CHAPTER 15

Well people… I'm sorry it took me so long to post this chapter but I spent a lot of time working on it because I just wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to come out exactly the way I pictured it in my mind and I have to say: I'm totally happy with the result! I can only hope you guys like this chapter and I can't wait to see what you think about it. I had the most fun writing this chapter and I really hope you do so as well while reading it. I also hope the unusually long chapter makes you all very happy!

PLEASE let me know what you think about it in a review!

The team had to wait a total of 14 hours to finally receive the news that Annabeth had made it through surgery and was now in the ICU listed as stable but critical. As much as the explanation the doctor had given them (getting into detail about the procedure, the blood transfusion and the prognosis) had scared them enough to recognize they could still lose her, the mere thought of her at least surviving this first phase brought a much needed respite for the sleep deprived party of Five-0 members. After being granted just a couple of minutes to see her though, they were asked to leave the hospital in favor of their friend's rest and their own well being.

Steve though, never left the place. How could he when losing his sister was still a very real possibility? The doctor had said that the surgery had gone as well as could be expected, but considering the extenuating circumstances of her tendency to reject blood transfusions and the nature of her wounds, the doctor had also explained that further complications like organ failure weren't yet out of the equation; a very scary equation. And that's why everyone understood Steve's need to be present at all times; not just the hospital personnel, but his team mates as well.

During the God forsaken 14 hours of endless waiting, Steve had told the rest of his team the story behind the recently revealed truth about his relationship with Annabeth and he was more than relieved when all he got in return were supportive words and snarky remarks that were meant to lighten up the mood dominating the scene.

- That sure explains a lot boss! – Kono had joked.

- It seems that the fearless gene does run in the McGarrett family – Chin had added, and Steve was grateful they were taking things so easily. He knew Annabeth wouldn't, though, and that's why even though things had calmed down and improved since the first day she had been brought in, the worry never left Steve's mind; not only for her recovery, but for the moment she would wake up and he would have to confess her the truth.

And it had been three days, twelve hours and forty-five seconds when Annabeth had finally decided to rejoin the land of the living.

The first time she woken up hadn't been for more than a minute and she hadn't been able to answer any of Danny's questions because she had immediately gone back to sleep. Steve had been in the bathroom at that exact moment and had missed her first waking moment, which elicited another wave of arguments as to why he should never leave the room; arguments that Danny had been all too willing to counterattack from the moment Annabeth had been stable enough to get transferred to a private room.

The second time she woke up, that same night, Steve had been right by her side to hold her hand and tell her that everything was going to be okay since she kept glancing around with a confused gaze plastered on her face. This time, she managed to stay awake long enough for the doctor to enter the room; all the man could do though was check her readings and relay some instructions to the nurse because, again, Annabeth had fallen asleep.

The doctor had explained to a very concerned Steve that given the proportion of the surgery she had been subjected to, it wasn't at all uncommon that she still wasn't strong enough to remain awake for more than a few minutes.

- Her readings are good – the doctor had assured him – when the rest of the effects from the anesthesia wear off, she'll be able to wake up completely.

They had to wait another full day before that happened; only now, by the third time Annabeth woke up, there was no one else in the room with her except for the nurse who was quietly preparing the stuff she needed to change her bandages.

Contrary to what people normally believed, Annabeth didn't hate hospitals because of the smell, the white walls, the silence or the cold. She actually found those things soothing, since waking up in that environment meant that whatever torture or mission she had been enduring before, was finally over. Waking up in a hospital meant, for her, the comfort that she was being taken care of.

So, no; that wasn't the reason she hated hospitals. She hated them because, usually, whenever she woke up in one, it meant someone else had gotten hurt too and finding out if that person had survived or not, or how gravelly injured he or she was made the whole hospital experience an avoidable thing all together. Being the patient wasn't the problem, that was the easy part. Being the waiting friend… now that was hard.

Before her life in Hawaii, the person she had constantly been worrying about whenever she woke up in a hospital had been Alex; making it a few dozen times that they both had ended injured or almost killed on the job. Now, it was whoever might have been partnered up with her to do the job, no matter if it was an undercover operation or a simple raid.

Normally though, there was always a member of the team by her side, waiting for her to wake up and tell her if anyone else had been hurt, but when she looked around and saw only a nurse, she couldn't help but remember that dark period of time between Alex's death and her being let go of the agency. Those terrible times when she had woken up completely alone because there was just no one else to worry about or no one who cared about how she was; and even though she was drowsy again, she fought against the pull taking a hold of her and found the necessary strength to remain awake and find out what she needed to know. Then she could go back to sleep.

Her struggle between staying awake and the possibility of something bad happening to any of the others had her heart beating rapidly and the sound over the monitor keeping a tab on her cardiac function made the nurse look up and realize she had woken up.

- Hello there sweetheart – the woman said with a bright smile and a condescending tone, almost as if she had been talking to a dog. Annabeth disliked it immediately – we've been waiting for you to wake up for a while now. Can you tell me how you feel? – Annabeth took her time to answer, glancing around the room once more, still feeling the empty space that felt more than oppressive given the absence of any familiar face.

- Wh-where… – she meant to ask where were her friends, her teammates, but her throat felt dry and she felt extremely thirsty, like, desperately thirsty. Take away food from a person for a few days and it would be bearable; take away water though, and things could get ugly.

- Oh! You're in the hospital honey – the nurse answered thinking that she had been asking where she was – you've been through quite an ordeal. As a matter of fact I was just about to change your dressings and that's why I asked your friends to step out of the room. They haven't left your side you know? – Annabeth closed her eyes as a wave of relief washed over her: they were just outside – once I'm done with this, I'll call the doctor to let him know you you've woken up – Annabeth opened up her eyes again when she felt the nurse lifting her hospital gown to start undressing the wound. She looked down when the skin was exposed and frowned.

- What happened? – she managed to ask, her voice almost a raspy whisper.

- You probably don't remember dear, but you kind of got shot – her tone was just so damn happy that it was starting to get on her nerves. 'As if getting shot at was something to be happy about!' Annabeth thought.

- No, no. After that – Annabeth remembered perfectly well about getting shot, three times. What she didn't remember was anything after losing consciousness. She didn't know what had become of Keoki or Danny, who she remembered hovering worriedly above her and, until she did, she wouldn't, couldn't, go back to sleep. She glanced down when the nurse finally began to work on her wounds, experiencing that strange feeling of knowing someone was poking and prodding your body but not exactly being able to feel it; she must have been on some very strong pain medication if the area surrounding her stomach still felt like it was under the anesthetics. She got momentarily distracted with the activity taking place on her stomach that she missed some of what the obnoxious woman was saying.

- … and so you were brought in by the cops. It was quite the commotion on the ER for a while with all those 5-0 police officers. You weren't stable enough because you had lost a lot of blood, so the surgery had to be done immediately. I'll spare you all the unnecessary details – the nurse said, sending an amused smile her way noticing how her eyelids were growing heavy again – all you need to know right now is that your brother volunteered to give you some of his blood because he was the only available match. So the doctor was able to perform the surgery and voila! Here you are! You sure took your time to wake up but it's all within the normal parameters of such a procedure – Annabeth was so tired now that she was losing her focus, so before she actually lost her battle with sleep, she asked the one thing that she absolutely needed to know.

- Was anyone else… hurt? – she stumbled a bit over her words because breathing was becoming a hard task that demanded almost all of her attention. The nurse looked up from her stomach to answer back.

- I think another boy got hurt but he wasn't brought in with you. It's a shame this kind of thing can happen at a University. I hope he's okay though – a surge of anger washed over her when she remembered the shots that had been fired but hadn't hit her. She had to assume it was Keoki, falling by Danny's gun and, in that case, she sure as hell didn't hope the guy had made it out alive. He was a freaking psychopath and whatever fate he got was nothing compared to the pain he had inflicted upon his victims and their families; not to mention the pain he had inflicted on her… this woman didn't know what she was talking about. Speaking of which…

- I don't have a brother – she suddenly corrected, realizing why the nurse's explanation of what had happened had sounded a bit off.

- What? – the nurse asked in confusion while she finished dressing her wounds again. That was an odd statement to make because the woman remembered the chief nurse telling her specifically that the patient's brother had made the donation – of course you do. Commander McGarrett is listed as the blood donor and he claimed to be your brother so the procedure could be done – Annabeth wasn't sure if she should blame the pain medication for her not entirely grasping what the nurse was saying. Why would Steve say something like that? It's not like being a relative was a pre-requisite to donate blood; he had already given her his blood to save her life once before and the necessity to lie about it hadn't shown up.

- But he's not my brother – she insisted, not quite being able to let go something that was surely as trivial as an information misunderstanding. The nurse gave her a strange look right after she finished her job, puzzled due to what her patient was saying. Could it be that she was suffering from some kind of post trauma amnesia? She should get the doctor in right away, she thought. Before she did that, though, she decided to give the girl some factual reassurance because she couldn't stand the lost look on the girl's face.

- Oh honey, it's okay. I'm sure you're just a little foggy from the drugs we're giving you to keep the pain at bay.

- I'm not foggy – Annabeth answered somewhat angrily, her heart rate spiking just the tiniest bit. She felt the need to correct the terribly annoying woman and the feeling wasn't exactly pleasing. Why couldn't this woman understand that she had gotten her facts wrong? – I don't have any family and I certainly don't have any brother – maybe it was the angry tone of her voice that prompted the nurse to answer back, or maybe it was just the fact that she didn't know how to mind her own business.

- Honey, we've got the DNA test that proved he was a direct match to you. Not we actually needed it because the Commander gave the doctor his word that you too would be a match. There was no time to test the blood before the surgery but the doctor insisted on doing it afterwards, just to be sure – the nurse then gave Annabeth a sympathetic look – you know what? You don't have to worry about any of that now. You just have to focus on getting better. So now that I'm done, I'll go call the doctor and you'll be able to see your friends.

- No! Don't… – for all that Annabeth had wanted to nurse to stop talking a few minutes ago, now she didn0t want her to open the door. The information she had just revealed might have been innocent to the nurse but, for her, it was impossible… unimaginable… borderling on down right crazy. Either way, the nurse unheeded her request and opened the door wide to let whoever was outside know that they could come right back in.

The moment she saw Steve and Danny walk through the door, smiling in relief at seeing her awake, Annabeth's heart started to beat faster. She kept telling herself to calm down, that there had to be a perfectly good explanation for what she had just heard, even if that explanation was that the stupid nurse was just wrong.

At sensing her growing distress, Steve got closer to the bed and started throwing comforting words in her direction, telling her what she had needed to know from the beginning: that everyone else was alright and the danger had been eliminated; but even though he was saying all the right words, Annabeth couldn't calm down, not even when Danny had joined his partner to help him in the task of reassuring her frazzled nerves.

The only thing that actually helped was the moment the doctor walked into the room, thankfully, without the obnoxious nurse trailing behind.

In the midst of her panic attack, she had missed the part where Steve and Danny were telling the doctor about her distress and she focused back into her surroundings when the older man loomed before her, flashing a light into her eyes and making all kinds of questions.

- What's the doming feeling right now? – she took her sweet time to answer, wincing when the light hit her pupils and then again when the movement actually made her feel the wounds that had landed her in the hospital in the first place.

- Dizzy – she finally said, taking a huge breath because she didn't seem capable of getting enough oxygen into her lungs – tired… – she added when, again, it was becoming clear that her eyelids were getting too heavy to keep open.

- That's understandable, considering what you've been through. Do you remembered what happened?

- Yes – Annabeth almost growled, not in the mood to hear the story again.

- Well, that's good. No memory loss after an event like this is always a good sign. What about your pain level? From 1 to 10?

- Three – she answered shortly, still finding it hard to breathe properly. Noticing how hard the simple task of breathing seemed to her, the doctor proceeded his questioning.

- What about the dizziness? Is it getting better or worse? – the three men in the room frowned in concern as she closed her eyes tight and gripped the light sheep of the bed with her fists.

- Worse! – she almost whined and she started taking even shorter and more rapid breaths.

- Hey, hey, come on, none of that. You need to slow your breathing and calm down so the dizziness can pass – said the doctor with a calm voice but he didn't understand, he just didn't understand. Annabeth put her arms around her stomach and tried to turn so she could lay on her side but her injury prevented her from doing so, also not letting her ease out of the nausea that had started to settle over her. She desperately did not want to throw up because she knew the pain on her stomach would be torture. The doctor called a nurse in and asked for something she couldn't quite hear, neither could she tell, or care for that matter, if the nurse was the same woman as before – Annabeth, do you think you're going to be sick?

- Yes – this time, Annabeth did whisper her answer and since she had her eyes closed, she missed the troubled looks plaguing Danny and Steve's faces.

- Doc, why's she feeling like this? – Steve asked.

- It's not uncommon for patients to feel dizzy and disoriented right after waking up from a surgery – even after those words, the doctor himself sent a worried look her way and then turned to the nurse he had called – let's give her something for the nausea and see how she takes it. For now, the best thing she could do is rest – he explained to the pair waiting anxiously to know what would happen next – you can stay here but you have to inform one of the nurses immediately if she starts feeling worse. Either way someone will be back in half an hour to see how the medication we're giving her right now is working out – suddenly, right there, Annabeth knew what she needed to do.

- They can go – she said, in a tight voice, because she knew her statement would come as a surprise for both Danny and Steve and that would only make hem worry even more.

- It's okay for them to stay – the doctor reassured everyone, but she was adamant and she knew that right now she needed to be alone; she needed to find some answers and she needed to make some calls.

- Where's my phone? – she asked, finally opening her eyes. The sudden question took everyone by surprise and it was a puzzled Danny who answered

- I've got it. It was recovered from the scene. I don't think it has any battery though.

- Could you get it, please? And the charger? – it still seemed like and odd request to make in the midst of whatever she was going through right now, but Danny agreed altogether.

- Sure – the doctor decided to take the moment of awkward silence that followed to add one last thing before leaving.

- I'm gonna turn up the oxygen a bit to help you settle back the nausea and regulate your breathing. A nurse will be back in half an hour to check on you, alright? Gentlemen – he said, turning to Steve and Danny – although I would actually recommend on of you to stay inside the room with her, I can't force my patient to have visitors if she's not feeling up to it. So… – he added, turning back to Annabeth – are you sure? – she let out a more controlled breath when she understood that the doctor would comply with her request of being alone. The next second was the only time Annabeth locked eyes with Steve and with a determined nod, she said.

- Yes.

After that statement, there was really no use in trying to argue her decision and so with a kind of resigned expression, both Steve and Danny said their goodbyes, making sure she knew they would be right outside the door if she needed anything or if she decided she could use the company. All she did was ask Danny again for her phone and after she got a response from the blond man saying he would be right back with it, she finally settled down and was able to draw in a proper breath. After that much time having trouble breathing plus the added oxygen, she felt the tiniest bit of relief. A relief that was short lived when her eyes landed on Steve's retreating form.

Even though her body had begun to calm down after knowing she would be left alone, her mind couldn't stop thinking about everything she knew about him and the picture that was starting to come together in her head was every bit as terrifying as bleeding out on the floor just outside the University a few days ago.

She started to count the minutes it took for Danny to come back with her phone and to plug it in for her and after he left, she fought off the tiredness and overall exhausting feeling of having been awake for far too long already while she waited for her phone to have enough battery to make a phone call.

She didn't care about the time difference. She didn't care about breaking her own promise of never reaching out to the person she hoped would answer all of her questions. She didn't care about anything else but finding out if what the nurse had told her just a few minutes ago was true or not. So she waited, and when the screen of her phone lit up, she extended her arm somewhat difficultly and proceeded to make the call that would probably turn her life upside down.

SO? What did you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Were you expecting Annabeth to find out the truth like this? I tried to make the nurse as obnoxious as I could and guess what: I kind of hate her muahahaha that was fun to write! I wonder who is Annabeth going to call and how is Steve going to handle this when she confronts him about it. This will sure turn out to be a bumpy ride!

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Can you guess who she's going to call now?

Until next chapter then!