CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Title: "Salvation: Forever and Always: Elusive Dreams"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #9 in the Salvation series. The bonds of family bring the Five-0 ohana even closer.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!
Date Written: July 12, 2012
(Sam heads straight to Adm. Henderson's office but his secretary informs her that the Admiral has already left the base for the day as he has a meeting downtown with the Mayor. Realizing that there is nothing she can do until the next morning to try and diffuse the Admiral's anger at her sister, Sam goes into her office and tries to figure out what her next move should be. If she calls her father, he will, understandably, be extremely upset with Caroline, and may resort to yelling at her himself. If she calls her mother, Libby will also be upset with Caroline but will also be extremely worried. If she calls Danny, well, there's no telling how he will react. The problem is Sam needs to talk to someone about what just happened because she is at a loss as to how to deal with her sister, so she does what she should have done in the first place; she calls Steve.)
"Hey, Beautiful, I was just thinking about calling you. How'd you like to go out to dinner with Kono and Tony?"
"Caroline's in serious trouble, Steve, and I don't know if I can fix it this time."
"Whoa, Sam, slow down."
"Didn't you hear me? Caroline has finally screwed the pooch BIG TIME!"
"What'd she do, Sam?"
(And Sam proceeds to bring Steve up to speed on what just happened with Adm. Henderson. When she gets through, Steve emits a low whistle.)
"This is so not good."
" 'Ya think? Come on, Steve, I seriously need help here!"
"I hear you, Sam. How long before you can leave the base?"
"Right now."
"Okay, I'm going to get Kono and Tony to meet us at the house and we'll order take out. Maybe the two of them can help us come up with a game plan."
"Fine, but I don't think I can eat anything. In fact, I feel like throwing up right now."
"Calm down, Sweetheart. I know this is looking bad, but we'll figure something out."
"God, Steve, I certainly hope so."
(After both Adm. Henderson and Sam left the lecture hall, Caroline headed straight to her office, grabbed her cover, and left the base for the day. A slow, burning anger at the Admiral and her sister is building inside of her and she is furious. How dare Adm. Henderson question her judgment and how dare Sam be so condescending! She's getting damned sick and tired of her holier-than-thou, sanctimonious sister interfering in her life! . . .
Danny, completely unaware of what's been going on with his wife, gets home to find Caroline cooking dinner. The tantalizing aroma coming from the kitchen makes his mouth water, and the sight of his beautiful wife whets his appetite for something other than food. Smiling when she sees him come through the door, Caroline pours her husband a glass of wine and gives him a soft kiss after handing him the wine glass.)
"How was your day, Romeo?"
"Good; cleared most of the paperwork off my desk. You?"
"I had a great day. I, too, am all caught up on my paperwork and I had a really great group of RIOs at my presentation this afternoon. They were probably the best group of newbies we've had in a while and they asked some really good questions."
"Outstanding! So, something smells wonderful; what is it?"
"Home made lasagna. I made extra the last time we had it, so I pulled it out of the freezer and it should be ready in about twenty minutes."
(Sam gets home before Steve does and, after changing out of her uniform and into a pair of jeans and a tank top, she pours herself a glass of wine and tries to calm down. Rosa is well aware that something has upset Sam greatly, but is wise enough to simply give the younger woman a hug and head out after Sam tells her the Montgomery's are coming over for dinner. When Steve, with Kono and Tony right behind him, walks into the house, he finds a very pale and worried Sam pacing anxiously in the living room. Walking straight to her, he pulls her into his strong arms and gives her a hug and kiss hoping to relieve some of her stress. The relief on his wife's face is evident and Steve prays that they can figure out a solution to the problem at hand while he grabs a couple of beers for him and Tony and a wine glass for Kono from the kitchen. Once they all have drinks, Sam proceeds to tell them exactly what happened at the base. . . .
Caroline and Danny have just finished loading the dishwasher after dinner and Caroline turns slightly and slides her arms around his neck as she presses her body close to his. Smiling slightly, Danny pulls her to him and proceeds to kiss her soundly, sending up a prayer of thanks when Caroline returns his kiss eagerly. Slipping an arm under her knees, Danny sweeps Caroline up and into his strong arms and carries her into their bedroom where he gently lays her on their bed and kisses her softly and sweetly until she's had all she can stand and begins to pull his clothes from his body. She has just gotten his shirt off when his cellular phone rings. . .
Tony is in the middle of offering a few suggestions as to how Sam might handle the situation with Adm. Henderson when Steve's cellular phone rings and Danny's name and number appear. He takes the call, listens for a few moments, turning very pale and fear appearing on his face in the space of a few seconds, and, ending the call, turns to the others.)
"Gracie was hit by a car a little while ago; she's on her way to the hospital right now. The H.P.D. officer who called Danny told him it was bad, really bad. We need to go."