Thank you so much for your interest in this story. I truly appreciate all the replies and Fav/Follows and the views. They keep me going. In fact I'm already starting another story in parallel to this one. I will try to update twice a week.
This story is mostly Steve and Danny-centric. Not much police action happening.
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"Just let me drive okay," Steve argued forcefully. "I know what I'm doing." He turned to Danny for a slip second.
"Look out!" Danny yelled. He instinctively grabbed a hold of the dashboard in front of him as Steve slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt mere inches from a ten-year-old pedestrian crossing the street.
Both men hurried out of the car to check on the young shellshock girl.
"Are you okay there, little girl?" Danny asked in a restrained panic as he and Steve began taking stock of any injury she might have sustained.
She numbly nodded before bursting into tears in her mother's arms.
"What are you, a maniac?" the hysterical mother lashed out at a repented Steve who stood mute with a dazed look on his face.
"Look ma'am, we'll gladly take her to the hospital for a check-up," Danny offered apologetically.
"S'okay. She's just scared, that's all. I'll take care of my daughter. You just get that psycho off the streets," she said to Danny referring to Steve.
"WHAT IN THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" Danny yelled at the top of his lungs. He was beyond incensed at his partner who offered no explanation aside from a deep sigh that sounded more like one of frustration than remorse. "First you nearly kill us in a madcap race and then you come close to hitting a young girl! I told you to slow down, you freak!"
"I'm sorry," Steve offered as a petty apology before returning to the car. "She's okay, let's go."
"She's okay, let's go?!" Danny was appalled that Steve would so readily dismiss the near tragedy. "You almost ran over a child because of your reckless driving for God's sake and all you can say is she's okay, let's go?!" Danny was beside himself with his hands emphasizing his anger.
"You distracted me!"
"Oh so now it's my fault?!"
"Well, what do you want me to do about it now?"
"I'd like to see a little remorse, a bit of compassion."
"We're wasting time."
"We know where Baxter is and he isn't going anywhere, Steven."
"You don't know that."
"Why are you so obsessed?" Then it suddenly dawned on Danny. "Oh wait a minute! It wouldn't have anything to do with our last case, now would it? Because we didn't catch the killer in time he slaughtered two more teens. Isn't that what's eating you up? You feel guilty because of what happened to those teenage girls?"
Danny knew he'd hit the bull's-eye by looking at his partner's pinched features. Before Steve could sit behind the wheel, Danny stretched out his arm inside and yanked the key out of the ignition. "What are you doing?"
"I'M driving."
Irate by his partner's decision to switch drivers, Steve grabbed Danny's wrist in a vice-like grip and twisted it, making the blond yelped in pain. "Give me the keys!"
"Easy there! You're hurting me, Steven!" Danny gasped and hissed at the pain. "What? You want to break my arm?" Steve suddenly stopped and stared at Danny. "Go ahead! Break it! You seem hell-bent on hitting someone. I'd rather it be me than some innocent kid. Go ahead, babe! Why don't you get a swing at me while you're at it?" Danny could discern a flicker of repentance on those blue eyes.
Steve released his hold on Danny's wrist and huffed out his frustration in a long-drawn-out sigh. He marched over to the passenger side and took his seat. He angrily slammed the car door shut and mentally spurred Danny on to start down the road.
"Let's go!"
"Oh no we're not. Chin and Duke can handle it. We're going back."
"No we're not," Steve argued.
"Yes we are! I don't know who you are anymore. You're scarier than I've ever known you to be."
"Danny, if you don't drive to where we're going I will run the rest of the way. It's only a couple of blocks down." Seeing Danny's hesitation, Steve opened the car door.
"Wait! Stay where you are. I can't have you running loose out on the streets. I want you where I can keep my eyes on you, you freak!"
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Both Steve and Danny arrived at the firm just as Duke and Chin exited with the presumed arsonist in cuffs. Chin explained that the man had threatened the general manager who had categorically refused to consider his job application. The man openly hurled threats at the GM, cursing his name and promising to make his life a living hell after he had thrown him against a wall in a fit of fury.
The schizoid was charged with aggravated assault after the manager pressed charges against him. Now they had him in custody where they could freely grill him about his alleged crimes.
Danny insisted on being present in the interrogation room as he didn't trust Steve alone with Baxter and as suspected, it proved hard for his Super SEAL partner to refrain his temper before the devil-may-care attitude. The man played it wisely; aware that Five-0 and the police had no evidence linking him to those fires. Collecting newspaper clippings was never a crime and his refusal to admit to being the mastermind behind those revenge plots irked Steve even more.
His only regret was losing his temper to a degree where he actually inflicted bodily harm on someone. But then again, no one was seriously hurt. He knew he would be released soon. However it was up to the injured party to drop the charges to which Five-0 convinced him not to until they got Baxter to confess to starting those fires.
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The presumed arsonist was tucked away in jail for the night and unless someone came forward to post bail for him, he would remain behind bars pending the date of his trial, thus allowing plenty of time for Five-0 to needle him into incriminating himself.
The ride back home was somewhat tense. Neither partner would exchange a single word nor enter into a cargument.
Steve knew he had to be the one to break the ice, seeing how his hostile behavior of early on had left a bitter taste in Danny's mouth and for cause. He had been acting like a jackass. His constant headaches were a source of exasperation, pushing every conceivable buttons and driving him to the brink of insanity.
"Look, about my behavior earlier – I'm sorry ok." Steve offered plainly with just a hint or regret that Danny failed to hear in his voice.
"That's not good enough," Danny replied tersely without making eye contact with his partner with whom he had a bone to pick with.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Take some time off. You're in dire need of it. You're a danger to everyone and yourself, more than usual."
"I'll consider it – soon as we get this guy to confess."
"Chin, Kono and I will take care of Baxter. You need to be off the streets for a while. You're a walking time bomb."
"Danny I can't just go up to the governor and tell him to hold off all cases for the next few days because I'm tired and I need rest? Come on! Besides it's my job."
"You're allowed some vacation time?"
"Yes but only when things are quiet at the office."
"Hopefully this is the last case we'll have for a while."
"I still have to vouch for my sister's whereabouts. Her trial is set in three weeks. I might need to fly down to LA with her."
"Meanwhile, why don't you both go on a short trip? Take her to the valley. Show her all the places that your dad used to take you. I'm sure she'll like that."
Steve pondered Danny's suggestion. The thought of spending quality time with Mary had a certain appeal. He barely knew his sister and this would be the perfect opportunity to bond.
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In the wee hours of the morning, Mary awoke to the sound of retching outside her bedroom. Concerned, she threw the covers aside, slid her feet into her slippers, donned a night robe and walked down to the bathroom. She knocked on the door. "Steve, are you okay?
"Yeah I'm all right," he answered feebly with a small gag. "Go back to bed."
Yet another retching had her growing overly worried. She opened the door and found her brother hunched over the toilet bowl. "My God, you're sick."
"It's just indigestion. It'll pass."
"Hope it's not my cooking?"
Steve flashed a curl of the lip and squeezed her leg reassuringly. "No. Your vegetable lasagna was delicious. I think it's the sushi I ate for lunch. It didn't agree with me and now it's coming back with a vengeance". He gagged when another wave of revolting nauseas hit and he emptied the rest of his stomach's content. "Mary, really, go back to bed, sweetheart. I'll be fine," he said between coughs. "I think the worse is over now."
"I can't go back to sleep knowing my brother's sick." She was aghast by the very suggestion."I'll go downstairs and make you a cup of tea," She cast one last worried glance his way before making her way to the kitchen.
Steve staggered to his feet and wiped the remnants of vomit from his lips. He then turned on the water and rinsed his mouth, after which he splashed cold water onto his face. He stared into the mirror at the dark circles underneath his eyes. With his fingers, he pulled the bottom eyelids down and noticed that his left pupil seemed a bit more dilated than the right and more sensitive to light. He stretched out his jaw that felt numbed on the left side.
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Early next morning, Mary was checking on Steve when his iPhone rang. She quickly grabbed it off the night table to avoid waking her brother up. He had finally found restful sleep after the numerous bouts of retching that kept him up most of the night.
On the other end was a Navy Commander who urgently needed to speak with Steve. Given the nature of the call, she had no choice but to rouse Steve with a little nudge on the shoulder.
"Steve, wake up."
Barely had Steve opened his eyes that a throbbing headache assaulted him and his spastic stomach revolted.
"Sorry to wake you, brother, but there's a Commander Whelan who wants to speak to you. He says it's urgent."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he nodded to Mary to hand him over the phone. He took a few seconds to breathe away the debilitating ache before answering. "McGarrett."
"Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett?"
"That's me."
"You are listed as the emergency contact of one Catherine Rollins?"
Steve sprung up in bed at the mention of Catherine's name. "That's right." He squished his eyes shut at the raw pain hammering in his skull.
"I'm Commander David Whelan. Lieutenant Rollins was assigned to my unit that is deployed in the Rea Sea."
"Yes I know. She told me. What happened?"
"She became severely ill early this morning and consequently we were compelled to dock in Jeddah to take her to the hospital."
"What is it? What's wrong with her?" Steve's pain dwarfed in comparison to his concern for Catherine.
"She was diagnosed with having contracted the Novel Coronavirus. She was in acute respiratory distress when we admitted her to the hospital this afternoon. They placed her in isolation and we were told her condition was critical, but stable at the moment."
"What hospital is she in?" He picked up a pen on the night table and prepared to scribble down the information.
"King Fahad Military Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Room number 205. The phone number of the nurses' station of her ward is." Steve jogged down the number. "You can't talk to her right now but the doctors will be able to fill you in on her condition."
"Thank you, I appreciate the call." Steve hung up and began inhaling deeply to quell the rising nausea.
"Steve, what is it?"
"It's Catherine. She was infected with the Novel Coronavirus and they took her to a hospital in Saudi Arabia where her ship was deployed."
"Coro...Coran, what's that?"
"Coronavirus, it's a virus that usually causes common colds. However this strand is more virulent. It attacks the respiratory system."
"Can you die from it?"
"Yes, unfortunately you can if you get a pulmonary infection," Steve explained while pressing his fingers against the temples.
"Is she ok?"
"She's resting in critical but stable condition now. I need to call the hospital to get more information."
"Later. Right now, you lie down and I'll massage your temples."
"No it's okay, I'm fine,"
"No you are not fine. Quit saying that!" Mary took Steve firmly by his shoulders and pushed him down gently back onto the mattress. He offered no resistance nor did he complain when she started a soothing scalp massage that much to his relief allayed some of the throbbing.
"How long have you had those headaches?"
"Not quite sure," he mumbled as he allowed himself to be lulled by his sister's tender ministrations. "They come and go."
"Are they always that severe?"
"No. It's just being crazy at work lately. We've had three consecutive cases in the past three months All humdingers. There was hardly any time to take a breather. Luckily this fourth one will wrap up quickly – I hope."
"Well while I'm here you just let me take care of you. It's about time I do something nice for a change." A small curl of the lip was Steve's answer as he kept his eyes closed, afraid that the pain would strike back if he dared open them.
"That feels good, thanks."
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When Steve contacted the military hospital later to enquire about Catherine's condition, he was devastated to learn that she had taken a turn for the worse. He wanted to fly off to Jeddah and be with his sweetheart but knowing full well that he would be forbidden to visit with her in isolation, he reluctantly decided to remain in Hawaii to attend to other matters. He had the arsonist case to wrap up and Mary's trial to prepare for.
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His headache having dwindled a bit, he decided to eat a bit to keep up his strength. Thereafter he went on his morning jog and swim. Contrary to what he believed, the fresh air and exercise did not cleanse the body and soul but instead, it exacerbated his pain.
At lunchtime he met with Danny at Kamekona's. Danny dared the spicy shrimps with rice while Steve settled for a glass of water, for his stomach was still tender from last night's retching.
Danny hung on Steve's every word as he shared his concern and fear for Catherine, leaving out the part of his having spent half the night in the bathroom hacking up his guts.
"She might die from this, Danny." Steve's voice was laced with terror. "I need to be with her but I can't leave here now with everything that's happening."
"You're thinking about our arsonist again?"
Steve nodded. "And Mary. I need to stick close to her in case she should go off the deep end again. That would hurt her chances of getting her driver's license back."
"I tell you what. You let Chin, Kono and I handle Baxter. It's a matter of a few days now before he cracks. We'll see if the fires start again. If they do, then we'll know we have the wrong guy. And I can keep an eye on Mary for you. I'm sure I can keep her out of trouble while you're gone."
"I can't ask you to do that."
"You're not asking, I'm offering. We're partners and more than that, we're Ohana. We watch each other's back. Besides this might be the break you need. You have to cut the cord with what's been happening around here."
"Yeah, I have been a bit on edge lately," Steve said, rubbing his left temple.
"A little?" Danny quipped. "Really, go. We'll take care of everything at our end."
Steve's heart welled up at Danny's solicitude. He cherished the brothership that he shared with the Jersey cop and often wondered why Danny always stuck to him through thick and thin. He certainly gave him plenty of reasons to just throw in the towel and yet, there he was.
"Thanks man. I really appreciate it. Really I do. I don't always say it but -"
"Hey, don't get all mushy on me or you'll get me started," Danny said while trying hard to repress his own rising emotions.
On that sentimental note, Steve's phone rang. "Yes governor."
"Commander, can you meet me in my office in an hour? I would like to discuss your next case."
"Sure, no problem. I'll be right there."
"What does the governor want now?" Danny queried.
"He wants to discuss our new case," Steve replied as he downed the last of his water.
"Not another one already?" Danny complained.
"M'fraid so. Come on."
Danny threw the remnants of his lunch in the public trash bin and followed Steve to his car.
"Can I drive?" Steve asked bashfully.
Danny stared at the set of keys in the palm of his hand and sighed. He had some reservations about letting his partner drive following the near-fatal tragedy with the little girl. Finally after much mental deliberation and a lost-puppy look staring back at him, he tossed the keys over to Steve.
"Let it go on record that I'm doing this against my better judgment. "
"Duly noted."
"You'd better behave or else," Danny warned.
"Thanks. I will."
"Yeah you always say that and I wind up with white knuckles."
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The ride to the governor's mansion went without a single cargument. They engaged in a civilized conversation, mostly about Mary's predicament and Catherine's illness.
At some point during the ride, Steve made a turn to the right and parked the car alongside the curb.
"Why are we stopping?" Danny was baffled by this sudden halt.
Steve took a few seconds to gather his thoughts before asking plainly, "Where are we going?"
"Where are - what do you mean where are we going? We're heading to the governor's office, remember?"
Again Steve's brain took a few seconds to register the information. "Oh right. I had a memory blank there for a sec." He steered the car safely back onto the road.
"Are you all right?" Danny asked fretfully.
"Of course I am. Hasn't it ever happened to you to have a temporary lapse of memory?"
"Yeah in a moment of panic, maybe, but this isn't the case now," Danny argued.
"Come on, don't make a big deal out of it," Steve dismissed the incident as benign.
"What's today's date?
"What?"
"What day are we today?"
"Danny!"
"Humour me, babe."
Steve snorted out an annoyed sigh but surprisingly his answer wasn't instantaneous. "April 14th". There! Happy?"
"Why did you hesitate there?" He frowned at the sight of Steve's pinched features. "Perhaps I'd better drive."
"Don't be silly, I'm fine," he answered unconvincingly before turning a shade of green. "Or maybe not." He made a sudden turn to the right and parked the car just in time to go toss his breakfast on the side of the road.
Concerned, Danny went over to his partner doubled over and holding his stomach as he waited for the gag reflex to dwindle.
"You didn't eat anything for lunch. What's that?"
"The breakfast I thought I'd manage to keep down," Steve whimpered. He squished his eyes tightly together as another wave of pain washed over him.
"Where are you hurt?"
"Just a headache."
"That's it. I'm taking you to the hospital," Danny said resolutely.
"Danny, it'll pass."
"I swear Steven if you say 'it'll pass' or 'I'm fine' one more time I'm going to smack you on the head. I'm not convinced anymore. You're going to the hospital and that's that! Come on. Can you walk?" Steve pursed his lips into a thin line and nodded weakly. Danny held his partner by the waist and assisted him to the car where he sat him in the passenger seat.
With a sense of impending doom, Danny hurried to the driver's side and steered the car down the road toward the hospital.
"You all right there?" Danny asked worriedly. He cast a glimpse at his partner who sat deathly quiet with a faraway look on his face.
"Danny – something's wrong," Steve said with dread in his voice as he felt a numbing sensation creeping up on the left side of his face. "I can hardly see."