CHAPTER 12
He never felt the arms wrap around him, pull the pillow from his face or entreat him back to the world, he was concentrating so hard on protecting a secret bubble of breath that lay hidden in his lungs, it was that or die.
The world was upside down and spinning wildly in a typhoon of monochromatic grays punctuated by starbursts that threatened to split his skull apart. It was bad enough he was deprived of breath but the added agony was an indignity too far.
From far away he heard a voice, "Come on Danny, one more try!"
The sudden surge of oxygen into his body made him gasp with its force, like a swollen river bursting its banks, the life-giving air populated his lungs once more and his chest rose painfully to accommodate it.
"That's it, you've done it!" The voice turned away, "He's back." It said, and Williams was neither comforted nor upset by the thought. His last conscious recollection was of a mask and two devilishly serious black pupils surrounded in white, bringing to mind the image of a cartoon spider leering at its prey. If he could have shuddered he would have.
Danny blinked several times, attempting to focus his bleary eyes before facing the light. Close call. He realized and tried to sit up feeling like he was on a merry-go-round.
"Whoa there, easy, let's get a look at you," said the same sing-song voice he'd heard before, only now he recognized the cheery tones of his doctor – Francis – with his Day-Glo tie and freak-flag hairstyle that McGarrett would cringe at if he saw him. The young medical man settled him back on the lethal weapon that was his head rest and checked his pupils. Danny stared back, not precisely clear about what had just happened.
"I'm afraid that leg needs looking at again but otherwise you'll live!" he pronounced. Almost as bad as Bergman's bedside manner. Danny mused. "How are you feeling?" Francis added as a sympathetic afterthought.
Half-dead, bruised, battered, in pain, scared, lonely, worried about McGarrett, concerned about work - just where should one begin?! Danny cleared his raw and dessicated throat. "I'm okay." He croaked. To his credit Doctor Francis cocked his head on one side and raised a slender eyebrow in disbelief.
Danny heard a commotion in the hallway and flinched.
"Steady Dan, it's okay, we caught him, or rather your very capable HPD officer did."
"How?"
Francis pointed to the call button. "You rang for help!"
Williams smiled tiredly – the final struggle had saved his life. As the doctor now explained to a rapidly fading detective; despite the distraction outside, someone had been monitoring the room and had immediately run down the hall thinking to offer medical assistance. The nurse had screamed so loudly when she saw Dobbs, dressed from head to toe in black, sitting on his victim and pressing down with the pillow, that everyone barring Dobbs' associate Kahama, had come running. Unable to help, the accomplice split before they fingered him as well.
When Francis arrived he caught the end of the show as HPD's finest took a flying tackle at Danny's assailant and pushed him onto the floor, equipment spreading in all directions with a clatter than would have done the percussion section of an orchestra proud. The officer had apparently ordered the man to stop (killing Williams!) to no avail. He took the only other course of action he could and one, as it happened, that saved McGarrett's boy's life.
As the officer subdued his man, Francis had brought Danny back from the brink. It was a close thing and there would be a lot of tidying up to do, not just of the room but of Williams himself. He was a mess.
"Want some happy juice officer?" the doctor said with humor as he carefully reinserted the IV into Danny's damaged arm and took a syringe from the nurse. Dan was so tired he couldn't think straight enough to reply so Francis continued for him, "I think something a little stronger this time. We'll get those ribs re-strapped and X-rayed and get that leg seen to. You're going to sleep detective!"
Danny's eyelids grew heavier and heavier as the happy juice' gamboled through his veins, happily switching off the lights before bed time. Within seconds he was out.
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"Is he okay?" Chin asked as he rushed to Danny's bedside, Kono Kalakua hot on his heels. They had received the urgent call from HPD and hurried over to the hospital as fast as they could. Danny was sleeping but breathing normally and both men were heartily relieved to see their friend looked no worse than he had the day before.
"He'll be fine, eventually. We had to re-stitch his leg wound and another one of his ribs is now broken but it could have been much worse. Not quite the morning reunion you were expecting officers?" Francis said sarcastically from behind them. "Still, I would think the Governor could sort out something as trivial as an attempt on an injured man's life just by picking up the phone!"
Kono looked at Chin and shrugged, it was clear the hospital had received their promised call from Paul Jameson. They turned to face the doctor, keen to weather the storm for McGarrett's sake. "Look here doctor," Chin began, prepared to give him chapter and verse on how Steve's own life was at risk.
"No need to explain – Governor Jameson told me what you are up against, it seems that Mr. William's life means less to him than Mr. McGarrett's and since we rely on some very heavy funding from that direction I would say you have us over a barrel!" He sneered in distaste.
Whilst the Five-0 detectives knew that it wasn't true that Steve's life was worth more than Danno's, it was true that pressure had been exerted to get the doctor to comply with a temporary release for Williams. Neither man liked it either but the odds had just gone down.
"Doctor, we have just had news that our deadline has been brought forward and without Danny's help there's just no way we're gonna be able to get the boss back."
"Well nature hasn't helped in that quarter I'm afraid – your man is sedated again and won't awaken for a good few hours. After which time it will be up to him to decide if he wants to go AMA or not! Now Aloha – I have easier patients to deal with this morning and need to get on."
Kono wanted to hit something. As the doctor practically tap danced out of the room, victory written in his every step, the big detective clenched his fists together and fought the urge to take a swipe at the man. It was bad enough that his friend had almost been killed without a sarcastic retort from someone who knew nothing about police work. What he didn't know was that hippie-looking doctor had just saved Danny's life.
"Steady on bruddah," Chin offered as he witnessed his colleague tense, "We're gonna find Steve."
"Yeah Chin, dead or alive?"
Kelly didn't reply, he simply pulled up a chair beside Danny's bed and sat down, checking his watch as he did so.
Kono shook his head and joined him, "So we wait again! This is turning into some vigil man!"
The hands of the clock passed noon before either man saw signs of Dan coming out of his drugged stupor. They had spent the time discussing what they would do if Williams could offer no more information than he had the day before. Word had come down from the same informant that five o'clock was the new deadline but still no news on who, or why. The why, so far as they were concerned, had to be revenge – but the who' was either locked inside Danny's head or they were in even bigger trouble. No clues, no time, no saving McGarrett without a miracle. All their bets were on Dan, as unfair as that was in his condition.
After several abortive attempts, Danny's eyelids finally co-operated and stayed open. For a second his heart jolted, recalling the masked man who had so recently tried to terminate his career and life, but as the double vision cleared he recognized Kono standing over him and not a crazed killer.
Kalakua smiled down at him, "Hey Danno, looks like you had a scare man. You okay?"
"Hey…Kono…yeah, I'm okay." But he couldn't return the smile, he hurt too much. "Why aren't you out looking for Steve?"
Kono exchanged glances with Chin behind him and Danny, noting someone else must be in the room asked if Kono would help him sit up. The Hawaiian eased the younger man up the bed, distressed when he heard a moan of pain escape from the pale lips. He gently adjusted the pillows behind Danny's head. "Hi Chin."
"Danny."
Williams was feeling light-headed and as a consequence never noticed a lack of reply to his question, he did, however note the aura of depression hanging over both men, "So are you guys going to tell me what's going on or are you going to let me guess?"
"Sure Danny, you want the short version or the long version?" Chin asked seriously.
"Either, so long as someone gets me a drink of water first." He was trying to ignore the way his body was crying out for more happy juice' as the doctor had called it, and focus instead on the serious task ahead. He gratefully took the offered cup and sipped down the water from melted ice cubes, unsure if he would simply throw it all back up again if his head didn't stop spinning. "Before you start, let me guess. No news and no clues right?"
"You got it bruddah. We have a contract no one will lay claim to, a murdered informant no one saw killed, three suspects who kidnapped you and Steve, an attempt on your life and a pupule auction going down so some psycho can play ice the cop'. It's all over by five tonight!"
Danny had no idea what Kelly was referring to and it was Kono who, seeing the man's confusion, interjected, "Got a call to say someone was putting Steve up for sale to the highest bidder!"
"What!?" Williams was shocked, it was an outrageous thing to do. Knowing how many enemies McGarrett had accumulated over the years he could only imagine the feeding frenzy it would cause in the shark-infested criminal underworld. He didn't need to waste his breath with comments about the outrageous nature of the thing, his men knew him well enough to know that he was seething underneath and desperate to find their boss before anything befell him.
"At least he's still alive Danny!"
"Yeah Chin but not for long and in what condition?"
"So little brother, you got any more clues in that fuzzy head of yours?" Kono asked and sat on the corner of the bed, careful not to nudge Danny's bad leg.
The sandy-haired detective closed his eyes briefly and leaned back, he wanted more time to think and a way to clear his mind, his thoughts drifted through a thousand images overlaid with sounds and smells, he tried placing himself back in the place he was held and conjure up those things he tried to impress upon himself at the time – he was attempting to do what he did best - detect. What his fellow officers took for sleepiness due to the soporific drug was actually a keen mind attempting to wade through the fog and piece together the puzzle that he had been laboring on when he came around the first time.
A minute passed.
"Danno?" Chin leaned forward and asked, concerned at the gaunt and still face before him.
"Can someone get me a pencil and paper?" Dan said, eyes still firmly shut.
"Sure thing bruddah, here's my notebook." Kono passed him the small book and a writing implement.
"You know what's bothering me?" Danny said as he opened his eyes to shakily accept the leather-bound booklet, stroking the soft black cover with his thumb, "I think the man who tried to kill me gave me a name."
"His name we got! Jerry Dobbs, small time thug for hire only this time he hit the big time trying to take you out he's going down for a long stretch. He's not talking though – same as everyone on this thing. Too big."
"No Chin, the name of Steve's kidnapper. It's at the corner of my mind, like everything else! I can almost hear it…like a nick name or something short." He paused, hoping that the name would tumble forth, when it didn't he slapped the notebook down, angry at the pain and his lack of self-control as tears welled up in his eyes, "It's no good - I'm so damned useless!"
"Hey don't sweat it, it'll come!" Kono laid a big paw on his friend's uninjured leg compassionately, but Dan looked him straight in the eye and countered, "But I have to sweat it! I can see it in your faces - you're relying on me – Steve's relying on me and I just..can't…do it!"
Both men knew Williams was right, they were relying on him and the pressure on someone who was wounded and sick was unfair to say the least, but Danny was their best hope of finding Steve before the deadline and what was likely to be the Five-0 chief's execution.
Without another word Dan found himself handed a tissue and he cried/laughed lightly, "At least you didn't say no!"
Chin smiled, "Wouldn't want to lie to you bruddah. The pressure's on big time but we understand you're not well. Your doc was angry we got Jameson to call."
Dan finished wiping away the tear drops, which he knew were just the product of an over-stressful couple of days, "Does that mean I'm sprung?" he said hopefully.
"You seriously think it will help? If you can't think straight might not be a good idea to exert yourself, doc says – ,"
"Rent!" Dan raised his eyebrows in amazement and repeated, "Rent says goodbye!" he paused then added, "Okay why are you both looking at me like that?"
It was true, both detectives were staring at Williams as though he had just gone mad.
"Um – "
"That's what the guy in the mask said! I just remembered!"
Kono sat up straighter, listening attentively, "So you think this guy was hired by a Mr. Rent to do this or you got mixed up and he said he was rented' instead of hired cos a name like that don't ring no bells bruddah?"
"Yes - I mean no – I think Rent might be a nick for him! It's got to be worth a chance hasn't it?" he asked somewhat desperately and was disappointed not to see understanding dawn on their faces. "Chin get onto that can you? Maybe it's there somewhere, run it through the computers! I don't know – perhaps other things will start to fall into place now one piece has been revealed….I…I just need – "
Kono noticed the young man had become pale as he wrapped an arm around his chest, like he was feeling faint or hurting. "Hey Danno, you want me to get doc for you?" he asked concerned.
"No – I'm just tired, it'll go away."
"Sure thing but you ain't looking so hot."
"You in pain Danny?" Chin asked.
Dan swallowed another sip of water, and ran his tongue around his lips, he felt clammy and hot but wouldn't allow his infirmities to stop him from progressing with the case, "I'm okay. Stop treating me like I'm a baby. Let's get on with this shall we?" he didn't want to bite anyone's head off but in truth he wasn't sure how much longer he could stay conscious and anger seemed to help stave off the darkness.
"Whatever you say Danny, but just be careful."
"Yeah Chin, I hear you. Mahalo."
"Okay so we're looking for someone called Rent' it's a start. You got any more bright ideas? Last time you came round you said something about counting and hearing or smelling something."
He was trying hard, it was so difficult, he recalled the pain and the burning building, the cigars pressed into his flesh. Cigars!
Danny handed the notebook back to Kono, aware that his hand was shaking badly and he couldn't write even if he tried, his burns were beginning to throb, "He smokes cigars. Strong ones, maybe Cuban – top of the range." He laughed nervously, "Whatever brand they hurt like hell."
Kono winced in sympathy for his friend. He would like to get his hands on this man who had caused so much pain to his family. "You're doin' great bruddah – keep going." He said encouragingly.
"I don't know if there is more – I mean I think there is but each time I think I know it disappears again, like a spectre at the corner of my eye, I just can't lock onto it like the counting thing I..think I have a rough idea how far away from the Marketplace they kept me, I recall keeping a count in the trunk of the car, but I can't remember the numbers. Damn it what's wrong with me!?"
"I'll tell you what's wrong with you Danny," a warm voice said, "you're tired, you're injured and your friends are over-taxing your strength and your system – not to mention seriously upsetting a well-respected member of the medical staff young man!"
"Doc," Danny said tiredly in greeting, "I was wondering if you would turn up!"
Doctor Bergman looked unhappy as he walked into the room and glared at the two officers at Williams' bedside.
"So Francis brought the big guns out eh Doc?" Kono said, smiling at the M.E.
"Doctor Francis has passed Danny's care into my capable hands with quote God speed and good riddance' unquote. Not a terribly professional comment I grant you but one I feel he is entitled to under the circumstances! Bringing the governor down on him like that all but made him want to retire early - and he's only twenty-nine!"
"He didn't seem to understand we need all the advantages we can get to find Steve!" Chin offered sheepishly.
"No YOU don't seem to understand that Doctor Francis and all the medical staff here are dedicated to helping people and that is precisely what he was doing – helping Danny here. You may take a gung-ho attitude to your own health my boy," Doc said looking directly at his new patient, "but I can assure you that we do not! Now I need to examine you,"
"But – " Dan started weakly, feeling like he was being told off by a school master.
"No buts – if you're contemplating something as grossly stupid as discharging yourself you will need me on your side to do it. I'm not signing anything unless I truly believe that you are not going to come to more harm running around Honolulu with head, leg and chest trauma – do I make myself clear?" Danny was too tired to respond, his strength was fading and he wanted to conserve it for thinking.
"Can we wait outside and come back when you've finished Doc? It really is important." Chin Ho Kelly asked.
Bergman nodded reluctantly, "Don't think gentlemen that I don't understand what's on the line here, I care about Steve McGarrett as much as you all do but someone has to have some good sense in all this so consider me Danny's new watchdog now get out of here and leave me to check my patient over for a while in peace!"
Kono looked to Danny and squeezed his calf again gently, "We'll be back soon."
Dan's hand covered Kono's and the bigger man noted the trembling with concern, "No – find Rent! Both of you – check everything – someone must know – someone – " he winced and couldn't finish his thoughts.
"That's enough gentlemen, he needs some rest – OUT – NOW!" Bergman said concerned.
"Take care Danno!"
Oh how Danny wished Steve had said that.
After they left, the apparently grumpy doctor shook his head as he looked at his young patient, "One of these days please let it just be a nice simple cold!"
"Sorry doc, if it's any consolation we don't do this on purpose." Dan offered placatingly.
Bergman chuckled, "Indeed I should hope not! Now listen Danny," he continued more seriously as he placed a caring hand on Danny's arm, "what you are contemplating doing is very foolish. You could tear those stitches again, aggravate your ribs and make your head worse, you need to be here in a hospital bed under observation not riding around the streets. You need to think very seriously about going out on the job. You're already in a great deal of pain."
Williams closed his eyes for a moment, not needing to think about his answer, just to gather his waning strength, "Thanks but Steve's life means more to me than worrying about any of those risks – he would do – no – has done – the same for me and I don't intend to leave him out there in the cold without finding him. And please doc, no morphine, I need a clear head."
Bergman patted Dan's shoulder, "Well, you are as stubborn as he is but I applaud your courage, I'll give you something not quite so strong and a local painkiller to numb the leg at least. Now let's see how you're doing and I need you to be honest with me – no pulling the wool over these old eyes so I will sign that release. Deal?"
Danny smiled, knowing that Bergman was on the point of agreeing and feeling better to have the physician on his side rather than against him. "Deal." He agreed.
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