Duke looked at the reports stacked on his desk in the temporary office he'd been assigned. There were several that needed his immediate attention and those were the ones he took care of first. Finally he was left with a single file, one he knew inside and out and had studied most of the morning.
The preliminary reports on the explosive device that destroyed Five-O headquarters gave them very few answers and a lot more questions. Whoever had done this had managed to use some items that were as yet unknown and combined them with things that were household products used by any number of people to clean their homes.
Lukela's first call, even before coming to the office, had been to the hospital to get an update on the injured officers and Five-O. Kono Kalakaua would be released before noon, while McGarrett and Williams would spend the next few days in the same room. God, help the nursing staff was all he could think of when he hung up the phone.
Duke opened the report again and tried to come up with someone who matched the MO that should fit the profile they had. Whoever it was knew a lot about chemicals and their reactions and there were only a few he could think of that might know who could have done this. Two were in State prisons on the mainland, but there was a man, a recluse actually, who lived in Honolulu.
Mana Kāne was only thirty eight years old, but he'd been injured in an explosion that took both his legs. It was unclear whether it was a device he'd created, or one he'd stumbled on and tried to disarm. According to his lawyer, it was the latter and there wasn't enough evidence to lay charges against him. Since the 'accident' he'd lived alone, but Duke was one of the few men he would talk to.
Duke reached for the phone and touched the numbers that he knew by heart. He leaned back in his chair and waited for his call to be answered. It wasn't picked up until the fifth ring and he chuckled softly at the man's gruff voice.
"You better have a damn good reason for getting an invalid out of his damn bed at this ungodly hour."
"Ungodly hour, Mana…it's damn near eleven…"
"Morning or night?"
"Morning," Lukela asked.
"Like I said ungodly hour. What the hell do you want, Duke?"
"I need your help….did you hear about the explosion at the station yesterday?"
"Heard tell it was aimed at Five-O."
"Yes, it was. Have you heard anything about someone targeting the station?"
"No, but there are rumors that someone wants to take out McGarrett. It's not something I can confirm…just rumors you know."
"I hear you…any chance you'd take a look at a preliminary report…maybe give me a heads up if the MO rings any bells?"
"I might could do that. You want to bring it out here…a bottle of that sweet bubbly stuff you drink might help jog my memory."
"I'll pick one up along the way. I should be there in about an hour."
"Pick up a pizza while you're at it and don't go putting any of them little fishies on it…damn things give me gas."
"I'll try to remember that," Lukela told him and smiled when the line went dead. The man was as grouchy as he sounded; yet, Duke knew he would help him out if he could.
5050505050
McGarrett struggled to wake up from the nightmarish images of flying glass and debris, but there was one image that would not let go. The young man's face, his sunken lifeless eyes seemed to plead with him just before all hell exploded.
Steve opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, swallowing several times as the images would not let him go. Who was the young man? Did he have a family who now mourned his death? Was there someone waiting for him at home? God, whoever was behind this was going to pay for it, he'd see to that no matter what it took.
McGarrett turned slightly on his side, and was quickly reminded of the reason he was in the hospital. He couldn't quite remember what was done, but he had some memory of Lewis being angry at him for something or another. There were flashes of memory that seemed to go along with the explosion, but they remained just out of his reach.
Steve knew he should try to sleep, but he had a more pressing need, one that spoke of the volume of intravenous fluids he'd been given. He sat up, slid his legs over the edge and gritted his teeth as pain shot through his abdomen. He stayed where he was, waiting for the pain to ease and looked at the man in the other bed when he snorted.
"You really do enjoy pain. Don't you, Steven?" Williams said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," McGarrett snapped and finally stood on his own two feet. "See, nothing to it."
"Oh, Really, let's see how far you get before you fall on your ass," the Jersey native observed.
McGarrett reached for the IV pole and ignored the other man as he made his way toward the bathroom. He felt weak and sick to his stomach, but he was too damn stubborn to let it show. He made it to the door and stepped inside, turning a thin smile in Williams Direction as he closed the door.
Steve looked at his reflection in the mirror and wasn't surprised to see the dark smudges beneath his eyes. He took care of his personal business before opening the door and making his way back to his bed. Instead of sitting there, he moved to the chair beside the window and sat down with his arm held tight against his abdomen.
"Feel better?"
"Much…thanks for caring," McGarrett told him.
"As if. I just don't like the idea of seeing a grown man fall on his ass," Williams said and sat up.
"I told Chin you two would be awake and sniping at each other," Kono said from the open door.
"Hey, Kono, you look better than you did the last time I saw you," McGarrett told her as Chin entered carrying a tray of coffee.
"Thanks, Boss, wish I could say the same about you, but the last time I saw you…well, you were pretending you were…"
"I wasn't pretending, Kono, I really didn't know," McGarrett observed as Williams shook his head. "I didn't, Danny. I thought I had a few bruises."
"Says the man who can duct tape a splint to a shattered arm," Williams snapped.
"Danny, it's stuff we learn as a SEAL…"
"I know, but they should remind you that you're also human and that you bleed and feel pain," Williams reminded him.
"I do feel pain, Danny, I just choose not to acknowledge it," McGarrett said in true fashion as he took the coffee from Chin's hand. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Chin said as Kono sat on McGarrett's bed. "We won't stay long. I need to get Kono home and make sure she has everything she needs before I check in with Duke."
"I thought Five-O was on downtime?" Williams asked and shifted his leg so it rested on the pillow.
"It is, but I figured I'm about the only one who can get an update," Chin answered.
"I can do it," Kono said.
"Really…should I remind you of what you told me when the nurse unhooked you from the IV?"
"No, I know what I said," Kono snapped irritated at the reminder of her weakness.
"Good, then I do the legwork," Chin said.
"Wasn't your leg injured?" McGarrett asked.
"A couple of stitches," Chin answered. "Nothing McGarrett couldn't handle."
"Thank God you're not McGarrett. One Super-SEAL is enough," Williams snapped.
"Amen to that," Chin agreed.
"Is there anything new on the explosives?" McGarrett asked in an effort to divert attention from himself.
"I won't know until I check in with Duke. They've been moved to temporary offices until they decide what to do with headquarters," Chin answered.
"They'll probably have to tear it down and start fresh. There's probably structural damage and that means safety issues," McGarrett told them.
"I'll know more when I come back this evening," Chin told them. "On that note I think it's time I get Kono home."
"I'm…"
"Go, Kono, Steve and I aren't going anywhere," Williams said and knew she was feeling lousy by the look she gave him.
"I'll be back with Chin…"
"No, you won't, Cuz," Kelly told her. "Auntie Emalina and Uncle Atoni are going to stay with you for a few days"
"But…"
"No, buts, they're already waiting for you," Chin said and reached for his cane. He nodded to the two men before motioning Kono out the door and limping along behind her.
Danny watched McGarrett's face as he rubbed at his temples and knew he was thinking about something. Whatever it was, it seemed to stay just out of reach and Danny knew how frustrating that could be. He waited several minutes before asking. "What do you remember about the flowers?"
"I remember we were talking about it being Valentine's Day," McGarrett said and sighed tiredly. "I…they were beautiful, but there was…there was something out of place. I remember answering…answering the phone…then everything went to hell pretty fast."
"Who was on the phone?" Williams asked.
"I don't know…a woman I think."
"Did she say anything?"
"I don't know…I think she…she asked me a question," McGarrett answered and tried to make sense of his jumbled thoughts. His head felt ready to explode and he looked longingly at his bed, yet he knew it was important that he remember what it was about the phone call.
"Steve, you can't force it. Get back in bed and maybe it'll come back to you," Williams said as their nurse came into the room.
"Commander, why are you out of bed?" Juanita Murphy asked.
"I needed to stretch my legs," McGarrett answered, frustrated by the interruption.
"Well, you've stretched them long enough. I need to set up some IV antibiotics for both you and Detective Williams and you really should be resting," the woman lightly scolded and straightened out the blankets on his bed before walking to the chair and helping him stand. "Now, let's get you back to bed so I can take care of you and Detective Williams. You really should try to be like him and let us do our jobs without having to worry about our patients so much."
"Yeah, Steve, be more like me," Williams smiled.
"Kiss-ass," McGarrett grumbled as she helped him back to bed.
"Did you say something, Commander?" the nurse asked.
"Not really," McGarrett lied as he sat down and looked at the man in the other bed.
"You go ahead and get comfortable and I'll be right back with both your medications," Murphy told them and hurried out of the room.
"Steve, don't try to force it…you'll remember, just give it time," repeated what he'd already told him.
"I know, Danny," McGarrett said and lay back on the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what it was the woman had said, but his mind turned to the flowers in the vase. There was something about them, something that should have been a warning in itself, but combined with the woman's voice it screamed danger.
Danny watched his partner and heard the click that told him the pump had kicked in and delivered the dose of medication. He'd felt his own do the same a couple of minutes ago, and knew they would both be sleeping before long. He heard the nurse come in and watched as she placed the antibiotics on Steve's IV pole before running it through the line and plugging the equipment back into the outlet.
"Now, Commander, Dr. Lewis said to tell you he doesn't want you moving around too much today. He said you can call on your SEAL training tomorrow, but for today you're just like everyone else and need to rest," the woman said and moved to the other bed. "How do you feel, Detective?"
"I'm okay, thank you, Juanita," Williams answered.
"Good, that means the medication is working. Now, I need to take a look at your toes and make sure they're still a nice healthy color. I hope you're not ticklish."
"A little," the Jersey native told her and turned to see a bleary eyed McGarrett watching him and tried to ignore the smile on the man's face.
"Your ten little piggies are just fine, Detective," the nurse told him and repositioned his leg before covering it with the thin blanket once more. "Dr. Martinez said to tell you he'll come by to see you tomorrow and to let us know if you feel any numbness or tingling in your leg."
"I will," Williams said and again looked at McGarrett, surprised to see the man's eyes were closed and he seemed to be sleeping.
"If you need anything just press the button," the nurse told him.
"Thank you," Williams said and watched as she finished setting up his own antibiotics before leaving the room. He closed his eyes and drifted toward sleep, hoping that Rachel would bring Grace to see him later in the day. She'd called to tell him she was letting their daughter sleep late, but she would bring her once Stan brought the car back. Sometimes he wondered what life would have been like if he'd just given Rachel what she wanted and quit his job, but he knew he could not give up trying to make the world a safer place for Grace.
TBC