Carefully examining the spot where Jeffrey had said they had found the gun, Chin slowly rose to his feet and turned to look at the fence and the footpath beyond before turning his head to look at Jenny Rankin's house next door. His eyes drifted back to the small body that Max was examining, the four-year-old's older brother had found the gun that Henderson must have tossed into the garden after shooting Danny and had decided to play cops and robbers. An innocent game probably played by the two brothers every day had turned deadly when the five-year -old boy had aimed the gun at his brother and pulled the trigger.
"Chin!"
Turning back towards the house, the Five 0 lieutenant watched as his cousin emerged from the home and jogged down the stairs before joining him near the garden.
"How is she holding up?" Chin asked softly.
Kono shrugged, "As good as can be expected, I suppose. She's still in shock. Said she had sent the two boys outside to play just a couple of minutes before she heard the gunshot. She ran outside to find her oldest son, Jeffrey holding the gun and a police officer jumping the fence to try and help her youngest son, Adam, who was lying dead on the ground from a gunshot wound to the chest."
"Man, that's got to be tough!" Chin murmured, glancing up at the front door before he looked back at Kono and asked, "Has she got anyone to stay with her?"
"A neighbor said that she would stay with her until her husband gets home from Montana. He's there on business and said he will try and get the first plane back." Kono told him as Chin looked around the garden that had now turned into a taped off crime scene. "So, what have we got?"
"Looks like Henderson decided to try and get rid of the gun that he used to shoot Danny by tossing it away over the fence of his girlfriend's neighbor's house as he went ran past last night and it landed here in the garden bed." Crouching back down, he moved several flowers apart and pointed at a deep, fresh depression in carefully tended soil before he looked back up at Kono and added, "And that's where we think the boys found it this morning."
Kono nodded as Chin rose back to his feet, "That confirms what Jeffrey told me. He said after they found the gun, they decided to play cops and robbers. He was the robber and when he pulled the trigger-"
"He accidentally killed his brother, all because at that age they probably thought the gun was a toy." Chin finished for her.
"At their age, they wouldn't have known any difference anyway," Kono sighed as she looked around before stopping to stare at the house next door as she caught sight of Jenny Rankin's peeking through the curtains, watching all the police activity in her neighbor's yard.
"You know if the kids had have come out here five minutes later, this probably would never had happened. The guys had just finished searching the yard next door for the gun and they were just about to search this yard when the shooting happened."
"Oh, man!" Kono murmured as she turned and watched Max gently covered the little body that was now lying on the gurney with a white sheet before strapping it securely and wheeling it towards the coroner's van. Turning away, not wanting to see the finality of the van's doors closing after the body was placed inside before taking the small boy from his home for the last time, Kono looked back at Chin, "What now?"
"Let's get things wrapped up here and get back to the palace." Chin answered.
Kono nodded her agreement before she asked, "What about Steve, shouldn't we bring him up to speed on the case?"
"Before we left the palace, Steve's received a call from the hospital, asking him to return urgently. Steve's probably more worried about Danny then what's happening with the case right now, so I think it's probably better if we leave bringing Steve up to speed on the case until later." Chin advised his cousin softly before adding, "So, let's just get everything wrapped up here and go."
H50 H50 H50 H50
"Please Mom, can we go on the waterslide?" Sammy begged for the tenth time in the last ten minutes, "The sign says if we are seven, we don't need a grown-up."
"Plleaaaaasssseee, Mrs Wakefield," Tommy joined in, "You can sit here and still be able to see us."
"Yeah Mom, it's just over there," Sammy pointed across to the waterslides.
Janey glanced across at the slide at the far end of the pool and nodded her head, "Okay, but I want the two of you to promise me that you will come straight back to me after you come down the slide."
"We promise," Tommy said excitedly.
"Sammy?" Janey asked as the smile disappeared from Sammy's face to be replaced by a scowl of annoyance. Ignoring his annoyed look at being told what to do, she gave him her best 'Don't ignore me, young man,' look as she said firmly, "I'm waiting for you to promise me that you will come straight back, or else you will have to wait until I am ready to go on the slide with you."
Glancing longingly across at the waterslide before he returned his attention back to his friend, Tommy nudged Sammy again, "Go on, Sammy, tell her that you promise."
Staring defiantly at his mother for another few moments, trying to decide if she was serious or not, Sammy finally relented when he realized that this time, she was serious. Loudly sighing his displeasure at having to do as he was told, he looked down at his shoes as he mumbled, "I promise."
"What was that? I didn't hear what you said." Janey said softly.
"I said I promise!" Sammy growled angrily as he looked up and glared at his mother.
"Okay then, you can go," Janey told him, watching him as he turned away and ran across to the ride with Tommy following closely behind him. She waited until they joined the line before she tiredly sunk down onto the bench behind her and sighed, wishing that John was with her. She wasn't sure if she could do this, if she could manage Sammy alone.
Although she would never admit it to John there were some days when Sammy scared her, especially when he gave her that defiant, almost challenging glare that he had just given her moments before. There was an emptiness and coldness in his eyes in those moments that left her terrified and left her wondering if Jamie's death was really the accident caused by Sammy trying to play with his baby brother as John had tried to tell her it was or if it was something else.
Biting her lip, she reached for her handbag and opened it before taking out the small bottle of pills she had hidden in it. Screwing the pill lid open, she shook two of the small blue pills into her hand, glancing across to where she could see the two boys play fighting as they headed up the stairs to the top of the slides before she looked back down and shook out another pill out into her hand. Popping both pills into her mouth, she dry-swallowed them before she quickly recapped the bottle and placed it back in the bottom of her bag.
She had promised John that she had thrown the pills away, but she had lied, they were the only things that were keeping her sane and helped her get through the day.
Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes, listening to the sounds around her as she waited for the pills to work their magic and take all her worries away.
H50 H50 H50 H50
"Let's try and go down the orange slide, I heard it goes the fastest." Tommy said excitedly as he paused to watch the other tourists screaming and laughing as they slid down the huge slides.
"Is not, the purple one is faster!" Sammy told Tommy, peering over his friend's shoulder as he watched, wide-eyed as a young woman slid past at what seemed to him a death-defying speed.
"But I want to go on the orange one," Tommy protested, turning back to face Sammy before yelping in pain as Sammy grabbed his wrist with both hands and began to twist it cruelly, giving him an Indian burn, until it hurt.
"I said we're goin' on the purple one!" Sammy said quietly through gritted teeth as he twisted Tommy's skin on Tommy's wrist with his hands.
"Don't, Sammy, you're hurting me!" Tommy protested, trying not to cry as he tried to pull his arm free, "Let go, or I'm going to tell ya mom on you and you'll be in trouble."
Twisting the skin on Tommy's wrist harder, Sammy warned him softly, "You tell my mom and I'll wait 'til you're asleep tonight and I'll put the pillow over ya head and press down on it until you're dead, just like I did with Jamie."
"No, ya didn't! Ya telling big, big fibs!" Tommy said, "You're a great big fibber, Sammy Wakefield. I heard your mom tell mine that Jamie died from nat'rul causes!"
"That's what dad told her to say!" Sammy whispered, ''Cause he doesn't want me to get into any trouble. And if you tell her I told ya, I'm gunna get my dad's gun and shoot her dead. I will shoot her in the head, so all her brains come out of her head, just like I shot Officer Williams, so she can't tell my dad that I told ya! And then, then I'll shoot you too!"
Tommy bottom lip began to tremble in fear as he looked into the angry face of his closest friend and he knew, almost instinctively, that Sammy would do as he said he would do. Swallowing hard as he glanced back over his shoulder at back at the slide before he nodded and forced himself to smile as he looked back at Sammy, "Ya right, Sammy, the purple one is faster."
"Yeah," Sammy grinned as he released his friend's red and swelling wrist and spun Tommy around to face the stairs before giving him a little shove to push through the line of swimmers moving up the stairs, "So come on, Tommy, let's get to the top first and maybe we can have a second go without mom knowing."
H50 H50 H50 H50
Standing in the doorway of the small waiting room, John watched as Steve and the surgeon emerged from Danny's hospital room and walked down the corridor towards the doctor's office. He waited until they entered the private office at the end of the corridor and closed the door before he cast a quick furtive glance towards the nurses' desk, reassuring himself that the nurse was too absorbed doing paperwork to take any real notice of him. Stepping out of the waiting room, he turned and wandered up the corridor until he reached Danny's room. Looking around again, to reassure himself that no one was watching, he stepped into the small ICU room and quietly closed the door. Turning back towards the bed, he tasted the hot bile that rose in the back of his throat as he stared at the injured man in the bed. He had seen friends in the ICU before who had been injured in the line of duty, but seeing Danny lying critically injured in the bed, connected to a myriad of medical equipment, his head swathed in white bandages, combined with the knowledge that Sammy was responsible, made John feel sick to the stomach.
He hesitated a moment, leaning back against the door, he fought the urge to turn around and just leave but his love and need to protect Sammy, no matter what Sammy had done, quickly smothered any hesitance or doubts that he was doing the wrong thing. He needed to know just how much Danny remembered and he desperately needed to know, if Danny did remember the shooting, just how much he had just told McGarrett.
Pushing himself away from the door, he took the few steps across to the side of the bed and stared down at Danny's bruised and swollen face that was partially hidden by an oxygen mask. He frowned at the large red splotches that covered Danny's face, neck chest and arms. It took him a moment or two to recognize the fading red splotches were the result of hives.
Reaching down, he paused, his hand hovering above Danny's arm as he drew a deep breath to strengthen his resolve. He reminded himself that if he was going to protect Sammy, he needed to know. Forcing himself to grab Danny's shoulder, he shook it firmly as he whispered, his desperation bleeding into his voice as he whispered, "Danny, Danny, I need you to wake up, Buddy, I need to talk to you." His desperation grew when he received no response and his grip on Danny's shoulder increased, causing his friend to moan and shift in pain as he shook Danny's shoulder harder as he ordered a little louder, "Come on, Danny, wake up!"
His frantic command was rewarded when Danny slowly opened his eyes and looked up at him. Forcing a small smile, he whispered, "Hey Buddy. it's just me." His smile faded and was replaced by a frown as he saw no recognition in Danny's eyes as the Five 0 detective stared up at him before Danny's eyes slowly panned around the room in confusion. "Hey Danny, Buddy…" he began again as Danny turned his head back towards him, "It's me, John…John Wakefield."
"John." Danny slowly repeated, weakly reaching up to tug at the oxygen mask that covered the lower half of his face as he stared up at him.
"Yeah, Buddy, it's me, John. John forced another small smile as he reached across and slipped the oxygen mask down, off Danny's face. "I need to talk to you about when you got shot."
"Shot?" Danny frowned as he began to lethargically look around the room again.
John nodded as he stared at his friend, "Don't you remember? You were shot when you and McGarrett were trying to make an arrest."
"I…was shot…" Danny parroted, turning back towards him.
"Yeah," John nodded, his heart beating rapidly as he realized that Danny seemed to have no memory of the shooting. Biting his bottom lip, he stared at his friend for a moment as an idea began to form in his mind. If Danny had no memory of what happened in the alleyway, maybe he could make a memory up for Danny, one that did not include Sammy or Tommy. Frowning, he asked cautiously, "Don't you remember? You were trying to arrest Henderson."
"Hen-der-son." Danny repeated slowly.
"Yeah, yeah, that's right, Danny, Henderson. You were watching the alley while McGarrett took his apartment." John continued softly, gently reaching down and grabbing Danny by the chin, turning his head to face him again as Danny lost concentration and began to look around the room again. Just as he did numerous times with Sammy when he wanted Sammy to focus on something and Sammy's attention had wandered. "Don't you remember? Henderson escaped out the back."
"Henderson…escaped…" Danny murmured back at him.
John nodded eagerly and smiled, "That's right, Brah, Henderson escaped, and you encountered him in the alley. Remember? You told him to stop, and he shot you!"
"I… was…shot?" Danny asked as he stared up at the stranger standing beside the bed.
"That's right, Danny, Henderson shot you and left you to die, alone, in that filthy garbage strewn alleyway," John whispered as Danny's eyes began to slide closed, "Remember?"
"Hen…der…son…shot …me…" Danny sighed as his eyes closed, his sentence finishing in a soft snore.
"That's right, Buddy," John smiled with relief as he straightened up and stared down at his friend, "Henderson shot you," he whispered, "he shot you and left you to die."
Feeling a weight lift from his shoulders, confident that Danny would remember what he was told, John turned and hurried back to the door. Opening it, he peeked out into the corridor, ensuring both the nurse's station and the corridor were empty before he stepped outside and headed towards the doors leading out of the ICU.