"Did you have a nice weekend?" Riley asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet and grinning at Steve.
"I did, thank you very much," Steve said, grabbing her in a hug. "Dropped Cath back off at Pearl just before I headed home. She said to tell you thank you, that the home is lovely, and that she appreciates you sharing it."
Riley beamed at him. "I think that's what it should be . . . like, a retreat. For Five-O and their family. Like our own little monastery. Unless you don't want - if you think I should move out -"
"No," Steve said quickly. "Not until you are sick and tired of me. And I think it's a great idea, Riley."
Joe nodded in approval. "It makes a great retreat. Or a safe-house."
"Both," Riley said, nodding emphatically.
"I need to leave," Joe said, squeezing Riley's hand. "It was fun, Riley. Can I talk to Steve for just a minute before I go?"
Riley nodded and hugged Joe. "Thanks, Joe, for taking me to the range. I'll see you soon?"
Joe hesitated. "I hope so, Riley."
She gave him a measured look and then padded off to the back lanai.
"What's up, Joe?" Steve asked, folding his arms. "When you say you have to go, you don't just mean leave the house, do you?"
"No, Steve, I'm sorry," Joe said. "There's a lead on WoFat. I'm heading out tonight."
"Well, I'll call Danny, I'll come, we can-"
"No, Steve. It's not an official lead, and it's not a sanctioned mission," Joe said.
"You should tell Catherine," Steve insisted.
"Steve, I know I don't have any right to ask you to trust me, but I am. I can't tell Catherine, not this time. Not yet. And for Riley's sake, and the safety of your team, you need to stay as far away from this one as you can," Joe said. "If it were different, I'd love nothing more than to have you - and your sister, for that matter - as my back-up. But I can't. Not this time."
"Joe we just got everyone out of the hospital . . . Riley is still in physical therapy and she just started seeing someone . . . she needs us, Joe; she needs all of us," Steve protested.
"And you, son? Do you have what you need?" Joe asked.
"I'm fine, Joe," Steve said impatiently.
Joe sighed. "I'm sorry, Steve, I am. But this is the best way I can think of to try to keep my promise to your father. I need to do this, to try to keep you and Riley, and your team, safe. I have to go."
"Joe, I -" Steve stopped short.
"There's a DNA sample of mine in your top desk drawer. The one that's locked," Joe said kindly. "Just in case . . . "
"Just in case - shit, Joe."
"Let's say - just in case you decide to have it tested, before I get back," Joe said. "You'll say goodbye to Riley for me?"
Steve stared at him for a long moment. "No. No, I won't do that, Joe. You need to say goodbye yourself. She's had enough of people coming up missing in her life."
"Okay, son." Joe nodded and headed toward the back of the house.
Steve stood at the kitchen counter and looked out the back window, watching as Riley shook her head and turned away from Joe. After a moment, Joe rested his hands gently on Riley's shoulders and turned her back to him. She flung her arms around his neck as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. Finally, Steve saw her take a step back and nod. Joe kissed her forehead and hugged her again, then walked around the side of the house and disappeared. Riley sat down in one of the chairs by the water.
Steve walked out the back door to join her and sat with her in silence for a while, looking out over the water.
"He's leaving for a while," Riley said. "Is he going after WoFat? Or Shelburne? He wouldn't tell me. Just that he needed to do this, to keep us safe. We can take care of ourselves. He shouldn't be going around without backup."
"He's doing what he thinks is best, Riley," Steve said. "And if he's right, if he needs to do this, and we need to stay here, in order to keep the team safe, then . . ."
"You'll have to take his word for it?"
"Yeah."
"Because he and Shelburne have been so trustworthy in the past," Riley said bitterly.
"Riley, look at me," Steve said firmly.
She turned to face him, tears streaking down her cheeks.
"Oh, honey," Steve sighed. He held his arms out to her. "Come here." He wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I. Am. Not. Leaving. Okay? I'm not leaving you, Riley."
She nodded. "Okay," she whispered.
He waited a while, to let that sink in.
"I blame Danny," she said, finally.
"Honey, we all blame Danny," he said, rubbing her shoulder. "What do you blame Danny for, in particular?"
"All of this -" she gestured at herself in frustration; looking, ironically, much like Danny. "All of this . . . emotion stuff. I was never like this."
"Yeah. Danny does this sort of stealth thing."
"He's probably really good at interrogating suspects, isn't he?" she asked. "Makes them talk about their feelings. Next thing you know . . ."
Steve chuckled. It was true.
#*#*#*#*#
"So, what part of the database are you working on now?" Steve asked, as they drove to the palace.
"It's amazing," Riley said, "I'm entering photos and descriptions of tattoos. Unbelievable. The key is to use consistent descriptives. Like, if one person uses the word 'blue' and another person uses 'teal' and another person uses 'blue-green', you won't get an accurate search. So, Charlie and I are creating a . . . hmm . . . sort of a users manual. So you know how to enter your descriptions for the best possible search results."
"Sounds impressive," Steve said. "Chin's going to love it."
"I hope it will help," Riley said. "I feel like . . . is this just busy work? Because I could get a job. I do have a pretty broad skill set."
"This is not busy work," Steve said emphatically. "HPD and Five-O work well together, but there's . . . our systems don't exactly mesh."
Riley snorted. "I don't think Five-O had a system."
"You questioning my methods?" Steve teased.
"Noooo, not me," Riley said. "But I am impressed with how many ways Danny can say 'Steve wrecked the car' or 'Steve started a fire fight'. Seriously. It's impressive."
"Danny's vocabulary or my ability to wreck cars and start fire fights?" Steve asked, as he turned off the ignition.
Riley thought about that as she got out of the truck. "Both," she decided.
#*#*#*#*#
It was mid-morning when Charlie stuck his head in Riley's office.
"Interested in a field trip?" he asked, smiling. "We've been invited to a crime scene."
"Absolutely," Riley said, rising gracefully from the cushion behind her low desk. A slight wince was the only indication that her knee had been recently injured, and after a few steps she walked easily.
"Knee is better?" Charlie asked, holding the door open for her.
"Much," she said. "Shoulder?" she asked quietly, her eyes downcast.
"Good as new," he assured her. "And the scar is a great conversation piece on the beach."
She looked at him, horrified. "And you say, what - my boss's kid sister shot me?"
"No way," Charlie said, leading the way to the HPD issue crime tech van. "I usually recount some exploit of saving someone's life in some dramatic fashion."
Riley studied him for a moment as she fastened her seatbelt. "It's not a stretch, you know. Pretty sure you going along with . . . all of that - you probably did save my life. In some dramatic fashion."
"Well, then, it all worked out just fine, see?"
Riley shook her head. "I still can't believe you're so nice about it. Where are we going?"
"Steve and the team have a couple dead bodies down at the dock; they want us to come get photos of the ink, and other details, and try it through our database. They don't know the parameters yet, so Chin thought it would be better if we tried the initial search," Charlie explained.
"That makes sense," Riley said. "I haven't created a key word search spreadsheet for tattoos yet. This will help refine it."
"I didn't ask - are you okay with doing this?" Charlie asked, glancing at her in concern. "I'm sorry. Dead bodies - I should have checked. If you're not up for it -"
"It's fine," Riley assured him. "I can handle it."
They pulled onto the dock, and Charlie parked next to Max's van.
"Ah, Dr. Fong, and Miss McGarrett, so nice that you could join us," Max said, peering up at them over the first body. "We have some very interesting body art on several of these victims. Commander McGarrett thought it might provide an opportunity for you to work it into the database."
"We have a long way to go to refine the search process," Charlie said, "and this will help. If you'll help position . . . so that we don't compromise your evidence - yes, perfect." Charlie started snapping photos as Max held an arm steady.
Steve jogged over to them.
"Hey," he said, tugging on Riley's braid. She was studying the ink, her head tilted in thought.
"I know this ink," she said. "This is Kkangpae. Korean."
"You're sure?" Steve asked.
"Positive," she said. "Shelburne taught me to recognize Yakuza, Triad, and Kkangpae."
Chin had joined them, and listened soberly. "Wait, the Kkangpae . . ."
"Were supposed to be protecting me while I was at the University," Riley said quietly. "Joe set it up."
Steve and Chin exchanged a loaded glance.
"Okay, well, the Korean organized crime rings are active in both the drug trade and in human trafficking, and their routes bring them through Honolulu. So we will investigate all angles of this," Steve said. "But we're not going to assume it's a coincidence, either."
"Joe is -" Riley broke off, not wanting to say too much. She looked at Steve, her eyes wide with alarm. "And now this; what if -"
"Riley," Steve said, putting his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Joe can take care of himself, okay? Now, we have no idea what these bodies are doing here, or even if they were killed here. We're going to let Max do his job, and we're going to get you and Charlie do to your magic with the database, and the trace evidence in the lab, and go from there."
Riley nodded. "Right," she said, taking a deep breath. "Got -"
She was interrupted mid-thought by the pinging of a bullet against the Medical Examiner van.
"Cover!" Steve yelled, grabbing Riley and pulling her behind Charlie's SUV, with Charlie right on their heels. Chin was hauling Max away from the body and toward Steve's position.
"Steve, your one o-clock!" Danny yelled. He and Kono had taken cover behind a shipping crate. "I don't have an angle here."
Steve popped up and took a shot at the figure leaping from one shipping crate to another, as more bullets whized over their heads.
"What is he shooting at?" Chin yelled, covering Steve.
"The bodies," Steve said grimly, as bullets impacted the body they'd just examined. "Destroying evidence?"
"That's my - we've got more company," Chin warned, as two more figures appeared on the shipping containers closer to Danny and Kono.
"Give me a back-up," Riley demanded. "I'll cover Charlie and Max. Go - Danny and Kono are going to get pinned down."
Steve hesitated for a split second, but he recognized the look of determination in Riley's eyes. He handed off an extra handgun and clip to her. "Move if you have to," he said hurriedly. "Don't get cornered. Chin and I will draw them off."
"Go, go," she said, "get Danny and Kono."
Chin and Steve slipped from behind the SUV to the next row of shipping containers, trying to get behind the shooters. Danny and Kono were holding their own, but barely, against the assailants who had the higher ground and better visibility.
"Steve, little help," Danny yelled.
Steve and Chin flanked the shooters. There was a blur of motion and sound, and then silence.
"Clear!" Chin yelled, checking the two bodies closest to him.
"Clear!" Steve repeated, kicking a gun away from the third body. "Riley, - you guys okay?"
"We're good," Riley yelled back.
"Kono, Danny!" Steve called out, "clear?"
"Danny's hit," Kono's voice was full of panic. "I didn't even see it happen, I -"
Steve and Chin broke into a dead run and got to them in seconds, with Max, Charlie, and Riley just a few steps behind.
Kono was kneeling over Danny, her hands pressed desperately against his shoulder, which was bleeding profusely. Blood poured from a graze over his eyebrow, soaking his hair and the ground beneath his head.
"I need an ambulance to Pier 3, Honolulu Harbor," Chin was barking into his cell phone. "Officer down."
"Allow me, Officer Kalakaua," Max said, as Steve shoved packets of military grade Quickclot at him. Max pressed expertly with gloved hands on Danny's wound, slipping the gauze under and applying pressure.
Danny groaned.
"Hey, partner," Steve said, relief and worry flitting across his face. "What did I tell you, hunh; what did I tell you - I told you not to get shot. Just ask Rebecca out on a date like a normal guy."
"Fun - ny" Danny gasped.
Steve put pressure on the cut above his eyebrow. "How's our boy, Max?" he asked.
"The wound is bleeding profusely," Max said cheerfully, "but I believe the bullet went through fatty tissue, and no organs. Detective Williams is lucky, all things considered."
"Don't - feel - lucky," Danny argued.
They could hear sirens in the distance, and Chin jogged around to wave down the ambulance. Kono took Danny's hand in her blood-covered, shaking grasp. "From now on, we wear vests to crime scenes," she said. "Okay?"
"Yeah - good - idea," Danny agreed.
Riley stood watching, horrified and silent, until Charlie noticed her trembling.
"Hey," he said, gently touching her shoulder. She jumped. "Danny's talking; that's a really good sign, yeah? And look, the ambulance is here. He's going to be okay." He carefully and cautiously took her hand in his, pleased when she held on tight.
"Max, Kono - go with Danny," Steve said. "As far as we know, the shooters were trying to destroy evidence, but Kono - I want you on Danny's door. Call HPD for a set of uniforms; I want him secure, got it?"
"Copy, Steve," Kono said firmly. She and Max worked with the paramedics to load Danny onto the gurney.
"Danny, you hang tight, partner," Steve said. "We'll be there as soon as we get this scene secure."
Steve thumped the back of the ambulance and it pulled away, lights flashing and sirens wailing, cutting through the quiet morning.
Steve turned back to the scene at hand, and ran his hand through his hair.
"Okay, we have three Kkangpae bodies," he said. "We show up to work the scene, and we get three shooters. How much you wanna bet it's Yakuza?"
"I'd take that bet," Chin said grimly. "But I'm not interested in working a crime scene in the open. I say we call HPD, get these bodies all back to the basement."
"Copy that," Steve said. "Call it in. We'll wait for HPD to get here, then head to the hospital."
"Hey, kid," Steve murmured, tucking his fingers under Riley's chin and tilting her face up to look at him. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."
Steve glanced down at her hand, still firmly wrapped in Charlie's. He raised an eyebrow at Charlie, who looked steadfastly back at him.
"Commander," Charlie said quietly, "would you like us to go back to the lab and start working on the evidence? Or perhaps Riley would rather be at the hospital with you?"
"I can do my job," Riley said quickly. "There are six bodies to process now."
"Riley, a close friend is injured," Charlie said. "And these bodies aren't going anywhere, except back to our basement. If you'd rather be with the team, it's perfectly fine with me."
"We know you're capable, Riley," Steve said. "But humor me, and stick close, okay? Charlie is right; the evidence will be there tomorrow."
"Okay," Riley nodded. "I'll get my backpack."
Charlie released her hand and she trotted back to the SUV.
"Dr. Fong," Steve said, crossing his arms and looking down at him slightly.
"Commander," Charlie said, swallowing hard, but standing his ground. "Riley was remarkably composed under fire, but she was quite distressed when she realized Danny was shot."
"How distressed," Steve said.
Chin watched the exchange with amusement.
"A bit shaky," Charlie said.
Steve grunted.
"Charlie, we were all focused on Danny; I'm sure Steve appreciates that you took a moment to look out for Riley," Chin said smoothly. "I hear HPD coming; let me go get them sorted."
Steve stared at Charlie for a moment, and then his mouth twitched in a hint of a smile.
"Good job, Charlie," he said quietly. "Will you keep us posted on anything you find?"
"Absolutely," Charlie said. "We'll start with ID, of course." He turned and headed toward the SUV. Riley was standing quietly, waiting, having realized that the doors were locked.
Chin smirked at Steve.
"What?" Steve demanded, hands on his hips.
"You can't decide if you hate him because he had the audacity to hold your sister's hand, or if you like him because he's not afraid of you," Chin said.
Steve grunted again.
"I'd go with the latter," Chin advised. "He's extremely good at his job. We couldn't close half our cases without him, you know."
"He's a little bit afraid of me," Steve said, watching Charlie open the door for Riley to get her bag. There were a few words exchanged, and another brief touch of hands. Steve sighed. "Which is why it's damn impressive that he didn't give an inch."
"She's not a child, Steve," Chin said. "You can't treat her like one. Family, yes. In potential danger, unfortunately. But not a child."
Steve looked at Chin. "Is that why you run full background checks and surveillance on every guy who asks Kono out?"
"Obviously."
#*#*#*#*#
"Rebecca?" the nurse manager called out, putting down the phone and catching Rebecca just before she got on the elevator.
"Did I forget a signature?" Rebecca asked, turning back.
"No, there's a call from Dr. Waincroft. Detective Williams was just brought in to the ER. She thought you would want to know."
"Thank you," Rebecca said, as she dashed back to the elevator.
The Emergency Department was noisy and chaotic; one of the reasons Rebecca honestly preferred Intensive Care. She knew how to read the floor, though, and she stood still, her eyes scanning for the most urgent cluster of activity. Judging from the sheer volume of both noise and personnel, she started moving toward Trauma 2. Sure enough, a slight bespectacled Asian man was steering Kono out of the room.
"Kono, how bad - oh my God," Rebecca breathed, looking at the blood all over Kono's hands and clothes.
"The volume of blood loss is the greatest concern," the man said cheerfully, "but the wounds themselves are not life-threatening."
"Rebecca, Dr. Max Bergman, our ME. He was on the scene. And somehow spotless," Kono said, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"I am accustomed to maintaining a very clean environment," Max said. "And you are -"
"Rebecca," she said, shaking his extended hand. "I was -" She broke off, looking at Kono. It was a lot to explain. "I was Riley's nurse. Before."
"Rebecca helped Steve get Riley back," Kono said firmly.
"Ah, well we are thankful for you, then," Max said. "I suspect there is a great deal of evidence for me to process. I'll call HPD and ask for a ride back to my office."
"Thanks, Max," Kono said, kissing him on the cheek. He beamed as he headed toward the doors, phone in hand, lab coat fluttering behind him.
"Kono, let's get you cleaned up," Rebecca offered. "Where do -"
"The doctors let Five-O use the locker room," Kono said. "And scrubs. Malia says we scare the patients."
Rebecca laughed. "I can imagine."
"I'm fine," Kono said, "I know you want to be with Danny . . ."
"Right now, I'd just be in the way," Rebecca said. "So fussing over you will keep me occupied so I don't lose my mind. I'll find you some coffee."
Kono smiled at her. "Thanks, Rebecca. And they really do think Danny's going to be fine. Really."
Rebecca gave her arm a squeeze. "Thank you," she whispered. "Now. You're a wreck, girl. A walking biohazard. Go get sorted."
#*#*#*#*#
"Chin, what's the history of the Kkangpae on the island?" Steve asked, as they sped toward the hospital.
"There's been a few run-ins when they crossed paths with the Yakuza," Chin said. "But I'll admit, it's rare."
"You think they were here because of me?" Riley asked quietly. "Did I get Danny shot?"
"No," Steve said emphatically. "This is not your fault, Riley."
"You can't say that. It might be. I should . . . I could go back to the monastery, Steve. Really."
"Riley, this is a dangerous job," Chin said. "Law enforcement has been tangling with the Yakuza for generations on this island. We don't know anything, except that Danny needs his ohana right now. So that's what we're going to focus on."
#*#*#*#*#
"Hey," Danny said, smiling up at Rebecca through a haze of painkillers.
"Danny, you almost landed yourself on my floor," Rebecca said, taking his hand carefully.
"Day's not over yet," he observed. "Still have surgery to look forward to."
"I'll be here when you get out," Rebecca said. "So, this sort of thing happen often? Kono knows her way around the doctor's locker room really well."
"You know, it's Steve's fault, really," Danny said. "Got me shot the first day I met him, it's been raining bullets since."
"Complain, complain, complain," Steve said quietly, coming into the room. "Hey, Rebecca."
"You animal, somehow this is your fault," Danny said. "Did you call Rachel?"
"I will; wanted to get information to tell her. You want her to bring Gracie?"
"No way," Danny said. "Tomorrow. Gracie tomorrow, when I'm not so -" he gestured absently.
"Okay, Danny," Steve said. "We're all here. See you when you get settled in a room, okay, partner?"
"Yeah, you'll be standing outside the OR door with an evidence bag, right?" Danny quipped.
"Of course. Thanks for catching one of the bullets, man," Steve said. The lines of worry on his face betrayed him, and his teasing words fooled no one.
"I'm fine, Steven," Danny said. "Looked worse than it was. Go, console the team."
Steve chuckled a bit and turned to leave the room, and Rebecca started to follow. Danny's hand tightened on hers.
"You; you can stay," he said, smiling at her.
#*#*#*#*#