little girl. Her eyes held a vacant, wide-eyed stare. She had not spoken a word since they walked out of Mrs. Schofield's office. "The Reillys aren't home this afternoon," Steve said. "I have to bring her to the office for a while until I can figure something out."
"That could be interesting," Danny answered. "I hope she has some markers or crayons in her backpack."
"Either that or she can help you shred paper."
"How exciting is that," Danny replied with a smile. "Don't forget about lunch."
"I'll order something when we get back to the office."
Danny shifted in his seat to check on Natalie. "Uh, Steve, I think she's asleep."
Steve glanced in his mirror again. Sure enough, her eyes were closed and her head rested against the back of the seat. "That was fast, but then she was up half the night crying."
"So, I take it you were both up crying," Danny joked.
"Funny. You know, I can handle staying up all night on a stake out or when I would go out on a mission, but an all-nighter with a little girl crying…" Steve sighed and looked quickly out his side window. "She had a nightmare about her father coming to take her away. I think that's what brought all this on."
Danny noticed his partner's jaw and neck muscles tensing. He knew Steve was restraining his anger because Natalie was in the backseat and he did not want to cause her anymore distress. "Hey, are you gonna be okay?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, I'm gonna be fine, but look at Natalie. Should a little girl need to live in fear of her father for the rest of her life?" He shook his head in disgust. "How could Keller think I would ever let him see her?"
"Well, I don't think he necessarily asked to make you upset, I think he genuinely wants to see her."
"There is no way in hell that is ever going to happen," Steve fumed. "I'll never let him see her."
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Alex was sick of the smell of packing tape and cardboard boxes and the head numbing dilemma of deciding what to take with her to Hawaii. She had made out a list of items she needed to ask Steve about, but every time she went to call him something else claimed her attention and the list flew from her mind.
She sat on her bedroom floor going through a pile of clothes while her oldest sister, Abby, went through the closet.
"Alex, where did you get this?" her sister asked, taking out a navy blue chiffon gown. The intricate beading on the bodice shimmered in the sunlight as she showed it to Alex. "I've never seen you wear this. It's beautiful."
"Oh, that," Alex said, her emotions blending together, leaving her feeling uncertain as to how she felt about seeing the dress after so many years. "I bought that several years ago. Steve and I were supposed to attend…well, I never wore it."
"He always did like you in blue," Abby smiled.
"He still does," Alex replied, tucking some loose strands of hair behind her ear.
"You know," Abby began as she hung the gown back in the closet, "I never wanted to pry, but your breakup was always shrouded in mystery. Our mother held her own theory, but I never believed Steve cheated on you. He never seemed like the type."
Alex fingered a silver button on the blouse that lay in her lap, avoiding eye contact with her sister. "It just…didn't work out."
"What makes you think it will work out this time?" Abby held up a hand to stop her sister's reply. "I know I'm being blunt, Alex, but you're my little sister and I would rather see you be an old maid than be unhappy."
"That's great, thanks," Alex laughed.
"You know I want you to get married, but you deserve to be loved by a man that will make you happy."
"Steve does make me happy."
"Then why did you two break up in the first place?"
Alex shrugged, throwing an old pair of jeans into the "get rid of pile". Her sister had no idea what had happened with her and Steve and for now she would rather keep it that way.
Abby could not understand her sister's reluctance to tell her what had happened and it was beginning to bother her. There were other things about her sister she did not understand either and she wondered if she would ever be brought into Alex's confidence about those matters.
"I guess I'm wondering how you can see Steve for the first time in four years and a week later you're engaged to him," Abby said.
"Are you saying we were too hasty?"
"Not necessarily. I mean you two dated for a long time and I know how much you love him, but people can change in four years."
"I know that," Alex replied as she closed up a box filled with clothes.
"Hmm, I just want to make sure he's still the same man you knew four years ago."
"He is," Alex assured her.
"As long as you're sure," Abby replied. She picked up the box of clothes and left Alex to mull over their conversation.
To be honest, Alex had not taken the time to even consider whether or not Steve had changed. Now that she thought about it he was different in some ways, but so was she. He had never been a patient man, but he seemed to have improved in that area, at least where she and Natalie were concerned. There was also something else about him she could not put her finger on. Something she had seen in the depths of his eyes. A shadow she had seen and ignored. A shadow that held secrets he was unwilling to share with her.
She wondered if it had something to do with the murder of his father. The more she contemplated this thought the more she realized that had to be it. What other reason would have compelled him to stay in Hawaii and leave the life he loved.
His job now seemed slightly less dangerous than being a SEAL, but from what she had experienced, lively enough to keep him busy and give him a sense of fulfillment. If he added a wife and child to the equation would that throw his life out of balance? And did he really understand the full meaning of what this commitment would mean.
* * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Natalie woke up in a strange place, but she was not afraid because the room she was in seemed familiar, even though she had never been there before. She lay on a leather couch that sat in front of a window. The wooden blinds that covered the window were closed to keep out the early afternoon sun.
The air conditioning made the room a bit too cool, but she was wrapped snuggly in a button up shirt that smelled like a mixture of ocean breezes and spices she could not name. To her, it smelled like daddy and it made her feel safe.
She sat up on the couch and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Her stomach growled from hunger, but she was curious about the rest of the room. Slipping her arms into the sleeves of the blue shirt, she slid off the couch.
On the same wall as the window, hung a picture of a ship at sea and she tried to imagine it was sailing towards her, like the one she had seen in the movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. She was disappointed that the ship could not really take her to Narnia.
There were two flags that rose to the ceiling, one was the American flag and she was undecided what the other one represented. The object that grabbed her attention the most was the glass case that held a model of a ship. She pressed her nose against the glass as she imagined tiny people on board battling a raging storm or fighting off a band of cutthroat pirates. She could almost hear the sound of the clashing and clanging of swords as the tiny sailors fought for victory.
Natalie finally backed away, but bumped into the desk chair. Much to her delight, she discovered it swiveled. She reverently climbed into the chair, pulling up her legs as she sat down. She noticed her flashlight sitting on the far edge of the desk and she reached across to retrieve it before settling back in the seat. Then with her right hand, she pushed off from the desk, spinning the chair around once to make sure it worked. The ride was smooth and it was as if once started the chair could go on forever. Natalie closed her eyes; giggling helplessly as she twirled again and again and again.
Suddenly, the chair stopped with a jerk. Her eyes flew open to see what had ruined her fun. There standing before her was Steve.
She grinned. "I like your chair, Daddy."
"I can see that," he replied. "Did you have a good nap?"
"Yes, but I'm hungry." She jumped down from her perch and began to stumble from all the spinning in the chair.
"Whoa, you okay?" he smiled.
"I'm dizzy," she said holding her head. Her hands were lost in the sleeves of the blue shirt.
Steve looked at her small figure, which was nearly swallowed up in his shirt. "That's a little big for you, isn't it?"
"Do I get to keep it?" she asked with a dimpled grin.
"We'll see."
"Do I get to stay here all day?"
"And spin in my chair?" he questioned her. She nodded enthusiastically in response and he continued, "Well, actually, Uncle Nate is coming to get you in half an hour and then you'll spend the rest of the afternoon with him, until I'm done with work. How does that sound?"
Her eyes lit up at the idea. "Really? That's awesome!" she exclaimed, hopping up and down.
"You don't have to be so sad about it."
Natalie noticed his hurt look. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she said, giving him a big hug. "I'll miss you,"
"I'll miss you, too," he smirked. "Now how about lunch?"
* * * * * * * H50 * * * * * *
Natalie had finished her lunch and was busily drawing at Steve's desk when Kono walked in to check on her.
"Hey, Natty," Kono said. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Drawing…you wanna see?" Natalie asked without looking up.
"Sure." Kono walked to the desk and leaned over it to see the drawing. She accidentally knocked over the little girl's flashlight that had been standing up next to her box of colored pencils. She was about to fix it when Natalie snatched it up and put it in her lap. Kono wondered if maybe she could get some information from the little girl concerning the mysterious hero that rescued her the night she had been kidnapped. They were never able to find out anything about him, or her, and she knew it still bothered her boss. "Flashlights are pretty cool, huh?"
Natalie smiled, but said nothing as she continued to draw.
"Chin gave me a flashlight when I graduated from the police academy. He even had it inscribed. Do you want to know what is said?"
Natalie nodded her head.
"It said, 'To my Cousin, who always brings light to the darkness.' Did someone special give you that flashlight?"
Natalie shrugged. "I just found it. Do you want to draw with me?"
Kono sighed, giving up on the possibility of getting anything out of the little girl. Then looking out into the main room where the three guys were discussing the case they were working on, she decided, "I can do that for a few minutes."
She pulled another chair up to the desk and took a piece of paper, along with a blue pencil. Putting her pencil to the paper, she drew the thing she liked best; ocean waves. Glancing at Natalie's picture again, Kono watched as the eight year old finished drawing a small triangle with her purple colored pencil. Underneath it, she drew a circle and a stick like body of the same color. She completed the figure with a big red smile.
"Who's that?" Kono asked.
"You," Natalie replied. She picked up her orange pencil and began to draw another figure.
"Really?" she chuckled. "What's that on my head?"
"You're a lady in waiting and that's your hat."
Kono smiled. "What am I waiting for?"
Natalie turned her attention away from her picture and met Kono's soft, brown eyes. " You're waiting for your knight, like in the old, old days; with kings, castles and fire breathing dragons."
"Fire breathing dragons?" Kono questioned. "It sounds exciting."
"It is. At least I imagine it is," she said, adding lines of green, red and yellow to her current figure.
Kono looked at the blue figure Natalie had already drawn. She guessed it must be Steve because the big arm muscles sported what must be Natalie's rendition of tattoos; one looked like a smiley face and the other was a heart. However, she was unsure of another figure drawn in black that wore sunglasses. "Who is this?" Kono wondered tapping the paper.
"That's Chin," Natalie said and leaned closer to Kono to share a secret. "Don't tell anyone, but I know he's really a ninja."
Kono found herself unable to hold back her laugher. This little girl captured her heart with her active imagination and her sweetness. "And who is this colorful person? Is that Danny?"
"Yes, he reminds me of a rainbow."
Kono was amazed at how well she had captured Danny's personality.
Natalie selected a gray pencil and proceeded to draw another stick person. Movement in the main room caught Kono's attention. Her dimples peeked through as she watched Nate exchange greetings with the three men.
"Look who's here," Kono sang. She did not wait for Natalie to respond, but strode out of the room to say hello to the newcomer.
Natalie finished her drawing and hopped down from the chair. She shoved the flashlight and pencils into her backpack and raced out of Steve's office nearly tackling Nate as she hugged him. He groaned quietly and she released her grip, remembering his injury. "Sorry," she whispered.
He winked at her. "Hey, Natty," he smiled. "Are you ready to have some fun?"
"Yes," she squealed.
"I brought you some clothes from home so you can change out of your school clothes," he said, handing her a pair of shorts and a top.
"Natty, I'll show you the way to the bathroom," Kono offered, taking the little girl's hand. "We'll be right back." She smiled at Nate as she walked by him and he grinned back at her.
"So, Nate, buddy," Danny began, putting an arm around Nate's shoulders, "what should I wear tonight so I won't clash with the car you going to lend me."
Steve crossed his arms and smirked while Chin shot Danny an amused look.
Nate saw through the ruse, but decided to have a little fun. "The car is Seal gray," he said straight faced.
"Is that some kind of sick joke," Danny said, irritation evident in his voice.
Steve and Chin laughed.
"No, that's the color of the car I was thinking of driving. You'll need to wait until tonight to see the color of your car, but I'm sure whatever you decide to wear will be fine," Nate smirked. "While we are on the subject of cars, will it be alright if there isn't a back seat in the car I'm loaning you?"
"Well, it depends on how long you think it will be until the Camaro is taken care of?" Danny asked.
"It should only take until the middle or the end of next week at the latest."
"I think I can make that work. I don't have Grace this weekend, so it should be fine. What is the car you are thinking about driving tonight?" Danny questioned.
Nate smiled. "Have you ever heard of the Porsche Carrera GT."
"Did I hear you correctly?" Danny wondered.
"That's a sweet ride," Chin added.
"How did you get your hands on that?" Steve exclaimed.
Nate looked over his shoulder in a conspiratorial way. "I stole it," he whispered. They were shocked for a second, but the grin that spread over Nate's face told them he was joking. "No, actually my boss has a lot of cars and I have access to all of them."
Danny mouthed the word "wow".
"I didn't realize the extent of your boss' holdings," Steve remarked. He fell silent as he pondered his brother. He became conscious of the fact he really did not know this man Nate had become.
"I'm ready," Natalie called as she and Kono rejoined them.
"Okay, let's go," Nate said.
"I need my backpack first."
"I'll get it," Kono volunteered.
"Don't give your Uncle Nate a hard time," Steve directed Natalie. "And we will be having a talk about what happened today."
"Bye, Daddy," Natalie said, hugging him.
Kono returned with Natalie's backpack and handed it to her. "It was nice hanging out with you."
Natalie hugged the woman and whispered, "Watch out for fire breathing dragons."
"I will," Kono smiled.
Nate took the little girl's hand and they began to leave before he remembered something. "Oh, Steve, can I borrow your truck because my car only has front seats."
"Sure," he said and they exchanged keys. "I might not give the Corvette back to you."
"Just don't crash into a fire hydrant."
"Right."
With keys in hand Nate and Natalie exited 5-0 headquarters.
"Natty seems to be doing better," Danny remarked.
"Yeah, right now anyway," Steve commented. "Now, let's get to work."
"You were Mr. Nice Guy when Natalie was here and now you're cracking the whip."
Steve smiled and went to his office only to return a few minutes later with a paper and a puzzled look. "Kono, what's this?" Steve asked, holding up the picture Natalie had drawn.
"Natty drew that, isn't it cute?" Kono said.
"Who's the idiot with the big muscles," Danny joked. "Oh, it says 'daddy', that must be you." He looked at Steve and smirked.
"Watch it, Mr. Rainbow," Steve shot back.
"Hey, at least she depicted me correctly," Danny said as he studied the drawing, "and Chin…but I have no idea what's on Kono's head."
"Danny, just shut up for a second. Kono did she say who this one was?" Steve said as he pointed to a gray figure with a mask and a cape that was drawn near the edge of the paper, away from the other four figures. The person was holding a flashlight.
"I didn't see her draw that one," Kono said, shaking her head. "We did talk about flashlights a little, so maybe that's why she drew it."
"What's up with the mask and cape?" Steve asked.
"Perhaps, whoever this person is, she sees as a superhero," Chin suggested.
"She seems to have an active imagination," Kono added.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Steve said.
"Either that or the person who rescued her really was dressed in a mask and cape," Danny said.
Raising an eyebrow, Steve asked, "Did you just say that?"
"What?" Danny exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "I'm just trying to state all the possibilities."
"Boss," Kono jumped in, "maybe you can draw what you did the night she was kidnapped, without too many details, and then ask Natalie to draw what happened to her. Maybe it will be easier for her than talking about it."
"I'm willing to try just about anything at this point," Steve said. "Whoever this flashlight guy is, I'm gonna find him."
A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting. Sometimes it takes me a little while to get a chapter done, but please know I am trying to make it the best as possible for all you wonderful readers. Thanks to everyone for reading and taking the time to review. I really love hearing from you.