DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Hawaii Five-O" or any of its characters.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing! I'm really excited for the next chapter. You'll start to see Maddie's stubbornness more and that she's a lot like Steve in many ways.

As always, thoughts are in italics. Also, you'll see Malia refer to an "ENT", which stands for an "ear, nose, and throat" doctor. I wanted to make sure you know what that meant. Singers all have ENT's that take care of them and are constantly checking on their vocal chords. Even when they're just sick with a cold.

Anyway, I would LOVE to hear more from you guys! Really want to know your thoughts on the story! Good or bad.

Enjoy!

xo,

DivaLola

CHAPTER 11

When Pete walked in to her room an hour later, Steve still had Maddie tucked tightly against him, her face buried in his chest. Smiling, he shook his head, staring at his two friends. "Friends my ass," Pete whispered. He had a feeling the day when they'd finally figure out they were in love with one another was coming, hopefully soon. While they'd always been affectionate towards one another, he'd never seen them like this. After years and years of the two claiming to be just friends, he was starting to worry they'd never figure it out. Deciding the moment needed to be documented as proof, he whipped out his phone and took a picture of the two sleeping. Before sliding his phone back in his pocket, he glanced at the time, recalling that Steve had said Maddie needed to be woken every hour.

Pete walked to the side of the bed Maddie was on, and took a seat on the edge. Reaching towards the middle of the bed – where they were snuggled together – he lightly shook her shoulder and leaned in towards her ear. "Maddie," he whispered. He was doing his best not to wake Steve, something difficult in any situation. At the sound of her name Maddie snuggled closer to Steve, making little sighing stretching noises in her sleep. Pete tried again and this time her eyes slowly opened. "Maddie, right here," he said to her. Turning her head to the right she met Pete's face. Feeling her move in his arms Steve's grip tightened on her in his sleep.

"Hey," Maddie smiled through sleepy eyes, her voice nearly nonexistent. It was obvious she'd been in a pretty deep sleep leaving her groggy.

"I just needed to wake you up quickly. Dr.'s orders."

"Ok."

"Since you're awake, I wanted to tell you your purse must still be at Five-O. I'll go run and get it."

"Okay," Maddie mumbled as her eyes began drifting closed and she turned back towards Steve. "Thanks, Petey…"

"No problem. Be back soon, Shorty," Pete whispered as he gently brushed his hand against the back of her head before standing up. Walking towards the door he turned back to see Maddie snuggle into Steve, her head against his chest. In his sleep Steve felt her nestle against him and pulled her closer. Walking out he rolled his eyes, grinning like a schoolboy. "Just friends, my ass," he chuckled. "Just friends, my ass."

As Pete climbed into the black SUV, he called Danny. "Hey, Pete! Everything okay?" he answered.

"Yeah. Everything's fine," Pete replied.

"Does Steve still have aneurysm face?" Danny joked referencing the earlier confrontation between Maddie and Steve in the kitchen.

Pete chuckled at the description of Steve's upset, irritated, and angry face. "I give you props for that description. It's definitely accurate!" Pete smiled before continuing on. "No, he's never been able to stay mad at her for long. He did finally get her to sleep, which is a miracle in and of itself. I've been trying for months now and nothing."

"That's good! So, there is someone in this world that can turn ninja boy into goo," Danny laughed.

"Yes, you do see a side of him when he's with her that you'll never see any other time. Anyway, yesterday, in all the confusion, Maddie's bag got left behind at your offices. I'm on my way to grab it, and I was hoping I could ask you for a favor?"

"Anything! What's up?" Danny replied.

"Well, this black SUV is a rental we used yesterday. I want to return it. Was hoping after I stop by HQ you could follow me while I drop this off and then take me back to the house?" Pete asked as he pulled to a red light.

"Yeah! No problem, babe!" Danny answered. "I'm just pulling up to work. I'll see you when you get here and then we'll go."

"Great, thanks man! See you soon," Pete thanked him.

"Alright, bye!"

Ten minutes later Pete found himself staring at the marble floor of Five-O headquarters, flashbacks of the day before running through his mind. He was unable to see anything but the look on Maddie's face as she realized they'd set her up, only for her to drop to the floor seconds later. He felt bad about the situation and he knew the second she was feeling better, she'd give him hell.

"You can't shake it from your head either?"

At the sound of the voice Pete turned to see Chin standing beside him, arms crossed. "Yeah... the look on her face..."

"I can't shake it either. But, we did the right thing," Chin stated.

"I know... It's just that I've been with her practically every day for four years. Sure, we argue here and there, but she's never looked at me like that before. She looked so hurt and betrayed when she realized what we'd done."

"I know," Chin sighed. "How is she? She coherent? Alert?" Pete started laughing as he shook his head. A smile broke out on Chin's face. "Let me guess? She's driving him crazy?"

"She sure was this morning," Pete grinned. "He was so mad."

"Who was mad?" Kono asked as she walked up to the two men, Lori beside her.

"Steve was," Chin answered.

"At Maddie?" At Chin's nod she continued, "So, she's better today?" Kono asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah. Not great, but better. Trying to convince everyone she's perfectly fine!" Pete answered.

"That's good she's doing better," Lori added, hoping that would mean Steve would be coming in today.

"I'm sure boss loves that!" Kono sarcastically joked.

"Yeah, not so much!" Danny joined. "You should have seen it. I dropped by there this morning and he had aneurysm face like I've never seen. "

"Why? What'd she do?" Lori asked. Maybe she'd worried for no reason. If Steve was mad at her, they wouldn't be spending much time with one another.

"She had a work call this morning. So, while Steve was downstairs making coffee, she ripped her bandages off, pulled her IV out, took a shower and got dressed. She walked into the kitchen looking awful, which scared the hell out of Steve. He lost it," Pete relayed, rolling his eyes as he remembered the morning's events. Chin and Kono laughed, knowing how stubborn Maddie could be. "And of course, she knew exactly which of Steve's buttons to push," Pete grinned.

"So, what happened once he took her upstairs?" Danny asked, curious to know how it had all played out.

Lori's heart ached a little at the thought of Steve "taking her upstairs". He's just being a good friend, she told herself. He had showed interest in her and she knew Steve wasn't the kind of guy to lead someone on.

"He bandaged her wounds up again and got her back in bed. That's all I know," Pete told them remembering how gentle he'd been with Maddie when he'd wrapped her hand up, the only part he'd seen.

"But she's at least getting rest now right? I mean, from what it looked like yesterday, she needed to sleep like nobody I've ever seen before," Danny asked, concerned. Pete only nodded, smiling as if he knew something he wasn't sharing. "What?" Danny asked picking up on something.

Pete took out his phone, pulled up the picture of the two sleeping, and handed it to Danny.

Danny only shook his head smiling before passing it to Chin. "McGarrett," Chin mumbled as he stared down at the picture. John would be so excited, he thought, smiling as he remembered how John McGarrett used to tell him how the two would end up together.

Kono grabbed the phone from Chin wanting to see what was causing such a reaction from her teammates. Looking down at the photo, Kono smiled, inwardly cheering for her friend and boss. "Let me see," Lori said from her spot near Kono. Suddenly Chin and Danny's heads shot up as they made eye contact with one another. Kono felt the same trepidation, but what could she do? Not let her see the phone? That would be rude, not to mention look really suspicious.

As Lori saw the photo she did a good job acting as if it didn't bother her when her heart was actually breaking. "What a cute photo!" she lied before handing the phone back to Pete.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group before Danny finally broke it. "Here's her bag. I found it when I came in." He handed it to Pete. "You ready to go?"

Not exactly sure what had just happened and why there was a sudden awkward tension, Pete shrugged and nodded. "Thanks!"

As the two walked out Chin and Kono went back to work while Lori walked to the women's restroom. Once she was safe inside a stall, she let the tears come.

Pete had been gone about an hour when Danny pulled up to the estate. "Thanks again for the help!"

"No problem," he smiled as Pete got out of the car. "Tell Steve I'll be by later to see how things are."

"Alright. Will do!" Pete responded before shutting the door and walking to the front door.

Just as Pete grabbed a water from the refrigerator he heard a knock at the door. Brows furrowed in confusion he tried to remember if anyone was coming for the sidearm he kept at his waist he unsnapped the holster and walked to the front door. Peering out the window he smiled at Malia, shaking his head at his paranoia and opened the door. Noticing him snap his holster closed, Malia said, "Expecting someone else?"

Embarrassed, Pete shook his head, motioning for her to come in. "No. Just, she's been so weird the last few months she's got me kind of jumpy. Plus, it's my job to always expect the worst. There's some real weirdos out there."

"I understand." As they entered the kitchen she set her bag on the counter. "So, how are things? Where's Steve?"

"Things are... alright. They've settled down since this morning. They're upstairs."

Malia smiled brightly, "Let me guess? He hasn't let her out of his sight?"

Pete laughed. "The one time he did he regretted it. He won't be making that mistake again." Pete looked at his watch. "It's perfect you're here actually. It's about time to wake her up." As she made a move towards the stairs, Pete reached for her bag. "I got it," he said.

"Thanks, Pete!"

As they entered Maddie's room Pete saw the two hadn't moved. Not even the littlest bit. Malia took them in before glancing over. Meeting his eyes, they shared a knowing look. "I know, Malia. I know."

As Pete set the bag down next to the side of Maddie's bed it made a small noise. Steve woke up and instinctively reached for his weapon on the nightstand pointing it in the direction of the noise. "Relax, McGarrett! It's just us!" Pete hissed.

Steve immediately put the gun back on the nightstand. "I am so sorry."

"It's okay," Malia muttered, trying to recover from the fact she'd just had a gun pointed at her.

"I'm not normally this jumpy. Anyway, thanks for coming," Steve said before leaning down to Maddie. "Hey... Mads... wake up." He gently shook her.

"Hmmm?" Maddie groaned.

"Malia's here. Gonna check you over," Steve whispered.

"Hey! How are you feeling?" Malia asked her friend.

Maddie rubbed her eyes before turning over on to her back so she could see the doctor. "Honestly? Pretty crappy…"

Noticing the IV was no longer hooked to her she looked at Steve with a questioning look. Shaking his head and rolling his eyes he said, "Yeah, someone decided to try and be a badass and pull it out of her arm. Unwrapped her bandages, took a shower, got dressed, and strolled downstairs.

"Yeah, and you overreacted, tattletale!" Maddie added.

"Hey!" Steve cried, staring down at her incredulously. Maddie smiled at him, unable to keep from noticing how cute he looked.

"Well, you seem to be a little more like your old self, so that's a good sign. I can still tell you're dehydrated. I can see it in your lips especially. Have you peed?"

Maddie's eyebrows furrowed. That was weird question to answer in front of everyone. Understanding her reluctance, Malia looked towards the guys. Shoulders slumped, Steve said, "We'll be downstairs." He looked to Maddie, "I'll be right back. Behave."

Once they were gone, Malia looked back to her friend. "So…"

"No, I didn't pee. What a weird question, Malia."

"Well, it just tells me how bad you need the fluid. It's a good sign when you finally pee. I got your test results this morning. You are really dehydrated. I'm going to give you another bag of fluid. Also, a lot of your levels are low. Like your vitamin B and vitamin D. Just need to get more rest and eat a little better. I brought some supplements for you, too. The biggest thing was the dehydration. Everything else can be attributed to prolonged exhaustion."

"Okay, thanks Malia."

"I'd stay either in bed or on the couch for the next three or four days. Get some fresh air starting tomorrow, but just a bit. Maybe go out for a good lunch, but then come back home."

"Three or four days, huh?" Maddie repeated.

"Yeah." Noticing the funny look on her face, Malia asked, "Why? Is that a problem?"

"Nope. Not at all," she lied.

"Okay, great. I'll look at the cuts. Make sure nothing's infected after your little stunt this morning. But first I'm going to do some easy neurological tests on you. The same ones I did yesterday, if you remember?"

To be honest, Maddie only remembered bits and pieces from the day before and most of that was foggy. "No, but that's alright," she said wincing a bit as Malia helped her sit up, a movement that caused the nausea to increase. Closing her eyes, she breathed in and out, hoping it would pass without her throwing up.

Seeing how terrible Maddie still felt, Malia said, "I'll be quick about all this. That way you can get back to sleep."

Steve was beginning to get antsy waiting in the kitchen. "You think everything's okay?" he finally asked Pete.

Malia was coming down the stairs when she heard McGarrett's concerns. "She's doing better. Still really dehydrated. I put a new IV in, but was forced to use a different vein. She blew that one when she pulled the IV out herself. Since it's bothering her, you can trying putting ice on it."

"Okay, great!" Steve replied, listening intently to Malia.

"You cleaned her hand and foot really well, which was a good thing. They look irritated, but not infected. She shouldn't walk too much on her foot."

"Okay, we'll make sure she stays off it," Pete responded.

"I got her blood results back this morning. She's dehydrated. It's really good you got her here when you did. In another day, she probably would have had to be hospitalized. As long as she keeps that IV in, things will be fine. Also, I know she's still really nauseous, but it'd be good to start trying to get some food and liquids in her. Maybe start with some 7UP or Gatorade. See how she tolerates that. The electrolytes will help with everything."

"Do we have either of those in the house?" Pete asked.

"Yeah, I got both 7UP and red Gatorade at the store the other day," Steve answered. "Anything else? How's her head?" he asked Malia.

"It's better than yesterday. I mean she's able to have a conversation with you, which is a vast improvement. She did suffer a pretty serious concussion, so she still needs to be woken up. For the next twelve hours, wake her every hour. If things are still improving at the end of the twelve hours you can go to every two hours for the following twelve hours. At around noon tomorrow, if she hasn't vomited for twelve hours then you can stop waking her up. It's okay if she's still nauseous, just as long as she isn't throwing up. If she is, you need to keep waking her up until she goes twelve hours without getting sick. Does that make sense?" Malia asked.

"Yes, it does. It just keeps her from getting restful sleep because just as she's falling into a deep sleep, I have to wake her up," Steve expressed his concern.

"I understand, and that is true. But she still is getting a little rest. As soon as she hasn't vomited for twelve hours, you can leave her be."

"Okay," Steve sighed.

"There were some other things that were low in her blood test…" Steve visibly tensed. "Don't worry, nothing too serious. She just needs to eat a bit better. I also brought her a few supplements. I left them upstairs in her bathroom. A lot of the abnormalities are because of her exhaustion. She needs to rest for at least 3-4 days. However, I think a good 5 days would be best. She doesn't have to be in bed the entire time. Even if she's laying on the couch watching a movie. I did tell her she should get a little fresh air each day, but starting tomorrow."

"Yeah, don't worry. She's getting that rest. At least a week's worth," Steve assured her.

"Great!" Malia smiled at him. She couldn't believe how different he was with Maddie. Chin had told her what John McGarrett had always thought and she wondered if maybe he was right.

"She's been in a lot of pain. Her body hurts from the fall and the glass. Is there anything you can give her for that?" Steve asked, hating to see Maddie in any kind of discomfort.

"Yeah," Malia pulled out a bottle of pain pills she'd had filled and handed them to him. "However, she can't take these until you don't need to wake her up anymore. But until that point, you can give her some Tylenol or Advil. I don't know how much of a difference that'll make for her, but you can definitely try it. You might want to get her to eat a little something before taking it though. And she should definitely take the pain pills with food or they'll upset her stomach."

"Okay, thanks Malia," Steve smiled already feeling much more relaxed about Maddie's current physical state.

"Oh, and one other thing... I noticed she's losing her voice, so I checked it out a bit. Of course, I'm not an ENT, but it appears it's from overuse and exhaustion."

"That's a relief. The last thing Maddie needs right now is to have something go wrong with her vocal chords," Steve sighed.

"Yeah, definitely... Well, I have to get back to the hospital. I'm glad she's doing better. You're taking excellent care of her, Steve. She's lucky to have you! Both of you!" Steve's face flushed slightly at the compliment. He walked her to the front door and out to her car, carrying her supply bag for her. "I'll call you later to check in. Please don't hesitate to call with any questions."

"Okay. I will!" Steve set her bag in the backseat of her car before pulling her into a hug and thanking her. "Thanks so much for everything, Malia! I really appreciate this, and I know Maddie does too."

"Maddie and I have become good friends. I'm happy I could help!" She told him. "I'll talk to you later!" Malia said before climbing in the driver's seat.

It had been more than thirty minutes since Malia had left Maddie alone in her room and both men figured she'd be asleep. As they neared her door they heard strange noises coming from within. They rushed inside and Steve's heart broke. Asleep, Maddie was tossing and turning, her blankets thrown every which way as tears streamed down her face. Steve turned to Pete, "Nightmare?" he whispered. Sighing, Pete sadly nodded.

"Nooo… don't," Maddie whimpered in her sleep. Both knew they should wake her up. In fact, Steve was fighting not to run to her, but he was hoping she'd reveal some kind of a clue to what she was hiding.

Turning to Pete he asked, "It's always like this?"

"Yeah, sometimes worse."

"How often?" Steve wondered.

"They're getting worse. Nowadays it's been pretty much every time she sleeps."

"It hasn't happened once since yesterday. That's not normal?"

"No, but it was probably because of the head trauma. She's more alert today," Pete guessed. "Or maybe-" Maddie's scream interrupted him.

He couldn't wait anymore. Placing the 7UP on her nightstand Steve sat on the bed and reached for her. "Maddie, shhh… wake up, baby!" He rubbed the side of her head soothingly as he pulled her to him. Maddie's eyes flew open, wide with fear. Disoriented, she continued crying and struggled to free herself. "Hey, baby! It's me. You're safe!" Slowly her fighting eased as she became more alert. She grabbed his t-shirt in her fists and burrowed into his chest. Rubbing her back, Steve continued whispering. "It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real." Maddie clung tightly to him.

Pete had gone into the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth, and run it under cold water, all the while trying not to smirk at the fact Steve had just called Maddie "baby". Just friend's, my ass, he thought. By the time he came out Maddie had calmed down slightly and was no longer burrowed in Steve's chest. "Here, McG!" he said passing the cloth over. Steve immediately placed it on Maddie's forehead as she stared at him, tears still falling from her eyes.

"Sorry, guys," Maddie mumbled, embarrassed Steve had witnessed one of her nightmares. She knew he'd only be even more worried now.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Steve told her. "What happened? What had you so scared?"

Knowing there was a better chance she'd answer without him there, Pete said, "Shorty, I'm gonna go help unload the plane before it heads out, but I just wanted to give you your purse first," he smiled, placing her bag on the floor next to the bed.

Maddie leaned forward and gave him a big hug. "Thanks so much, Petey."

"No problemo," he replied, giving her a light squeeze. "I'm gonna get going." He turned to Steve. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, P!" Steve answered, anxious to be alone with Maddie.

Once Pete left, he reached for the abandoned 7UP and opened it. "Here…" Shaking her head Maddie crinkled her nose and made a face. "Come on, just a sip or two. It'll help, I promise!" Knowing he wasn't going to take no for an answer she took three small sips before handing it back. "See... was that so hard?" Steve asked, smiling.

Maddie shook her head slightly, a movement that exacerbated the pounding in her head, not to mention made her a bit dizzy. Seeing the change in her expression and knowing she didn't feel well he said, "Let me help you get comfortable again." Her only response was sliding back down.

As Maddie laid in bed unable to think of anything except the nightmare, Steve walked from side to side fixing the sheets and blankets that were now twisted and falling off from her thrashing. Once everything was situated he reached for her right arm and made sure she hadn't accidentally pulled the IV out. Seeing all was well, Steve walked to the other side of the bed and climbed in, turning onto his right side. He reached for Maddie, pulling her to him, and finally said, "Sometimes it helps to talk about it. What was it about?"

For the first time since Pete left, Maddie spoke, "It's nothing. No big deal."

However, he knew she was lying. He also knew when to push her and when not to. Steve sighed and rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Let's get some rest. Everything's okay. I'm right here…"

Just having him with her, knowing he was safe, alleviated some of her fear. Maddie squeezed him slightly before her eyes shut. Although he couldn't see them, he could feel his shirt slowly dampening and knew silent tears still rolled down her face. Knowing that she was hurting killed him.

Ten minutes later he felt her breathing even out as she started to drift off. Bending his head, he kissed the top of hers, whispering, "Everything's okay. You're safe."