CHAPTER THIRTEEN

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: November 3, 2012

"Oh, Gracie! Of course, I love you as much, Sweetheart! I love you more because you were there for Danno when I couldn't be! I am so thankful that your father had you to love and comfort him while I was sick. Danno told me how much it meant to him every time you gave him a hug and kiss and told him everything would be okay; especially during . . . During Gabe's funeral. Thank you, Sweetheart, for taking care of Danno for me."

"I wanted to take care of you, too, Mom, but that silly old doctor wouldn't let me see you! I just know that my hugs and kisses would have made you feel better sooner!"

"I know they would have, too, Grace, but, sometimes, grown ups don't always make the right choices. Cmdr. Shelton went to school for a very long time and studied very hard to become a psychiatrist, and she has way more experience with the kind of illness I had than Danno, or Grandma and Grandpa or Aunt Sam and Uncle Steve, and, because of that, she thought it would be better if I didn't see any children for a while."

"I know, and she didn't want anyone to talk about kids around you, either. I heard Grandma and Grandpa talking about how hard it was on Danno and Aunt Sam and Uncle Steve to not talk about me and Emily around you. Grandma said they were all really scared they were going to mess up and mention one of us in front of you."

"I'm so sorry, Grace, but we don't have to worry about any of that now. I'm feeling much, much better, and I know that having you around is going to help me get completely well that much quicker."

"Mom?"

"Yes, Grace?"

"Mommy said that you were really, really sad about Gabe and that I shouldn't talk about him, but. . . "

"It's all right, Grace. Yes, I'm extremely sad about Gabe; part of me always will be, but I don't want you, or anyone else, to feel that you can't talk about him with or around me. He's a part of our lives and he always will be so it would be silly for any of us to think we won't remember him."

(Grace, who has been very calm while talking with Caroline up to this point, throws her arms around Caroline's neck and begins to sob rather loudly; her little voice breaking and cracking.)

"He . . He was . . . My bro. . . Brother and I . . .Ne. . .Never even g. . Got to. . . See Hi . . Him!"

"Oh, Baby, I'm so, so sorry, Grace! I would give anything if I could go back and change things, Sweetheart!"

(Danny, having seen Rachel out, steps onto the back deck just as Grace makes her tearful declaration, and his heart is ripped open again as he watches his wife and daughter, both of whom are crying freely, hug each other tightly. Swiping at his own tears, he wordlessly walks over, kneels down, and pulls both of them into his arms. It is a long time before any of them moves so much as an inch. . . .

Libby Thrasher simply cannot sleep. After she and Mike got home from Sam's and Steve's, her dashing husband swept her off her feet, carried her upstairs to their bedroom, and proceeded to make love to her not once, but twice. Passion has never been a concern in their marriage and Libby is quite sure that they will behave like newlyweds for the rest of their lives; a thought which brings a smile to her beautiful face. Now, however, Mike is sleeping like the proverbial log and she is wide awake. For one, teensy tiny second, Libby is totally annoyed with her husband, but then she realizes that the fault for her sleeplessness lies not with Mike, but with her. As ecstatically happy as she is that Sam was able to get through to Caroline and things seem to be returning to a more normal state, she can't quite shake the feeling that all is not as it seems. Mike, of course, told her she was being paranoid, and should be thankful that, after two months of horror, they had Caroline back, but Libby has always had a "sixth sense" where the children are concerned and she has a vague feeling that they are not through with trying times and tense moments just yet. Of course, she didn't know that Sam had continued to have nightmares after she and Caroline went back to the Naval Academy, either, so maybe Mike's right and she is just being paranoid. Damn! Now she's overanalyzing everything and triple-guessing herself! Well, this idle speculation certainly isn't getting her anywhere! Taking a deep breath and slowly expelling it, Libby concentrates on forcing all conscious thoughts from her head and tries to relax. Sam isn't the only one who's learned a thing or two from her SEAL husband, and Libby employs a technique Mike once taught her when she asked him how he was able to go from wide awake to a deep sleep, and vice versa, in a matter of seconds. Twenty minutes later, Libby is thoroughly pissed off and becoming more so with every second that ticks off the clock. Having had enough, she throws the covers back and swings her bare legs around to the side of the bed in preparation of getting up, getting a robe, and going downstairs to read. She is just about to push herself off the bed when Mike's arm shoots out and her wrist is encircled by a hand that feels like a band of steel.)

"Just where do you think you're going, Libby?"

"Downstairs. To read. I. Can. Not. Sleep!"

"Think again."

"Michael!"