As the day progressed, the doctor agreed to release Shauni to the care of her family as long as her hectic schedule was dramatically reduced. John, Stacy, both of her parents, Sasha, Steve, and Danny were all in the room as the schedule changes were discussed. Per doctor's orders, and much to her chagrin, she would not be able to continue with the remaining concerts that were planned and personal appearances would also be cancelled. The only thing she really put her foot down over was the visit to the children's hospital which was the main reason she had come to the island to begin with. The "majority" ruled in favor of her cancelling everything in order to recuperate, but Shauni wouldn't budge on the visit with the children.
Knowing that Derek would ultimately have the final say, Shauni realized she needed to get her Dad on her side. She turned to look up at him pleadingly. Danny watched them feeling amused; He had seen this same look with Grace many times, so it seemed as if females never outgrew the hold they could have over their daddy's with just a look.
"Dad, please. You know how much this means to me. The children's hospital is the whole reason I did this leg of the tour. I don't want to let those kids down by not showing up. You understand that, right?"
Derek loved his daughters, and as fiercely protective of them as he was, he knew how much this meant to his baby girl. He looked to Steve for advice.
"Since Carl Matthews isn't a threat anymore, can you make this happen?"
Steve didn't like it either. The publicity surrounding her right now was stifling. Since the attack and subsequent hospitalization, it seemed as if the entertainment media had descended around the hospital in droves. Nearly every network had a truck outside and there wasn't a single hospital exit that wasn't covered by some sort of news crew wanting any little tidbit they could find on her condition and recovery. It seemed as if everyone in the world knew where she was and they were waiting for her to leave so they could get the "money shots". This posed a security nightmare because it also meant that nut cases could come out of the woodwork and try to copycat what Matthews had done.
However, Steve wasn't immune to the pleading in her eyes any more than her dad was. It seemed she could wear him down, as well, and he knew how much it meant to Shauni to be there for the kids with whom she had promised to visit. He offered her a small smile that said, I don't like this, but I'll do what I can do…..for you . Then, he turned to Derek and Olivia Steele. "We can make it work." He promised before giving Shauni a pointed look, "As long as she promises to do whatever I say and not to fight me on anything."
Shauni looked at him with defiance in her eyes, but softened again as her gaze lingered on him. She pondered what he said for a moment before giving a resigned sigh. "Okay, fine. I promise. BUT, you have to promise me that I will be able to visit with these kids. I'm not just going to go in for five minutes and leave. I want to spend some time with them. They've really been looking forward to this, Steve, and so have I."
Olivia was surprised to see her daughter backing down without a fight. Normally, she would have been hell bent on getting her way when it came to seeing her fans, but now she seemed to be trusting Steve's judgment on the situation. What an interesting turn of events, Olivia smiled to herself. Yes, I do believe Steve McGarrett might just have what it takes to handle our girl.
Once that was settled, it was also decided that the remaining personal appearances would be cancelled for the time being. Instead, she would phone interviews with those who had requested "sit down" interviews. Other than the phone interviews and the children's hospital visit, she would rest. Derek had taken care of renting a villa so the whole family could stay with her during recovery. Once again, the Steele's had rallied together and no one was leaving until Shauni was well on the road to recovery.
As the doctor worked on getting her release paperwork ready, the Five-0 team began strategizing how to best get her out of the hospital and en route to the villa. It wasn't long until Kono came into the room to inform them that SUV's were waiting to take the Steele's home. They decided to take Shauni out through the front entrance since it was impossible to sneak her out entirely unnoticed anyway. As Derek had said, "Might as well bite the bullet and give everyone a glimpse of her to try to appease them for the time being. Then, maybe some of the curiosity will die down and she can rest."
Derek, Olivia, and Sasha would be driven in one SUV while Steve, Kono, Danny, and Chin would accompany Shauni in another.
As expected, leaving the hospital turned in to a bit of a circus. As soon as the media caught a glimpse of the Steele's approaching the exit, everything went crazy; especially when it was apparent that Shauni was leaving with them. Kono and Danny managed to hold everyone back enough for Steve to get Shauni into the vehicle. Cameras were flashing, video recorders were being pressed into their faces, and questions were being shouted at Shauni from every direction…..Everyone was hoping to be the one to have their questions answered for news reports. Shauni didn't say anything except to thank everyone for their well wishes and said she was feeling great. Then, she smiled for the cameras as Steve pushed her wheelchair down to the waiting SUV.
The wheelchair. That had been an issue. Shauni wanted to walk out of the hospital to show everyone she really was okay, but hospital protocol required that patients be escorted to their vehicles via wheelchair upon release. She had started to argue about it and insist that the rules be bent this time, but one look from Steve had stopped her. Once again, Olivia was amused by Steve's way with her daughter. He didn't have to say anything; All he did was give her a "look" that seemed to say, "You agreed not to fight me on anything…." and Shauni had reluctantly dropped the issue. So as they left the hospital, Danny and Kono cleared the way and Steve got Shauni safely into the SUV to sit in the backseat between him and Danny. Even after getting settled into the vehicle, the cameras continued to be pressed against the windows in last attempts to get a picture of her leaving the hospital. It was almost suffocating. Steve put an arm around her protectively as they made their way through the crushing crowd.
Once Chin had safely maneuvered them out of the parking lot and onto the road, Kono turned from her seat riding "shotgun" to look at Shauni. "I don't know how you do it. Everyone yelling questions at the same time and shoving cameras in your face must get old."
Shauni offered a small shrug of her shoulder and winced in pain when she was reminded of the stab wounds she had incurred in that very area. She reached a hand up to rub the soreness away. "It's not so bad most of the time. You get used to it, I guess."
It took them about thirty minutes to reach the private residence where the Steele's would be staying. Even though the spacious home and grounds were located behind a security fence with thick shrubbery and landscaping all the way around, the media and curious fans hadn't been deterred from scoping them out. The team was surprised to find that word had apparently gotten out as to where they would be staying because a large number of people were already crowding the entrance waiting for their arrival. Frustration showed on Steve's face, "How did they find out where we were going already?"
Shauni seemed to be the only one not surprised by the group. "You'd be amazed at how resourceful fans can be when they want to know where someone is staying. It's very difficult to go anywhere incognito."
Steve had to agree. These people should use their skills for law enforcement or something useful, he thought humorlessly. The gates opened and everyone waited for them to close again before making their way inside the house. Derek, Olivia, and Sasha got out of their vehicle first followed by Danny and Chin who walked over to the security gate to insure no one tried to climb over for a better look. Reporters and fans alike began shouting questions towards Derek to try to get his attention their way. Then, Shauni stepped out of the car and everyone began vying for her attention as soon as her head was visible. It made Steve nervous. This wasn't what he had expected at all. How were they going to keep her safe and allow her to rest with this chaos?
"Shauni….over here…..Can you say 'hi'?"
"How are you feeling?"
"Shauni, WE LOVE YOU!"
"Shauni….look over here…..Can we get a picture?"
The questions and comments were non-stop, but one in particular silenced everyone. A young man who looked to be no more than 20 years old yelled above everyone, "Hey Shauni, why don't you bring your sweet ass over here and let me give you something to reeeeally make you feel better!" He followed his statement with a hand gesture that made everyone stop and look in his direction.
Olivia gasped in surprise and everything got quiet as the crowd stared at him in shock, Did he really just say that? Even Steve stopped in his tracksand turned in his direction. As his eyes found the young man continuing to make lewd gestures, Steve got a look in his eyes that made Shauni nervous…..As if he was going to punch something, and the "something" he was going to punch was the man who had spoken so crudely to her. She noticed Steve and Derek share a knowing look before seeing her dad give a slight nod in agreement with whatever Steve was about to do.
Steve gently squeezed Shauni's arm, "Wait here. I'll be right back."
Oh, God….He's going after him. Shauni put a hand out to stop him, "Steve, don't. Please just let it go." She pleaded with him, but Steve wasn't listening. He was already making his way towards the young man. "Steve, don't!", she tried again.
Derek walked up to his daughter and put his hand on her shoulder, "Let him go, babe."
"But Dad….." she started to protest.
"I said, let him go." Derek repeated more firmly. Shauni knew when to argue with her dad, and the look on his face told her this was not one of those times.
"Dammit!" she cursed under her breath.
As Steve made his way across the driveway, Chin and Danny simply stepped out of his way.
Steve opened the gate and got right up in the man's face. "What did you say?" he dared him to repeat himself. He looked at Steve with a sneer on his lips, "Nothin' man. I was just offering her my services as she recuperates. You know…..Who wouldn't want to tap that?"
Danny's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Oh boy, " he muttered to himself as he knew what was coming next. Steve grabbed the man by his collar, jerked one arm behind his back and hauled him roughly across the drive until they stood in front of Shauni.
"That's no way to talk to a lady." Steve's voice was low and menacing. "Now apologize." He demanded.
At first, he didn't comply, so Steve pulled his arm a little tighter making him grimace in pain. "I said, apologize."
He looked up at Shauni before looking down at his feet again, "Sorry." He muttered quietly.
"A little louder…..I don't think she heard you." Steve snapped again.
He looked up at Shauni again and said it a little more sincerely, "I'm sorry."
Then, Steve turned him so he was facing Derek and Olivia Steele. "Apologize to them too!"
The young man looked understandably nervous at this point, but didn't say anything right away. "Say it before I kick your ass in front of everyone here!" Steve barked.
He looked up at Derek and Olivia Steele, "I...I...I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Steele," he stuttered nervously.
Satisfied but still not happy, Steve turned the young man around to look at him. "That was better. You're lucky I haven't kicked your ass! Now get off of this property. If I see you here again, I'll have you arrested for trespassing…..after I beat some manners into you. Understand?"
Looking appropriately reprimanded, he shook his head in agreement before Steve marched him back outside the gates.
Steve followed that by addressing the rest of the crowd who were transfixed on what had just happened, many of them now taking pictures of Steve. "Okay, party's over. You might as well leave because the Steele's are going inside to rest and won't be making any statements right now."
Not to be deterred, there were still a few who tried to ask questions as Steve walked away. Steve ignored them as he walked over the Chin and Danny while motioning for Kono to join them. Once the team was together, he told them what he needed them to do, "Danny, keep an eye on the front. If we have to, we'll call HPD to escort everyone away. Chin and Kono, I need for you to check the perimeter and make sure we don't have any strays."
Then, Steve left them to go inside and help the family get settled.