Troubled Waters XIV

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. And that will not change in the near future.

I am a little behind this week. I had a wonderful writers meeting with two friends last week and that slowed my writing opportunities. But here is the new chapter.

Chapter 14

Chin and Kono rolled Edward Tambor's heavy body off of McGarrett. Lou and Danny turned over Jack, Pono and Lyle to the HPD officers who cuffed the men and moved them away from the area. Then the two joined the cousins as they checked on their leader. McGarrett lay silently on his injured left side, eyes closed and was breathing shallowly. Steve had spent his last reserve of energy trying to stop Tambor and the effort along with the big man landing on top of him had sent him into blackness.

Carefully Chin and Danny rolled Steve onto his back as Kono settled on the floor and cradled Steve's head in her lap. They could all see that the white gauze that had been wrapped around his middle was now stained with blotches of red. He didn't respond to the gentle tapping Kono did to his cheeks, trying to wake him.

"Where is that damn ambulance, I thought they were on standby?" Danny demanded.

"They're on their way sir," a young officer, keeping his eye on Terry responded. "It will be here soon."

"It had better be here now," Danny growled. Lou gave his shoulder a tight squeeze in an attempt to calm him. Chin walked over to the young officer and the bleeding blonde who was moaning as he clutched his shoulder, propped up against the car.

"Save it Whitley, my cousin only winged you and you won't die from that wound. You are lucky that Commander McGarrett is out cold or you would really be in trouble," Chin remarked and enjoyed the look of fear that crossed the man's face.

"You are having a very bad day my friend," Lou chuckled as he joined Chin. "First you alerted us to your plans by circling our boat and gaining our interest and you've just kept stepping in it as the day went on. You even left your phone in the jungle for us to find and it gives us all the answers we needed."

Terry became even paler as Chin nodded with a smug smile. The injured man shut up and slid lower, biting his lower lip and forgetting about the pain in his shoulder.

A groan from where McGarrett lay brought both men back to the others. Kono was stoking McGarrett's forehead, trying to keep him still. Steve's eyelids fluttered open and he blinked as he tried to focus on those around him.

"Kono?" he croaked as she looked up.

"Hey Boss, glad you decided to join us. Help is on the way, lie still," she responded brightly.

"Good. I'm okay…."

"You…..are not okay," Danny spoke up. "You babe will be going to the hospital as soon as the ambulance arrives. And we definitely need to discuss how you spend your off duty time."

"I caught a great fish," Steve grinned goofily.

"And you got shot," Danny pointed out.

"I also happened to catch two beauties," Lou reminded him and clapped Danny on the shoulder once more. "We were in fishing heaven and it was these idiots who disturbed our off duty time. We have them all now and we will get Steve patched up. We did our job Danny."

"I know….I know," Danny said with less heat. "It just seems that nothing goes right when Steve goes fishing."

"You know that isn't true," Chin corrected. "I've never had any trouble fishing with Steve." He understood the way Williams struggled with McGarrett's willingness to put himself in harm's way to do his job. Danny forgot that Steve was highly trained to take on problems most would run from and was always aware of the risks involved before he acted. Chin could only assume that Danny was afraid that he would lose his partner to what he felt was an impulsive, dangerous situation.

"It only takes once," Danny muttered, knowing that Steve had not shared the story of how Danny lost the partner that Grace was named after. The others didn't know how much he feared living through that experience again.

"It's okay," Steve spoke up. "I know Danno's worried but honest, I will be okay."

Danny moved back to his partner and knelt down by him, frustration on his face.

"You take years off of my life babe. Years that I cannot afford to lose," he scolded softly.

"I'm sorry," Steve said sincerely.

The EMTs arrived before the conversation could go further. They first headed towards Whitley but a sharp whistle from Williams brought them over to Steve. A second ambulance had been requested and Danny pointed out that Whitley could wait.

As the EMTs went to work on McGarrett, inserting an IV to restore fluids and also one to give blood to replace what Steve had lost, they then inspected his wound. As they tended to the Commander, a second crew arrived to care for Terry. The man tried to make things sound worse than they were but the crew was not impressed and patched him up hurriedly and lifted him onto a gurney. The officer cuffed Terry to the gurney and rode along to keep an eye on him.

The other team lifted Steve onto a gurney after rewrapping his side and headed to the ambulance with Danny hoovering alongside.

"Should I ride along?" he asked.

"It isn't necessary Detective. We will take good care of him," one of the men replied.

"I know but I want to know he is going to be okay," Danny explained.

"I'll be fine Danny…." Steve began and then paused when he saw Danny face. Chin, Kono and Lou were more than able to take care of the crime scene and he knew that Danny was only concerned about his best interests.

"If that is what you want," Danny said.

"No, it's okay, come along," Steve gave in. "You can take care of all the paperwork."

"You jerk," Danny said letting out his breath but not able to hide the smile that crossed his face. He turned to Lou and called his name, tossing his keys to the Camaro to the big man. "Don't wreck my car," he ordered as he climbed in the ambulance behind everyone.

At Wahiawa General Hospital, Steve was rushed into the ER to be checked out and then moved immediately into surgery to remove the bullet still lodged in his side. Danny was sitting in the surgical waiting room with a cold cup of coffee sitting at his side by the time that Chin, Lou and Kono arrived.

"Any news?" Lou enquired as they approached their team member.

"Not yet but we should hear soon, he's been in there for about an hour," Danny replied wearily. "He lost consciousness in the ambulance and didn't regain it."

"I'm sure he was exhausted after all he has been through today," Kono said as she sat beside him. "I'm willing to bet that the ambulance was the first place he could relax and let go."

"You are probably right," Danny conceded. "The ER doc seemed to think he'd be fine but she made no promises. She did assure me that Dr. Trang was the best surgeon in the hospital and that Steve was in good hands."

"That is good to know," Chin said taking a seat beside his cousin. Lou stood in front of the others, unwilling to sit just yet.

"Anyone want some coffee?" Lou asked, needing something to do.

"Sounds good," came the general reply but before he could act, a be-speckled man emerged from the operating area and headed for them. The doctor recognized the 5-0 team from news reports and didn't have to ask who they were waiting for.

"5-0, I am Dr. Ben Trang. I operated on Commander McGarrett," the lanky man said gravely.

"How is he?" Danny demanded, surging to his feet. The other two also stood.

"I removed the bullet from the Commander's left side and was happy to find no damage to any vital organs. We have started him on antibiotics to fight any chance of infection and are giving him blood to replace what he lost which was a significant amount. We will continue to monitor his condition throughout the night and re-evaluate in the morning," the doctor responded.

"But he should be okay?" Lou asked, anxious to confirm that thought.

"He should recover just fine. He is in post-op right now but he'll be moved to a room soon. Someone will come and show you to his room after he is settled in," Dr. Trang told them.

"Thank you so much Doctor," Chin said. "We appreciate everything you have done."

"I am happy to be able to give you good news. I would suggest that you keep tonight's visit to a short time and then let him rest. You all appear to have had a full day, so go home and come back in the morning to visit longer," he advised.

"Yes sir," they all agreed. The doctor headed back to the operating theater and they exchanged looks of relief. Suddenly Lou no longer wanted any coffee and he sank down in a chair behind him. The rest returned to the seats they had been occupying before.

"Well that is a relief," Kono sighed happily.

"Yes it is," Chin agreed. "And the doctor is right. We all need to head home as soon as we see Steve. Lou, have you checked in with the family?"

"I did and Renee said to make sure Steve was fine before I came home," Lou answered.

"Did you warn her that you are already planning a cookout?" Chin asked with a grin.

"A cookout?" Kono questioned not sure why the conversation had taken this turn.

"Well Lou did brag he caught two beauties. I figure we are going to get a chance to sample his grilling skills in the near future," Chin told her. He knew that the wait for Steve to be moved to his room could take a bit and he wanted to lighten the mood. "I am willing to bet that Steve will donate his catch to the cause."

"He didn't offer but I am sure you are right," Lou said following Chin's lead. "I will show you all the way a fish should be grilled. That is if the Coast Guard got your uncle's boat back to him and the fish are still on ice."

"They did and Uncle said that he would make sure the fish were properly cared for," Chin confirmed.

"Your uncle is a good man," Lou approved.

"Now we just need to get Steve back on his feet," Danny stated. "I think we are seeing way too many hospitals on this rock."

"Kind of comes with the job brah," Kono reminded him.

Before Danny could go on about how many hospital waiting rooms they had spent time in, a nurse's aide came into the room and told them that she would take them to Steve. She led them through the halls to his doorway. She advised them that Steve was still groggy from the anesthetic and would tire soon. Once they promised they would, she headed away and Danny opened the door.

Inside the dimly lit room, Steve lay in the bed, his head propped up slightly. Monitors beeped softly in the background and tubes ran from poles down to his arm, supplying blood and clear liquid. His blanket was drawn up to his waist and a fresh white gauze could be seen wrapped around his torso, no red stains on it. As they gathered around his bed, his eyes opened to half-mast and he smiled.

"Hi guys. Why are you still hanging around? Did you miss me?" he asked weakly.

End chapter.

So, there you go. Steve appears to be okay. And there may be a cookout in the near future. Thanks for reading.