Chapter 3 "Reasonable Doubt"
A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews! Wow, I'm very humbled! Thanks especially to LadyNiko who pointed out that I got Danny's car color wrong! It is corrected in this and all future references as being a black Camaro. (I wonder what color the next one will be?)
Those who have not seen the final episode of season 6, read carefully because this chapter contains spoilers to that episode.
I do want to say that Lou Grover will be in this story, but cannot say more at this time. Have patience, fleas, for the night is long. (My Dad used to say that )
Soon the pace of the story will pick up, but finally we are getting to news we all neeeeeed to hear!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0. Dangit.
Chapter 3 "Reasonable Doubt"
After Danny's badge had been found near a body charred beyond recognition, Chin Ho Kelly, Abby Dunn, and Kono Kalakaua had no choice but to at least accept the possibility that their friend and colleague, Danny Williams, may -Chin kept stressing "may"- have been killed in this car crash. Their friend, Dr. Max Bergman, the Medical Examiner, would have to make the final determination on that, and likely it would take a while. He had been called and was on his way, about 30 minutes out. Chin had also asked Duke to keep the ABP on Danny active, because they did not have anything but circumstantial evidence that Danny might have perished on this lonely stretch of road. They would not call his ex-wife yet. There was no point in alarming her until they knew for sure. His children need not know until they had facts.
Police were taking photographs, collecting whatever evidence they would need to determine who had died in that black Camaro, and how. All were aware that someone had died. It was now a death investigation of someone, identity not yet confirmed. There was a quiet as everyone did their jobs.
The focus now was on Steve. The medics, working with Search & Rescue, had been able to get him into a basket and bring him up to the road. His friends clustered around him. He was unconscious, strapped to a back board, his neck immobilized, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, his forehead wrapped in bandages showing red. He had scratches on his face, from brush, and was soaked through from rain. His clothes were a mess of dirt, debris, and some blood. His right arm was bent at the elbow, strapped to his chest, his forearm encased in an inflatable cast. The broken bones would be set at the hospital. He had a saline IV drip inserted into his left arm.
Chin, Kono, and Abby had all seen him in worse condition. None breathed a word about the near death experience in late June, the living donor liver transplant from ...Danny. Everyone thought about it. Abby, who had been off Island, in San Francisco at the time, had seen photos of the scene, as well as news coverage, because the story of the gravely injured head of Five-0, saved by his partner, a non-pilot who had successfully landed their undercover airplane on Waikiki beach and then donated half his liver to save his life, had made the news across the nation.
One medic was swathing Steve in an emergency blanket, to ward off shock. Another was checking Steve's pupils again, and mumbled, "He is starting to respond. Finally!"
If anything, the cluster of people grouped closer. Chin stepped in. "Steve? It's Chin. Can you hear me?"
Steve's eyes tried to flutter open, and he tried to speak, but the word came out a sound of confusion at the feeling of pain and restricted movement.
"Good, Steve. You're doing fine. Don't try to move."
"...nnnny? Where...? Wha happen...?" Steve managed to get his eyes open long enough to see Chin and Kono, who he recognized even if they looked very blurry, but there were a lot of other blurry people he had no clue about to judge from his expression of puzzlement.
"Danny is ... fine." Chin's voice cracked on the last word, but he didn't think Steve would notice. "Just relax. You're going on a little helicopter ride."
"K." Steve closed his eyes, and the medic checked his pupils again, along with his heart rate and breathing. "Give us some space. We need to prepare him."
They could all hear the Medevac helicopter coming in. Within minutes, it was hovering overhead, and lines were being lowered down to secure the basket carrying Steve. Harnesses were being lowered on different lines.
"Is there room for Kono to ride with him to Tripler?" Chin asked. After a very brief discussion via headsets, the medic in charge nodded. Chin put his hands on her shoulders. "Kono, keep us posted on Steve."
"You do the same, Cuz. Anything on Danny." Kono was already slipping into a harness, to be lifted into the chopper.
"I promise." Chin hugged Kono, and Abby did the same.
"Be safe," they all said together, and hugged again.
It was barely five minutes before everyone was aboard, and the chopper gained altitude as it circled back toward Tripler Army Medical Center with its precious cargo.
Chin got busy with Abby. He went over to talk to the newlyweds who had found Steve, and Abby began photographing tire tracks, skid marks, broken brush. They were both dreading Max's arrival, knowing he could give them very bad news. Chin was forcing himself to think positively, however. Max could also give them very good news, though someone out there was going to be missing a loved one after Max was able to identify the body in Danny's charred Camaro.
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H50 H50 H50 H50
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An hour later, Chin had sent home the newlywed couple after interviewing them extensively. Before they left, he thanked them for the help they had rendered Steve. Without them, it might have been hours before Steve was found, and those hours could have meant the difference between finding him alive or giving him the chance to succumb to shock and the elements and possibly even die.
Duke was still coordinating any information coming in from the APB on Danny, which meant he had little to do but man the radio and sent officers all over the place, because there was absolutely no word on his whereabouts. Danny had not returned to his house, so he made the call to have it scoured for anything that might be evidence. Abby, Duke and Chin were hovering in that limbo of not knowing what to believe about their friend. Was he here, dead? Or was he missing? By already processing his house as a crime scene, they were hedging their bets.
Dr. Max Bergman had arrived at the scene a half hour earlier, pulled on his head-to-toe examiner's suit and latex gloves, and only nodded at the police and Five-0 personnel. He went right to work, Search & Rescue attaching him to a harness and helping him down the steep embankment down to the remains of Danny's scorched, totaled black Camaro. And the body.
Finally, Chin literally had nothing left to do but wait for Max's preliminary report. He, Abby and Duke were in synch on what they did. They looked at their watches together. It was now just after 4 am. They all listened as Chin put Kono's call from Tripler on speakerphone. "How is Steve?"
Kono's voice came through tired and worried. "He's still very sleepy, but he's awake. Our friend Dr. Cornett is his on this, so at least we know this will be thorough. He says Steve has no life-threatening injuries, but he believes he was drugged, based on how Steve is still not responding as fully as he should be. He has ordered a mind-boggling number of tests. He is specifically checking for any of the date-rape type of drugs, but lots of others too. And he's getting ready to set Steve's arm. The Doc says he won't be able to drive again for a while."
"Date rape?" Three voices sounded shocked. "Please tell us there is no evidence of sexual assault?" finished Chin.
Kono was quick to reassure. "No! God no. No, we don't have that to deal with. But Steve isn't remembering anything, and he's still very woozy. He doesn't remember driving Danny's car at all tonight. The last thing he can remember was being at Danny's, the two of them seeing Rachel out to her car so she could go to the airport and pick up Stan. He says after that he can't remember even going back into the house. He remembers turning to go back in, but after that it goes all, quote, foggy, unquote."
"Rachel? Why was Rachel at Danny's?" asked Chin.
"Steve said it had to do with plans for Christmas. Grace, Charlie, presents, when and where and how long, and it was fine. Rachel was being nice. Not even any snarking at Danny. Steve also said Rachel is starting to show her pregnancy."
"Great, great that she and Stan are finally having their own kid. So Steve doesn't remember anything that can help us?" asked Abby. Duke was standing by, soaking it all in, his own brain collecting puzzle pieces that may or may not be needed later on.
"Not yet, anyway. Dr. Cornett says his memory may sharpen after a few more hours, but if he was drugged, it may not."
Duke asked, leaning toward the phone, "How was Danny acting? What time is the last time Steve remembers?"
"Steve said Danny was acting like Danny, seemed genuinely happy for Rachel. And you know how he loves Christmas! And yeah, Steve looked at his watch when they walked Rachel out to her car. It was 7:49 pm. He remembers the time because she had to get to the airport to pick Stan up from his flight, arriving 8:30 pm. Did Max show there? Do you have anything on Danny yet? Steve keeps asking after him, and I know he knows something is up and I'm stalling."
Chin sighed. "Nothing yet. Max is down at the car. Sorry, Cuz - wait, Max is coming up. I'll call you back as soon as we hear what he has to say. Give Steve our love, okay?"
"Okay, I hope it's good news. Love you all."
"Love you too," chorused Chin and Abbey.
They all walked over to meet Max as he came up the last part of the embankment, too impatient to wait for him to walk over to then. They avoided the black body bag in the type of basket used to bring up Steve. Usually Chin would at least look at the body in the bag, but this time he couldn't bring himself to. Neither could Abby or Duke.
"Max," greeted Chin, his voice trying too hard not to betray his tension. "How are you making the transition back to Hawaii?" He had been away for 5 months, working with Doctors Without Borders. He had returned just in time for Thanksgiving.
"How is Sabrina?" asked Abby, after Max's long-time girlfriend, who worked at the Hawaii National Bank.
Max had surprised them all by having a less formal manner than was usual for him since returning from his stint with Doctors Without Borders. He addressed each of them by first name, but his tone was noticeably tense. "I am readjusting very well, thank you for asking. Sabrina is doing well, again thank you. We are excited that she may be receiving a promotion at her job in the new year."
"Good to hear! We can congratulate her in person when we see her at Christmas, but give her our best wishes sooner, of course." Chin could not help but ask, "What did you discover down there?"
Duke had out his notebook and was already writing down notes.
Max's expression became very serious, and somewhat perplexed. "My preliminary report is of course going to be less thorough than my final one. I must confirm my early conclusions with the autopsy, which I will perform this afternoon, in the interests of the gravity of the situation." He hesitated. "Please excuse my poor choice of the word, gravity."
"No problem." Chin had tried hard not to wince at the word. "Please continue, Max."
"Of course, Chin." Max surprised them all with a sudden bright smile. "I must say quickly that I do not believe the body in the Camaro is that of Detective Danny Williams."