Chapter 2 "Badge 7576"
A/N: First, let me thank all reviewers for your very kind reviews. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the title of the story and had to delete the wrong story and re-upload to replace it with the right title. That is the only thing that changed. I lost all your lovely reviews, but the good part is that I thanked everyone for those reviews before they went poof!
I wanted to keep the tension, so this chapter is again short.
Chapter weird review thingie: writing was going beautifully, when I realized I had no idea what to call Chin's shirt! Silly little detail, but then I went looking for that kind of shirt, and knew it was either a Henley or a longjohn shirt, the latter of which would be all wrong for Hawaii. But Chin wears a 7 button Henley, whereas most henleys for men are 4 button max. Women's Henleys are the 7 button ones. So….whatever! Chin looks very manly in his women's Henleys, or maybe I could not find that type of shirt! :-D Research can occasionally be strange.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything about the show. I just play with it.
Chapter 2 "Badge 7576"
All members of Five-0 knew that calls that came in during the wee hours of the morning were almost never a good thing. Usually it was Steve, the head of Five-0, calling in other members of his task force to rush to a crime scene.
This time, however, Chin Ho Kelly and Abby Dunn, living together since early July, were awakened by a call from Sgt. Duke Lukela of HPD. Chin mumbled something and reached for his phone as Abby propped herself against his bare chest and waited to see if she needed to wake up or go back to sleep. Chin gave her a quick kiss before he clicked talk.
"Chin here. What have you got, Duke?"
Abby felt Chin tense and watched as he listened very closely. "Say again, Duke." He listened for another several seconds. "How bad is Steve?" He listened more. "Okay, how long till the medics arrive?" Another wait. Abby, too, now was tense and already getting out of bed, to go to the dresser where she began pulling on a white polo shirt and bluejeans. "Danny isn't picking up? Send a unit to his house and get him out of bed. Call Kono and have her meet us there. Abby and I are on our way."
Abby didn't have to ask what was happening, because Chin would tell her. She ran a brush through her hair quickly while Chin began yanking on a white 7-button henley shirt and bluejeans. He spoke as he shoved the long sleeves up to his elbows. "Steve's been found hurt. It's bad. We need to get there. He apparently borrowed Danny's car, and was thrown or leaped from it before it tumbled down an embankment. Danny's car is smoldering scrap, but they could still see the license plate."
Abby felt a frisson of fear shiver down her spine. "You said Danny wasn't picking up his phone?"
She and Chin locked eyes, and both were standing as still as statues. Chin's eyes reflected the fear she knew was in her heart. "Let's hurry. And not get ahead of ourselves. We don't know anything but that Steve is hurt and he needs us. He could have borrowed Danny's car, and there are lots of reasons Danny might not be answering his phone. For all we know, he could be taking a walk."
Chin wrapped his arms around Abby, kissed her forehead and nodded against her. "Yeah. Let's deal with what we know. We'll take the Mustang."
They had barely made it to the garage before Chin's phone rang again. He put it on speaker. "Yeah, Duke?"
"Chin," said Duke's worried voice, still every bit the professional Honolulu Police Sergeant he was. "Danny isn't answering at his house. I told the officer to break down his door and look around, and he said Danny isn't there but all looks normal. I told him to tape the house off as a precaution. Should I put out an APB, or ...?"
Chin felt his stomach drop. He had a bad feeling. "Yes to the APB, but keep it quiet. And send a search and rescue to where his car and Steve were found. We don't know anything, but ... I'd rather Danny be furious we broke down his door than wait when things just don't feel right."
"Search and rescue is about 5 minutes out. Medics are arriving now."
"Good. Keep us informed. Abbey and I will hit the jets." That meant they would use the siren and the lights, breaking every speed and traffic law it was legal for them to break.
.
.
.
.
H50 H50 H50 H50
.
.
.
.
Kono Kalakaua was entwined in sleep with her husband Adam. They were still savoring every moment they could spend together since his release from Halawa Correctional Facility two months ago. Being able to spend the nights together instead of apart was something they treasured. They were even considering starting a family, since time was such a precious thing to then, and both knew how much the eighteen months Adam had been locked up had set them back. They would never take time for granted again.
Kono was a light sleeper, which ideally suited her profession as a cop and a member of the Five-0 Task Force. She had not slept well that night, so when her phone beeped, she rolled over and snatched it up before it could beep again and wake up Adam. It was Duke, one of the police Sergeants who worked closely with Five-0. "Kono here. What've you got, Duke?" She listened, and became the third statue that night. "Okay, I'm on my way."
"Kono?" Adam's voice was husky and sexy with sleep. "A new case?"
"N-no, not exactly. Steve's been found hurt and Danny is ... they aren't sure whether he's missing or they just can't find him." She was dressing in gray jeans and a pale blue top with lace insets at the scoop neck. She had tucked her badge into her waistband.
"How bad is Steve, and how missing is Danny?"
"Duke said Steve was bad, but it's early. Things always look worse at the beginning. Danny? It could be nothing. But I feel strange about this. We just got the Ohana back together. Danny is starting to trust me more. Christmas is in four days. We have all worked so hard to put the rough times behind us. I hope this is all a lot less than it feels like."
Adam climbed over to Kono's side of the bed and reached for her hand. "I can come with you."
Kono's heart melted, and she leaned down and kissed Adam. "I love you for asking." They kissed again, longer, until Adam broke it off. "Call me when you know anything."
"I will. I will."
.
.
.
.
H50 H50 H50 H50
.
.
.
.
Chin and Abby, and Kono from different directions, arrived at the scene at almost exactly the same time, both having broken speed laws on every street and highway to get there. It was now about 2:45 am, and the medics were working on Steve. He had not yet been brought up the embankment. Search And Rescue had finally gotten down to Danny's still-smoldering car. Some were using small shovels to throw soil on the places still barely burning. Smoke was gray where one tire was still burning stubbornly despite the nose of the car being in a natural ditch filled with rainwater.
Chin studied the scene, noticing the young couple sitting on the bumper of one of the two medic vans. They were wrapped in rescue blankets, their white clothes smudged with dirt and plant debris. The dark-skinned man had long dark brown dreads pulled back from his face somehow, and the woman was pale skinned, with blonde hair twisted into a rope over one shoulder. Duke approached and told the Five-0 members that they were the couple who had found Steve and called in the emergency. "Newlyweds, Jason and Susan Palmer, out on a joyride after their wedding. Here from Redding, California. They called 911 at 2:06 am, after they found Steve and tried to render what assistance they could."
"Alright. I'll talk to them as soon as I check on Steve."
Duke nodded. "A Medivac helicopter is flying in from Tripler. The medics think it would take too long to run Steve in by road. We're almost 30 minutes from the hospital, and the Medivac will be here in another 5, plus maybe 10 to get him to the ER."
"What is Steve's condition?" asked Kono and Abbey.
Duke frowned, his face worried. "The medics can't wake him up, and that has them concerned. He does have a head wound, but they don't think he is concussed. What they are sure about is that he broke his right arm in two places, might have a broken rib or two, and a lot of bruises. His injuries are not that severe, really. But for some reason, he isn't waking up."
Just then, a call came up the hill from the rescuers at Danny's car. "We have a body!"
Duke, Chin, Abby and Kono moved closer together, and the wife of the newlywed couple began to cry.
Chin felt sick to his stomach. "We don't know it's Danny. Steve could have given someone a lift. We don't know."
There was a pause while rescuers became recovery personnel, and one was able to get nearer. "Badly burned. Face is, uh, bones are smashed in, uh, can't tell who it is. More or less in the front passenger seat."
Duke looked over at Chin. Chin, puffing out his cheeks in a fearful exhale, gave the order. "Call in Max. Let him ... wait for him to -"
"Got a badge! ID burned to ash, but the shield is still intact. I can read the number! It's number 7576."
Chin, Duke, and Abbey just stared at one another, shocked. Kono bit her lip and fought tears. 7576 was Danny's badge number.