Bits and Pieces of Jersey

by bgharison

Danny's former rookie has found a place in Five-O, and in Steve's life. Continued from A Little Piece of Jersey.

10. Manhunt 3

"I don't understand why we can't just go check it out now," Jax argued.

"Because, we are not going after a known Yakuza enforcer without backup," Grover explained. "We wouldn't look at all conspicuous in Chinatown; a gimpy redhead and a giant black guy. No, that wouldn't attract any attention in mid-afternoon. What could possibly go wrong? We are going back to the palace; where a reasonable plan will be agreed upon to tail this guy, and take down Mahelona. But you and I are not going right this minute, no way."

"But, just surveillance. I'm totally cleared for surveillance. And I'm cleared to drive; so why are you making grabby hands for the keys?" Jax said indignantly, holding the keys tightly.

"I'm hungry, I thought I'd pull through that drive-through soft serve place," Grover said.

Jax put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. "Danny threw me under the bus, didn't he? I am going to kick his ass to Hoboken and back."

"Now, hold on," Grover said, "I'm a big guy. It takes a lot of calories to fuel this machine -" He stopped short at the look of disbelief Jax had leveled on him. "Okay," he admitted. "Danny may have mentioned that you'd lost some weight. More weight."

Jax threw up her hands in exasperation and slid into the driver's seat, slamming the door behind her. "We are in the middle of the biggest case we've had since you and I transferred to Five-O. So I've lost a couple pounds; who wouldn't, with all the running and the crazy hours. It's absolutely no big deal."

"Good," Grover said, "then it's no big deal to stop at the soft serve place; my treat. Order me a double chocolate. No, honey, you have to turn left here."

Jax rolled her eyes but dutifully corrected her direction, and in a short time, milkshakes in hand, they were headed back to the palace.

"I'm gonna let Steve know we're headed back," Grover said.

Moco loco and a milkshake. Tag, McGarrett, you're it for the evening shift.

Thanks, man.

#*#*#*#*#

Kono drove much faster than was strictly necessary back to the palace, and Caviness found himself grabbing for the oh-shit handle on a particularly sharp curve.

"Wow, you, um, know these roads well," he said.

"I do," Kono nodded happily. "The sooner we get this shoe back to the lab, the sooner they can get started on it. I'll introduce you to Charlie; he's an amazing lab tech. We actually grew up together, surfing and hanging out on the beach . . . gosh, all the way through high school." Kono dimpled prettily as she recalled happy times with Charlie and their friends.

Caviness wasn't sure he was going to like this Charlie person at all.

#*#*#*#*#

"Steve, babe, it's gonna be okay. At least we know that Declan Novak is not gonna come murder us in our sleep, which I gotta say, is a bit of a relief. I mean, I wanted to catch him, sure, but I'll sleep better tonight knowing that he's not physically on this island looking to hurt Gracie - or Jax, or Kono, or Chin . . . right? Look at the bright side," Danny said hopefully.

Steve glared at him. "He got away from me. Again. Again, Danny . . . he's not even nearly the smartest criminal I've ever tracked. How the hell did he just board a freighter, practically in broad daylight? We had every camera, every eye, every harbor employee . . . "

"Had to be an inside job, Steve, and we'll find the people who helped him," Danny said. "And I don't think two am is really broad daylight, babe." Steve started to open his mouth, and Danny interrupted him. "I know, I know - it is to a SEAL. Fine. But he got past mere mortals."

"He's in international waters," Steve sighed.

"I know, babe, and I'm sorry that the law prohibits you from swimming out to drag him off the ship," Danny said. "Actually, no, strike that - I'm glad the law prohibits you from doing that, or you'd probably be in the Pacific right now."

"It's too simple, Danny," Steve said. "Too easy. Just like him walking away from Halawa and us managing to get out of the building was too simple. I don't like it."

"Are you saying you don't think he's actually on the ship?" Danny said, his forehead crinkling in concern. He shifted in his seat, trying to ease the ache in his side.

Steve shook his head. "I don't know what I'm saying, Danny. Something definitely doesn't feel right." He paused, looking sharply at his partner moving uncomfortably in the passenger seat. "Hey, Danno, you okay?"

"I'm fine," Danny sighed. "Don't bounce back the way I used to. I'll grab a cold pack when we get back to the office."

"Don't push too hard, Danny," Steve said. "Remember, you mustn't succumb to an infection," he added, his eyes twinkling.

"That's exactly right," Danny said, laughing. "Ow, damn it, don't make me laugh."

#*#*#*#*#

Chin and Marshals Shelton and Polinski were already back at the palace when Steve and Danny arrived.

"Anything of interest, Chin?" Steve asked, as he and Danny exited the elevator.

"The family has absolutely no reason to believe that anyone would want to harm Valerie. She has no enemies, no debts, no estranged boyfriends or jealous women in her life. No reports of strange phone calls, nothing," Chin answered.

"In the absence of any other known suspect, we'll continue to assume there's a possibility that Lassiter could be involved," Marshal Shelton added.

Steve nodded as he grabbed his phone, which had started buzzing.

"That possibility just got significantly higher," he said. "Kono and Caviness have something - they're bringing in evidence from Valerie Keon's bed and breakfast to the lab. They think it may link to Lassiter. Danny," he added, turning to his partner, "go grab that cold pack you were talking about - get off your feet for a bit."

Danny started to protest, until Chin put a hand on his shoulder. "You are looking a little the worse for wear, brah. Besides, it will be easier for Steve to convince Jax to take a little breather if you're taking one."

"Okay," Danny said, "but for the love of God, don't let on that's what we're doing. I'm already in trouble with her today." Danny walked into his office; his steps slow and his shoulder hunched a bit over his injured side. Steve quickly caught up to him.

"Sit down, Danny," he said gently, giving Danny a nudge toward the comfortable sofa angled in the corner of his office. "Be right back." He went into his office and grabbed out three instant cold packs, a bottle of Motrin, and two water bottles. Returning to Danny's office, he activated the cold pack and tossed it to Danny.

"Oh, yeah," Danny sighed in relief as he placed the cold pack against his side, the coolness relieving some of the pain and fatigue. Steve grinned and handed him an open water bottle and tilted two tablets into his hand. "Hey, partner," Danny said, "when Jax gets back, you gotta get her to take a break. She's got to be feeling it, even if she does have youth on her side, and you know how she is. She won't admit it."

"Way ahead of you, Danny," Steve said, putting the extra cold packs and water bottle on the sofa next to Danny. "Hang tight, buddy," Steve said, as he went back to join the others at the main console.

The elevator opened, and Grover, Jax, Kono, and Caviness all stepped off together.

"Please tell me you all found better leads than we did," Steve said, leaning against the console. "Declan Novak, as far as we can tell, is on a freighter in international waters."

"Commander, I'm sorry," Caviness said. "I know you were counting on being able to take him down."

Steve sighed. "Obviously, I can't count on anything when it comes to Novak. What did you and Kono drop off at the lab?"

"A prison issue shoe," Kono said. "We found it wedged behind the sofa at Valerie Keon's bed and breakfast. There were traces of blood, and who knows what else. Charlie is working on it."

"So, everything really does point to Lassiter," Chin said. "I don't know whether to be relieved that we have a lead. Not considering what Lassiter is capable of."

"Lassiter liked to play with his victims," Caviness said soberly. "We still have about twenty-four hours to find her, if he has her."

"Valerie Keon is our number one priority," Steve said. "But what about Carlos? Did he have anything useful to give us, in tracking Mahelona?"

"He insists that there are just two MS-13 members on the island who go after debts; if Mahelona is still alive, they're looking for him," Grover said. "They work out of Chinatown."

"Okay, we need to put a team on them immediately," Steve said, "but it's going to have to be an HPD undercover unit. The only people here that wouldn't be immediately made as cops are Chin and Kono, and we need them on the Keon and Lassiter case. Grover, could you set that up?"

"You got it," Grover said, and started heading toward his office. Jax started to head after him, but Steve stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Jax, would you go check on Danny? He's in his office," he said quietly.

"Shit, is he okay?" Jax asked in alarm.

"Yeah, he was hurting earlier," Steve said. "Go on, I'll go down to the lab with Caviness and Kono; catch up with you in a bit. Grover can handle setting up surveillance. Take a few minutes, ku'uipo. You and Danny shouldn't even be on duty, but it's all hands on deck. At least take a breather."

"Lest I succumb to infection," Jax added, her eyes twinkling up at Steve.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want that to happen," Steve said, tucking one of her random red curls back into place.

"Oh, and Steven McGarrett," she said, sweetly and quietly, but shit, she was using his full name again . . . "you, and Danny, and Grover are not fooling me with your completely transparent attempts to mother-hen and manage me. We'll discuss it later."

Kono, who routinely and shamelessly eavesdropped on her friends' conversations, sauntered a few steps closer, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Jax in a show of feminine solidarity. "Oh, boss, I think you're in trouble," she said cheekily - but quietly; she loved teasing Steve but he knew she would keep this little moment between them.

He rolled his eyes; he wouldn't admit it, but their antics amused him.

Kono lowered her voice even further and continued, "Jax, darling, if you think Steve needs to be punished, you can always borrow the special handcuffs, you know."

Okay, not amusing, his brain protested. Other things, many other things, amusing is not one of them.

Kono and Jax chuckled at the sight of their six foot plus, tough as nails, Navy SEAL boss frozen in his boots by Kono's well-placed suggestion.

"Thank you, Kono, love, I think this is enough punishment for now," Jax said. She gave Steve a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as she walked by him, and into Danny's office.

"Kono," Chin called from across the room. "Kamekona has something on Sang Min; he . . . well, take the call in your office, let him explain."

Kono looked at Steve and shrugged. "This should be good. I was going to check in with Charlie . . . "

"Go, take the call," Steve said. "I'll go with Caviness to the lab."

#*#*#*#*#

"Jax, babe, I hope you feel a little better than you look," Danny said, smiling up at Jax as she limped into his office.

"I'm fine, Danny," she said, but she sank gratefully into the couch when he patted the cushion next to him.

He awkwardly activated the cold packs, while holding his against his side, and unceremoniously plopped one on Jax's leg.

"Ow," she said. Then, "Ohhhh," as the cold started to relieve a throbbing that she wouldn't have admitted to anyone.

"Ummhmm," Danny agreed. He handed her the other pack and she pressed it against her upper arm. Sighing in relief, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the sofa.

"Nope," Danny said, "here; first." He tilted two tablets into her palm, and handed her an opened water bottle. She tossed the pills back with a swallow of water.

Danny put his arm on the back of the sofa, behind Jax's head. "Okay, now," he said, and nudged her head against his shoulder, wrapping his arm carefully around her and gently rubbing her shoulder.

She closed her eyes again and snuggled next to Danny; too tired to really protest.

"I'm supposed to be checking on you," she mumbled, "not letting you take care of me."

"I'm fine," Danny mumbled back. "Catch me up."

"I've never heard you use so many one syllable words," Jax observed. "You must be exhausted. So, Kono and her marshal found a shoe that light belong to Lassiter; Carlos gave us a lead on Mahelona, but HPD has to follow up, because apparently Grover and I would be wicked conspicuous in Chinatown. Declan Novak really slipped through? Got off the island? That sucks, man."

"Yeah, Steve had aneurysm face all the way back from Pearl," Danny said. "Wait. Kono and 'her marshal'? Whattaya mean?"

"Oh, Danny, catch up," Jax mumbled. "I thought you were a good detective. By the way, I hate you. So much."

"What," Danny sighed, closing his eyes. Just for a minute.

"Ratted me out," she answered. "Grover stopped for moco loco. And a milkshake. I'm not gonna be able to button my cargoes."

Danny pulled her closer to him, kissing the top of her head. "Malia's worried enough to say something to me, babe, then I'm gonna be worried."

"Don't worry, Danno," Jax muttered, then yawned. She decided to keep her eyes closed for just another minute as well.

#*#*#*#*#

Steve pressed the elevator button to take them to the lab.

"Interesting team dynamic," Caviness observed, smiling. "In my short time on the island, I've heard a lot about Five-O. It's starting to make sense now."

Steve groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, it's really not what you think -"

Caviness held up a hand to stop him. "I think that you have an incredibly successful team dynamic. It explains your high success rate, and also why don't don't completely lose your minds, dealing with the highest risk and most stressful situations that come your way. No judgment, Commander, trust me. Although I'm reasonably sure I don't want to know what Officers Kalakaua and Nolan were saying that made you look like you'd just been poleaxed."

"Those two are going to be the death of me," Steve said. He looked sideways at Caviness, who was studiously nonchalant. "I hope working with Officer Kalakaua has been helpful," he said.

"Very," Caviness agreed. "She's a fine officer. Hard to believe she's only been out of the academy a couple years."

"Not even quite that," Steve said. "Chin suggested her for an undercover up before she even graduated. She faced off against Sang Min in nothing but her underwear. Fearless. It's been nice for her, I think, adding Jax to the team. Even if they are joining forces to slowly drive me out of my mind. The paperwork alone, all of the sexual harassment complaints filed against them."

Caviness swallowed hard. He could have perhaps done without the mental image of Kono in her skivvies. "You mean, complaints filed on their behalf? I imagine they get more than their fair share of unwanted advances."

"That too," Steve sighed, "but no, complaints filed from jerks who can't handle being taken down by women half their size filing complaints just to make trouble for them. Idiots. Although, I gotta admit, Kono or Jax undercover . . . it really is almost unfair to the criminal element. Here we are," Steve said, clapping Caviness on the back as they got off the elevator. "Let's go find Charlie. Have you met Charlie?"

"Yes," came the clipped reply.

Steve smiled.

"Good afternoon . . . wow, almost evening," Charlie said, as they entered the lab. "The blood is definitely a match for Valerie Keon, I'm afraid. We are trying to find a DNA sample to run against the database for a match with Martin Lassiter, but the shoe size is the same. There was also a decent sample of pebbles, sand, and crushed shell imbedded in the sole of the shoe. That's our best shot for trying to narrow down a location."

"Each beach on the island has a specific sand and shell type," Steve explained to Caviness. "It's not foolproof, because of course there's transfer, but it's a start. Keep us posted, Charlie. And I'll approve overtime for anyone that needs it; we go around the clock until this case is closed."

"Got it," Charlie said, turning back to his equipment. "Thanks, Commander; I'll keep you posted."

#*#*#*#*#

Back on the main floor, Steve looked fondly into Danny's office. Jax had pulled her legs up onto the sofa and was curled contentedly into Danny's side; her head tucked into the crook of his neck, and his arm around her protectively. Someone, probably Kono, had snuck in and tucked a light blanket around the both of them.

"They've both been out for about ten minutes," Chin said, soundlessly coming to stand next to Steve. Danny consistently threatened to put bells on the both of them. "I think Marshals Shelton and Polinski are longing for the normalcy of their own office by now," Chin added, chuckling. "I could have sworn I heard them arguing over which of you Jax was dating."

"More scuttlebut," Steve commented. "Do you think I was crazy, asking Jax and Grover to join Five-O?"

"No way, brah," Chin said. "Five-O is about ohana. And it doesn't get more ohana than those two. Right down to the sibling rivalry."

Kono hung up her phone and came out of her office shaking her head.

"Unbelievable," she said, then glancing behind Steve at the sight of Danny and Jax resting, she lowered her voice.

"Lead on Sang Min?" Steve asked. "Is it legit?"

"Unfortunately, I think so," Kono said. "He contacted Kamekona; said that both the Yakuza and MS-13 are gunning for him. Apparently word got out that he helped us inside Halawa, and now he's convinced that he's safer in custody than on the street. He wants to turn himself in."

"I'm not surprised," Steve said. "I expected as much."

Caviness and Grover joined them at the center console as Kono continued. "Well, then you probably aren't surprised that he's insisting that Jax and I come to bring him in. Such a pervy little jerk."

"Well, no way is that going to happen," Steve said firmly, crossing his arms.

"And exactly why not," Kono said just as firmly, also crossing her arms. She added a subtle shift of her hip to one side, and Caviness noticed that he suddenly needed a drink of water.

"On the off chance that it could be a set-up," Steve said, while Chin nodded in agreement. "When and where is he suggesting he turn himself in?" Steve asked.

"Kualoa Plantation Sugar Mill," Kono said. "He claims he's injured from the explosion; doesn't have transportation; doesn't want to risk coming into a populated area. Says he's holed up in the ruins until we can give him medical treatment and safe transport to HPD. He's insisting that we do this his way, or he'll take his chances and reach out for protection from The Company. He says he wants just me and Jax . . . something about brutality and an ashtray?"

Chin and Steve shrugged sheepishly.

"Okay, it's probably just Sang Min being his usual opportunistic self, but no way are we sending you and Jax alone. Let's come up with a plan," Steve said, motioning for the others to join him at the console.

#*#*#*#*#

Steve crouched in front of the sofa. Danny's eyes popped open immediately.

"Hey, partner," Steve whispered. "How long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes," Danny replied. "I wanted to let Jax rest as long as possible. What have I missed?"

"Blood on the shoe matches the blood type for Valerie Keon; Charlie's testing the sand in the sole. And Sang Min called; wants Kono and Jax to come pick him up," Steve murmured quietly. Jax stirred, and he ran his fingers through her tousled curls.

"I'm driving," she mumbled. "Where are we going to pick up Sang Min?"

"You sure you're up to this?" Steve asked, tracing the outline of her bandage beneath her cargo pants.

Her emerald eyes popped open, and he recognized the same gleam of intensity and confidence that he'd seen her first week on the island, when she threw herself into the ring as bait in an undercover operation.

"Hell yes," she said. "What's the plan?"

#*#*#*#*#

"We've been partners for almost two years, and you've never once let me drive your truck," Danny observed, as Steve, Caviness, Jax, and Kono put on their tac vests and comms.

"Well, I let Jax do a lot of things I don't let you do, Danny," Steve said, smiling at Danny. "Like shift my gears."

"And wax his surfboard," Kono added solemnly.

"Brain bleach," Danny proclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I need brain bleach. You people are incorrigible."

Caviness looked on in amusement.

"I'm sorry," Kono said. "We get this way when we get tired, and punchy. It's like we all lose our filters."

"I find it . . . endearing," Caviness said. "Hold up, turn around." He readjusted an errant velcro on her tac vest, patting it into place. "There you go."

"Thanks," she said. "Do you need gear? We have plenty."

"No, thanks, I'll grab mine out of the back of my Jeep," Caviness said. He strode over to his Jeep and opened the back, rummaging around.

"Okay, so you and Jax will be in the cab; Caviness and I will be in the back out of sight. Everyone else will follow and stop on the main highway. They'll be about five minutes out from the ruins," Steve said, checking the clip on his automatic rifle and patting down multiple pockets.

"Grenades? Please tell me - you know what, no, don't tell me," Danny said.

Caviness reappeared as he slammed the back of his Jeep closed.

Holy shit, yes please, purred Kono's brain. His button-up shirt had been discarded, and his US Marshal tac vest fit snugly over his plain white t-shirt. Apparently, like Steve, Caviness preferred thigh holsters for field work.

"Kono," Jax laughed quietly. "Ixnay on the actual, literal drooling."

#*#*#*#*#

Despite the circumstances, the drive to the abandoned sugar mill was pleasant.

"Commander," Caviness started, but Steve paused him with an upheld hand.

"We're in the back of my pickup. Please, I think this case has taken us well past titles."

Caviness chuckled. "Agreed. We have a bit of a drive, and there was something I wanted to ask you, McGarrett."

"Go right ahead," Steve nodded. "I'll answer if I can."

"I said I would come back to this later . . . when we were going over the files, it came up that Mahelona had a grudge against women in law enforcement and had been passed over for SWAT. Remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Steve said.

"The body language of your entire team shifted in that moment," Caviness continued. "Your hand went to Officer Nolan's waist; Williams physically placed himself between her and my team - the strangers, the newcomers; Captain Grover and Lieutenant Chin both slipped a little in their usual impassive demeanor. And Kono's hand actually went to her weapon."

"Impressive," Steve said. "Let me guess; psychology major before joining the US Marshals?"

"Master's, University of Arizona," Caviness said. "You're not obligated to answer the question, McGarrett, so you don't need to subtly deflect. I know your degree from Annapolis was in Operations Research, so the deflection skills must have been picked up in Naval Intelligence."

"And your willingness to give me an easy out to continue deflecting?" Steve asked, smiling.

"Years of working with witnesses who don't trust me," Caviness said. "We should play poker some time. Look, it's no big deal. Officer Nolan's jacket from NYPD was sealed pretty tight. I study people intensely; it's how I try to keep them alive. Your team's reaction made an impression. No disrespect intended."

"None taken. What did the NYPD jacket say?"

"Officer Nolan was injured and came to Hawaii during her medical leave, and decided to transfer to HPD," Caviness answered.

"NYPD is either saving face or protecting her privacy," Steve said. "She was roughed up by three NYPD officers who took exception to her being awarded the SWAT position for which they'd all applied. There was a hearing, and Danny flew back with her. One of the assholes took Danny hostage. It ended with Jax taking a head shot."

"Shit," Caviness swore quietly. He could read between the lines of what Steve carefully wasn't saying. "Okay, I really didn't mean to pry."

"What you picked up on, the team's body language," Steve said. "Liability? Are we giving too much away? That never would have happened in the SEALs."

"No way, McGarrett. Look, I've only been assigned to Honolulu for a few months, but Five-O is making a name for itself. The close personal relationship of your team is common knowledge; you're not going to change that. What I saw in that room would have made me think long and hard about whether or not I wanted to make a personal attack on any of your team members," Caviness said. "Stop worrying about relationships being a vulnerability. The way I see it, it's your team's strength."

"Thanks, man," Steve said, as they felt the truck turn off the main road. "So, it probably hasn't escaped your attention that Chin is way overprotective of his baby cousin, right?"

"I haven't worked with the two of them together, much, why?"

"Kono is the only one of my team you've called by their first name," Steve said, grinning. "I should warn you, Chin has a shotgun. And yeah, advanced communication and interrogation techniques, courtesy of Naval Intelligence. We really should play poker sometime."

#*#*#*#*#

"Comm check," Steve whispered into his headset.

"Check" came back from Kono and Jax, and Caviness nodded.

"Okay, watch your backs," Steve said quietly, as Jax and Kono climbed out of the cab of the truck. Sunset was approaching, and they'd left the headlights on, shining toward the crumbling smokestack of the abandoned sugar mill.

"Come on, boss, that's why we brought you guys," Kono said.

Steve grinned as he picked up his radio. "Danny, Chin, you guys copy?"

"Check," Danny said. He and Marshal Polinksi were in the Camaro, parked behind Grover, Chin, and Shelton in Grover's huge SUV. "We estimate we're only about five minutes out if you need us. Watch the girls, Steve, I don't like this."

"Copy that," Steve said quietly, frowning.

"What is it?" Caviness asked.

"Not sure," Steve said, tightening his grip on his rifle.

"Okay, we're here," Kono called out. "Come on out, Sang Min, it's just us."

"I'm hurt, you need to come fix me up and help me," came Sang Min's voice.

"Sang Min, what's going on?" Kono demanded, her voice firm.

"Where I got burned, it's embarrassing," Sang Min whined. "I didn't want the guys to see."

"Oh dear Lord," Jax mumbled.

"Hey, you're the hotshot medic," Kono said, "and I'm the better shot. You're dealing with his . . . oh God, whatever it is . . . and I'm covering you."

"Fine, fine," Jax grumbled. "Steve, copy?" she added, speaking quietly into her headset.

"Copy," Steve replied. "Be careful."

"Okay, we're coming in, Sang Min, but so help me if you try to cop a feel again, I will shoot you myself," Kono said. "I will make you beg Steve and Chin to come save you, I swear it."

Steve and Caviness watched as Kono and Jax approached the doorway of the smokestack cautiously and then disappeared inside.

"Shit," Jax's voice came over the headset. "Okay, hold on, I've got you." She nodded at Kono as she holstered her weapon and put her backpack down on the ground, opening it and crouching next to Sang Min. Kono stood over them, eyes scanning in the dimming light.

"Sang Min, these are taser burns . . . " Jax said, in confusion. She had just enough time to register the blur of Kono's body falling next to her, before she felt the cold metal pressed to the back of her neck, and the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking.

"Take out your headset and throw it on the ground next to you. Make one wrong move and she's dead," came a cold, vaguely familiar voice. Jax heard the sound of a slide of a second gun, as a pair of heavy boots came into her line of vision, standing right at Kono's head. A hand reached down and pulled Kono's headset away, and Jax reluctantly tossed hers next to it, where both were promptly crushed by a third set of boots.

Shit, Jax's brain helpfully supplied.

#*#*#*#*#

"Taser burns? Jax, what's going on?" Steve demanded; and then he and Caviness both winced as a sharp, crackling sound of static filled their earpieces. They grabbed them out and tossed them down.

"Damn it, something's not right," Steve said, grabbing the radio. "Danny, Grover, move in, something isn't right."

"No kidding," Grover's voice came back urgently; Steve could hear the sound of the engine racing in the background as they drove toward the Silverado. "The HPD undercovers are tailing the MS-13 members in this direction, Steve. We've got MS-13 heading out here."

Steve's mind raced to pull together details . . . taser burns . . . MS-13 . . . Mahelona.

Mahelona.

"Shit," he swore loudly. "Mahelona used Sang Min to ambush us."

"Not us," Caviness said, chambering a round and taking the safety off his gun. "Kono and Jax."

They jumped out of the back of the truck and moved forward, staying out of the beam of the headlights. Danny's voice came over the radio. "Steve, we've called in for backup."

"No time," Steve said tersely, and Caviness nodded in agreement.

"Okay, at least wait for the five of us," Danny said, "we're gonna be there in a couple minutes. Wait, Steve."

Steve growled in frustration.

Danny's voice came back; the voice that Steve recognized as the one he used to give Gracie a firm instruction, in order to keep her safe. Like that time he'd cut his hand on a jar as it had shattered, and Gracie had instinctively started to run toward him in her bare feet.

"Stop," Danny said, just like he'd said to Grace, before she'd stepped on the broken glass, and Steve actually stopped. "You go in there unprepared, no recon, no backup, you're as likely to get them killed as you are to save them, Steven. We're on our way. See if you can find out what's going on."

Caviness had stopped short in the instant that Steve had, following his lead. He continued to do so as Steve now crept silently toward the smokestack.

Steve found a crack in the crumbling wall, and desperately pressed his face to it, the light from the headlights dimly illuminating the dank interior. He peered inside, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the changing light, until he could make out the figures.

He whispered to Caviness, who was crouched next to him, facing away from the smokestack, covering them.

"Sang Min is down, looks like he's handcuffed. Jax is working on him but I can't make out what's going on. Three guys standing, holding guns on Jax, Kono, and Sang Min. Kono's down, she doesn't look to be moving."

"Is she hurt?" Caviness whispered.

"I can't tell," Steve said. "She could be waiting for an opening."

Steve fell silent at the sound of voices.

"I'm sorry," Sang Min was saying. "They said they would go after my wife and kid."

"Shut up, Sang Min," Jax said, but her tone was kind. "Just don't say anything right now, okay?" She started to look up at the man standing over her with a rifle, and he viciously butted it against the side of her head.

"Hey," she protested. "Trying to work, here. You need to let me check her out."

"She's fine," came the gruff response.

"You need to let me check you out," Jax continued, glancing subtly toward the crack in the wall. She'd noticed the disturbance in the light coming in from outside.

Steve breathed a silent sigh of relief. Jax knew they were there; she was feeding them intel.

"So, what, you had on a vest?" she asked. "That blocked the worst of Grover's shots, I guess. The blood must have come from my bullet, and I'm guessing a ricochet. Probably a minor head wound; those things bleed like crazy."

"Shut up," and this time, the instruction was accompanied by a blow to her arm, where blood was already seeping through the layers of bandages and her tshirt. It had to be Mahleona standing over her; it was the only thing that made sense from what she was saying.

"Hey, that's a dick move," Jax said, gritting her teeth against the pain. "Look, you need to let me check her out. If you wanted her dead, you'd have shot her, so I'm assuming you need her alive for whatever you have planned, right?"

The man standing over Kono kicked her solidly in the back with his boot, and there was no response. Steve could see blood trickling freely down the side of her head, under her chin, dripping onto the floor.

"Stop; let me check her out," Jax was pleading now, barely keeping the panic out of her voice.

"Fine," Mahelona said, and kicked Jax toward Kono's unmoving body. Steve winced as he watched the heavy boot make contact with Jax's ribs, but she shook her head minutely. He could almost hear Danny's voice in his ear again. Wait. We're coming.

As Jax frantically checked Kono's pulse, the man standing over them spoke. "She's right, you know; you wanted to have your fun with this one, then use her to get her son of a bitch cousin out here. Won't work very well if she's dead, and you better made good use of the medic here before the boys come to take her back to the boss."

"Shut up!" Mahelona yelled. "How can you be so stupid?"

"Who are they gonna tell?" the man argued. "They're both gonna be dead."

Steve saw Jax close her fist around her bandage scissors, and she looked directly toward the crack and nodded once. He stood, Caviness right behind him, and stepped into the doorway of the smokestack. He could hear Danny and Grover pulling up, saw the lights from their cars turning toward them.

"The hell they are," Steve roared, as he breached the doorway.

Jax struck swiftly, fueled by rage and adrenaline, sinking the sharp scissors into the leg of the man standing over Kono. He screamed in pain and fury, striking out blindly, and a wild shot rang out as a bullet ricocheted off the crumbling brick and stone wall of the smoke stack. Jax ducked, throwing herself protectively over Kono's prone body, as a shower of dirt and debris fell around them.

The distraction was sufficient for Steve and Caviness to get shots off, as Mahelona turned on them in surprise, and they quickly dropped him and the injured gunman. The third gunman, however, had much faster reflexes, and a much stronger sense of self-preservation. Knowing that he would never survive a stand-off with a clearly enraged Navy SEAL and US Marshal, he'd grabbed Jax and his handgun in one move.

Hauling Jax easily by the straps of her tac vest, he yanked her off of Kono and held her, struggling and cursing, his gun pressed under her chin, forcing her head back. He lifted her up, her toes barely brushing the ground. The light filtering in from the headlights cast the whole scene in a wavy, surreal dimness.

"Ah, ah, gentlemen," he said, as Steve and Caviness face off against him. "Drop your weapons," he said.

Steve instinctively tightened his grip on his rifle, and the gunman shoved his weapon more forcefully into Jax, wedging the barrel of his gun against her windpipe. Her head was forced back even further with a pained wheeze, and Steve finally complied.

"Okay, okay," he said, holding out his empty hand, and slowly bending to place his rifle on the ground in front of him. Caviness followed his lead, doing the same.

"Steve!" Danny yelled from outside.

"Oh, they stay back," the gunman ordered, pulling Jax closer to himself, using her as a shield. "Tell them," he demanded.

"Stay back, Danny," Steve called.

Caviness addressed the gunman. "Look, as far as we can tell, you haven't hurt anyone here yet today. There are six people behind us, and more on the way. You know you're not walking away from this if you hurt that officer. So, this is your one chance. We're standing, unarmed, between you and four of her very pissed off team members. Put the gun down, let us take you into custody."

"No way, man," the gunman said, his voice tinged with panic. "She's my only ticket out of here."

"There's someone you're more afraid of than us," Steve said, trying to bargain with him. "I get it. We can help you with that, too. Who was Mahelona going to give her to, hunh? What was the deal? Tell us, let us try to help you."

"Mahelona owes the boss big money; he was going to give him the redhead instead. Said she'd made MS-13 look bad too many times. Boss said if Mahelona could deliver the girl, he'd cancel his debt," he said, his eyes wild and frantic. Jax had wrapped her hands around his meaty forearm, and Steve noticed with alarm that her grip was getting weaker and weaker. "If I cooperate with you, I'm a dead man, in or out of the joint."

"Okay, we get that," Steve said, trying to keep his voice calm. "But if you strangle her to death, the boss isn't going to be happy with you, either. Loosen up just a little bit, buddy, okay?"

The gunman looked down, and the person they'd all forgotten, Sang Min, made his move. From his awkward position on the ground, he kicked his legs out, catching the gunman behind the knees. The split-second distraction was all Steve needed, and his SIG Sauer had materialized in his hand, seemingly out of thin air.

Jax felt a buzz and a sting, and then the impact of the dead weight of a body falling forward on her. She kicked and struggled until finally the weight was lifted, as Caviness unceremoniously flipped the dead man off her, and having retrieved his weapon, stood covering them as Steve frantically checked her over for injuries.

"Clear," Caviness yelled to the rest of the team, who had held back in confusion at Steve's instruction. "Cover us in here, guys, we've got injuries in here and company coming. Not sure how many." He moved to Kono's side as the remaining team members took cover behind their cars, placing themselves between the doorway to the smokestack and the unknown number of gang members heading their way.

"Jax, are you hit?" Steve asked, searching for the source of the sticky blood he could feel, almost everywhere he touched her.

"I think it's his," she said, pushing his hands away. "Kono . . . let go, let me get to Kono."

Steve hauled her easily to her feet and as she stumbled toward Kono, he glanced back at Sang Min. "You okay, Sang Min?"

"I'm okay," he said, "you owe me, McGarrett."

"Yeah," Steve said. "Stay down, we'll sort you out."

Jax had grabbed her bag and tossed a flashlight at Caviness, and they were both bending over Kono. Steve stood over them, facing the doorway, his rifle back in his hands. "I've got you, how's Kono?" It was unsettling; he'd never seen Kono out of commission before.

"Steady pulse, but she's unresponsive," Jax said, her small, strong hands moving deftly over her friend as Caviness kept the light steady for her. "Come on, Kono," she said quietly, flashing a penlight as she opened each of Kono's eyes in turn. "Pupils are unequal," she added, "definite concussion. I've got weak breath sounds and distension in the veins of the neck."

"Jax," Steve said. He knew what these symptoms were likely describing; he'd seen it too often in combat. He kept his eyes on the door, though, as he heard the sounds of multiple vehicles approaching.

"I know, I'm on it," Jax said. "That asshole probably broke a rib and punctured a lung when he kicked her." She looked at Caviness. "Help me or switch with Steve and cover us if you can't handle it."

"I can handle it, tell me what to do," he said instantly.

"Help me get her vest off; try not to shift her too much," Jax said. They worked together, ripping the velcro straps of the vest open and easing it over Kono's head.

Kono moaned quietly in pain as her arm was moved.

"Hey, Kono," Jax said softly, "hold on, babe, we've got you." Kono's eyes opened, and a look of confusion and panic crossed her face as she struggled to take a breath.

"Kono," Jax said firmly. "I know, you can't breathe. I'm on it, okay? I've got you."

She tossed a small bottle of alcohol at Caviness, and held out her hands in front of her. "Pour that over my hands, quickly," she instructed, rubbing her hands together as he streamed the liquid over them. Shaking her hands off, she grabbed a pair of medical shears and cut Kono's shirt open from the sleeve to the neckline. She swabbed the space under her collarbone with an iodine wipe, and grabbed a needle and catheter kit out of the bag.

"Steve, what's going on out there?" she asked, as she heard a couple of rounds of gunfire.

"Don't worry about it; it's not coming in here," Steve said firmly. "Take care of Kono."

Kono's eyes widened at the sight of the large needle and catheter as Jax pulled it from the sterile wrapping. She struggled to take in a breath, a wheezing, strangled sound escaping her.

Caviness grabbed her hand and turned her face toward his. "Kono, look at me. You've got a hotshot medic taking care of you, remember? Come on, I've read the files. She got Chin through nicking his femoral artery; she's got you. Just hold on."

Jax nodded in approval as Kono stopped struggling and focused on Caviness. Her hands were steady as she inserted the needle just above her third rib, listening intently, trying to ignore the commotion outside until . . . there: the distinctive hiss that told her she'd placed the needle correctly.

Kono relaxed visibly as she was able to take a deeper breath, biting back a cry of pain as the breath shifted her broken rib. Jax threaded the catheter in and carefully withdrew the needle, tossing it across the room out of the way.

"Okay, hold on, Kono, I've got to secure this little catheter in place, okay? You had a collapsed lung, but this is going to hold you over until you get to the hospital, and you should be able to breathe fine," she said, as she gently taped the catheter in place with medical tape. "Or, as fine as you can with a broken rib."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Kono mumbled.

"I know, that's the concussion," Jax said. She was fighting wave after wave of nausea herself; had been, since Mahelona had cracked her on the side of the head. "But babe, throwing up with a broken rib and a chest tube is a colossally bad idea. Try not to, okay?"

Kono nodded miserably. They could see her swallowing convulsively.

"Okay, we're going to sit you up, Kono, just in case. If you do get sick, I don't want to risk you aspirating." Jax addressed Caviness. "Get behind her shoulders; I'm going to pull and you're going to push, as gently as possible. She's got at least one rib broken, right side, mid way. Give that as much support as you can, okay?"

Caviness nodded in agreement as he set the flashlight up on its end, casting a strange dim light inside the small space, and they worked together until Kono was partially upright. She panted against the pain and settled against Caviness, who was holding her gently.

"You're doing great, Kono, hold on," he encouraged. "Hell of a first date."

Jax grinned as she continued to check over Kono's injuries, turning her attention to the gash just behind her ear, which was continuing to bleed.

"First date?" Kono gritted out. "Ow, Jax."

"Sorry, babe," Jax said. "This is nasty; no wonder you have a concussion. Hold on," she said, pressing a dressing against the wound to try to stop the bleeding.

"Yeah, first date," Caviness said. "I'm an old fashioned kinda guy. Ten dates, at least, before I ask a woman to stay over. I figured, maybe we could start counting now."

"Hell no," Kono said firmly. "Crime scene counts as the first date, in that case."

Jax chuckled, then stopped abruptly as Kono's nose began to bleed, and her eyes slipped closed.

"Caviness, hold pressure on that head wound," she ordered. "Kono," she said, patting her face gently. "Kono, come on, open your eyes."

"Steve, whatever is going on out there, tell Danny to get it under control right the hell now," Jax yelled, the urgency in her voice unmistakable.

"Danny," Steve yelled. "Are you clear?" The sounds of gunfire had stopped.

"Clear, Steve," came the reply. Grover's voice called out as well. "We're clear; HPD says we've got no one else coming this way. They've set up at the main highway just in case."

"I've got a bus on the way," Chin said, rushing into the smokestack and kneeling next to Kono. "It should be less than five minutes out now."

"You're a good man, Chin Ho Kelly," Jax said.

"Well, any time you and Steve are involved, it's a safe bet to go ahead and call for an ambulance," Chin said. "Kono, honey, open your eyes." Chin was also patting Kono's cheek gently, casting worried glances at Jax, who was wiping the blood away as it trickled from Kono's nose.

"This isn't a good sign, is it," Chin murmured.

"Not great, no," Jax said. "But it's possible she got a nosebleed from falling forward. Could just be residual, and the change of position, it's draining out."

Kono's eyes fluttered open. "Chin?" she asked groggily. There were a few of him, and she tried to figure out which one to talk to.

"Yeah, honey, I'm here," Chin said, brushing her hair away from her face.

"Be nice," Kono said. Chin looked at Jax in confusion, and then narrowed his eyes at Caviness, who was absently stroking Kono's arm as her head rested against his shoulder.

Nice, strong, comfy shoulder, Kono's brain hummed quietly, under the thrum of pain and nausea.

Steve returned from outside, where he'd helped Danny, Grover, and the Marshals cuff the now subdued MS-13 members who'd come to collect their prize, and been woefully disappointed. Grover and the marshals were on their way back to HPD with the prisoners, including Sang Min.

Steve had grabbed a massive flashlight from his truck, and as he turned the wide, strong beam on the little group huddled on the floor, he let out a gasp of dismay.

"Jax," he said, shaking his head and crossing over two her in two long strides.

"What is it?" Danny demanded, right behind Steve. "Holy shit, Jacqueline," he said, as he caught sight of Jax.

"What?" Jax said irritably. They were being loud, and her head was really starting to pound. Her arm was throbbing where Mahelona had kicked her, and she was pretty sure she'd torn at least a few stitches.

"Ku'uipo," Steve said, as he crouched carefully next to her. She looked much as she had when he'd found her in the waiting room after the altercation with Danny and O'Neil in New York: pale, covered in blood, obviously in shock, and starting to shake. He put his hands gently on her shoulders.

"What?" she demanded. "I need to check Kono's pupils again."

The wail of the siren and the flashing lights announced the arrival of the ambulance. Chin and Grover had called for the SWAT medic team; they were taking no chances.

"Jax, babe," Danny said. "Your old partners are here, we're going to let them take care of Kono now, okay?"

"I need to give them a report," Jax said, confused. Danny wasn't EMS, but he'd been around enough to know how this was supposed to work. Three medics came rushing in, and Jax turned her attention to them, gently shaking Steve's hands off. She caught Danny holding up his hand and shaking his head at Steve, and wondered why they were acting so strangely.

"Just let her go ahead," Danny said quietly. "Don't waste time arguing."

"Officer Kalakaua," Jax said, addressing the two medics bent over Kono. "Closed pneumothorax, catheter insertion allowed the lung to reinflate; breath sounds seem improved. Definite concussion, she'll need a head CT and close follow up. Nosebleed; undetermined if it's from a forward fall or from the original blunt force trauma to the back of the head, just below the ear. Some LOC. Oh, and nausea," she added, as they loaded Kono onto a gurney. "For God's sake, don't let her aspirate," she called out to them, as they hustled Kono to the ambulance. Chin disappeared into the back of the ambulance with Kono, as Caviness stood watching closely.

A third medic addressed Jax. "Hey, Nolan," he said mildly, looking at Steve and then back to Jax. "Nice work with the needle decompression there."

"Hey, Gibson," Jax said, grinning. "So, how much trouble did you get into for not following protocol and thumping my heart back into rhythm?"

"Good results usually keep us out of trouble," Gibson said. "You, ah, want to catch a ride back with us?"

"Nah, I'm good," Jax said. She really just wanted a few minutes to close her eyes and rest. Just a few. Maybe get Steve to check her stitches, change the bandages. And get a shower, wash all the stickiness away. She decided to try to mention that. "Chin needs to be with Kono, let him ride. I want to get back to HQ, get cleaned up."

"Okay, yeah," Gibson said agreeably. "Cause you are bleeding pretty good there, kid."

"This isn't mine," Jax said. "Go on, hurry up, get Kono to Queens for a head CT. Stop dicking around," she added irritably. She was tired; really, really tired, and suddenly very agitated.

"Jax, babe," Danny tried. "I think some of the blood is yours. Can you let Officer Gibson check?"

"Officer Gibson needs to get Kono to Malia, STAT," Jax said, her voice now low and dangerous. "And I just need a shower, and a Motrin." She looked down in confusion at her hands. Why were they shaking?

Steve nodded to Gibson. "Go, get Kalakaua to Queens. Danny and I can handle this."

"Okay," Gibson nodded. "Get her to an ER, Commander McGarrett."

"Copy that," Steve said. Gibson backed out of the smokestack and ran to the ambulance, jumping in the driver's seat and taking off.

"He's a great medic," Jax said, her voice sounding strange in her ears, "but geez, he doesn't know when to stand down."

"You know, that's the thing about SWAT medics," Danny said calmly.

"Guys," Caviness said, his voice full of concern. In the bright LED light of Steve's military grade flashlight, he could now see the blood steadily dripping from multiple lacerations. A good chunk of Jax's hair was completely saturated with blood, flowing in a steady trickle down the back of her tac vest.

"Yep," Steve said. "You wanna grab Jax's bag for her, Caviness? Hey, Jax, ku'uipo, do you remember when Chin got shot, and you were so busy taking care of him, that you didn't notice you had that awesome piece of shrapnel in your side until they took him down to surgery?"

"Yeah," Jax said, wondering what the point was. She absently put her hand on her side, where she'd caught the shrapnel that day on the dock. It was fine, still covered by her vest.

"Okay, so, I think when there was that wild shot, it ricocheted, and you caught some sharp edges of this brick and stone," Steve said.

"Oh. I don't remember . . . I just remember trying to cover Kono," she said, confused, starting to pat around, checking for injuries. Since literally every part of her ached, she wasn't sure where to begin.

"And you did," Caviness said. "I don't think Kono has a cut on her. But you need to get yourself sorted."

Jax winced as her hand landed on her head, and came away blood soaked. "Oh, geez," she said. "It's just a superficial head wound, guys, you know these bleed like crazy."

Steve grabbed her hand as she started to pat down her shoulders and arms. "Hey, let's just head to the hospital to check on Kono, and you can get cleaned up in the locker room, okay?"

"Now that's the first sensible thing you've said, McGarrett," she nodded. "Let's roll." She glanced down at her blood soaked clothing. "I guess I should ride in your truck, not Danny's precious Camaro," she added. "You've got a tarp in the back, right?"

She headed toward the door, willing her suddenly shaking legs to hold her up. She just needed to sit down, for just a minute.

"Steven, she has pieces of brick stuck in her," Danny said incredulously. "Did you see the piece . . ."

"Just above her collarbone, yes," Steve said, grimacing. "Danny, if we pull them out here, it's just going to bleed faster. She's right; it's mostly superficial. She's in shock from the injuries but pumped full of adrenaline from taking care of Kono."

"Steve, you might be used to seeing teamates pumped full of shrapnel, but I am not, God help me," Danny said. His hands were shaking, too.

"I'll drive the Camaro," Caviness offered, "if you want to ride with Steve and make sure Jax is okay."

"That's actually a good idea," Steve said. "Just in case she passes out. Thanks, Caviness."

Danny nodded and tossed Caviness the keys and jogged to keep up with Steve's long strides carrying him toward the Silverado. Jax was leaning tiredly against it.

"I couldn't reach the tarp," she said, her voice shaky with exhaustion.

"It's okay, ku'uipo," Steve said, grabbing a waterproof camping blanket out of his gear box and tossing it on the front seat. "Danny," he said, turning to his partner, "help me with her vest." He and Danny gently unstrapped the velcro completely and lifted the vest straight over her head, moving her arms as little as possible. "Here you go, up and in," he said, gently helping her into the cab of the truck, with Danny climbing in next to her.

"Danny, I'm starting to think you really don't like to drive," Jax teased. She sighed in relief as she sank into the familiar comfort of the bench seat of the Silverado. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

"I just want to be sure Steve doesn't get into any new trouble on the way to the hospital," Danny said.

Caviness had already taken off in the Camaro, thankful for Danny's built in GPS. It hadn't been hard to find directions to Queens: among the handful of favorites programed in to the GPS were a pizza place, a Chinese restaurant, and all of the hospitals on the island.

"Hmm," Jax mumbled, settling her head on Danny's shoulder.

"You okay, babe?" Danny asked.

There was no answer, and Steve pressed harder on the gas pedal, and flipped on the lights. They sped through the night to Queens.

#*#*#*#*#

Officer Gibson made record time to the ER.

Malia was waiting for Chin and Kono at the double doors, a full team behind her.

"Chin," she said, rushing to the gurney as it was gently placed from the back of the ambulance and pushed through the doors. "How is she?" she asked the medics. "I have the preliminary notes."

"Additional loss of consciousness en route," one of the medics said. "Officer Nolan was on scene at the time of injury; she was very concerned about closed head trauma. Needle decompression of a tension pneumothorax is holding steady, respiration is good. We administered an anti-emetic; Nolan was concerned about the risk of aspiration if she vomited."

Malia looked over Kono expertly, flashing a penlight in her eyes. Kono whimpered and tried to turn her head away.

"Hey, Kono," Malia soothed, "we're going to get you all sorted out, okay? I'm going to let Dr. Alora take a look at you, and probably take you down for a CT scan." Malia stepped out of the way and let the neurosurgeon step up to Kono's side. He thoughtfully probed her skull and repeated the examination of her pupils.

"I agree with the medic, that in order to rule out a slow bleed or skull fracture, we need to do a CT," he said. Chin paled at the mention of a bleed.

"It's more of a precaution than anything," the surgeon continued, "but we need to get a clear image."

"While we're in radiology," Malia continued, "we'll x-ray her ribs. She's in good hands, Chin," she assured him. "Go ahead and call your uncle. He'll need to find someone to sit with your auntie so he can come over. Where on earth is the rest of the team? What happened?"

"Steve and Danny will be bringing Jax in; she seemed to be injured, but I'm not sure how or how badly. Grover and the marshals we're working with were taking one of the men we've been tracking into custody, along with a few gang members. It was a mess; we'll be sorting it out," Chin sighed.

The radiology team came to take Kono for her tests. Chin kissed her gently on the cheek and stood looking after her as they wheeled her down the hall and to the elevator. Malia wrapped her arms around him. "She'll be okay, Chin," she assured him. "Go, make your calls; I'll watch for Steve and Danny."

"Okay, sweetheart," he said, hugging her tightly. "Thank you. Oh," he added. "There's a US Marshal Caviness . . . Kono told me I had to be nice to him." Chin arched an eyebrow at Malia, who smiled delightedly.

"Well, then I will keep an eye out for this Marshal Caviness as well," she said.

#*#*#*#*#

Caviness pulled into the parking lot of Queens emergency department, and strode through the swish of the pneumatic double doors. He flashed his credentials at the information desk.

"I'm here with Five-O," he said. "I'd appreciate an update on Officer Kalakaua, if possible, and could you help me find Lieutenant Kelly? Also, I think there was a mention of a doctor . . . Malia? Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams will be bringing in another officer with injuries, an Officer Nolan."

The nurse was completely unfazed by his rapid fire requests. She typed rapidly into her computer.

"Officer Kalakaua is currently in radiology," she said. "I'll send a text page to Dr. Waincroft and she'll be right out for you."

The nurse turned and thumbed through a shelf of files kept at arms' reach, nodding in satisfaction as she selected Jax's file.

"You keep Five-O's files . . . right there?" Caviness said, raising his eyebrows at the nurse.

"It doesn't make sense to put them back in the drawers," Malia said, as she joined him at the information desk. "Especially Steve and Jax," she added, shaking her head.

"They're behind me," Caviness said, extending his hand. "Marshal Caviness," he introduced himself.

"Malia Waincroft," Malia said, shaking his hand firmly and giving him an appraising look. "Don't let Chin scare you," she said. "He's all bark."

"McGarrett said he had a shotgun," Caviness said, his eyes twinkling at Malia.

They both looked up at the sound of the swishing doors, and Malia gasped at the sight of Steve carrying a bloody Jax in his arms, Danny walking briskly alongside them, holding a wadded towel pressed against her neck.

"Trauma 1," Malia called out to Steve, and Caviness noted that he knew exactly where that was. He strode into the room and deposited Jax with exquisite care onto the bed.

"Steven, what happened," Malia said, grabbing medical shears and pulling a well-stocked tray next to the bed. The nurse had followed, quietly and efficiently handing her gloves and other items.

"There was a wild shot, and Jax threw herself over Kono," he said. "She caught the brunt of the shrapnel. How's Kono?" he asked anxiously. "She looked bad, Malia."

Malia was busy cutting away Jax's bloody t-shirt, but answered Steve as she worked. "Kono is in radiology. The neurosurgeon agreed with Jax; we want to rule out a small bleed in her skull, as well as any skull fractures. They'll x-ray her ribs while she's down there. We'll repair the laceration and treat her broken ribs next, while we wait for the CT report." She paused and looked up at Steve. "We really think she'll be fine, Steve, we're just being careful. Chin is calling her father, just to keep him informed."

Caviness let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding, and Danny patted him sympathetically on the back as they stepped to the other side of the curtain. They sank into the chairs just outside Trauma 1, close enough to hear most of the activity surrounding Jax.

"Help me get her cleaned up," Malia said to the nurse. "There's so much blood . . . I don't know where it's all coming from."

"'S'not all mine," Jax mumbled. "Malia, did the needle decompression hold?"

"Yes, Jax, you did a fantastic job," Malia said. "Hold still, honey, let me take care of you, okay? How did these stitches get torn?" she tsked, examining Jax's arm.

"One of the men we were tracking used her as a soccer ball," Steve said tersely. "There was a lot of that going around tonight. That's how Kono's ribs were broken."

Malia continued her examination of Jax as she and the nurse cleaned away the blood so that they could evaluate the damage.

"It looks to be all superficial," Malia said, and Steve sagged with relief into a chair next to the head of Jax's bed. "This one laceration right above her collarbone will need closing," Malia continued, "and of course we'll need to repair the stitches in her arm. Everything is going to have to be cleaned, but most of the cuts will just need bandages, not stitches."

"This head wound . . . " Malia continued, "strange; it almost looks like a bullet graze."

Steve leaned forward anxiously as Malia parted Jax's bloody hair and indicated a deep gash just above her ear. "Oh, shit," he said succinctly.

"Steven McGarrett," Jax mumbled, "what the hell, you shot me?"

"Nah," he said, "I shot the guy holding you. You just didn't move your head fast enough."

"Steve, you shot my rookie?!" Danny exclaimed from the other side of the curtain.

"Kick his ass, Danno," Jax said, smirking up at Steve. She paled suddenly, and swallowed convulsively, as a wave of nausea passed over her.

"Whoa, steady there," Steve said, laying his hand gently on the top of her head. It always seemed to help him, when he had a concussion.

Malia frowned and checked her pupils, and gently probed the bruising on the side of her face. "This is pretty nasty," she said, her cool fingers settling over the bruise on Jax's temple. "I'd say mild concussion."

"I've had much worse," Jax confirmed. Her voice was raspy, and Malia traced her fingers over the rapidly darkening bruising around her windpipe.

"I've had much worse there, too," Jax rasped, waving Malia's hand away. "Seriously, I'm fine. Just clean me up and patch me up."

Malia looked at her sternly. "Okay, do you feel like you can shower without passing out?"

"Yes," Jax said emphatically. "A shower is like, ninety percent curative at this point, I swear."

"Okay," Malia laughed. "Steve, clear out of here and give my patient her privacy. Does Jax have a go-bag in your truck? If so, go fetch it."

"Yes, ma'am," Steve said obediently.

"Get everyone's," Malia said. "You know the drill, you all can clean up in the locker room so you don't frighten my patients."

Jax tugged on Malia's sleeve to get her attention.

"Check Danny's stitches, please," she said. "He was shooting at people tonight and who knows what else."

"Daniel," Malia called, as Steve bent to kiss Jax on the forehead.

Grumbling, Danny let Malia check his stitches.

"All set," Malia said. "Danny takes much better care of his stitches than you do," she scolded.

"Ha," Danny said.

"Bite me," Jax threw back.

"Okay, enough," Malia said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Jax, I'm putting you in a patient room, and Julia will help you get showered and sorted. Danny, show Marshal Caviness to the locker room. He's welcome to scrubs if he doesn't have a change of clothes with him."

#*#*#*#*#

Showered and changed, Danny, Caviness, Steve, and Chin were now pacing outside Jax's room, anxiously waiting for an update on both Jax and Kono.

Malia poked her head outside of Jax's room. "Danny, we need to debride these cuts, and Jax is refusing pain medication. You're her medical proxy; want to try to talk to her?"

Danny sighed and Steve patted him sympathetically.

They could hear a brief murmured conversation, and Danny returned quickly, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I tried," he said. "God help me, that girl is stubborn."

"Nothing stronger than Motrin?" Steve guessed.

Danny nodded. "Why does she do that, Steven?"

"It's about control, Danny," Steve sighed. "Most narcotics just trap her in nightmares; the good protocol takes her out of commission, makes her feel like she's not in control."

Danny chuckled. "But that's so amusing," he said, thinking of the things that Jax had said under the influence of medication.

Malia stepped out of the room. "Does she want me to come in?" Steve asked.

"She says, and I quote, 'no one had better come the hell into this room without a report on Kono'" Malia said, shaking her head. "Honestly, she's being a bit difficult tonight. She's incredibly stressed over Kono. I'm going to track down the radiology report." Malia started to walk away, and then hesitated and turned back. "You may want to step into the family waiting room down the hall."

They looked at each other, confused, until they heard the muffled sounds of pain from the other side of the door. Chin and Caviness quickly excused themselves and found the waiting room as suggested.

Steve stubbornly crossed his arms and settled more firmly into his chair. Danny sighed and sat down next to him.

"I'm not sure which of you is the biggest masochist," Danny muttered.

"That's not really our thing," Steve said, managing a tired smile at Danny. "Although, her scars are really sexy . . . "

"Stop, I beg you," Danny said.

Malia reappeared with a smile on her face and Chin and Caviness in tow. "Radiology report is done. Kono's CT is clear. She has a severe concussion, and two completely broken ribs, along with three additional fractured ribs. I hope the person who did this to her is safely in custody, before Chin gets to him."

"The person who did this is on the way to Max's table," Steve said darkly, nodding in satisfaction at Caviness.

Chin looked appraisingly at Caviness. "Your shot?"

"Officer Nolan's scissors, then my shot," he nodded.

Chin nodded at him, a grudging approval evident in his eyes.

Julia and another nurse exited Jax's room, both of them looking pale and worn. "Dr. Waincroft," Julia said, pulling off her bloody gloves and dropping them in the hazard bin, "the lacerations are debrided and ready for you to close. IV fluids and antibiotic started."

Malia shook her head. "Thank you, Julia. I'll take it from here." She knocked quietly on Jax's door before going in.

Jax was sitting anxiously on the edge of the bed. "What did Kono's CT say?" she asked. She was going for strong and assertive, but her voice cracked and a tear escaped the corner of her eye.

Steve was at her bed in two steps; he grabbed her shoulders and gently eased her back against the pillows.

"CT is clear," Malia said, and Jax closed her eyes in relief. "Broken and cracked ribs," Malia continued, "and a severe concussion. Lung is holding steady. She'll be admitted for a couple of days and she'll need several weeks to recover. And if you don't cooperate, Officer Nolan, you'll find yourself in the same situation."

Jax was so relieved at the good report on Kono that she didn't argue. Malia pulled up a rolling stool and the suture cart, and nodded at the empty chair for Steve.

"Okay, let's get you fixed up," Malia said, adjusting her glasses and settling in to close the deeper lacerations. "The shards of brick were so sharp that the edges of the wounds are clean. We can use surgical glue for the ones that need it."

"Nice," Jax said, nodding in satisfaction.

Steve took her hand in his and brushed her hair out of her face. "Ku'uipo, why didn't you let them give you something while they cleaned the cuts? I know that hurt like hell."

"Yeah, but now it doesn't, and my head isn't all fuzzy," she said, shrugging.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Steve said.

"Well, you could stop shooting me," Jax observed.

#*#*#*#*#

Kono was trying to figure out which way to kick, which way to turn to the surface of the water. She wasn't alarmed, she could hold her breath for a long, long time. Not as long as Steve, but long enough to sort this out. She floated in the dark water, turning gracefully and looking for an indication of light.

"Kono."

It was Chin's voice. They must have been surfing together. In the absence of light, it would be safe to follow Chin's voice, so that's what she did.

"Come on, Kono, there you go," Chin said. She must be getting close to the surface. It was getting lighter.

She opened her eyes, rubbing at them to brush away the salt water, and looking at her hands in surprise when she realized they were dry.

"What happened?" she asked. "Which beach was I surfing?"

Chin chuckled. "You didn't bite it on a wave this time, cuz."

Kono struggled to focus her eyes, and she could see familiar faces behind Chin.

"Hey guys," she said groggily as Danny and Steve smiled at her. "Jax," she said, frowning, "you're all beat up again."

"It's okay, Kono," Jax said.

"Kono, do you remember what happened?" Malia asked cautiously, checking Kono's pupils. Kono turned to face Malia, and her eyes fell on Caviness, standing a bit apart from the others, somewhat awkwardly leaning up against the wall.

"We went to get Sang MIn," Kono said, "and we got ambushed." She frowned in confusion and looked at Caviness again. She brightened. "Can this count as our third date?"

Chin looked skeptically at Caviness, while Jax laughed out loud. "She's oriented, Malia. Trust me."

Steve looked down at his phone, which had started buzzing madly in his pocket.

"I hate to break up our get-well party," he said apologetically, "but the lab has something for us. The grit on Lassiter's shoe? Very, very specific. We have a location."

"Go, go," Kono said, making shooing motions.

Chin kissed her on the cheek, and Danny and Steve each took a hand and squeezed it gently. "I hate taking down assholes without you," Steve said, chucking her tenderly under the chin.

Jax touched the bandage behind Kono's ear tentatively, and Kono reached up and grabbed her hand. "I'm okay, Jax," she said quietly. "Go. Go get Lassiter. Then come back here and chill out in bed with me, and we'll read trashy magazines and nap. 'Cause you look like shit, girl."

Caviness, under Chin's watchful eye, bent and kissed Kono on the forehead. "I want our fourth date to be something that doesn't involve a crime scene or flying bullets," she said, smiling up at him.

#*#*#*#*#*#