I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended. The same goes for the fantastic show and wonderful characters portrayed in Flashpoint.

Notes: crud. vacation is over. ick. back to work today.

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Chapter 14

"We haven't heard from him all afternoon." Steve hadn't actually asked, but Chin volunteered the information as they left together for the Governor's offices. It was obvious what had been lurking in the back of Steve's mind all day. Worry and ill-concealed concern for his friend's general well-being; but also the gnawing more emotional dark feelings in the pit of his stomach.

And those thoughts and feelings only worsened after being called to an unexpected late afternoon meeting with the Governor. It made a long day, much longer and more stressful.

"We need to leave now." Kono had her keys in hand and was closing her office for the evening. "I'll meet you both there in the lobby." Since it was so late in the day, they would take separate vehicles in order to part ways afterwards. Before leaving the offices now with only Chin, his friend also gently described his very one-sided discussion.

"He needed to hear our perspective on all of this, Steve. He took it well. And he knows .. he's upset only for Ana's sake." As another flicker of concern crossed Steve's face, he hastily added a few reassuring words.

"I'm sure he's fine and just needs space. With luck, he's even sleeping which he desperately needs to get back on his feet."

Steve merely nodded after that as they separated in the parking lot. But as he started the engine of his pickup truck, his cell phone rang. He didn't immediately recognize the number and was surprised to hear Ana's young voice on the other end.

"I'm on my to MolokaŹ»i for work. But I saw Uncle Danny this afternoon. He should be sleeping right now; he's very tired." Steve was instantly relieved that someone else had stopped by the apartment. In fact, he was more relieved than he would readily admit as he listened to Ana recount her visit.

"We had a long talk." He heard the smile in her voice and then the distinct note of sarcasm. He stifled a dramatic wince as he realized Danny had been possibly read a very similar riot act by two different people in the very same day. But Ana's tone and incessant chatter were already creating a lop-sided grin on his own face. When she said that she was fine, she truly meant it because she was lively and naturally engaging. Her frustration originated from other people who continued to treat her with kid gloves; people who were constantly inquiring now about her well-being. She was a tough cookie and the more Steve "learned" Ana Madison, the more he appreciated her feistiness which was proven by the relative ease of her very phone call to him.

"Well, actually I did most of the talking. We rehashed my case file again and all the reasons why it's all really okay. And I'm sure you all plan to check in on him, but I needed to tell you that I don't think he should be entirely alone .. not quite yet."

"Why?" Steve distractedly tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he picked up the subtle meaning behind Ana's words. In the back of his mind, he registered that Chin was leaving the office parking lot. "Is Danny sick? Was something wrong?"

"No." There was barely a pause before Ana spoke again and she was almost annoyed. "No. Not exactly wrong. He'll probably get mad at me for saying this."

He did smile at that comment because she left the brazen "but I don't care" hanging unsaid in the air. There were parts of Ana's personality that suspiciously mimicked her Uncle Danny and such sarcasm was one example.

"He can barely make it the few feet from the kitchen to the bedroom. I also have my suspicions and I'm not entirely sure .. but he's sad. He's already not taking care of himself. And being so sad is the worst type of being alone." She suddenly became more thoughtful before ending the call.

"He's caught up in the past .. and I'm not that little girl anymore." Ana's voice became tearful after an invisible struggle to stay in control. "I'm not sure he believes a word that I say and he needs to get well. I need him to get well."

Steve couldn't leave work with the pending meeting with Denning occurring within the next thirty minutes. But he took his time with Ana who had now burst into tears on the phone. A large part of her very soul felt responsible for Danny's kidnapping and severe injuries with Robbie Clancey. When she said that she needed Danny to get well, it was said with a raw honesty that impacted her own well-being too.

"Ana. Go on your business trip this weekend. You won't be that far away and I promise .. one of us will call you." A few final sniffles ended the call and even though Ana thought he might be sleeping, Steve immediately hit his speed dial for Danny's cell phone.

It rang until it went to voicemail and rather than leaving a message, Steve simply ended the call. He considered trying one more time, but if Danny was in fact sleeping, he would only disturb him. Plus both Kono and Chin had now long left the parking lot. They likely were already at the Governor's offices and he couldn't risk running much later.

Frowning and assuming Danny was dutifully resting, Steve finally stowed his cell phone and pushed his truck into gear to follow his team.

H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O* H5O*

Inside the peacefully darkened apartment, Danny slowly kicked off the blankets and struggled painfully into a seated position. The click of the lock to his front door had barely sounded and he was already on the move. He was physically worn out from his first long strenuous day at home, so much so that his healing side was also chiming in resentfully and he had to wrap his arm protectively around his waist. But there was no way he could even attempt to sleep at that point.

Danny sat on the side of his bed for a long time accumulating energy to get up and manage the simple task of getting dressed. He groaned when his cell phone vibrated a few times on the small table. Even from where he sat, he recognized Steve's number but he wasn't ready to talk yet so he let it go to voicemail. His mind was churning and fighting against the physical reality of his recovering body and doing a surprisingly good job at beating back the aches and pains. However, that was only in concert with the prescription medications that Chin had handed him. Each pill combated pain and inflammation so they were just beginning to mask the worst of his varying aches and enabling him to keep moving. He could manage being tired, but not the uncomfortable sense of claustrophobia in the dimly lit, small apartment.

So with his body mostly well in hand, Danny carefully made his way down to the parking lot and stood silently in front of his car. Another sad sigh had him unlocking the door and gently sliding in behind the wheel. He needed to do something but he wasn't quite yet certain what that was; so he aimed the Camaro towards Kuhio Beach.

It was a relatively short and easy drive, however Danny still had to pull over twice to close his eyes and refocus his energy reserves; all the time his brain was chugging through the past and the present. In the past, he rehashed the Mitch Runyon homicide case and how he had found Jana Madison. One distant shot had rung out from the upstairs as he took the steps two at a time. Already deceased on the wooden floor of the second small bedroom, Jana lay on her back with her arms outstretched. She was facing away from him as her blood pooled out from a fatal chest wound. It had taken him a long minute to understand that he was in a child's room; decorated in pink and white with flouncy curtains. Other than the newly splattered spray of blood across a cartoon poster, the room in itself was an oddity. It was a pretty oasis in the middle of a treacherous and gloomy reality.

He had been prepared to take on another adult perpetrator. Instead he heard the faint sniffles of a small child emanating from under the bed. He remembered every detail of Ana's eight-year old tear-stained face as he knelt down to carefully take the weapon from her tiny fingers. When he pulled her out, her long black hair had tickled his face as she wrapped skinny arms around his neck in a silent plea for help. From that split second encounter where he had been wholly unprepared to find a traumatized child, he had become 'Uncle Danny - protector'. Until Grace had been born, he couldn't remember having encountered such a delicate little girl.

Possessed by his thoughts, Danny hardly realized when he reached his destination. He sat silently in the public parking lot in his car and gazed across the blue expanse of ocean with the windows rolled down and the wind buffeting the area around him to bring in the strong scent of saltwater and the incessant sounds of birds. A number of tourists were there taking happy pictures near the picnic area, but he barely noticed them as he came to terms with the present and the astonishing young woman named Ana Madison.

In the quiet of the serene setting, Danny decided his next course of action. It was after five o'clock and offices should be closed or closing; and he absolutely owed Steve a return phone call. And then of course, much more. Danny made that call now but it only rang a few times and he hung up at the tell-tale sign of voicemail switching over.

Like Steve earlier, he didn't leave a voicemail message. However since he didn't know of the late meeting with Denning, Danny wondered if the situation he had created would be more difficult to rectify than he anticipated. Rubbing his eyes from the bright sunshine, he pushed down the ever-present fatigue he was experiencing as he carefully reversed his car to return the way he had come.

~ to be continued ~