Steve awoke to what sounded like flies buzzing, amplified a thousand times. He grumbled softly, and reached for the phone even as he opened his eyes and noticed that Danny was still sleeping. "McGarrett."

"Hello, Steven, I see you managed to survive again. You're good at that aren't you? How many people have died while you survive?"

"Who is this?" the SEAL asked and tried to clear the last vestiges of drug induced sleep from his mind.

"You wound me, Steven, but then again I guess it's easy to forget the people you hurt. Watch your back, Steven…then again; maybe I should simply send flowers to those you care about. Goodbye, Steven, I will see you soon, but I'm not sure you would recognize me."

The call ended as abruptly as it began and Steve dropped the phone back on the bed as he fought to make sense of his caller's words. Whoever it was had something against him, but that didn't narrow down the field. He'd made a lot of enemies in his life, and even inherited some from his father and mother.

There was something familiar in her voice, but it was her reference to the flowers that made him think. He closed his eyes and thought about the arrangement and what it was that set his instincts on fire. The vase contained carnations and baby's breath and lilies, but it was the single black rose that made him warn the others to get out.

A black rose was a unique calling card, one that he'd seen before, but he'd never found out who'd sent it. He'd been in Iran at the time, working to find a terrorist who made good on his threat to kill SEALs and other black ops members. He tried to clear his mind and concentrate on the woman's voice, but it was slightly distorted and heavily accented. The latter part was done on purpose and he wondered if she was simply using someone else's calling card with the black rose.

Steve knew he had to figure out who she was and why she was targeting him? It was easy to say she had a vendetta, much harder to figure out who and why. If he could come up with an answer to either of those, he would probably know who the woman was. He raised the head of his bed and glanced at the pump that delivered the IV, antibiotics and morphine and cursed the heavy drug that kept him from thinking clearly. The door opened and he looked at Carl Lewis and the nurse entering the room.

"Commander, you really should be sleeping," Lewis said.

"I was," McGarrett told him.

"Are you in pain?" the doctor asked.

"No, and I'd like to get rid of the morphine," the SEAL said.

"Not today, Commander. Dr. Morrison and I are in agreement about this and want you to stay on that until tomorrow. You're only one day post-op and if we take you off that too early you'll be in pain and miserable and that means you won't be getting the sleep you need," Lewis observed.

"Come on, Doc, it makes me dizzy and…"

"Sleepy, just what the doctor ordered," Juanita Murphy said and checked the settings on the pump.

"Look, Doc, someone blew up Five-O headquarters to get to me and I need to figure out who she is. I can't do that while my head feels like it's full of cotton," McGarrett groused.

"There's an officer outside the door and he hasn't left his post. Don't worry so much about who it was for now. Let your fellow officers do their jobs," Lewis told him.

"What if…"

"Forget it, Commander…we don't play what if games here," Lewis said. "Now, Dr. Morrison had a look at your test results this morning and she's very pleased with them. I told her you were just stubborn enough to ask to be released today and she said to tell you to dream on because that's the only way it will happen."

"I didn't ask…"

"Not yet, but I'm sure you were thinking about it," Lewis said. "Now, I need to check the drain in your abdomen…ah, you didn't even know you had one did you?"

"No," McGarrett said and grimaced when the man's cold hands touched his bare skin. "Did you stick your hands in a freezer?"

"I did…just for you," Lewis said and was pleased that there was little discharge in the drain. "This looks good and we should be able to remove it tomorrow."

"And the morphine pump?"

"Maybe…"

"And sign my discharge papers…"

"Not likely," Lewis said as the nurse replaced the bandage. "Juanita, I have a meeting with the board in ten minutes, so make sure the commander stays put."

"I will, Doctor," Murphy vowed and straightened out the blankets as she glanced at the man in the other bed. "Why don't you get some rest like Detective Williams?"

"I'm not sleepy," McGarrett answered and sighed heavily as she moved to check his sleeping partner. He needed to move, needed to find out who this woman was and find her before she tried to make good on her threats. He heard the nurse leave and knew there was no way he was going to sleep, not with the woman's threat hanging over his head.

5050505050

Duke watched the man seated across the table form him and wondered whether he'd been the one to set the explosives that cost him his legs. It was something only Mana Kāne could answer, and the man would never reveal the truth of the matter. It wasn't something he would pursue, because Mana had often helped the police in cases where new or unknown explosives were involved.

Duke watched as Kāne reached for the partially eaten piece of pizza and took a big bite, chewing ferociously as if he was afraid it would be taken away. The man had been studying the pictures of McGarrett's destroyed office and reading the information they had so far. It wasn't much to go on, but if anyone could identify a pattern, it was Mana.

"See this stuff right here?" Kāne asked and pointed to something near the shattered glass window.

"We wondered what that was," Lukela observed and listened as the other man went off on a tangent, explaining what he thought it was and how many people he knew used the stuff.

"It's unstable…a lot like Nitro and maybe 10 times as volatile. I saw it used a couple of times back when I had my legs," Kāne told him and reached for the spread sheet.

"Do you know who would use it?"

"I know a couple of people who are crazy enough to use this shit. Ain't sure they're still using it. Explosive experts like me don't have a long shelf life," the man said and took another bite of pizza.

"You'll be around long after most of us are gone," Lukela told the man.

"Maybe, but I need to check with a couple of my sources. Like I said this stuff is volatile and only a few people I know are crazy enough to handle it. I'll see if any of 'em is close enough to talk to and get back to you. Can I keep this stuff?"

"Well, I'm supposed to keep this under wraps, but if you think you can help ID the person or people who did this I can turn a blind eye for a little while," Lukela told him. "What are your instincts telling you, Mana?"

"That whoever did this wanted McGarrett dead and will probably strike again. It looks like they don't give a damn who they hurt in the process, so I'd say stay away from McGarrett until you catch this person," Kāne advised.

"I can't do that, Mana. Steve's more than a colleague. He's a friend and a damn good cop," Lukela observed.

"I thought he was a SEAL?"

"He was, but the governor…"

"Jamison, not Denning?"

"Yes, Jamison asked him to run Five-O and gave his team full immunity and means before she died."

"I heard that…she was like a lot of politicians…not saying all of 'em, but a lot," Kāne offered.

"She thought she could rein McGarrett in because she gave him something she thought he wanted. Five-O is good for the city …good for the State and that's why Denning had them reinstated," Lukela told him as he stood up to leave. "Call me as soon as you hear anything."

"I will…might take a couple of days," Kāne told him and maneuvered his wheelchair away from the table. He followed Lukela to the door and waited until the man opened it. "Thanks for the pizza, Duke."

"You're welcome," Lukela said.

"Do me a favor…watch yourself out there."

"I will, thanks, My Friend," the cop said and made his way to his vehicle. He hoped Mana could help them find out who was behind the explosion, because otherwise they could be facing more problems.

5050505050

Chin limped along the hallway toward Williams and McGarrett's room, leaning on the cane he was using. His body ached, and his leg throbbed, but he knew he had to keep moving or it would stiffen up and be that much harder to use. He'd called Duke and been told that he couldn't share anything with him unless it went through the governor.

Chin was frustrated, but he knew it had to be even worse for Steve and Danny, although the latter had a different way of showing how he felt. Where Steve would be in your face, Danny would be more laid back. Both ways got results, and Chin had used them both during his career as a cop.

Chin heard voices from inside the room and knocked before he entered and found both men talking. He knew what they were discussing and wished he had answers for the questions he knew they had.

"Chin, did you talk to Duke?" McGarrett asked.

"I did, but right now he's playing it by the book because governor Denning told him we're out of commission," Chin answered.

"I need to get out of here before she makes another move," the SEAL told them.

"She?" Chin asked.

"Steve was just telling me about a phone call he had although I'm more inclined to say he was dreaming," Williams offered.

"I wasn't dreaming, Danny, she called…I spoke to her."

"What did she have to say?" Chin asked.

"She asked if I remembered her and said something about me always getting people hurt," McGarrett said.

"Sounds like she took a page out of Danny's book," Chin said. "What else did she say?"

"She said she'd see me soon," McGarrett answered and frowned. "She also threatened the people around me. Not by name, but maybe you guys should stay away from me."

"We all know that's not going to happen, Steven," Williams said.

"This is personal, Danny…"

"Damn right it's personal!" the Jersey native snapped. "She made it personal with all of Five-O…hell, with the whole damn police force when she took out headquarters. Do we even know how many injured or de…dead?"

"Two dead including the kid who made the delivery and more than a dozen injured when you count the four of us," Chin answered.

"How much more personal can she make it…don't answer that. I know you'll have some snappy answer and right now I'm not in the mood to hear it, so let's just talk about this woman. Do you have any idea why she's singled you out?"

"No clue," McGarrett answered. "I wish I did, Danny, but all she said was that I liked to get other people hurt or killed."

"We know that's not true. You do everything you can to keep people from getting hurt," Chin told him.

"Well…" Williams started and refrained from finishing what he was going to say when he noticed the look on McGarrett's face. "Chin's right…and now we know someone's got it in for you then we'll be ready for them."

"Danny, in case you haven't noticed you only got one leg, Kono has a concussion, and Chin's not exactly on two good legs," McGarrett observed.

"Not to mention you've had surgery to remove your spleen. Face it…none of us is in any shape to go after this woman," Chin said.

"Well said, Lieutenant Kelly," Sam Denning said from the open doorway. "Now, I know you've been nosing around Five-O headquarters and figured I would make this an official order. As of right now you are all out of commission and Commander McGarrett is under police protection. We know the flowers were sent directly to you because the flower shop was able to show Sargeant Miller the original order. There was no return receipt and it was paid for with one of those preloaded credit cards."

"Governor, we don't need…"

"Not another word, Commander. This is one time when Five-O needs to let the rest of the police force do their jobs. I've already made this a direct order and since you're already on sick leave you really don't have a leg to stand on…"

"Ha ha," Williams said with a groan.

"Sorry, Detective, that wasn't directed at you, but it does fit both you and Lieutenant Kelly," Denning observed. "Look, I know you're all anxious to find out who did this, but this is one time when you're all considered liabilities. You're all injured…some more than others, but there are other cops here and they're good at their job. Lieutenant Lukela is spearheading the investigation with help from Detective Johnson. You know them both, Commander, and I know you respect Lukela and the way he goes after anyone who perpetrates a crime. Give them a chance to do what you're all good at."

"I don't trust Johnson," McGarrett observed.

"I know you've had more than one run in with him before, but he knows what he's doing and kind of reminds me of you," Denning told him.

"No, Governor, you're wrong. The only thing Steve and Johnson have in common is that they both carry a badge and a gun. Cal Johnsons would sell out his wife and kids if he thought it would get him ahead," Chin said of the man he'd known since before he'd been charged with stealing the money from the locker. He never liked the man, and had to watch his back after he'd been booted off the force because Johnson had threatened to keep after him until he made sure he was in prison.

"I know you and Johnson don't always see eye to eye, Lieutenant Kelly, but you have to realize he was doing his job just like you. Now, that being said I want to make sure you all understand that Five-O is out of commission until your doctors give the all clear. I won't have you running around when you're a liability to those who are actively investigating this case," Denning warned.

"I'm…"

"Not in any position to argue with me, Commander, so clearly it is wasted energy on your part. Energy that could be put to use in your recovery, so please stop arguing and we'll all get along much better. By the time you are released we should have a safe house for you…"

"And if I refuse?"

"I could make it an order and site medical issues as the reason," Denning told him.

"What about Danny's family and Chin and Kono?"

"I don't think they were the intended target and neither do you, Commander. The explosion was caused by some kind of liquid explosive and the catalyst was in a vase of flowers delivered directly to you. That tells us you were the intended victim in this. If your doctor would release you today I'd make sure you were sequestered immediately," Denning said and hoped he was getting through to the injured SEAL. "Think of your friends, Commander, their lives could be in danger if we don't take this threat seriously."

"I am taking the threats seriously. She said she would send flowers to the people I care about…"

"And you didn't recognize her voice?" Denning asked.

"No, she was using some kind of distortion device, but there's something about the flowers. A calling card…a single black rose," McGarrett said tiredly.

"Do you remember anything else?" Williams asked.

"No, but there's something about it…I don't think it was a woman's calling card," McGarrett said and wished he could think clearly. He knew there was something he was forgetting, something important, but there wasn't a damn thing he could do because of the drugs that were making him dopey.

"Well, if you think of anything tell Lukela or Johnson. They've also set up a trace on any calls that come into this room and hopefully we'll be able to find her before she does anything else."

"She's too smart to stay on the line long enough for a trace," McGarrett told him.

"Maybe, but it's best to have it ready just in case. For now there's nothing you can do about it so sleep and do what the doctors tell you." Denning ordered and turned to leave. "That goes for you too, Detective, and Lieutenant Kelly, you should be home resting."

"Yes, Sir," Kelly said and moved to the chair beside the window as the man left. He pulled a second chair closer and elevated his injured leg as he silently vowed to watch over his injured friends.

TBC