Sammy and Ilna, you make every day an adventure. Sammy thanks for the strategic help :)

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Best Medicine of All

Saturday morning

"Daddy!" Angie called from her perch by the front window when the truck pulled up. As soon as Steve entered the door, she leapt into his arms. "I missed you, Daddy," she said as she held on tighter than usual.

"I missed you, too, baby girl." He breathed in her familiar scent of shampoo and sunblock mixed with one that was uniquely his daughter's, and kissed her cheek. "Daddy needed a good hug. Thank you."

She pulled back to study his face and placed a little hand on his chin. "You got hurt catching a bad guy. You need an ice pack."

His heart both swelled at her usual astute observation and instinctive comforting gestures and clenched a little that at days away from being six years old she surmised exactly how he'd gotten the bruise - from a roundhouse kick to the face. "I'm good. That hug made it better."

She tilted her head skeptically. "Mommy's gonna say you need an ice pack."

As if summoned by the comment, Catherine appeared from the kitchen with said item in hand. "She's right, you know." She said as she reached Steve and pecked his lips, passing him the pack. "Ice that."

Angie grinned as he placed her on her feet and took the pack. "See? You need ice. Mommy said."

"Mommy's always right." He ran a hand over her hair. "As usual." His eyes met Catherine's. She'd been abreast of the takedown and knew the situation.

"Did you call DJ?" His wife inquired. Their son was at Michael's for a sleepover, but had seen the case on the news. "I spoke to him and told him you're fine and said you'd call as soon as you wrapped."

Steve nodded. "I called him from the truck. All good," he told her, then looked down at Angie who was still holding his hand. "Let me run upstairs really quick and when I get back we'll make burgers on the grill." He caught his daughter's expression and grinned. "And I'll ice my chin, promise."

She beamed and nodded, wrapping him in another hug. "Good. And I'm very very happy you got the bad guys and saved the girl."

Looking over her head at Catherine, he said, "Me, too, baby girl."

As he took the stairs two at a time, he breathed a sigh of relief at the outcome of a potentially bad scenario.

Late the previous afternoon

It had been a stormy morning, but the sun was just coming out as Steve and Danny were on their way back to HQ before heading home.

The breeze came through the open windows, and as Danny groused about turning on the car's AC instead, Steve's phone rang.

"What's up?" Danny asked, adjusting his sunglasses as the call connected and Catherine said, "How far are you from HQ? My office was just contacted - we've got a potential kidnapping."

Back at HQ, Catherine was waiting when they entered the bullpen. Already at the smart table with Chin and Kono, she said, "A local family, the Akumis, received a ransom message regarding their ten year old daughter, Trisha. Mr. Akumi oversees the Honolulu parole board so the governor was notified immediately."

Trisha's image was on the screen. She had fiery red hair and a contagious smile, and was likely being targeted due to her father's job. They had to act quickly to ensure her safety.

Danny's eyebrows furrowed as he gripped the edge of the table. "So some scumbag grabbed a little girl?"

"If she's hurt, it'll be the last thing he ever does," Steve said, his eyes focused on the screen. Trisha was the same age as DJ, a fact not lost on him or Catherine, who'd stepped close enough that their hips were touching, as much to give reassurance as to receive it.

Just then her cell rang, as did Steve's, with a call from the head of Lea's security detail who had offered to help coordinate all the agencies currently being mobilized.

Steve ended the call and jammed the phone in his pocket. "When Mrs. Akumi arrived at the school with an HPD officer just now to pick Trisha up, she wasn't there. She's missing."

For the next hour, the team ran down leads. They interviewed Trisha's teacher and friends, and anyone who had been in contact with her that afternoon. She'd been picked up minutes before by a man in a uniform with bogus credentials claiming to be HPD just minutes before the real HPD officers and her mother had arrived. From the description, he was identified as a former disgruntled employee of Mrs. Akumi's family business, who'd be fired for skimming funds. Their perseverance paid off when Chin uncovered a clue that led them to an unoccupied office building in the center of town.

"Kono, Chin, south entrance. Danny and I have this one," Steve directed. Armed and ready the partners entered the dimly lit building and made their way through a maze of doors.

Suddenly, they heard a muffled voice in the distance.

"Who's there? Please help me!" A little voice called out.

Steve and Danny followed the sound and burst into a room to find Trisha sitting on a leather sofa, tears streaming down her face.

"Hold it right there!" Steve barked, his gun pointed at the man who was across the room.

The kidnapper, startled by their sudden arrival, turned to face them.

A brief moment of hesitation followed, then chaos erupted. A shot rang out, thundering in the room.

Danny pulled Trisha to safety, shielding her with his body as Steve took down the kidnapper. The room was a whirlwind but the criminal was facedown on the floor in seconds and Trisha was clinging to Danny as he carried her outside.

As they exited the warehouse, the sun peeked through the clouds. Steve placed a comforting hand on Trisha's back, his voice filled with warmth.

"You're safe now, sweetheart. We won't let anyone hurt you."

"He… he didn't hurt me," she said and the partners breathed a sigh of relief. "He said I had to sit there til my Daddy came. I told him the cops didn't take kids and he was gonna go to jail when the real cops came."

"You're very smart, Trisha. Because he's definitely going to jail where he can't bother you or anyone else, ever again," Danny added.

Trisha smiled through her tears, happy to be safe. "I want my mommy."

"Your mom and dad are on the way." Danny smiled, too, overwhelmed by the resilience of the little girl. "They'll be here in just a minute. And you're very brave. "That's Steve and my name's Danny. I bet you're hungry …"

Present

"And the girl is okay, right?" Angie confirmed as she climbed onto Steve's lap at the deck table.

"Safe and happy to be home with her parents," he said with a kiss to her head. Trisha had thankfully only been missing for the better part of an hour when she was rescued.

"And that bad guy is in jail."

"Forever, baby girl." The kidnapper wouldn't see the light of day for many years, if ever. At the moment he was in lockup with a broken cheekbone and nose.

"Good job, Daddy." Angie's little arms wound around his neck in a hug. "You should have ice cream for dessert. It'll make your owie feel better, too." She very gently pulled back and touched the bruise on his jaw, which was currently a mottled shade purple.

He shared a look with Catherine and kissed their daughter's head. "Ice cream sounds great, but do you know what worked best to make me feel all better?"

"My hugs?" Her eyes sparkled at being able to help ease his discomfort.

"Your hugs." He wrapped her into one and smiled. "Are the best medicine of all."

# End thanks for reading

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