CHAPTER EIGHT

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 29, 2012

(When Sam and Caroline finally pull apart, they search each other's eyes for just a moment and manage to exchange a lot of information in their secret way of communicating that only the two of them understand. Smiling through her tears, Sam moves away from Caroline and into her husband's arms as Danny takes her place and pulls Caroline tightly to him. Mike kisses Sam on the cheek, as does Libby, and they hold one another as they patiently wait for their opportunity to embrace Caroline. Steve notices the expression on Sam's face and quickly grabs her hand and pulls her from the room and into the observation room next door. Once the door is shut behind them, Sam literally has a major meltdown and Steve is there to hold her tightly throughout. He doesn't say a word; just holds her and places gentle kisses on her temple every so often to let her know he's there for her. Finally, Sam lifts her head from his shoulder and causes him a moment of concern because he has never seen panic on her face before but he's seeing it now.)

"Sam?"

"Get me out of here, Steve. Now!"

(And that's all it takes for him to realize that what he thought was a major meltdown was only the warm-up and Sam is really about to breakdown in an extremely major way. He also knows that because of her rank and position on the base, Sam does not want any of the base personnel to see her losing it. Grabbing her hand firmly in his, Steve opens the door, glances around quickly, and tugs Sam out into the hallway where they walk rapidly to the stairwell and head downstairs. In a matter of minutes, they are in Steve's truck and off the base headed to their house. Rosa has the children at Kono's and Tony's for the day, so there is no one at the McGarrett's, and Sam is out of the truck and running for the front door before Steve can walk around to her door. She has the front door open and is flying up the stairs to their bedroom by the time he reaches the house and he locks the front door and takes the stairs two at a time. When he reaches the door to their bedroom, he sees Sam standing in the middle of the room looking, well, a little wild-eyed and scared, and he crosses to her in two strides and pulls her close just as the dam truly bursts and she cries so hard that she is nearly gasping for breath after a few minutes. Steve just holds her and lets her cry; knowing that she desperately needs this release and their home is the only place she can truly let go. After what seems like an eternity, Sam's tears slow and he sweeps her up into his arms and carries her to their bed where he gently lays her down and then lays down beside her and pulls her close.)

"Better?"

"A little. . . Thank you for getting me out of there."

"You're welcome. . . What you did today, Sam . . . Baby, I know that took a lot out of you, but you got through to Caroline; you got your sister back. I'm proud of you, Sam, and I love you so much."

"I know. . . Love you, too."

(But Sam is completely exhausted and her words are slightly slurred as she drops off to sleep. Having been right where Sam is after an extremely tense op, Steve knows that sleep is the best thing for her at the moment, and he gently eases her out of her uniform and then pulls the covers up and over her. Glancing at the clock, he pulls out his cellular phone to call Kono and see if they mind keeping Emily a little later than usual so that he can devote all his attention to Sam. As he steps out in the hallway, his phone rings . . .)

"Hey, Mike."

"Where'd you two go, Son?"

"We're at our house. That whole thing took a lot out of Sam and she had a major meltdown. She's asleep right now and I'm hoping she stays that way until morning."

"Is she all right, Steve?"

"No, but she will be. . . You know, I sometimes forget what Sam went through when her biological parents were killed, and every time she has to relive it, it gets that much harder. . . God, Mike, it just about killed her this time."

"We all tend to forget what that child went through, and Libby and I should know better than most just how horrible it was for Sam; for all of us. Where's Emily?"

"Still at Kono's and Tony's. I was about to call them and ask if they could keep her a little later than usual so I can take care of Sam."

"You do that, Son, and, if they can't keep Emily, you let me know. Libby and I will go get her, and you stay close to Sam. We knew she had nightmares after Anne and Jonathan were killed but we didn't know they continued after the girls returned to the Academy. I have a feeling they might be back; at least for a little while. Keep a sharp eye on her."

"Count on it. How's Caroline?"

"A Hell of a lot better than she was. She and Danny are talking about little Gabe right now and, naturally, she's hurting, but she's getting back to normal a little bit at a time."

"Good. Maybe knowing that Caroline's improving will help Sam."

"I hope so. I'm going to bring Libby up to speed on things and I'll get back with you a little later. I have a feeling Libby and I will be over there sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, I think Sam's going to need all of us for a little while."

"Son, I think we both know the person Sam needs the most is right there with her."