BACK AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE:
The men moved towards the group of detectives that were interviewing all the witnesses in front of the Ice Cream Parlor. They walked past the spot on the pavement where Steve's head and body had crashed to the ground. It was the first time Danny had noticed it and the sight sickened them both. A large pool of blood stained the pavement and you could see the trail of blood streaking across the road from where he had slid.
Chin grabbed Danny's forearm, "You go take care of Gracie, I've got it here"
Danny looked up into the Asian man's eyes, "Thanks brother"
As he entered the Shoppe, Gracie looked up and Danny was grateful to see that she had appeared to have settled down a bit. He sat down facing them and took Gracie's hands in his, "How's Uncle Steve Daddy?"
"They're taking him to the hospital Monkey. Auntie Kono is with him. Are you ready to go home, Mommy's waiting for you"
"Can't I go to the hospital to see him?"
"Not yet baby. The Doctors are going to be with him for quite a while and then he'll need to sleep a lot"
"Does he need an operation?"
"Yes, yes he probably does. But remember, Uncle Steve is SuperSeal. NOBODY, not even ME is tougher than him"
Gracie's smile warmed her Daddy's heart as she nodded emphatically.
Danny turned his eyes to the ladies, "We haven't even properly met. My name is Danny Williams. Thank you both so much for tending to my daughter"
He shook their hands, "Hello Danny, I'm Karen Halliday and this is my niece, Michelle Kragen. Gracie is a beautiful child and very well behaved. She's not been any trouble"
"My co-worker Chin Ho Kelly will be interviewing you in a few minutes. Again, I can't thank you enough for all you did for my daughter"
"You're very welcome. We both hope your partner recovers"
Danny's voice choked with emotion as he responded, "Thank You"
They all slid from the booth and Danny lifted Gracie into his arms. She thanked the ladies who helped her and then Danny carried her outside. Chin noticed them and came to greet them, leaning in and kissing Gracie on the cheek as she hugged him.
"Chin, the ladies inside are Karen and her niece Michelle. Can you interview them for me?"
"Certainly. You two go now and I'll call you as soon as I'm done here"
"Thanks brother"
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As Danny drove towards Rachel's he held Gracie's tiny hand in his, rubbing it gently.
"Gracie, you saw that Uncle Chin was going to talk to Karen and Michelle and 'I' am the lucky detective who gets to interview you! So Ma'am, can you tell me your full name please?"
His question got its intended results as the little girl smiled up at him, "Daddy! You're silly…."
"Your name is what?"
She chuckled, "My name is Gracie Margaret Williams"
Danny pulled to the side of the road and parked. He thought he might be able to get the answers he needed better if they were alone.
He turned to his daughter, "Monkey I am so proud of you. You've been very brave today. I need to ask you to tell me everything you remember baby"
She told him about Steve picking her up at school and their discussion about her new friend Sarah.
"What happened when you got to the Ice Cream Parlor Gracie?"
"Uncle Steve got me out of the car and we went into the street"
"Did Uncle Steve look for cars like I've shown you how to do?"
"Oh yes Daddy….he looked, both ways…..and then…." She began to sob softly as Danny encouraged her to continue.
"It's okay Monkey, take your time. It's very important that you tell me everything you saw so we can catch the driver of the car"
"But Daddy…I didn't see anything"
"Really?"
"I'm sorry Daddy…..I didn't see anything"
Danny pulled her onto his lap. She placed her head against his shoulder and he stroked her hair, "Oh Monkey….that's good. I'm so happy you didn't see anything"
She continued to sob softly, her tears dampening his shirt. After several seconds she said softly "I heard the car hit him Daddy. Everyone was screaming. I called for Uncle Steve and looked back but I didn't see him. That lady Karen grabbed me and she covered my eyes. I kept screaming for Uncle Steve….I was so scared Daddy…"
Danny kissed her head and whispered softly, "It's okay Monkey. Uncle Steve is going to be okay…..sssshhhhhhhhh…I've got you baby girl…ssshhhhhhhhh"
"Uncle Steve pushed me so I wouldn't get hurt...he's my hero"
Tears glistened in the man's eyes as he added, "He's my hero too baby"
Several minutes later he buckled her back in and drove her home. He sighed with relief at the knowledge that Gracie had not seen the accident. She didn't see Steve get hit or be thrown into the air. Thank God she didn't see him hit the ground or skid across the road. She didn't see his broken and bloody body as he lay motionless. 'Thank you God for sparing my daughter' As he drove his mind went to his partner and he prayed for Steve.
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Over the next hour Chin talked to each of the witnesses and then making sure that Duke no longer needed him he went to his truck and dialed Kono.
"Hey Cuz', any news yet?"
"They wouldn't let me in the ER with him. A Nurse told me about twenty minutes ago that they were taking him into surgery. He's bleeding internally"
"Where?"
"The left side of his abdomen"
Chin ran a hand over his face, "Okay…..I'm on my cell. Call me with any news. I'm going to go check on Danny and Gracie"
"Will do Chin"
He then began to drive towards Rachel's as he dialed Danny.
Danny and Rachel were sitting at the kitchen table talking to Gracie as she nibbled on some cheese and crackers. He glanced at the ringing phone and excused himself, moving into the living room to take the call.
"Chin"
"Yeah, I'm on my way. I just talked to Kono, he's been in surgery about half an hour. He's bleeding in his abdomen"
"Jesus Christ…"
"Danny, how's Gracie?"
"Much better Chin. She told me she didn't see anything"
"Thank God for that brother. The witnesses all told me that as well. Those two ladies shielded her. It sounds like McGarrett pushed her out of the way just in time"
"That's what I heard too. It doesn't surprise me, he'd….he'd die protecting her"
"Danny….he's not going to die"
Danny took a deep breath as he composed himself, "What are the witnesses saying?"
"It looks like he was followed. Three people noticed the Caravan pull in behind Steve"
"It's obvious he didn't notice or this wouldn't have happened. Was anyone able to identify the driver?"
"Not very well…..white male, long dark hair pulled into a ponytail….that's it"
"Great"
"HPD is running the plates and Duke will call us. The HPD officers should be at the house and the hospital now"
Danny moved over to the large bay window overlooking the front yard. He could see the two squad cars through the iron wrought fencing that surrounded the large home.
"Yeah, they're here. Hey Chin, since Gracie's doing fine would you mind taking the first shift at the house here. I…I really need to be at the hospital"
"Of course I will. I should be there in about ten minutes"
"Thanks brah. See you soon"
Danny hung up the phone and moved back into the kitchen. "Gracie could do Danno a big favor? I need you to run upstairs for a little while so your Mommy and I can talk?"
"Okay" She got up from the table and after giving him a quick hug she left the room and ran up the stairs.
Danny then explained everything that had happened that afternoon. He took hold of Rachel's hand, "Now we don't know anything for sure but Steve said it wasn't an accident and to watch Gracie"
"Oh God Danny, do you really think Gracie is in danger? Oh my God…oh no"
It took several minutes for Danny to calm her down, "Rach, you have to stay calm . We can't scare her. We just have to take precautions until we know more"
"What kind of precautions?"
"I've got HDP squads posted outside and Chin is on his way over. He'll be spending the night"
"Do you really think that's necessary?"
"Yes I do. Until we can figure this out, one of us will be here around the clock. Especially with Stan out of town. When is he due back anyway?"
"He's gone another ten days"
"Rachel…..this might have been nothing more than a hit and run accident but I'm not willing to take any chances"
"Of course. You're right, thank you Danny. I do hope that Steven recovers. Gracie loves him so very much"
"I know. And he loves her too"
Chin arrived and after spending a little more time with Gracie, Danny left to head to the hospital.
******** MORE TO FOLLOW ********