The Long Road (T-Rated Version)

by DivaLola

Steve thought his life was crazy before. Now that his childhood best friend Maddie is back in his life, will all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place? Will he solve the toughest & most personal case he & Five-O have ever had? Will he succeed before he loses her? Set in Season 2 & continues throughout the series. WARNING: stalking, mention of eating disorder.

27. Chapter 27 - This Isn't Good

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

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi guys! Here's a super long chapter for you. Originally, I wanted to have the remainder of her rehearsals in one chapter, but so much happens and I didn't want to rush through it. So, it will be in multiple chapters. I know you are anxious to see what happens with Steve and Maddie, but you're gonna have to wait.

I LOVE writing Maddie and Steve scenes and because he is off working the case while she is rehearsing there aren't any right now. I would have sped through these chapters and not been so detailed except that important things happen. So, just read them and know that A LOT of Maddie and Steve scenes are coming up. Especially when security leaves and he stays with her.

I wanted to let you know that after her big show and her team leaves her with Steve, you'll start to see the real Maddie start to come out. So, this scared, withdrawn, exhausted version of her is NOT who she really is, which is one of the big reasons Steve is so worried about her. He knows it would take something huge for her to be like this. She's normally independent, strong, stubborn, athletic, clumsy, funny, and really silly. I'm anxious to write the scenes where she is more like herself. Anyway, I just wanted to throw that in and make you aware of it.

A few notes...there's a room they all tend to hang out in at the arena. It's a huge room and can be entered from right outside where the crew parks. On the other end of the room is a hallway that leads further into the arena, including Maddie's dressing room and eventually to the stage. When writing, I'm referring to this room as the "main room of the arena". If you guys have any questions about this chapter or if you feel I'm not describing certain things well, please let me know. I'm always wanting to improve my writing.

Also, Maddie arrived in Hawaii on Thursday and in this chapter it's Monday. So, she hasn't been in Hawaii very long. Not even a week. Just something to keep in mind!

Like always, italics are thoughts. Now, here is a slight change. Anything that is in bold is either a text message or something Maddie has written on the small, dry erase board.

Well, I will shut up and let you get to it. ENJOY!

xoxo

DivaLola

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CHAPTER 27

Pete's heart pounded as he glanced around the room as subtly as possible, looking for anything out of place. He didn't want to scare Maddie or Tina, but his gut was churning. With nothing jumping out at him, he turned angry eyes on Maddie. She knows something, he thought. However, as he took her in, the anger dissipated and was replaced by worry. She laid on the couch in tears as Tina tried to soothe her, wiping her face to keep her makeup from running. He quickly walked to the refrigerator and poured a glass of milk. "Here, sit up Shorty," Pete calmly said. She did her best, but the movements only caused more pain making her cry harder. He handed the glass of milk to Tina and then carefully helped Maddie into somewhat of a sitting position. "When was the last time you took a pain pill?"

Maddie tried to push the pain away so she could think, but it was hard. "At least 12 hours ago."

"Drink this." He pointed to the milk Tina was holding. Quickly he grabbed a pill bottle off the coffee table. "Then take these. Doc said you could have up to two if the pain was really bad." He dumped two pills in his hand. "The milk should coat your stomach enough to keep the medicine from upsetting it."

Maddie's tears slowed as she nearly chugged the milk. Pete handed her the pills and she immediately finished the glass and took them. He sat in front of her, his butt on the edge of the coffee table. He placed his right hand on her left, uninjured knee and soothingly rubbed it while Tina sat next to her trying to comfort her.

What the hell is going on? How did someone get past security to the skates? Unless… is it someone on her team? No… if that were the case, she'd seem more afraid of the people closest to her, Pete thought, his mind flying from one possibility to another. Unless, she doesn't know who it is. Maybe she's only contacted by them. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He began running through the people closest to her, trying to remember anything odd that stuck out to him. Any unusual behavior, lingering looks sent her way. Anything. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind, but he'd keep thinking.

Pete sighed as Maddie started to calm down. Still sitting on the edge of the coffee table he brought his hand back from her knee. With his legs apart, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs as he clasped his hands together. He took a deep breath and began, "Mads?" She looked up, her eyes red and watery. "What's going on?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked as she wiped at fresh tears.

"Do you know who did this?" Pete questioned. He was shocked at how calm he appeared when anger was bubbling inside him.

"No, I don't," Maddie answered as she sniffled. It wasn't a lie. She didn't know who it was.

"What do you know?" Pete asked.

"I don't know anything about this, Pete. I don't know what's going on," Maddie seriously. Again, she wasn't really lying. She didn't know why her stalker was doing this. She only knew he existed, was sneaky, and wanted her to stay away from Steve. And not one you ignored without there being severe consequences.

He looked down at his locked hands. "Okay, well," He paused, looking back up at her. He didn't need to say it; she knew exactly what was going to come out of his mouth next. They both prepared themselves for the coming argument. "We have to call Steve."

"No! Absolutely not!" Maddie immediately countered.

"Yes. He needs to know what just happened." Pete was finding it difficult to remain calm. She's so damn stubborn! he cursed.

"No, he doesn't! He has a job, and this isn't it!" Maddie was getting angry. "Why does he need to know every single thing that happens?"

"He cares about you! If something happened to you," Pete paused and shook his head. "I don't even know what he'd do." Maddie glared at him, so he tried a different approach. "You're right, he has a job. And that job is protecting people. Solving crimes. Catching bad guys. You don't think this falls into any one of those categories? And, you know Five-O is working to find this guy."

"Why do you think they were tampered with? They could have just been a faulty pair of skates. You're jumping to conclusions!" Maddie exclaimed.

"You and I both know they weren't faulty. Someone messed with them, Mads." Silence filled the air as they stared each other down. After a minute, Pete reached in his pocket for his phone.

"Wait!" Maddie cried. He paused, waiting to see what she had to say. She looked to her right, closed her eyes, and let out a deep, shaky breath. "Don't call him. He's gonna be upset and then come down here." She turned to Pete, her eyes glassy with new, unshed tears. Tears from the pain in her heart. He and Tina watched the muscles in her face begin to twitch as she battled to keep her face from crumbling. Her bottom lip began to quiver as the emotions she'd been trying so hard to bury over the last twenty-four hours threatened to explode. "I just can't handle that right now. I don't want him here. Okay?"

"Maddie... he didn't mean it. He screwed up. You have to talk to him, it's eating away at you and you can't keep using work as a distraction. It's too much for you. You're already too run down and exhausted." Pete met her heartbroken eyes. "Shorty, he needs to know."

"I know. And I'll tell him. I'll tell him what happened." Both Pete and Tina's mirrored their relief. "But after the show Wednesday," Maddie added.

"Maddie," Pete mumbled, shaking his head.

"No. I just... I need a couple days to think things through before I have to see him."

"He didn't mean it."

"You guys keep telling me that, but that's not the first time he's said something along those lines. He's continuously making comments like that, so there must be some truth to them." She shrugged her shoulders, giving them a sad, heartbreaking smile.

"Don't give up on him, sweetie," Tina whispered. "He's just... being an idiot. He loves you."

"I know he does. As a friend." She paused, taking a moment to ensure that the emotions that were threatening to explode stayed in. "Look, I don't want to talk about it anymore." Maddie turned her head to look at Pete. "I'll tell him. After the show. I can only deal with one thing at a time right now and currently that's getting through this show." She paused, wiping her face. Suddenly she straightened and took a deep breath. "We have a video to shoot. But I'm pretty sure I need my makeup retouched. Can you send Nikki in?"

Tina looked to Pete. They shared a sad, knowing look before she stood and responded. "Sure thing, sweetie. I'll be right back." Tina walked left the dressing room, leaving Pete alone with Maddie.

"Steve really didn't mean it. He's just freaked out. Carl put him on the spot," Pete told her, hoping to get through to her.

"I think I saw another pair of skates. Pretty sure they sent over some extras. Can you go look? Make sure there's nothing wrong with them?" Maddie asked, ignoring his earlier statement.

Knowing that was her way of saying she would no longer be discussing Steve, he stood up and sighed. "Yeah, I'll go look. Stay here."

Finally alone, Maddie closed her eyes. I wish Steve were here right now. I need him, she thought. She loved how safe she felt with him, especially when he held her and in that moment, that's exactly what she both needed and wanted. No… you can't think like that. You can't rely on him for that comfort anymore. It'll only make this hurt more. Quickly she wiped at her face and exhaled a long, shaky breath. She stood, doing her best to ignore the intense pain in her lower back and down her legs. Her hand went to her head as she experienced an intense wave of dizziness. As she waited for it to pass she noticed her headache was a lot worse. Did I hit my head when I fell? She wondered, praying she hadn't. As she began walked to the makeup chair, she pushed all her feelings and emotions away, as if locking them in an imaginary box never to be opened again. She was tired of people adding their two cents about Steve, giving her false hope. Having them constantly tell her that he loved her when his actions said otherwise was only making things harder.

---

A few minutes later Pete returned with two pairs of skates. "You were right," he announced, flashing her a smile. She did her best to return it, but just couldn't find it within herself. His heart ached for her. Man, you screwed up, Steve, he thought.

Setting the skates on the couch, he approached Maddie. Standing next to her he cleared his throat. "We need to call Doc. I think he needs to check you out. Make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine. He'll be here in the morning anyway," Maddie whispered.

"No," Pete firmly replied. "I'm not taking no for an answer on this. Your wellbeing and safety are in my hands, and since you won't let me call Steve, Doc WILL be called. Unless you want to change your mind about Steve."

She shot him an angry, irritated look.

"That's what I thought," Pete smirked.

"Fine, call Doc... BUT, not until after we shoot the videos. We need to get them done."

"You're so damn stubborn!" Pete exclaimed.

"And you're just discovering this?" Maddie smiled.

Pete shook his head as he attempted to look angry, but as hard as he tried he couldn't when she smiled like that.

---

As a teenager he'd hated his physical appearance. He wasn't good-looking, the guy all the girls fawned over. The guy that caused them to melt at a simple hello or a lazy smile. However, he wasn't ugly either. He wasn't the awkward, uncoordinated guy with acne so bad that his face was just one big pimple. The guy who was tortured in high school. The one that was taped to the flag pole butt naked or was jammed in lockers on a daily basis. Basically, everyone's punching bag. The source of cruel entertainment at that age. Instead, he was average. The guy no one ever noticed until he was in your face talking to you. And even then you could have sworn it was the first time you'd spoken to him, when in reality it was the tenth. He had been that guy, not easily noticed and easily forgettable. Invisible. And he'd always hated it. That is until he joined the Navy.

It was there that he learned the benefits of being "nothing special". His physical appearance allowed him to stand or walk right next to a "bad guy" and catch everything they were saying without being discovered. He could be in and out of an enemy's location without them ever noticing. He could have someone under surveillance and even be seen by them more than once, but never caught. All because he was forgettable. Well, disguising himself in certain situations definitely helped, too.

Of course, the deeper and higher up he got in the Navy, the more he learned. And not just from them, but from enemies as well. He'd always been a sponge; soaking up any and everything he could learn, no matter the source.

So, yes, it had taken years to accept that physically he was nothing special. And even then it still bothered him sometimes. Mostly when a woman was involved. However, as he slowly exited the main room of the arena he smiled to himself, as this was not one of those times. In fact, it was a moment where he found himself proud of his ability to blend in and be forgettable.

He laughed as he drove out of the parking lot. He turned left, making sure to take the exact same route he'd taken every time he'd been there the last several days. "This is too easy," he said to himself.

He knew how great he was at this, but a small part of him still couldn't believe neither Pete nor Maddie had recognized him. Sure, he was in a great disguise, but still!

He parked the dark green Toyota Highlander next to a red minivan in the busy mall parking lot. He climbed out and entered the mall. While he walked to the other end he was sure to keep his face hidden from cameras. Steve wouldn't have recognized him if he had, but he didn't want Five-O to figure out why he was there. Which was why as he neared the east side of the mall, he disappeared down an employee only hallway. There were no cameras down this particular hallway, so he was in the clear. He exited near a couple dumpsters and walked the short distance to his black truck.

Once inside, he pulled the thick driving gloves from his hands and the dark, brown-haired wig from his head before reaching into his glove box for the travel pack of face cleansing wipes he kept there. As he intensely eyed his surroundings for anyone watching, he used a wipe on his face and neck, removing the majority of the makeup he'd used to disguise his skin tone. After a few minutes he looked in the rearview mirror and was satisfied with his appearance. As he started his truck he grabbed his baseball hat from the passenger seat.

Leaving the mall parking lot he remembered how beautiful Maddie had looked when she'd come out to shoot the video. He'd stood near Lyle watching as the director yelled action. Seconds later she'd come crashing down on her tailbone. Testing out his disguise, he'd rushed to her. He laughed, recalling how he'd even asked her if she was okay. She'd looked right at him, smiled, and nodded without realizing who he was.

Although she was doing her best to be stoic he could tell how much pain she was in. He definitely felt bad. It wasn't easy hurting the woman you loved, your soulmate. But, he did what he had to do. He had been extremely clear, she was to have no contact with McGarrett. Of course, he knew it wasn't her fault that she was in Hawaii. But she'd snuggled with him, she'd kissed him, she'd cried over him. Those were the reasons she was being punished. The fact she was in Hawaii, that was all Pete. Yes, Steve had helped, but Pete had planned it. And he was being punished for that.

He was great at his job, Steve had chosen wisely. He wouldn't have hired just anyone as Maddie's head of security. She meant too much to him and Pete knew that. He'd always thought so highly of Steve, in awe of his talents and abilities, but more than that he was a good person. Always doing what was right, doing what he could to help others whether it put his life in danger or not. He was someone you wanted on your side. Someone you wanted as a friend. Pete looked up to Steve. It was as simple as that. Well, that and he'd saved Pete's life more than once. So, when McGarrett had put him in charge of Maddie's safety he swore he'd never let anything happen to her, and he'd meant it. He took the job incredibly seriously. So, he knew the best way to punish Pete was to get to Maddie when he was watching her. He knew it would make him feel like a failure, like he'd let Steve down. "Mission accomplished," he snickered to himself, as he pulled in to the house he'd bought a little less than a year before.

He immediately made his way to his bathroom, smiling maniacally at his reflection. "You're a genius," he complimented himself before pulling the green colored contacts from his brown eyes. He then proceeded to wash his face and neck thoroughly, wanting to be sure he was completely rid of the makeup he'd been wearing.

Once finished, he dried his face on a nearby towel before heading to the kitchen. As he grabbed an early breakfast he thought of how fun it would be to see the famous Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett struggle on a case. But what put the extra spring in his step was that of all the cases it could be, it was protecting Maddie. Now that, he knew would destroy him.

---

It didn't take a genius to see how much pain Maddie was in. Every movement seemed slower and forced. She was doing her best to hide the pain, but it was becoming harder and harder.

As soon as they'd begun filming the second filler video, Pete glanced at his watch. 4am, he thought. Well, at least he got some sleep. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Doc.

---

"What the hell happened?" Doc asked Pete when he arrived. When he'd called, Pete had only told him that she'd taken a bad fall and that he should come down.

As they watched Maddie film, Pete recounted the early morning's events. When he was finished Doc was confused. "So, you think someone messed with her skates?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Did you call the police? Or... isn't Steve the police?" Doc asked.

"Maddie won't let me tell Steve. She said she'll tell him after the show Wednesday," Pete sighed.

"What? Why?"

"He upset her yesterday morning when we were leaving the house," Pete answered. "Plus, she doesn't want him worrying about her."

"What do you mean? How so?" Doc hadn't had a chance to ask Pete about Steve yesterday, so he had no idea what was going on. After Pete and Tina had filled him in on the last few days, he said, "I can't wait to meet him."

"Meet who?" came Maddie's raspy voice. Pete and Doc whipped around to see Maddie and Mo, with Carl and Frank nearby.

"Hey, Mads," Doc said. "Heard about what happened."

"You done filming?" Pete asked.

She nodded, as she leaned into Mo, the exhaustion and pain becoming too much. Plus, the pain pills Pete had given her were making her sleepy.

"You have a headache?" Doc asked as he noticed her rub her head.

"A little," she lied. In reality, her head was pounding. All she wanted to do was curl up and sleep. She leaned further into Mo as her eyes fluttered closed. Feeling her begin to relax, Mo quickly picked her up, not wanting her to fall asleep and fall.

"I wanna check her over," Doc said.

---

Upon entering her dressing room, Mo lowered Maddie to the couch. "One of you stay outside the door, the other two... grab a quick nap while you can," Pete instructed Mo, Carl, and Frank.

"I'll stay at the door. I grabbed a nap not too long ago," Frank replied as they walked to the door.

Tina sat in one of the big armchairs next to the couch Maddie was laying on. She wanted to stay out of Doc's way as he examined her, but also wanted to stay close in case she was needed. Pete sat on the end of the coffee table across from Tina. "T," his voice was quiet. "I want you to go get some rest on the pullout bed in the other room."

"Oh, I'm fine," Tina told him.

"You're exhausted, Tina. When was the last time you got any rest?" Pete asked.

She smiled at his concern. "I'm fine, Pete. Maddie needs me."

"You're right, she does. Which is exactly why you're gonna get some sleep. There's nothing you can do for her right now. I'll stay with her. Doc and I both will."

"Pe-" Tina began to argue, but was interrupted by Doc.

"Was she this sleepy before she fell?" Doc asked.

Tina stood from the armchair. "No. I mean she was tired, but she wasn't acting like this," she answered. "Pete did give her two pain pills, though."

"Yeah, but those wouldn't make her sleepy like this. I'm worried she hit her head when she fell."

Panic filled Pete at the possibility. "Mads?" he softly said. She opened her eyes a crack and met his hazel ones. "Did you hit your head when you fell?"

She thought about it for a second, but gave up. Her head hurt too much. "Dunno. I definitely hit my butt though. Hurts like a son of a bitch," she smirked slightly as her eyes closed.

Pete smiled at her sense of humor. "Does your head hurt, Shorty?"

"Yeah, a little," Maddie lied, her eyes still closed.

Pete turned to Doc. "Wouldn't she know if she hit it?"

"If she hit it hard. But I think she hit it a little. But because of her concussion... a little is all she needs. She has the classic signs. She's tired and sluggish." He lifted her eyelids and flashed his pen light in them. She scrunched her face, moving it away from him. "And light is bothering her… I want an MRI of her head. Not to mention an x-ray of her tailbone. She's going to the emergency room."

"Nooo," Maddie mumbled from her spot on the couch. "Pete, tell him nooo."

"If you let me call Steve I will. If not, I agree with Doc."

"I hate you," she mumbled.

"I know," Pete chuckled, knowing she'd choose the ER over calling Steve.

"Let me help her change into something more comfortable," Tina said.

"Okay, we'll be outside," Doc informed her as the two men stood and left the dressing room.

While Tina helped Maddie change, Pete, Frank, and Doc stood outside the door waiting. Most of the crew had gone back to their hotels for some rest, so it was relatively quiet in the arena.

"I don't have privileges at the hospitals here," Doc stated.

"That's right... um... I'll call Malia." Pete pulled his cell from his pocket.

"Dr. Malia Waincroft?" Doc asked. "I spoke to her a few days ago, so it'll be nice to meet her."

Pete stood, listening to the phone ring. Finally, a sleepy, female voice answered. "Hello?"

"Malia. I'm so sorry for calling and waking you up," Pete expressed.

"Pete?" she asked as she fought the grogginess.

"Yeah."

"Is Maddie okay?" she immediately asked realizing it was the only reason Pete would be calling her this early

"She took a spill. Her doctor, Dr. Jonathon Warsten, is here. He wants her to get an x-ray and MRI, but he doesn't have privileges at any hospitals here."

"Yeah, I spoke to him the other day," Malia stated. "Okay, I'm on my way. Meet me at the emergency entrance to Straub Medical Center. It's only a couple blocks from the arena."

Suddenly Pete heard a groggy, male voice in the background. Chin, he inwardly cursed. "Malia, Steve doesn't know and she wants to keep it that way. We'll fill you in when we see you."

"Okay, I'll tell Chin not to say anything. See you in twenty."

"Bye," Pete said before hanging up. He turned to Doc. "We're good to go. I'll go grab Maddie. Frank, can you pull the car around?" After he nodded, Pete walked back into her dressing room. Maddie sat on the couch pulling on a pair of slouchy black boots. She looked up at Pete. "This is beyond unnecessary."

"I disagree." He picked up her brace. "You need to wear this. Do you need help putting it on?"

She rolled her eyes, hoping to get out of wearing the obnoxious thing. "I'll do-" However, Doc interrupted as he walked in.

"I got it," Doc said. While he helped her into the knee brace, Pete made his way to Tina, who was busy grabbing her purse and Maddie's and anything else either one was going to need. "You don't need that," he told her, and took her purse.

"Of course, I need my purse," she said, looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. "A woman doesn't go anywhere without her purse."

"I want you to stay here and get some rest," he whispered.

"I'm fine. I promise!"

"Tina, we still have three days to go. She needs you. We all need you. You can't keep going like this. I know you."

"Pete, I can take care of myself," Tina whispered angrily.

Pete sighed and took a step closer. "I know you can. I just-"

"You what?" she asked, suddenly aware of his close proximity.

"I need you to be rested. I can't be worrying about you and Maddie at the same time. We both know the only way for her to pull this show off is to just keep pushing through. There's so much to do that she doesn't really have the time to sleep. So please, don't fight me on this. Stay behind and get a couple hours sleep." Pete paused and hesitantly reached forward resting his hand on her upper arm. "You look exhausted."

Tina smiled, her stomach doing somersaults at his touch. "Are you trying to tell me that I look like shit, Peter?"

He couldn't keep from chuckling. Staring into her eyes he said, "You could never look like shit." He quickly turned and walked towards the couch leaving a shocked Tina behind. Did he just flirt with me? Tina wondered, as she stood frozen in place. After a second she snapped out of it. She put her purse down and finished gathering Maddie's things.

Maddie slowly stood, crying out as she did so. "Damn it! You don't realize how much you use your butt bone and butt muscles until you hurt them."

"Yeah, tailbone injuries are excruciatingly painful," Doc stated.

"Mads, let me carry you," Pete said.

"No, I got it. I'm a big girl," she responded as she swayed slightly. Hesitantly, Pete handed her the crutches inwardly cursing her stubbornness.

Just as she was about to place the crutches under her arms Tina approached with her hands full of clothing. "Here, Mads. You're gonna get cold." She wrapped a thin, black, knit infinity scarf around her neck.

"My favorite! What made you pack it in Hawaii?" Maddie smiled, a slight slur to her voice.

"I know how much you love it! And you wear it around the house all the time just to be snuggly," Tina answered. "Here, slip your arms in." She held Maddie's favorite big, grey, cable knit, Vince boyfriend sweater open. The one she practically lived in.

Maddie smiled again at her best friend and assistant as she slipped her arms into the sweater. Tina pulled it up and played with the scarf making sure she'd be warm enough. "Thanks, T. You're the best!" Maddie whispered as she leaned forward and hugged her. "What would I do without you?"

"I don't know. I can tell you that your life wouldn't be filled with nearly as much joy, that's for sure. Oh, and you'd be cold," Tina joked as they pulled out of the hug. "Now, be good, and don't drive Pete too crazy."

"Sure thing... mom," Maddie smirked.

"Alright, we gotta go," Pete said as Maddie took her crutches. He and Doc watched nervously as she fought to keep her eyelids from closing.

Just as the three were exiting the dressing room Tina called out. "Will you keep me posted?"

Pete stopped and turned to face her. "Of course. Now, you-" He pointed towards the door to the pullout couch. "Go get some rest."

"Okay." The two smiled at one another before Pete waved and exited the dressing room noticing that Jared was now at the door. "You don't have to stand out here. You can go sit inside if you want. Just don't fall asleep." He smiled at his co-worker and friend. "Oh, and by the way, Tina's in the other room sleeping." Jared nodded at his boss and entered the room.

---

Pete kept looking over at Maddie noticing she was slowing down. He watched her eyes flutter closed and had enough. Reading his mind Doc took her crutches as Pete picked her up.

"I can walk," Maddie mumbled, laying her head against his shoulder.

"I know you can. But let me give you a lift anyway."

Maddie didn't argue as he felt her relax. He thought she was almost asleep until she whispered, "Pete?"

"Yeah, Shorty?" he whispered back.

"No offense, but I wish you were Steve right now."

Pete pulled her closer at her statement. "I know you do." He looked down towards his right shoulder expecting to see her eyes closed, but instead they were open, tears threatening to fall. "None taken, by the way." She smirked at him. "Want me to call him?" he asked.

Maddie hesitated. Although she wanted him, she knew that in the end she would just end up hurt. She couldn't put herself in that position anymore. "No. Don't call him," she mumbled as they reached the car.

Pete said nothing as he set her in the backseat and slid in next to her. He placed his arm around Maddie and she leaned into him. "If you change your mind, Mads, just let me know," he whispered as Frank drove off into the early morning darkness.

With her eyes closed, she replied, "I know."

---

It was quarter to 5am by the time they arrived at the hospital. Frank pulled up to the emergency entrance where Malia and Chin were waiting. Chin stepped forward and opened the back passenger door and was greeted by Pete's smiling, but tired, face. "What can I do to help?" he asked taking in Maddie's sleeping form.

"I'm gonna pass her to you. She's out," Pete answered. Carefully he picked her up and turned in the direction of the open door. He froze when she moved around, which must have hurt because she groaned and scrunched her face in pain. He waited to see if she was going to wake, but when she didn't he exhaled a sigh of relief and handed her to Chin.

Holding her, Chin took a couple steps back from the car to give Pete room to get out. "How long has she been asleep?" Malia asked.

"Pretty much the entire car ride," Doc answered. "Dr. Jonathon Warsten," he introduced himself with a firm, but friendly handshake.

She took his hand, a bright smile on her face. "Dr. Malia Waincroft. Nice to put a face to the voice."

"You, too. Thanks for doing this, Doctor."

"Please, call me Malia. And of course! She's one of my best friends, Dr. Warsten."

"John, call me John."

"I'm Chin Ho Kelly. I'd shake your hand, but..." Chin looked down at Maddie in his arms.

"Nice to meet you, Chin."

Pete was leaning through the rolled down passenger window talking to Frank. After a minute he turned to the group as Frank went to park. "He'll meet us," he informed them right before his phone dinged. He quickly looked at the screen. Heads up, there's paparazzi. They're heading your way. Pete turned and looked around as he pulled off his grey zip-up hoodie. "Frank just texted. Paparazzi. They must've followed us from the venue. The last thing she needs is for this to get out to the press." Taking the hoodie, he gently laid it on her, effectively keeping her face and upper body hidden.

"Let's get her inside," Malia said as she began walking through the doors. "I already have a room ready. It's as far away from prying eyes as I could get. I pulled one of my best nurses from the floor. She won't say anything to anyone."

"Great, thank you so much, Malia," Pete said as he took in their surroundings. The Navy had trained him to always be aware of his environment, but whenever he was with Maddie he was even more so. After walking down the hall for several minutes, and passing some overly interested people, they followed Malia into an empty room.

"You can put her on the bed," she instructed.

"So what happened?" Malia asked.

Pete sighed. "Someone got to her."

"What? How?" Chin immediately questioned, his eyes wide. He could feel the sudden surge of anger and adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"I don't know. I mean, I have that venue locked down." Pete shook his head as he rubbed his hand across his face, obviously incredibly frustrated and bewildered.

"What do you mean someone got to her?" Malia asked as she looked for a good spot to insert an IV. Once she found a good vein she began cleaning the inside of Maddie's left forearm. Hoping this wouldn't wake her, she gave her a small shot of anesthetic. She froze when Maddie moved a little. Once she settled a middle-aged nurse wearing light blue scrubs handed Malia an IV needle. While she listened to Pete explain what happened, she inserted it in her friend's arm.

"Maddie's the clumsiest thing. Are you sure she didn't just fall?" Chin asked once Pete had finished explaining.

"Yeah. The wheels were missing some screws." Pete handed Chin a sealed bag.

Chin grabbed a pair of gloves from a dispenser on the wall and slipped them on before opening the bag and pulling the skates out. He studied them carefully. Finally he looked up and sighed. "Yeah, they've been tampered with."

"What the hell is going on?" Malia asked. "What did Maddie say?"

"She says she has no idea what's going on," Pete answered.

"And Steve doesn't know any of this?" Chin asked, already knowing the answer. If his boss was aware of what had happened he'd have rushed to Maddie and never left her side.

"She doesn't want him to know. But, we made a deal. She said she'll tell him after the show. She said... well, it doesn't matter. Just he doesn't know and she doesn't want him to," Pete explained.

"If anything else happens, call me. I'll come process the scene, so we don't lose any evidence," Chin said.

"Ow," Maddie mumbled.

"Sorry, sweetie," Malia apologized as she hooked a bag of fluid to the IV. "Figure this can't hurt. With all the rehearsing... and given how dehydrated you were when you first got here."

"It's okay," Maddie whispered as she rubbed her head and closed her eyes again.

"How's the headache?" Doc asked.

"I dunno. Same I guess," she mumbled, her eyes closed.

Malia pulled a pen light from her coat pocket. "Open your eyes... I'm sorry. It's gonna be bright."

While Malia shined the light in her blue eyes, Maddie said, "Sorry they woke you up for this. I told them I was fine."

"I'm glad they did. It was the smart thing to do." Finished with the test, Malia slipped the light back in her pocket. "Can you stand up? I want to see your tailbone."

Maddie groaned as she very slowly raised her head and got herself into a sitting position. She did her best to hide the terrible pain each and every movement, no matter how small, caused, but it didn't work. Once she was on the edge of the bed she sat, needing a short break from the pain. Finally, Maddie sighed heavily and carefully pushed herself into a standing position. As the intense pain shot from her tailbone down her legs she let out a gasp.

"Yeah, these injuries are really painful," Malia said. Lifting the back of Maddie's shirt she pushed on various spots of her lower back. "Tell me if it hurts." As her hands moved lower down her back and to the top of her butt, Maddie gasped.

"Ow."

"Okay." Malia stopped pushing and said, "Lean forward a little. But stop when it's painful."

Maddie looked at her like she'd just grown a second head before finally sighing and beginning to bend over. She had barely started when she had to stop, feeling pain in her lower back and legs.

"Okay. Let's x-ray it and pray it's not broken. While you're gone, you'll get an MRI of your head."

"While we're here we might as well check her knee, too," Doc added.

"Good thinking, John," Malia smiled.

Maddie looked up and over towards the right. For the first time she noticed the kind looking woman she'd never met before.

"I'm Maddie," she whispered, giving the woman a small smile.

"I'm Mary. Nice to meet you," the nurse replied, returning the smile. She walked forward pushing an empty wheelchair. "I'm going to take you to get your tests." Reaching Maddie, she helped her into the chair.

"One sec, I want to give you some pain meds. This should help the pain and help you sleep, which is the best medicine for an injury like this."

"She already had two pain pills," Pete told her.

"That's okay, she can still have this. It'll help a lot more than the pills." Malia carefully injected a syringe in the IV. "Also, you can't wear that in the MRI," she disclosed as she began loosening the brace from her friend's knee.

"Here, Shorty, put this on." Pete walked forward with his grey hoodie in his hands. He helped her out of her sweater and into the sweatshirt, then pulled the hood over her head. Maddie looked up at him sleepily and he chuckled at the sight of her drowning in his large sweatshirt. "It'll be perfect. Just keep your head down and no one should notice or realize who you are."

She nodded at him as her eyes started to close, the pain medicine taking effect. "You're the best, Petey," she slurred as her head drooped causing him to chuckle. Pete followed Mary as she wheeled Maddie into the hall.

---

Thanks to the pain medication she'd been given, Maddie slept through the tests. An hour later Pete returned to the room and placed her on the bed. Malia covered her with a warm blanket after Doc gently put her knee brace back on.

Noticing how tired Pete looked, Chin said, "Hey, I'll take over for a while. Go grab some sleep."

Pete hesitated as he glanced over at Maddie sleeping soundly. "There's an empty room right down the hall you can use," Malia disclosed.

Pete hesitated briefly, but he knew and trusted Chin, and more importantly, he knew Steve trusted Chin. "Okay, I could use a short nap," he finally agreed.

"Come on, I'll show you where to go." Pete stood and followed Malia to the door. Just as he was exiting he turned to get one last look at Maddie.

"Wow, you're almost as bad as Steve," Chin smirked.

Pete smiled. "He trusts me with the person most dear to him. I won't let him down."

Chin was touched at his statement. It is the truth. She means more to him than anyone, he thought. If only she'd really realize that. "I know, neither will I. I won't let anything happen to her," he promised as he sat in a chair next to Maddie's bed. Pete nodded before leaving.

As silence fell upon the room, Doc looked at Chin. "So, how do you know Steve?"

"I work with him. I knew his father. Also, I went to the same high school as both him and Mads. I'm a few years older though," Chin answered. He smiled at the thought of John McGarrett. Maddie was like a daughter to him and he knew ifhe were alive he'd be sitting next to her.

"I'm anxious to meet Steve. I've heard a lot about him over the years," Doc said.

Chin chuckled. "Yeah, you'll meet him Wednesday. And I'll warn you now... when he finds out what happened and he wasn't called-"

"He's going to be upset," Doc interrupted.

"That would be an understatement," Chin remarked, his eyes wide for effect.

"He's in love with her," Doc stated.

"Yeah, he's in love with her," Chin sighed. "If only he'd just figure it out."

"He will. I'm sure he will."

"Hopefully," Chin mumbled, praying he was right and that it wasn't too late.

The two were silent for a minute before Doc yawned. Rubbing his face he looked at his watch. "I'm gonna go find some coffee. Want any?"

"Actually, that would be great. Thank you."

"No problem. I'll be back," Doc said leaving the room and passing Frank who was stationed outside the door.

Chin took in Maddie's appearance as he watched her sleep. She looked tired. Steve should be the one here with her, he thought. I wonder what exactly he said or did? He was so lost in thought that her voice didn't immediately register.

"No," Maddie whispered.

Snapping out of it, Chin furrowed his brows as he noticed she was still asleep. Nightmare? he wondered. He'd heard she was having them, and that they were about Steve, but he hadn't actually witnessed one.

"Leave him alone," she mumbled as she began to toss a bit in her sleep. Feeling helpless, Chin sat on the bed and gently put his arm around her.

"Mads, wake up. It's okay," he whispered. Her face scrunched as tears slipped from her closed eyes, coursing down her pale face. She moved more as she softly cried, "No, don't hurt him. Leave him alone!"

Chin shook her lightly as he quietly said, "Wake up, Mads." Suddenly her eyes flew open and the intense fear he saw made his stomach turn. "You're okay. Steve's okay... it was just a nightmare." She clutched at Chin as she slowly came out of the hell she'd been trapped in. He tightened his hold on her, hoping it would help her feel safe.

"Steve... I want Steve," Maddie whispered, so quietly he almost missed it.

"I'll call him. Don't worry, he'll be here in minutes," he told her as he pulled his cell from his pocket, hoping and praying she wouldn't change her mind.

She remained quiet, as she wiped her eyes. "No, don't call him," she whispered just as he was about to hit 'call'.

"But you want him here and you know he'll come. He'd want to be here."

Maddie shrugged her shoulders, saying nothing. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. "Chin?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't let anything happen to him."

"I won't," Chin paused before continuing, "Maddie, I've never met someone more capable of... well, kicking ass. You don't have to worry about someone hurting him. Trust me. He can take care of himself. If you only knew the things he does." He smirked, thinking of the crazy things his boss had done.

God, I hope so, she thought.

Chin was just about to ask what had happened with the roller skates when the others walked in. "Good news, Maddie," Doc smiled enthusiastically.

Chin got up from the bed as Doc handed him a steaming cup of coffee. As he took the first sip, he returned to the chair next to Maddie's bed. He'd decided that if something was seriously wrong he was going to call Steve whether she liked it or not.

"You didn't break your tailbone!" Malia exclaimed happily.

"Well, that's good," Maddie whispered.

"It does look like you probably hit your head a little, which explains the headache and why you suddenly became so lethargic," Doc explained.

"Great," Maddie said sarcastically.

"You're okay. Just be careful. Definitely no acrobatics in the show. You want to be careful in rehearsals because you might experience more dizziness. So just be really aware. The last thing you want to happen is to faint and hit your head again. I mean this is the third time in four days. That's gotta be some kind of record."

"Well, at least we know my head is strong," she joked as she fought sleepiness.

"The knee," Doc began, his tone serious.

"That doesn't sound good," Maddie stated, forcing her eyes open.

"Yeah, you need to see a specialist after the sow. Malia has a friend and she's going to make you an appointment."

"Surgery?" Maddie asked, praying the answer would be no.

"Maybe," Doc responded as he gave her a sympathetic look. Maddie sighed, shaking her head. "Hey, don't get ahead of yourself. For now, we'll just keep doing what we're doing, keeping that brace and ice on it when you aren't in rehearsals. And then after the show, stay off it."

"Okay," she sighed.

"I want you to have some more of this fluid before you head out, so why don't you go ahead and go back to sleep," Malia suggested. "Sleep will help everything."

Maddie hesitated, afraid to return to the horrible nightmare. However, she really was exhausted. "Okay," she finally agreed as her eyes fluttered closed. She was only slightly aware that Chin had taken her hand and given it a squeeze.

As she slept Malia and Doc sat and discussed medicine while Chin stayed in the seat next to her bed holding her hand.

---

It was 8:30am by the time they had Maddie back at the arena. Craft services had a huge, delicious breakfast buffet set out in the main room and various members of her crew were sitting at the tables eating before the second day of rehearsals and show preparation began.

Although Maddie had only gotten a few hours of sleep, they had helped. She was still exhausted, but she felt like she'd at least be able to make it through the day. Her head was throbbing and every movement was excruciating thanks to her bruised tailbone. Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could do for the injury except give her ibuprofen and pain medicine. She'd just have to tough it out.

"Why don't you grab something to eat? It's a long day of rehearsals ahead of you," Pete suggested, walking beside her as she crutched into the main room.

"Okay," she answered.

Hearing the rough state of her voice, Doc said, "Mads, I know it's a pain, but you have to keep the talking to a minimum. Today's Monday. You don't have a lot of time left to get it rested and back to normal."

She knew he was right so she simply nodded in understanding. Catching sight of Ryan and some of the other dancers she nodded her head in their direction, letting Pete and Doc know that's where she was going.

"I'm gonna go check on Tina. Frank will stay with you," Pete informed her before walking towards the hall.

Cute! He's checking on Tina, she thought happily. She knew how her friend felt about her head of security. They'd be so cute together! But then... he's been spending time with that girl he met here in Hawaii. She inwardly grimaced at the thought of having to tell Tina. But she knew it was better she heard it from her as opposed to seeing them together without a heads up. However, she didn't think it was very serious. She was pretty sure he'd only seen her a few times.

Maddie nodded as she and Frank made their way to the large picnic table style seating. Frank helped her sit on the bench beside Ryan, not an easy feat with her leg unable to bend. "I'll grab you some food," Frank said. They were all with each other so much that they knew everyone's likes and dislikes, food included. "Be right back, Shorty."

"So, that was a serious fall. You okay?" Ryan asked, placing his arm around her shoulders.

Knowing she wasn't supposed to be talking she flashed him a forced smile and a thumbs up.

"You talk to Steve since you saw him yesterday?" Claire, another one of her dancers and best friends, asked from her spot across the table.

Maddie hesitated, feeling the intense ache in her chest at the mere mention of his name. She shook her head, a sad smile on her lips.

"Well, hunny, I would be upset, too. I mean, talk about mixed signals." Claire reached out and briefly grasped her longtime friend's hand in support.

Maddie's attention was pulled at the sound of a familiar male voice. "Maddie, I've been looking for you."

She didn't even have to look to know who it was. She rolled her eyes and dropped her head, obviously not happy. As he approached she lifted her head and plastered a smile to her face. She turned to look at him. "George," Maddie whispered, coming face to face with her tour manager.

"I got in early this morning and came straight over. Why weren't you here? You should've been rehearsing all night. There's so much to do!"

Ryan was doing all he could to not lose it. Maddie had been slowly breaking down the last few months and instead of stepping in and giving her some time off, like he should have, George had pushed her harder. He figured since she wasn't sleeping she might as well busy herself. Ryan was suddenly filled with worry wondering how hard George was going to push her over the next few days. What concerned him the most was that he knew she would go along with it, just like she'd been doing for months. Say something, step in, Ryan told himself. He cared too much about Maddie to see her work herself into the hospital. "She hurt herself last night. She was getting checked out," he snapped.

Hearing his tone, Maddie inconspicuously and gently placed her hand on his leg hoping to calm him.

"Oh, are you okay? Why wasn't I notified?" George asked.

"She's fine. Just needs to get as much rest as possible," Doc answered, hearing the conversation as he walked up to the table with his breakfast.

"Hi, John," George greeted.

"George," Doc nodded, his tone slightly cold. The people closest to Maddie couldn't stand George because of how he'd encouraged her to not care of herself the last few months. Especially the last month. It had been the worst. "Oh, and she needs to keep the talking to a minimum because she's pretty much lost her voice. Lack of sleep and being overworked will do that to a person."

Maddie sighed and closed her eyes at Doc's comment. What is with them? I'm a grown woman! I can take care of myself, she thought.

George ignored his last comment and turned to Maddie. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. As I'm sure Tina's told you, you've got a long day ahead of you. Now, I've taken care of a lot of things, but there are a few questions I have," George began, however was interrupted by Frank.

"Here ya go, Mads," Frank said as he set a plate of food in front of her.

"Thank you," she mouthed as he sat to her right with his own breakfast.

"Why don't you let her finish breakfast before you pull her away," Doc suggested.

George sighed. He hated when Doc was around because he interfered with business. She had work to do. She had a busy life. He was just doing his job. "Okay, sure. When you're done with your wardrobe fitting, I'll run everything by you."

Maddie nodded and gave him a small smile.

"You look great by the way! Best you've looked in years!"

His statement infuriated Doc. "Really? She looks tired!"

"Doc," Maddie said, her tone warning. "Thanks, George. I'll see you in a bit."

He smiled at her before hurrying off, a clipboard in hand filled with tasks that needed to be completed.

"I can't believe you guys," Maddie mumbled once he was gone, picking her up fork. "I'm not a child. I can take care of myself."

Ryan began to open his mouth to argue, but the look she sent him changed his mind.

While everyone chatted around her, Maddie remained silent. She listened and contributed what she could mouth. This is a pain in the ass, she thought.

Pete and Tina interrupted her thoughts as they joined with their own breakfast. "How ya feeling, Mads?" Tina asked. While taking a sip of orange juice, she used her other hand to give a thumbs up. "Ah," Tina smirked. "Finally got in trouble for talking?" Maddie's only response was a roll of the eyes before setting her fork down, signaling she was finished. Pete eyed her plate noticing she'd only eaten a quarter of it.

While Maddie sat waited for them to be finished, she stopped listening to the conversations around her as her mind wandered. She was so deep in thought that even when they laughed hysterically, and loudly, she didn't notice. What am I going to say to Steve? How am I going to deal with this? She debated her options as she stared off into space. I'm just going to have to pretend like everything's fine. That I'm not upset. That I have no idea why he would even think I would be, she decided. She sighed loudly at the thought. You're just going to have to act normal, Maddie.

Pete had been watching her zone out and wondered what she was thinking about. She hadn't even noticed they were finished eating. Clearing his throat loudly in hopes of getting her attention, he said, "Okay, well... you ready, Mads?" It took her a second to look over at him, but she finally did. At her nod and forced smile he said, "Great!" Pete stood and walked around the table to help her up.

"You have a quick wardrobe fitting. Then rehearsal," Tina informed her.

---

Steve had woken early, not able to sleep well. It was hard sleeping in her bed without her. The only comfort was that it smelled like her, but at the same time it made him miss her even more.

As he walked into headquarters he took note of the time. It wasn't even 7am. He knew he'd be the only one there this early, but he didn't care. He just needed to busy himself, keep his mind occupied so he wouldn't think about Maddie and what an idiot he was.

Steve was holed up in his office going over everything they'd found out about Walter Seasius and his girlfriend, which wasn't much. He hoped that if he just kept going over the information things would start to make sense and he'd know what to do next, how to find Maddie's stalker. He was so focused that he didn't notice when Chin had arrived until there was a knock on his door. He looked up to see his coworker and friend standing in the doorway, and motioned him in.

"Figured you'd be here this early. Thought you might need this," Chin stated, handing him a steaming cup of fresh coffee.

"Thanks, Chin," Steve said, taking the cup.

Looking down at his desk Chin noticed the Walter Seasius file open in front of him. "Find anything?"

Steve sighed, rubbing his hand across his face before resting his chin on his fist. "No," he answered. "I keep hoping to see something that we missed." He paused, shaking his head. "I mean, there has to be something we're missing. None of this makes any sense. Why would someone break into the car in the middle of the day right in front of a restaurant? And a jacket? Why steal a jacket? It's like they were just taking things to take them. Not because they actually wanted them. I'm wondering," Steve stopped, not wanting to even voice his thoughts.

"What? What are you thinking?" Chin asked, interested to hear his boss' ideas. He took a seat in the chair across from Steve's.

"I'm wondering if what they were after wasn't in the car. I just don't think it was a coincidence that his girlfriend works next door at the District Attorney's office."

"I agree."

"I mean, from what I've been able to figure out from Maddie's behavior... she's scared. She's scared for herself, but that's not what's getting to her. I think she's scared for me. Why? I don't know. I mean, I don't think Wo Fat would go through Maddie to threaten me. At least not like this. He'd just come right for me or for her. He wouldn't terrorize her for months," Steve said, thinking out loud.

"I agree. This isn't Wo Fat. It's not his style," Chin voiced.

"I know her nightmares are about me-"

"Yeah, they definitely are," Chin interrupted, remembering the nightmare she'd had only a couple hours earlier.

Steve looked up, his brow furrowed. "You've seen her have a nightmare?"

Oh crap, he thought. Chin hated lying to him.

"Chin?" Steve asked.

Sighing, he decided to go with the truth, but lie about the circumstances. "Yeah."

"When?"

"The other night when you left. I got up to use the restroom and checked on her. She was tossing and turning and talking in her sleep. I woke her and it was obvious it was about you."

"Oh," Steve said, his voice quieter than it had been. "I knew she'd had a nightmare that night, but I didn't know you'd been there... Thanks for being there for her." He gave his friend a quick, sad smile. Chin nodded, feeling even worse for lying not only to his boss, but his friend.

It took Steve a moment to regain his previous train of thought. "Anyway... if I somehow have something to do with what's going on then it's definitely not a coincidence that Raquel Linney works next door... What do you think?"

"Yeah, I agree and I gotta tell you... I don't have a good feeling about whatever's going on," Chin admitted. "The more we uncover, or don't uncover, the worse the feeling gets."

The two men were silent as they thought over everything they knew, which wasn't a lot. It was just random pieces of information. "We have to be missing something," Steve growled, his frustration evident.

"We'll figure it out. I know we will," Chin said.

"Yeah, but before Maddie gets hurt? What if they go after her? And how am I supposed to keep her safe when she wants nothing to do with me right now?" Steve asked.

Chin immediately felt guilty for what he knew. She's already gotten hurt, he thought, remembering the roller skates he'd just locked in the bottom drawer of his desk. He should know about what happened last night. He'd already decided if Maddie didn't tell him after the show like she promised, he would do it. "You'll fix whatever's going on between you two," Chin assured his friend.

"I hope so," Steve whispered. The look in her eyes flashed in his head. Every time he saw that wounded look, he felt nauseous. Glancing down at his desk he caught a look at his watch out of the corner of his eye. It's early, he thought. Looking up to Chin he asked, "What are you doing here so early?"

"Malia got called into the hospital and it woke me up. Figured I'd just come in early," Chin answered, telling him a half-truth.

Steve nodded in understanding. "I'm gonna wait an hour and then go talk to Raquel Linney again. Maybe she's remembered something since we spoke to her yesterday."

"Sounds good," Chin agreed. "I'll leave you to it." He motioned to the Seasius file in front of Steve as he stood. "I'm gonna check my office voicemail. I left a couple messages for different people in Walter's life. I just want to be sure he's as squeaky clean as he's coming up. Make sure he doesn't have some secret, crazy obsession with Maddie."

"Good call," Steve said. "I left Pete a message yesterday asking for all her fan mail. He texted saying he was having it next day aired. I thought maybe whoever this is might have written her letters."

"Great!" Chin replied.

"Let me know if you find anything out."

"Of course," Chin said as he exited the large, spacious office.

---

It was 9:30am and Maddie had finished her quick wardrobe fitting and met with George. She was sitting on the couch alone in her dressing room waiting for Lyle, the band, and dancers to be ready for their 10am rehearsal. She really didn't mind waiting. It gave her time to be alone, no prying eyes or worrying stares sent her way. She thought back to the previous night's incident. There's no doubt in my mind that was him warning me, she thought. Grabbing her purse off the coffee table, she dug around inside. First she pulled her iPhone out and set it next to her. She reached her hand back inside the black, Balenciaga bag and opened a secret pocket she'd made. Inside was the burner phone her stalker had left her four months ago. I really hope there's no message threatening Steve. With her eyes closed, she sent up a silent prayer. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and hit a button, making the screen come alive. Maddie let out a huge sigh of relief at the empty screen. There were no new messages. However, the more she thought about it, the more nervous she became. He doesn't have to send me a threatening message to hurt Steve. He could just hurt him without warning. Maddie glanced around the empty room as she chewed on her bottom lip, picking at the skin with her teeth. I would know if he wasn't okay, right? I mean someone would tell me. The more she thought about it the more upset she became. She knew if she didn't find out for sure that Steve was unharmed she would never be able to focus.

Sighing, Maddie picked up her iPhone and went to her favorites. She thought about calling Steve, but knew that would just open a can of worms. Not to mention she wasn't ready to talk to him. Knowing just the right person to call, she hit the fourth name on the list, right below Pete and Tina.

Maddie brought the phone to her ear as it rang. Finally, a familiar voice answered. "Hello?"

---

Steve, Danny, Chin, Kono, and Lori were having a morning meeting at the "smart table", recapping what they'd discovered so far. Lori hadn't been in the day before, so she needed to be brought up to speed. She'd had lunch plans the day before and then taken the rest of the day to decide her course of action with Steve. Even though he hadn't said it, she knew Maddie was the reason he'd decided not to pursue anything with her. Her hope was that if they found Maddie's stalker then she would resume her world tour, and then the two friends would realize they were just that, friends.

"So, although the text came from Walter Seasius' cell phone, his story seems to check out. His car was broken into earlier that day and his phone was one of the items stolen. It's all in the police report," Steve finished explaining.

"Okay." Lori was quiet as she digested the information. "Have we checked to see if we can get a current location on the phone?"

"Charlie tried yesterday. It was off," Danny responded. "But, I'll make sure he keeps trying. Maybe whoever took the phone will be a dumbass and use it again."

"I'm still waiting to hear back from three people close to Walter to make sure he doesn't have some weird obsession with Mads. However, I did hear back from his sister, Chloe, who lives in Vermont. She said that she's never heard him bring Maddie's name up. And they're close, so she said she would know."

"Great," Steve mumbled, frustrated they weren't getting any closer to figuring out what was going on. "I'm gonna g-," he began but was interrupted by one of Maddie's most current singles playing from Kono's cell phone.

Knowing exactly who it was, Kono sheepishly grabbed her phone from her pocket. "Sorry guys, I have to get this. " She briefly glanced at Steve as she brought the phone to her ear.

Steve knew it was Maddie without Kono having to say anything. The look on her face as she met his eyes gave it away. He couldn't help feeling disappointed that she wouldn't call him back.

"Hello?" Kono answered, all eyes on her.

"Hey," Mads greeted, her voice no more than a whisper.

"Why are you whispering? Where are you?" Kono asked.

"Just my voice. Losing it," Maddie explained in as few words as possible, knowing she wasn't supposed to be talking.

"Bummer. How ya gonna perform with it like that?"

"I have my ways," Maddie answered cryptically.

"Do I even want to know your ways?" she asked apprehensively.

Maddie smirked. "Probably not... Anyway, I was hoping you could do me a favor."

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" As Kono spoke she looked down at her hands resting on the edge of the smart table.

"Um... can you just let me know Steve's okay. Please don't ask me why."

Immediately Kono appeared uncomfortable as she began fidgeting with clothes. The rest of the team picked up on her odd behavior and began watching and listening more carefully.

Kono wanted to tell her he was, but then Steve would know what she was asking and she knew Maddie well enough to know that she didn't want him to. She also knew her friend didn't even want him knowing she was on the phone. Too late for that, she thought. "Umm... yeah," Kono paused, avoiding eye contact with her boss. "He's okay, Mads."

She'd know if she'd just call me back, Steve thought knowing she was asking about him.

"No, I mean, physically. Nothing's happened to him, right?"

Kono froze at her friend's question, no longer fidgeting. What the hell aren't you telling us? she wondered. "Nope. Nothing." She wanted nothing more than to question her and ask her what was going on, but it wasn't the time. She'd see what she could find out the next time they had girl's night. They'd always been close, confiding in each other, so she hoped she'd let her in.

"Great, thanks, Kono," Maddie said, embarrassed about the next question she was about to ask. "Would you mind doing me another favor?"

Not knowing where this was going, Kono decided she better finish the call in her office. It was uncomfortable answering the last question in front of Steve. She wanted to be able to say what she needed and wanted. "Of course," she answered as she entered her office.

Steve's anxiety increased as Kono went to her office.

Maddie hesitated. "I wanna see for myself."

Wow, she's really worried something's gonna happen to him, she thought as she nibbled her lip. "Like a picture?"

"Yeah. If you don't mind."

"Of course. No problem. I'll wait for a good time to take one where it isn't weird."

"Great. Thanks so much, Kono... and thanks for not asking any questions," Maddie said honestly.

"You know they'll come later," Kono told her.

"I know. But, thanks. I really appreciate it... Anyway, I gotta go. Rehearsal starts at 10 and I need to get ready."

"Good luck! Be safe, and I'll see you Wednesday," Kono said.

"Definitely. Looking forward to it,"

Kono smiled at her friend. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Maddie declared. "Bye."

"Bye." As Kono pulled the phone away from her head, Steve entered. She didn't even have the phone in her pocket yet when the questions started.

"Is she okay? How'd she sound? Was something wrong?" Steve fired off. He had intended on playing it nonchalant, but the second the first question was out of his mouth, the worry and anxiety he'd been trying to keep bottled up exploded.

How does he not realize he's head over heels for her? she wondered as she grinned. "She's okay. Nothing was wrong. She sounded... tired. Her voice was almost gone."

"Yeah, it was pretty bad yesterday. What was she saying about 'her ways'?" he questioned.

Kono tried to recall that part of the conversation. "Oh," she began when she remembered. "Just that she would be fine to sing in the show. That she had ways."

Steve nodded, looking concerned. Damn... Hopefully she isn't taking what I think she is, he thought. Taking a deep breath he asked, "But she sounded okay?"

"Yeah, she did," Kono smiled.

Suddenly Chin popped his head in. "Everything okay?" The two nodded and followed him back to the smart table where Danny and Lori were waiting. "I'm gonna go to Jake's, the restaurant Walter and Raquel had lunch at Friday," Chin informed them.

"I know where that is. Good food!" Kono added.

"You wanna come with me? We can canvas the area after. Hopefully we'll get lucky and find some kind of cameras nearby."

"Yeah, sounds good!" Kono smiled.

"Great! I'm gonna walk next door and talk to Raquel again," Steve announced, forcing his focus back on the case. "Danny and Lori, why don't you go through traffic camera footage from around the time they were having lunch. Unfortunately we don't know the exact time of the break in, but we know that it was between 12:30pm and 2pm. I know we don't know what we're looking for, but maybe something'll jump out at you."

"Okay, will do," Danny responded before they all dispersed to their various tasks.

---

They'd been rehearsing the new numbers for the past hour. The lighting and special effects teams watched them, trying to get an idea of what they'd be doing on their end.

"Alright, guys. Take a forty-five minute break. I'm gonna talk to Chad and Derek," Lyle announced. "Mads, why don't you stay for a few minutes. I want to make sure we know exactly what you want."

Maddie nodded as she walked towards the edge of the stage. Lyle, who was standing on the arena floor, reached his hands up and helped her down from the five-foot tall stage. Hearing her suck air in as her feet made contact with the floor he asked, "You okay?"

She smiled at him, making an "A-Okay" symbol with her right hand.

"Good! Just let me know if something hurts." Maddie nodded at him. Nothing was going to take any of the pain from her injuries away right now, so it was pointless to tell him.

"It all looks great so far, Mads!" a tan, auburn haired man in his mid-thirties said.

"Thanks, Chad," she whispered. Chad had been the head of her lighting on tour for almost ten years. He was incredibly talented and creative, not to mention they worked extremely well together. The things he could do with light was amazing.

"The new songs rock!" the man standing next to Chad told her. He usually had a thick head of gorgeous, slightly wavy, dark brown hair, but while they'd been on tour he'd given himself a buzz cut.

"Thanks, Derek!" Maddie quietly replied. Derek was the head of special effects for her tour and, like Chad, had been with her for nearly ten years. She loved working with him because he was incredibly creative and innovative, always thinking up new ways to bring the show to another level. "They'll be even better once you guys work your magic."

"Speaking of which, do you have anything specific in mind?" Chad asked.

"In terms of lighting, I think we need to keep it pretty consistent with what we have."

"Similar patterns?" Chad asked, wanting to be sure he understood what she was saying.

"No, not so much. What's great about the concept of this tour is that every song and scene is completely different, which allows for so much more visually." Maddie paused wanting to be sure she was making sense. "I guess, what I mean by keep things consistent is that although each number is very different, the show still flows. Because these new songs have been added to the set list sporadically, we need to be sure that the show still flows. That it doesn't feel chopped up."

"I agree," Chad said.

"Perfect! So, really, that is my only note for you." Maddie looked to Derek as she cleared her throat, the talking making what little voice she had left cut out. "Now, special effects... I already told you a little bit about what I was thinking earlier with George. However, there's one thing I didn't mention. There's a new song that doesn't include any of the dancers, except Claire at the end. For this one, I want the stage on fire."

"No problem, we do that at the start of the show and a few other times," Derek told her.

"No, I want it to stay on fire." At the three men's shocked and confused looks she clarified. "At least, I want it to look like it is. I want it to look like I'm walking while surrounded by fire."

"For the entire song?" Derek questioned.

"Yes."

"Wow, it's a great idea... I don't know if I can pull it off for the show Wednesday," Derek told her.

"Well, can we try?" Maddie asked.

"Of course! I'll think on it and do some experimenting. I'll keep you posted."

"Great!" she smiled. "We've worked together for years now, so I trust you. You know what I like, and I know everything will look amazing!" She paused before adding, "Thank you guys so much! I know this time crunch is not ideal. I just really want you to know how much I appreciate your hard work."

"No problem!" Chad smiled.

"Anything for you!" Derek added.

"Great! Well, I'll let you guys get to it and I'll see you shortly. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be... well, I'll be living here for the next 48 hours," she joked. They all chuckled as she waved and headed backstage.

There were still thirty minutes left of the break and, to be honest, Maddie was looking forward to sitting down. She thought she was in pain before, but her tailbone injury was making everything worse. As she slowly walked down the hall she found herself once again wishing Steve was there.

Once alone and safe inside her dressing room she let a few tears slip from her eyes as she carefully sat on the couch. She laid her head on the armrest and stared off into space, Steve's words echoing in her head.

Maddie jumped as Tina walked in, startling her. She wiped at the few tears that had fallen, not wanting her friend to notice. "Hey, Mads! I wanted to go over today's schedule with you quickly. Of course, things might change here and there, but, for the most part, it's accurate."

Maddie nodded as Tina plopped beside her on the couch and began reading the schedule. "...So, then at 4pm Gracie's coming."

Maddie had asked Gracie if she wanted to be in part of the show. Of course, she had asked Rachel first to make sure it would be okay. Gracie had to learn her part, so she was coming in to rehearse her number with them.

The thought of seeing the young girl made her smile. She was just the distraction she needed. Maddie reached for the dry erase board and began writing and then passed it to Tina. You can pick her up. Take Frank and Carl with you. I can see Steve trying to bring her, I just… I don't want to see him yet.

Tina read the note and rubbed her friend's left upper arm. "I'm so sorry he hurt you, Maddie. I wish I could fix it." Maddie smiled at her best friend and grabbed her hand, giving it a light squeeze. "I'll call Rachel and work it all out. Don't worry, Steve won't be showing up."

---

"Steve said he'll be here any minute, but said to go ahead and order," Danny informed. The team had decided to meet up for lunch at Kamekona's.

"Hey, kid, what do you want? The usual?" Chin asked Kono. "You, too, Lori?"

"Yeah," the two female coworkers answered.

Chin nodded as he and Danny walked up to the window and ordered their food.

"So," Lori began. "How long have you known Maddie? You guys seem pretty close."

Kono smiled, thinking about how the two had met. "Four years. Maddie was close with Steve's family. They basically were her family. Whenever she was home she'd spend time with Steve's dad. He was partnered with Chin for a while, so that's how the two of them became close. When I blew out my knee I was in a dark place. Chin introduced us and she pulled me out of my funk. Honestly, she saved me."

"She sounds like a good friend," Lori stated. "Nice to have good girlfriends. Mine are all back home on the east coast."

"You can always give me a call," Kono smiled. She hadn't spent much time with Lori, so she hadn't made her mind up about her yet. However, she held some animosity towards her. It had hurt to return to Five-O after only being gone a couple weeks to discover she'd been replaced. Nowadays she noticed Steve sent Lori out in the field, but rarely her. She couldn't help but wonder if he trusted Lori more than her, that he was punishing her for not telling him about the job Fryer gave her.

"Funny you say that. I had actually talked to Maddie at the barbeque about maybe getting together. Maybe we can all do something sometime," Lori proposed. Not only was she trying to find out as much about Maddie as possible, but it was true, she did need girlfriends. She hadn't been on the island that long, but what little time she had, she'd spent it working. Plus, she didn't completely feel a part of the team yet, and decided she needed to make more of an effort.

"Yeah, sounds good," Kono told her. "Let's give Mads a little time to recuperate after the show though. She's gonna need it."

"Who's gonna need what?" Steve asked as he took a seat across from Kono.

"Maddie's gonna need some time to rest after the show," Kono replied.

Steve rolled his eyes as he sighed. "Yeah, she'll definitely need time. Why were you talking about that?"

"Oh, we were talking about us getting together."

Luckily Steve was able to hide the fact he was very uncomfortable with that idea. Lori and Maddie? That's not weird at all, he thought. "Sounds fun, but she's resting for at least a week when she's done," he stated, his tone authoritative.

Kono laughed. "Are you going to be the one that makes sure she does that?"

"Yes," he answered.

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Kono smirked. Maddie could be incredibly stubborn, much like him. "You heard the stories Pete told."

"She'll listen to me. And if she doesn't, I'll just make her," he answered nonchalantly.

Kono started laughing. "You're delusional."

Steve shot her a look. "Plus, you heard Pete, she hasn't pulled anything like that in months."

"But that was before you did whatever stupid thing you did to upset her," Kono said, her eyebrows raised in a questioning manner.

"Why do you think I did something?" Steve asked, playing dumb.

"Her call today for one. And you're behavior."

"We're fine," he lied.

"Whatever you say," Kono sang just as Danny and Chin approached the table.

"Here ya go, babe." Danny set a plate in front of Steve. As he walked around to sit next to him Lori casually scooted over, closing the gap so she was now next to Steve. Although she tried to be nonchalant about it everyone noticed. Chin caught Steve's eye as he sat across from him.

"So, did you find anything out at the restaurant?" Steve asked in between bites.

"No. No one saw anything. Whoever broke into the car must've been a pro. To do it in complete daylight AND at lunchtime AND no one saw anything? That takes some balls and some real skills," Kono answered.

"Great," Steve mumbled sarcastically. "Just what I wanted to hear."

"Wait," Chin said. "We canvassed the area and there's a bank on the same side of the street. They are sending the footage from Friday between 12:30pm and 2pm. We're hoping our guy walked that way. Maybe we'll get him on camera."

"I doubt it," Lori said, earning her questioning looks. "If I was making a profile for this suspect I'd tell you that he's incredibly intelligent. This might not be his first time at this. He knows what to do to avoid any attention. He would have known about that bank. His actions are all planned. Nothing is spontaneous." She paused, not wanting to say what she knew she had to.

"What is it?" Danny asked.

Lori glanced at her food, avoiding eye contact with the team, as she thought about how best to phrase it. Looking back up she turned her head to the left and met Steve's eyes. "This is the worst kind of stalker. I'm sorry, Steve."

"I know," he whispered, closing his eyes. "I knew the other day when she called me crying, but wouldn't say anything. I knew it by the sound of her voice. I see it when I look at her. In the way she's shutting me out. The fact she won't tell me what's going on tells me this isn't good. I was just really hoping I was wrong."

Helplessness and silence blanketed the team. They'd never heard Steve sound so scared. Finally, Danny said, "Lori and I went through a lot of the footage from the traffic cams. But because we have no idea what he looks like, we don't really know what we're looking for."

McGarrett stared of into space, fork in hand. "But Danny and I, we'll keep looking," Lori said as she lightly rubbed the top of Steve's right thigh.

He immediately tensed. He thought she'd understood him the other night.

"What about you? Any luck with Raquel?" Chin asked.

The seriousness of Maddie's situation caused Steve to lose his appetite. "Yeah." He sighed as he set his fork down. "Yesterday I had a feeling she wasn't telling us everything. Well, I got it out of her. Her ID badge was in the car and was stolen."

"What?!" Danny cried. "How could she not tell us that?"

"That's what they were looking for," Chin declared. "I mean, it was a picture of you that was sent to her phone, and she's afraid for your safety." He paused. "That ID badge gets them into our building, too. It gets them to you."

Speak up Kono. You have to say something, Kono told herself. She closed her eyes, hating herself for breaking Maddie's confidence. "She definitely is." At their questioning looks she clarified, "Afraid for your safety that is."

"What? Why do you say that?" Steve asked. "Did she tell you something?"

"When she called me this morning... she wanted a favor," Kono began.

Steve's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What was it?"

She paused, looking at her boss sympathetically. "She wanted to know if you were okay."

"I already knew she that. It was obvious."

"No, she wasn't asking if you were okay because she won't talk to you."

"Who says she won't talk to me?" Steve asked defensively.

"She didn't have to. It's obvious." Kono replied, smiling as she used his own words. "Anyway, she specifically wanted to know if you had been harmed in any way."

"Do you think he reached out to her again? Maybe scared her?" Steve asked.

Chin immediately looked down, eating his food with a purpose, something Danny picked up on. He hated keeping this from Steve.

"Okay, so we make sure to speak to the guards at the gates and in the two buildings. Let them know if anyone comes in using Raquel's ID we need to be called immediately."

"Her ID is only good to them if they're a woman. I mean do you think we're looking for a woman?" Kono voiced.

Steve rubbed his hand through his hair. "No, I don't, but we can't and shouldn't rule anything out at this point."

"Unless the guy plans on dressing like a female to get in. But then, we really need to be worried because that's odd," Danny stated, trying to lighten the mood by joking.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out. We're in this with you, brah," Chin assured.

"Since we now know he didn't want the other stuff, why don't Lori and I go canvas the area around the restaurant again. Before, Chin and I were looking for cameras; we weren't looking in dumpsters or any place the stolen items could have been dumped. What do you say? You up for it, Lori?" Kono asked.

"Definitely! I just want to change into something I don't mind getting filthy. I have something back at HQ."

"Let's head out then," Chin said.

As they started leaving, Kono suddenly remembered her second promise to Maddie. "Wait!" she cried. The men immediately turned their heads back in Kono's direction, ready for danger. Seeing the looks on their faces and their hands hovering over their firearms, she laughed. "No, guys. Everything's fine! Sorry!"

"What is it, babe?" Danny asked as they all relaxed.

"Well, after I told Maddie you were fine... I don't know if she didn't believe me or what..."

Steve's brow furrowed, unsure of where this was going.

"Anyway, she wanted to see for herself."

Steve fought to keep from smiling. She may be upset and hurt, but she still cares. Maybe there's hope of fixing things after all, he thought.

"What do you mean she wants to see for herself?" Lori asked. "Is she coming over?"

"No, she wants a picture," Steve clarified, proving how well he knew Maddie. He walked towards Kono so she could take a photo. "Ready?"

"I don't want her to know I told you. She'll be really upset. I don't want her to think she can't trust me," Kono expressed.

Steve gave Kono a heartfelt smile before turning to Danny and Chin. "Here, get in the picture."

The two flanked him. "Okay, Smile!" Kono exclaimed as she held her phone up. "Say... Ohana!"

"Ohana!" the three said in unison. Kono quickly took the picture.

"Nice one, guys," she smiled as she inspected it. Sliding her phone back in her pocket she followed the team towards the parking lot.

Steve slowed, waiting for Kono to catch up. "Everything okay, boss?" she asked as he fell in step beside her.

"I just wanted to thank you for being such a good friend to Maddie," he said. "Especially right now. She's... just not herself... and, normally, I'm the person she turns to. But," he paused, searching for the right words. "She's shutting me out and... well, things between us are... changing... and it's... weird... and... we're trying to figure out how to adapt. Anyways, I'm just glad she has you," Steve stumbled. It was obviously a topic he was uncomfortable talking about.

Kono smiled as she met his eyes. "I'm the one that's lucky to have her. She was there for me after I hurt my knee. If it wasn't for her," she stopped, shaking her head. "I was in a dark place and she saved me. The least I can do is be there for her." Steve smiled, understanding their bond. "And, boss?"

"Yeah?" he answered.

"You guys will get through this. You'll figure it out."

"You might need to put in a good word for me... or a million," Steve joked.

"That bad, huh?!" she asked.

"Yeah, that bad," he answered honestly.

"Well, how about this? I'll put in a million and one good words for you as long as you stop hurting her."

"Deal," Steve smiled.

Kono lightly elbowed him as they continued the short walk to the cars.

---

Sitting in his truck, he chuckled to himself as he watched the team at lunch. Although Steve was trying to hide it, he could tell he was upset.

At one point he'd walked right by them wearing a disguise and up to the window to order lunch. He'd overheard them talking about the case. He wanted to grin like a schoolboy at how stumped and lost they were. Of course, they'd found out a couple things, none of which would prove helpful since they were all clues he'd purposely left behind. He wanted to torture Steve. To prove that he was better than him. But that was just the added bonus. He really wanted Maddie. He had been in love with her since the moment they'd met. However, he knew the only way he could have her was to get rid of Steve. Which, he'd eventually do, but not until he'd tortured him.

"So far, so good," he whispered to himself as he watched the team get in their respective cars and drive off.

---

Pete eyed Maddie as she stared off into space. She was using her fork to push food around on her plate. He was not only worried about how withdrawn she was, but also her lack of appetite. The increase in Prednisone was obviously taking its toll. Not only that, but she looked uncomfortable. "Mads, if you eat a little more you can have another pain pill," Pete whispered.

She met his eyes, her face lacking any joy. Standing up slightly, he reached across the table and placed his hand to her forehead. The slight fever she'd had the day before had gone down, the steroids doing their job.

"Hey, Mads, I spoke to Rachel. Everything's worked out," Tina began as she approached the table, taking a seat on her right. "Danny has Gracie today, so she'll be at Five-O after school hanging out. So, I'm gonna pick her up there at 4pm." Tina stopped, scooting a bit closer. Her voice quieted as she continued. "So... I'm guessing Steve will be there. I'm sure he's gonna have questions."

At first Tina wasn't sure Maddie was listening when she didn't move or say anything. She was just about to ask if she was alright, when she reached for the dry erase board. Maddie began writing and then passed the board to Tina. Okay. Don't tell him about last night. If he asks anything, just tell him I'm fine and just really busy.

While Tina was reading the note, Maddie's phone "dinged", signaling a new text message. She glanced at it and saw it was from Kono. As she opened it she felt like someone was squeezing her heart. On the screen was a picture of Danny, Chin, and Steve. Steve was in the middle, the other two on each side of him. It was actually a really good picture of them. Frame worthy, she thought. Steve was unharmed, well except for the few stitches, cuts, and bruising on his face from his fight with Pete. Although looking at his smiling face was breaking her heart, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away. Why do things have to be so screwed up? she wondered.

Maddie's thoughts were interrupted by Tina leaning in close and whispering to her. "If he asks anything about you? Are you kidding me? He's gonna ask... If he asks about you being upset, what do you want me to say?"

Maddie erased her previous message and wrote something new. Don't say anything. It was just a joke to him. I don't want him to know I'm hurt. It'll just make me feel even more stupid.

"Oh, Maddie... that's not true. You're going to have to talk to him about this," Tina whispered, her heart breaking for her friend.

Maddie scribbled something on the board and showed it to her friend. No, it'll be too embarrassing. I'll pretend nothing ever happened... Rehearsal starts in a few. Thanks for getting Gracie.

Finding out Maddie planned to pretend nothing ever happened worried her. She's shutting down on him completely, she thought. She knew if she did that then there was no chance Maddie would tell him what she knew about her leaned forward to whisper something to her, but as she did, her boss began to stand. Pete was immediately behind her helping her get on the outside of the bench. Because she couldn't step over it in the brace, Pete carefully lifted her out and placed her on her feet. He grabbed her crutches and handed them to her. As soon as they were in place she headed in the direction of her dressing room, Pete on one side and Mo on the other.

Tina sighed as she slid her friend's nearly full plate in front of her. Hungry, she began eating it as she wracked her brain, trying to figure out a way she could help Maddie and Steve.