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.

31. Chapter 31 - Reunited

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

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter ended up being a little bit more of a segue, filler chapter than I initially thought. However, there's a lot of information that gets thrown at you guys, both subtly and not so subtly. I know it's a long chapter for what it is, but hey, you guys have read my story thus far, so you know my style of writing is very detailed. I like to paint a picture of people, their emotions/feelings, and what's going on in the chapter. Some people like this, others don't. I can't please everyone.

I know it seems like a lot of time has gone by in this story, but because of my detailed style of writing, only a week has gone by. Maddie has only been in Hawaii a week and the last four days she has worked herself into the ground. She's exhausted, as is her entire team. Of course Steve is going to be worried, everyone is. After she performs the show and gets rested, you'll start to see the real Maddie. I know there's a few of you that seem to think Maddie is like this all the time, but that couldn't be further from the truth. That's why Steve is so worried about her. In the past Steve would worry about her, but nothing like this. He didn't have his eye on her every second and he wasn't so overprotective. You'll see that in some flashbacks to the past in the next few chapters. You'll also see that once Maddie gets sleep and starts to settle into "normal life", where she isn't on the road and touring the world, where she isn't surrounded by people protecting her and wanting things from her, she starts to be more like herself.

There will be a lot of Steve and Maddie from now on now that they've been reunited.

Like always, thoughts are in italics. Because Maddie is losing her voice, she writes down her responses a lot in this chapter. I've put those in bold.

Also, I appreciate your reviews, good and/or bad! I enjoy writing and am always wanting to improve.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling and let you get to reading the next chapter!

xo

DivaLola

---

CHAPTER 31

Enough is enough, Madeline, she told herself as she crutched further into the room, Pete's hand still on her back providing silent support. With every step her heart beat harder and louder, echoing in her ears. They all want the old, real Maddie back… so, give her to them. You can do this.

With new resolve Maddie met the eyes of her friends. She was thankful that Chin's were the first she met. The warm encouragement he sent with simply one look was just what she needed. "Hey, kiddo," Chin smiled.

"Don't even think about talking," Doc said just as she was about to open her mouth and say hi. Her shoulders slumped and she rolled her eyes. She turned towards Doc as he took a seat at the other side of the table, near Chin, and glared at him, wrinkling her nose.

Steve smiled slightly at her cute expression as he studied her carefully, a warm feeling brewing in his belly. The second he saw her enter the room his heart had begun to pound and a sense of relief washed over him seeing that she was safe. She wore medium wash, skinny jeans and a loose fitting, white, racerback tank top. A silver metal band, resembling a bracelet, was around her small, but toned, left bicep. Her long, auburn hair was down. Loose waves framed her face while her natural make-up made her skin appear almost dewy. It made her already stunning and captivating crystal blue eyes pop more than normal. Steve's eyes trailed down her tiny body and took in the hardcore knee brace, and as a result, the crutches.

Turning back to Chin, and following Doc's orders, Maddie mouthed 'hi'. As annoying as it was, not being able to talk gave her an excuse to be quiet, to not interact with everyone as much, which worked in her favor right now. She also wouldn't have to answer a million questions. Many of which, she was sure, would be about her recent "escape".

When she was only a few steps away a loud, sharp boom filled the room. She's so skittish, Steve thought angrily as she involuntarily jumped at the noise. She'd never been like that and he hated seeing her scared. It ate at him and he fought the urge to go to her and soothe her.

As he tried breathing through the rage coursing through his veins he studied Maddie, taking in her demeanor. He noticed the way her hands gripped the handles of her crutches, nearly turning her knuckles white.

"You okay?" Pete quietly asked her, closing the small space between them. She nodded quickly as she exhaled a shaky breath. She glanced around the room as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip, looking for the cause of the sound. "Look-" He nodded his head towards the other end of the room. She immediately recognized members of Derek's team. They must be working on the special effects for "Love With A Lie", she thought as they picked up the item they'd dropped.

"Sorry," one of them called out to no one in particular as they continued through the room. She assumed they were heading to the stage to work on the fire concept.

Continuing to slightly chew on her bottom lip Maddie nodded, more to herself than to Pete, as she tried to steady her pounding heart and irregular breathing. It was nothing, no big deal. Everything's fine, she told herself. Feeling a bit calmer, she looked straight ahead. Her stomach plummeted realizing that she'd just reacted like that in front of Five-O, especially Steve. Way to keep your cool, she chastised herself. She plastered on a smile, pretending as if the last minute hadn't happened, and resumed crutching to the table.

Kono had never seen Maddie on edge like that. What the hell is going on? she wondered, sharing a confused look with Chin who was thinking the same thing. Curious, she stole a quick glance at McGarrett. She forced herself not to smile at the concern and worry she saw peeking through Steve's tough exterior. She looked back at Maddie and knew she was probably embarrassed by her out of character reaction. "You look hot," Kono stated, hoping to help ease the awkward moment.

I can always count on Kono, Maddie thought as she laughed. However, she immediately feltthe familiar tickle in her incredibly raw and painful throat caused by laughing. Maddie stopped and hunched forward slightly, holding her crutches with her armpits so they wouldn't fall. She turned her head a bit to the left as her left hand flew to her mouth. She coughed twice, her delicate hand covering her mouth. Clearing her painful throat, she crutched forward. 'Thanks', she mouthed to Kono.

"I'm stoked to see the show tonight," Kono told her, a mischievous look in her brown eyes as if she knew exactly what Maddie had planned for the evening. Although she had a tired smile plastered to her face, Maddie had to look away to keep from all out grinning at her friend. She knew if she did, Pete would only grow more suspicious than he already was.

Steve caught the look between the two and hoped she didn't have something crazy and dangerous planned.

Wanting to keep from laughing, Maddie quickly looked away from Kono and towards the person sitting to her left. She met Danny's kind, blue eyes. Although she'd met him less than a week before, she knew they'd become great friends. From the little time she'd spent with him she could tell he was a loyal and trusting friend. Someone who would go above and beyond for the people he cared about. To be honest, knowing Danny was Steve's partner made her worry a little less about him. 'Hi, Danny,' she mouthed as she crutched the last couple steps to the table, stopping right in front of the bench.

"Here, Shorty," Pete softly said as he took her crutches and set them underneath the bench she was about to sit on. As he did, Tina slid over to the right, making a space for Maddie between Ryan and herself. Grateful, Maddie reached out her right, uninjured hand and lightly squeezed Tina's shoulder in silent thanks.

Before sitting, Maddie braced herself for the pain she knew she'd feel. Don't let it show, she told herself. Taking a deep breath she slowly and carefully lowered herself onto the bench. Feeling the intense pain radiating down her legs, she subconsciously held her breath.

Steve hadn't forgotten the video Gracie had taken of Maddie a couple days before. The one where she needed help standing, obviously in an incredible amount of pain. So, he watched her closely as she sat, looking for any sign of what he'd seen in the short video. He was filled with concern as he watched her back tense. What the hell happened? Steve wondered, worry brewing in his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to be alone with her. To be able to talk to her and not feel like everyone was watching their every move. To be able to really make sure she was okay.

Because she had her leg in a brace Maddie couldn't bend her knee. With the kind of table it was – similar to a picnic table – she couldn't just step over the bench and then sit down, so she sat with her back against the table. Tina scooted further down to her right, giving Maddie more room to get situated. Continuing to do her best to hide the pain she turned her body slightly left before bringing her left leg over the bench and onto the other side. Then she lifted and placed her brace clad right leg up onto the bench.

"Wait." Pete stopped her from setting it on the floor under the table. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes. "Gotta change the ice packs," he said squatting down next to her.

Maddie's shoulders dropped slightly and her eyebrows drew down as she frowned. She opened her mouth to say something, but Doc stopped her with a loud clearing of his throat. Steve watched her eyes briefly shut in frustration as she took a deep breath trying to remain calm. He fought the smirk that wanted to appear knowing how hard and frustrating this was for her.

Before Maddie knew it Tina thrust the small dry erase board and marker in her hands. She's always prepared. Always ready, Maddie thought, flashing her a small, appreciative smile. She quickly scribbled on the board before holding it up to Pete. They're still cold, it read.

Pete's eyebrows rose, giving her a pointed look, as a smirk played on his lips. "Not even close, but nice try, Shorty."

She pouted, reaching forward and stretching both arms in front of her and on top of her leg and knee, trying to shield it from Pete. She didn't know how she kept from wincing at the sharp pains the movement caused, but she did.

Pete gave her a sympathetic look. "I know, but it's gotta be done."

Defeated, she dropped her arms from her knee and let Pete pull the old, warm ice packs from the brace. It wasn't just that the new, cold ones made her extremely cold, but that changing them shook her leg around, causing a lot of pain. Maddie didn't blame him. She knew he was doing everything he could to cause her the least amount of pain possible. She effectively kept the discomfort she was feeling from showing as Pete tugged and jiggled her brace, pulling out the warm ice packs. He set them on the table exchanging them for the new, cold ones. Forgetting for a minute about the people who were sitting at the table, her back rounded as she hunched forward slightly, giving into how awful she felt. She inwardly sighed at the intense achiness throughout her body. Her eyes fluttered closed quickly as she lightly coughed once.

Steve's eyes had been glued to Maddie and Pete and he was reminded of how grateful he was that Pete had taken over as her head of security. He was so in tune with her, always there in case she needed him. It helped to know she was in safe hands when he wasn't around. He was pulled from his thoughts as he watched Maddie close her eyes and hunch forward. His jaw clenched as he struggled to act like he wasn't worried about her, like every instinct he had wasn't telling him to go to her. She's so tired, he thought as he fought the urge to pick her up and take her somewhere where he could curl up with her and make sure she got some sleep.

"I remember that stupid knee brace! I HATED it! I feel your pain, Mads," Kono groaned as Pete finished changing the ice packs. At the sound of her voice, Maddie's eyes flew open, realizing that she'd momentarily dropped her 'act'.

"There ya go," Pete said, grabbing the warm packs off the table. He helped her slide her right leg down onto the floor.

Now facing forward at the table, Maddie looked across and to her left at Kono, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, letting her know that yes, she too hated the brace.

Although the cold ice packs had only been in her brace for a minute, she was already feeling the effects. It didn't matter that her brace was over her jeans, it still made her cold. Unfortunately she'd left her jacket in her dressing room.

Before continuing with her "hello's" Maddie glanced around the room still feeling on edge.

Everyone noticed Maddie eyeing the room nervously. It was killing Steve to see her so scared. He wished more than anything he could take her fear away, but he needed her to talk to him. Until she would or he figured it out, he'd just have to stay close, to not only keep her safe, but to help her feel safe.

After glancing around she returned her attention to Danny. "Hey, Maddie!" he smiled. She returned it with a small, quick wave.

"Gracie had the best time the other day. Thank you so much for asking her to perform with you! She couldn't be more excited!"

'No problem', she mouthed, smiling brightly as she remembered how much fun she'd had with Gracie. It had been the only highlight over the last four days of rehearsals. 'I had fun, too,' she mouthed slowly so Danny would understand.

"Well, thank you! It's been a tough month and she really needed something like this," Danny honestly revealed.

Maddie could tell he was an amazing father. Sure, she'd witnessed it first-hand at the barbeque, but the way his face lit up when he spoke of her... it warmed her heart and she'd never admit it to anyone, but it made her a little emotional. She found herself wishing she'd been lucky enough to have a father like Danny, or even one a quarter as good. However, the second her mind touched that subject, she forced it out. She learned a long time ago there was no use in dwelling on her relationship, or lack thereof, with her father. Thinking of him only brought back awful memories and with everything she had going on, her father was the last person she wanted, or needed, on her mind.

"Danny, she is the coolest kid ever," Kono said.

Maddie paused, her stomach in knots. You can do this. Everything's completely normal, she tried to tell herself as her heart thrummed even harder now that the moment she'd been worried about for four days was finally upon her.

Sitting to her left Ryan lightly squeezed her hand under the table, sending her silent encouragement. With a deep breath, she plastered on a big smile as she looked at Steve.

As their eyes met, he instantly felt a warmness in his belly that spread throughout his body. He also felt a significant amount of relief now that he could see her.

It felt as if everyone not only quieted, but disappeared, leaving only Steve and Maddie. Everyone at the table watched as they stared at one another. Although Pete, Ryan, and Tina were surprised at how 'normal' Maddie was acting, it also made them sad. They would have preferred she'd gotten upset at Steve because at least that would mean they'd talk it over and work through it. But if Maddie wouldn't admit something was wrong things would only continue to get worse between them.

Having only ever heard of Steve, Doc watched the two closely. All he'd ever heard were stories and opinions about them, however he wanted to come to his own conclusions. Everyone's right, he thought happily, unable to keep the smile from his face as he took in the way they looked at one another. The way everyone else in the room seemed to disappear as their eyes met.

She looks exhausted… but, God, she's beautiful, Steve thought. Now that he was able to see her up close, he studied her face. He knew her so well that although she was all done up, her hair and makeup perfect, he could tell she was tired. It was the little things. Like the way her body gradually and subtly seemed to be folding in on itself, almost as if it was too tired to hold itself up. It was the way her eyes drooped ever so slightly. Her usual sparkling, crystal blue eyes appeared slightly dull. Although she was smiling at him, he could tell it was forced, that there was nothing but exhaustion behind it. And hurt, he guessed. There was something else off about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. She was doing a damn good job of trying to hide her real thoughts and feelings.

"Hey, Mads," Steve said, finally breaking the silence as their eyes still held. He smiled at her. The kind of smile that would have made her go weak in the knees if she had been standing. He's lethal, she thought, her stomach doing somersaults. 'Hey' she mouthed, smiling back.

Movement from his left caught Maddie's eye, effectively pulling her attention from him. Lori, Maddie thought, her eyes falling on the female Five-O team member just as she subtly rubbed her arm against Steve's. Maddie suddenly became aware of just how close they were sitting. The picture she'd been texted, the one of Steve and Lori making out as Lori straddled Steve, flashed through her mind. It took everything she had not to close her eyes as she breathed through the nausea the image created. Instead, she ignored her now churning stomach and, like she promised herself, didn't let on that her heart was literally aching. She brought her eyes up to meet Lori's. 'Hey, Lori' Maddie mouthed, giving her the biggest, most sincere smile she could muster. However, she should have toned it down a bit because Steve noticed. He couldn't help the sense of relief and happiness he felt seeing that Lori's presence was still bothering her. Maybe I can fix things, he thought as he continued to watch her closely.

"Hi!" Lori cheerfully greeted. "Thanks so much for including me! I'm really looking forward to seeing the show."

Still smiling, Maddie looked down at the dry erase board in front of her. Quickly she erased the previous message and scribbled a new one. She held it up to Lori. No worries! I'm so glad you came! I hope you enjoy the show!

"I'm sure I will," she replied happily.

She placed the dry erase board on the table in front of her and erased the previous message before writing a new one. She held it up, slowly rotating it so all of Five-O could read it. She started with Chin and ended with Steve and Lori. I'm really glad you guys came. I know this is a workday and you probably have a million things to do. Just know it really means a lot! She'd drawn a little smiley face at the end of the message.

They all nodded enthusiastically, providing her with versions of "no problem", "I'm excited", and "can't wait". Steve met Maddie's eyes after reading the message. "Wouldn't have missed it for the world, Mads," he said, trying to convey something deeper and more intimate to her. Don't fall for it, she told herself as she nodded at him.

"I wanted to tell you, your boots are to die for!" Lori said, grinning happily at Maddie.

'Thank you', Maddie mouthed, a small humble smile on her face. You know where I'd like to stick that boot of mine? she thought as she placed a hand on her chest to further drive home her "appreciation" of Lori's compliment.

It was as if Ryan could read Maddie's mind as he squeezed her hand under the table, doing his best to keep from laughing. However, he wasn't completely successful and a snort escaped, forcing Maddie to elbow him softly. He immediately cleared his throat, trying to cover up the slip.

Steve caught the subtle interaction between the two and ignored the slight twinge it caused. That's how things used to be between us, he thought, missing that aspect of their relationship.

"You have great taste. Maybe we could go shopping next week or something," Lori suggested.

Maddie quickly wrote a message and held it up to Lori. I would love that! It's been so long since I've actually been able to go out shopping… Why wait until next week?

"Not gonna happen," Steve said, his tone matter of fact as he looked directly at Maddie. Although she didn't want to, she met his pointed stare with slight annoyance on her face.

Irritated by his comment, Maddie quickly added something to the dry erase board and held it up for Lori, knowing it would piss Steve off. Tomorrow?

After reading it, Steve glanced at Maddie. Seeing the look on her face, a look letting him know she was purposely going to go shopping with Lori this week solely because he had said no, caused his face to twitch both in anger and frustration. Stubborn, he thought. "Madeline..."

At the warning tone Maddie looked up, meeting his irritated eyes which were turning greener by the second. Her eyebrows rose in an innocent gesture. He licked his bottom lip briefly as he stared into her eyes, lightly shaking his head. Everyone watched as the best friends had a silent conversation. A slight smirk appeared on Maddie's face along with a mischievous glint in her eyes just as she broke eye contact with Steve. This only frustrated him more, however he bit his tongue knowing that if he said anything further on the subject right now she'd definitely do it, or worse. God, she's so stubborn, he thought.

Doc couldn't hold back a smile at how overprotective Steve was. Everyone had been telling the truth all these years. To be honest, he was worried a lot less about Maddie now. He hadn't even officially met Steve and he knew he'd take excellent care of her and get her feeling better.

Knowing nothing good would come if the two continued to argue, Kono jumped in. "Well, I wanna go shopping, too. But I can't go this week. What about next week?"

Maddie knew what her friend was doing. Although she was upset with Steve and wanted to go just because he'd told her she couldn't, she was also relieved that Kono had said what she had. Deep down she knew there was no way she'd feel up to going anywhere this week. She just didn't want to give Steve the satisfaction.

Steve quickly met Kono's eyes, thanking her with a simple look.

"Okay, next week it is!" Lori smiled. "It'll be fun! Maybe we can go out afterwards. Dinner and maybe a bar or club or something."

I can't think of anything I'd rather do less, Maddie thought as she nodded in agreement.

"We'll figure it out later," Kono said, knowing there was no way they could take Maddie to a club without full security, which she wouldn't have. Plus, she had a feeling Maddie didn't want to be in any situation where she could be hounded. She seemed like she needed a peaceful, low key vacation.

Once again Steve was grateful for Kono. Wanting to change the subject he said, "Hey, Mads?" Hesitantly she looked at him, her eyebrows arched questioningly. "I got this for you." Steve flashed her the sexy, half smile he was so good at as he pushed the smoothie towards her. He knew he'd upset her by telling her she couldn't do something, especially with how things currently were between them, and he hoped this would help a bit.

The smoothie took Maddie by surprise. So much so that it distracted her and she dropped her façade. Sure it was brief, but it was long enough that Steve saw the doubt and hesitation creep into her eyes. It was as if she was afraid to take the drink. In that moment he realized that he hadn't just hurt her feelings by what he'd said. It was deeper than that. Steve's chest constricted as his stomach suddenly felt like an empty, bottomless pit. He had to admit that when Tina told him Maddie had asked for him a number of times only to change her mind, he didn't really understand. If she wanted him there and asked, why had she changed her mind? However, he was understanding more and more just how much damage he'd unintentionally caused.

Quickly recovering, she smiled broadly. She reached forward taking the To-Go Cup from his extended hand. Reading the label, she realized that it wasn't just a smoothie,it was her favorite. He got me my favorite smoothie? she wondered, as her heart began to flutter. However, she quickly ignored it. He made himself clear the other day, she reminded herself.

Maddie brought the straw to her lips and took a sip. Ahh, she thought as the cold liquid soothed her raw throat. With the straw in her mouth she sipped the smoothie while using her other hand to write a new note. When she finished she held it up to him, all the while still drinking the cold drink. Yummy! Thanks, Steve! You're the best! Another smiley face sat at the end of the message, grinning happily at him.

Steve smiled at the note, especially the little smiley face she'd drawn. Thank you, Pete, he thought, happy his friend had asked him to grab the smoothie. He was pleased by her reaction, but also unsettled. Minus the brief hesitation she was acting like everything was fine between them. If he was honest, he'd been expecting her to be more standoffish. Now he was worried that she was going to pretend everything was fine and refuse to acknowledge what had happened. "You're welcome, Mads," Steve replied, continuing to study her every move. Until he could find a good time to talk to her about everything, all he could do was go with the flow. So for the time being, he'd sit back and let her lead. Well, until her show was over.

"So," Kono began and Maddie looked over at her. "Can I just say... nice job with the escape!" Kono stood and leaned forward extending her closed fist to her friend. Still drinking her smoothie Maddie stood slightly, something that was difficult due to her knee brace. Giggling softly she fist bumped Kono. Steve could tell it was hard for her to stand, especially when she slipped slightly. Her body jerked and she almost tipped backward. His brows furrowed at the quick grimace that appeared. Steve knew something new had to be wrong. Whatever it was, it was causing her a lot of pain. He was grateful when Ryan's hands flew up to steady her.

"Uh oh, Steve looks constipated," Danny cracked. Everyone turned to look at him. Maddie couldn't help but smirk as she took in Steve's expression. He's right, she thought. Great description of it.

"Shut up, Danno," Steve countered, annoyed at his partner. "I thought she was gonna fall." He then turned his head to the right. "Really, Kono? Why are you egging her on?"

Kono immediately felt like she was back in high school and had gotten in trouble for causing trouble in class. Just like back then she found herself trying to hide the smirk she just couldn't seem to keep from her face.

When Steve's gaze returned to Maddie he discovered she'd written a note on the small dry erase board and, still standing, was holding it up. To be honest I'm surprised I haven't received a lecture on the topic.

After reading it he met her eyes. She stared at him with a smart-ass look, her mouth turned up in a slight smile, while mischief danced in her blue eyes.

Steve stared at her as he lightly shook his head. "The day's not over yet," he said warningly, letting her know he was upset by her stunt and there'd most definitely be a conversation about it later.

"Where'd you go anyway?" Kono asked. She wasn't the only one wondering where Chin and Pete had found her.

At Kono's question, the mischievous smile fell from Maddie's face. Her eyes immediately dropped to the table, suddenly unable to look at anyone as a rosy, pink tint spread across her cheeks.

They all watched the immediate change, wondering where she could have gone to elicit such a response. Steve wracked his brain, trying to think of places she could have gone that were in the vicinity to the Starbuck's. However, nothing came to mind. He watched anxiously as Maddie finally wrote a short message. A girl's gotta have some secrets.

Steve's eyebrows furrowed at her response, finding it odd she wouldn't tell them where she'd gone. He knew her well enough to know that her response, or lack thereof, meant she hadn't gone just anywhere. That she hadn't just taken off for no reason.

"So, how'd rehearsals go?" Kono asked.

"Yeah, were they as bad as you all thought they'd be?" Danny added.

Piece of cake, Maddie wrote.

Tina and Ryan snorted, shock and disbelief on their faces. "Were we at the same rehearsals?" Ryan asked.

"Seriously," Tina added.

Quickly, she wrote, You guys are a bunch of babies. Guess you're just not as badass as me! She smirked at Ryan, meeting his eyes.

He paused and licked his bottom lip as he grinned. "Really?" he asked, his eyes narrowing mischievously at her. "You really wanna continue this conversation?"

She froze, shocked at what he'd just said. She could feel everyone's eyes on her. However, it was the one pair she could feel boring into her that made her nervous. She dared a look in their owner's direction. As she met Steve's eyes she could see the worry and concern there. But there was something more. Something too painful to look at as it only served as a reminder that he had played her. He saw her as nothing more than a friend or sister he felt he had to take care of. With her heart aching, Maddie looked away.

Steve's eyes narrowed as he saw the look on her face. He wasn't sure where her mind had gone as she looked at him, but he knew it wasn't to a good place. His stomach sunk as hurt appeared in her gorgeous blue eyes before she looked away. God, I wish we were alone right now, he thought. He hated himself for being the one to hurt her. He was the one that was supposed to protect her. The one that would never let her down. But somehow he'd done the complete opposite. Knowing this path of thinking wasn't helpful or a good idea at the moment, he pushed it from his mind and brought his focus back to Maddie.

Because of the large brace and the way the table and bench was Maddie was standing very awkwardly. Her legs were getting tired and before she knew it her left foot slid forward a little causing her to nearly fall. Steve couldn't help it. He jerked. His hand started to reach across the table for her, but seeing that he was right next to her, Ryan got to her first.

"Sit Inspector, you're making me nervous," Ryan said. Easing herself back onto the bench, Maddie turned and sent him a mock glare over the nickname, sticking her tongue out at him as she wrinkled her nose. "I kind of enjoy when you can't talk," Ryan disclosed smugly, his eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter at her frustration. He could tell that the mood needed to be lightened, so he took it upon himself. "I can give ya shit and pick on ya and for once you can't come back with some smartass response."

Maddie's eyes widened with indignation, however there was quite a bit of amusement in them as well. Everyone burst out laughing.

"You better be careful, Ryan," Steve began, grinning. "She'll pay you back tenfold when she can talk. You better be completely sure it's worth it."

With her eyebrows arched and a mischievous look on her face, Maddie raised her left index finger and pointed in agreement at Steve.

"Better watch yourself, Ry," Pete warned as he stood from the table. He'd sat and stayed for a while, making sure Maddie was okay. She'd been on edge all day, but even more so after the incident in the SUV. However, she'd calmed significantly and he knew it was because Steve was there. Just like she had an incredible effect on him, he had one on her as well.

Having a few things he needed to take care of Pete had been planning on getting up and leaving without saying anything, but the second he stood Maddie's eyes were on him. She suddenly looked nervous as if she was scared for him to go.

Standing behind her Pete leaned down and said, "Shorty, I gotta go take care of a few things. You okay here?" She hesitated, staring up at him with uncertainty in her eyes. He didn't think she realized she even did it, but she glanced quickly at Steve. "Yeah, he'll still be here," Pete assured her.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mads," Steve smiled at her, as he nodded once. Her stomach flip-flopped at the underlying message he sent her.

She turned back to Pete and nodded slowly at him.

"Okay, I'll be back soon." Once Maddie turned back around, Pete met Steve's eyes. They had a brief, silent conversation before he turned and disappeared through the doorway.

As Pete left, the group didn't miss a beat as their conversation continued. "Do you know how many stories I can tell and she can't do a damn thing?!" Ryan laughed. He hoped joking around would help ease some of the tension he knew Maddie was feeling. Although she was doing an excellent job of acting like everything was fine, he knew she was hurting, which he hated. But more than anything he hated the fact that she felt she had to hide her feelings. That wasn't the Maddie he knew. "In fact…" He turned to her and smiled devilishly. "I have a story… let's see..."

Maddie's eyes widened. Now was not the time stories needed to be told. When Ryan had played that game at the barbeque she and Steve had gone at it. Just as she was about to interrupt, Doc stopped her. "I'm serious, Madeline. DO … NOT … SAY … A … WORD!" In pure irritation she dropped her head back, fighting the urge to scream.

Remembering the barbeque, Tina knew she had to change topics. Looking at Doc, who was sitting on the opposite bench further down the table, she said, "You haven't met everyone yet, have you?"

"No, I haven't," Doc smiled.

"I'm sorry," Tina apologized. "That's Kono. Kono, this is Doc." She immediately laughed. "Or John, I guess, but we always just call him Doc."

Kono smiled, extending her hand to the doctor. "Nice to meet you."

"You, too."

"Next to Kono is her cousin, Chin, who is also a member of Five-O."

Without thinking Chin said, "Hey, John! Nice to see you again!"

Hearing Chin's response, Maddie's stomach dropped. Oh crap, she thought, realizing what Chin's little slip could mean. However, she was hoping no one else caught on, especially since Chin himself had no idea what'd he'd just unintentionally revealed. She tried to cover up her shock and nervousness before anyone noticed, especially Steve. However, it was too late. He noticed. His eyes slightly narrowed as he watched Maddie carefully. What was that about? And…wait? Did Chin just say 'again'? 'Nice to see you again?' Steve wondered, turning to his right as he looked at Chin questioningly.

Tina realized what had happened and before Steve had the chance to ask any questions, she continued down the line. "This is Danny."

Danny extended his hand to Doc, but laughed awkwardly when he realized he was too far down the table to reach him. Doc joined in. Instead the two men nodded their heads towards one another in greeting. His focus was pulled as his phone rang in his pocket. Pulling the ringing object out he glanced quickly at the screen. "Excuse me, I have to take this," Danny apologized. "Nice meeting you." Still standing he carefully stepped over the bench, one leg at a time, until he was completely clear. "Rach?" Danny glanced at Steve, motioning his head towards outside. Understanding, he nodded.

"This is Steve," Tina smiled. After hearing about him for years, she knew he'd been eager to meet him.

Steve stood, as did Doc, and both leaned and maneuvered in such a way that they were able to shake hands. If he hadn't already known Steve was in the military, he would have from his handshake. It was powerful and authoritative. Incredibly strong, confident, and to the point.

"I've been hearing about you for years. It's good to finally meet you, put a face to the name," Doc stated, his tone friendly.

"Yeah, likewise." Steve paused before a slight smirk appeared on his face. "Don't believe everything she told you. I'm really not that bad. I promise." The two laughed.

"Actually, I've heard only good things. It's extremely obvious how important you are to her by the way she talks about you. You're a big part of her life."

Steve snuck a glance at Maddie and tried to fight a smile at the way she was blushing. Growing serious, he returned his attention to the doctor. "Thank you for taking such good care of her."

Doc grinned. To anyone else Steve's statement would have come across as a customary and polite statement. However, there was so much communicated in his eyes and tone. Steve was conveying just how much he appreciated that he'd been taking care of Maddie when he couldn't be there. How have they not figured this out? Doc wondered incredulously."No problem!"

Just as the two men sat Kendall walked in. "Hi, Dr. Warsten," she cheerfully greeted.

Hearing her voice, everything suddenly clicked for Maddie. She knew it hadn't been Ryan, and it definitely wasn't Doc. Even though she knew Doc kept certain things out of her main medical file so none of his staff found out, it was possible Kendall had somehow gotten her hands on the information. God, I know she hates me, but would she do that? Take it that far? Maddie narrowed her eyes as she sipped her smoothie. As much as she didn't want to believe someone could be that cold, she knew she'd done it. It was the only thing that made sense.

Steve watched her stare off into space, wondering what she was thinking about. Whatever it was was consuming her every thought. He also couldn't help but notice she looked a bit more tired than she had when she first joined them. Happily he also noticed she didn't seem as nervous and scared as she had been. She wasn't looking around nearly as much and she seemed to have calmed down from the incident in the car. But, he did notice that with that calm she was slowly appearing more rundown and tired.

As he proceeded to watch her, Maddie's thoughts remained focused on Kendall. She seems extra cheerful today, she surmised, her eyes narrowing as she took in the humongous smile on the nurse's face.

It was as if Kendall could read her mind and she suddenly looked over at Maddie. As their eyes met she flashed the singer a knowing, cocky smile. Son of a bitch, Maddie thought, fury consuming her. If there hadn't been countless witnesses and she hadn't felt horrible she would have gotten up and kicked her ass. However, Maddie knew only bad things would come from it. She'd handle it another way. Directly through Doc.

Steve was pulled from his study of Maddie by a girly, southern drawl close to him. Turning to his right he came face to face with an attractive, tanned, green-eyed, blonde-haired woman. He'd be lying if he didn't notice how beautiful she was. Nothing compared to Maddie though, he thought. "Excuse me?" he asked, having not heard what she'd said.

"Is it alright if I sit here?" Kendall smiled sweetly at him as she indicated the empty space Danny had occupied until only moments ago.

Maddie, Ryan, and Tina watched the interaction carefully, all having a bad feeling about it. Knowing Kendall, they figured she was up to something and whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Oh," Steve hesitated since it was Danny's seat. But, then again, he wasn't sure if he was coming right back. He thought he'd heard him say something earlier about picking Rachael and Grace up once Grace was out of school. But, to be honest, he wasn't completely sure. He'd been so preoccupied and distracted that he was sure he'd missed a lot over the last few days. "Yeah, go ahead," Steve finally said.

"Thank you so much!" Kendall smiled. And not your everyday appreciative smile, but something more.

Once comfortably seated she turned her head to the left to face him. "I'm Kendall."

"Steve." He extended his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said as they shook hands.

"If you only knew how nice," she flirted, slightly batting her long eyelashes at him.

Maddie's stomach sunk. Although she hadn't told Kendall how she felt about Steve, she knew she'd overheard her and Tina talking about it. Not to mention she'd been around a lot of the times people had tried to convince her he had feelings for her. It wasn't enough that she stole my medical chart and called the press? Now she's going to openly flirt with Steve right in front of my face knowing full well how I feel about him? she thought. Un- fucking- believable!

Not at all liking this new woman sitting on Steve's other side, Lori introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Lori."

"Kendall," she answered, giving her a small, disdainful smile.

"Are you part of the tour?" Lori asked, wanting to figure out exactly who she was.

Kendall laughed at the thought. "No, definitely not." She paused, shaking her head at the absurd idea that she would work for Maddie. "No, I'm here with Dr. Warsten. I'm his nurse."

Lori's eyebrows furrowed in confusion not recognizing the name Dr. Warsten. Seeing this Tina clarified. "Doc. Sorry... his name's Dr. Jonathon Warsten, but we all pretty much just call him Doc."

"Oh, okay," Lori nodded. While Steve had told her he didn't want to pursue anything romantic, she was hoping that that would change once Maddie left Hawaii again.

Maddie sat quietly across the table watching both Kendall and Lori vie for Steve's attention. She subconsciously began playing with the straw in her nearly finished smoothie as she fought to remain calm and unfazed by the whole scene. Although she was dying inside she was doing an excellent job of acting how she used to with Steve.

The fact she seemed to not even notice that the two women were flirting with him bothered Steve. It's not that he wanted her to be upset, it's just that it made him worry he really had blown it for good. That she'd given up. As each minute passed he looked for any sign that she was upset or even that she noticed, but he didn't see one.

PAGE BREAK

Fifteen minutes later, Kendall was still fawning over Steve while Lori sat by and watched.

To say Steve was uncomfortable by all the attention was putting it mildly, especially because Maddie was sitting in front of him. Needless to say, he welcomed the interruption when Danny reappeared.

"Hey. I gotta run."

"Everything okay?" Steve asked his partner.

"Yeah. Rachel just needs a quick ride to a doctor's appointment. Apparently, Stan-" Danny couldn't help but roll his eyes as he said the man's name. "-is out of town and Rachel's car broke down. I've gotta pick her up from the dealership and drop her off at her appointment."

Steve's heart broke for Danny. He could see how hard this was for him. To be honest, he couldn't believe he was going to do this for Rachel. If it were him instead, he didn't think he'd be able to handle it. "Well, let me know if you need anything. Or if you need me to pick Grace up from school."

"Thanks." Danny gave him a brief sad smile before letting his eyes fall on Kendall and Lori. He smirked, shaking his head. "But I think you have your hands full as it is." Steve only glared at him. "Be careful, Stephen!" he sang before walking away and out of the building.

"Who was that?" Kendall cooed, bringing Steve's focus back to her.

As he turned back around he threw a quick glance in Maddie's direction. Worry filled him seeing how tired she'd become. She was sitting there sipping her smoothie listening to a story Lori was telling her. Her elbow sat on the table while her chin rested in her hand. He watched as her eyes fluttered closed for a quick second before they opened again. She was fighting sleep. Before he could suggest she go get some, Kendall called his name. Reluctantly he turned to her. "He's my partner," Steve answered simply.

"Ooo… two handsome partners! I bet you guys-" However he didn't hear the rest as he heard Maddie gasp. His hand automatically shot to his right hip, hovering over his sidearm. His eyes flew to her, only to see Pete standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

Having finished a few things, Pete had decided to check on Maddie. He'd walked up behind her and placed his hands on her bare upper arms. However, he obviously wasn't thinking and she jumped, letting out a loud gasp.

"Sorry, Shorty. It's just me," Pete apologized, feeling terrible for scaring her. He should have known better. She'd been jumpy for weeks, but significantly more so all day.

Maddie forced a smile as she tried to calm her racing heart. She exhaled deeply, her eyes briefly closing before she tipped her head back and looked up at Pete.

Pete worriedly chewed on his bottom lip seeing how pale she'd gotten. He moved his hands from her shoulders to her biceps, trying to inconspicuously feel how high her fever was.

With his hands still on her upper arms he leaned forward, whispering quietly in her ear. "You're burning up, Mads. How do you feel?"

Maddie set her now empty smoothie on the table. Steve watched the two closely, wondering what his friend was saying to her. He watched Maddie focus on her hands as she lightly shook her head. What exactly that meant, he didn't know. However, he did notice that besides looking more tired she looked a lot more … something. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it's her knee? he thought. She's probably in a lot of pain.

Still leaning forward, Pete whispered, "I have some Advil for you. What time did you take it last?"

She shrugged, still looking at her hands splayed on the table in front of her. Pete glanced down the table to his left and met Doc's eyes. He quickly flashed the bottle of Advil.

Understanding what he was asking Doc glanced at his watch before shaking his head. "Not yet."

"What?" Steve asked, watching the two men share a look. His problem was he didn't know what it was about, he just knew something wasn't right. His gut was never wrong and it was currently telling him he was missing something. Something important. Something he needed to know.

Knowing she didn't want Steve to know she was sick, Ryan turned to Maddie and poked the silver band around her left bicep. "You do know that's a bracelet. It's supposed to fit around your wrist."

Pete couldn't decide if he was thankful or annoyed that Ryan had changed the topic. He knew Maddie didn't want Steve to know she was sick, but she needed to rest and he knew Steve would make that happen. As the topic was successfully changed, Pete walked to his right and took a seat on Tina's other side.

"I was gonna ask where you got that. It's really cute!" Lori added. "Is that really a regular bracelet? How did you get that to fit up there?"

Maddie remained quiet. I could kill Ryan right now, she thought, annoyed that of all the things he could have brought up to change the subject, it was this. Sighing, she tried to push the achiness away and sat up a little straighter, hoping to appear a little perkier.

Steve watched her, studying her reaction and body language. It was obvious the topic had hit a nerve, he just didn't know why. He hated feeling like he had to analyze everything she did to find out anything.

Maddie shrugged, flashing a small, tired smile. Daring a look at Steve she could see the concern he was trying to mask. Knowing she had to diffuse the situation before anything possibly telling could be brought up, she grabbed the small, dry erase board. It's a much bigger bracelet.

"Are you sure, Maddie?" Kendall asked, a fake, concerned look on her face. Maddie clenched her jaw as she continued speaking. "I mean, with what the press is saying…"

What the hell is going on? Steve wondered, noticing that although she was trying to hide it, Maddie was furious. Not angry, furious.

Maddie's fists opened and closed as she tried to contain her anger. What a bitch, she thought. "It's a big bracelet," she snapped, taking everyone by surprise. It was the first time they'd heard her voice.

Oh crap, Steve thought, hearing her voice was significantly worse than it had been when he'd seen her Sunday. How the hell is she going to sing tonight?

"Maddie…" Doc warned.

It wasn't just the sound of her voice that concerned Steve, and everyone else. It was how curt she was with Kendall. Wait, with what the press is saying? What the hell is going on? Steve was getting frustrated, tired of not having any idea what was going on. Tired of being in the dark. What happened this morning? Deciding he needed to figure it out he pulled his iPhone from his pocket and quickly opened Safari.

Maddie could see the wheels turning in Steve's head and knew it was only a matter of minutes before he found out what was being said. Son of a bitch! If he wasn't already worried about me… she thought. Her stomach dropped when he pulled his phone from his pocket.

Steve typed 'Madeline Lily' in the Google search bar. The top news items popped up. Popstar taking time off for health reasons, read the first one. I mean that's sort of true, but how did the press find out about what happened the other day? he wondered. That was the whole reason I didn't have her taken to the hospital, but had her cared for at home.

He read the next title. Madeline Lily reschedules tour to undergo treatment? What treatment? His stomach was churning. Tina had mentioned the press had been brutal all morning and that it had upset her. Upset her enough to run. This must be what they were hounding her about. Hesitantly he clicked the title. He wanted to read more, but at the same time didn't, worried about what it said. As the article popped up on the screen he took a deep breath, hoping it wasn't anything bad. "…withdrawn in recent months.", "…weight loss…", "…not eating…" were all phrases that caught his eyes as he skimmed the article. His stomach sunk as his eyes fell on two words, "eating disorder". His heart jumped into his throat as he froze, unable to look anywhere but at the words on the screen until they began to blur. Steve blinked his eyes, snapping out of the trance. He raised his head to look at her, but the second he met her eyes she looked away. He knew that she realized that he had figured out what the press was saying. He felt himself begin to get worked up, begin to panic. He wanted nothing more than to ask her about it, find out if it was true. But, wouldn't I know if it was true? he asked himself. Maybe not. She's been so secretive lately.

Steve licked his lips as his mind ran a million miles an hour. He tried to think back to see if there'd been any signs that she was suffering from an eating disorder. Sure, she hadn't eaten much during the few days he'd been with her, but she'd had a concussion making her sick. He didn't have enough to go on. She's thin, but she's always been thin. Always been tiny. Ever since we were kids, he thought as he carefully eyed every visible part of her body.

Steve wanted nothing more than to ask her about it, needing answers immediately. However, he'd never put her on the spot like that especially about something so personal. It was a conversation they'd have, that was for sure. However, he was just going to have to wait until they were alone. I'll also ask Pete and Tina about it. Ryan and Doc, too, he decided. Until then he knew he'd be obsessing and worrying about it, not to mention he'd watch her even more closely. He was thankful when Kono's voice pulled him out of his head before his thoughts drove him crazy.

"Woah… your voice, Mads. How are you gonna sing tonight?" Kono asked, concerned for her friend.

Maddie cleared her throat, hoping it would help. "I'll be fine." Maddie looked at Doc. "Right, Doc?" She smiled at him.

He gave her an exasperated look. "Yes, you'll be fine for the show. You won't be 100% though." Seeing her smile in victory he added, "However, if you had just listened to me from the beginning and not used your voice at all, it would have made my job a whole hell of a lot easier."

Maddie shrugged and smirked as she brought both arms closer to her body hoping to rub them without anyone noticing. She wished she hadn't forgotten her jacket in her dressing room. "But when have I ever done things the easy way?" she smiled. "You should know that by now."

Everyone laughed, including Doc as he said, "True, very true. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't surprised you didn't listen."

Maddie could feel Steve's eyes on hers. He hadn't stopped staring at her since he'd looked at his phone. Not only was he going to be even more protective, but she worried he'd be more distracted when he was working, making it easier for her stalker to get to him.

Steve caught her eye, giving her a tentative and concerned look. Not knowing what else to do she flashed him a reassuring smile. Whether it helped she couldn't tell. He just gave her the teeniest bit of a distracted smile. It looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She didn't want to be the cause of that. She placed her right elbow on the table and laid her cheek against her palm. She just wanted the day and show to be over so she could hide in her bed and never come out.

"I'm so sorry to ask this but are we allowed to eat some of that?" Lori asked, pointing across the room to a massive set up of food that had been laid out. "I'm starving."

Maddie looked towards her. "Yeah! Oh my God, go crazy! There's so much food there and I really don't like it to go to waste," she told her, her voice not much more than a squeak. "I should have said something sooner. Sorry!"

"Great! Thanks!" Lori stood, making sure to use Steve's shoulder to help keep her balance as she stepped over the bench.

"You know what? I'm gonna join you," Kono announced, rising to her feet.

Lori asked, "Do you want anything Maddie?"

Maddie's stomach dropped knowing that Steve was watching closely, waiting to hear her answer. She dared a glance in Kendall's direction. She could have sworn she saw her stifle a giggle. I could ring her neck! she thought. Looking back at Lori, Maddie answered, "Nah, I'm not really hungry right now. I'll eat in a little while." It was true, she wasn't. She felt like shit. Not only was her entire body aching and her head pounding, but she could barely swallow spit let alone food. "Plus, I just had that yummy smoothie."

Steve didn't like her answer. "Mads, a smoothie is not a meal," he told her.

She sighed, meeting his eyes. "I know. I'm just not ready for lunch right now. I'll have it in a little while. Promise."

"What about you, Steve?" Lori asked standing behind him and slightly to the left. With her hand on his shoulder she leaned over, her hair brushing his left shoulder. "Want me to bring you back something?"

Steve tensed at the contact. "No. I'm gonna eat with Maddie."

Maddie looked at him, getting ready to speak, but the look he sent her told her there'd be no arguing or discussion on the matter. She knew what he was doing. He was worried the press was telling the truth, so he wanted to make sure he physically saw her eat. Great, she thought. So it begins.

"Okay! Be back in a sec!" Lori smiled, walking away with Kono.

As each minute passed Maddie felt more and more tired and more and more achy. It was taking so much energy to try and keep from shivering. Taking her head out of her hand and sitting up straight she turned her head to the right and stared at Pete. She waited until he felt her eyes on him. Finally feeling them, he turned and looked at her questioningly. She quickly mouthed "cold" to him. He nodded, understanding. "I'll be right back," he said as he stood and headed out of the room again.

Steve met Maddie's eyes sending her a questioning look, silently asking what that was about. She just smiled and shrugged, wordlessly telling him not to worry. Before he could ask anything more she felt Ryan's hand on her upper arm, trying to get her attention.

"Sorry," he mumbled, apologizing for bringing up the bracelet thing. He had just been trying to help and for some reason it was the only thing he could think of in the moment. However, as soon as it was out of his mouth he knew the damage it could cause, but there was no taking it back at that point.

Maddie was quiet for a minute as she stared at him. She knew he was just trying to help, but of all things to bring up. Shaking her head and sighing she turned back to look straight ahead. "I thought you weren't coming in 'til 3pm?" Her question and tone surprised everyone. She immediately turned to him when he winced. "I'm sorry. That came out much different than I intended. I just meant why aren't you sleeping?"

"I have to tell you something."

"What?" she asked. He leaned in, getting as close to her left ear as possible. "I know why Kern is out for you," he whispered. She waited for him to continue not knowing if he actually knew the real reason.

Seeing he had her attention, Ryan continued, being sure to whisper soft enough so no one could overhear. Not that they would have if he'd been loud since they'd all gone back to talking amongst themselves. "It turns out that Jesse is Kern's little brother. Well, half-brother. The two are really close. That has to be why he's been riding you so hard the last few months. You're being punished for breaking up with Jesse."

"I know," she said, sighing as she shook her head, her eyes closing briefly at the mention of Jesse. His irate and crazy voicemails immediately came to mind.

"What? When? How long?" Ryan cried, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe she knew and hadn't told him.

At Ryan's sudden outburst everyone's attention turned to them as they abandoned their individual conversations.

"I've known for a while," she whispered.

Ryan shot her a hurt look. "And you didn't tell me? What the hell, Madeline?"

Hearing the use of her full first name told her Ryan was definitely upset. Unlike everyone else, he rarely called her that. "Sorry. It just wasn't the first thing at the top of my list. It still isn't. I was planning on telling you, though. Promise." Maddie tried to explain. However, she hadn't been planning on telling anyone that she'd discovered Jesse was Larry Kern's little brother.

Knowing she had a lot on her mind and on her plate at the moment, Ryan let the issue go. At least for now. "Well you know that's why he's riding you so hard. That's why you're doing this show. You're being punished," Ryan told her.

Everyone looked on, confused since they were only able to hear every few words as they were primarily whispering. But Steve had clearly heard that Maddie was being punished and he hyper focused on it, anger bubbling within him.

"Does Pete know?" Ryan whispered.

Maddie's head whipped to the left to meet his eyes with a horrified expression.

"You gonna tell him?" he questioned.

"No, and you can't either." The look on her face left no room for argument even though Ryan wanted to. Jesse was dangerous and with his connection to Kern, Maddie was vulnerable.

"But, Mads," Ryan began. However, she interrupted him.

"No."

Ryan didn't like it. He worried that because Jesse was Larry Kern's little brother, that he could easily get to Maddie. Pete needed to know. Hell, he believed Steve needed to know, especially because he'd be her only protection over the next few weeks. But telling Steve would mean he'd have to find out what Jesse had done and Maddie was right, Steve might very well kill him. He glanced uneasily at her.

Seeing how unsure he looked she whispered, "If I think he's gonna try something I'll tell Pete."

"You look like you're in the military," Kendall said, trying to get Steve's attention. Reluctantly he took his eyes off Maddie and turned his head to the right.

"Yeah, the Navy," he answered.

While Kendall flirted with Steve, playing the whole, "wow, you're a Navy SEAL? You're so strong!" game, Maddie fought to keep her cool. With her right elbow back on the table and her head resting in her uninjured hand, she tried to ignore it. It wasn't the first time she'd witnessed women behaving like this when they found out he was a SEAL, but she knew Kendall had already known and was just doing it to get under her skin.

Someone from the crew came up and quickly whispered to Tina, who then took a small stack of papers from them. Steve had caught the entire exchange out of the corner of his eye as Kendall continued talking.

Tina leaned towards Maddie trying to get her attention. When she didn't respond after numerous attempts Steve eyed her curiously, completely tuning Kendall out. It was then that he noticed how much more drained she was suddenly looking hunched over with her head in her hand.

"Mads? You okay?" Tina asked touching her arm lightly.

"Huh? What?" She responded, leaving her thoughts behind and turning to her friend. As she did she noticed Steve staring at her, trying to keep the worry from his face as Kendall continued talking, oblivious he was no longer paying attention. Finding it harder to keep her feelings hidden she refused to meet his eyes, instead giving her full attention to Tina.

"You okay?" Tina questioned, her forehead wrinkled in concern.

"Yeah, wh-" Maddie's voice cut out. She quickly cleared it, coughing once. However the cough was painful and although she tried she couldn't keep from wincing. "Why?" She tried again. This time the word came out.

"Madeline. Enough talking. You're killing me here," Doc finally interjected. She scowled at him, frustrated.

Tina pushed the dry erase board into her hands. Begrudgingly, she wrote what she'd just said. Yeah. Why?

Tina read it. "I've been trying to get your attention."

Maddie looked at her and paused, her slightly pale face turning a light shade of pink before mouthing, "oh". She didn't know what else to say. She'd been caught staring off into space obsessing over Steve and stupid Kendall. Get it together, she internally chastised.

"Okay, well," Tina hesitated, taking in her exhausted appearance. "You need to take care of these. You want to do that now?"

Steve watched as Tina showed Maddie the stack she'd just received. Maddie sighed before nodding and taking it from her. Tina handed her a black Sharpie and Maddie immediately signed the top paper. Once finished she slid it to the right, signing the one underneath. It was then that Steve could see what she was signing. There were probably fifty photos of her. The photo that was used as the cover of her most recent record. Once she finished signing each one she handed them back to Tina, who stood and walked away with the stack. Steve watched worriedly as her eyes fluttered closed briefly before they opened again. As they did she looked up and met Steve's eyes. His eyebrows rose slightly as he looked into her tired, blue eyes. She knew what he was wordlessly saying. He was right; she needed to get some sleep, but she'd never tell him that. Instead, she gave him her best smile and sat up straighter hoping to ease his concern. However, it did the opposite. What she didn't realize was that besides her smile looking tired, there was also a certain amount of sadness in it. Enough so that he felt his chest tighten. He'd been patient over the last hour, but he was growing more and more anxious to be alone with her. To find out how she really was. To hopefully get her to get some sleep. He wasn't planning on trying to talk about what he'd said on Sunday until he got her back home. He had kept his mouth shut and just watched her, not wanting to do anything to upset her further. That's why he hadn't argued or really voiced his concern over things. He didn't want to do anything that would make it harder for her to concentrate on getting through the show.

Steve hoped to convey his concern by saying nothing as they continued to stare at one another. However, Kendall and Lori were not going to let that happen and they pulled his attention from Maddie.

Danny had just walked back into the room and had seen the entire thing. He watched as Maddie tried to hide the hurt and disappointment she felt when Steve looked away and began talking to Lori and Kendall. It was barely there, but because Danny was watching closely, he saw it. He shook his head as he watched the two women vie for Steve's attention in front of Maddie. This is not going to help him, he thought, annoyed with his partner.

Wanting to help he stepped forward to where he had been sitting earlier. "Hi, I don't think we met," he started. "I'm Danny."

"Kendall," she said, annoyed.

"Nice to meet you." Danny smiled at her. "I don't mean to be rude, but you're actually in my seat."

Maddie had to place her hand over her mouth to hide her smile at Kendall's stunned look.

"Um, well," Kendall said, shocked at what he'd just said to her. She looked to Steve for help, but he too was trying to keep from smirking. He knew exactly what Danny was doing, and he couldn't have been more grateful.

Kendall looked at him with a hurt look on her face, hoping he'd feel bad and back down, but there was no way Danny was going to do that. Instead he just stood there waiting for her to move.

Realizing he wasn't going to let up, Kendall sighed and said, "Okay, then. I'll just sit over there." She pointed to Lori's other side. She stood up and as she stepped over the bench she purposely stumbled. On instinct Steve reached for her.

"You good?" he asked, his arms around her waist.

Kendall smiled, her face mere inches from him. "My hero," she cooed as she ran her fingers through his hair. Steve became flustered and ended up holding onto her longer than he should have. Not because he liked her, but because he couldn't believe this was really happening to him. Carefully and respectfully Steve helped her to her feet and away from him. Once he was sure she was steady, he removed his hands.

"Careful," he mumbled.

"Silly me, I'm such a klutz," Kendall smiled as she walked the few steps to the opposite side of Lori and took a seat.

Maddie watched the whole thing. This is too much, she thought. I was wrong, I don't think I can do this. She needed to get out of there. She debated whether she should go rehearse or go into lockdown. As she felt a bubble of panic, she found herself struggling to act normal. That it didn't hurt it was being thrown in her face that Steve didn't feel the same. She coughed a couple times, wincing at the pain.

"No, that's not klutzy. Now, Maddie… she's a klutz," Danny said as he sat, purposely bringing the attention back on her.

Steve swallowed hard, understanding what his partner was doing. His eyes went to Maddie's pale face as she coughed and winced. With how her voice sounded he assumed her vocal chords were bothering her.

Kendall laughed. "No, Maddie's not a klutz. She's a spazz. She can't go five minutes without falling, dropping, or running into something."

Doing her best to act unfazed by it all Maddie smiled and nodded, giving a light shrug. Sure Kendall acted like she was just joking, but she wasn't. It was a dig at her and she didn't know why, but she had hoped Steve would have stood up for her. But he didn't, which hurt. I don't know why I'm surprised. I am a spazz, Maddie thought. Her heart ached and she knew that acting like everything was fine was not something she could do anymore at the moment. She'd been at it for an hour and had been doing a great job until now. She was too tired and felt too awful to act like she wasn't heartbroken. She needed a break before she could continue the charade.

Knowing she needed to get out of there she glanced around nervously, looking for a way out as she felt her aching heart begin to pound.

Steve felt ill at the hurt he could see she was trying to hide. He knew it wasn't really from what had just happened. It was from what he'd said on Sunday. As he watched her glance around he knew she was starting to panic. I put that pain there. I caused that, he thought, hating himself for it. He tried catching her eye, hoping to convey to her that he was sorry, that he had screwed up, but not only was she so busy glancing around that she didn't see him wanting to get her attention, but how could he tell her all that with one look.

Steve watched her place her hands on the table, about to push up and stand. He didn't want her running. Not from him. Not anymore. So, he did the only thing he could think of without bringing it up in front of everyone. He stretched his long legs out and placed one on each side of hers. She immediately froze, her heart aching at his touch, even if it was only at her ankles. Slowly she glanced up and met his eyes. Seeing that caring, concerned look only made things worse. It was already too much for her to handle without the look. It was unbearable knowing he'd played her, letting her believe that he had feelings for her.

Maddie's first instinct was to pull away, but that would have just told him that she was upset. So, she left her legs sandwiched in between his even though it was killing her. However, she looked away. The legs she could handle for a few minutes, but the legs and the look? No way.

Maddie felt Tina grab her right hand under the table. She quickly looked in her direction wondering when she'd come back. Seconds later she felt Ryan carefully grab her bandaged left hand. She smiled inwardly at her friends. I'm so lucky to have them, she thought, giving each of their hands a grateful little squeeze.

"Hey, Mads," Danny said, trying to help ease the sudden tension. "I just saw Rachel and I think she might be more excited than Gracie about tonight. And let me tell you, that is really saying something."

Maddie laughed, grateful for Danny. Uh oh, she thought, feeling the familiar throat tickle that laughing caused. She quickly let go of Tina's hand as she covered her mouth and coughed a few times. She did her best to try and stifle them as much as possible, but she could still feel numerous worried sets of eyes on her. Dropping her hand, she cleared her throat.

She nearly started coughing again when she felt Steve's legs rub against hers before they tightened their hold. She knew it was his way of seeing if she was okay, letting her know that he was there if she needed him, but it only made her sadder. Knowing she needed to ignore it and push through her broken heart, she met Danny's eyes and said, "Wow. I hope I don't disappoint."

"Are you kidding me, kiddo? Your shows are always off the hook!" Chin said. She'd almost forgotten he was there he'd been so quiet. However, she knew it was just because he and Doc had been chatting most of the time.

"Seriously!" Kono added laughing. She turned and looked at her cousin. "Did you just say 'off the hook'?"

Chin's face turned a light shade of pink as everyone laughed, which of course caused Maddie to cough. Trying to help her out, Ryan coughed, hoping to pull attention off Maddie.

Once the laughter died down Kono said, "I'm so excited! Plus this one is being taped for HBO, right?"

"Yeah," Maddie nodded, clearing her throat. She could feel Steve's eyes on her, watching her. She knew it was only a matter of time before he figured out she was sick. To be honest she was surprised he hadn't. If I don't get another dose of cough medicine, he'll definitely figure it out soon, she thought. She knew that was why she had suddenly started to cough more.

"Hey, Mads."

She turned to see Derek and Lyle.

"You got some time to come rehearse the new song?" Derek asked.

"I sure do!" She couldn't have been more relieved. She really needed to get out of there. As she prepared to stand she pulled her feet away from Steve. She wished she could've said she didn't miss the contact, but she did. It almost hurt more than when he was touching her. Knowing this wasn't the time to dwell on the subject she placed her hands on the table and pushed herself up. She wasn't sure how she schooled her reaction and kept from crying out at the pain shooting up her back and down her legs. Once standing she realized that she wasn't going to be able to get out of this position by herself. She should have stayed sitting and brought both legs on to the bench and then back down. Like she had done when she sat down. Crap, she thought. How am I gonna do this without looking like a spazz?

"Where are you going?" Pete asked as he walked up.

She couldn't have been happier to hear his voice, knowing he'd help her without being asked. She was right as he immediately lifted her up and over the bench.

"You're going to need to change into the costume's shoes. Get a feel for them." Derek handed her a pair of laceless, slip-on sneakers. She knew since she'd be surrounded by fire during the song that they had to be custom shoes.

Holding on to Pete Maddie slowly and stiffly sat down, her back to the table, as well as Five-O. She quietly hissed in pain before carefully unstrapping her brace. With her injured leg free she toed her boots off. Maddie bent her left knee and brought it towards her so she could slip the first shoe on. Chewing on her bottom lip she debated how she was going to put her right shoe on by causing the least amount of pain and discomfort. She knew that no matter how she did it it was going to hurt. Slowly she bent her injured right knee the littlest bit, but froze at the pain.

"Here let me help you, Mads," Tina offered.

"I got it," Maddie mumbled. "But thank you."

Steve shook his head. God, she's so damn stubborn, he thought, frustrated.

After much effort, and suffering, Maddie finally got the shoe on and exhaled a sigh a relief.

"Kay, I'm re-" Maddie's voice cut out. She cleared her throat. "Ready," she finished, her voice no more than a raspy squeak.

"Can she walk without crutches right now?" Lyle asked Doc.

Doc sighed. "Yeah. But it's incredibly painful for her. I don't want her really doing that unless she has to. Even then, just for a short time. And I mean, no more than a few minutes… if she can even last that long," Doc answered.

"Doc's exaggerating. I can do it."

Because her back was to him, she didn't see Steve roll his eyes and shake his head, knowing she was mostly saying it for his benefit.

Lyle looked to Derek, wondering how he wanted to handle this. Derek put his hand to his mouth as he thought it through. Finally, he said, "Let's put her in a harness."

With a look of confusion, Maddie whispered, "But I'm not harnessed during the song."

"I know, it's just for the first run through. You'll see why when we get out there," Derek responded.

"Did you just say a first run through?" Pete asked, his eyes wide in both shock and concern. "What exactly is this for? Why are you rehearsing a new song hours before the show?" He studied Derek's face, not liking how unsure he looked.

"Just some last minute tweaks Derek's been working on to a new number. Nothing big. But as you know, any changes tha-" Maddie's hand flew to her mouth as she coughed. "-any changes that get made, no matter how small, have to be rehearsed." Taking advantage of the fact she had her back to Steve and Five-O, she paused, briefly closing her eyes as she took inventory of how awful she felt. Every part of her hurt. Even her skin. Her fingers. Her eyelids. Literally every part of her body. Plus, it was exhausting having to act like her old self when her current self was tired and sick.

Derek, Lyle, and Pete all glanced at one another, sharing a concerned look. One that Steve noticed, only worrying him further. I wish I could see her face right now, he thought. He could tell by her posture that she was tired.

Pete bent down and pulled her crutches out from under the bench. "Here, Mads," he said.

Hearing her name she opened her eyes and lifted her head. Slowly she used her hands to push herself into a standing position as Pete grabbed her arm to help.

"Alrighty," Maddie whispered as she got situated on her crutches. "Let's go!"

Noticing how exhausted her voice sounded, Steve knew he needed to get her to rest when she came back.

Maddie crutched forward a couple steps and noticed Pete begin to walk with her. She stopped and turned. "Stay here."

"No," he told her, his tone clipped.

"It's a new song," she replied.

"I don't care," he argued.

Maddie sighed. "Pete, I'll be fine. I won't be gone very long. I promise. Please, stay here." She paused, looking down at the floor for a second before meeting his eyes again. "This song... it's... I just really don't want it heard until the show. Okay?"

As much as he didn't like it, Pete could tell there was something about the song. The fact that she had seemed kind of sad when she mentioned it, either that or unsure, made him wonder if it was about something she wouldn't talk about. So, as uncomfortable as he was with the idea, he decided to respect her wishes. Reluctantly, he nodded and backed off.

Maddie flashed him a small, appreciative, but tired smile before turning to the table and saying, "See you gu-" Her voice cut out and she quickly cleared it. "guys in a few."

"Madeline Lily! Stop talking!" Doc called after her as she crutched out of the room. "And no singing!" he added.

Kono chuckled. "She driving you crazy, Doc?"

Doc rolled his eyes. "You have no idea. Why she has to push the limits, I don't know. It's like she feels she has to prove she can do... the... I don't know... that she's tough."

At Kono's confused look, Doc clarified. "For example, you tell her she really needs to rest her knee and get some sleep, that the body can only go so long without rest, and it's almost like she feels she has to prove that she can do it. That she can keep going without sleeping or getting tired or without it bothering her knee. Like she's gotta prove that maybe no one else can keep going, but she can."

"That doesn't sound like anyone else I know," Danny joked, shooting his partner a look.

Steve shot him a glare as everyone laughed.

"No wonder you guys are best friends," he muttered.

As Pete returned to his seat next to Tina he pulled his right wrist up to his mouth. "Shorty is coming down the main hallway off Craft Services with Lyle and Derek." He dropped his arm back to his side and listened carefully. After thirty seconds he heard Connor's voice in his earpiece. "Got her. She just passed through." A minute later Dominic said, "Got her." Shortly after that Jared's voice came through saying, "They just walked through the door heading to the stage."

"Okay," Pete said into the mic before placing his forearms on the table. "She's at the stage."

"You look tired, Pete," Kono said, her voice filled with compassion.

"I am," he admitted, rubbing his left hand across his eyes. He placed his left elbow on the table and held his chin with his hand.

"We all are," Ryan added.

"Were the last few days that bad?" Steve asked, not really sure he wanted the answer.

"They were worse," Pete answered honestly. "I'm telling you now that if you don't get her to get some rest she's not gonna make it through the show. She may not even make it to the show."

"How much sleep has she had?" Steve questioned.

"Maybe six hours."

"A night?" Lori asked. "That's not too bad."

"No, total."

"Fuck," Steve mumbled, his eyes closing.

"How the hell is she still standing?" Danny said.

"I have no idea," Doc answered. "She should've collapsed at least twenty four hours ago."

Steve knew he'd have to figure out a way to convince her to rest. He glanced at his watch, anxious for her to be back.

"McG," Pete said. "You have to get her to get some sleep. She won't listen to any of us. She's barely hanging on. It's worse than when I first brought her to you."

"Shit, Pete, we're all barely holding on," Ryan confessed. It couldn't have been better timing as a giant yawn escaped Tina. Pete eyed her worriedly, taking in her tired appearance.

Steve swallowed hard at Pete's admission. "Okay."

"She's gonna fight you on it," Pete warned.

"I know," Steve nodded. "I'll take care of it."

Wanting to interrupt the awkward silence that had descended over the group Kono asked, "Hey, where did you guys find Maddie?"

"Yeah, where was she?" he asked curiously. He'd thought it was weird she wouldn't tell them.

Pete shared a look with Chin. "She was with your mom and dad, Steve," Chin said somberly.

Steve's stomach sunk as his eyes fluttered closed. "Damn it," he sighed. Why hadn't he thought of that? He felt even worse for hurting her when she was obviously grieving. He'd been so consumed with worry over her that he hadn't thought about how she'd just found out about his dad. He knew she had to be feeling really alone to take off without security to go see his dad when someone was after her. And he knew he was a big reason she felt so alone. "Damn it," Steve repeated.

"McGarrett," Chin began. "She'll be okay. She's just sad. I mean, you know that whenever she played here in Hawaii, he'd take the day off and spend it with her."

Steve smiled thinking about how close Maddie and his dad had been. "Yeah, and he'd always bring her a blue rose for good luck."

"A blue rose?" Kono asked, confused. "Why blue?"

"It goes back to when we were little." Steve smiled as he reminisced. "It was her first recital after her mom had passed. Her dad was, well, not there." He tried to tamp down the rage the mere mention of her father sparked in him. "She was, obviously, having a hard time. In fact, she said she didn't want to perform anymore, but after a lot of convincing my mom finally got her to agree to at least do this last recital. Maddie was really upset right before she went on and I remember my dad kneeling in front of her and giving her a dyed blue rose covered in glitter. It seemed to do the trick and he gave her one at every performance he attended."

"Why not a red rose?" Kono questioned.

Steve smiled and shrugged. "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me, and I asked every time he gave her one. He'd just smile and say, 'All in good time, son'."

"Did you ask her?" Danny asked.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, she won't tell me."

"There's no doubt in my mind that you'll get it out of her one day," Kono smiled. "And when you do... I wanna know."

"Okay, if she ever tells me, you'll be my first call," Steve laughed.

"What was Maddie like as kid?" Kono asked. "Was she a spitfire like she is now?"

"Oh yeah," Steve chuckled. "And fearless, which was terrifying." He shook his head as he added, "It's still terrifying."

"Oh and I'm sure you were an angel," Danny said sarcastically.

"Not that it's any of your business, but in fact, I was," Steve declared, smiling.

Tina, Ryan, and Pete all burst into laughter.

"What?" Steve asked innocently.

"Oh, we've heard what an angel you were, Steve," Tina quipped.

As he was about to respond, Steve caught movement from the doorway. Looking over he saw Maddie crutching in with Billy, another one of his Navy SEAL buddies, at her side.

As she reached the table, Billy took her crutches and helped her sit. "Hey, McG! Long time!" he greeted just as he knelt down to help her put her knee brace back on.

"Hey, Billy! How ya been?" Steve asked, happy to see his old friend.

"Good! Really good!" Billy responded. As he spoke to Steve and helped Maddie he watched her carefully. She'd gone downhill fast over the last thirty minutes. He wasn't sure how much longer she could keep going. He caught Pete's eye and quickly gave him a look.

"Hey, Shorty! How'd it go?" Pete asked.

She briefly met his eyes and gave him a thumbs up. He noticed her trying not to shiver and realized he'd gotten sidetracked earlier when he went to get her jacket.

"Crap. Sorry, I got sidetracked earlier. I'll be right back." He quickly jumped up and hurried from the room.

Once her brace and motorcycle boots were back on Tina scooted down to give her some room to get situated. Like before, she put both legs on the bench, then placed her left leg down on the other side, followed by her right. Now that she was sitting at the table and facing everyone, she whispered, "Why were you all laughing?"

Steve's stomach dropped. She was so pale.

"Steve claimed he was an angel as a kid," Kono answered.

Maddie couldn't help but laugh, and hard, which made them all crack up.

"I think that's all the response we need, Boss," Kono told him.

He smiled, however he wasn't really listening. He was too focused on Maddie. "Did the song go okay, Mads?" he asked.

She nodded, meeting his concerned eyes. She was just about to say something when she heard Doc's voice. "Oh no."

"Oh shit," Ryan mumbled, seeing what he was referring to.

"You gotta be kidding me," Doc angrily grumbled. He crossed his arms as he sat up straight, preparing for what could very well be a battle.

"Hey, Maddie!" George greeted as he neared the table. "I hear press didn't go so well."

Steve watched her carefully. He didn't know who this guy was, but he immediately didn't like him. Not only did the others not seem to like him, but he didn't get a good vibe from him. Plus, he noticed the way Maddie's jaw clenched as he spoke and the way her whole body had tensed.

She shrugged as she turned to her right to look at him.

"She can't talk right now. Doctor's orders," Ryan informed him, his tone slightly aggressive.

George ignored him. "Well, don't worry. It'll all blow over. Plus, it'll only bring you more attention, with the speculation of whether or not you really do have an e-"

"What do you want, George?" Ryan demanded, interrupting him. After Tina had informed him that the press had been hounding her about something personal, he had gone on his phone and looked it up, just like Steve had. Seeing the hundreds of articles about it, his stomach had plummeted. It was the absolute last thing she needed to be dealing with at the moment.

Grateful he interrupted and kept George from bringing it up in front of everyone she grabbed Ryan's hand under the table and squeezed.

Steve watched her closely. She was only getting more uptight and uncomfortable the more the guy spoke.

"No one's using the stage and since your schedule opened up you need to go out there."

Before he could continue, Doc spoke. "No, she just came from running through a song. She's not going anywhere."

Steve glanced between the men and then to Maddie. He watched her eyes flutter closed as she took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, there's still just too much to go over," George said.

"No," Pete forcefully stated having walked into the room with Maddie's jacket and heard the conversation. "She needs to rest, not rehearse."

"She doesn't need rest. She's fine! Look at her! She looks absolutely beautiful!" George looked at Maddie. "You're fine, aren't you? " He ran his hand down her long hair. It was a gesture that was meant to have been loving, but it only came across as weird and uncomfortable, giving her the creeps. As Steve watched her tense as she tried to politely pull away he had to consciously fight the urge to protect her.

Maddie nodded before grabbing the dry erase board and writing. I'm not tired. I'm good to rehearse. She knew it was a lie. In fact, she had no idea how she was going to be able to do it. She felt like her whole body was trying to shut down. Every part of her hurt and it was taking every last bit of energy she had to try and act like everything was fine as well as keep her eyes open.

"No, you will not," Pete snapped as he grabbed the board, slamming it down on the table.

"She's fine! She said it herself!"

"Look at her! I mean, really look at her!" Doc cried.

Oh shit, Maddie thought, knowing exactly what he was going to say. Not wanting to see Steve's face when he heard this, Maddie looked away, cringing before he continued. Little did she know they'd already told Steve what Doc was about to reveal.

"She's absolutely exhausted. She hasn't slept more than six hours in more than three days. How she's still standing and functioning is beyond me. Do you know what it's taken to keep her going? To get her through these rehearsals?"

"You guys are exaggerating! God, she's an adult! She's fine. She said it herself!" George responded, his voice rising.

Maddie fumed over the way they were arguing about her as if she wasn't right there.

"Of course she did!" Pete yelled. "When something's bothering her she throws herself into work. How have you not noticed that the last few months?"

"Stop!" Maddie shouted. However, her voice couldn't handle the volume and force she put behind it and she immediately started coughing. Not just once or twice, but a coughing spasm.

Damn it, she's sick, Steve immediately realized as he watched her couldn't believe he was just now realizing it. All the signs had been there. He'd just been too distracted to put them together.

"I'm (*cough*) (*cough*) an adu- (*cough*), adult. (*cough*)(*cough*) I make (*cough*)my (*cough*) own deci- (*cough*), decisions. (*cough*)(*cough*)(*cough*) I'm go- (*cough*) –ing (*cough*) to rehearse. (*cough*)(*cough*)."

While she continued to cough, unable to stop, Steve rose, anger emanating from him. He was done fighting his urge to protect her. He'd been fighting it all day and enough was enough.

"Don't hurt him, Steve," Danny whispered as his partner stood. "Well, not too bad, at least."

Walking around the table, Steve placed himself between Maddie and George, his jaw squared in anger.

Fuck, Maddie inwardly cursed, knowing there was no way this could be good. She coughed harder, unable to catch her breath. Doc looked to Tina and said, "inhaler."

Tina immediately fumbled in her purse for the inhaler Doc had given her early that morning for a moment such as this. Locating it, she shook it violently before holding it to Maddie's mouth and giving it a pump. Maddie did her best to hold her breath and not cough, but she wasn't able to do it for that long. She coughed, exhaling the medication. Tina looked to Doc, who nodded to do it again.

"Hi. I don't think we've met," Steve began.

"No, and I don't really care," George spat, getting a little bit too close to him.

Steve did his best to ignore the close proximity – at least for now. Instead, he smirked as he extended his hand. "Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett."

George's brow furrowed as he tried to recall where he'd heard the name before. Suddenly his face went stark white. He'd heard stories about him from Pete and the other bodyguards, and from what he'd heard he was unbelievably overprotective of Maddie. His demeanor immediately changed as he offered his hand to Steve. "George Polunsky," he introduced himself. "Maddie's tour manager."

Smiling, Steve grabbed his hand to shake it. However the second it was firmly in his grasp, the smile faded from his face and he began to squeeze it. George immediately tensed as he hunched forward towards his aching hand. "So, George," Steve began. "This is how it's going to go. Maddie is going to get some rest now. Uninterrupted rest. She will not be rehearsing any more today. She's done. If I see you anywhere near her before showtime…" At George's wide eyes Steve said, "-well I think you can fill in the rest yourself."

As soon as Steve had begun his macho display, Maddie's coughing worsened as she panicked. He fought the urge to turn around when he heard she couldn't catch her breath, but he wanted to finish George off first. He wanted to make sure he was completely understood.

George was frozen, too afraid he was going to get his ass kicked. Steve smirked arrogantly at his reaction. "I see you've heard of me." He paused briefly before continuing. "You're going to walk away. I'm going to take Maddie and we are going into lockdown, until I... SAY... SO!" Steve bellowed, his voice growing louder. He stepped forward, his face menacing. "And if I ever hear you disregarding her wellbeing again," Steve snarled, pulling on his hand as he tightened his grip to make his point.

George winced in pain. "I... um... I actually forgot, I... have a long list of things I need to get done. So, uh, get some rest Maddie! And... and you're gonna do great tonight." He tried to pull his hand free, however Steve gave it one last tug and squeeze to make sure he was understood.

George swallowed hard as he tried to smile at Steve. "Um... nice to finally meet you, Commander." He immediately rushed off holding his aching hand.

Angry, Steve sighed loudly as he turned around. Lightly touching Tina's upper back she slid down to the right to give him room to sit next to Maddie. He put his right leg over the bench and sat down, straddling it, so he could face her.

Maddie felt her heart rate increase at his close proximity, his eyes boring into her. She chose not to look at him as she continued to cough, instead looking straight ahead.

Seeing her coughing wasn't subsiding, Doc said, "Inhaler again."

Tina handed it to Steve, who shook it before bringing it to her mouth. "You're okay, just take a breath," he whispered. She tried but it came out as a gasp. Finally she placed her mouth on the inhaler he held in front of her. He gave it a pump and she held her breath as long as possible.

Steve placed the cap back on the inhaler and set it on the table beside him. He watched as her coughing slowly began to lessen. "Look at me," he whispered. She was doing her best to keep her heart from pounding right out of her chest, anxious and nervous at his closeness. Knowing he would never have had to even ask if things were normal between them, she turned her head to the right and met his eyes. Steve leaned a bit closer as he placed his hand on her forehead. She tried to fight her body's reaction to his touch, angry that he could still affect her after he'd hurt her.

"Jesus, Madeline," he mumbled as the intense heat registered. He blew out a breath. "Oh my God." He couldn't believe how high her fever was. "You're on fire!" How has she been able to just sit here acting like everything is fine when she's this sick? he wondered. And why hadn't anyone told him? And why hadn't Doc insisted she be resting?

Steve glared at Pete who stood behind Maddie holding her jacket. "Sorry, sworn to secrecy," Pete responded.

Anger at Pete's confession coursed through Steve and if Maddie hadn't been so sick he would have let her know just how much. How could he agree to keep this a secret? Steve wondered. He was tired of the secrets, especially when it came to her health. However, he wasn't just mad she hadn't told him, it was that he hadn't noticed. And, he should have. He would have if she hadn't done such a good job hiding it, which scared the hell out of him. Knowing she was so upset that she felt she had to hide herself, her emotions and feelings, and her health, so completely, that she had to bury them so deeply, gutted him. He would have preferred she give him the silent treatment or freak out and start crying. But this? This scared him.

Maddie coughed again, pulling Steve from his thoughts. God, that sounds painful, he thought.

Now that Steve knew she was sick, Maddie didn't see the point in trying to hide it anymore. She needed what little energy she had to pretend she wasn't heartbroken. Looking at her best friend and the man she loved she dropped the façade.

Steve's brows furrowed as he studied her. His left hand wiped at his mouth, sliding down as he tugged slightly on his chin. Even though she still had makeup on she was so pale. Her eyebrows were furrowed in pain and she looked completely miserable. He could already see she was exhausted. That was one thing she hadn't been able to hide from him. But now? Holy shit, he cursed. Steve sighed as he stood, irritation and worry etched into his otherwise handsome and beat up face. He looked at her and she knew what he was wordlessly saying. While she couldn't have been happier at the thought of getting to lie down, she was upset by his macho alpha male display with George. Because of that, she remained seated.

He cocked his head and lightly licked his bottom lip. "Madeline, come on," he said, his tone gentle, but also forceful.

Maddie began to open her mouth to tell him she was fine when he stopped her. "Don't even. Just... no." Steve shook his head, trying to hold in his anger and the lecture he so desperately wanted to give her as he reminded himself she felt awful.

Seeing her try to keep from shivering he sent a steely glare to Pete as he reached out for her jacket. Flashing his friend an apologetic look he handed it over. If he's this mad I didn't tell him she's sick, he's gonna to lose his shit when he finds out I didn't call him when she got hurt, he thought, dreading the conversation.

"Here, Mads," Steve said, holding her jacket open so she could slide her arms in. Once she had it on, he tugged on each lapel, trying to pull the edges as close together as he could without buttoning it. "Come on, let's go," he said. Although there was concern and compassion in his voice, she could still hear the anger.

Sighing, she turned to her right and brought her legs up onto the bench before setting them back down on the other side. "Crutches," Maddie whispered to Pete. Steve had every intention of carrying her, but before he could tell her not to worry about them Pete pulled them out from and handed them to her.

Once standing Maddie leaned heavily on her crutches as her eyes fluttered closed. Steve took a step toward her worried she might fall asleep and fall. As she forced her eyes open, Steve looked at Doc. "Come with us. I want to know what's going on." He then turned to his teammates. "I'm gonna go with Maddie for a while. Ryan would probably give you a tour or something."

"Yeah, definitely! Whatever you guys feel like," Ryan interjected. He was so relieved Steve had taken control of the situation. He'd been really worried about her and would do whatever he could to help out.

"No problem, boss!" Kono smiled.

"Do what you gotta do, McGarrett," Chin said, also relieved.

"I'm fine," Maddie squeaked out. "You're overreacting, Steve." She began coughing.

He shot her a pointed, indignant look. "Yeah, I can see you're really fine, Madeline," he said sarcastically. "Let's go."

Maddie sighed as she began slowly crutching with Steve directly to her left while Pete walked a few steps behind.

Doc met them as they neared the door. Just as he was a few feet away, members of the crew came running down the hall and into the room. Maddie had been looking at the floor, so she didn't see who it was. She only knew people were running towards her. As fear took over, her instincts kicked in and she involuntarily dropped her crutches before taking a rushed step towards Steve. She grabbed onto him for dear life, burying her face in his neck.

Not once since they were four years old had Steve ever seen her react that way. To anything. Well, except for the incident an hour earlier, but she had only tensed. She hadn't reached out for anyone or tried to hide. Steve's arms circled her tightly. "Hey... hey," he whispered. "You're okay. I got you."

Steve glanced up and met Pete and Doc's eyes. The three men shared a concerned look. This wasn't the Maddie they knew. It wasn't that she didn't spook easily, she didn't spook at all.

Feeling her bury her face further into his neck, Steve's attention returned to her. "It was just some crew, Mads. You're okay." With her body so tightly pressed against his, he could feel her heart pounding.

Steve planted a small kiss on the very top of her forehead, near her hairline. "God, you're burning up, baby," he whispered. His chest tightened as he felt Maddie tense at the term of endearment.

Worried she was going to pull away, Steve quickly leaned forward and placed his stitched and bandaged left forearm under her legs and picked her up. "You okay?" he asked, hearing her groan in pain. She nodded against his shoulder. However, he didn't believe her. He knew something else was wrong. She was in pain and it wasn't just coming from her knee.

"Can you grab those?" Steve asked, using his head to point to her abandoned crutches on the ground. Doc immediately picked them up while Steve and Pete noticed everyone staring. "Let's go," Steve directed, wanting to get away from prying eyes. The three men, with Maddie safe in Steve's arms, walked out the door and into the hallway.

"I don't know where I'm going," Steve said to Pete, who immediately walked around him to lead the way.

After a few minutes of walking down various hallways, Steve saw Joshua standing near a door with a sign that read "Madeline Lily". He'd seen them approaching and opened the door in preparation. "Hey, Josh! Good to see you!" Steve greeted.

"McG! Long time man!"

"Sure has." Steve flashed him a small smile before saying, "No one comes in right now, okay?"

"Sure thing."