Keanna checked the monitors to make sure Kono was breathing normally before telling the nurse she was going to speak with Williams and Kelly. She exited the room, glanced at Trauma One, and fought the urge to barge in there and find out what was going on with Steve McGarrett. She knew it would be unprofessional of her to do that, but God help her, she wanted to know if he was going to be all right.
"Dr. Wahine, the blood test results for Kono Kalakaua are back," a nurse said and handed her the chart.
Keanna read the results and made several notations while she told the nurse exactly what she wanted done for the patient in treatment room three. She took a deep breath and walked into the waiting room to find two men anxiously waiting news on their friends.
"Keanna, how's Kono?" Chin asked.
"Kono is going to be fine. She was given a date rape drug..."
"Rohypnol or GHB?" Chin asked.
"Rohypnol," Keanna answered. "I don't think there'll be any lasting effects, but we're going to keep her in for observation until we're sure it's out of her system."
"But she will be all right?" Chin asked, relief evident in his voice when Keanna nodded her head and smiled slightly.
"What about, Steve?" Danny asked.
"Dr. Wilson is still with him. I'm..."
"Family of Steve McGarrett."
"Steve's sister is in California, but I have medical power of attorney. Detective Danny Williams," Williams introduced himself and saw the surprise on Chin's face.
"Come with me."
"Whatever you have to say can be said in front of Chin and Keanna," Williams told him.
Akoni Wilson nodded and sat down while running his fingers through his dark hair. He knew what he was about to tell them was not what they wanted to hear, but at least their friend was alive.
"Doc, how is he?" Williams asked.
"Commander McGarrett is in critical condition right now and is being readied for immediate surgery. The bullet entered his body on the right side and managed to do quite a bit of internal damage. It lacerated his liver and he's bleeding into his abdomen and i just need your signed consent before taking him to the OR."
"Where are the papers?" Williams asked.
"At the main desk. I told them to get them ready so that we can move quickly. I'd also like to request that you and your fellow officers donate blood. The Commander is doing a very good imitation of a thirsty vampire and..."
"You don't need to explain, Dr. Wilson. I'll call the precinct while Danny signs the papers," chin told him.
"Good, look this could take some time depending on what else we find so please go get something to eat and rest while you can because something tells me Commander McGarrett is a hard man to keep down."
"No shit," Williams said.
"Keanna, would you see that Detective Williams signs the papers," Wilson said and shook Chin and Danny's hands before hurrying back to his patient. "I'll let you know what;s happening as soon as I can."
"Thanks, Doc," Williams said and followed Keanna to the main desk where he signed the papers. He turned to find Chin hanging up his cell phone.
"Sergeant O'Hara said he'll put out the word," Chin said and turned to Wahine. "Can we see Kono?"
"Follow me, but be warned she's probably going to sleep for the net 12 hours," Wahine told them and led the way to the treatment room.
"Dr. Wahine, they have Officer Kalakaua's room ready," the nurse at the desk called.
"Have the orderly give me five minutes," Wahine said.
"Yes, Doctor," the woman said.
Chin and Danny pushed back the curtain and stared at the woman lying on the bed. Kono's dark hair was spread out across the pillow and she looked like she was simply sleeping. The problem was they both knew differently because of the monitors beeping beside the bed.
Chin reached out and touched her cheek, relieved to find it warm, but not feverish. "We're here, Kono," he whispered.
"Chin, why don't you stay with Kono and I'll go up to the surgical waiting room."
"Sounds good, Brah, you'll let me know as soon as surgery is over," chin asked.
"You know I will. Keanna, are you all right?"
"I'm okay, Danny. I'll join you in the waiting room as soon as my shift ends," Wahine told him and reluctantly went back to work.
5050505050
David O'Brien answered the questions Duke asked while watching the body being removed by the coroner. He needed to work off some steam, but right now he had to keep his wits about him. He knew there's be more questions, but for now he was free to go and headed for Queens. He needed to see Danny and fill in the rest of his cover story before Danny heard that he was the one who shot McGarrett.
When he was inside his car, David pulled out his cell phone and hit the single number assigned to his partner.
"Howard."
"Cole, Lamont's dead."
"What? How?"
"The fool made too many mistakes and Five-O was closing in on him. I had to kill him before they brought him in for questioning. I want you to get the women ready to move."
"They're not ready."
"The client will have to finish what we started. I need to finish up some things here before I can get clear, but get them ready."
"All right. When will we ship them out?"
"I don't think I can make travel arrangements until tomorrow, but I'll let you know for sure when I see you tonight," O'Brien said.
"Bring some Champagne."
"I'll see what I can do," O'Brien said and hung up the phone before placing the keys in the ignition and driving away from the bar.
Once he reached Queens, O'Brien parked in the visitor's area and headed for the main entrance. He stopped at the desk and found out McGarrett was in surgery and that Williams was in the waiting room on the third floor. He took the elevator and made his way slowly along the corridor until he reached the surgical waiting room. Before pushing open the door, David looked at himself and was pleased with the rumpled clothing he wore as he set his face to show sorrow he didn't feel.
He opened the door and spotted William leaning against the wall and staring out the only window in the room. There were several others present, but he didn't recognize them as he made his way toward his friend. "Danny, how are Steve and Kono?"
"Kono's going to be fine. Steve's in surgery...the damn bullet did some internal damage and the doc is trying to repair it."
"Damn...I'm sorry, Danny."
"It's not your fault," Williams said.
"It might be," O'Brien said.
"Look, David, you didn't know Steve was going to be there so his getting shot wasn't your fault."
"I may have shot him, Danny."
"What?" Williams said and looked into the other man's eyes, lowering his voice when he realized they were disturbing the others. "What the hell are you saying?"
"I'm saying I may have shot Steve by mistake," O'Brien said, standing and pacing in front of the window. "It all happened so fast. Lamont was going to take Kono with him and I knew something was wrong with her and I couldn't let that bastard take her. I saw him going for his gun at the same time I saw Steve move in front of him. Lamont went for his gun and I thought he was going to shoot Kono so I fired...I thought I missed with the first shot so I fired again and he moved and Steve was right there. God, Danny, I didn't mean to, but I think...I think I shot him."
"David, we're trained to act, not react to situations. You know damn well you're..."
"I know, Danny, and believe me I've been going over things in my head and I keep seeing Steve fall. At first I thought it was because Lamont fell into him, but when you said Steve was shot I knew it could have been me."
"You said you fired twice."
"Yes, I did."
"What about Lamont? Did he fire his gun?" Williams asked, already knowing the answer.
"I think he fired once."
"So maybe he shot Steve," Danny observed. He kept watching O'Brien's face, but could see nothing that would tell him whether the man was lying. He hated feeling like he was betraying his friend, but he remembered a vow he'd recently made about friend and family and it being a cold day in hell before he let anyone take that away from him. David O'Brien was a friend, but he didn't quite fit in the same way Steve, Chin, and Kono did. He briefly wondered if he ever had, but did not have a chance to dwell on it as Akoni Wilson entered the room. "Doc, how's Steve?"
"Sit down, Detective, you look almost as bad as my lunch today," Wilson told him and waited for Williams to take a seat before settling onto one of the uncomfortable chairs and looking at the worried man. "You're friend gave us more than a few challenges."
"That sounds like Steve," Williams observed and waited for the man to continue.
"I told you the bullet damaged his liver, but there was other damage as well and I could go into a whole description of what we found and what we had to do for him, but I'm sure you'd rather I tell you the good news."
"There's good news?" Williams asked.
"Commander McGarrett proved just how stubborn he is and although we almost lost him on the table he's now being moved to SICU. His blood pressure is still a little low, but we've topped him off with several pints of blood and it's no longer dangerously low. I've also started him on a course of strong antibiotics, but he's already developing a fever so we'll be keeping an eyes on that."
"Doc, your idea of good news is not the same as mine," Williams spat.
"Maybe not, but he's alive and he's fighting. If all goes well we'll be able to take him off the ventilator tomorrow morning depending on how things go through the night," Wilson said.
"When can I see him?" Williams asked leaving no doubt that he would see McGarrett whether Wilson okayed it or not.
"Give the staff an hour to get him settled and I'll leave word at the desk that you can see him. Just remember he'll probably sleep the rest of what's left of today and well into tomorrow. You should do the same," Wilson ordered and stood up. He shook hands with both men before leaving the room.
"Danny, I need to head over to HQ, but if there's anything I can do to help just let me know," O'Brien told him.
"I'm good, Danny, you go ahead."
"Okay, but call me."
"I will," Williams said and watched the man leave. Why did it feel like he was looking at a stranger? How could he be so wrong where David O'Brien was concerned? Was it his bullet that had caused so much damage to Steve? If so, had it been intentional because Steve had been vocal bout his distrust for O'Brien?
Danny thought about the DVD at Steve's home and knew he needed to look at it s soon as possible. He glanced at his watch and quickly made his way out of the room and along the hallway until he reached the SICU. He caught sight of Wilson checking over a chart just as the Steve's bed was wheeled through a set of double doors.
Danny's breath caught in his throat when he caught sight of the amount of equipment being moved with the bed. Several nurses in surgical garb, still covered with Steve's blood maneuvered it toward a unit close to the main desk.
"Now, I know I asked you to give the staff an hour, not a minute," Wilson said upon seeing the man standing near the desk.
"I just...he's on that bed right?"
"Yes, he is, Detective, and I know it looks bad, but the equipment is pretty standard for SICU. It monitors his vitals and will alert the staff of any problems," Wilson explained. "Look, there's a lounge to the right of the elevator so go grab a cup of coffee and one of the muffins they just brought up and wait there. A nurse will come get you when he's ready for visitors."
Danny couldn't take his eyes off the bed until the curtains were closed and realized Wilson had said something about security. He nodded and walked away from the desk and realized he should check in with Chin, but for now he didn't want to leave the floor so he headed for the lounge and the cup of strong coffee he hoped to find there.
5050505050
Rachel had seen the footage of the shooting at the bar and couldn't help feeling the old fears resurfacing. How many times had she heard the phone ring or a knock on the door and feared the worst? Could she really deal with all of this again?
"God, Danny, please be all right," she whispered and reached for her phone. She hit the speed dial and waited for it to connect, unable to believe it when he answered the phone on the first ring. "Danny...are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Rachel, I'm sorry, I meant to call you earlier."
"That's all right...I was just worried. I saw the news about the shooting, but they didn't have much information. Were you there?"
"I was there...so were Kono, Chin, and Steve."
"Are they all right?"
"Chin is. Kono was drugged by the man we were after, but Keanna says she'll be fine once she sleeps it off."
"Steve?"
"Steve was shot, Rachel, but we don't know if it was the perp or David who shot him."
"David..your partner David?"
"My old partner. He said he wasn't sure, but he thinks he may have shot Steve when the perp pulled his gun. It's a mess, Rachel, and Steve's in bad shape."
"Where are you, Danny?"
"I'm at Queens. Steve just got out of surgery and I'm waiting until they've settled him in his room. I'm sorry...I know I was supposed to come over tonight."
"Don't apologize, Danny. I'll talk to Mrs. Antonio and ask if Grace can spend the night with them."
"Thanks, Rachel."
"Did you eat anything?"
"No, I've been..."
"I'll bring you a sandwich from that deli you like."
"Could you bring one for Chin too. He's with Kono."
"Sure, I'll bring extra. See you in an hour," Rachel said.
"Thanks, Rachel."
"You're welcome," Rachel said and sighed when the phone went dead in her hands. She looked down at them and realized she was shaking and knew it was a mixture of joy, that Danny was all right, and fear, that Steve and Kono were both hospitalized. She thought about what Danny had told her about Steve's suspicions about David O'Brien and hoped he was wrong, but something about the shooting felt wrong. She hurried to the Antonio apartment, relieved when the older woman said Grace was welcome to spend the night since her granddaughter was also staying over.
5050505050
Paul Sheffield and Charlie Higgins looked at the man talking with the desk sergeant and fought the urge to shake the man's hand. The story about McGarrett being shot had spread throughout HPD and now all they had to do was wait until they were assigned the case. No matter what happened they would be able to question O'Brien and just maybe they could coax him into giving them what they wanted.
"Detective, I couldn't help but overhear that you were at the hospital. Is there any word on Commander McGarrett?" Sheffield asked.
"He's out of surgery and resting in SICU," O'Brien answered and looked the two men over. "IA?"
"That's right," Sheffield answered. "We'll need to ask you some questions about the shooting."
"I figured it wouldn't be long before IA was involved."
"Duke Lukela's report said you may have been the one to shoot Commander McGarrett," Higgins said.
"It was an accident."
"Why don't you come with us and we'll start an informal session while the events are still clear in your mind," Sheffield said.
"Are you two assigned to my case?"
"We're assigned to McGarrett's so it's only a matter of time before we're assigned to yours," Higgins said and motioned for the other man to follow him.
Author's Note—- Well, here's another part...and thanks again for the reviews...both signed and anonymous...Winnie