Danny handed Steve a cup of coffee before he sat down. "I have to tell ya Buddy, Craig sure knows how to come through in a crisis."
Steve looked over at him, taking a sip of his third cup. "What do mean?"
"They couldn't get flights out of LA until morning so he chartered a private jet. They should be here in about five hours."
That didn't surprise him. "He's a good guy."
Steve looked at his watch. It was almost 1:30 in the morning and they still hadn't heard anything about Carly. They rest assured by their earlier theory that no news was good news. She was still alive, and every minute that went by he felt more and more confident that she would remain that way.
Danny nudged him on the arm; "I didn't know you two were trying for kids already?"
"We're really not, it was just this one time." He smiled out of the corner of his mouth at the memory. "Kind of a dare, you know?"
"Who was daring who?"
Steve chuckled, "I don't know, we both wanted it. I guess we were daring God."
He tried to imagine Carly pregnant. They hadn't really discussed the outcome of that day, deciding the chances were pretty slim considering her difficulties in the past. "She's not sure she can have kids all that easily. It had been exciting in the beginning, but I didn't want to bring it up again until we knew for sure. I didn't want to put that pressure on her." He looked over at him, "I'm sure she's not, it was just that one time."
Danny shrugged, "Maybe. You'll have plenty of time for that." But he knew that if she were it would be a miracle if the baby could survive the trauma.
Steve looked over at him thankful for that comment. "Thanks for everything Danny. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't at the house with me." He shuttered at the thought. "She would have died for sure."
He didn't need to be thanked for anything. He felt the buzzing of his phone, reaching inside his pocket. "You can thank me properly with a beer when this is all over." He looked at the number, showing Steve his phone, "Chin." He put it on speaker. "Hey, what do you got?"
"I need good news Chin," Steve said, sounding even more exhausted than before.
He looked over at Kono and then at the car. "Kono and I are at the airport. We found Allan."
Steve and Danny sat up in their chairs, glancing at each other. It was the news they were hoping for.
"Is he in custody? Did he confess?" Steve asked, suddenly feeling more awake. Carly was going to get the justice she deserved. Allan was going to die in prison; he would make sure of it.
"Kind of," Chin said. "He confessed into the barrel of your gun."
The news was surprising to both of them, but at the same time Steve was relieved. Having Allan removed from the earth completely would be a relief for Carly. There would be no trial, and she wouldn't ever have to face a parole board. In his mind justice was being served to Allan at the hands of the Akua's.
"What a fucking pussy," Danny finally spoke. "Should have known he'd take the easy way out. Where is he? He didn't hurt anyone else did he?"
"No," Kono jumped in. "We found his rental car in the parking lot. He's in it."
"Is there a note or anything saying why he did it to Carly?" Danny asked.
"No, nothing," Chin said. "He just checked out."
"I think I know why," Steve said somberly, "Their divorce was finalized yesterday. He couldn't let her go."
Danny looked over at Steve, "This case is closed. You ok with that?"
"Justice is being served as we speak, only not here on this earth. I believe that 100%. I'm ok with that."
"Amen brother," Chin agreed.
"Any news on Carly yet?" Kono asked.
"No," Danny answered, feeling his mood change, "nothing yet."
"We're going to get things cleaned up here and then come over there," she said.
"You guys go home and get some sleep," Steve ordered. "Come in the morning. You did a great job. I appreciate it."
Neither of them argued with him. They always took their orders from him without question and did so this time too.
"Promise you'll call if anything happens?" Kono said.
"Of course," Steve replied, knowing she and Carly had become friends over the past couple of months.
Danny hung up sitting back in his chair. "Well, he either felt guilty about doing it, or he was afraid of you and didn't want to go to prison."
"I don't care why he did it," Steve replied, "I'm just glad he did." He felt not one ounce of remorse or pity for Allan. It wasn't worth his time; he had Carly to think about instead.
Danny slumped down in the chair, resting his head on the wall, dozing on and off. Every few minutes Steve would catch him opening his eyes to see what was going on and then seconds later he'd be out again.
He on the other hand paced the room, stopping every once in a while to stretch. He even did a hundred push ups just to relieve some of the tension build up.
The waiting was torture. He didn't think anything could be worse than that, but telling Carly's parents topped it all. It took him several tries just to get it out. Hearing the silence on the phone and then her Mother crying was the worst of it. He wondered if they would forgive him for this, the same as they did for Karen. He couldn't help but have guilt over being indirectly apart of both of their daughter's tragedies. He knew what he was going through but couldn't imagine how they felt. He was glad he'd had a chance to talk to them over the past couple of months and this not being the first time since Karen's death. That would have been almost too much to take.
They had been planning a trip to the islands to visit them and he regretted that this was how they had to make their first trip. He only hoped it would be a happy ending.
Danny snorted in his sleep, waking himself up. He sat up in his chair, wiping his face off. He looked at Steve's amused expression. "What?"
"Nothing."
Danny's face turned serious as he pointed at the door.
Steve turned around seeing the Surgeon walk in. He felt the air leave his body, trying desperately to read his face. He looked in his late fifties but still had dark hair with only a slight sprinkle of grey. He was taller than Steve, which put him at a towering six four, give or take. His tanned face along with the height and the hair made him look distinguished.
"Are you here for Carly Burke?" he asked.
"Yes," Steve said barely above a whisper. Not being able to pick up good or bad from him. He could feel his heart beginning to pound. He didn't have to see Danny to know he was right there, standing beside him.
"I'm Dr. Caldwell." As with the ER doctor the greeting was short and to the point. "She's in recovery, but still in critical condition." He was the type of person that used his hands subtly while he talked, but not to the point where it took away from what he was saying. "She didn't lose the kidney, which is good. We got the bleeding under control and stitched it up. It'll take time to heal but it should be as good as new. Her stomach laceration was a bit more difficult to repair. We had to remove part of her stomach to make the incision line up the way we needed it to. It sounds more drastic than it really is. It's kind of like a stomach staple, if you will."
"So she's going to be ok? Can I see her? Is she awake?" Steve asked hopeful, after only hearing positive things from him.
He tilted his head slightly with an uncomfortable expression on his face, "I'm getting to that."
He didn't like the sound that. It was as if he was saving the worst for last. The insecurity was creeping back, he could feel it grab on around his body and squeeze.
"She suffered a stroke from the lack of blood flow to the brain. We want to do a CAT scan as soon as she's stable to determine if there is any permanent damage from that."
"Permanent damage how, to what capacity?" Steve asked, but deep down inside he knew what it meant.
"I wanted to put that out there, but not elaborate on it now. I'd rather wait and see the outcome first." He continued on with his diagnose, "The cardiac arrest also caused hypoxia, which is the lack of oxygen flow to the brain. This causes the neuronal extracellular sodium and calcium to decrease…" he paused, changing his pattern of diagnose, wanting to be clear in his explanation. "The lack of oxygen has harmed the neuron activity in her brain. In other words, its slowed to almost non-existence. To put it bluntly, it's asleep and the medical diagnose is that Carly has slipped into a coma."
Steve heard that word and it was like hearing him give her a death sentence. He knew nothing about comas except what he'd seen in movies or read in books. It always meant waiting for the person to wake up after months or years, or eventually the life support being turned off.
Dr. Caldwell saw that look of dread fill him and quickly reassured the situation. "This is not as dire as it sounds. I know the word coma can send you into a tail spin," he reached out taking Steve's forearm, trying to calm what he saw forming, "comas are not always permanent, as a matter of fact, 75% of patients wake up in the first week, and 20% in the first two to three weeks. Carly's pupils respond to light, which is a very good sign." He let go of his arm. "Think of it as her brain going on vacation. She's been through a very shocking and traumatic experience both physically and emotionally. She's resting and repairing."
Steve nodded feeling slightly better by that explanation. The doctor seemed confident she would come out of it, so he had to too. He needed to know one last thing before he left. "They said you did a pregnancy test. I know there was a chance she might have been."
Dr. Caldwell put his hands on his hips and bent his head, sighing. He looked back up at him. "Yes, she was, but she miscarried. I'm sorry."
Steve felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He'd talked about it with Danny but didn't realize it would hit him this hard. His eyes filled with tears as he mourned the tiny life that he and Carly had created together. It was just another blow in the nightmare that he just couldn't wake up from.
"There was no damage to her reproductive system," he assured Steve. "There is no reason why she couldn't conceive again."
Danny squeezed his shoulder, "Hey, Steve, that's good news." He encouraged him.
He nodded, trying to see the good in it at the moment, wiping his face with the collar of his shirt. "When can I see her?"
He smiled, "How about right now?"
He wasn't expecting that and his emotions switched in an instant, the same as they had over a dozen times in the last six hours. He smiled over at Danny, showing his pleasure in that.
"Come this way."
Danny held back. "I'm going to wait here and make some calls to let everyone know the update."
"Ok," Steve said over his shoulder, "thanks Buddy."
He followed him down the corridor that was quiet until they entered the ICU unit. The tone was still hush but the activity was busy as several nurses worked their individual area. The room was rectangle with the nurses' station in the middle and five separate rooms on either side, totaling ten ICU units in all.
Steve was led over to room six. The door was open and he hesitated going in, having the need to prepare himself first. As he entered two nurses that were working looked up at him and smiled. One was taping the IV to her right arm to keep it stable and the other was adjusting a bag on the side of the bed that had a tube coming out of it and running under the blanket, where he assumed it entered Carly somewhere.
His eyes moved up her body and he finally got a glimpse of her face. His mood changed again, barely recognizing the pale and swollen girl in the bed. Her hair was rolled up and tucked in next to her neck. The breathing tube that came out of her mouth resembled an athletic mouthpiece with the tube coming straight out the top and ran to the side, disappearing along the side of the bed, going into the ventilator. Both of her hands were bandaged up from trying to fight off the attack and each one was also being used to pump medicine and fluids into her body, they too seemed swollen. Her left arm was wrapped from the elbow to her shoulder. He recalled seeing gash marks there.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to be strong in front of the other people in the room, when all he really wanted to do was just lie down next to her and put his arms around her. She looked so weak and frail it broke his heart. He walked closer to the bed as one of the nurses moved away, allowing him access. He touched her arm, gliding his fingers over it gently.
"The only reason we have the breathing tube in," Dr. Caldwell informed him, "is because of the coma. Sometimes the windpipe can become blocked and we just want to make sure she gets a good flow of oxygen, otherwise she'd be breathing on her own."
Steve nodded his understanding. He leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead. "Can I stay for a while?" he asked, brushing her hair back.
"Of course," he motioned to one of the nurses, "Nancy, would you please get Commander McGarrett a chair?"
He looked over at him, "Please, it's Steve," he reached his hand out to him, "and thank you for everything."
He shook his hand; "I wouldn't have had anything to work with if you and your partner hadn't kept her alive."
The nurse set a chair down next to the bed and the doctor lowered Carly's so he could see her. "Thank you," he said to Dr. Caldwell and then glanced over his shoulder at the nurse too.
"Stay as long as you'd like, and also," Dr. Caldwell patted his shoulder, "it's been known that coma patients can subconsciously hear people speaking to them."
He looked back at Carly in the state she was in; he had a hard time believing that.
They left the room, but the door was still wide open and in view of the nurses' station just outside. He stared at her face and gently caressed her arm. There was shuffling out in the hall but for the most part it was quiet except for the humming of the machines. Her lifted one of her bandaged hands and kissed it, feeling the whole night come crashing down on him. He pictured her trying to fight off Allan as he attacked her. The fear she had must have been horrendous. He wondered if she screamed his name, begging for help. He felt the same fear engulf him as he came around the side of the bed and found her lying in a pool of her own blood.
The fatigue and stress caught up with him as he laid his head down on the bed just wanting to be close to her, but was afraid to touch her. He thought about what the doctor said and stood up, leaning over so he could whisper to her.
"I love you Carly. I've loved you since the first time I saw you sitting on those bleachers all those years ago. I've always known that we belong together. I want you to rest and when you're ready to wake up, I'll be here. I love you so much." He kissed her forehead and sat back down in the chair and just held her hand, finally letting himself feel the sorrow and silently cry for her.
Steve woke up feeling a hand on his head as it slowly slid down his back. He sat up seeing Carly in the same position and then looked over his shoulder at Jules.
Maybe it was that she knew Carly just as well as he did and he could see his own pain in her eyes, or maybe it was just the mother in her, but the second he saw her the emotions overcame him so quickly he barely had time to stand up. She stood on her toes and hugged him as he buried his face in her neck and sobbed. She looked down on her best friend, but fought back her own tears, letting him have the moment, knowing he must have been in agony over the last few hours. She would be the strong one for now.
Craig came up behind her and put a hand on his head, hugging both of them. They were missing Jack who had decided to stay behind to care for the kids while Jules came to be with Steve and Carly. It was a hard decision for him, but they both knew she was the one to go.
Steve pulled away sniffing and trying to control himself. He felt somewhat embarrassed, a natural reaction for a man, plus, he was always the strong one, but at the moment he had no strength left and was beyond relieved that Jules was there. "I'm sorry," he whispered, not able to find his voice.
Jules bent slightly so she could see his face, annoyed by his apology, "For what, being in love?"
He looked at her and chuckled at that remark. She knew how to set him straight. He loved that about her. "Jack?" he asked.
"The boys," was all she had to say and knew he understood.
It was then that he saw Carly's mom on the other side of the bed. She had a hand on her daughter's head, gently rubbing her hair back and the other touching her arm. She spoke to her as if she were a child, reassuring her that she and Daddy were there and that everything was going to be fine.
He hadn't seen her in over sixteen years and the last time he had it had been at the funeral for her other daughter. She aged well and he could see the obvious strain on her from traveling over night, almost sure she probably hadn't slept at all. He could see Carly in her too, he'd never noticed it when they were young, but now it was evident.
"Steve."
He heard a familiar voice and turned to see Carly's dad standing in front of him, once again the memory of the last time he saw him came flooding back and just as that day, the guilt over his participation in this was crushing. He didn't know what to say, but refused to look away like a coward and stood and faced him, eye to eye.
Jason Burke had never met anyone before in his life that he respected more than the man standing in front of him. He didn't even know how to express to him the gratitude for what he had done for Carly, not only at the lake house but what he had done earlier that night. The only words he could find to describe him were none other than a guardian angel for his girls. If he hadn't been a part of their lives, he would have lost both of them. "I thought about you a lot on the flight over here," he said. "I thought about what I wanted to say when I saw you."
Steve felt his heart pounding but he refused to waver. He would stand there and take any kind of verbal beating or angry outburst that he had to offer. He had no right to deny him his justification.
"You are what most men strive to be and I know that someday when you and Carly have children, you will teach them the same values that you live by. It will be my proudest moment as a grandfather." He didn't wait for a reaction but touched him on the arm and moved past him to his daughter.
He had to let it soak in because he was confused for the first couple of seconds. He felt a hand squeeze his and looked over at Jules, who smiled, nodding her head in agreement with Carly's dad.
He swore he could feel the weight he'd been carrying over this slide off his back. It was the first time in the last twelve hours that he felt any kind of relief. He looked up then seeing Craig. He moved to him, shaking his hand and hugging him at the same time. "Thank you for stepping up and getting them here." He leaned back looking at him. "Seriously, you went above and beyond."
Craig shook it off, "I did what anyone in my position would have, so enough with that."
Dr. Caldwell came in and greeted Carly's parents, giving them a rundown of her condition. In the meantime Steve, Jules and Craig went out to see Danny.
"I can't believe you're still here." Steve said to him appreciatively.
"Those chairs really aren't that bad. I got a couple of hours."
"Well go home and get some more."
"Can I drop some luggage someplace, or does anyone need a lift?" he asked.
Steve scolded himself, forgetting to introduce him. "Danny you remember Craig, and this is Jules."
"I know," he said, smiling at her, "we met when they got here. I also met Jason and Mary, Carly's parents. Where is everyone staying?"
"With me," Steve said. It was an automatic reaction and then he paused, not even sure when he could go back there with everything that had happened. "Wait, I'm not sure we can."
"Yes you can," Danny said, "I talked to Chin and he had the Bio Chem guys in and they cleaned up. He said there is absolutely no trace of anything. They did a great job."
He was glad to hear that, "Ok then, my place."
Craig shook his head, "I've been to your place. It's good for a couple of people, but not all of us and I knew you'd say that too, so I made reservations at the Hilton for myself and I can get as many rooms as we need." He looked at Jules. "What do you want to do?"
"I don't know," she looked at Steve, "what do you really want?"
"I want Carly's parent's at the house, if they're comfortable with that, and whatever you want to do Jules is ok. They can have the master and I have a spare bedroom and my couch is perfectly fine for me," he held his hand up, "honestly."
She looked at Craig, "I appreciate your offer, but I think I would like to stay at Steve's. I can get meals prepared and help out that way."
Craig nodded, "I think that's a great idea." He turned to Danny, "We rented a couple of cars, so we're ok there." He stuck his hand out to him. "Thanks again for keeping us updated. It was a great relief to know someone was here waiting with Steve."
Danny shook it and nodded, "Glad you guys could make it here so quickly. If I'm ever in a hurry to get someplace, I know who to call." He motioned for Steve to follow him out.
They walked down the hall toward the elevators. "You doing ok?"
Steve shrugged, "She's alive, even though she's asleep and I don't know the full extent of her injuries, she's still alive. So…yea, I'm ok."
"Don't worry about work. I'll take care of it. I'll do the paperwork and bring it over for you to sign. I'll talk to the Governor and get him a copy of it too. I'll have it done before tomorrow night."
"Thanks Danny."
He went to turn and leave and then stopped, "Honestly, I didn't think she was going to make it. She's tough, and then when she was lying there dying, she made the conscious decision to tell us who did it." He shook his head, "Not only did she tell us, but she made sure we heard it right." He looked up at him, "I have a whole new respect for her." He raised his hand above his head, like he was measuring her; "I put her up here with Kono. She's the only other woman I know who could go to hell and back, telling the devil to F-off. " He walked away toward the elevators, talking to him over his shoulder, "You're kids are going to be like super hero's or some shit like that." He waved lazily as he got on the elevator.
Steve grinned, thinking the same thing about him. The respect he had for Danny was endless. He was a brother through and through.
He leaned back against the wall, running his hands down his face. He looked at his watch that read six forty-two. He guessed he had got about two hours of sleep while with Carly. He wanted to go back in the room but waited out of respect for her parents. He had yet to speak to her Mom but she had more important things on her mind than him.
"Have you eaten?" Jules asked, appearing next to him.
He thought about when the last time was he had eaten and started to laugh, remembering the night before. "Carly made this horrible fish last night for me and Danny." He laughed again at the memory and wanted to cry at the same time. "It's was so bad Jules, we could hardly even eat it."
"She's a horrible cook," Jules smiled.
"Danny and I went to get pizza and when we came home…" he looked at her and his smile faded. "We found her." He stifled the tears once again. "There was so much blood."
She quickly took his hand, holding it with both of hers. "She's going to be ok! You two will be back together again in no time, smiling and laughing. We'll all be dancing at your wedding."
He thought about the ring he had bought her wishing now he wouldn't have waited for that perfect moment, because in hindsight, every moment with her was perfect. "I miss her so much already. I just want her to open her eyes and smile at me. Then I'll know everything is going to be ok."
"She will wake up, Steve," she squeezed his hand reassuringly. "But," she sighed, knowing the crisis may not end there, "you have to prepare yourself though for a different Carly to wake up. Are you ok with that?"
"Yes," he replied without hesitation. "I'll take care of her. I'll do whatever I have to." He smiled just slightly, "Till death do us part. I married Carly a long time ago Jules. She's my wife whether I have a ring or a piece of paper to prove it, she's mine and I'll never leave her, no matter what."
She was pleased with that, knowing he said it out of love and not out of obligation. She just prayed that he wouldn't have to use it and that Carly would not only wake up soon, but be the same ole' Carly they new and loved. Mostly for his sake, because she knew he would stand by her and take care of her, but she also knew that it would break his heart into a million pieces but he would never say it or let anyone know he felt it. That scared her just as much.