A/N: First, don't freak out – this really is the third chapter in three days. Also don't freak out when the next chapter takes a bit longer. I had a long weekend and was able to spend a good part of it writing. Will probably be running around a chapter a week or so going forward.
And with that I bring you - Day 2 of Grace's return to school.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and make no money doing this. I'm just having fun playing with them. All mistakes are my own.
Chapter 85
Nikki, Grace, and Katie were huddled together at their table in the school cafeteria. Katie seemed to be coming back out of her shell just a bit now that Grace was back for a second day in a row. Chatting away, the girls paid little attention to the other students until one of the boys from the older grades walked by, bumping into Grace's back.
"He's such a jerk." Katie shook her head at her friend. "Never watches where he's going."
"Some thing never change." Grace mused, watching as the boys took a seat at the neighboring table. "Oh well." She shrugged it off, but before she could get back to asking Katie which animal she was going to do her research project on, the boy's voice carried to their table.
"I heard he bashed her in head. Blood everywhere. My uncle said he didn't blame him."
Nikki could see the tears welling in Grace's eyes. It wasn't hard to figure out they were either talking about Grace's mom or something way too close. "Grace, are you okay?"
Grace stared at her friend, tears threatening to spill as she shook her head. She could still hear the boys behind her, apparently Tony's uncle worked for HPD and had a big mouth.
"Do you want to call somebody?" Nikki asked, reaching across the table to hold Grace's hand, Katie wrapping an arm around her from where she sat.
Nodding her head, Grace remained silent.
"I'll be right back. I'm just gonna find one of the teachers." Nikki scanned the room, groaning a bit when the only adult she saw was Ms. Caldwell. Glancing back at her best friend, Nikki took off toward where the director stood staring over one section of the room. "Excuse me, Ms. Caldwell."
"Yes, Nikki. What can I do for you?" The little girl cringed just a bit at the slightly haughty tone. Ms. Caldwell wasn't the warmest staff member at Sacred Heart by any stretch of the imagination.
"Tony and his friends," she pointed toward the tables, "are talking really loud about what happened to Grace's mom. She needs to call her dads."
"If she's that upset she should come tell me herself." Ms. Caldwell brushed her off.
"She's a little busy trying not to run out of the room in tears." Nikki wasn't going to back down, even back talking the director landed her in trouble. "You need to make them stop and let her call her dads."
"I don't believe it is your place to tell me, the director of this school, what I need to do." Ms. Caldwell stared down at her. "Now why don't you go sit back down?"
Nikki turned, scanning the room for any other adults. She caught sight of their gym teacher, Mr. Kimo coming through the door. Throwing a glance in Grace's direction, she could see her best friend trying to keep it together as Katie held her close. Tony and his friends continued to carry on, laughing loudly as they threw looks toward Grace. "Jerks." Nikki grumbled as she wound her way toward the teacher.
"Nikki, is everything okay?" Mr. Kimo called as he saw her approaching, taking several steps in her direction.
"No." She was so flustered now she had a hard time figuring out what to say. Pointing in the direction of her best friend, she took a deep breath. "Tony and his friends …"
"Oh no." Mr. Kimo exhaled sharply, taking off toward the tables, Nikki following right behind him. "You boys, cut it out. Go to my office. Now." He spoke sharply, making sure they were moving that direction before turning to Grace. He spotted Ms. Caldwell with her back turned to them and glanced down at Nikki.
"I tried her first." The little girl's bottom lip trembled she was so upset with the director.
"I'll deal with her later. Why don't we get Grace to Ms. Jones." He squatted down next to their table, placing a gentle hand on Grace's shoulder. "Come on, sweetheart. I'm going to take you back to your classroom and Ms. Jones will let you call your dads. Nikki, Katie, do you girls want to stay with her?"
Both girls nodded immediately. "Yes, sir."
Mr. Kimo led the three from the cafeteria, keeping a reassuring hand on Grace's shoulder as they navigated the halls toward the classroom. Knocking on the door, he didn't want to startle the other teacher too much.
"What happened?" Ms. Jones hurried to open the door, seeing the three girls with him.
"Tony and his band of fiends." He watched as Ms. Jones wrapped her arms around Grace. "And no assistance from Ms. Caldwell." Ms. Jones's eyes shot up. "Nikki found me as soon as I walked into the cafeteria."
"Grace, why don't we call one of your dads?" The teacher tugged the little girl toward her desk and her cell phone. "Should we start with Danno?"
"Yes, ma'am."
*~*~* GUARDIAN*~*~*
"I hope he remembers the extra sauce." Kono looked up from the smart table. "Last time we let Danny go grab lunch for all of us, he forgot the sauce."
"Why don't you call and remind him?" Chin poked at his cousin.
"Ooohh, I should." Kono started pulling her phone out of her pocket. Before she'd even unlocked it, the sound of Danny's phone ringing filled the office.
"That was fast." McGarrett laughed from his office, looking up expecting to see Danny scrambling in because he forgot something.
"Danny left his phone," Chin called back as he scrambled toward the phone. "Shit. Steve's it's the school." The Hawaiian answered, putting it on speaker phone as McGarrett damn near jumped over his desk to get to them. "Danny's phone. This is Chin."
"Uncle Chin?" They could tell from her voice that she'd been crying. "Where's Danno?"
"Danno ran out to get lunch and forgot his phone, Gracie." Steve answered. "What's wrong?" The SEAL fought the urge to run for the car before he actually knew what was happening.
"Some of the 5th grade boys were talking about what happened to mom." Grace's voice cracked.
Steve and the team glared at the phone. "Do you want me to come get you?"
There was no answer for a few seconds as Grace considered what to do. "No. I just … I just needed to hear you. Mr. Kimo is taking care of them and Nikki and Katie are with me and Ms. Jones in our classroom. I'll be okay." In just the short period of time she was already sounding calmer.
Steve stayed on the line chatting with her for a few more minutes. He could hear Ms. Jones in the background talking to someone else. When it was clear that Grace was okay to handle things, Steve felt like he could finally breathe again. "Gracie, can I talk to Ms. Jones for a minute?"
"Sure, Daddy."
"Thanks, sweetheart. I love you."
"Love you too." He could hear the phone being handed off.
"Commander," Ms. Jones greeted him.
"What wasn't Grace telling me?"
"She wasn't withholding, but I don't think she knew everything. When the boys started causing problems, the only adult in the room was Ms. Caldwell. While Katie stayed with Grace, Nikki approached her and was repeatedly dismissed. Fortunately, Mr. Kimo came in and interceded as soon as Nikki approached."
"Son of a b …" Steve stopped himself before he completely let loose knowing that it wasn't the teacher's fault.
"My sentiments exactly, Commander." Ms. Jones was furious that the director would let her bias against Detective Williams put Grace in such a position.
"I think I'll be paying Ms. Caldwell a visit." Steve growled.
"I think that's an excellent plan. Shall we keep things quiet until you arrive?" Ms. Jones was all for letting the SEAL scare the heck out of her boss. As far as she was concerned, Ms. Caldwell needed to be put in her place. If that place happened to be somewhere other than Sacred Heart, she wouldn't mind a bit.
"Appreciate that. Provided I don't get kicked out of the building, do you mind if I stop by the class after?"
"I'd pay good money to see her try to remove you from the building." Ms. Jones laughed. "But yes you are more than welcome to stop by when you're done with her."
"I'll see you soon." Steve disconnected the call, tossing Danny's phone back to Chin. "Make sure Danny gets that when he gets back and fill him in on everything. I'll be back when I'm done with Caldwell." He took three steps before he stopped. "Shit! Danny has the car."
"Take mine." Chin threw him the keys to his Mustang. "Just please be nice to her. The car, not the director. Tear that one to pieces."
"Thanks, Chin. Promise I'll bring her back in one piece." Steve headed for the door.
"So, do we think Sacred Heart will have a new director by week's end or that Grace will be in a new school?" Kono asked her cousin.
"I'd say either is fair game right now." Chin shook his head. "I'm not sure if I hope Danny gets his ass back here so we can get this over with or if I hope he takes his time so he doesn't have time to catch up to Steve."
*~*~* GUARDIAN*~*~*
Storming up the stairs of Sacred Heart Academy, Steve tried to remind himself that he wasn't actually going in for combat. The knowledge that the school's director had blatantly disregarded their request that Grace be able to contact them, and had turned a blind eye to the potentially traumatic mouthing off of a group of older boys infuriated him.
Coming through the door, he went straight for the front office. The secretary's smile faded the second her eyes landed on him. "Commander?"
"Where is Ms. Caldwell?"
The woman pointed to the director's office. Looking through the partially opened blinds, he could see she was alone and appeared to be reading something on her desk.
"Would you like me to let her know you're …"
"No. I'll tell her myself." McGarrett rounded the desk, going straight for Caldwell's office door. Stepping inside, the director's head shot up.
"Commander McGarrett," the woman almost squeaked. "Is there a reason you're barging into my office?"
"Is there a reason why my daughter wasn't permitted to call when the request was made? Or for that matter a reason that you completely ignored the fact that a group of your students were loudly discussing her mother's death in an obvious attempt to upset her?" Steve stood straight, arms crossed tight over his chest, looking like every bit like he was questioning a suspect.
"I don't know what you're talking about?" Ms. Caldwell gave him an icy stare.
"Are you saying that three students of your students and two of your teachers are lying about what happened in the cafeteria."
"I'm saying it was just kids being beings and Grace being overly emotional. It's clear she's not handling the situation well at all." She leaned back in her chair.
"Do you hear yourself? Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Steve shouted. "You've been nothing but condescending to Danny and I since were here earlier this week. I don't know what you think you're playing at, but don't try to lie to me about what happened with our daughter. I've already spoken to both her and her teacher."
"Ms. Jones had no business in the cafeteria." The director started to argue.
"Ms. Jones wasn't in the cafeteria. Fortunately Mr. Kimo was and he had the intelligence to step in where you failed. What the hell do you think you're playing at?"
"As I said before, it's clear that Grace is not handling the situation well at all. She is clearly suffering without the presence of her mother. Perhaps the two of you should consider making other arrangements for her long term care. Somewhere more appropriate for a nine year old girl than with two men."
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just sit there and make a blatantly homophobic statement. You're clearly creating your own version of reality, as every … I repeat EVERYONE else that has interacted with Grace has been impressed with just how well she is coping with the situation and attributing that to the supportive and loving environment she is in. If I had to guess, I'd say you've spent less than five minutes with her and are spouting off complete bull based on your prejudices."
"I'll have you know …"
"Ms. Caldwell," a new voice interrupted from behind McGarrett. "I suggest you stop there before you completely alienate Commander McGarrett."
Steve stepped aside, staring down a short, gray-haired man that now blocked the doorway.
"Apologies for interrupting, Commander. I'm Josh Black, president of the Sacred Heart board of directors. Ms. Liko," he gestured toward the secretary, "called and I thought I would stop by since I was in the area."
Ms. Caldwell was now standing, looking rather taken aback. "I assure you, Mr. Black, there was no need for her to call."
"On the contrary, based on what I overheard you saying, I believe there was every need for her to call." The man turned his attention back to McGarrett. "I apologize for the gross accusations and insults that have been hurled at your since your arrival. I am sure both you and Detective Williams expect better from the leadership of your daughter's school, as do I."
"We do." Steve's eyes narrowed, not quite sure what to think of the man that had shown up and seemed to be so familiar with the situation already.
"Commander, why don't we step into another room to talk for a few moments?" Mr. Black gestured toward an unoccupied office across from where they currently stood. Steve nodded and followed the shorter man into the other office, waiting as he shut the door behind them. "First, let me apologize for what you've just encountered. While we've had some challenges with her handling of parent relations, we have never had any indication of that type of behavior from her."
"I would hope not." McGarrett arched an challenging eyebrow, anxious to find out why the board president wanted to speak with him. "I hope this doesn't offend you, but in the last hour this day has taken a turn for the worst and after that conversation with Ms. Caldwell, I'm really not in the mood for games."
"No offense taken, sir. I haven't received a full briefing on what happened, but Ms. Liko connected me with Grace's teacher so I did get the abbreviated version of what occurred at lunch. Based on what was coming out of Ms. Caldwell's mouth when I can arrive, I can only imagine what else was said. Ms. Jones also gave me as much of the background as she could in that short period. Suffice it to say, Ms. Caldwell's treatment of the situation and her attitude toward you and Detective Williams will not be tolerated. Given the previous challenges we've faced with her, she will be relieved of her duties this afternoon. While I would certainly understand if you chose to pursue other options for Grace's education, I hope you will give Sacred Heart another chance."
Steve stared him down for a moment, considering what he'd just said. "I appreciate your candor. Provided you follow through, I expect Danny and I will give you and your team a chance to prove that this is still the best place for Grace, but we will need to discuss that decision before I can promise anything."
Mr. Black pulled a business card out of his pocket, extending it to Steve. "I understand. Please, call me at any time if you or Detective Williams have any questions or concerns."
Shaking hands, the two men headed for the door. "Thank you. Now I'm going to swing by the classroom and check on Grace before I head back to HQ."
"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you." Mr. Black waved as McGarrett headed down the hall toward Grace.
Pausing just outside Ms. Jones's classroom, Steve watched through the window, waiting to catch the teacher's attention before entering. As soon as she waved him in, Steve opened the door. The kids were all focused on their work, so his presence wasn't immediately noticed.
"How's she doing?" He whispered when the teacher approached.
"Much better. Talking to you helped a lot." She smiled warmly as she looked at Grace hard at work at her desk. "I gather things got interesting?"
"Yes. I'm sure you'll be hearing all about it soon." Steve could tell she was making a guess already at what that meant.
"Why don't you go see how Grace's project is going?" She nudged him toward Grace's desk.
Slipping down the aisle, he winked at one boy that looked up at him, receiving a huge grin in return. Reaching Grace's desk, he knelt down beside her, catching her eye as he went.
"Daddy?" Her surprised smile was worth every second it took to make the quick visit.
"Hey, Gracie." Steve gave her a quick hug. "I stopped by to talk to Ms. Caldwell, but I couldn't leave without saying hi. Everything going okay now?"
"Yeah. I'm okay now." Grace nodded. "I knew it was going to happen eventually."
"I wish it hadn't." Steve wrapped his hand around hers. "But I'm glad you're okay."
"I am. I promise. Nikki and Katie made sure I was okay."
"You've got good friends." Steve smiled. "Shaved ice after school?"
"Absolutely." Grace smiled, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before he headed back to the front of the class.
"Thanks for letting me stop by." Steve bid farewell to Ms. Jones before heading out.
Trotting down the stairs, he realized that the Camaro sat where Chin's Mustang had been. Danny was perched on the hood, watching him.
"You could have come inside." Steve called as he approached.
"I could have, but I was pretty confident you could handle it. Since Chin and Kono assure me that they'd heard the entire conversation with Grace and she was just fine, I didn't feel the need to charge in and interrupt. You're perfectly capable of instilling fear into uncooperative pains in the ass." Danny slipped off the hood, greeting the SEAL with a brief kiss.
"Well, if Mr. Black …"
"Board president of Sacred Heart, Mr. Black?"
"One and the same." Steve confirmed. "Like I was saying, if he's to be believed the pain in the ass will be gone this afternoon." Steve handed him the business card. "He sincerely hopes that we'll gave them a chance to prove that this is the right place for Grace. I told him I expected we would give them a chance, but that we would need to discuss."
"Well played, Super SEAL." Danny rested his head against Steve's chest. "Did you get a chance to see Grace?"
Steve let out a wry laugh. "As if I would go in there and not lay eyes on her. Yes, I stopped in for just a minute. She's handling this with as much poise as she handles everything else. I might have promised her shaved ice after we pick her up."
"Just the three of us?" Danny perked up.
"Yeah. Not that I don't love having everyone around, but I thought we could grab a little time for the three of us."
"I approve." Danny handed Steve the keys. "Now tell me all about what happened while you drive us back to work."
"Sure thing, Danno."
*~*~* GUARDIAN*~*~*
A/N: So much for an uneventful return to school. Me thinks things are going to get interesting fast with someone at HPD when they figure out where little Tony got his info.
Review provide great motivation to keep me writing.
For those that have asked, there will be more of Guardian: Love Explored coming.