CHAPTER SEVEN
Title: "Salvation: Forever and Always: Elusive Dreams – PART III"
Author: Michelle Heath
Rating: MA for adult situations and language
Summary: Story #9 in the Salvation series. The bonds of family bring the Five-0 ohana even closer.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Hawaii Five-0; unfortunately! All original characters are the property of the author!
Date Written: October 28, 2012
(At 1300 hours, Caroline's family is, once again, in the room they've been using for her therapy sessions and they are all in surprisingly good spirits. Capt. Benjamin Stewart, Chief of the Psychiatric Unit, sweeps into the room and everyone likes him on sight. A small smile flits across Danny's face when the man starts speaking and he shakes the Captain's hand with enthusiasm.)
"Thank you, Capt. Stewart, for agreeing to take another look at my wife's case."
"You're welcome, Mr. Williams, but you should thank your sister-in-law. And, Cmdr. McGarrett, don't think you're going to go over my head if you don't like my diagnosis."
"No, Sir."
"All right, then. I have, indeed, reviewed Lt. Williams' records and, while Cmdr. Shelton's approach has merit in some cases, I don't believe it is the right approach for Lt. Williams. Cmdr. McGarrett explained what you all would like to do, and I believe it might be effective."
"Great, so can we get started today?"
"Actually, Mr. Williams, there are only going to be three people involved in your wife's therapy sessions for the time being; myself, your wife, and Cmdr. McGarrett, and I will be observing from the next room."
"Excuse me?"
"If we are able to reach Lt. Williams and bring her mind back to a point where she can comprehend everything that has happened to her, she may react in a negative manner. She will, most likely, experience grief, pain, and anger; particularly toward the person who brings the information to her. Cmdr. McGarrett has volunteered to be that person so as to try and prevent the possibility of Lt. Williams taking her anger out on either you, Mr. Williams, or her parents."
(All eyes focus on Sam and Danny steps closer to her and takes both her hands in his.)
"Sam, . . .You're willing to run the risk of Caroline . . . Damn."
"Sam, Sweetheart, you can't do this."
"Why not, Daddy? We're not even sure this is going to work, but, if it does and Caroline needs to take her anger out on someone, better me than Danny or you and Mom."
"But, Sam, Caroline might end up hating you!"
"She could never hate me, Mom; just like I could never hate her. She might be angry with me for a while, but . . Please, just let me do this .. For all of us."
(There isn't much more to be said, and everyone but Sam steps next door into an observation room while Sam waits for her sister to be brought into the room. As soon as a nurse brings Caroline in and she's sitting on the couch, Sam turns from the window, takes a seat beside her, and takes her sister's hands in hers.)
"Hey, Boo, I have some things to tell you and I need for you to listen very carefully."
(And Sam starts off by going back to when she and Caroline first met and leaves nothing out. She talks, in vivid and heartbreaking detail, about the death of her biological parents, their funeral, and the many nights the two girls were awake all night because of Sam's nightmares. Although Steve knew about the nightmares because Sam had just told him a couple of days earlier, neither he nor anyone else knew just how horrible they were until they listen to Sam talking to Caroline about it. Libby, hurting terribly for both girls reaches out blindly and grabs Mike's hand as they watch and listen to what's going on in the next room. Sam is doing a fairly decent job of keeping her emotions under control but tears leak from her eyes every now and then anyway. She swiftly moves from the death of her parents and the aftermath through everything up to the point where she was involved with the Kasavich family and every horrible thing that happened to her and the rest of the family as a result, again in vivid detail. She painstakingly goes through everything that happened when Caroline and Danny decided to break off their engagement just before Sam and Caroline deployed and were forced to eject behind enemy lines. When she speaks of Caroline's reaction to waking up to find she was temporarily blind, Sam pulls no punches. She is brutally honest and even goes so far as to chastise her sister for being so selfish. From there, she moves on through things until she gets to the accident. Sam gently takes one hand and turns Caroline's face towards her and looks directly in her sister's eyes.)
"Two months ago, you were involved in an accident, Caroline. You were a little over five months' pregnant at the time and the baby died. It was a little boy and Danny named him Gabriel after his grandfather. We had a funeral for him and he's buried in the same cemetery as Steve's parents. Danny wanted to talk to you and ask you what you would like to name the baby, but you had already gone to wherever you are right now. Danny's been going through all kinds of Hell since the accident, Sweetie. He loves you very much and he needs you, we all need you. Mom and Dad have been going crazy, too. They lost four babies before you came along and now. . . Now they probably feel like, in a sense, they've lost you, too. Gracie loves you, too, and she misses you so much, and I . . . I feel like a part of me is missing, Caroline. . . I had a dream the other night about the first time we met. Remember? We hated each other on sight just like our mothers did when they first met. But we became best friends and then sisters and I miss you. In a way, this is worse than when my parents died because I know where they are, but, Honey, I don't know where you are and I need to find you. I love you, Caroline, and whether you like it or not, we're very much a part of each other and I need you to come back to me; to all of us."
(But Caroline doesn't respond to Sam's heartfelt plea and the tears begin to fall in earnest from Sam's eyes. After several long minutes, Sam's shoulders slump in defeat and she slowly rises from the couch, unable to contain her tears a moment longer as she walks toward the door. She has just placed one hand on the doorknob when she hears her name uttered so softly as to almost be silent and snaps her head around to find Caroline looking, really looking, at her with tears in her blue eyes. Sam runs to Caroline and the two young women hug each other tightly, both of them crying their eyes out, as the sounds of the door opening and others rushing into the room greets their ears. But, nothing and no one can separate the two sisters for a few moments even though there isn't a dry eye among the other people in the room; even Capt, Stewart finds it necessary to clear his throat a couple of times.)