DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Hawaii Five-0" or any of it's characters.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews! I know you guys love chapters with Steve and Maddie, but these chapters are setting up a lot.
As always, thoughts are in italics. Also, in this chapter text messages are in BOLD.
I hope you all enjoy!
xoxo,
DivaLola
CHAPTER 26
The partners remained quiet for the first few minutes of the drive. Steve continued to exceed the speed limit, however not as bad as earlier.
Besides being worried and upset about whatever trouble Maddie seemed to be in, Steve felt unbelievably guilty for what he'd said to Danny. "Danny..." he began.
"Just don't."
"Excuse me?" Steve asked, surprised.
"Seriously, just don't. I don't want to talk to you right now. We are having quiet partner time. Just drive," Danny explained angrily.
"Fine," Steve retorted. The fact that now Danny was mad at him and wouldn't let him apologize just made him more upset. Like all the other times he was furious when he was behind the wheel, he unconsciously pressed his foot on the gas pedal, taking his frustrations out on the road.
"Great," Danny muttered grabbing hold of the handle.
"What was that?" Steve snapped. "I thought we were having 'quiet partner time'?"
Pulling into a parking spot in the HQ lot, Steve slammed his foot on the brake, the tires squealing as they came to an abrupt stop. "You're unbelievable, ya know that?" Danny sneered as he opened his door and got out. Steve's only response was to smirk in his direction.
Before he closed the door and walked away Danny bent forward, poking his head in the car. "Reach out to her. Try and fix whatever stupid thing you did because I won't deal with you being a complete asshole for the next four days." Danny slammed the door and walked towards the building.
Steve didn't know what to say. He knew he was being an ass, but somehow he couldn't help it. He was just so mad at himself. And, he was scared. He was scared he wouldn't be able to find whoever was after Maddie, and he was scared that he couldn't fix things between them. That she would decide to not honor their deal, but instead leave with Pete.
Rubbing his hand through his hair Steve closed his eyes before reaching in his pocket for his cell. After tapping her name, he exhaled and placed the phone to his ear. He couldn't say he was surprised when it rang and rang, eventually going to voicemail. "Hi! You've reached Maddie! I OBVIOUSLY can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number, and a BRIEF message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thank you and have a wonderful day!"
Once the beep sounded Steve spoke, his voice quiet. "Hey... it's me. I just... I was hoping you would've answered. I really need to talk to you. Mads... this morning... seriously, I didn't mean it... Also, why didn't you tell me how much pain you were in? I'm worried about you. Please call me back." Shaking his head, Steve hung up and slowly got out of Danny's Camaro. "Now to fix things with Danny," he whispered to himself as he walked in the building and into the elevator.
As Maddie's band played through one of her new songs, she sat on the padded stool in front of them. She glanced down at her watch. 11:50am? She thought. I've only been doing this for only two hours? It felt like she'd been rehearsing at least twice that long.
As she waited for Ben to finish working on the arrangement, she took in her current state. Her head was pounding and every part of her body ached. Her throat hurt more than earlier and she knew it was only going to get worse as the day went on. Having had to sing and talk over the last few hours had caused her voice to be sound froggish which made her worry about how she was going to sing Wednesday. Where is Doc? she wondered.
No sooner had she thought it when she received a text from Pete. Doc's here. Is it okay for me to come in and get you?
She looked up at the band as they ended the song. "Let's take lunch," she tried to whisper as she texted Pete back.
"What?" Ben asked. He made his way over to Maddie and leaned in close.
"Lunch," she croaked.
"Got it," Ben replied. He straightened and turned his head to the band. "Lunch, guys." As he did, he rubbed Maddie's shoulder sympathetically. His head jerked and he shot her a concerned look. "You okay? You're warm. She nodded unconvincingly. "You need to lay down or something. Here, let me help you." He reached his hand out and pulled her up.
"How ya feeling, Shorty?" Pete asked as he appeared onstage and walked towards them.
"Fine," she whispered holding on to Ben.
"I see your voice has gotten worse," Pete said.
"Don't let her fool you," Ben began. "I think she has a fever."
"Tattletale," Maddie mumbled.
Pete reached his hand forward and placed it against her forehead. She immediately pushed his hand away and took a step back. However, she wasn't thinking about how much pain she'd be in when she put weight on her right leg. Her face scrunched in pain and she cried out, well as much of a cry as her voice would allow. Her right leg gave out and she began falling backwards. Luckily both Pete and Ben were right next to her and grabbed her before she could fall.
"Woah," Maddie uttered huskily.
Pete picked her up and joked, "Well, I see your leg isn't any better either. Good thing we're going to see Doc."
"See you after lunch," Ben said before disappearing.
Now that it was just the two of them Pete asked, "How do you really feel?"
"Fine," she lied.
"Don't make me call Steve because I can't trust you to tell me the truth," Pete threatened.
"Whatever, I don't care," Maddie claimed, her heart aching at the mention of his name.
"Now, we both know that isn't true."
"Yes it is," she argued.
"Maddie... I know what he said this morning hurt, but," Pete started.
"No, why would it?" Maddie interrupted.
"Mads..."
"He and I are good," Maddie lied, trying to pretend like everything was okay, but Pete wasn't fooled. He knew she was protecting herself. Stupid Steve, he inwardly cursed.
They came to a door with a sign saying "Madeline Lily". Right inside the door was a sort of living room with two overstuffed black couches and two big black armchairs. It was a place for her to rest and hang out. A little kitchen with a table was located behind the living room area. On the other side was a hair and makeup station. Nearby were racks of stage clothes with a large three-way mirror for fittings. A door off the left side of the room led to a large bathroom. Next to the bathroom was a smaller room with a pullout sofa, so if she needed to sleep she had a bed.
A man in his early forties sat on one of the couches, medical supplies sitting on the coffee table in front of him.
"Uh oh," the man said. "I see the knee's bothering you."
"Hi, Doc," Maddie greeted as Pete set her on the couch beside him. "Yeah, it is."
"Anything specific happen? Or is it all the touring?" he asked.
Maddie glanced at Pete standing there listening. Taking the hint he said, "Okay, I'll be right outside. Holler if you need me." He turned to Doc. "Good seeing you, John. It's good that you're here."
"You too, Pete." Once he was gone, Doc turned to her. "What happened?"
"I tripped and fell on it," Maddie mumbled.
"I told you what would happen if you fell on it."
"I know, but it was an accident. It wasn't stage related or anything. I was heading into my house from the backyard and tripped over the threshold. Went right down on my knee," she explained, her voice cutting in and out.
"Wow, your voice. I'll take a look at it after your knee," Doc said. "You're gonna have to take your jeans off."
"Okay." Maddie pulled her motorcycle boots off, discarding them next to her on the floor. Carefully she stood, keeping all weight on her left leg and unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. When the dark wash, skinny jeans were at the middle of her thighs she continued to push them down further, but made the mistake of putting weight on her right leg. She cried out as she fell back on the couch.
"Let me help you." Doc stood and took hold of the ankle cuffs of the denim jeans. Carefully he pulled them off, leaving Maddie sitting in her boy shorts. "Oh man," he mumbled seeing the swelling. He barely touched it and she winced. "This isn't good."
"Can you get me through rehearsals and the show?" Maddie nervously asked.
"Yeah, but it's going to be really painful." He sighed, hesitating, knowing she wasn't going to like the next part. "And you have to stay off it every moment you don't absolutely have to be on it. You're goin' back in the brace. The ice tank one."
"No!" Maddie exclaimed. However, her voice cut out mid-word due to a tickle in her throat and caused her to cough. Once recovered, she said, "That one makes me cold all the time."
"It's necessary. I mean, this is already such a stupid idea. You should cancel the show and stay off it." Before Maddie could argue he continued. "But, I know that isn't an option with this show. So, I'm gonna get you through this. If I wasn't going to be here with you for the next five days, I wouldn't do this. But because I can monitor things, I will. But know that I don't like this."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Doc looked questioningly at Maddie and she nodded at him. "Come in," he called.
The door opened to reveal a gorgeous, blonde, green-eyed nurse around the same age as Maddie, maybe a couple years younger. As she entered Maddie inwardly groaned. She wasn't a big fan of Doc's new nurse. She wasn't sure why, but she had immediately not trusted her since the day she'd met her six months before.
"Hi, Maddie! How are you, sweetie?" The tall blonde cheerfully greeted. However, Maddie knew it was an act. She knew for sure she didn't like her. She'd basically told Maddie to her face.
"I'm pretty good, Kendall," she lied, flashing her a big smile.
"So good to hear!" Kendall returned with an over the top smile and exaggerated, enthusiastic tone. She approached the couch where Maddie and Doc sat. "Is there anything I can do to help, Dr. Warsten?"
"Actually, perfect timing Kendall. Can you get out the scale? I wanna get her weight. And then can you fill a couple bags of ice for Maddie please? I want to get ice on her knee while I continue my exam."
"No problem." Kendall smiled as she walked into the kitchen area of the large dressing room. She quickly brought the small, portable scale over. "Here you go, Dr. Warsten."
Doc helped Maddie stand on the scale. He waited for her weight to show and then quickly jotted it down on a new blank page in her chart that he had sitting on the coffee table. By the time he was finished she was already comfortably sitting back down on the couch.
"I spoke to a Dr. Malia Waincroft on the phone the other day," Doc began.
Maddie looked down, her face blushing from embarrassment.
"Want to tell me what happened?" he asked.
She shrugged before whispering, "I was so tired. Guess all the lack of sleep finally caught up to me. And you know me, I'm such a klutz... I had to faint on a marble floor... while holding glass." She tried to lighten the mood by attempting a soft chuckle.
"So, then, you're still not sleeping?" he asked. "That's been going on months now and it's not getting any better. In fact, it's only getting worse. I know I've asked before, but is something bothering you?"
"Nothing, just busy. Plus, I've always had a difficult time sleeping," Maddie lied.
"What about since you've been home? How's the sleeping? Any better?"
Maddie recalled how nice it had been to sleep snuggled into Steve, but when his words came back to haunt her she forced all thoughts of him away. "A little," she answered.
"That's great! I knew you just needed to take some time off and go home. How long have I been recommending this?" Doc smirked. Maddie shrugged her shoulders. "At least a month. At least!" he exclaimed, smiling triumphantly.
"Here you go, Dr. Warsten," Kendall interrupted, handing him three bags of ice.
"Thanks, Kendall." Doc pulled the coffee table closer to Maddie and propped her right leg on it and then positioned the ice all around her knee. Once finished he carefully pulled off her right sock. He slowly began unwrapping the bandage on her foot. "Ouch," he whispered as the deep gash came into view. "This looks painful!"
"It is," Maddie admitted solemnly.
"Well, it's not infected, but it's a little red. It could easily go that route. I do think it needs a little air, so why don't you leave it like this until you need to go back to rehearsing." Biting her bottom lip, Maddie nodded. "Let me take a look at that hand."
Maddie stretched her left arm out and gently unwrapped her hand. "Ouch! You really got yourself good." He studied it for a second. "The cut closer to your wrist looks good. A bit irritated and red, but not bad. The cut on your palm is worse. It's quite red and if you aren't careful it'll be infected quickly. Use it as little as possible."
"Guitar," Maddie whispered.
Doc immediately shook his head. "Nope. That'll rip open the scabs. We want them to heal, not keep ripping open."
Maddie nodded, but knew she'd still play. It was part of the show.
"I'm going to let this one air out until rehearsal, too." Doc reached in his bag and pulled out a small pen lighter. "Look at me," he instructed.
Maddie did as he asked and he began flashing the light in her eyes, moving it back and forth between the two. He watched her begin to squint and close her eyes. "Try to keep your eyes open. I know it's hard." Maddie did her best to follow his instructions even as she wiped a tear from her cheek. The light was making her eyes water. "Look to the left." She did as he asked and he said, "Now to the right." He watched her look to the right as he continued to point the light in her eyes. "Now directly at me." That was the hardest for her. "Okay, looks better than what Malia described, but try not to fall on your head... again" Doc smiled as he placed the pen on the table. "How's your headache?"
"Not terrible, but definitely still there," Maddie lied. She knew she'd have to down play how badly she felt when it came to certain symptoms. "It's better than last night." That wasn't a complete lie. It had been better this morning, but now it was almost the same as it'd been when she'd gone to bed last night.
"Good! However, I would revise any flips in choreography. Are you still getting dizzy?"
"No," she lied again.
"That's good." Doc smiled at her. "If the headache isn't almost gone by Thursday, I'll order another MRI, just to make sure nothing else is wrong... Alright, let's see the throat."
Maddie nervously opened her mouth. Using a wood tongue depressor and a special tool with a light on it, he began looking in her throat. "It's a little red. Is it sore?"
A sheepish look appeared on her face before she nodded.
"I thought you felt a little warm, but thought maybe you were under the lights on stage." Doc grabbed a thermometer and put it under her tongue. He studied her appearance as they waited for it to beep. He hadn't seen her in nearly 3 weeks and noticed that she was pale. He could see the bags under her eyes that she'd attempted to cover with makeup, and for the most part she had succeeded. The biggest thing that concerned him was that she looked sad. Like all she wanted to do was start crying. He'd been her doctor for years and considered her not only a patient, but also a friend and he hated seeing her like this.
The high-pitched beeping of the thermometer interrupted his thoughts. Doc quickly pulled it from her mouth and looked at it. "100.3... Not terrible, but you definitely have a slight fever. Have you taken anything?"
Maddie nodded. "Prednisone."
"How much?"
"Two pills last night, two this morning," she croaked.
"Yeah, that should help get you through the next four days, but you're so run down I don't think it'll keep you from getting sick. It'll just mask some of the symptoms. But, it will help your voice a lot." Doc grabbed a thin, small cord that was actually a camera. "I'm just going to check the top of your vocal chords. Open up."
Maddie opened her mouth wide and using a cotton pad Doc grabbed her tongue and held it tightly. Gently he slowly slid the camera a bit down her throat. Kendall held a small screen towards him. "Say 'ah'," he instructed.
"Ahhhh," Maddie squeaked out.
"Hold a note."
She did as he asked, although no sound came out.
"It's nothing serious, just severe overuse. The fact you haven't been sleeping kept your chords from getting any rest," Doc explained as he pulled the camera from her mouth. After handing it to Kendall she took the equipment to the kitchen and began cleaning and packing it. "Guess what?"
Maddie eyed him, eyebrows furrowed. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "Hm?"
"Don't fr-," Doc began, however was interrupted by the song "Bad" by Michael Jackson coming from Maddie's phone. He noticed the way she froze the second it began. Although she knew exactly who it was she reached in her pocket and pulled out her phone. She stared at the screen until it stopped, a sad look of longing on her face.
Steve… Maddie thought, her heart aching. Suddenly the large room felt incredibly small. Even though he'd hurt her she couldn't tear her eyes away from the photo on her screen. We look so happy. I wish we could go back in time.
"Do you need to get that? Go ahead and call them back, I can wait. I'm not going anywhere," Doc told her.
Sighing she shook her head. "It's fine. It wasn't important," she said. "What were you sa-" She stopped mid-word as her phone chimed, signaling a new voicemail.
"Go ahead and listen to it," Doc told her picking up on the fact that the caller was important to her.
Maddie hesitated, knowing the voicemail would just upset her. But, she didn't listen to her instincts and, after clicking the new message, placed the phone to her ear. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. "Hey... it's me. I just... I was hoping you would've answered. I really need to talk to you…" The sad sound of his voice made her feel guilty, and she strained to hear the rest. "Mads... this morning... seriously, I didn't mean it." Maddie rolled her eyes. Yeah, right. I've heard that before, she thought. "Also, why didn't you tell me how much pain you were in? I'm worried about you. Please call me back."
"You alright? Is everything okay?" Doc asked when he saw the look of devastation cross her face.
"Yeah, fine... Anyway, what were you saying?" Maddie asked as she tried to forget the sound of his voice.
"Um…" Doc began. He wasn't sure whether to keep prying or let it go. "No talking. Only sing if you have to. Otherwise play the vocals from your track."
"Great... Well, how am I supposed to communicate?" Maddie asked.
"Kendall? Can you pass me the small dry erase board?"
Rooting around in another bag he'd set down in the kitchen she finally began walking towards them with a small object. "Here ya go, Dr. Warsten," she said handing it to him.
"Thanks, Kendall." He turned his attention back to Maddie. "Anyway, you can use either this or your phone." Maddie's shoulders slumped and her face fell. "Hey, I know this isn't the most convenient thing for you right now, but at least I didn't tell you you have nodes on your vocal chords. However, if you don't follow my instructions that's what will happen."
"Fine…" she huffed taking the small dry erase board from him. "About my knee?"
"Yeah, this is gonna hurt," he told her. Kendall handed him a tray with some sterilization pads and a huge syringe filled with some kind of liquid. "This is all I can do for you right now to get you moving better."
"Will it help the pain?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah, but it's still going to be really painful. I'll also give you some pain meds, but I know how sensitive you are to medication. So, you might want to take into account what you need to do when you take one. Maybe when it's not anything involving choreography... You know your body better than anyone, so you'll know when it's a good time to take one." Doc began sterilizing her right knee. "I need you to be still. Do you want Pete to come in and help keep you from moving?"
"No, I don't really want him knowing what you have to do. It'll just get back to Steve and he'll freak out," Maddie answered not realizing she'd just brought up Steve's name until it was out of her mouth.
"Steve? The one and only? Your childhood best friend?" Doc asked, giving her a tiny shot of some anesthetic. She winced a little, but not much.
"Yeah," she mumbled trying to prepare herself for the pain.
"Is he still overseas?" Doc asked trying to distract Maddie with conversation.
"Nope. He's here in Hawaii. He's the head of a special task force."
"That's great that you get to see him! Hopefully that means I get to meet him." As he said this he stuck the large needle into her knee at such an angle that it went under her kneecap.
"Son of a bitch!" Maddie cried out doing her best to keep herself still when she wanted to instinctively pull away.
When the syringe was empty, Doc pulled the needle from her knee and quickly handed it to Kendall to dispose of. "I know it hurts. It'll calm down in a minute. Have you eaten anything recently?"
Wiping at her watery eyes Maddie muttered, "Not since breakfast."
"Well, as soon as you eat something you can take a pain pill if you want." He set a bottle on the coffee table. "Also, as much as I hate to do this, double the prednisone and maybe we can keep this virus from getting bad for a couple days. At least until after the show. But that means you have to try and get some rest. That will really help. Also, the prednisone should help your voice a lot."
"Ok, I'll eat something before rehearsal starts."
Doc looked over at Kendall cleaning up in the kitchen and then hesitantly looked back at Maddie. "So," he began, his voice lower. "How's the stress level? Everything okay?"
Maddie immediately felt embarrassed and uncomfortable knowing exactly what he was alluding to. "I'm fine, Doc."
"Are you sure?" He looked down at her chart, flipping through pages. "Looking at what you weighed almost three weeks ago, you've lost two pounds."
"I'm on tour, running around stage every night." She sighed. "Plus, I was really nauseated and sick from the concussion, so I haven't had a big appetite."
"Okay. But speak up if you feel overly stressed over the next couple days. They are going to be hard and I don't want it affecting y-"
"I'm fine, but I promise to speak up if I'm not," Maddie interrupted, not wanting to talk about this anymore, especially with Kendall in the room. She couldn't risk anything getting out, especially to Steve. She thought he was overprotective now, he would never leave her side if he found out certain things. She couldn't risk him becoming more distracted and worried at work. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her.
"Okay, I believe you... You have to promise me that you'll force yourself to eat with this prednisone. I know how it affects you. Most people it makes them really hungry, but with you it's the complete opposite. I don't like you taking it for very long and definitely not on this high of a dose."
"I'll be fine. And trust me you're not the only one that feels that way," Maddie whispered.
"Steve?" Doc smirked.
Maddie nodded and rolled her eyes remembering the times in the past when he'd freaked out over her taking the medication. Which is exactly why I lied to him this morning when I took it, she thought.
As Doc packed his bags he recalled what Maddie had said right before he'd injected her knee. "Why would Steve freak out if he knew what I was doing?"
Why does my heart literally ache every time his name is brought up? Maddie wondered. "He's overprotective. Especially since I got home."
Nodding in understanding Doc stated, "I take it he knows you fainted and hurt yourself."
"You could say that. It happened in front of him... After not seeing him for two years."
He chuckled. From what he'd heard about Steve, he could only imagine how worried he'd been. He'd never met him, but from what Pete and the rest of Maddie's team told him, the two were in love and had no idea. He couldn't wait to meet him and see for himself.
"Is that what you're wearing for rehearsal?"
Maddie looked down at her clothes. Well, at some of them since she still sat in her tank top and boy shorts, her discarded jeans on the coffee table in front of her. "No. I'll wear leggings."
"Well, get those on and I'll put the brace on. I want your knee surrounded by ice until you absolutely have to be on it."
She stood to stand, but Doc stopped her. "Tell Kendall where they are and she'll get them. I want you staying off it as much as possible."
"Where are they, sweetie?" Kendall asked, her fake helpful attitude irritating Maddie.
Maddie glanced around the room looking for the bag Tina had packed. "They're in that Louis Vuitton duffel bag over on that chair. The one near the makeup and hair station.
"Alright, you're good to go. Have something to eat and rest until 1pm," Doc told her.
"Will do," Maddie agreed.
"Oh and no talking!" he smirked.
Maddie glared at him before quickly typing something in her phone. "Whatever you say," a robotic voice said.
"Here," Kendall stated as she handed Maddie the black leggings.
"Thanks, Kendall," she replied nicely. "I appreciate it." Doc helped Maddie carefully stand.
"Any easier to put weight on it?" he asked.
"Yeah," she admitted. "But you're right, it still hurts." She bent over and pulled her leggings on before sitting back down on the couch.
"Here, Dr. Warsten," Kendall said handing him a massive knee brace.
"Thanks." Doc carefully placed her leg in it and began fastening it. It went from the middle of her thigh to the middle of her calf. Ice packs slipped inside the parts of the brace surrounding her knee, effectively keeping ice on the injury. "When you're sitting in your dressing room for an extended amount of time, I want you in the other brace. The one that hooks up to the ice water tank, which will be set up by the time you're on your next break. When you're not in here for a long time, this brace will be fine. You'll still be getting ice on it." He stood up and asked, "How's that? Good? Too tight?"
Maddie nodded, giving him a thumbs up before typing on her phone. She hit the play button and the robotic voice said, "Brrrr."
He laughed as he walked to the door. "Eat something and then you can take a pain pill if you want." Maddie nodded to him before he exited.
She'd only been forced to be alone with Kendall for a few minutes before Tina came through the door with lunch.
"You hungry, Mads?" Tina asked.
She shrugged her shoulders and typed something. "Not really," the female robotic voice said.
"Dr. Warsten said she needs to eat something. Especially with all the prednisone she's on and if she wants a pain pill," Kendall tattled, all too happy to do so.
Tina caught Maddie's eye and forced herself to stifle a laugh. She knew how Maddie felt about Kendall, in fact she herself felt the same way. There was just something sketchy about her. Just someone you knew you couldn't trust. "Good thing I have this for you then."
Tina set the plate of chicken and vegetables on Maddie's lap. "Eat up."
Maddie hesitantly began to cut the meat and take a couple bites.
"So... wanna talk about what happened this morning with Steve?" Tina asked.
Maddie whispered, "Not sure what you mean."
"Come on," Tina said, her head tilted and eyebrows raised.
"Nothing happened," Maddie denied.
"It's me! You don't have to hide from me," Tina reminded her.
Maddie took a couple more bites of chicken as she replayed what he'd said to her. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Tina take a quick photo of her. Once she'd finished her lunch, or at least three quarters of it, Kendall handed her a pill, which she happily swallowed. "Thanks," she croaked.
"You're not supposed to be talking," Kendall commented.
Maddie ignored her and set the plate on the coffee table. She caught Tina's expectant look as she waited for her to answer. Maddie looked down at her hands. "So, what? He hurt me. My own fault for believing him last night. Especially after he'd made similar comments all evening. And, he'd always take them back. But he meant them, every word. Same with this morning."
"Maddie, you know that's not true," Tina said as she moved from the chair to the couch so she could sit next to her.
"Yes, it is Tina. But, it's fine. I mean, it is what it is."
"Have you heard from him?"
She nodded, remembering the message he'd left, the sound of his voice.
"What'd he say?" Tina asked.
"Here, you can hear for yourself." Maddie handed her her cell.
Tina was quiet while she listened to the voicemail. She handed the phone back when she was finished. "Mads, he sounds really upset and sorry. Why don't you call him back?"
"There's nothing to talk about. Look, it is what it is. We're just friends. I mean Tina, he laughed at the idea of us being together. Like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. And after last night."
"What about last night?" Tina questioned.
"Nothing. It was just a mean joke," Maddie mumbled.
"What joke?" she asked, confused.
"He kissed me a couple times before bed," Maddie finally admitted. "But it was just so I wouldn't be upset anymore."
"No! He would never do that, and deep down you know that. He didn't mean what he said this morning. Trust me! Haven't you ever noticed the way he looks at you?"
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Plus, I'm not supposed to be talking," Maddie whispered.
"Mads, call h-" Tina began.
"I'd like to be alone until rehearsal starts," Maddie interrupted, emotionally shutting down.
"Okay..." Tina reluctantly said. "But I'll be close by if you need anything." Tina sadly stood. "Come on, Kendall." She gave her friend one last look before leaving.
Interesting... so Maddie's in love with her best friend, Kendall thought.
They'd been picking apart Walter Seasius' car for the last five hours. Well, actually it was his girlfriend's car, Raquel Linney. Steve and Danny had taken a break from the car to go speak with her and discovered she was a paralegal for the District Attorney's office and worked in the building next to theirs.
After they finished speaking with her the partners began their short walk back to headquarters. "Danny, look... I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was a complete asshole," he admitted.
"Yeah, you were," Danny affirmed.
"There's no excuse. I'm really sorry. You know that's not why Rachel left you. She's an idiot... She made the biggest mistake of her life."
Danny sighed. "I really thought things were looking up. And when she told me she was pregnant, I was so excited to be a dad again. But then to find out it was Stan's... Oh man."
"And she's sure it's Stan's?" Steve questioned.
"Yeah, she said that she was too far along for it to be mine," Danny sadly said.
"I'm really sorry, Danny."
Danny stopped walking forcing McGarrett to do the same. "Enough about me. You gonna tell me what stupid thing you did this morning?"
Steve looked away from his partner. "I screwed up."
"That much I know," he chuckled.
"I freaked out when one of my old SEAL buddies, who is also part of Maddie's security team, asked me if we were together yet. He asked me in front of everyone."
"Oh boy... Steven, what did you say?" Danny asked his voice rising slightly.
Steve winced remembering what he'd said. "I told him we were just friends... and I might have..."
"Might have what?" Danny asked.
"I might have laughed. And thrown in an 'I mean, seriously?'," Steve admitted and prepared for a lecture.
"You're an idiot. You can only hurt her so much before she walks away and never looks back," Danny said seriously as he shook his head.
"Yeah, I know. I screwed up," Steve put his hand to his head.
"Did you call her?"
"Yeah, she didn't answer."
"Well, what did she do when you said that?" After Steve relayed their entire interaction, Danny finally responded. "Well, I guess just keep trying to call and hopefully she'll either answer or call you back. When can you see her?"
"Well, she's supposed to be home tonight. I was there when Tina gave her her schedule. She said she was going back to the house every night around 11. So, I think I'll just wait for her there."
"Well, good luck. And stop saying stupid things you don't mean," Danny said to him.
"Why aren't you yelling more?" Steve asked, curious as to why he wasn't receiving the normal, angry lecture from his partner.
"Well, because it's obvious you already know how much you messed up. If you didn't, you wouldn't have been acting like you've been shooting up steroids for years. And you already know you might have lost her by what you said. You don't need me to tell you that. It would have been different if you already hadn't said things along the same line to her. Telling her she was like your sister was a great move on your part, by the way."
Steve closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a second he looked at his partner. "How'd you find out about that?"
"Pete," Danny smirked. "Speaking of which, what about calling Pete? Or Tina?"
"I already texted Tina. I asked her if she wouldn't mind keeping me in the loop. I want to make sure Maddie's okay. When she left this morning she told me her leg was okay, but she lied. She can barely walk and is in a ton of pain. Plus, her voice is basically gone. And then I upset her. I don't know... I'm worried about her. I just need to know she's okay."
"Well, what did Tina say?"
"Nothing. She hasn't responded yet." Steve checked his phone for what felt like the millionth time, hoping to see at least a text from Tina.
"And Pete?"
McGarrett let out a mix between a snort and a chuckle. "Yeah, but he was already mad at me and after this morning, I'm not holding my breath. Plus," he sighed. "My gut tells me he has his hands full with her."
"Well, let's try and figure out who's stalking Maddie. That will help things... What do you think about Raquel?" Danny asked hoping to take Steve's mind off how bad he'd messed up.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that she works next door," Steve answered.
"Me neither. I was hoping you thought differently."
"Yeah, I knew deep down whatever Mads was hiding was bad. And now these little pieces are telling me it is... Damn... I wanted it to be an open and shut case so I could get that stress off her," Steve angrily said.
"We'll figure it out," Danny assured his partner. "Let's go see if Chin and Kono found anything helpful."
As they entered headquarters Steve's phone chimed. He knew it wasn't Maddie because she had her own tone. Quickly pulling his phone from his pocket he opened the new message. "Tina," he whispered.
"What does it say?" Danny asked, curious.
The text said nothing, but instead was a picture. It was of Maddie sitting on a big, overstuffed couch barefoot. Her right leg was in a huge brace that went from the middle of her thigh to the middle of her calf and was elevated on the coffee table. On her lap was a plate of food. Tina had taken the picture just as she brought a fork full of chicken to her mouth. Steve smiled seeing she was safe, and that, yes, she'd been looked over by a doctor and she was eating. Knowing this caused some of his worry to dissipate. He quickly texted Tina back. Thanks, T.
"Are you gonna tell me what she said?" Danny loudly questioned interrupting his thoughts.
"It didn't say anything. Just a picture." Steve showed Danny his phone.
"Okay, there, you see she's safe. She's being taken care of. She saw a doctor. Do you feel any better?"
"A little," Steve admitted.
"Alright then, let's go find the asshole messing with her."
At 6pm Maddie was pulled from rehearsing the choreography to the new songs. The dancers, Lyle (her choreographer), and Maddie were in a meeting with wardrobe deciding on the new costumes that would be needed.
"How about this?" Sheila asked, holding up a sketch.
"That's perfect! Exactly what I envisioned." Maddie wrote down on the small dry erase board and held it up. She flashed a smile and gave a thumbs up as she sat on the couch in her dressing room. Her knee was in a different brace. This one was attached to a small machine filled with ice water beside her. It was continuously pumping it through the brace. You would never have guessed she was in Hawaii by her attire. Besides her leggings and thick, white socks she wore a tank top under a long sleeved, thermal shirt. On top of those, she wore her favorite, grey, cable knit, Vince boyfriend sweater. A royal purple, fleece blanket laid on her lap.
"Now, not only do we need these new costumes ready on Tuesday, but we need outfits similar to these-" Tina placed two different piles of sketches in front of the wardrobe team. "They are for two different filler videos. Because these new costume changes will take longer than thirty seconds, we need to make two segue videos to play while they are changing. This first one... everyone will be on roller skates, including Maddie. The second one is simple. It will be them dressed as themselves. Footage of Maddie and the dancers in lingerie will also be shot, but that's not for a video. It's just simple footage to be played behind them during a number. Clips will be thrown in here and there."
"Okay... well these shouldn't be too hard. When are the videos being shot?" Andre asked as he took notes on the sketches he'd just been handed.
"Tonight. Basically, as soon as they can be done," Tina informed them.
Andre, Sheila, and the other four people part of the wardrobe team eyed one another. "Okay, we'll get them done as soon as possible."
From her spot on the couch Maddie cleared her throat. "I really appreciate all your hard work on this you guys. I know these are crappy circumstances. Thank you," Maddie whispered.
"No talking unless you have to," Pete chastised.
"I needed to," she wrote, a smirk on her face as she held the board up to Pete.
"Alright, well, we need to get back out there and work on some changes for the second and third songs of the show. Let us know when you need us," Lyle said.
"Okay, we'll get right to work." Sheila and Andre stood and walked towards the door, the other four following them. They exited and walked a few doors down to a large room that had been turned into their working area.
"Alright, back to work." Lyle began unhooking Maddie from the brace and helped her stand. "How's it feeling?"
"Good, it feels good," Maddie lied. Yeah, good…right Maddie. More like it'd be less painful if someone cut it off! she thought as they walked back down the hall towards the stage.
Just as they were entering through the doorway that lead to the backstage area Maddie stopped and turned to Pete. She met his eyes, a knowing look on her face. "Oh, come on Mads? Aren't you working on old songs now?"
"We have to finish up one of the new ones and then we'll be working on the second and third songs in the show. So... come back in thirty minutes. 7pm," Lyle explained.
Pete was not happy. "Maddie... I promised him I wouldn't leave your side. And I've barely been with you at all today. I don't like it... and if I don't like it, you know he's REALLY not going to like it."
Maddie scowled at him. "Steve is not in charge of my life! He doesn't get a say!" she hissed.
"Talk to him... I know he's called you a couple times today. He's called me," Pete told her.
"So," she scowled.
"Talk to him," Pete demanded.
"No! He's not the boss of me and neither are you! I'll do what I want, when I want!" Maddie stubbornly said. Wow, I sounded twelve, she thought, but still turned and walked through the door leading to the backstage area. Lyle followed right behind leaving Pete standing with Tina.
"She's going to run herself into the ground because she wants to forget about what he said," Pete frowned.
"She'll get through this. It'll all be fine," Tina told him, placing her hand on his forearm. "I promise."
It was 11pm and Maddie, the dancers, backup singers, and band were still rehearsing. "What is wrong with you? Madeline, why aren't you getting these changes? This should be easy for you!" Lyle yelled at her through the microphone he was holding.
They'd been rehearsing the show's second and third numbers since 7pm. They were the same numbers they'd been performing the last few months, but with a lot of changes. A lot. And they were more difficult. Maddie and her dancers weren't rehearsing in full costume, but were wearing the shoes they'd be performing in. Maddie was in her 4.5-inch heeled boots and, because of the way the shoes fit, her wrap had been too bulky, so she'd taken it off. Her foot was killing her, and her knee was throbbing. The shot had made it so she was able to walk and dance, but it had only gotten rid of some of the pain. Her headache was ever present and her throat was worse. But as much discomfort as she was in, she didn't want to stop. If she did, she'd think about Steve and the whole mess she was in. So, she kept going.
"She's exhausted. We all are!" Ryan spoke up from his spot to her left. If she continues this way for the next 3 days, there won't be a show, he thought as he took in her tired stance. Plus, he'd danced with her long enough to tell she was babying her right foot.
"I'm sorry, but it can't be helped. There's a lot to do in a short amount of time. What's throwing you off about this change Maddie?" Lyle asked, trying to take a more sympathetic and understanding tone. He had worked with her for a long time and deeply cared for her. But, he'd been given strict instructions from the label about what they wanted changed. He knew she needed the time off, so he'd play the bad guy if he had to to make sure the show looked great and she'd get the vacation.
Maddie walked forward to where she'd set the dry erase board. She quickly wrote, "Nothing. I'll get it. Sorry," and held it up.
"Okay. Let's try this part again. Ronnie, start from the second chorus please!"
Ronnie counted the band off before they started the second chorus. Maddie didn't completely nail the part she was struggling with, but it was a lot better.
From his spot next to Lyle Pete kept his eyes on Maddie. She was looking more tired. I gotta get her home so she can sleep, he thought as Tina walked in and whispered something to Lyle.
When the song finished Lyle said, "Better, Maddie. It was sloppy, but definitely better. We're gonna take thirty. Wardrobe needs to do a quick fitting. If you're not needed, take the time to rest."
Sounds of happiness erupted as they rushed off before Lyle could change his mind. They all hurried to their respective dressing rooms.
Pete and Tina were immediately at Maddie's side as she came backstage, walking towards the hallway that lead to her dressing room.
"Want a lift?" he asked.
"No, I'm good," she told him, although there was part of her wanted to say yes.
Once in her dressing room, she immediately sat on the couch and pulled off her shoes, hissing in pain.
"Hurts?" Pete asked.
"Nothing I can't handle," she replied.
"Maybe Doc should look at it," Tina suggested.
"No, I'm okay. I promise. He already looked at it earlier today." Maddie slipped a pair of socks on to keep anyone from seeing how bad her foot looked and walked over to where her wardrobe team waited across the room.
"Here sweetie, slip this on," Sheila, a petite woman in boyfriend jeans and a white loose fitting t-shirt, said to her as she handed her a short dress.
"Thanks," Maddie replied as she stripped down to her underwear. Pete immediately turned his back, wanting to give her privacy.
Once in the costume, Sheila motioned for her to stand on a raised area in front of the three-way mirror. Standing up straight, Maddie laughed at Pete. "I'm dressed. Plus, you've seen me in my underwear before. Sometimes I'm even in underwear on stage."
He quickly turned around, but before he could say anything Tina said, "It's 11pm now. I know originally that was when you were supposed to be home, but there's a lot left to do. We need to shoot the filler videos tonight, so that they can be edited and ready in time for the show Wednesday. You can get some rest after we shoot though."
"No problem. I'm not tired. I'd prefer to just keep going," Maddie disclosed. "You're right, there's a lot to do."
Her statement concerned Pete. She'd be in worse shape than he brought her to Hawaii in if she kept going like this.
"Let's go over the details for the first video." Tina began recapping the first filler video. The one where she would be wearing the old-fashioned waitress uniform she was currently trying on.
"So, I'll shoot the whole thing in roller skates?" Maddie asked making sure she understood correctly.
"Yes."
"Okay, cool."
"There are just a couple minor alterations. I'll be done in twenty minutes," Sheila said as she pinned the waist of the dress. Once she was finished she unzipped the back and helped Maddie out of it.
Once again Pete became flustered seeing Maddie in her bra and underwear. "Pete, what is with you today?"
He immediately blushed. "It's just weird now."
"What? Why?" Maddie asked, confused.
"It's just with how things are between you and Steve. It feels weird to see his... well, whatever you are to him... in her underwear. It feels wrong."
"Pete, Steve and I are nothing but friends. Nothing's changed between us. It's the same as it's always been, so stop being weird," she said matter-of-factly. She slipped into her leggings and tank top before plopping down on the couch.
"Yeah, we both know that isn't true," Pete told her as he started fastening her right leg into the big brace and flipped on the ice water machine on the floor.
"He said it himself this morning. And last night. There's nothing going on between us." Maddie shivered as she finished, the brace making her cold.
"You can keep trying to lie to yourself, but we both know you wish he was sitting here with you right now," Pete told her as he grabbed the fleece blanket and covered her. "Rest for the remainder of the thirty minutes. We'll be outside." Pete motioned everyone out of the room, leaving Maddie in there alone.
Maddie's thoughts drifted to Steve. Pete was right. Even though she was mad at him. there was a part of her that wanted him with her right now. Desperate to get him out of her head, she threw the blanket to the side and unfastened the brace. She slipped her Nike's on and walked towards the door grabbing her high-heeled boots.
"What are you doing?" Pete asked as she exited her dressing room.
"I'm gonna rehearse the changes we were just working on. I wasn't quite getting them," Maddie announced as she walked by him.
He immediately followed, his eyes wide. "This is just the first day. You have three more jam packed days. You need rest. Make the most of your breaks."
Maddie didn't stop, she only continued towards the backstage entrance. "You worry too much. I'm fine! Plus, the whole reason this show is happening is because my last few shows were sloppy. I have to make sure that doesn't happen with this show or else I don't get my time off. Which means no one else does either. I can forgo sleep for a few days if it means this show is amazing." She quickly climbed the stairs leading to one of the stage entrances.
As Pete watched her rehearse he cursed Steve and his stupid mouth.
The team was tired and frustrated, having no real leads or any more information on who sent Maddie the text message, so Steve ordered everyone home at 10pm.
Normally he would have stayed late and worked, but he wanted to be at Maddie's when she got home. On his way to her house, he stopped by to see Kamekona who had made her her favorite. Steve had some groveling, and explaining, to do and he thought he better not go empty handed.
He'd gotten to her house around 10:40pm and after taking a quick shower he waited for her on the couch in the living room. However, 11pm rolled around and she wasn't home. He tried to tell himself that they'd probably run a little late and she'd be home by 12:30am, but deep down he had a feeling she would be a no show.
Having had a long few days, Steve dozed off around midnight. Worrying about her was exhausting, not to mention the first couple nights he'd barely slept having had to wake her up so frequently.
At 1am he woke and looked around the room. There was no sign she'd come home. "Damn it, Maddie... don't do this," he mumbled. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he called the familiar number. He rubbed his tired face as it rang. When he got her voicemail he shook his head and sighed both in frustration and irritation. "Maddie, it's 1am. You should have been home two hours ago. You need rest..." Steve paused, not knowing what else to say that he hadn't already said in the other two voicemails he'd left her that day. He didn't even know if she was listening to his messages. "Mads, for the millionth time... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
Steve decided he'd try calling Pete, hoping he would answer. His frustration mounted when he got Pete's voicemail, too. "Pete, I know you're probably pissed at me, but you have to let me know what's going on. Maddie should be home right now. She needs to sleep. Call me back and let me know what's going on. I need a damn update!" He hadn't meant to sound so irritated at the end, but he was frustrated. He hated being in the dark when it came to her.
Both physically and emotionally exhausted, Steve knew he needed to get some rest. If he was going to find out who was stalking her, he needed to be fully rested. Reluctantly he trudged upstairs and slowly stripped down to his boxers-briefs before climbing in her bed. Hopefully, she'll be home in a little while, he thought. Although he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, he fell asleep quickly.
Maddie was in hair and makeup when Michael Jackson's "Bad" filled the room. Just like the other times, she picked up her phone and watched it ring as she stared at the photo. Why won't he just leave me alone? she wondered. I need time.
"You going to get that, sweetie?" her makeup artist Nicole, more commonly known as Nikki, asked as she finished the final touches to her makeup.
Maddie shook her head slightly, making sure to not make her hairstylist, Lorali's, job more difficult.
"Why not?" Lorali asked.
"It's not important. I'll call them back later," Maddie whispered.
"Why do I get the feeling that you won't?" Nikki laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "I take it you're having man problems..."
"Something like that. But it's fine."
"Well, tell us about it. Maybe we can help," Lorali said.
"It really doesn't matter. There's nothing there. I just need to forget about it. But, thanks," she mumbled.
Nikki and Lorali looked at one another. They had both noticed Maddie hadn't been herself the last few months, but now she seemed to be even more withdrawn.
"Okay, you're good to go," Nikki said, setting down the makeup sponge she'd been using.
Maddie looked up and met Lorali's eyes in the mirror. "Hair's done, too. I'll give you a touch up right before you start filming."
"Me, too," Nikki added.
"Thanks, guys," Maddie whispered, flashing them a slight smile. "I'm gonna get dressed." Standing, she reached down and unhooked the knee brace, so she could walk without crutches.
"What can we do to help?" Lorali asked since she and Nikki were the only ones there.
"Um... I think just zip me up when it's time," Maddie responded as she slipped out of her black leggings.
Nikki helped her out of the sweater she had on, while Lorali helped pull her tank top over her head, stretching the neck in such a way that it wouldn't mess up her hair.
The two women grabbed the old-fashioned style pink waitress outfit and together brought it over her head and down her body. While Lorali straightened it Nikki zipped the back.
Lorali turned and grabbed the accessory Ziploc bag that was hanging from the hanger, opened it, and pulled out a pair of black fishnets. "Here sweetie."
Maddie sat in the makeup chair and began pulling them over her bare legs while Nikki grabbed the thick pink socks and brand new white roller skates with bright pink laces.
Once Maddie the stockings on she took the socks from Nikki and slipped them on. "I'll wait to put the skates on until we're ready to shoot," she told her.
"Yeah, probably a good call. Knowing you, you'll fall the second you stand in them," Nikki joked causing the three women to laugh.
"You speak the truth," Maddie whispered just as there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" Nikki yelled.
"How ya doin'?" Doc asked as he entered.
"Great," Maddie lied as she slowly walked to the couch.
"I can hear you've been talking. Your voice is getting worse," Doc said giving her a pointed look. "Mads, ya gotta trust me. Either write or type what you want to say. You're going to want to save your voice for Wednesday."
"Fine," she mouthed.
Doc sat beside her and looked at her knee. "Well, at least it's not more swollen. So, the ice and meds seem to be helping." He placed his hand on her forehead. "Fever seems to not be rising either. That's good news. How's the headache?"
"Same," Maddie mouthed.
"Any dizziness?" he asked.
Maddie shook her head. She'd experienced some dizziness at certain times when they'd been rehearsing choreography, but it hadn't been terrible. Mild enough that no one had noticed.
"Okay. Good. Let me see your foot. I want to check the cut." Doc reached for her foot, but Maddie pulled it away and avoided eye contact.
"I have my fishnets and socks on already. It's fine," she whispered.
"Talking!" he laughed. "Mads, you really think I don't know you well enough to know that the reason you don't want me looking at it is because it's worse. Let me see it," he demanded.
Reluctantly Maddie let him take her foot as she narrowed her eyes at him in a childlike way. Gently he pulled off the pink sock and looked through the fishnets. The biggest and deepest cut was starting to rip open and was significantly redder and inflamed. "Definitely worse... Did you not wrap it back up?"
"It wouldn't work with the shoes," Maddie answered.
"We would have altered the wrap to work in the shoes. Take the tights off and I'll wrap it. I want to put some antibiotic ointment on it."
Maddie pulled down her fishnets, slipping her right leg from them, but leaving her left in.
"This has to be really painful. Why didn't you say anything?" Doc asked. When she only shrugged in response, he continued, "Maddie, you have to speak up. I know you don't like complaining and worrying people, but telling someone you're in pain or not feeling well is NOT complaining." He grabbed some items from his bag next to him and began cleaning the cut. "This is bad. A lot worse. It's starting to get infected. You really need to keep this wrapped when you're dancing. It must have gotten sweat and bacteria in it."
Once he was done and she put her fishnets back on he noticed her unconsciously rub her knee. "When was the last time you ate anything?" he wondered.
"Lunch?" she whispered hesitantly, knowing he wasn't going to like that answer.
"That was twelve hours ago. It's after one in the morning! You have to be more on top of this."
Maddie nodded. It wasn't that she wasn't hungry, but that she had lost track of time. With all that had to get done, she'd been too focused on work.
"Alright, looks like you have a little time before you start filming, so back in the brace." Doc caught Maddie's eye roll and said, "I know, I know. But it's helping." Once he was done getting her into the brace she grabbed the fleece blanket to keep warm.
"I'm going to head back to my hotel for the night. After you eat, take a pain pill. I can tell you're really hurting. When you're done filming, go home and get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. But, if you need anything, call me and I'll come over."
"Thanks, Doc," Maddie croaked out.
"And for God's sake, STOP TALKING!" he chastised as he bent down and gave her a quick hug.
Just as he was opening the door to leave he heard the robotic voice say "Yes, sir!"
"Goodnight, Maddie," Doc laughed and closed the door behind him.
Maddie stood after putting on the white roller skates. Pete folded his arm and she slipped hers through it. She began to carefully skate towards the small set on one side of the large, high-ceilinged room. I can't remember the last time I was on skates, she thought to herself as she held tightly to Pete. The last thing she needed to do was fall.
"Alright, this shouldn't take long. Let's aim for a three a.m. wrap time on this first video," Jeffrey, the director, announced. Walking over to Maddie he made sure she was on her mark and knew what to do. He did the same with her dancers who were seated at small tables where a large green screen was set up behind them. Because of the time frame it was easier to build a bare bones set and use a green screen than to build an elaborate set. They'd input whatever background they needed using a computer.
"Alright, Maddie, skate through holding the trays of food. Let's get that first shot. Guys, you're all excited and loud. You're having fun!" Jeffrey turned to his director of photography (the guy in charge of the camera). "You ready, Michael?"
"Yeah."
"Okay... speeding... action!" Jeffrey yelled.
Maddie skated out looking like a pro, but as she came to the slight turn near the tables she suddenly had a bad feeling. My skates feel really weird, she thought. However, the thought came too late as her feet flew above her head and she came crashing to the floor straight on her tailbone. The trays and food flew in every direction.
It was as if it all happened in slow motion and although he tried to get to her before she hit the floor, Pete couldn't make it in time.
Pain shot through her body as it felt like her bones were breaking. Even though she'd hit her tailbone it was spreading through her arms and legs. "Ow," she mumbled.
Suddenly twenty crew members were coming towards her all asking if she was okay. More than anything she wanted to start sobbing, but she was already embarrassed she'd fallen the second they'd started filming. She couldn't cry in front of them, too.
Maddie tried to play it off as she chuckled and began trying to get up. However, she quickly realized she couldn't. The pain was too much.
"You okay?" Pete asked from his spot to her left. She met his eyes and sent him a look. He immediately understood she couldn't get up, but was too embarrassed to say anything. Carefully he slid his hands under her and picked her up. She swore she saw stars at the increased pain the movement caused, and it took everything she had to hold back the tears that so desperately wanted to fall.
"We'll be right back. I just want to make sure she's okay," Pete said as he walked out of the large room and down the hall to her dressing room. The second they stepped foot in the room Maddie started crying, feeling safe since it was just Pete and Tina.
"Talk to me, Mads," Pete said frantically. Because she was so clumsy, she was always hurting herself, but he'd never seen her cry like this.
"I just need a few minutes," she managed to say between sobs. Due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins, she was incredibly shaky.
"Let me call Doc," Pete said as he reached for his phone.
"No, let me finish filming this video and then we can call him," she mumbled.
"I think we should call him now."
"I agree with Pete, Mads," Tina said as she sat next to Maddie on the couch and began wiping her tears, trying to keep her makeup from running down her face.
"Just...give me a few minutes, guys," Maddie whispered.
Deciding he could at least give her time to get over the shock of falling, Pete asked, "What happened? How'd you fall?"
"I don't know. My skates started to feel weird and the next thing I knew I was flying through the air," she revealed.
"What?" Pete responded as he quickly unlaced her skates and pulled them from her feet. His stomach dropped as he began inspecting them. "Tina... where were these?"
"In wardrobe I think. Then they brought them over here. Why?" she answered, a look of confusion on her face.
"The wheels are missing screws. The wheels aren't secure. That's why she fell."
Suddenly Maddie felt like she was going to vomit as she realized exactly what had happened. This is his message to me, she thought. Fear took over as a thought popped into her head. Is he going to mess with Steve, too?
TO BE CONTINUED….