I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: A bit more is demanded ... hope you all don't mind! :-) special thanks to CinderH and JazzieG for helping so very much.
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Chapter 17
"She's doing alright in our sessions and I agree with you that we resume a more consistent schedule until she regains her confidence level. But there is something I have noticed … she no longer talks about her friend, Grace. She also isn't at all enthusiastic about her pet rabbit." Mike was meeting privately with the therapist Rebecca had seen on a rather steady schedule since being rediscovered over year ago. Her transition from Kasey Pearce had been more seamless than problematic. Her schedule had naturally lessened until recently when Mike wisely felt it now important to revisit a more regularly scheduled set of sessions.
Native Hawaiian Doctor Lana Naihe was a young, energetic child psychologist. Small and heavy-set, she favored colorful flowing dresses and casual sandals. Her office had no formal desk or chairs. Instead, her space was a riot of color and sunshine with happy ethnic Hawaiian music playing softly in the background. She was the epitome of non-intimidating with a penchant for flopping herself down with her young patient to color, play games or to simply spend profound blocks of quiet time where she fostered trust and healing.
Lana had stressed the word 'alright' which indicated a concern and Mike instantly was on edge. She and Mike had resorted to sitting on the floor in that space to review her thoughts about Becca's most recent session. Lana would never share those things very private from her young client, but she would discuss other certain things a parent should be aware of.
"I hadn't noticed." Mike admitted. But it wasn't he who would notice first and he realized that because his sister-in-law had assumed the role of primary caregiver as he recovered from his injuries. "How do we help her to get over this?"
He knew her answer before she voiced it and he frowned though she was right. "Gently with patience and time." Lana admonished him. "Watch first, ask later only if she offers. There are little things you will notice first about Becca; small hints. Then, we can work together to put her fears to rest .. for good."
Lana studied him for a second and the smile momentarily left her face. "How are you doing? This has been the most hardest on you."
"What? Fine!" Taken completely by surprise, Mike blurted out the two words as if attacked by the congenial round-faced woman. No one had actually asked him how he was, though Ponch and Ellen were constant champions even with so many things happening one, right after the other. He hadn't even considered how he was personally feeling up until that very moment.
"I'm sorry." Embarrassed by his defensive response, Mike got to his feet carefully and held his hand out to assist Lana. "I'm fine .. I'm good. No bad dreams or anything like that. I'm just worried about Rebecca and we all want to move past this."
"You don't have to have bad dreams to need to talk." The doctor's smile was back but he'd been duly weighed by the astute therapist as she tapped his chest gently. "You are very important, too, and if you need to talk ... about you .. we certainly can. Or, I can recommend someone else."
Mike nodded his thanks since he had lost his voice and suddenly, was cognizant of the dull ache which lingered in his side. But on the way out to his car, he noticed that both of his hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists. Self-consciously, he glanced over his shoulder and saw the blinds swinging closed in Doctor Naihe's brightly colored office.
"Damn." He whispered to himself as he dug his car keys roughly out of his pocket.
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"Danny, I'm sorry. Can you just let me take care of this one thing with Becca?" As soon as the courts had made their decision, Danny and Ellen went to work on organizing an elaborate celebration for Ponch. Just cleared to drive, but still unable to work, Danny had driven to the Ramirez home to have lunch and discuss the plans. With Mike visiting Doctor Lana Naihe and Ponch being sent on an errand to the supermarket, only Becca was home. Apparently reading in her bedroom, Ellen was having a terrible time getting her niece to care for Finster though.
"Becca! Go feed that rabbit!" Pausing to listen for a reply from the bedroom's as she stacked the dishwasher, Ellen wound up slamming the door to the machine closed. Danny laughed knowingly as he watched Ellen's exasperation grow.
"I don't know what's gotten into her, Danny." The deal was that any time Becca visited or stayed at her Aunt and Uncle's home, Finster was entirely her responsibility. Other times, when she was downtown with her father at the condo, Ellen generously stepped up to the task. However, for the fourth time that week, Ellen snatched the bag of pellets off the kitchen table and grabbed the already chopped up vegetables from the refrigerator.
"Here, let me help." Rising from the table, Danny took the bowl of vegetables from Ellen and carefully stretched. His left hand would be useless for days yet to come and he winced as he pulled on his healing rib and injured side just a bit too hard. The headaches had stopped though, and he was generally much better especially now that he could drive short distances. Being mobile again was an utter blessing in comparison to being stuck inside his apartment which in truth, was much improved unto itself than a hospital bed.
"It's just a phase or she's embroiled in a good book. Becca likes to read." Danny groaned through the stretch. Ellen sighed when she saw the wince but Danny was already refusing to stay in the house. He laughed as he tucked the small bowl under his arm like a football to evade her fingers and refused to give it back.
"No, no! I need to walk a little bit anyway plus it's a relief to do anything more normal." Even feed a rabbit, Danny snarked quietly to himself. Still, Ellen made a face about Becca's apparent 'deafness' as she and Danny went out to the rabbit's large hutch.
Back in her bedroom, Becca was laying on her bed with the covers over her head and doing anything but looking at her book even though it was on the bed with her. She also clearly heard her aunt calling but was intentionally hiding. Cell phone in hand, she texted a short message back to Grace's worried one about the coming surprise party.
" at your uncle's house?
"y"
"oh"
An unhappy icon followed and Becca rubbed her eyes. The "oh" meant that Grace didn't want to come and Rebecca understood because she didn't want to go either. In fact, she was beginning to realize that she was frightened of the big grassy yard now at her aunt and uncle's house. Without saying as many words, Grace seemed nervous too.
"your father is here for lunch."
Becca tried to change the subject, but it didn't go over very well since Grace had an off-weekend with Danno. She realized her mistake instantly when she received the tell-tale short response. Even texted, the unhappy tone was obvious.
"oh - y?"
"sorry. it's only party stuff."
Her quick text message back to Grace was sensitive and genuine, but it still left Becca waiting for a response.
"I'll come IYW. I can bring MH?"
Grace would come though for her if she wanted and Becca felt tears sting her eyes. Her friend wasn't mad at her and she was completely relieved. Grace would bring Mrs. Hoppy too, but Becca wasn't at all sure if that was a good idea.
"IDK"
Confused about her feelings, Becca finally truthfully texted back that she didn't know. Suddenly she didn't even want to talk anymore as she wiped her itchy nose on her arm.
"TTYL. G2G."
Ending their short conversation, Becca didn't wait for Grace to respond as she shoved her cell phone under her pillow. But all that was there anyway on her phone was one simple letter.
"k"
Closing her eyes, she shuddered when she heard the sliders close hard to the outside. Her aunt was mad but she was going to take care of Finster for her. Again. But that still didn't make Becca feel all that happy. Becca also knew that Doctor Naihe suspected something; but she didn't know how to describe what she was feeling at all and the doctor would never push. She always allowed Becca to figure it out herself through more gentle methods. The last question the doctor had asked Becca had been justly gentle - then Becca had unexpectedly clammed up.
"How is your cute little Finster, Becca? Any new pictures to show me today?" The harmless question was no longer harmless and Becca had only shrugged through a sudden unease. Until then she hadn't even realized much that she missed her bunny and had shirked her responsibilities so very much.
Grace was her friend and she loved her Finster, too. But each time she approached the sliding glass doors or dared to step foot on the lanai, she felt like running away ... far away. For some unknown reason, she and Grace didn't talk as much either. Not understanding what was wrong with her, Becca sank more under the covers as she vainly listened to hear when her aunt returned safely to the house.
"Hi, bunny, bunny." Outside by the large hutch, Ellen crooned as Finster hopped readily over for his dinner and the few special treats that he happily search for in his small ceramic bowl. "Oh for goodness sake. What is wrong with you mother, Finnie?" Reaching in, she pulled out the near empty water bottle.
"This is what I mean." Brandishing the bottle under Danny's nose, she was truly mad now. "Becca is going to have to decide if she really wants a pet. She told me that she was going to clean out the bedding hours ago and look at this mess."
It was quite true that the hutch needed a good cleaning. And that became the next issue on Ellen's ever growing list of misdeeds related to the poor rabbit. "Okay, okay! But I bet it's just a phase .. she probably just needs a tiny reminder." Danny admitted as Ellen waited for him to say something in her defense.
Following more slowly, Danny frowned as he glanced back toward the hutch. Finster was happily eating and was oblivious to anything but his treats. Danny hadn't been there since the day of the abduction though, and he nearly stumbled in reflex over a mental image of Mike laying in the grass. The grass was green and had just been mowed but in a flash, Danny saw a burst of red before it was gone again.
"Get over it." He muttered in surprise under his breath as he stumbled again over his own two feet. It was normal to replay a scene over in his mind and he knew that; but not when that crime scene had been a friend's house. Shaking the disquiet off and becoming even angry with himself, he was back on Ellen's heels as she practically stalked through the sliders and directly through to the kitchen sink. Scrubbing hard, she cleaned the bottle and refilled it to the brim with cold water. Leaning against the counter and focusing on just the clean water bottle, Danny stayed out of the coming fray.
"Becca! Get in here and at least give him some water!" Ellen looked up as the small shadow appeared in the hallway and then came no closer.
"Why didn't you answer me when I called you the first time? You need to put that book down now. Finster has no water and you have to plan on cleaning out his hutch by dinner time. I just fed him for you again, so the least you can do is take this out to him."
"Do I have to?" Barefoot, Becca fidgeted from one foot to the other before sagging into the wall. Her aunt was holding the bottle out to her but she didn't step forward to take it. She had dared to visit her bunny that morning. She had tried really hard to at least get that very same bottle from Finster's hutch. But something had made her rock to a hard stop at the edge of the patio pavers. Her toes had barely touched the grass and her hands had started to sweat just before they had begun to tremble.
That had been as far as she had gotten. Then the doorbell had rung and Uncle Danny had unexpectedly shown up for a visit. Behind her aunt, Danny was still leaning against the counter as he listened to the conversation. He was looking at her closely and though she refused to look at him, Becca could feel his stare.
"I wasn't reading my book. I have a stomach ache, Aunt Ellen, and I want to lay down."
It was a risk to tell her aunt that she wasn't feeling well, most especially when she felt perfectly fine. Mostly fine, anyway. Plus Uncle Danny was visiting and she had his attention to contend with now, so Becca needed a fast excuse. "I had candy at Ethan's house." Hiding her hands behind her back, Becca felt bad for the tiny white lie but she still refused to enter the kitchen.
Her Aunt Ellen seemed very annoyed and Becca fidgeted even more until the hand holding the bottle dropped. "Fine. But we're going to have to talk about your responsibilities when it comes to your rabbit. A nice long talk."
Sparing another look at her niece, Ellen went out the back with the water bottle. With a frown, Danny walked over to her and felt her forehead. "I'm not sick like that, Uncle Danny."
"You sure? Do you feel sick sick?" She shook her head no about being sick to her stomach. "Okay, but you better tell your Aunt if you do. We'll be right back in the house. Why don't you go lay down?"
Giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head, Danny left her too for the backyard and to catch up to her aunt. Nervously, Becca edged forward from the hallway to keep an eye on them. Danny was already walking across the patio, then through the grass towards the hutch. Not even realizing that she was wringing her hands, Becca's mouth went dry as Ellen opened the hutch and fastened the water bottle back inside for Finster. Danny was right next to her and pulling out a large flake of hay from the crate it was kept in.
"Come back." Becca moaned unhappily as Ellen loitered by the bunny to shove handfuls of fresh hay and alfalfa into one side of the elaborate cage. When she stayed longer to stroke Finster and talk to Danny in the sun, Becca began to sweat as her stomach twisted in a panic.
"Come back. Please." She softly began to cry as every shadowy flicker caused by the light breeze made her startle. Truly feeling sick now, Becca fled to the bathroom only as both Ellen and Danny retraced their steps across the grass.
"Becca." Her aunt was looking for her now; probably to talk about Finster and how she'd not taken care of him at all for almost a solid week. Sitting on the cold tile floor in the bathroom after really getting sick, Becca wiped the tears from her eyes but it was too late to hide. "Oh sweetie, you really don't feel well do you."
Leaving quickly, she heard her Aunt calling to Danny for a glass of water with an entirely different tone of voice. "She said she wasn't nauseous." Danny replied in confusion from the kitchen, though there was something more questioning in his voice. Seconds later, he was there too and bending down awkwardly. "What happened, Becca?"
"I don't know. My stomach hurts and I want to lay down." Becca's tiny white lie was no longer a fib as her aunt helped her to her feet and tucked her into bed. Danny also stayed and she dutifully took a sip of water to rinse her mouth. He was back to feeling her forehead again and whispering soothing soft words.
Their combined loving attention only made her guilt worsen but her unnamed fear over-shadowed that. Feeling utterly wrung out and confused, Becca rolled over on her side as her Aunt Ellen fussed and fretted about her tummy ache. But as she closed her eyes to Danny's continued soft words, she couldn't stop thinking about the scary corner of the yard where her beloved Finster lived. And then keeping her eyes tightly screwed shut against a rise of tears, she only wanted her father to come home.
~ to be continued ~