CHAPTER 4

Friday afternoon, Queens Medical Centre:

Detective Danny Williams hated hospitals. He hated them with a passion. He hated everything about them. From the endless corridors and the white walls, to the medicinal scent of antiseptic that stuck to the nostril hairs. Not to mention the fact that he'd spent more hours inside of one than outside in the last year. Not a fun experience all around.

Very few of those instances were because he actually required medical attention. He shuddered when he recalled the Sarin incident. Then there was the time he'd been clipped by a piece of flying debris, resulting in six stitches on his forehead just over a month ago. Every other time, however, had been because his partner had done something stupid or heroic and ended up needing to be sutured back together.

As much as he wanted to blame Steve for everything that happened to him, Danny knew that wasn't fair. It's not like Steve actively went looking for trouble. He just appeared to have very bad luck when it came to enemies resurfacing, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time apparently.

Danny turned his head to look at Steve. He was sitting so straight in the chair next to him that Danny thought his back would break under the pressure.

"Can you believe this?" Steve muttered angrily to Danny.

They had been sitting in the waiting room for over an hour. Their suspects had been taken to have their injuries dealt with and they weren't allowed to interrogate them just yet. Which made Steve antsy. So Steve had focused his attention on the television instead of his need to vent his anger.

The only thing playing on the widescreen television set was the news. They had the same story on repeat: Navy SEAL ends hostage situation. Steve's efficient takedown of the two suspects was on the screen for all to see in high definition.

"Don't they have anything better to report?" Steve grumbled.

"Apparently not," Danny answered with a smirk.

Danny's phone rang loudly, causing everyone in the vicinity to jump. Danny looked around apologetically and stood to answer the call. Steve followed him into the corridor and he turned the phone on speaker.

"Hey Chin. You've got me and Steve."

"Hey guys. Are you at the hospital?" Chin asked.

"Yeah. We're waiting to see our hostage takers, hopefully get the full story from them," Danny answered.

"Well, I may be able to help with that. We've identified both men from the photos taken by HPD. You have Lucas and Grant Steadmann. They are brothers, in case you were wondering," Chin supplied.

"Are either of them associated with a Claudia, daughter Elise?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. Grant was married to a Claudia Steadmann for six years. They had a daughter, Elise Steadmann. We've been searching for Claudia, but no one has seen or heard from her in over a week," Chin said.

Danny and Steve exchanged concerned glances.

"I found something," Kono's voice came over the line. "HPD has received several domestic disturbance calls from the Steadmann's neighbours over the past six months. Elise has been hospitalised twice in that time with broken bones."

Danny saw Steve's fists clench out of the corner of his eye. He put a hand on his partner's shoulder to try to calm him. He understood exactly how Steve felt because he could feel the same rage coursing through his own veins.

"So, this guy abuses his wife and daughter. They take off and he decides to go looking for them with the help of his brother and some guns?" Danny theorised. "Wonderful guy."

"Sounds like it," Chin said.

"See if you can find Claudia. We will need her statement if we want to put these guys away," Steve said.

"On it, boss," Kono said and the line disconnected.

Danny smiled at Kono's final word. It felt just like it used to. Working a case, following leads, working with the team with Steve at the helm.

Steve turned to Danny. "How does this guy get away with beating his wife and daughter for so long?"

"Unless Claudia came forward and laid charges, there's not much we can actually do. It sounds like she had enough sense to get her daughter out of that situation though," Danny said.

"Yeah," Steve replied. "But it's still not good enough."

Danny agreed. "No, it's not."

The two partners stood silently in the hallway, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Excuse me? Commander McGarrett, Detective Williams?" a nurse came up to them.

"That's us," Danny answered, immediately standing up straighter.

"I was asked to find you when the patient was stable. If you would please follow me," the nurse said.

The two men followed the petite nurse down the corridor and to a private room. They thanked her as she took her leave. There were two HPD officers posted outside the room. Steve and Danny nodded to each of them, receiving blanks stares in return, and entered the room to find Grant Steadmann lying in a hospital bed.

He had one arm immobilised in a sling; the other hand was cuffed to the bed railing. Both of his eyes were bruised, thanks to his broken nose. He also had a nice black bruise on his jaw, not to mention the ones Steve knew he had hidden under the flimsy hospital gown.

"Grant Steadmann," Danny announced.

The man on the bed turned his head to face Danny, before turning back to the blank wall in front of him. The movement emphasised the bruises on his face. Danny saw Steve's lips quirk upwards and found himself also fighting back a smile.

"I'm Detective Williams from Five-0. I believe you have already been acquainted with my partner, Commander McGarrett," Danny continued.

Steadmann huffed a little in annoyance, but decided to invoke his right to remain silent.

"That's okay. You don't have to say anything," Danny said. "I'll do all the talking for you."

Steve sucked in a breath. "Ooh, bad idea. Once he gets started, it's really hard getting him to stop."

Danny pinned Steve with a glare. Steve shot him a grin in return.

"How does a man like you go from a respected citizen to bringing a gun to a garden shop, huh?" Danny asked.

When Steadmann didn't respond, Danny continued on without a break. "I'll tell you how. Maybe business isn't going too well, maybe you have some debts or something happens that's beyond your control. It's happened to all of us. But you, you felt the need to blame someone, anyone for your mistakes. Unfortunately for your wife and daughter, they happened to be in the way. After six months, probably more, of abuse, she decided it was time to get away from you. She did the smart thing and got herself and your innocent daughter away from your toxicity."

"You don't know anything!" Steadmann growled.

Danny approached the bed and got in his face. "I know that no child should have to live with an abusive father. No daughter's father should ever hit them hard enough to break their bones! As a father myself, I would never do what you did to your family. You disgust me!"

Steve put a hand on Danny's shoulder, signalling that he would take over the interrogation now.

"Why did you come looking for Claudia today?" Steve asked.

Steadmann glowered at Steve before turning his head away.

"I know it wasn't just 'to talk'. You wanted to harm her, maybe kill her. That would have been fine, if it was just you taking the fall for everything. But you had to bring your brother into this," Steve continued.

"You shot him!" Steadmann yelled.

"He shot at me first!" Steve growled. "I know he didn't want to be there in the first place. He was smart. He told you to run, get away while you still could. You should have listened to him, then he wouldn't be going to jail for such a long time."

"What do you mean?" Steadmann asked, anger fading away to concern.

"Well, Lucas managed to get a few more charges tacked on than you. Assault against a police officer, attempted murder, kidnapping, aiding and abetting, child abuse, terrorism, vandalism. The list goes on. At this rate, he's going to never see the light of day again…You not only ruined your life, but also your brother's. Congratulations! If you're lucky, you two may even have adjoining cells in Halawa."

"None of this is his fault," Steadmann said quietly.

"You are both going to jail. There's no question about it. If you cooperate with us, tell us everything that happened, we may be able to reduce your brother's sentence," Danny announced, taking back over the interrogation.

"Please. He's got nothing to do with this. He just did what I asked him to."

"Which was what, exactly?" Danny asked.

"Claudia and I…we were having issues. We disagreed on just about everything and yes, sometimes it got violent. I came home drunk one night about two weeks ago. I'd been passed over for promotion again and I'd decided the drown my sorrows. I don't remember what happened next, but when I got over the hangover, I found Claudia on the floor…bleeding. I'd…I'd done that to her in my drunken rage. I promised to change, to do better. Then, about a week ago she just left with Elise…no note, nothing. I couldn't find her. She wasn't at home. Her phone had been disconnected. I wanted to talk to her, tell her that I'd started going to meetings, that I was changing. I figured the only way I could get her to listen to me was to go where she worked at the garden place."

Steadmann took a steadying breath before continuing. "Lucas…he'd been there for me this whole time, listening and giving advice. He came with me today, just to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. I gave him a gun. I…I told him the gun only had blanks in it. That it was for show. I gave him a mask, to protect his identity. I told him just to scare people and make it look real. I was going to talk to Claudia and see my daughter again. I just wanted to have my daughter back and tell her I was sorry. I love them both so much!"

By the time Grant Steadmann had finished telling his story, he was in tears. It was clear he genuinely loved his family. Steve and Danny exchanged a look before taking their leave.

"What do you think?" Danny asked Steve once they were back in the hallway.

"I don't know what to think. Neither of the brothers are innocent in this, but I sort of understand why they did what they did."

"Yeah, me too," Danny muttered.

"It still doesn't excuse being an abusive bastard," Steve said with a stony expression.

Danny's phone rang at that moment.

"Hey Kono," Danny answered and placed it on speaker so Steve could hear.

"Hey. So we were able to contact Claudia Steadmann. Well, Claudia Reagan. She went back to her maiden name a week ago."

"Is she okay?" Danny asked as the partners walked back to the Camaro in the parking lot.

"Yeah. Her and Elise are safe. Claudia saw the news report and somehow knew it was Grant. So she called HPD, who called us. She's currently in a battered women's shelter. The only reason she's not at work today is because she took Elise to a doctor's appointment. She's very lucky she wasn't at the shop when everything went down. From the sound of it, things were not great between her and Grant."

"No, they weren't. Grant said he was just trying to tell her he was changing and getting the help he needed," Danny answered. "He said he loves them."

"I wish I could believe that. From what Claudia said, he had no intention of changing. She feared for not only her life, but her daughter's. If she had stayed any longer, she would be dead," Kono said.

"I'm glad she's okay," Danny said. "Thanks Kono."

"No problem," Kono said before she hung up.

The pair stopped in front of the silver Camaro.

"I'm glad that's over with," Danny said as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Yeah," Steve said quietly as he took his place in the passenger seat.

Danny gave Steve a sideways looks before starting the car. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just tired," Steve replied.

Danny scrutinised Steve's appearance. He was slouching and looked as though he was ready to drop at any given moment. Apparently being involved in a hostage situation could take its toll, especially when one is supposed to be doing nothing more than resting.

"Right," Danny answered.

"Let's get back to headquarters and finish the paperwork," Steve said.

"Ah, no," Danny said, emphasising the word 'no'. "You will be doing no such thing. You, my friend, are on leave. By the way, Doctor Palamo knows you weren't exactly resting today, so he may have a few choice words at your next appointment."

Steve sighed and hung his head. "Fine. Take me home then."

Danny grinned as Steve relented easily. "As you wish."

The car was silent as Danny drove towards his partner's house. He kept shooting sideways glances at his partner, who was sitting with his head leaning against the window and his eyes closed. Danny knew his partner was still not performing at one hundred percent, but it was clear he was getting better quicker than expected. He was able to handle two armed perpetrators without breaking a sweat. It was like seeing the old Steve again.

If Danny took the long way home to allow his partner to get some much needed rest, well, he didn't mention it. Steve stirred in his seat when Danny pulled into Steve's driveway almost an hour later.

"Who's car is that?" Danny asked.

There was a blue muscle car sitting in Steve's driveway. Danny briefly wondered if Steve had bought himself a new car before deciding Steve would never buy such a small vehicle. Danny wouldn't be surprised if Steve bought the same model of car that had been destroyed by Nazeef's men.

Steve rubbed his face with his hand and looked up with a goofy smile. "Catherine's…She's not supposed to be here until tomorrow."

Steve pulled himself out of the car slowly before turning to say goodbye to Danny. "Thanks for the lift, partner."

"No problem. I was going to invite myself in for a few beers, but I think I'll take a rain check. Something tells me you'll want to be alone tonight," Danny said with a cheeky grin.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Danno," Steve said, not bothering to hide his own smile.

Danny watched as Steve walked, more like stumbled, up to his front door. The door opened before Steve could put his key in the lock. Danny saw Catherine's brown hair as she engulfed Steve in a hug. Steve almost went down under the extra weight, but managed to remain upright. The door closed behind the two and Danny drove off, shaking his head.

"Steve!" Catherine Rollins squealed.

Steve braced himself for Catherine's hug and was pleased when his legs held up. He would be mortified if he face-planted in front of her.

"Hey," Steve's voice was muffled by Catherine's hair.

"I tried calling you to tell you that I was coming a day early but I couldn't get through and then I saw the news…"

"Woah," Steve said as he closed the door behind him. "It's okay."

"Are you okay? Why didn't you answer your phone?" Catherine asked in concern as they settled on the couch.

"Yeah, about that. It's a really long story and right now, I just want to spend time with you," Steve cupped Catherine's face in his hands. "I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you."

Catherine smiled. "I've missed you too, Sailor."

"How about we make up for lost time?" Steve suggested with a cheeky grin as he led the way upstairs.

The two spent the next hour happily getting reacquainted with each other. It had been several months since they had been able to touch each other.

"I get it now," Steve said as he laid next to her on the bed.

Catherine turned to face him, arms encircling his waist. "Get what?"

"The stupid things people will do for love," Steve said as he kissed Catherine gently.

"Considering you do a lot of stupid things for the people you love, I would have thought you understood that already," Catherine said with a laugh.

"Well, today put it in perspective for me," Steve said quietly.

"Someone taking a gun to a garden shop is not an expression of love, Steve."

"No, it's not. But it just goes to show people will do asinine things for those they love."

Steve rolled so he was on top of Catherine and kissed her deeply. She reciprocated the kiss and they quickly lost another hour. Lying side by side, Catherine reached over and grabbed Steve's hand. She felt the hard cast encasing the hand and looked up at Steve's face.

"Steve, what really happened while I was away?" she asked.

Steve looked back at her with a guarded expression. "Just a workplace injury."

"Danny told me some of what happened. I know you were hurt quite badly. He also said that it was your story to tell."

Steve sighed. "How long is your leave?"

"Two weeks," she answered.

"I'll tell you everything, but right now, can we just be together?" Steve asked. "We have two weeks and I just want to spend them in the present. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Catherine whispered, hiding her concern.

She settled her head on his chest and spotted the bruises fading on his chest. From what little Danny had told her, she was surprised that he looked as good as he did.

Steve had never kept anything like this from her before. She knew she would get the whole story eventually except she couldn't help the thoughts niggling at the forefront of her mind.

Why didn't he want to tell her? Why wouldn't he let her in?

Saturday morning, unknown location:

She was angry.

It happened again.

He was there, but he wasn't alone. There were too many people around him. After everything she'd done to show him…

She shook the sand from her shoes before entering her small, but quaint house. She turned on the television; the background noise a soothing balm to her frazzled mind.

"A recap of our top stories. This is the scene from downtown Honolulu when Commander McGarrett, Navy SEAL and head of the Five-0 taskforce, rescued more than a dozen hostages while taking down two armed men. The hostage takers have been identified as Lucas and Grant Steadmann. No comments have been made about why this happened, but luckily no one was seriously harmed during this unfortunate incident."

Her attention was drawn to the screen when she saw two men emerging from the garden shop. One was tall, with dark hair and tattoos on his arms. The other man was significantly shorter, with blond hair that was combed back. He looked very…professional.

She shook her head at the whole incident. Sometimes people did foolish things to get what they wanted.

She was not one of them.