A/N: It's been a minute, so let's not waste another one before continuing.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

TWENTY-THREE SKIDOO

WILLIAMS' RESIDENCE - KĀHALA - O'AHU

"Where's Danno, Uncle Steve?"

Steve swallowed, dropped the canvas kit bag on the floor, and said. "Danno got hurt."

"He got hurt?" Grace repeated while the color vanished from her face. "Is he okay? Did he— did he get shot again?" She asked it with a dying fall in her voice, the way a person might refer back to a tragedy in the past like back to a day her life got turned upside down.

Steve quickly settled the situation before Grace would be taken back to that day. "No— he didn't get shot, but he uhm— he's in the hospital," he answered and realized Danny was looking and doing far worse off than when he caught that bullet to the chest. Steve instantly added. "Doctors are really taking good care of him, so try not to worry, okay?" He tried to console Grace, but looking at the girl from a few feet, she was torn by the news. Steve then asked. "Is your mom waiting outside?"

"No, she's not," Grace said, snatching her backpack off the floor. She stuffed the textbook in there, left it open in a hurry, and marched over to the front door. "I'm coming with you."

Steve jogged over and before Grace could open the door he seized the girl by her arm, "Gracie, wait," he said as he pulled her away from the front door. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"Why not?" Grace's brown, sad, eyes stared at him. They glistened. "Is it that bad?"

Seeing Grace's emotional hurt Steve's heart shattered into pieces. "I'm afraid so. I'm sorry, kiddo."

Tears welled up in Grace's eyes but she tried to stay strong and keep them at bay. "I just wanna see him."

"I know you do," Steve said and placed his hand on Grace's cheek, wiping the tear away that fell down. "But listen— the thing is, Danno's not looking too great right now, and seeing people like that isn't very pleasant."

"It's not my first time visiting him at the hospital," Grace said and wiped another tear away with the back of her hand. Steve let his eyes down briefly as it was a terrible reminder it was indeed not her first time visiting her dad at the hospital. Grace took a deep breath and blinked all her tears away. "Now can we please go? I really need to see him. I need to tell him that I'm sorry again."

Steve frowned. "Sorry about what?"

Grace sighed and paused. Obviously, she didn't want to share. Then after a beat, she said. "We got into a stupid fight a few days ago and I told him I was sorry because I really am. I shouldn't have said the things that I did, but Danno was still upset and I don't want that to be our last conversation," she swiftly explained. "I also left him a terrible voicemail," she added and looked sadly down at her feet. "He probably doesn't even wanna see me."

Steve put his hand under her chin and lifted up her face. He looked straight into her eyes and smiled. "Believe me, he most certainly wants to see you, all right?" He said and waited for Grace to smile back. Once she did, he went on. "Now, I happen to have Danno's cell phone, and how about I make that voicemail disappear. Danno will never have to know about it?"

"You would do that?"

Steve winked. "Just this one time."

"Thanks, Uncle Steve," Grace said, but she sounded downhearted. It made sense when she said. "Will you tell Danno I love him?"

"I will, but he already knows that, and you know he loves you too, right?" Steve asked and Grace nodded but she seemed inconsolable. "Good. Come here," Steve got hold of her shoulder and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm really sorry and I love you too, kiddo."

They held on for some time as Steve waited for Grace to pull out of the hug. When she did, he had something on his mind. "I have a question. If your mom's not waiting outside? Then how did you get here?"

Grace shrugged her shoulders. "I took the bus."

"The bus, huh?" Steve contemplated and then he said, "Good for you. That's a highly independent thing to do," he squeezed Grace on her shoulder. "You're a little maverick, you know that?"

MCGARRETT'S HOUSE - 5329 KALANIANAOLE HWY - O'AHU

The third stop Steve made, turned out to be Rachel Edwards' house and not his own. That turned out to be his fourth and final stop for the day. Later on, he had dinner together with Junior. They talked about the case for a bit, but they mostly talked about cars. Junior had all kinds of questions, but Steve knew Junior wasn't genuinely inquiring. He was just trying to stop Steve from thinking about his injured partner, maybe even trying to comfort him and Steve appreciated that.

After dinner, Steve took Eddie out for a walk, and for the first time in days, everything felt normal and at ease again. Steve didn't know how long that feeling would last so he enjoyed it right then and there. Getting back home from the walk, Steve went upstairs for the night. He put his cell phone on the nightstand, put his gun in the bedside drawer, and stepped into the bathroom. He took a long and hot shower. But as Steve was standing under the stream of hot water he started thinking about Kim Leung and Danny and everything that had happened in the past 48 hours. The normal feeling disappeared like it got washed off and went down the shower drain.

Steve turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. He did his best with it and then wrapped it around his waist, stepped back into the bedroom, and padded barefoot over to his phone. Although it was getting late, he called Sgt. Duke Lukela. Steve needed an update on Kim's whereabouts, so he asked Duke and mostly listened. Then Steve hung up and punched the wall beam with his fist, hard and angry and disappointed. Kim Leung had vanished for two hours before HPD managed to get him back under surveillance. For two whole hours, the guy could do whatever he pleased. One hundred and twenty minutes too long if you asked Steve.

Frustrated, Steve got into bed, folded his hands behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. His eyes were wide open, but images and previous events flooded his mind. They took him all the way back to the very start. Back to the day, he landed on O'ahu, to the first conversation he had with governor Jameson, and therefore back to the start of his Task Force. Steve had been governor Jameson's obvious choice. She had been certain of herself that Steve would accept the job as it meant a way out of the Navy and a way to catch Victor Hesse at the same time, but Steve had shown no interest and turned the offer down.

The governor hadn't been entirely wrong. Steve indeed wanted to find the man responsible for killing his father. And the thought of a chance to do something properly for once had sounded satisfying. Everything would go by his rules, her backing, and no red tape. She would literally give him full immunity and means. Yet, he passed on the opportunity. He passed because not only offered the governor him a Task Force, she also offered him a life outside of the Navy. At that moment, at the harbor, he couldn't imagine a life outside the Navy. It seemed beyond everything he knew and had been trained for.

Truthfully, his lack of imagination had been the only obstacle to why he turned down her initial offer. Because at the time Steve had no trouble leaving the Navy. He had lost somebody months before his dad had been killed. Somebody really close to him. Somebody that had given his life to save Steve's own.— Freddie Hart. A team guy. They went through buds together. They always had each other's back. Freddie was like a brother to Steve. And after he died, the Navy simply didn't feel the same. Steve wanted to run away from that part of his life and never look back. Yet, he couldn't imagine doing so. Not instantly at least.

It wasn't until later that day when Steve met Danny for the first time that Steve could imagine a life outside the Navy. When they met, he had felt a pulse of energy, a certain level of frustration, and a desire to prove his skill set. Something he hadn't felt for a long time before that. He instantly knew he wanted the job. He knew he wanted it badly. And he knew who he'd partner up with. Steve accepted the job right there on the spot. He jumped at it and gave up five years with Naval Intelligence and six years as a SEAL all because he had met a guy, as stubborn and loyal and witty as they come. Most importantly, the detective standing in front of him seemed nothing like himself or Freddie Hart.

Saying Danny Williams was the real reason behind the Five-0 Task Force would be a bit exaggerated, but for years now Steve had enjoyed everything that was included in the deal. His rules, full immunity and means, and the free hand in personal selection. He especially enjoyed that last one. Because he had figured that his Task Force needed the best people the island had to offer, and after being back for one day on the island, he had figured out who and where they were. He had settled on three names in addition to his own. Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua. A perfect start as he had wanted a small unit, for speed and flexibility and no clerical support, to prevent leaks. He had figured they could do their own paperwork, or not, as they deemed necessary.

Kono had been the only woman on the team at the time and the only one that hadn't earned her badge yet. The other two men were both Detective Sergeants, had years of experience, and had been trained meticulously in being a cop. Steve himself was a Lieutenant Commander at the time, with no experience in being a cop or knowing any rules. He had a different kind of expertise and skill set and it had been totally screwed up in terms of a coherent chain of command, but McGarrett hadn't cared about any of that. He knew that four people working closely would operate laterally rather than vertically, which in the event was exactly what happened. The Task Force consisted of talented people, who worked together, were mutually supportive of each other, and above all were ruthlessly and relentlessly effective.

Steve had no regrets about making this life-changing decision. Zero regrets, but he had made one major mistake though. One he already started to realize a few hours after meeting his new partner. Steve had made an assumption solemnly on a first impression. Obviously, when they first met, there had been a connection between the two of them, but not once did Steve think Danny was anything like himself or Freddie Hart. Danny was a haole from the mainland, a cop, not a soldier or a Navy SEAL and therefore he wouldn't think or act as they did. And that was exactly the way Steve wanted it to be. He wouldn't want to possibly lose another brother, so he had figured why not pick a guy to partner up with than someone that seemed to be the complete opposite. Steve couldn't have been more wrong about that.

Freddie and Steve hadn't been brothers by blood. Sure, physically and mentally the pair had been alike, but they had their years of serving to thank for that. They weren't related to each other. But after a couple of shared combat deployments, Freddie and Steve had become brothers in a way that superseded such trivial matters as birth parents or family lineage. Theirs was a familial bond conceived in the most arduous training the Navy offered, birthed in the fires of combat, and nurtured into the bone-deep trust shared only by men who've guarded each other's back as bullets whipped past their heads. Something this unique would rarely happen twice in the same lifetime.

Eventually, over time, it did happen again. Steve's mistake?— Thinking that despite the initial differences between him and Danny, the men would never become opposite sides of the same coin.

Steve exhaled deeply. Almost nine years later, they obviously had become brothers. Steve felt a deeper connection with Danny than he ever got to experience with Freddie. But Steve also felt something similar to his connection with Freddie. Guilt. Steve felt, for a second time around, like he had failed his best friend. His partner. His brother. First Freddie and now Danny.

McGarrett didn't sleep a wink that night. Not a second, not a minute. Steve tossed and turned and lay awake, hour after hour.

KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

The next morning Steve parked his car in the hospital's visitor lot. He walked through the morning sun, to the main entrance. The door slid open and the main entrance gave on to a lobby full of pink plastic chairs. Some of them were occupied. Most of them weren't. The place was fairly quiet. It made sense as it was still earlier. Steve walked passed the long desk with people behind it. Not nurses. Just clerks. One of the female administrators greeted him a good morning and Steve greeted her back. Maybe it was out of politeness, or maybe she recognized him as he had passed the desk a few times in the past few days. Steve didn't know.

Steve took the elevator up to the Medium Care ward and retraced his way back to Danny's unit. Half down the hallway Steve spotted Tani slouched in a chair with a cup of coffee in her hand. She seemed tired like she had the same restless night of sleep as Steve. He went up to her and asked her what she was doing out in the hallway instead of sitting next to Danny's bedside.

"He told me to go. You told me to stay," Tani explained and shrugged. "Figured I'd better stay, but give him the satisfaction of me leaving."

Steve nodded, understanding. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I appreciate it that you stayed."

They chatted for a few more minutes and then Tani went home and Steve walked on to the second to last door in the hallway. He hadn't exactly remembered the room number but the two HPD officers stationed outside the door made it evident he was heading in the right direction. Steve greeted the officers and send them for a break.

As Steve entered the room he said, "Hey,"

Startled by Steve's greeting, Danny jolted in panic and immediately flinched and grunted in pain due to the sudden movement.

"Hey, take it easy— relax, it's me," Steve acknowledged as he realized Danny probably hadn't noticed Steve walking in as Danny had been facing the right and his left eye was still pressed shut. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Danny breathed out and slowly sagged back against his pillow.

Hardly reassured, Steve pointed at the tablet that was lying on the bed like it had slid out of Danny's hand probably due to exhaustion. "What's this?" Steve checked, picked it up, and unlocked it. Six photographs lined up in grit from three by two popped up. The photographs were mugshots and those six pictures were just a start. Steve scrolled ahead. There were another six on the next page and another six on the third page and on and on. Steve had seen these photographs before. Jerry had shown them yesterday as they went through the list of hired muscle. With variations from snatch-and-grab crews, to drug operations, but all had one thing in common, they were possible associates of Kim Leung. Steve eyed the right upper corner of the screen. Det. . Danny had logged in to their Task Force mainframe, checked the database, and clearly went through the list.

Steve sighed. "Buddy, what are you doing? Why are you signed in?" He asked the obvious as he logged out and locked the tablet.

"Searching," Danny mumbled with his eyes barely open.

Steve put the tablet aside and studied his partner. Danny looked wiped out. Exhausted and drained. "Did you even sleep?" Steve questioned. Danny nodded, scarcely, in response. Steve rolled his eyes. "You're a terrible liar," and as realization dawned on him he narrowed his eyes and asked. "How come I always lose from you with poker?"

Danny didn't argue back. Both his eyes were closed and his breathing had evened out and grown deeper. He was sound asleep.

Steve sat down in the uncomfortable chair. "I guess I'm not leaving any time soon."

DANNY'S ROOM - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

Two hours and thirteen minutes later Danny slowly woke and lived a happy oblivious moment where felt warm and relaxed and safe. He blinked a few times with his right and only functioning eye. With each additional blink, the pain made itself more known and replaced the relaxed feeling. Then fear and vulnerability replaced the safe and warm feeling. Danny's eye flicked open instantly. He moved his head to the window, squinted against the bright sunlight, and breathed out, a deep sigh of release and contentment. Steve. He was still there. Sitting in a chair next to the bed, reading or browsing or searching for something on the tablet he was holding.

Knowing Steve was there, Danny felt protected again.

Danny swallowed once and said. "Did your guy at the CIA give you a call back yet?"

Spooked by the sudden voice filling the room, Steve lifted his head, looked at him, breathed out, and nodded. "He did."

"And?"

Steve locked the tablet, while he let out another sigh. "He couldn't find any undercover operation that linked with Kim Leung. No infiltration. No C.I. Not even an unapproved operation. Nothing."

"And you believe him?" Danny asked dismayed. "Those guys are all the same, Steve. They lie to cover for the agency."

"Maybe," Steve admitted. "But are you sure the guy said he was CIA?"

"Of course I am." Danny nodded once and stretched. He could feel the surgical incision too.

Steve questioned. "How sure?"

Danny frowned as far as his busted face let him. "What'd you mean by that?" then he figured out what Steve meant. "You think I'm making this up? You're believing that guy over me, aren't you?"

Steve shook his head. "No, all I'm asking is, if you are sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Danny stated. "I know what I heard. A gunshot to the head. Through and through. I've seen it happen. I've heard it happen before, there's no mistaken a sound like that. I'm not crazy."

"I'm not saying that, but you did have a nasty concussion at the time, it would be understandable if things got mixed up."

Pissed off, Danny hauled himself more upright against the pillows. "I know what I heard. The guy said he was CIA."

Steve leaned forward in his seat. "What guy? Did Kim say it?"

Sitting up Danny suddenly felt dizzy. "No, the other guy, the one that pulled the trigger." He said and leaned his head back against the pillow and pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand.

"What did he look like?"

Irritated, Danny looked back at Steve. "I don't know! I didn't see anything, okay? But trust me, I know what I heard." He leaned back straight away, the frustration didn't help with vertigo and returning headache.

"I trust you. Always," Steve assured, but Danny couldn't answer for a minute. He was consumed by the wave of dizziness and pounding pain. Steve apparently noticed as he suggested. "Let's take a breath for a minute, okay?"

Danny was quiet for longer than a minute. He waited until that nauseous feeling that accompanied the dizzy spell passed. Then he said. "Who did you contact at the CIA?"

"Tom Hennessey," Steve answered.

"And you're sure his intel is solid?"

Steve nodded once. "Yes, he helped me track down Victor Hesse back in the day," he shared and checked his watch. Then he suddenly got up and said. " I actually have to go."

Confused, Danny asked. "Why the rush?"

"I figured you might want a change in conversation," Steve placed shortly his hand on Danny's shoulder and as he walked toward the door he said. "I'm gonna go pick up Gracie."

Hearing his daughter's name made him light up. "Grace? Really?" Then he felt stress building up inside him and sadness rolled over him as he recognized the downside. "Rachel told her, huh?"

"No, I did," Steve explained. "She dropped by your place to get her physics homework, she saw the bag and she kinda knew I guess."

Puzzled, Danny asked. "What you mean, dropped by? Didn't Rachel bring her?"

"She took the bus."

"The bus?" Danny fumed. Steve smiled, beaming with pleasure, and then stepped out of the room like a twenty-three skidoo. "Steve?" Danny called out, but his partner was long gone.

DANNY'S ROOM - KING'S MEDICAL CENTER - O'AHU

Grace took lead and stepped off the elevator first. She then had no clue which way to go so she paused and turned to Steve. He pointed to the left, at the room with the HPD officers guarding, and walked beside her down the hallway. Guiding her to visit her father. Grace seemed numb about the visit. She didn't seem excited, or anxious. Either way, she wouldn't be let down, so maybe that was a good thing Steve thought.

The closer they got to the room, the more hesitant Grace seemed to be. Her pace decreased with each additional step. At one point Steve was steps ahead of her, so he turned back. Grace's eyes were wide and now she did seem anxious.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked while he walked back to Grace. "You don't wanna go in?"

Grace shook her head. "No— I do."

"Okay, come on," Steve said and pulled Grace into a tight side hug. "Let's go see, Danno."

Together they went down the rest of the long corridor to Danny's door. Steve eased the door open and peeked inside. Danny was facing the opposite side. He seemed asleep, but Steve wasn't sure. Asleep or not, Steve let Grace go passed him anyway and she entered Danny's room quietly.

Two steps in she froze. Steve remembered from days ago what it felt like seeing Danny mangled like this and he immediately doubted if it had been too soon for Grace to come and visit Danny.

Steve laid eyes on Grace as she looked slack with fear toward the hospital bed. "Danno?"

Danny rolled his head towards them entering and his smile reached his eyes. "Monkey."

Hearing her nickname Grace instantly walked up to Danny's right bedside. Steve directed. "Go around to the other side." As Danny's injuries mostly were located on the right.

Without question, Grace moved around the foot of the bed and came up on Danny's left. She reached out to get a hold of Danny's hand, but the IV tubes running into the veins of the back of his hand probably scared her off. She laid her hand on his forearm instead. "Are you okay?"

Danny got hold of her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I'm always okay, I told you not to ever worry about me."

Without notice, Grace lock her arms around Danny's neck and squeezed him tight. Danny flinched and a burst of pain registered on his face.

Steve warned. "Careful," as he watched Grace hold on to her dad. To Steve's surprise, Danny attempted to use both arms to hug her back. Yet his right arm made a feint, dropped back on the bed and he only used his left hand to soothingly smooth Grace's hair and hug her back.

Danny held Grace like that for minutes.

Eventually, Grace pulled herself out of the hug and Danny asked. "How was school?"

Now, at first, that seemed like an honest parental question. Maybe Danny asked to make the situation seem normal, but Steve knew his partner longer than just today. There was a level of suspicion in Danny's voice that reminded Steve of his partner's interrogation techniques. One that Steve recognized, but Grace did not so much.

She, therefore, with innocence, said. "Good," and smiled.

Danny smiled back. "Yeah? You wanna take the bus from now on?" There it was.

Grace flicked her gaze at Steve. "You told him?"

Perplexed by the sudden crimination, Steve shrugged. "Not like I ratted you out or something. I shared because I was feeling proud."

Danny rolled his eye at that comment. "Grace, don't listen to him, okay?" He said and focused back on his daughter. "You can't take the bus by yourself? It's crazy!"

Grace raised one eyebrow. "Didn't you take the bus by yourself all the time when you were a kid?"

"I did," Danny admitted. "But those were different times, you know, back then you didn't have a choice. You either rode your bike or took the bus. Why didn't your mother bring you?"

"Because you said it builds character," Grace remarked and Steve couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.

Danny let out an annoyed sigh. "Unbelievable, out of all things you decide to listen to that one?"

Steve picked a side. "She's right, though. Taking the bus builds character."

Danny's eye flicked deadly at Steve. "Steve."

"What? I mean it," Steve stated and took place in the same chair he had sat in earlier today. Danny kept staring life-threatening at him and Steve realized it was not his place to meddle. He looked straight at Grace as he said. "I do think it builds character, but I also think that you don't need any of that. You have a fierce, very vibrant personality. And if you're anything like your father that's more than enough," he joked and flicked his gaze back at Danny. "Believe me."

Grace smiled with pure enjoyment. "Don't get me started."

Steve snorted with laughter, and Grace started laughing too. So did Danny, but it quickly turned into pained laughter. All color disappeared from his face and his left hand shot to the ribs on the right side of his chest. He ended his laugh with a gut-wrenching grunt.

Steve was instantly serious again and Grace stared sorrowfully at her dad.

In turn, Danny looked with the same expression back at Grace. "Please, don't look at me like that, monkey," he pleaded. "I'm fine. Really, don't worry."

"It's hard not to worry," Grace said. "You're in the hospital, again."

Steve watched Danny's face fall, and then it fell a little further when he caught up to the end of Grace's sentence. Again.

The room went quiet for a beat. In time, Grace asked the question that every adult in her life had been dreadful about. At least Steve had and he was certain Danny wasn't thrilled to answer it either. "What happened anyway?"

Danny shared a look with Steve before he said. "I got into a fight with a bad guy,"

"Just one guy?" Grace pondered.

"Maybe a few more."

Then Grace asked a question that Steve hadn't even thought she might ask. "Why didn't you help, Uncle Steve?"

"Grace,—" Danny started off sternly, then he just paused, probably searching for a kind explanation for the harsh truth.

Steve stepped into the silence. "No, Danny. It's fine," he said and Danny glanced across at him as Steve was about to reveal the truth. He kept it simple. "I didn't get there soon enough."

"Why not?" Grace shrugged and it suddenly dawned on her. "Wait, you let him go alone?"

Danny immediately interfered. "Grace, that's not what happened."

Grace turned her attention toward Danny. "Then why wasn't somebody with you? You always tell me you guys go together, that you two are each other's back-up," she pointed out and then narrowed her eyes. "Did you just tell me that so I wouldn't worry?"

"We are each other's back-up." Steve stated.

"Then why weren't you with him? Why didn't you have his back?"

Steve stood up from the chair, walked over to Grace, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Gracie, listen to me—."

Grace shrugged Steve's hand off her shoulder. "No. I'll get home myself," her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at Steve. "This is your fault." And with those words, she stormed off and made an exit.

"Grace!" Danny shouted adamantly, but she left the room anyway.

Defeated and mentally hurt, Steve leaned down with his hands on the bed end. He let his head down. Grace was right. Partially, at least. Steve knew Kim Leung was actually at fault, yet Steve should've classified the man's words as a threat when they paid Jin Leung a visit the week prior to all of this.

When he looked up Danny was sitting up with his legs over the edge of the hospital bed.

"Danny," Steve said softhearted as it was evident Danny wanted to go after his daughter, but he couldn't. Or so Steve thought. Danny unhooked the oxygen from underneath his nose, ripped the heart monitor leads off his chest, and dropped both on the bed.

Stunned, Steve straightened. "Stop. What are you doing?" He asked rhetorically and therefore didn't earn him an answer: instead, Danny slid his feet to the floor.

"Danny, don't," Steve cautioned and moved closer, as this was as much as Steve had seen him move these past days and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. It definitely wasn't going to end well. But against Steve's instruction, Danny stood up. Slow, unsteady and when he put weight on his right leg, his face contorted with pain. He groaned and his busted knee sagged.

Steve was in time to get hold of Danny's elbow, steady him and keep him from falling. "Okay— all right, you've made your point, now please sit down," Steve commanded. Danny stubbornly stayed upright, but Steve was stronger and more persuasive. He guided his partner back down on the edge of the bed. "Come on, sit down. I'll go after her, all right?"

— TBC / HAWAIIFIVE0 —

A/N: Thank you all for your patience!

I wish I could say I'm back on posting a new chapter each week, but unfortunately I'm still writing the next few chapters on the go.

I'll post the next chapter as soon as I finish writing it, that's all I can do for now.

Again, I'm incredibly thankful for your continuing support and your patience!