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.

28. Chapter 28 - Just Keep Going

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

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi guys! Thanks for all the reviews. I love feedback as it helps me improve on my writing. Just a quick reminder, Maddie arrived in Hawaii on Thursday and in this chapter it's Monday afternoon and evening. So, she hasn't been in Hawaii very long. Not even a week. Just keep that in mind!

Like always, italics are thoughts. Anything that is in bold is either a text message or something Maddie has written on the small, dry erase board. You will know which one because I let you know.

Enjoy!

xoxo

DivaLola

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CHAPTER 28

Danny had been watching Chin through the glass windows of their offices while he spoke to Rachel, his weird behavior at lunch on the forefront of his mind. Once he'd hung up he exited his office and walked across the hall. "Who were you talking to?" Danny asked, not bothering to knock.

Chin was surprised by the intrusion and it showed on his face. "Oh... just Walter's best friend. We'd been playing phone tag."

"And?" Danny asked plopping into the chair in front of Chin's desk.

"Said he's a great guy. Generous. Always willing to lend a helping hand. Never heard him talk about Maddie." Danny simply stared at his coworker. Feeling weird, Chin finally asked, "Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I did actually," Danny replied, his tone unintentionally slightly aggressive.

Chin waited for him to continue. When he didn't he asked, "And that would be?"

"Do you know something about Maddie?" Chin was about to play dumb, however Danny didn't give him the chance. "Don't even tell me you have no idea what I'm talking about. I saw the look on your face at lunch."

Chin swallowed hard, hating that he was keeping secrets. "I promised I wouldn't say anything. Not yet at least."

"But it's about Maddie?"

"Yes."

"Spit it out, Chin. He's in there worried sick, angry at himself because we aren't getting anywhere."

"You can't say anything."

"He's my partner!" Danny yelled as he stood. He placed his hands on Chin's desk and leaned forward.

"Shhh!" Chin hissed as he nervously looked out his office window making sure Steve hadn't heard the outburst. When Steve remained hunched over the file on his desk, he turned back to his coworker. "Look, Maddie's gonna tell him after the show."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then I will," Chin immediately responded.

Taking a seat again, Danny thought it over. Obviously, if he wanted to know what was going on he'd have to agree to keep it from Steve for a couple days. "Fine, I promise I won't tell him. But... I'm not happy keeping something about Maddie from him!"

"And you think I am?" Chin cried, insulted.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure you hate this, too." Danny waited to see if Chin accepted his apology. When it seemed he had, he asked, "So what do you know?"

Chin leaned his elbows on his desk. "Malia spent the night last night, and-"

"Atta boy!" Danny interrupted.

"Anyway, " Chin exaggerated as he sent him a pointed look. Danny immediately raised his hands in apology, signaling him to continue. "Pete called at 4am. He said that something had happened and Maddie needed to go to the hospital a-"

"She's in the hospital?! And you didn't tell Steve?! Now, I'm sorry, but that, he needs to know. If she's in the hospital he'll want to be with her. And he should be!" Danny cried, interrupting.

"Calm down, brah! Would you just let me finish," he exclaimed, his voice laced with irritation.

"Right, sorry. Go on," Danny replied sheepishly.

"So, Pete said she needed to go to the hospital. Her doctor doesn't have privileges at the hospitals here, so he needed Malia. She agreed to help and so I went with her." Chin paused as he stared at Danny.

"So, what happened?" Danny asked anxiously.

"She was filming a short video for the show wearing roller skates and she fell."

Danny squinted at him, a look of confusion on his face. "But... why would she want to keep that from Steve? From what I've seen, and heard, she's super clumsy."

Chin sighed. "Trust me, I wish that was the case." Chin reached under his desk and pulled out a key. Remaining seated, he bent over to the right and unlocked his large, bottom desk drawer and removed the bag from inside. "They've been tampered with," he divulged as he placed the bag on his desk.

Danny immediately removed a pair of gloves from his pocket and pulled them on before removing the skates. After looking them over carefully he looked up. "Somebody definitely messed with these," he agreed grimly. "Is she okay?"

Chin proceeded to fill him in on Maddie, adding, "She made me promise not to let anything happen to him."

"Why would her stalker use Steve against her?"

The two were quiet as they thought over everything they knew. Finally, Danny spoke. "Just because we can't process the skates yet doesn't mean we can't investigate the incident a little."

"What do you have in mind?" Chin asked, his interest piqued.

"Let's pull footage from cameras around the arena. We can compare the footage to what we've been looking at. Maybe we'll see the same car or same man, or woman I guess, at the arena and near Jake's restaurant."

"I don't think it's a woman."

"I agree. My gut's telling me it's a man. A seriously fucked up man who messed with the wrong Navy SEAL's girl."

The two shared a laugh imagining exactly what Steve was going to do with the psycho once he found him. "I'm gonna go pull traffic cam footage from around the arena without Sherlock Holmes over there finding out," Danny joked as he stood, pointing in Steve's direction with his head.

"After I leave here tonight I'll drive over to the arena and look around for any cameras at nearby businesses or storefronts. If I find any, I'll work on getting the footage in the morning."

"Sounds good. Hopefully the fact we've already been investigating helps lessen the blow when Steve finds out." Just as Danny was opening Chin's office door he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Hey, will you keep me updated? If you hear anything. I, uh... know I just met her, but I already really care about her. I mean, it's my partner's future wife we're talking about here."

Chin laughed. "Yeah, I'll keep you posted. Pete said he'd call if anything else happened."

---

At 3pm Danny had finished going through the traffic camera footage near the restaurant on Friday, but because he didn't really know what he was looking for, he came up empty. He had requested the footage surrounding the arena, but it hadn't been sent yet. So, until then, he was doing what Steve had been doing all day, going over the case file.

Chin had called a couple of the surrounding businesses near Jake's restaurant asking some more questions. However, it didn't prove to be helpful, so he drove to the arena to see if he spotted any nearby storefronts with cameras. Sure enough he saw a few and was now back in his office trying to convince the owners to give him the footage. For now he'd try getting it without a warrant because he knew if he asked for one Steve would find out. So, while waiting he was looking over the case and information they'd gathered so far. Kono and Lori were still out canvassing around the restaurant hoping to find the stolen items from Walter Seasius and Raquel Linney's car.

Leaning back in his office chair, Chin rubbed his tired eyes. With his hands over his face he didn't see Danny peak his head in. "You look how I feel! I need a break, so I was gonna go down and take another look at the car. Want to come?"

Dropping his hands to his lap Chin sighed as he looked at the papers scattered across his desk. "Yeah. Definitely."

As they walked down the hall Chin said, "We better let McGarrett know."

Danny walked the couple feet to his partner's office and popped his head inside. "Chin and I need to get away from our offices for a bit, so we're gonna go down and see if there's any updates on the car."

Steve peered up from the mess of papers he was currently reading. "Sounds good. Let me know if you find anything."

As they turned towards the elevator they heard running feet and an excited yell, "Danno!"

Danny glanced up to see his daughter barreling towards him. "Hey, Monkey!" he greeted as he bent over for a hug. "Where's Mommy? Did she bring you up?"

"No, she started to, but an officer brought me up because she was in a hurry," Grace answered.

Danny recognized the uniformed officer at the end of the hall and waved. "Thanks!"

Hearing the commotion in the hall and needing a break of his own, Steve emerged from his office. "Hey, Gracie!" he smiled.

"Uncle Steve!" she exclaimed, dropping her backpack and running towards him. He swung her into his arms.

"I didn't know you were coming today. What a great surprise!"

"Yeah, Rachel had an appointment, so I have Gracie," Danny explained.

"Yeah, and guess what I'm doing?!" she asked, bubbling with excitement.

"What?"

"Aunt Maddie asked me to be in her show, so I'm going to rehearse with her."

Steve's head jerked towards Danny, a questioning look on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah," Danny answered. "Rachel just told me a little while ago."

"Are you taking her over there? Because I mean... I could do it," Steve offered, trying not to seem too willing.

Danny smirked at his partner, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "To be honest, I was going to see if you would, but then Rachel told me Tina is coming to get her. My guess is that that's the exact reason why."

Steve tried to hide his disappointment, especially in front of Gracie. "Oh okay... well, she can stay in my office 'til Tina gets here."

"Yeah, that would be great." Danny looked at his daughter in his partner's arms. "Monkey, Uncle Chin and I are going downstairs to do some work, so you stay here with Uncle Steve. Work on some homework until Tina comes to get you, okay? And if I don't see you before you go, be good for Maddie. And give her a big hug for me."

"Okay, Danno," Grace responded.

"You sure you don't mind?" Danny asked his partner.

"Not at all. I need the distraction. I've been looking at those files all day," Steve answered.

"She probably needs a snack."

Still holding Gracie with his left arm, Steve reached down with his right and picked up her backpack. "Got it."

Danny smiled as he watched them disappear into Steve's office. He couldn't help but marvel at the fact his daughter had a crazy Navy SEAL wrapped around her little finger.

---

Steve set Gracie on the couch and her backpack on the floor. "So, are you hungry?" he asked, sitting on the edge of his desk. When she nodded, he said, "Okay, I'll go get you something. Why don't you get started on your homework."

As he scoured the cupboards and fridge for something Gracie would like he couldn't stop his mind from wandering to Maddie. He couldn't believe she was sending Tina so he wouldn't take her. If you had asked him six months ago if he ever thought things would be this fucked up between them, he would have started laughing at the preposterousness.

Finding an apple and cookies, Steve headed back to his office. As he walked in he smiled seeing Gracie working on an assignment. "Not the greatest snack, but the best I could do on short notice," he explained, setting the food on his desk next to her. Grace smiled as she grabbed a slice of apple. "So…" Steve began, sitting behind his desk. Gracie looked up at him expectantly as she ate her snack. "You're gonna hang out with Maddie today."

She broke out into a massive smile appeared. "Yep! Cool, huh?"

"Very cool. I mean, you must be pretty special because I can't even see Maddie during rehearsals," he told her.

"Really? How come?"

Steve thought about how he should answer. "Maddie's got so much to do and doesn't want to be distracted."

"And you'll distract her?" Gracie asked.

"I guess so," he quietly said.

Grace studied him. Without looking away she reached for a cookie and asked, "Are you sad, Uncle Steve?"

Thinking he was doing a decent job internalizing his emotions, he was surprised by her question. "No, I'm just worried."

"Does it have to do with Aunt Maddie?"

Steve smirked at how smart and perceptive she was at such a young age. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you're different around her."

"I am?" he asked. Am I really that different when she's around? He wondered. She wasn't the first one to tell him that, but if a child noticed, maybe it was true.

"Yeah," Grace smiled. "So does it?"

Steve sighed. He wasn't up for hiding his feelings right now. "Yeah kiddo, it does."

"You're worried about her? How come?" she asked, her small forehead wrinkled in confusion.

"A lot of reasons," he answered leaning back in his chair. He didn't want to tell her what was going on with Maddie and scare her.

Gracie patiently stared at him as she waited for an answer. Minutes went by and her eyebrows only seemed to rise higher. Finally Steve chuckled at her persistence. "You are your father's daughter, ya know that?" This comment earned him a toothy smile, however, it didn't distract her from wanting an answer. Shaking his head he gave in. "Well, you know she hurt herself... and now she's working really hard. Probably not sleeping. I'm worried she's not taking care of herself."

She waited for him to continue. After a minute her big, brown eyes somehow grew. "Why else? You said, 'a lot of reasons'."

Smirking and shaking his head, Steve looked away. "Just am worried about her, kiddo."

"Want me to make sure she's okay for you, Uncle Steve?" Gracie offered.

He was surprised by her offer, but also intrigued. Why hadn't he thought of that? He had no idea if she was really okay. The only information he had was her call to Kono and the picture from Tina. Most likely she isn't sleeping and she's pushing herself too hard. Harder than her body can handle right now, he thought. He eyed Gracie, wondering how wrong it would be to have her spy for him. If Maddie finds out she'll definitely be mad, but then again… she's already pissed and won't talk to me. Deciding he couldn't really make things worse he said, "You'd do that for me?"

"Yep! Can I be a part of Five-O?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course! I mean, this is a very important mission. If you choose to accept it that is," Steve smiled. "But... it's a secret mission, so you can't tell Maddie about it."

"I know. She gets upset when you worry about her," Gracie laughed.

"You're a really smart kid, ya know that?" Steve told her, in awe of her perceptiveness.

"Yeah, I know." Gracie giggled. "What do you want me to do?"

He pulled up the picture Tina had sent him. "Tina sent this to me yesterday. She looks tired, but she looks okay... So, if you see her look any worse than this, take a picture."

"Okay, I can do that!" Grace smiled happily.

"And if you hear anything you think I should know... tell me okay?"

Gracie nodded. "Okay, Uncle Steve."

"What time is Tina coming?" he asked, glancing at his watch.

"Four."

"Do you think you can finish that worksheet you're working on in the next twenty minutes?" Steve didn't want to fail his partner. He'd asked him to do two things while watching his daughter: feed her and make sure she worked on her homework.

"Yep!" Gracie smiled as she picked up her pencil and returned her attention to the abandoned assignment. Every couple minutes she'd reach over to the plate for some of the snack.

Although he returned to the file in front of him, his mind wandered. He didn't notice Grace stand up and walk over to him ten minutes later. "Uncle Steve?"

He jumped a little, surprised she was standing so close and he hadn't realized. Damn! Maddie's distracting me, he thought. "What's up?" he asked as he turned to his left to face her.

"Can you check this?" She handed him the completed worksheet.

"Sure," Steve smiled, taking the paper. It didn't take long to look over the math worksheet. It was, after all, fourth grade math and math had always been one of his best subjects. "Looks good!" He handed it back to her. "Looks like we've got a genius on our hands."

Gracie grinned at his comment. "What time is it?"

Steve looked at his watch. "4pm. Perfect timing! Do you have a lot of other homework?"

"Nope!" Giving him a big smile, she said, "I'm gonna go wait for Tina in the hall."

"Okay! But leave my door open," he instructed as Gracie rushed out of his office.

Returning to the file he wondered over Raquel's ID badge. Why steal it? he wondered for what felt like the millionth time. Suddenly there was an excited squeal in the hall.

Steve looked up to see Gracie running towards Tina, who squatted and gave her a big hug. When he left his office he was surprised to see that Carl and Frank were on each side of her.

"Hi, sweetie! Are you excited?" Tina laughed as Gracie nodded exaggeratedly.

As she stood, her eyes met Steve's. He was leaning against the door frame of what she presumed was his office. She smiled sympathetically at him. Giving her a half smile he nodded his head towards his office.

Tina nodded before turning back to the young girl. "Gracie, this is Carl and Frank. I'm gonna go talk to Steve for a minute. Stay with them." She gave both men a look before following Steve.

The door barely closed when he asked, "How is she?"

How has he not realized how he feels, Tina wondered as she smiled knowingly. "She's good!"

Steve met her eyes as he sat on the edge of his desk. "She won't answer or call me back."

Tina averted her eyes, finding it difficult to look into his sad eyes. She knew if she looked at the worry and guilt in them much longer she'd spill the beans and tell him everything Maddie had confided in her. "She needs to focus, Steve. She's just trying to get through the next couple of days."

He groaned and shook his head, not liking her answer. "She's upset with me, isn't she?" Before she could answer, he continued. "Of course she is. I screwed up."

Tina remained silent, even though she wanted to tell him everything. She hated this. She didn't want to betray Maddie, but she knew she needed Steve. She knew her friend had it all wrong when it came to him. Should I just say fuck it and tell him, she wondered.

Steve sat patiently as he watched Tina's internal struggle. He could tell she wanted to tell him something. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Tell me, T."

"What?" she asked innocently.

He shot her a look letting her know he wasn't falling for it. "I can tell you want to say something. Just do it," he ordered.

"I promised-" she began.

"I don't care. Break it," Steve interrupted, doing his best to keep the frustration from his voice. He wasn't upset with Tina. She was just being a good friend. He was angry with himself for getting into this situation to begin with. If I'd just told the truth, he thought. But he didn't know what the truth was. What was she to him?

Tina hesitated, still unsure if she should say anything. I'll just say a little, she decided. "She thinks what you said was the truth."

He assumed that because she wouldn't talk to him, but assuming and knowing were two very different things. His chest tightened. "I didn't." He paused. "Mean it that is."

"I know," she told him sadly. Her heart was breaking for them. She wanted them happy and together. She always had.

"Tell her, please!" For someone so known to keep his feelings and emotions hidden, they were on display for her to see. He was desperate to get through to Maddie. Not just because of how he felt about her. Sure, that was a huge part of it. But also because he knew she was in trouble and he needed her to tell him what was going on. With their relationship strained, he knew that was never going to happen.

"I tried and I'll keep trying, but I don't think I can get through to her. She's just not herself."

"I know."

"She's closed off. Whatever's bugging her... it's really getting to her."

"I know. I can see it." Steve studied Tina's demeanor as she began to fidget. "What else did she say, Tina?" he asked.

"I can't tell you."

"It's obviously important." He paused, sighing. "Just tell me." He was desperate for any information he could get. He couldn't remember a time he'd felt this helpless, and it wasn't an emotion he handled well.

Tina studied him. "I can't tell you." Seeing him about to protest she held up her hand to quiet him and then continued. "But... I'll make you a deal."

"What kind of deal?" he questioned, intrigued and hopeful.

"If she doesn't tell you how she's feeling after you've spent some time with her, I'll tell you. I mean, there's nothing you can do before then anyways."

"I can just show up to the venue," Steve stated.

Tina smiled at him. "If you were gonna do that, you would've already done it." She paused, watching him. "There's a reason you haven't." His shoulders slumped in defeat, knowing she was right. "You know to be able to pull this show off and get through these rehearsals, Maddie has to focus. And you know she can't do that if you show up after saying what you did."

Steve sulked. Tina was right. That was why he hadn't just gone to the arena to confront her. "She didn't come home last night... Tell me she'll be there tonight. She needs sleep."

"That's the plan. Yesterday just kind of... there was so much to get done," she explained, her shoulders unconsciously slumping in exhaustion. They stared at one another before she finally threw him a bone. "She's asked for you a couple times."

"Really?" Steve smiled, hope brewing. Maybe I can fix things, he thought. "Why didn't anyone call me? I would've come."

"Because as soon as we go to call you, she changes her mind. She wants you there, but she's..." Tina paused trying to think of a way to explain it without telling him exactly how Maddie felt. "Just... she wants you there, but she's hurt."

"What aren't you telling me?" Steve asked, noticing her heavy hesitation. "Is she okay?"

"I'm not telling you lot," she admitted. "Yes, she's okay." She sighed before finally saying, "I need to get Gracie to the venue. We're on a tight schedule and need to stick to it as much as possible. Especially if we want to get her back home tonight." Before she was completely out the door, she stopped and turned to look at him. Everything about her demeanor was different than it had been seconds before. Now she was angry. "Did you really have to laugh at the idea of the two of you together?" Tina asked, disbelief and, yes, anger in her voice.

Steve's face fell as his chest constricted. He couldn't look at Tina, knowing how badly he'd messed up. She's telling you how much you hurt Mads, he told himself as his door closed.

Knowing he needed to pull himself together and make sure Gracie had everything she needed, he straightened and exited his office.

"Ready, Sweetie?" Tina asked.

Gracie looked over to see her dad's partner enter the hall. As she approached him he squatted down and forced a smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Aunt Maddie's okay. I promise," she whispered in his ear as she hugged him.

He stifled a small laugh and pulled away from her. "Thanks!" Standing up he asked, "Do you have everything?"

"Yep!" she smiled as she walked towards Tina.

"Okay, well Danno will be here when you get back. Have fun!"

Taking Tina's hand she waved at him. "I will!" He watched them walk down the hall hand in hand, a bodyguard on each side. As they turned and entered the elevator, Tina met his eyes and gave him a small, sympathetic smile before the doors shut.

---

Steve leaned back in his large desk chair and rubbed his hand across his face, trying not lose his temper. I really wish we had a suspect. I could really use a chase or something, he thought. He took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. How the hell am I going to convince her I didn't mean it? Before he knew it everything on his desk was flying through the air. He'd needed to release his anger and frustration in some way. "Way to go, Steve," he mumbled, taking in the mess.

Danny and Chin had just returned when they heard crashing from their boss' office. As they approached they took in the chaos.

"Must've talked to Tina," Danny stated.

"I'm guessing he didn't like what he heard," Chin added.

Knowing that if he approached his partner right then, it would lead to nothing but both of them angry and yelling, Danny decided to let him cool off.

"You don't think Tina told him about what happened last night, do you?" Chin asked.

Danny turned to him and smirked as he softly chuckled. "Are you kidding me? If Steve knew what happened he'd be with Maddie right now. And he'd be angrier than that."

"Yeah, you're right," Chin nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna go see if the traffic cam footage is on our server yet. If not, I'll call them again. When I get it, let's sit and watch it. Until then, maybe you can check out some of the footage Lori and I already watched. That way we're both familiar with it when we watch the new footage. Hopefully we'll have a better shot of spotting a repeat customer," Danny said.

"Sounds good. Is the restaurant footage on the main server?"

"Yeah," Danny replied as the two walked to their offices.

---

"Hey, Mo!" Tina greeted.

"Hey, T! You can go right in," he instructed as he held open the dressing room door.

Maddie was seated on the couch, her right leg in the huge brace that filtered ice water through it. She was bundled in her big sweater and throw blanket. Tina noticed how tired and sad she looked as she stared off into space.

No one noticed Gracie's phone in her hand as she snapped a quick picture of Maddie, not forgetting her secret mission.

Tina looked over and said, "Just letting you know, Maddie's losing her voice, so she's not talking very much. So a lot of the time she's writing down what she wants to say."

Tina's voice pulled Maddie from her thoughts. The second she saw Gracie, she forced a huge smile and whispered, "Hey, sweetie! I'm so glad you're here!" She opened her arms for a hug and Gracie ran and hopped up on the couch next to her. Maddie enveloped her arms. "Are you excited?"

"Yes!" she squealed as they pulled away from one another.

"Well, first thing's first," Tina began. "Before you perform with Maddie in the show, a short video will play. It gives you guys time to get dressed. So, we need to shoot that video. It's mainly you, but Maddie will be in it a bit, too. She got her hair and makeup done while I picked you up, so now it's your turn. When you're finished you'll change quickly and then we'll shoot the video. After, you'll go to the stage and practice the song." While Gracie leaned against Maddie she subconsciously played with her brown hair.

Nikki and Lorali walked over and introduced themselves before taking her hand and leading her to the makeup chair.

"I'll be right here," Maddie whispered. She wanted to sit with her because she could tell she was a little nervous, but it was so painful every time she moved. She sent Tina a quick look, and she immediately went and sat next to Gracie. Hearing the two begin to chat and laugh Maddie leaned her head to the left, using the armrest as a pillow. Her head was pounding, her throat still hurt, and every part of her throbbed. Especially her legs. Every time she moved pain shot down her legs from her tailbone. Even her arms throbbed from the most recent injury. And what made it worse was that all she wanted was Steve. Even after he'd hurt her.

---

Twenty minutes later Gracie grabbed her phone as she watched Tina carefully wake Maddie.

"Gotta get dressed, Mads," Tina whispered, as her friend's sleepy blue eyes opened.

"K," she mumbled before beginning to unstrap the knee brace. Once completely unhooked, Tina set it next to the couch and held her hands out. She knew Maddie was going to need someone to help pull her into a standing position.

Maddie took her assistant's outstretched hands. She tilted her face down slightly as she squinted her eyes, preparing herself for the intense pain. "1, 2, 3," Tina whispered. On 3 she used all her strength to pull her best friend up off the couch. No one noticed Gracie filming a video of the entire thing. She even got Maddie crying out in pain. "You okay?" Tina asked.

Standing, but still holding onto Tina, Maddie nodded, her eyes squeezed closed. After a minute of waiting for the pain to dissipate, she took a deep breath and let it out before opening her eyes and walking towards the other side of the room. She smiled at Gracie, who had already put her phone back in her pocket, no one the wiser. "You look like a superstar," she exclaimed, taking Grace's hand and twirling her around. The young girl giggled. "I'm gonna get dressed, too," Maddie said, grabbing her clothes from the rack nearby. She went behind a makeshift curtain and slowly began to strip, doing her best to keep from grimacing at the pain branching off her tailbone. Knowing she needed help, but wouldn't ask, Tina joined her.

"Are you hurt, Aunt Maddie?" Gracie asked, noticing how hard it was for her to move around.

"A little bit, but nothing to worry about. I'll be okay," she smiled, trying to not only reassure Gracie, but herself. I don't know how I can perform like this. This is excruciating, she thought.

"Okay," Gracie nodded hesitantly. I wish Uncle Steve was here, she thought as Tina finished helping Maddie get dressed.

"Shall we?" Maddie whispered, her voice cutting in and out, as she held her hand out for Gracie. She nervously took it, not knowing what to expect. Maddie picked up on her apprehension. "Don't worry! You'll be great! And if at any point you feel uncomfortable, just tell me, okay?"

Gracie nodded, her grip tightening on Maddie's hand. As they began exited the dressing room, Pete and Mo joined them, one on each side.

PAGE BREAK

At 6pm they were done with the video and were back in the dressing room. They quickly changed and were taking a short break on the couch while they waited for rehearsal to start. Once again, Gracie leaned into Maddie's side.

"Hey, Mads," Doc greeted as he entered. "How ya feelin'?"

"Good!" Maddie lied as the two giggled over something they'd just said.

"And who is this?" Doc asked, smiling in Gracie's direction.

"This is Gracie! She's the daughter of Steve's partner," Maddie explained.

"Hi, Gracie! I'm Doc." He reached out shook her hand.

"Hi," she shyly responded, leaning further into Maddie.

"Let me ask you something. Has Maddie been talking?"

"Yes," Gracie answered.

"Tattletale!" Maddie laughed, tickling her.

"That's what I thought," Doc said as he gave the singer a pointed look, grabbing the dry erase board off the coffee table and handing it to her.

Narrowing her eyes she took it and began writing. After a minute she held it up. She'd doodled Gracie's name with a heart at the beginning and end of it. Seeing what she'd written Grace asked, "Will you take a picture?"

"Sure thing," Doc replied, taking her phone. "Ready?... On 3. 1, 2, 3!" Maddie held up the sign and pointed to Gracie while the two laughed. It was a cute picture. "That's a good one."

While Gracie smiled at the photo Doc focused his attention on a tired looking Maddie. He could tell she was trying to put on a front for Grace. "So, how do you really feel?" he asked, his eyes concerned.

She glanced to her left at Gracie before writing on the board. I hurt.

Seeing her glassy eyes he looked at the little girl. "Why doesn't Tina go and show you what the stage looks like while I make sure Mads is good to go. She'll meet you out there."

Gracie eyed Maddie hesitantly. Picking up on her uneasiness she nodded and smiled at her before typing on her phone. When she pushed play a female robotic voice said, "It's okay. I'll be there in a minute."

Gracie immediately giggled at the voice. Maddie had assumed it would make her smile and ease her worry.

"The stage is really cool! I'll give you the grand tour," Tina said, taking her hand.

Once they were alone Doc said, "So, it's bad?"

Maddie flashed him a look before whispering, "That's putting it mildly. I don't know how I can do this show in this kind of pain. It's excruciating."

He watched her wipe at her eyes as she did her best to keep her emotions in check. "I know you've just been trying to take Advil all day instead of any pain pills, but I think it's time to take one. It'll help ease some of the pain."

"But it makes me sleepy," Maddie argued.

"So, take half of one. At least it'll make it a little easier to rehearse."

Doc stood and walked to the kitchen to pour her a glass of milk. Before returning he grabbed a banana off the counter. Sitting on the edge of the coffee table he handed them both to her. "Eat a little bit and then take it. The last thing you need on top of everything is an upset stomach."

Although she wasn't hungry she ate the banana and drank a quarter of the milk while he grabbed the bottle of pills. Satisfied with how much she'd eaten he handed her the medication. Maddie quickly swallowed the pill. While she continued to drink the rest, Doc said, "There's an injection I can give you in your tailbone, but I only want to do it once. I was planning on doing it before the show. It'll help the pain, but the injection itself is extremely painful."

Setting the empty glass on the table Maddie gave him an emotional smile. Thanks Doc she wrote.

"Good girl! Now is it so hard to do that and not talk?" He laughed at the look she threw him. "Let me help you up."

With his help, she slowly stood. She turned and waved at him before walking into the hall where Pete stood waiting. She linked her arm through his and together they made their way to the stage where Gracie was waiting.

---

Maddie, her band, and dancers rehearsed with Gracie for almost two hours, finally calling it quits a little before 8pm. She could tell Grace was getting tired, not to mention it was a school night. Gracie's part wasn't difficult, but Maddie had just wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible, knowing it would help her nerves during Wednesday's show. Gracie had never done anything like this before and performing for the first time was scary enough, let alone doing it in front of tens of thousands of people. The more prepared Gracie was, the better and more at ease Maddie knew she'd feel.

You did great!, Maddie wrote and held the dry erase board up to Gracie while she sat on the couch. Tina was fastening her knee brace and hooking her up to the tank.

"Thanks, Aunt Maddie."

Maddie quickly erased her previous note and began furiously scribbling another one. Tell daddy I'm sorry it's so late. I'll see you Wednesday! Xoxo

Gracie read the note, took a couple steps forward and gave her a hug. Maddie squeezed her tight, sorry to see her go. I wish she could stay, she thought. She'd been a welcome distraction from how bad she felt, the stress she was under, and thinking about Steve.

"I'll be back in a little bit," Tina relayed to her friend. Maddie's only response was a nod as she reached for the blanket. Once she was alone she stifled a yawn as she laid her head on the armrest and closed her eyes. Although she was exhausted she couldn't seem to stop thinking about Steve, effectively keeping her from sleeping. Not that she wanted to fall asleep. Every time she did, she found herself trapped in a nightmare where she was forced to watch him be killed.

While she worked and rehearsed she didn't think about him or how much he'd hurt her. But every time she stopped, it would play on repeat. It wasn't just what he'd said the previous morning, but everything. She couldn't keep from rehashing every little thing he'd said and done since she'd gotten home.

Maddie was grateful when Ryan poked his head in ten minutes later. "Ready?" She nodded and quickly extricated herself from the brace. She winced as she stood and walked to him.

From his spot on Maddie's left, Pete suspiciously watched the two as they whispered quietly, their heads bent together. God, I hope they're not up to no good, he prayed. It wasn't normally a good sign for him when they continuously spoke in hushed tones before a show. Especially the last show of the tour.

---

"Danno!" Gracie cried when she spotted her dad standing with the rest of the team.

"Hey, Monkey!" Danny smiled as she barreled into him.

"Maddie apologizes it's so late," Tina said.

"Is she here?" Danny asked.

"No, unfortunately she couldn't afford to come and lose time she doesn't have. She's already back rehearsing," Tina answered. A picture of Maddie taped to a large board on wheels pulled her focus. A picture of a couple also hung on the board. They're trying to find her stalker, Tina realized. She was just about to ask if they'd made any progress when Gracie spoke.

"She didn't say that," Gracie stated. Confused, Tina looked at her. Gracie started giggling. "She's not allowed to talk!"

"Look at you, you little smarty pants," Tina smiled as she lightly tickled Gracie before bringing her attention back to the team. "You're right, Maddie WROTE that she was sorry it's so late."

"Wrote?" Steve asked, not understanding.

Before Tina could answer, Grace did the honors. "She isn't allowed to talk or sing unless she has to because her voice is almost gone, so she has to write what she wants to say. Or she types it into her phone and a robot voice reads it."

"I bet Mads loves that," Kono sarcastically said.

"She doesn't," Gracie replied, not realizing she was being sarcastic. "Doc keeps getting mad at her because she keeps talking."

Steve did his best to keep the smirk from his face. I bet she's fighting him tooth and nail, he thought. Although that side of Maddie often infuriated him, mainly when it came to her safety and wellbeing, he also loved that about her. She was a fighter, and always had been. That's what worried him now. She wasn't fighting whatever was going on. Instead, she was letting it rattle her.

"In fact, I better get back. Make sure Mads isn't driving him crazy." She reached into her purse and pulled out a manila envelope. "Before I leave... here's everything you'll need for Wednesday, including directions on which gate to pull into and where to park. Your badges are all in there. If you have any questions or if, for some strange reason, something's missing, just give me a call." Tina met Steve's worried eyes as she handed him the envelope. She flashed him a small smile before bending over and giving Gracie a hug. "Bye, sweetie! You did great today! You're going to be amazing on Wednesday. See you soon!"

"Bye, Tina." Gracie said as she walked to where Carl and Frank waited at the elevator.

"So, you had fun, Gracie?" Chin asked after Tina was gone.

"Yes! The stage is soooo big!" Gracie told them.

"Oh yeah?" Kono asked.

"Yeah! It's kind of like three stages connected to each other," Gracie explained.

"Wow, that IS big!" Kono smiled.

Anxious to talk to Gracie, Steve picked her up and set her on the round table. "So... how's Maddie?" he asked.

"She was good. She didn't talk a lot," Gracie answered as she unconsciously swung her legs.

"Because of her voice?" he clarified.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe that was why. But it seemed like she was just quiet. I could tell she was thinking a lot."

"Steven, did you convince my daughter to spy for you?" Danny asked, his eyes narrowing at his partner.

Steve quickly turned his head and met Danny's eyes. "It was her idea! She offered." Before Danny could respond, Steve turned his attention back to Gracie, a broad smile on his face. Danny just shook his head and laughed with the rest of the team. Although having his nine-year-old spy for his partner was not something he should condone, it was pretty funny.

"Did she seem tired?" Steve questioned.

Gracie thought back. "Yeah, she fell asleep while they did my hair and makeup."

"Did you notice anything else? Was she in pain?"

"Yeah," Gracie whispered, hesitant to tell him about how much pain she seemed to be in when she'd first gotten there. In fact, she wasn't sure she should show him the video she shot. She might've only been nine, but she knew it was going to upset him.

Steve picked up on the change in her demeanor. "Was it her foot and knee?"

"Maybe a little…"

"What did you see?"

Oh crap! What if she knows Maddie got hurt last night? Chin worried. He and Danny made eye contact, both thinking the same thing.

"I don't know. Maybe her back," Gracie told him.

Steve furrowed his brows in confusion. "Why do you think that?"

"She was walking kind of funny and had a hard time moving."

Steve relaxed. It was probably just her knee and foot. "Probably just from her leg. I'm sure she was limping."

"No, she wasn't really limping that much. Not like she was at the barbeque. She was walking… kind of like Frankenstein," Gracie tried to explain.

Chin and Danny knew exactly why she was walking funny, but neither said a thing.

Steve unconsciously licked his bottom lip before slightly biting it, his concern growing. "Here, kiddo." Steve helped her down off the table. "Show me what you mean."

"Okay," Gracie mumbled. They waited patiently while she thought back to how Maddie had been walking, wanting to be accurate. "Like this," she said as she very slowly and very stiffly took steps forward. "She also whispered 'ow' a lot when she sat down."

Steve's mind raced as he watched her. She was NOT walking like that yesterday, he thought wishing he was with her. "Thanks, Gracie," Steve smiled, internalizing his worry. "So, you had fun?"

He wasn't sure he'd ever seen such a big smile before. "YES! It was soooo fun! I love her! You know, Uncle Steve, you guys should get married, that way she'll always be around."

Steve could feel his coworkers' smirks as they looked towards him. He fought to keep from blushing as he felt the panic begin to fester in his chest. The idea of marrying her made him want to smile like a schoolboy and that freaked him out.

Completely oblivious to the sudden tension and uncomfortable moment her comment had caused, Gracie excitedly continued, pulling her phone from her pocket. "Want to see all the pictures I took? Tina even took some of us when we were rehearsing on the stage and when we shot the video."

"Definitely!" Steve told her, anxious to see Maddie.

"Here, Gracie, I'll put them on the smart table," Kono offered, taking the phone from her. She set it on the screen and tapped a couple different icons, downloading the pictures to the table computer. "There we go!" She handed the phone back and tapped the folder she'd just created.

The first picture was of the two of them standing next to one another. Maddie was whispering to Gracie as she pulled her tight against her side. It was obvious the young girl was nervous by the unsure look on her face. Because she was telling Gracie something Steve couldn't really see her face. A couple large cameras were in front of them while Maddie's dancers were sporadically standing behind them.

"We're waiting to do the video," Gracie explained.

Kono flipped to the next photo. It was the same scene except it looked like they were filming. Everyone was extremely animated in the photo, including Gracie. Mads looks beautiful, Steve thought, able to see her face. I don't know how she's able to do all this stuff feeling like she is. He smiled as he stared at the picture, completely in awe of how driven she was. Although he was worried about her, he was also proud.

"Looks like you're having fun!" Lori said. She'd been quiet, unsure of what to say as she watched Steve closely. It was like he had a one track mind, and it was hard to watch. Every time he brought Maddie up, her heart ached. She watched how intently he studied the photos, and how he grinned at a simple photo of the singer.

"It was a lot of fun!" Gracie responded. Kono flipped to the next photo and Grace immediately started laughing. It was the photo Doc had taken before they started rehearsing. Maddie was holding up the dry erase board with a silly look on her face.

"Now there's the Maddie I know," Kono smiled.

Steve shook his head, his smile growing at the sight of his best friend laughing and being silly. I miss that side of her, he thought.

"That's a good picture, Monkey!" Danny told his daughter, happy to see she'd had so much fun.

"You know, you should print it and put it in a frame," Chin suggested.

Gracie squealed in excitement. "Daddy, can we do that?"

"Of course!"

Kono flipped to the next photo. "Woah, that IS a big stage!" she blurted, seeing Maddie, Gracie, and her dancers on the stage rehearsing.

"I told you!" Gracie exclaimed. "And that is just one part of it! There's another one that comes off that." She pointed to the screen.

Steve was quiet as he inspected the photo. The smile he'd had only seconds before slowly slid from his face as he took in Maddie's appearance. A lot of the makeup she'd had on had worn off and he could see how tired she looked. Her face was pale with light circles under her eyes. She's pushing herself too hard, Steve thought before glancing at the time. He really hoped she went home tonight.

"What's this?" Kono asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Um…" Gracie mumbled, sounding unsure. "I took that when I first got there."

Steve looked up and his stomach plummeted at the picture on the screen. Maddie was staring off into space, obviously unaware a picture was being taken. Although she had makeup on, she looked pale. But it wasn't that that upset Steve. It was the look on her face, the look in her eyes. She looked so sad, so lost. Did I do that, he wondered.

Noticing he was unable to tear his eyes away from the picture, Kono flipped to the next one. "Is this a video?" she asked.

"Yeah, but you don't have to watch it," Gracie responded, picking up on the sudden silence that had descended over the group after the last photo. However, it was too late. Kono started it.

Steve's jaw clenched as he watched Maddie unable to get off the couch by herself. He watched the incredible pain flash across her face and heard the noises she made. "What the?" he began, his eyes wide. His face twitched in anger, outraged that no one was filling him in. That doesn't look like it's her knee, he thought. "Excuse me," he mumbled, rushing to his office.

"Is Uncle Steve okay?" Gracie asked, noticing something wasn't right.

Danny placed his right hand on his daughter's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "Yeah, don't worry, Monkey. Uncle Steve's just worried about Maddie, that's all." Gracie nodded at her dad's statement. "I moved your backpack into my office. Why don't you head in there and finish your homework. We'll go home soon."

"Okay," Grace softly said before disappearing into his office.

Lori needed to get out of there. Seeing Steve's reaction was hard. "Do you think it's okay if I head home? I'm really tired."

"Yeah, go ahead. Get some rest. We'll see you in the morning," Danny replied.

"Thanks," she whispered, hurrying to her office. Seconds later she walked out, bag in hand, and speed walked to the elevator. Once they were sure she was gone, Chin and Danny's eyes met.

"I've got some things to finish up," Kono softly said. Seeing Maddie in pain had been hard for her to watch.

Danny and Chin looked through Steve's office windows. He was back at his desk, his jaw clenched, his brow furrowed, as he furiously went through the case file for the millionth time that day.

"Wednesday can't come fast enough," Danny mumbled.

"You got that right. These have been the longest 48 hours," Chin agreed. They were silent for a minute, their attention still on Steve. "Well, there are a few things I want to finish before heading out as well."

"Yeah, me too," Danny mumbled before they both walked to their respective offices.

---

Once inside his office, Steve ran his fingers through his hair. "What the hell is going on over there?" he mumbled to himself. He quickly pulled his cell from his pocket as he plopped into his comfortable chair. Leaning his elbows on his desk, he hit Maddie's number for the second time that day. "Come on, baby, pick up," he whispered as he listened to it ring. Steve squeezed his eyes shut as he willed her to answer. He cursed when he got her voicemail. "Madeline… call me back. Enough already." He hung up, knowing if he hadn't he would've started yelling. "Damn it!" he cursed dropping his phone to his desk.

Seeing it wasn't quite 9:30pm he decided to continue working for a bit longer. A lot of the file was still out of order from when he'd sent it flying to the floor and he focused on righting it.

Ten minutes later, Gracie entered his office looking incredibly sleepy. At the sound of his door opening Steve looked up. "Hey, kiddo," he smiled. "You look tired."

"Danno said I could lay on your couch. I like it better than his. It's comfier," she mumbled as she rubbed her tired eyes.

"Of course!" He immediately turned to the large bookcase behind him. Bending over he opened the bottom cabinet and pulled out a blanket. Smiling, Steve walked towards the couch. "Here, lay down." She slowly trudged towards the couch and toed off her shoes before laying down. He carefully placed the blanket over her and smiled as her eyes fluttered closed.

Thirty minutes later Danny quietly entered his partner's office. He eyed his sleeping daughter before turning his attention to Steve. "It's 10pm. I gotta get her home. It's way past her bedtime."

"Go for it. I'll see you in the morning," Steve mumbled, never once looking up from the document he was reading.

"Come on. We're all heading out." He wanted to be sure Steve didn't stay there all night pouring over the case. When he didn't move he whispered, "Seriously. Let's go!"

Steve stared at his partner before scrubbing his hands over his face and sighing deeply. He placed both palms on his desk and stood up. "Okay."

Danny walked to the couch and carefully picked Gracie up. Steve grabbed Gracie's backpack and held the door open. As they entered the hall Chin and Kono exited their offices and joined them. Together they walked to the elevator.

As they rode down to the first floor, Steve suddenly noticed they were missing someone. "Where's Lori?" he asked.

Danny shook his head remembering how visibly upset Lori had been. "She left over an hour ago."

"Ok," Steve said, satisfied with the answer.

The four exited the building and headed to their cars. Steve helped Danny get Grace in his Camaro before climbing in his truck and driving off.

---

Tina returned to the arena to find Pete standing outside the closed doors in front of the hallway that led backstage. She smiled at him, able to read the tension and worry in his demeanor. Not to mention the exhaustion. "She working on new material?" she asked, stopping beside him. She leaned her back against the door.

"Yep," Pete said shortly, obviously annoyed.

"You okay?"

Pete sighed as he too leaned against the door. "I don't like this. Not being in there with her," he finally answered.

"I know, but she's okay. You have this whole place covered," Tina reassured him.

"Apparently not," Pete grumbled.

"Pete, there's no way the skates were tampered with while you guys were here. They probably arrived here that way. There's absolutely NO WAY someone got by you."

"God, I hope so," he whispered, the thought making him sick.

"Trust me, that's what happened." Tina reached out and quickly rubbed his upper arm.

At the feel of her touch he tensed, turning to look at her for the first time. "So... did you see Steve?"

Her face dropped slightly recalling their conversation. "Yeah."

Pete watched her face change. "How was he?"

"Upset. And worried. Really worried," she answered. "She won't answer her phone or call him back. It's getting to him."

"Yeah, I figured she'd react that way," Pete said, shaking his head.

"How badly did you want to punch him when he said that?" she smirked.

Pete's gaze returned to the hallway in front of him. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, playing dumb.

Tina let out a small laugh. "Oh come on! I saw the look on your face."

Pete chuckled. "Between you and me it took everything I had not to bust open his stitches. Happy?" He paused, listening to Tina's infectious laugh. She has a great laugh, he thought. "But... Maddie needed me more. It was like he'd knocked the wind out of her. She was frozen." He shook his head. "I don't think it would have hurt her so bad if he hadn't have said stupid shit at the barbeque. Or made out with Lori after Maddie."

"Or if he hadn't kissed Maddie and basically admitted to having feelings for her," Tina added.

Pete's head shot to her. "Wait, what happened?" he asked, his eyes wide in surprise.

Realizing Pete had no idea what happened she suddenly worried she'd betrayed Maddie. "You didn't know?" she asked, feeling guilty.

"No. What happened?" He asked again. Picking up on her sudden hesitation he added, "T, tell me. I won't say anything to her about it."

Tina nervously nibbled her lip. "I guess when they went to bed he brought some stuff up. They talked and seemed to have finally gotten on the same page. Then he kissed her."

Pete's eyes closed in disbelief as he digested the new information. Finally he opened his eyes. "And then he said that the next morning."

"Yeah," she answered, continuing to nibble her lower lip.

"Well that explains her reaction. Damn it, Steve." Pete rubbed his hand across his face. He was even angrier now. "She's heartbroken on top of everything."

"Yeah."

"She's not gonna let him in. And there's no way she's going to tell him about what happened last night. Not after he did that," he realized, understanding the extent of how upset Maddie was.

"Probably not," Tina stated, agreeing with him.

"I knew she was pushing herself because she was upset, but... she's gonna push herself even harder than I thought. It's how she works. Maddie throws herself into things when something's bothering her."

"Maybe he'll be able to get through to her. I mean if anyone can it's him. Maybe he'll be able to fix this," Tina said hopefully.

"I don't know. She's just not herself. She's already guarded and now she feels she can't trust him. He's the one person she's always been able to trust no matter what. She's gotta be freaking out right now. That's why last night when she told me she wished he was there and I told her I'd call him, she said no. I thought it was because she didn't want him knowing what happened, but it's not that."

"Nope. Even though she loves him and wants him with her, she's not going to allow herself to be fooled again. You're right, she thinks she can't trust him and she doesn't believe anything he's told her."

"Which is completely untrue. She can trust him."

"I know, but to be honest... I can't tell you I wouldn't feel the same way," Tina admitted. "She feels stupid, like he's laughing at her and thinks she's a big, pathetic joke."

"Really?" Pete asked, shocked. "She thinks he'd do that? She should know he'd NEVER do that!"

"I know, but she's not thinking clearly right now."

"Damn... This is worse than I thought." Again Pete rubbed his hands across his face. "Did you tell Steve any of this?"

"No, Maddie made me swear I wouldn't," Tina answered.

"So then what did you tell him?" Pete asked, curious.

"I told him she's just busy," she replied, relaying the whole encounter and the deal she'd made with Steve.

"She's not gonna tell him," Pete said, once again looking down the hall.

"I know, but I'm really hoping she will."

"If she does, it'll be a miracle. There's a better shot of pigs flying than Maddie letting him in right now." He paused before returning his gaze to her. "When you tell him, it's going to kill him. When he finds out HE'S the one that made her feel like that... oh man, it's gonna destroy him. You know that right?"

"I mean, I know he'll be upset," Tina said.

"He's always been the one to protect her from things. That's actually how they met, you know. They were four and he stood up for her. I know he's been extremely protective of her ever since, but I don't know all of it. I've always gotten the feeling there's more behind his need to protect her from everything." He thought back to when Steve had asked him to take over her security. After she'd had a scary incident he'd been freaked out and desperate to have someone he trusted take care of her when he couldn't. "To find out that he's the one that hurt her so badly is... that's gonna be hard for him."

With their backs against the closed doors they fell into companionable silence as they pondered the mess their friends were in. Pete heard Tina tried to stifle a yawn. She's tired, he thought, studying her face and noticing the weariness in her eyes, the slight paleness to her tan skin, and the way her body was somewhat drooping. "T," he said.

The change in tone grabbed her attention. He went from sounding sad and angry to sweet and concerned. "Yeah?" Tina answered.

"Why don't you go back to the dressing room and try to take a nap until she takes a break. My guess is you can get at least 2 hours of sleep in."

"I'm okay, Pete," she smiled and then smirked. "Plus, who's going to keep you company?"

He chuckled at her comment. "As much as I love your company... I know you're tired and I don't need or want you getting anywhere close to the kind of run down, exhausted state Maddie's in. So, go get some rest."

She thought about arguing, but he was right, she was really tired and could definitely use a couple hours of sleep. Plus, it was sweet he was worrying about her. Letting out a big yawn, she said, "Okay, I'll go. But... if you need me for anything or if Mads does, wake me up okay?"

Pete smiled, happy she wasn't fighting him. "I will, I promise."

Tina began down the hall, excited to be getting some rest, but also disappointed she wouldn't be hanging out with Pete. With so many people always around, it was rare they got to chat just the two of them. But, she knew she needed sleep, not only for herself, but for Maddie. Pushing herself the way she was, Tina knew she'd need her more than ever.

Right before turning left towards Maddie's dressing room, she turned. "Night, Pete!"

"Night, T!" he called back before she disappeared.

---

Two hours later Pete was still waiting at the doors, but now he was in a chair. While he was still alert he was trying to remember exactly when he'd noticed a change in Maddie. He thought if he could pinpoint when things changed, he might be able to remember an event or occurrence of some sort that could possibly help them figure out what she was hiding.

Suddenly the doors opened and the band and most of the dancers filed out. As more and more of them walked by, he wondered what was taking her so long. Finally Ryan and Maddie appeared. He was whispering something to her while she nodded. When he saw Pete, he caught up with the others.

Pete cringed at the sight of her. She's exhausted, he thought. Her skin was pale and her eyes were half open as she limped slowly. "Hey, Shorty," he greeted. She managed a small, tired smile. "How ya doin'?" She gave him a thumbs up. "Look at you... following Doc's orders. I'm proud." He took his position next to her, and, very slowly, they walked towards her dressing room. "Dinner?" Maddie nodded. "Perfect! Let's get the brace on you." As they walked Pete sent a quick text to Tina.

Upon entering the room, Maddie immediately made her way to the couch, wincing as she lowered herself. Pete noticed her knee seemed more swollen as he helped her into the brace. Very gently he propped her leg on the coffee table, hoping it would help decrease the swelling, or at least keep it from getting worse. As he helped her into her sweater it was as if she was a zombie, staring off into space as she slowly lifted each arm into the sleeves. She looked small and fragile the way her shoulders were hunched forward. She looks so tired, so sad, he thought.

Pete laid the blanket on her lap just as the door to the small bedroom opened. "Hey, Mads!" Tina greeted cheerfully.

Pete looked up and was relieved to see she looked better than earlier. One less thing to worry about, he thought.

Maddie flashed her the same tired smile he'd received. "Is it dinner?" Tina asked.

"Yeah," Pete answered.

"I'll go get you something," she told Maddie.

Maddie began writing on the dry erase board. Ryan's grabbing something for me. Thanks though.

"No problem! I'll go grab something for myself. Pete, what about you? Want something?"

"Yeah. That would be great," he replied as he checked the ice level in the tank.

"I'll be back," Tina announced as she exited the room.

"Pete," Maddie whispered.

He turned and met her eyes quickly, surprised to hear her voice. "Yeah, Shorty?"

"Would you mind grabbing my purse? It's in the kitchen."

"Sure." He quickly walked into the kitchen and returned with her bag. "No talking," he smirked as he set the bag next to her, hoping to get some sort of a reaction out of her. Something other than sad, exhausted looks. But, she gave him nothing.

Maddie mouthed 'thanks' to him before searching through for her phone. While she did Pete disappeared into the kitchen.

With her iPhone in her hand she quickly unlocked it only to be greeted by seven missed calls and four new voicemails. Panic set in, worried something had happened to Steve. She'd checked her phone only a few hours before. Hesitantly she went to her call log and immediately relaxed. Only one call was from Steve, the rest were all from Jesse. Why was he blowing up her phone lately? He'd called a few times over the last several months, but the calls had increased in the last week.

Flipping to her voicemails, she saw Steve had left her one a little before 9:30pm. As much as she wanted to hear it, she knew it would only hurt and remind her that this was all a joke to him. Deciding to leave the voicemail alone she glanced at the other three new ones. All from Jesse. She rolled her eyes. What the hell does he want? She stared at tonight's three new voicemails, the two from earlier, the four from yesterday, and the two from Saturday night and debated listening to them. While she had no desire to hear what he had to say, she couldn't deny she was curious, and uneasy.

She decided she better listen to one just in case he was planning on showing up. Looking at the eleven voicemails, she figured she'd start at the beginning. She tapped the first message from Saturday and held the phone to her ear. "Hey, Mads," he began, his voice causing an involuntary shiver. "I've called you a bunch over the last few months... and I don't blame you for not calling me back. I really screwed up. All I can say is I'm sorry and I know that doesn't fix anything or change what I did. Anyway, I want, no need, to talk to you, so please give me a call when you can." He paused and at first she thought he'd hung up until she heard him loudly sigh before saying, "I love you."

Maddie's eyes shut at his last words. She thought she'd never have to deal with him again. Sure, he had continued to call since they broke up, but she'd never responded, and she figured he would have gotten the message. Deciding to listen to a message in the middle she hit play. "Maddie, I know you're busy, but I really need to speak with you. This is important. I'm not kidding, call me back!" She didn't like the change between messages. His tone wasn't gentle or apologetic, but more forceful and definitely irritated.

As she was about to press play on a more recent one the crashing of ice distracted her. Pete met her eyes and noticed her slightly wince at the noise. "Sorry, that's loud," he apologized, continuing to fill the tank. "That reminds me, how's your head? Headache?"

Her head was pounding, but he didn't need to know that. She knew he was already worried about her. She gave him a thumbs up and flashed him a smile as she put her phone to sleep and laid it next to her. She'd listen to more later.

"You know, you can confide in me. I know you felt betrayed when I told Steve about what was going on." He chuckled when she raised her eyebrows at him in an expectant way. "And when I brought you home to him without telling you." She nodded her head once as if saying 'thank you for not excluding that'. "Anyway, I know you felt betrayed and I'm sorry for that. I thought I was doing the right thing. But, I promise, Mads, you can talk to me. If you tell me not to say anything to him, I won't." Maddie smiled and rubbed his arm in a gesture of appreciation as he closed the now full tank. Just as Pete was about to continue, the theme song to "Nightmare Before Elm Street" began playing. His head shot up and their eyes met. Hers widened as fury shot from his.

Maddie thought about silencing her phone, but it was pointless. Pete knew exactly who was calling. She watched him deeply inhale and exhale as he tried to calm down.

Why the hell is he calling? Pete wondered, rage coursing through his veins. He couldn't help it. It happened any time Jesse's name was brought up or he thought about the way she'd flown across the room and crashed into the wall. He had wanted to kill Jesse that night. In fact, he'd told him if he ever tried to contact her or try to see her he'd kill him. So why was he calling?

Pete lowered himself into the armchair to her left, his anger apparent in the way his knuckles whitened as he clutched the chair. He took another deep breath and cleared his throat, hoping to clear the anger as he prepared to bring Jesse up. They hadn't really spoken about what happened except that Steve was not to be informed. Very few people knew what had actually happened, and she'd wanted to keep it that way. She wanted to pretend it had never happened, and had refused to press charges even when he'd tried to insist. But if he'd been contacting her, he needed to know. He was her head of security and he was a threat. "Mads," he began, but was interrupted.

"Hey! Dinner's here!" Ryan sang as he entered carrying two plates. He plopped down next to Maddie, handing her one of the plates. "So, what's going on in here? Anything fun?" He glanced between the two as he picked up on the obvious tension. "Everything okay?" he asked hesitantly. Maddie plastered a fake smile on and turned to him nodding, but he wasn't buying it.

"Hope you're hungry," Tina said as she walked in and handed Pete a heaping plate of food.

"Thanks, T!" he smiled forcefully.

"No problem!" she replied, sitting down in the other armchair opposite his.

As they ate dinner, Tina and Ryan chatted while Pete fumed and Maddie remained quiet. She was trying to force herself to eat, but she had zero appetite. Plus, she felt horrible, in every sense of the word. Unable to take another bite, she set her food down and leaned back into the couch.

"So, Mads." Tina paused, setting her nearly empty plate on the coffee table before proceeding. "You haven't asked me if I saw Steve." At the blank stare Maddie gave her she clarified. "You know, when I picked and dropped Gracie off at Five-O... where Steve works."

"Oh," Maddie whispered, surprised she was bringing this up in front of others. With all eyes on her, Maddie felt obligated to ask. Plus she knew if she was going to pretend she wasn't upset, she'd need to be able to talk about him. She needed to behave how she used to, before she'd realized she was in love with him. "That's right. Did you see him?" she asked, trying to hide her broken heart.

"Yeah, both times actually," Tina responded.

"Cool." Maddie forced a smile, trying to swallow the lump that had formed at the mere mention of his name.

They all waited for her to ask about him and when she didn't Tina said, "Do you want to know how he is? Or what he said?"

Oh come on Tina! Drop it! Maddie thought, inwardly cursing her best friend. She smiled tightly before saying, "I'm sure he's fine."

"Actually... he's upset." She paused before continuing. "Mads... he didn't mean it."

Maddie sighed and looked her assistant and friend directly in the eyes. "Tina, we've talked about this. He did, but it's okay. I'm not upset."

Tina had already had this conversation with her, but was hoping Pete, Ryan, and Mo could help get through to her, which was why she'd brought it up in front of them. "Maddie, he didn't mean it," Pete said. "I promise you, he didn't. I get why you're upset."

"But I'm not upset. What should I be upset about?" she asked. "I mean we ARE friends. We have been since we were four."

"Shorty, bottling up how you feel and pretending everything's fine is not the way to handle this. You need to call Steve and talk to him. What he did was screwed up," Pete told her.

"…and he knows that, Mads. Trust me, he knows!" Tina finished.

"Guys, I appreciate your concern, really I do, but I'm fine. And Steve didn't screw up at all. He only told the truth."

"No he didn't," Mo finally said.

When did he get here, Maddie suddenly wondered. I must have been more checked out than I realized. "He did, so there's no reason for him to be upset." God, she hated this. She felt ganged up on. Why couldn't they all just stay out of it?

"Well, he is... Why don't you call him and tell him?" Tina suggested, hoping to convince her to reach out to Steve.

"Because I don't have time right now. There's still a lot we need to do. We need to finish the choreography for this last new number. Then we need to perform all the new songs with the lights and special effects to make sure they match the choreography before we run the entire show in full costumes tomorrow. We also need to run through the beginning of the show with the changed choreography. So, I just don't have time to let Steve know everything's fine. Because we are fine. In fact, we are great!" While she'd been talking Maddie had unhooked her knee brace and was now standing. "I'll meet you on stage Ry."

"Are you sure you're finished eating, Shorty? You barely ate anything," Pete asked, his eyes on her discarded plate.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm not hungry right now. I'll finish it later," Maddie whispered as she exited her dressing room.

Pete furrowed his brows as he thought over what she'd just said. "You guys aren't done working choreography out for the new songs?" he asked Ryan. "I mean four new songs... that should've been finished yesterday, no problem."

Ryan swallowed a bite of food. "It's not four. Where'd you get that number?"

Pete immediately met Tina's eyes, but she looked just as baffled as he did. "What? What do you mean it's not four?" he asked, his attention returning to Ryan.

"Let's see," Ryan looked up at the ceiling as he counted the new songs in his head. "It's... seven full choreographed numbers, plus maybe another 4 new ones that are mainly just her. I could be wrong on that second number; it might be less."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Pete exclaimed angrily. No wonder there's so much to do! She's running herself into the ground! he thought. He turned his attention to Tina. "How many did she give you Saturday night to give to the band?"

Tina thought back to the other night in Maddie's studio. "Five."

"Damn him and his stupid fucking mouth! Not to mention his shitty timing!" First Jesse and now this? he fumed.

Tina, Mo, and Ryan eyed one another, surprised at Pete's reaction. It was incredibly rare for him to let things get to him at this level. Ryan wasn't sure what to do or say so he finally stood and excused himself. Shortly after Mo also left.

Now that they were alone, Tina gave Pete a couple minutes to calm down before she finally asked, "What are you gonna do?"

Pete sighed loudly, leaning his head back against the chair as he closed his eyes. "What can I do? She's already too deep in this... nothing can be changed now. If I'd known yesterday? Maybe I could have done something."

"Are you gonna call Steve?"

A look of slight disgust and annoyance appeared on his face. "Why? So he can make things worse? No way."

"Maybe what she needs is to see him. Hash it out with him."

"You saw her Tina. You heard her. There's no way she's going to tell him how she feels. She's going to protect herself. Bringing Steve here is only going to rattle her and make things worse. The old, real Maddie? Yes, bringing him here would have been the answer because she would have actually talked to him and spoken her mind. But this new Maddie? This quiet, sad, exhausted, secretive version of herself? There's no way! I don't want him near her until... I don't even want him near her at all right now. To be honest, I don't think he should be allowed to see her before the show Wednesday. Or even come to the show. Did you already give him the passes?"

"Yeah, when I saw him earlier." Tina paused, trying to decide if she should voice her opinion. He didn't seem to be in a very compromising or rational mood, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was more he was upset about than the number of songs Maddie had added. Screw it, just say it, she told herself. "Pete, you can't do that. He needs to see her."

"I don't give a fuck what Steve needs right now! My job is to protect Maddie. And right now, she needs to be protected from him!" he yelled.

"You know that although Maddie won't admit it, she'd be devastated if he didn't go." Pete rolled his eyes as he fumed in the chair. "Pete, just listen to me. He needs to see Maddie, but to be honest... she needs to see him, too. You know that. Deep down, you do. It might make her more upset at first, but she needs him right now. If she's going to tell anyone what's going on it's going to be him."

"You think she's going to tell him anything after how he's made her feel?"

"No, that's my point! You have to let him see her so he can try and fix this mess. If he doesn't she's not going to tell anyone anything. Plus…" A huge, sappy smile broke out on her face. "They love one another. He hasn't realized it yet, but he does. And he will. They just need time to figure it out."

Pete glared at her, currently hating her romantic side. Finally he cleared his throat, preparing to speak. "So what? You want to call him and have him come talk to her?"

"No, not right now. You're right. There's too much to do. She's too deep in this. The number of new songs can't be changed at this point, which we both know means she won't be getting any sleep before the show. But I do think you shouldn't keep him from coming early on Wednesday and seeing the show."

"My only concern with Steve hanging out backstage during the day on Wednesday is that he's going to try to talk to her about everything. It'll upset her, and she needs to be as focused as possible or she won't be able to pull the show off."

"I agree, so tell him what you just told me. That trying to talk to her about everything before the show is not in her best interest. That he needs to wait until after. Trust me, when he sees her he'll understand and come to the same realization." Tina paused before quietly saying, "He's going to freak when he sees her, ya know?"

Pete's eyes closed as he envisioned what Steve was going to do when he saw how exhausted and unhealthy Maddie looked. Although a lot of her current state had Steve to blame, Pete couldn't help but feel like he'd let him down. Steve had hired him to protect Maddie, to keep her safe. Plus, he'd specifically asked him to make sure she took care of herself on Sunday. Even though she was a grown woman and he could only do so much, he still felt like he'd failed him.

"Yeah, and who knows how long it'll be before he lets her out of his sight now... and Maddie will just LOVE that," he said sarcastically. "I'm glad I won't be around for that battle."

"When are you leaving?" Tina asked.

"I think I'm heading out Saturday. I'll stay for the after party on Friday and then head out. Steve promised her a few weeks without any security. Well, except him. Of course that was before this whole thing happened, so who knows. Maybe I'll stay longer. How about you?"

"I think as of right now I'm here until Monday. But I might stay longer. I don't know... the idea of leaving her here alone with him when she's heartbroken bothers me. But I'll definitely be here till Monday. I want to help her get settled. It's been," she paused, thinking back. "I don't know... at least three years since she's been in one place longer than a few weeks. There's a lot to unpack. I want to make sure she has everything she needs. I'll play it by ear."

"Good, I'm glad you'll still be here after I leave. She'll need help getting settled." Pete rubbed his hand across his face and she suddenly was aware of just how tired he looked.

"Why don't you try and get some rest while she's out there? Jared's at the door, so she's okay," Tina suggested.

"Nah, I'm okay. I'll just get a cup of coffee."

"Pete," she said sternly. "How can you expect to keep her safe if you can't even see straight because you're exhausted? Get some rest!"

He met her eyes and forced himself not to smile at how cute he thought she looked when she was trying to be tough. "Playing dirty, I see... Okay," he surrendered. "I'll go pass out for a couple hours." He slowly stood and began walking to the door. Just as he reached it he turned around. "Wake me up if she comes out early or if something happens."

"I will," Tina smiled. "Good night, Pete."

"Night, T," he mumbled as he exited.

---

Steve drove to Maddie's, hoping and praying she'd go home. He knew that she wouldn't want to, but after seeing the pictures of how tired she was, he was hoping that her doctor would insist.

It was pitch-black inside when Steve walked inside Maddie's at 10:30pm, a sure sign no one was home. Planning on taking a shower he found himself upstairs in her bedroom. As he looked at the bed, images of her curled into him flooded his mind, making his heart ache. Knowing he'd hurt her, again, he doubted she was going to be that vulnerable with him. Suddenly images of the sweet kisses he'd given her before bed came to mind. "How could I have said that after kissing her?" he asked himself. Feeling restless and angry he changed into some running clothes and headed downstairs. Exiting the door leading to the back patio, he ran to the left, in the opposite direction of her studio. It wasn't long before he reached her private beach. Almost thirty minutes of running along the beach he turned back, wanting to shower before she got home.

His stomach grumbled as he exited her shower and he suddenly realized he hadn't eaten since lunch. Although he hated eating late, he knew he needed dinner.

As he entered the kitchen in shorts and a t-shirt, he glanced at the clock on the oven. "11:30pm," he whispered. "Where are you Maddie?" He opened the fridge and his eyes fell on the takeout he'd brought home for Maddie the night before. Not wanting it to go bad he warmed it and sat at the kitchen counter to eat. His eyes anxiously stared at the clock.

At nearly midnight there was still no sign of her. "Oh come on, Maddie... come home." Every minute that went by he was filled with more worry. He was worried that if she didn't come home tonight she'd be in worse shape than she was in when she'd first arrived nearly five days before. The thought scared the shit out of him. He didn't want to imagine her worse than that. Watching the clock was driving him insane, so he decided he'd wait for her upstairs.

As he climbed in her bed he reached for the remote. He never watched TV before bed, but he knew he needed the distraction. Settling on the history channel he did his best to focus on it as opposed to Maddie, but when he'd made it through two programs he looked at the clock. "Damn it," he cursed when he saw '1:30'. Turning off the TV, he reached for his phone and hit her number. His heart sunk when it went straight to voicemail. He assumed she'd turned it off because she didn't want to hear from him. Steve's eyes closed as he listened to her voice, missing the sound of it. He took a deep breath right before the beep sounded. "Hey... so, you're not home... I really hope you're at least resting." He sighed heavily before continuing. "I'm really worried about you, Mads. Please don't push yourself too hard. I don't want anything happening to you." He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, and his voice softened. "I wish you were here with me, where I know you're safe. Anyway, good night, baby."

---

At 1am they took a short twenty-minute break. Jared walked Maddie to her dressing room and as he held the door open for her he said, "I'm gonna go grab a quick nap. Mo will be right outside. Pete will take you back to the stage at the end of the break." Maddie nodded as she situated herself on the couch.

Once she was alone, she reached for her cell, wanting to listen to some more of Jesse's messages, but also to see if he'd called again. "What does he want?" she whispered when she saw he'd called her another three times since dinner. She started listening to the messages she hadn't heard yet from oldest to newest. In the older ones, starting Saturday during the barbeque, he was apologetic. He sounded sad and regretful. If she hadn't known him she would've believed him. Maddie hit play on the fourth message and brought the phone up to her ear. "Hey, I don't blame you for not answering or calling me back. I really don't. I don't know what got into me that night, but I promise you it will NEVER happen again. I just... I miss you. We need to talk about this. We were good together, meant to be. At least give me a chance to apologize. Call me back, Maddie. I love you."

Is he delusional? I would never get back together with him! she thought. Leaning her head back against the couch she continued to listen to his voicemails. The more she listened to, the more upset Jesse became. One from today began playing, and she winced the second his voice came on. "All I want to do is talk to you!" he yelled. "You owe it to us to talk to me! I want to see you! And I will! I was hoping you'd be reasonable about this, instead of me having to go through other channels. Call me back!" She flinched, hearing him break something before hanging up. "Well this isn't good," she whispered to herself.

"What isn't?" Pete asked as he walked in. Maddie jumped, not expecting a visitor. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I knocked but you didn't answer. You okay?"

Just as he began walking towards her, the "Nightmare On Elm Street" theme song filled the air. She froze as their eyes met, unbelievable rage in his.

"Maddie, give me the phone," Pete growled.

"Pete," she whispered, her fingers clenching on the object.

"Now," he seethed.

Hearing how angry he was, she handed it over and watched him turn it off before setting it on the coffee table. He sighed heavily as he sat in the armchair closest to her. "How long has he been calling?" Pete asked as he clasped his hands together. It was taking everything he had to keep from yelling.

"Pete," Maddie said again, not wanting to talk about it.

"I know you don't want to talk about him or what happened, but I'm sorry, you have to. I need to make sure he isn't going to show up at some point. I mean, what if he decides to come see you in the next three weeks when it's just Steve with you. He has NO idea what Jesse did!"

"And he never will," Maddie said authoritatively.

"If you think he's coming, then yes, Steve needs to know."

"He's not gonna show up, so it's not a problem. Don't worry about it," Maddie told him. However, after hearing that last message, she knew there was a good chance he was going to try and see her at some point.

"Are you just telling me that because you don't want Steve to know what happened?" Pete asked.

"No," she lied. She could tell Pete wasn't completely buying it so she added, "Look, if I thought he was going to try and see me, I wouldn't let you go home. I wouldn't let you leave me with Steve for three weeks. Okay?"

Pete studied her, looking for any sign of deception. "But if at any time you feel that could change, all you have to do is call me and I'll come right back to Hawaii."

"I know," Maddie smiled at him. "And I love you for that."

"Don't try and flatter me so I forget about this," he half joked. "Just, leave your phone off for now. After the show, I'll have Tina get you a new number. Okay?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Before Pete could say anything more on the subject a knock sounded on the door. Maddie exhaled a sigh of relief as Ryan popped his head in.

"You ready?"

---

Knowing everyone was exhausted and that they had a long day of dress rehearsals ahead of them, Maddie sent everyone to bed around 3am telling them not to come back until 9am. Although she was exhausted, she was afraid to go to sleep. Now that she wasn't with Steve she was back to having nightmares every time she fell asleep. The situations or specifics varied, but the idea was always the same. She was forced to watch Steve be killed and it was all her fault. For hours afterward, and sometimes the entire day, she felt unsettled and distracted, unable to shake the gruesome and heartbreaking images. They seemed so real and she couldn't shake the idea that they were some sort of premonition as opposed to dreams.

Reluctantly, and after much convincing on Pete's part, she agreed to try and sleep. She changed into a fresh pair of black leggings and a white long sleeved shirt with a baggy faded maroon sweatshirt over it. Sitting on the pullout bed barefoot, she took the opportunity to look at the cuts on the bottom of her right foot. "Oh man," Maddie whispered to herself. They had, at some point, ripped open and bled, quite profusely if her discarded sock had anything to say about it. They were no longer bleeding, but a disgusting, pale yellow colored liquid oozed from the biggest one. That can't be good, she thought. She continued to investigate her foot, her nose wrinkled in disgust, when a knock on the door interrupted her.

"You decent?" Pete asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah," Maddie answered softly, but loud enough he could hear. As the door opened she quickly grabbed the pair of black socks lying next to her and pulled the first one over her injured foot.

"How ya feeling?" he asked as he walked inside the room. He set the large knee brace and tank on the floor before taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"Fine," she lied, pulling on the other sock.

"I don't even know why I ask, Mads. I know you well enough to know you don't feel good," Pete told her, hoping it would get her to be honest.

Maddie looked down at her feet dangling off the bed. "I'm tired. And I'm in pain. But, it's nothing I can't handle or haven't handled before." She looked up at him. "The show must go on, right?"

He worried over the sadness in her eyes. Eyes that used to always be happy and sparkling. He hadn't seen those eyes in a while and, truth be told, he missed them. The closest they'd gotten were moments with Steve. Maybe I should call him and come, he thought, doubting his decision.

"Pete?"

"Right. However, if things get really bad, speak up. We'll reschedule the show."

His statement caused her to chuckle sardonically. "We both know that can't happen," Maddie stated.

Pete sighed loudly knowing what she said was the truth. She had to perform Wednesday no matter what kind of state she was in. How did this happen? How did things get this bad? he wondered, feeling guilty. I should have called Steve months ago. But he reminded himself that he'd thought he was still overseas and hadn't wanted to worry him. When he heard her try to stifle a yawn, he said,, "Let me hook you up to this. Do you want to get under the covers or just lay on top?" he asked, standing up and picking up the knee brace he'd set on the floor nearby.

Maddie thought about it, but decided it'd be easier to just lie on top of the made bed. "Just a blanket will be fine. Thanks, Petey." She scooted back on the bed and laid her head on a pillow.

Pete's stomach sunk as he noticed what she was wearing or, to be more accurate, what she wasn't wearing. After months and months of wearing Steve's clothes every night to bed, she was in her own clothes. Not a good sign, he thought.

He gently lifted her right leg and set it in the huge brace, carefully fastening each Velcro strap. "So," he began, uncertain whether he should bring it up or not. "Nice pajamas."

Maddie knew exactly what he was getting at. She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "Thanks," she murmured, nervously biting her bottom lip.

"Must say though, I prefer your usual ones." At her silence he asked, "Did you bring them?"

"I'm giving them back. They aren't mine," Maddie replied, her voice taking on a distant quality.

"That wasn't an answer." Pete fastened the last two straps before propping her leg up with pillows, hoping that elevating it would help with the swelling He leaned over and pulled the tank closer to the bed and plugged it into a nearby outlet. He then reached up and connected her brace to the tank and immediately cold ice water began circulating into the knee brace.

"I hate this thing," she murmured, instantly beginning to feel cold. Pete disappeared into the main room before returning with the big, plush blanket.

"Here ya go, Shorty," he mumbled as he covered her. She immediately snuggled into it as he sat on the edge of her bed and sighed. Finally he turned and met her sleepy eyes. "Mads... he didn't mean it."

"Pete, not again," Maddie groaned. "They're just clothes. It doesn't mean anything."

"Yes, it does. You and I both know that," he responded. She didn't answer, knowing he was right. "Here's your phone." He set it near her on the bed. "Thought maybe you'd want to call him before you go to sleep. But if you do, turn it back off when you're done."

"Pete, it's after three in the morning. Steve is asleep. He has to work in the morning," Maddie stated.

"My guess is he isn't asleep or at least not sleeping very well. Give him a call, Mads." He stood. "Night, Shorty."

"Night, Petey," she whispered, snuggling further into the blanket.

"Call him," Pete said right before shutting the door behind him.

As much as Maddie missed Steve and wanted to hear his voice, she couldn't call him. She had to distance herself from him. And she needed more time to try and forget what he'd done. To pretend had been cruel. Like I'll ever forget, she thought right before exhaustion took over and sleep came.