I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: you all are so great! :-) Hope you continue to like this story - I'm leaving for vacation on the weekend and I'm aiming to complete this by that time but be forewarned that I may not as the muses are once again ... cantankerous.
Chapter Nine
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"Is Danno really going to be okay?" Putting stress into just the right word, Grace pensively stared at Steve from the passenger seat in his truck. Now mostly wide awake but grimacing from a very real headache, she had politely declined his suggestion of getting a quick bite to eat.
"He really is, Grace." Steve's glance proved she was entirely serious and in no mood for anything but the straight truth. "When I left he was sleeping." His simple response was not going to cut it this time though, yet he didn't quite know why. What he did read in her expression was a desire to dredge as much information from him as possible. Still, her next questions which were more like accusations, completely threw him for a loop and he found himself shaking his head in bewilderment.
"He remembered the accident, didn't he? When you went back in, Danno told you about Sammi and Mark. Didn't he?" Despite not feeling well, Grace was adamant and her tone was laced with a concern dosed with a significant amount of anger. After being deposited back in the waiting room, it hadn't taken her much to realize what her father had been looking at. Her filthy t-shirt was the biggest clue and now she picked at the troublesome orange logo. "Did it make him sicker? Is he really, truly going to be okay? What did Doctor Webber say?"
Running his hand over his face, Steve settled it for a moment in his hair before looking almost warily back towards her. He had remained in the hospital room as Webber gently evaluated Danny's vital signs and prescribed an anti-emetic to counter the nausea. He had stayed quietly in the corner until the stress and pain had left his partner's wan face.
"Grace." With all the skills of her father, Grace was determined to hear every detail of that as well. At first exasperated by her tenacity, his unbidden spontaneous response simply changed into a huge smile; one full of awe that even bordered on pride. "Grace Williams, whatever am I going to do with you?"
Unable to put a halt to his pleased chuckle, Steve grinned as Grace's mouth gaped then slammed shut. She stared at him, dumbfounded by the unexpected comment not quite knowing how to reply. Steve took the opportunity to inform her of what was going to be happening for the next many hours as her father quietly recovered his stamina in the intensive care unit. Pointing to her and then to himself, Steve focused back on the road while he provided an ultimatum of sorts. "You and I are going out to eat before we go to my place. The only agenda item remaining is bed, young lady. That nice nurse gave me another dose of children's headache medication just in case. Ergo, you're taking it and my orders are that you sleep yourself out. Any questions?"
"No." Duly chastised and making a face at his chosen wording, Grace couldn't help staring at Steve as the lights from overhead street lamps flickered by in the dark. Every so often, she'd wince when one seemed too bright. Unused to taking such brisk orders from her Uncle Steve, Grace at first didn't know what to think of things. She wasn't particularly hungry and didn't exactly want to go to sleep, but he'd certainly put his foot down as he eased off the gas pedal to coast into the closest diner. The neon lights were brighter yet and one flickered in an annoying off-pattern which made her stomach queasy all over again.
"How's breakfast for dinner?" Switching off the ignition, Steve leaned back, measuring her general demeanor. He wasn't at all surprised to see the internal obstinate war being waged as she struggled to find something to say. It was plain to see that his battles were going to be minute by minute and task by task. The first obstacle being eviction from the truck, followed by what would likely be a series of refusals regarding what to eat or even not eat. Mentally considering all of those things which could become an argument, Steve adapted on the fly to take all decision from her hands.
Peevishly lost in thought, Grace was startled when the passenger door opened and Steve appeared to gently pull her from the truck. Before she could say a thing about not being able to eat, they were already marching towards the main entrance. With no choices, her negative words smoldered away as he virtually tugged her through the front doors and to the nearest available booth.
"Pancakes; two short stacks. Juice or milk? Milk sounds good this late at night. Coffee for me, just because I can. And?" There was a pause as mental wheels churned. "And, two bowls of mixed fruit." Speaking quickly, Steve smiled pleasantly to the waitress as she took their order. An order of which Grace had zero say whatsoever. Biting her lip, Grace was forced to sit like a speechless lump as the eager waitress simply wrote down whatever Steve aimed her way.
"I'm not hungry you know," Grace started her complaint, instantly quieting when a glass of milk was placed in front of her fingers. She waited for the woman to leave before continuing but Steve's entire pleasant attitude had changed as soon as she started up again. "Uncle Steve, I don't want to eat."
"You know what, Grace?" Arms folded sternly across his chest, he was no longer smiling. "I promised Danno that you would eat real food and get a good night's sleep." Though his voice was conversational, Steve was deathly serious. Using her father as the impetus wasn't even the wrong thing to do and Grace knew that, too. "You don't have to eat it all, Gracie. Just try some and then take the meds for me."
Her Uncle Steve's tone softened towards the end as he handed her the small tablet, insisting that she take it with the milk. He was not only worried about her father, but for her as well. Dropping her eyes to the table with a sad expression, Grace fiddled with the medicine before doing as she was told. After, she studiously focused on eating as much of the food as she could muster, even surprised herself when she finished almost the entire plate. Oddly, a full stomach quieted her fretful mind and the medicine slowly took away the majority of the throbbing in her skull. From that point on, she barely remembered the truck drive home or being handed a clean t-shirt that flowed beyond her knees.
Slowly drawing in a lungful of air, Steve stood in the doorway to his spare bedroom just watching Grace. She'd fallen asleep virtually standing up in the bathroom while brushing her hair out and he'd wound up carrying her to bed. He was drained beyond all belief, leaving him astonished by Grace's sturdy wherewithal to keep going for so long. Eyes closed and with a smile just touching her lips, he had tucked her into bed. After being kissed goodnight, she managed to express the softest of sentiments before falling asleep. "I love you, Uncle Steve."
Not wanting to move, Steve stood there for a long time, content to watch her sleep and replaying what she had whispered so quietly.
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Grace woke the next morning at first confused as to where she was. But she remembered as soon as she heard Steve's voice from down the hallway. It sounded as if he was on the phone talking to Uncle Chin or even Doctor Webber as she picked out a few words here and there. Stretching long, she heard a soft rain falling outside but was relieved that her headache was gone.
"Doctor Webber!" That was when she remembered everything else and bolted from the bed, shedding blankets and sending pillows to the floor. Skidding barefoot into the kitchen, her eyes were wide. As she thought, he was on the phone with coffee mug in hand. He smiled as soon as she appeared, waggling the phone in her direction with a happy grin. "Uncle Steve!"
"Yes, Danno's doing great and we're going after breakfast. We were stuck on clothing options for you so I washed your things and put them in the bathroom." Steve chuckled as he needed to raise his voice when she disappeared before he could finish, thudding down the hardwood floors the way she had come. With a laughed out snort, he resumed speaking to Webber perfectly relaxed as he listened to the update regarding his partner's pleasing status.
The two left within the hour, excited that Danny had a decent evening and was improving at a steady pace. However, their entrance to the intensive care unit was nothing short of shocking. Outside the main doors and just within the waiting room, an argument was in full swing causing Steve to rock to a total halt
"Hold on, Grace," he murmured quietly as he cautiously absorbed the startling scene.
"He let my Mark fall. He didn't even try to help him!" A well-dressed woman shouted angrily at a very familiar man. Steve breathed in sharply, stunned by the surprising altercation. "My son may never wake up or walk again. And you're asking me how I am? How my Mark is doing?"
The man bring dressed down was none other than Duke Lukela, thwarted verbally at all turns by the sharp-tongued woman. Behind her, a male facsimile stood tall and threatening in every way imaginable. There was no doubt that the irate woman on the verge of implosion was Mark Paquin's mother and the man looming behind her, his father.
"How dare you! Your Detective is directly responsible for Mark's condition!" Face reddened by emotion, she jerked away from the HPD officer's calming hand. Tears trickled down her face as she heaved in choked whistling breaths of air.
"Mrs. Paquin, I know you are very upset but that's not what happened," Duke attempted to quiet the distraught parents to no avail. With a dawning realization each eyed the two new arrivals but this time, Mr. Paquin cut the Sergeant off with a sharp wave.
Stepping forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with his wife, Mr. Paquin nearly snarled his retort with mere inches of space to spare between himself and the HPD officer. "It's precisely what happened. Detective Williams didn't do a damned thing to help Mark. And neither did any of you; my wife told me how she had to pull my son from the water herself. She's the one who gave him CPR while you only helped him and not an innocent 12-year-old child!"
For a long moment, no one said a word but Mrs. Paquin gazed so menacingly at Grace, that Steve protectively draped his hand over her shoulder. Pulling Grace closer to his side, he straightened his shoulders with authority, daring the couple to continue down their path.
"What exactly do you think you're trying to do? This is not the time nor the place … and from what I just overheard, you are very badly mistaken." Steve's voice was dangerously low as he cocked his head meaningfully down towards Grace. However, if he had expected a modicum of empathy, he found himself sorely mistaken.
"He's your partner, yes?" Mrs. Paquin seethed her rude question towards Steve. Eyes narrowed in warning, Steve merely gave a curt nod as way of reply. He listened as Mark's mother channeled a disgusted sound through her lips, one mimicked by a snide look from her husband. Both reeked of disdain and a complete lack of respect. "He's negligent and is the only reason Mark is in a hospital bed... In a coma. He didn't try to do a single thing to save him. Nothing!"
"Hey, now wait one minute." Steve's tone was too quiet. Much too darkly precarious, but only the Paquins didn't notice as Duke stood closer to place cautionary fingers on Steve's shoulder. In his own controlled sense of rage, Steve's pupils were blown wide as Mrs. Paquin rounded on him instead of Sargeant Lukela with her stalwart husband by her side. He scarcely felt Grace tucking herself more firmly to his side.
"After getting Sammi to safety and keeping innocent bystanders out of harm's way, Detective Williams tried to talk sense into Mark and he was nearly killed doing just that!" Incredulous of the nature of the discussion, Steve fought to keep his voice in control. He was astounded though by their vindictiveness.
"Sure, that troublemaker Sammi and his own kid," Mr. Paquin growled out, the sneer evident not only in his words but streaked across his face. "You weren't even there!"
"I was the only one with Mark," Mrs. Paquin added, touching her own chest firmly to expound upon her point with vehemence. "I went into the water after my own son while the only one getting medical attention was him."
Gesturing towards the ICU, it was clear whom Mark's mother meant as she spat the words out with a bitter vindictiveness. "Our lawyer will be in touch with you. All of you!"
"That's not what happened." Duke's own sense of proprietary became kindling and the embers flamed to squash his normal civility as even more of his men were verbally attacked. His own HPD partner had assisted the mother during the rescue, taking the boy from her arms to gain the beach and initiate triage. Her lies were making no sense and Duke was soon on the verge of losing his own soundly ingrained control. "What are you after? Detective Williams nearly had Mark to safety and your son simply fell. It was a terrible accident!"
"Accident?" Jabbing the air wildly in the direction of Danny's hospital room, she wound up staring in hatred directly into Grace's face, nastily pleased when she recoiled in fear "This is your damned father's fault for not trying to save my boy. His fault! I should have known you were all going to stick together!"
Steve was enraged, needing to move aside as Mr. and Mrs. Paquin viciously whipped past them in heated anger. The whirlpool of tangible emotions left Grace wobbling in place. She felt like the floor was moving in an undulating wave as the air condensed to suffocate her. Above her head, Sergeant Lukela was apologizing for being unaware of the predicament; upset and mystified by what had just gone down within the hospital's corridors. Vaguely, she heard him apologizing profusely for accidentally allowing her… Grace… to be subjected to Mrs. Paquin's verbal threats.
"That's not true," she mouthed the words, then shook her head to clear the dizzying cobwebs as painful tears swelled up in her eyes. Staring straight ahead and fighting the sensation of having the cold white linoleum swallow her whole, she listed to the left before regaining her balance.
"It didn't happen like that," her faint whisper recoiling up from just below Steve's elbow and yet, he heard her clearly. "She's wrong. Why is she lying?"
"Grace?" Steve felt the vibration through his hand then, kneeling immediately in front of her to take her by the shoulders. She was clearly upset but staring through him as a reddened flush covered her face and neck.
"Is she okay?" Bending down, Duke scowled protectively at the vacant expression as a tear escaped to trickle down Grace's cheek. Completely out of character for scarcely knowing the Paquin family, the Sergeant stood and stalked away while muttering angrily in search of cold water. "That damned woman."
"Gracie? Hey, look at me." The truth was that Gracie was scaring him and Steve found himself giving her a little shake. It took longer than he would have liked to get her eyes locked back on him and his anger grew exponentially for what she'd been forced to witness.
"Grace, it's okay. Things are going to be alright." Blindly, he reached for the paper cup Duke quickly returned with, forcing her to take small sips until she could focus a bit more. He wanted to tell her that Mark's parents were wrong and simply very upset for their son, but he wasn't able to even consider forgiving them. With an intrigued sniff though, Steve realized that Grace was bordering on an anger that could rival his own, she simply wasn't sure how to channel it.
"It's not true. Danno tried and Mark wouldn't listen at first. When he wanted to do what Danno said, Mark slipped and fell. It made the gun go off." Sounding hollow even to herself, Grace felt the hallway shift and move again despite the cooling water. She felt angry and betrayed by complete strangers and her lip trembled again as her voice rose defensively. Her eyes were dark with tears but she was very adamant. "Danno did, Uncle Steve. I swear."
"I know he did. We all do," Steve easily agreed. Her eyes were large, swimming deeply with more tears and yet her chin was stubbornly set. For a minute, he didn't know what to do as she virtually glared defiantly back at him. Stowing his own temper for her sake, Steve catalogued the fisted hands and the beginnings of a nervous fidget. He very well couldn't allow his partner to see his daughter so wound up and on such an emotional edge; they read each other like open books. Plus, Grace was now almost vibrating in place as her anger with the Paquins replaced any residual feelings of fear.
"Come on, Grace. I need to clear my head before we see Danno." Purposefully holding his hand out for her to voluntarily take, Steve glanced once towards Duke who also seemed faintly amused. "I need to take a quick walk; keep me company?" With all the skill he sometimes needed to muster for his partner, Steve chuffed softly because down to Grace's dramatically aggrieved temperamental sigh, certain things were mirror images.
~ to be continued ~