CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
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 13, 2012
(Libby is quiet on the way home; too quiet, and Mike knows something is weighing heavily on her mind. He also knows that the best thing he can do right now is remain quiet and she'll eventually tell him what she's thinking. As soon as they get home, Libby grabs a blanket, takes Mike's hand, and pulls him down the steps of their back deck toward the beach. Once they've spread out the blanket and are comfortably settled, the stars shining brilliantly in the velvety night sky and the gentle sound of the surf crashing against the beach in the background, Libby turns to look at Mike and his heart twists as he sees the unshed tears in his wife's beautiful eyes.)
"You're right; there is something very wrong with our daughter. The question is, what is it and how can we help her?"
"The first thing we need to do is figure out what's wrong. I was talking with Sam and Steve earlier and we were all doing our best to pinpoint exactly when Caroline first started acting so out of character."
"She's been this way for months, Mike; ever since she realized that she wasn't going to be able to conceive right away."
"Yes, that upset her, Libby, but the children and I realized that Caroline didn't really start to behave so irrationally until about six weeks ago. What happened six weeks ago?"
"I. . . I have no idea. Certainly nothing of any consequence. At least, nothing that I'm aware of, Mike."
"Yeah, that's what Sam said, too, but there has to be something."
"Mike, what if. . . What if Caroline's . . Sick."
"Sick?"
"Yes. . . What if she. . . What if she has a . . Mental illness?"
"Libby!"
"As horrible as that thought is, Mike, we have to consider the possibility! Caroline is our child! We have to do whatever is necessary to determine what is wrong and find a way to help her!"
"I know that, Libby, I just. . . All right, let's just slow down and think this through. The consensus is that all this started about six weeks ago. We need to talk with Caroline and Danny, and the sooner the better."
"Not until we know that Grace is all right, Mike."
(After getting home and finding that Rosa, bless her heart, has already put Emily down for the night, Sam heads straight for bed while Steve locks up. When he slips into bed next to Sam, she immediately turns over into his arms and gets as close to him as she possibly can. Steve would give anything to erase the worry from his wife's face, but, at the moment, there's nothing he can do except be there for her and hold her tightly.)
"I've been thinking, Steve, and I remember Caroline going to the E.R. at the base hospital a few weeks ago because she was all stuffed up; thought maybe she was coming down with a cold or something."
"Yeah? What'd the doctor say?"
"Don't know, but he grounded her for a couple of days and I had to fly with another RIO."
"You need to find out exactly what was wrong and what, if any, meds the doctor gave her and, as her C.O., you can get access to her medical records without her permission if you think she might pose a threat to her safety or that of the rest of the members of your flight."
"Yeah, but I don't want to go behind her back like that, Steve. Things are exactly great between the two of us as it is right now. Can you imagine how she'll react if I do?"
"I know you love your sister, Sam, but you've got to stop thinking like her sister and think like her commanding officer. Caroline's not just putting her own safety and career on the line here, Beautiful; she's putting everyone who works with her, including you, at risk, too."
"Steve. ."
"You know I'm right, Sam. Are you honestly going to tell me that you would have allowed things to get this far if it were anyone other than your sister?"
"No."
"Okay, then. First thing in the morning, call the base hospital and talk with the doctor who treated her."
"Yeah, okay. Right after I call the hospital and find out how Gracie's doing."
(Caroline and Rachel have both curled up on the cots the nurses brought into Grace's room and have been sleeping for about half an hour, but Danny is too keyed up to sleep. Sitting in one of the chairs by his daughter's bed, Danny takes one Grace's little hands in his and kisses the back of it gently. Tears fills his eyes as he looks at his baby's precious face and he is so thankful that Grace's injuries aren't any more serious. Please, God, let my little girl really be all right!
A few minutes later, his gaze travels to the two women sleeping a few feet away. The past several hours have been hard on all of them, but Caroline has been . . . If he only knew what was wrong and what to do to fix it! How much longer is this going to go on? Danny loves his wife, but, earlier, when she angrily shoved him away after her parents left for the night, he came very close to telling her to go home and stay there. Grace was lying there unconscious with a head injury, everyone was scared to death, and Caroline wanted to act like his being kind and considerate to Grace's mother was tantamount to sleeping with Rachel! It's reached the point where Danny doesn't know how Caroline's going to react to anything he says or does at any given time, and he's, quite frankly, sick and tired of having to "tiptoe" around her for fear of setting her off. Danny makes up his mind then and there . . . As soon as he's sure Grace is going to be all right, he's going to sit Caroline down and force her to talk with him. He's going to explain, in no uncertain terms, exactly how he feels about her behavior and attitude, and he's going to give her an ultimatum; either get her act together or he's leaving. As painful as leaving Caroline would be, he believes it would be less painful for both of them in the long run.)