Guardian
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them.
Chapter 5
Pulling up next to the house, Steve was relieved to be free of the hospital. He estimated they had about 30 minutes before Chin and Kono showed up with their respective assignments. He was grateful Chin had volunteered to grab Grace's prescriptions when he went to get the pizzas. It saved the two of them a stop and the wait time.
Glancing back at the young girl, he saw her staring back at him with her wide eyes. He was incredibly impressed with how well she'd kept it together through the day, but worried that it may just be the calm before the storm. He sent up a silent prayer that the worst wouldn't hit before Danny made it home.
"Ready?" At her nod, he climbed out of the truck and opened the back door for her. As soon as he opened his arms toward her, she leaned over and wrapped her small arms around his neck. As he gently pulled her out of the truck, she wrapped her legs around his waist like the monkey Danno always accused her of being.
Carrying her to the house, the Seal was careful not to tickle her as he usually did when carrying her like this. Danno always accused him of forgetting Grace could walk when they unloaded from the truck, but the teasing never stopped them. She had secretly admitted one weekend that she loved the view from up high and Steve was the only one tall enough to provide it.
Quickly unlocking the house and disarming the alarm, he set her carefully on her feet. "Do you want to take a quick shower and get changed before Chin and Kono get here?"
Her gaze dropped to the floor and her hands tightened his oversized shirt around her. She'd refused to take it off to change at the hospital.
Thinking quickly, Steve reached forward and grabbed her hand. "Why don't I help you find something to wear?"
Leading her up the stairs, he guided them to his room first. Releasing her hand for a moment, he ducked into the closet and came out with one of his softest button up shirts. Seeing her smile, he grabbed her hand again and they continued on to her room.
"Why don't you pick out a t-shirt and shorts to wear under this?" He set the shirt on the bed and was glad to see her smile and nod.
Opening up the suitcase Kono had placed on the chest at the foot of the bed, she found what she needed. "Got it."
"Perfect. Now, let's grab you a towel and wash rag and you should be set for the shower." He noticed the slightly panicked look in her eyes. He gave himself a mental slap on the head remembering she'd just spent two days locked in a bathroom. "I'll be right down stairs the whole time and will make sure nobody comes up until you come down, so it's okay if you leave the door open."
"Okay. Thanks." Her voice was quiet, but she wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. He had to think even Danny would be impressed with how well he was managing the situation.
A few minutes later, Steve could hear the water start running from the kitchen. Opening up the fridge, he pulled out some fruit and veggies to add to the dinner menu. The gang all loved pizza, but aside from his partner, they also had an appreciation for slightly healthier fare.
Grabbing a beer from the fridge, the Seal sat on one of the bar stools. Normally he would head out to the lanai, but he'd promised her he would be downstairs and he wasn't about to break his word. There was so much he couldn't give her; but right now, he knew she needed someone she could trust absolutely and the unconditional love and support of her family. Until Danny got back the morning he and the rest of Five-0 were going to provide just that.
The vibration of his phone interrupted the relative quiet of the kitchen. Pulling the device out, he groaned seeing the Governor's number.
"Commander McGarrett."
"McGarrett, I heard what happened at the Edwards' place and that you're taking care of Grace until Danny arrives." The politician suspected his care wouldn't end then. "You and your team are not expected in the office for the next several days, barring any emergencies." Anticipating an argument, he quickly continued. "That is not meant to prevent any visits to Mr. Edwards. I'm aware that you are likely to want to speak to him directly and will in no manner stand in your way."
Relieved that he wasn't going to have to argue with his boss, Steve was happy to consent. "We appreciate that, Governor. The whole team will be happy to know we can focus on ensuring Grace is taken care of."
"Good. Word has gotten out quickly, so I'm going to hold a brief press conference confirming the minimal details and requesting that my task force be left alone to handle this tragedy privately. I'm hoping that is enough given the reputation of your team, but if the press starts to hound you let me know. In the meantime, I'll let you go, but make sure you let me know if there is anything I can do to help."
"We appreciate your help, sir. I'll contact you if we need anything, but I suspect time and privacy to deal with this will be the best thing you could provide."
With no further conversation, the two men disconnected. Steve knew their relationship with Governor Denning was not always a great one, but in many ways, they seemed to have worked through and found a way to co-exist peacefully with a certain level of mutual respect.
Setting his phone on the island, he turned the volume up knowing that Danny would likely call at some point after landing in California. He estimated they had another couple of hours before that, but wanted to make sure they caught it when he did. If he had to guess, the Seal suspected that the Jersey native was about to pull his hair out at the slow speed of cross-country travel to get to his daughter. Of course, he also admitted that he would fair no better and may have resorted to commandeering military resources to help accelerate his travel schedule.
Hearing a car door slamming out front, he headed to the door to greet whichever member of the ohana had just arrived. Opening the front door, he stepped out and saw Kono coming down the path, several bags in her hands and a wide grin on her face.
"I think I found every possible color scheme and girl friendly decorating magazine or book on the island." Knowing better than to offer assistance with the bags, Steve settled for holding the door open as the petite Hawaiian entered the house. "Where's Gracie?"
"Showering. I promised we'd stay down here until she came down so she wouldn't have to shut the door." The look he gave her was a mix of confidence in his decision and concern that he may have done something wrong.
"Smart thinking. Keeps her from try to avoid the room altogether while not making her feel trapped." She reassured her boss. "She's incredibly tough, so I'm sure she'll get past her fear sooner than any of us could imagine, especially with you guys here to keep her safe."
Having set her treasures on the floor in the living room, Kono came back over to Steve and gave him a brief hug. "You're doing great, Boss."
Returning the easy embrace, Steve appreciated her reassurances. "Thanks, Kono. I'm glad you and Chin are here to help though. I'm so afraid I'm going to end up being out of my element and screwing up. I don't want to disappoint her or hurt her worse after everything."
Stepping back staring at her boss, she couldn't help but shake her head at him. "I highly doubt that, but never fear. Your back up here is here; at least until we have to go to work."
"Actually, I had a call from Governor Denning. The entire team has been granted a leave of absence. Even better, he's trying to run interference with the press since you can imagine the feeding frenzy this story creates."
Hearing the water shut off upstairs, Steve decided a change in subject was a good idea. "Care to come help me chop up some fruits and veggies to go with dinner? I pulled them out but got distracted."
"Sure, Boss." The woman followed him in to the kitchen where they fell into a companionable silence as the worked and waited for Grace to appear.
The wait was short lived, as the girl appeared moments later, the shirt Steve gave her held closed over her own clothes by the two buttons she'd fastened. Hair still wet, she climbed onto one of the bar stools.
"Want something to drink, Gracie?" He didn't bother to list the options; she knew all the things he kept in stock for her.
"Pink lemonade?" He smiled when she picked one of their favorite treats to share.
"Good choice." The Seal quickly filled a cup with ice and poured some of the lemonade he always kept on hand for her. "It looks like we're going to have our work cut out for us with your room. Kono brought an entire bookstore back with her."
The three kept up the easy banter about crazy decorating ideas until Chin let himself in with the pizzas.
"Are you really sure Danny's going to let you decorate her room like the inside of a military helicopter?" The older man couldn't help but laugh.
"No, but we think it'll be fun to mess with him." Steve shared a conspiratorial look with Kono and Grace. He'd torture Danny with just about anything if it meant hearing the little girl laugh.
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