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

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm sorry for how this chapter ends. It's not a great place to end it, but I wanted to give you an update sooner rather than later.

Anyway, as always, thoughts are in italics. And in this chapter memories/flashbacks are in bold.

I hope you enjoy this. The entire thing is Steve and Maddie interacting. Don't worry, it's gonna pick up soon. As soon as her show is done, a lot of stuff is going to happen! :o)

I appreciate all your reviews and messages. Like I've mentioned before, I always want to improve my writing, and I appreciate any input you have. Of course, respectfully and kindly written is even more appreciated, lol.

Anyway, you've been waiting far too long for this chapter, so I'll stop rambling!

I really hope you ENJOY!

xoxo

DivaLola

CHAPTER 33

"Anyone dead?" Pete joked as he walked in with Doc closely behind.

Maddie smiled, trying to forget the conversation she and Steve had almost just had. "I spared him." She glanced over at Steve and raised her eyebrows. "At least for now." She smirked, trying to act like her old self.

Although her comment caused his heart to ache, he also couldn't help but smile. He had missed her sense of humor, but he also knew she was pretending like everything was fine. Something he didn't want her to do, especially not with him. He smiled and narrowed his eyes jokingly at her. He noticed that although she was acting "normal", she looked at him only as long as she had to before averting her eyes.

"Would you stop talking for God's sake," Doc said, taking a seat on the edge of the coffee table.

Wanting to know what was going on, Steve immediately walked the few steps to the couch and sat on Maddie's left. He tried to ignore the pang in his chest as he noticed her scoot the tiniest bit in the opposite direction.

"If everything's under control in here, I'm gonna go take care of a few things," Pete announced. He met Maddie's eyes. "That okay?"

She knew he wanted to make sure she was okay if he left her with Steve. Knowing she had to learn to be okay being in his presence, she nodded at her head of security. "Yeah."

Pete gave her an encouraging smile before turning to Steve. "I have my phone. And-" He walked forward and handed him a walkie talkie. "It's already set to the correct channel."

Steve nodded and set it on the coffee table. "Thanks."

Before he left he turned back. "I'm gonna send Tina in in case you need anything, Mads. Also, Josh is right outside."

"Thanks, Petey," Maddie whispered as he walked out.

Steve turned to the doctor and took a deep breath. "What's going on? I wanna know everything." He moved his gaze to Maddie as he placed his right hand against her forehead, a move she wasn't expecting. He did his best to ignore the way she tensed. "I mean-," he shook his head, "She's burning up." He moved his hand to her cheek, wanting to see if she felt just as warm there. She did.

Maddie rolled her eyes and lightly batted at his hand. "Steve, stop worrying. I'm fine."

He met her eyes, a slightly irritated look on his face. "Don't even try that. We both know you're not."

She sighed exaggeratedly and rolled her eyes again as he turned back to Doc. "So, what's going on?"

Doc looked to Maddie. He couldn't disclose anything unless she gave him the go ahead. It didn't matter that Steve was her emergency contact; this wasn't an emergency and she still needed to give her permission.

She remained silent as she thought it over.

After a minute, Steve finally turned to her, shooting her a look. "Mads, give him the okay."

Maddie sighed, annoyed at how he was acting. He didn't have the right to demand this information or be so overprotective. He wasn't her boyfriend. They were friends, nothing more. But at the same time, she knew that once he found out about all the incidents and that he'd been kept in the dark, he was going to completely lose it. So, she hoped letting Doc tell him what was wrong with her would lessen the blow.

Finally, Maddie said, "It's fine."

"Okay," Doc smiled as he opened his old-fashioned, worn, black leather doctor's bag beside him and pulled out a thermometer. "Open," he told her. As they sat waiting, Doc placed his hand on her forehead. "You are on fire," he sighed. "Worse than before you headed out this morning."

Steve unconsciously nibbled on the inside of his bottom lip as he watched and listened.

When the thermometer beeped Doc removed it from her mouth. "Damn," he mumbled reading the object.

"How high?" Steve immediately questioned.

"104.2," he replied.

Steve immediately placed the fingers of his left hand on his forehead and began slightly rubbing it. "Why didn't you say anything? You should've been in here resting this entire time, not sitting out there or rehearsing," Steve asked Maddie, exasperated.

"I really don't feel that bad," she lied just before coughing a couple times. She winced at the sharp pain in her throat.

"Don't even... I know you feel awful. You think I don't know you well enough that I can't tell?" he asked incredulously. "Because I can."

Not wanting them to start fighting again, Doc interrupted. "How's your throat? Any better?"

Maddie hesitated before shaking her head.

Steve looked at her disapprovingly. Just another thing she kept from me, he thought.

"Let me see," Doc said scooting forward to get closer. Just as she was about to open her mouth, a coughing spasm hit. She immediately moved her head to the right and covered her mouth. "It's almost time for more cough medicine," he told her, glancing at his watch. He noticed her rub the left side of her ribs when the coughing died down. "You sore from all the coughing?"

When she nodded Steve fought the urge to reach out and rub her back, wanting to help ease some of the soreness she was feeling.

"Open." Maddie did as he asked and Doc used a wooden tongue depressor and a torch, a medical tool with a light on the end, to look in her throat. "Oh man, Mads. That looks like it hurts." He removed the items from her mouth and set them next to his bag. Doc reached forward to check the size of her glands.

"Bad?" Steve asked watching his body language closely.

Doc nodded. "Yeah, they're swollen."

"Don't know why you're surprised. I could've told you that," Maddie mumbled.

Steve gave her a look. Normally she would've countered back, but she felt too awful to respond.

"How's her concussion?" Steve asked, returning his attention to her doctor.

Maddie briefly looked to Doc, silently telling him that he was to say nothing about the fact she'd hit her head when she fell the other night.

Sighing, Doc turned to Steve. "It's only a little better. Mostly it's the same."

"But it's been almost 4 days. Why is it not improving?" Steve asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Lack of rest mainly," Doc answered, leaving out what Maddie wanted him to.

Steve sighed, his lips pursed in worry as he shook his head. "How are her dizzy spells? They were still really bad Saturday night."

"You know, I'm sitting right here, Steve," Maddie stated sounding annoyed. Steve was acting as if she wasn't in the room. "You can ask me."

He turned to look at her. "Oh yeah? And you'll tell me the truth? Because as you've proven over the last week, I can't trust anything you say to me." He knew he shouldn't be giving her such a hard time when she was sick, but he couldn't help it. He hated that things were so bad and that he was just finding out about them. What made him more upset was that he knew he wouldn't have learned anything if he hadn't insisted on being there when Doc looked her over. He just didn't understand why she had stopped letting him in.

Maddie sighed and said nothing.

"Mads, you wanna answer his question?" Doc asked, trying to help the pair.

She looked away and to the right, angry over Steve's comment. She could feel his eyes on her as he waited to see if she would respond. Shaking her head she finally turned to look at him, meeting his intense stare. "The dizzy feeling is better than it was Saturday night."

"You told me that Sunday morning and I'm thinking you weren't telling the truth because you also swore to me that your knee was a thousand times better. And we both know that was a lie," Steve told her, a disapproving look on his face. He wasn't intending to come across as such an ass, but he was worried and upset, and unfortunately, this was how it was coming out. He just didn't know how he was supposed to make sure she was okay when she wouldn't be honest with him.

He stared at her, challenge in his eyes. Her beautiful, but tired, blue eyes flashed angrily back at him. Finally Maddie shook her head and licked her lips before responding. "Yes, I exaggerated how I was feeling."

Before she could continue Steve interrupted her. "You mean, you lied."

She bit her tongue wanting nothing more than to argue with him, but she felt too awful. She just didn't have it in her to keep fighting with him at the moment. The two continued to stare at one another before Maddie began to speak. "The dizzy spells were better Sunday morning. I told you the truth, I just... maybe I led you to believe they were better than they were. But they definitely were better. Actually, a lot better."

"And now?" he asked.

Maddie sighed. "I still feel dizzy here and there, but only a little bit. It doesn't make me feel like I'm gonna pass out or anything."

Steve said nothing as he continued to look at her, hoping she'd divulge more. With how hurt she was, her instinct was to not give him what he wanted. But, again, she knew if she "bent" a little hopefully he'd react better when he found out about the incidents. Finally, she sighed loudly, giving in and hating it. "Okay, look. Here it is-," she began. Steve looked at her expectantly, and skeptically. "I feel awful."

His face softened at her declaration. Although he had an intense urge to reach for her and pull her close, he fought it, wanting to see if she'd continue.

"My throat is... well, it hurts." Maddie smiled uncomfortably. "Just to speak, it hurts. I can barely swallow." The concern and sympathy that had replaced his anger and irritation was making her heart hurt, and she had to fight against her instincts to avoid eye contact with him. She willed herself to continue. "My body aches... I mean everywhere. Places I didn't even think could ache. This stupid cough is driving me crazy. And my nose... It's either completely stuffed up or won't stop running. Either way, I can't breathe. My head's pounding. Try having a cold on top of a concussion." She shook her head, annoyed. "My knee, well you already know it hurts. And my foot..." She made a face.

Steve's brows furrowed as he cleared his throat. "Where you cut it on the glass?"

Maddie nodded, biting her lip sheepishly. It had just dawned on her that by telling him about her foot he was going to find out why it was so bad; that she'd taken off and gotten it dirty at the beach. Good one, Maddie, she told herself. The point of telling him this stuff was to hopefully lessen his anger and worry.

Steve stared at her expectantly as he licked his bottom lip.

"What?" she questioned, confused.

"You're forgetting something," he stated. He watched her frown as she tried to figure out what he was talking about. "Something else hurts," he prompted. "What is it?" When she still looked confused he added, "When I picked you up in the hall you groaned in pain. And when you stood up just a few minutes ago, you cried out. What hurt? I know it wasn't just your knee," Steve explained. He knew he couldn't tell her about the video of Tina pulling her up from the couch without admitting that Gracie had been spying for him. She seemed to be opening up to him a bit and he knew if she found out about that she'd clam up.

Realizing he was talking about her tailbone, Maddie hesitated. She had been planning on telling him after the show, but it looked like she had no choice but to do it now. "I hurt my butt," she mumbled.

Steve's jaw clenched, the only sign of the worry he was feeling. "How?"

Maddie shrugged, averting her eyes briefly before looking back. "I fell."

Steve could tell she wasn't telling him the whole story by the way she had quickly looked away. "How?" he asked again.

She shot him an 'are you serious?' look. Kendall's words from earlier replayed in her head. Maddie's not a klutz. She's a spazz. The words she had hoped Steve would refute, but didn't. Probably because it's true, she thought.

What is she thinking about right now? Steve wondered as he watched her tense. Whatever she was thinking about, he wanted her to stop, so he repeated himself, hoping to pull her out of her head. "How? How'd you fall, Mads?"

"I'm a spazz, you know that. I just fell, Steve. No surprise there." Suddenly uncomfortable she averted her eyes and looked at Doc. "Can we get this over with?"

Her words surprised Steve. She'd never called herself a spazz before and never with that kind of tone. He didn't like it. Suddenly it dawned on him. Kendall, he thought, briefly closing his eyes as he remembered what she'd said.

He was worried. As much as she was trying to hide it he could tell she wasn't feeling like herself, physically or mentally. She hadn't been herself since she'd arrived in Hawaii and according to Pete, Tina, and her team she hadn't been herself in months. That had already had him concerned, but now with the reports of her having an eating disorder, his worry over her had risen exponentially.

"Sure thing," Doc said as he pulled his stethoscope from around his neck and placed the ear tips in his ears. He breathed on the chest piece, trying to warm it up. "This'll probably be cold. Sorry, Mads," he said as he rubbed the piece against his shirt trying to warm it.

"S'okay", she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. Steve watched her. She sat hunched forward, her face pale, and her eyes halfway open. As she swallowed, he noticed the wince she tried to keep from her face. Her throat is killing her, he thought. Once she mentioned that it hurt so bad she could barely swallow or even talk, he began to notice it for himself. Especially when she spoke. No wonder Pete asked me to get her the smoothie, he thought.

Doc's hand went up the back of her shirt to listen to her lungs. "Take some deep breaths," he instructed.

The deep breaths must've irritated her cough as she quickly turned her head to the right, covering her mouth as she coughed several times.

Steve watched as Doc's hand moved to the front of her body. He fought the urge to clench his fists at the fact that a man had his hands on her chest. Relax, Steve, he told himself. He's a doctor. There's nothing inappropriate about it. His reaction both confused and scared him.

"It's still not bronchitis," Doc said as he removed the stethoscope from his ears and placed it around his neck. "Hopefully it doesn't get there. Once you do this show, you need to go right home to bed."

"That's exactly what's going to happen," Steve stated. "You'll be resting for at least the next week."

Doc turned to him and smiled approvingly. "Good!"

Maddie shook her head slightly at the two men treating her like a child. If she hadn't felt so terrible she would have told them just what she thought of their controlling behavior, especially Steve.

Steve watched her face and demeanor as Doc began removing the brace from her knee, unintentionally moving her leg around. He could tell that moving it caused her pain, even though she was trying to hide it. Steve reached his right hand over and placed it lightly on her upper back. He hated that she slightly, almost imperceptibly, tensed the second his hand came in contact with her, serving as yet another reminder of how badly he'd hurt her. However, he didn't let it stop him, but instead lightly brushed the tips of his fingers against her, hoping it would help soothe her. Plus, he just wanted to touch her.

Suddenly the dressing room door flew open. "I was a bit worried when I didn't hear voices outside. Thought maybe they'd killed one another," Tina joked.

Maddie was not expecting their new guest and jumped at the noise. Once again, she subconsciously reached for Steve. Her left hand reached out and grabbed the closest part of him, which just so happened to be the middle of his right thigh.

Steve immediately felt a tingling low in his belly at her touch. His left hand crossed his body and took her hand from his thigh and held it as he leaned in and whispered, "You're okay. I'm right here."

Maddie hated how much hearing those simple words from him calmed her. He smiled, seeing her immediately begin to relax.

"Sorry, Mads. Didn't mean to scare you," Tina said sheepishly.

Maddie smiled tightly and shook her head. "It's all good. I'm fine."

"I need your jeans off. I want to see how bad your knee is."

Maddie tensed again, and Steve squeezed her hand in comfort. However, it only made her aware of the fact they were holding hands. Trying to hide the reason she was pulling her hand away, she used it to point to her jeans. "Can't you tell how it is through my jeans?"

"No, I need to actually see your knee," Doc smiled reassuringly. "Sorry, Mads."

"No, it's uh-" Maddie cleared her throat, trying her best to hide how nervous and uncomfortable she was with the idea of having to take her pants off with Steve right next to her. "No, it's fine. I get it." She took a deep breath, before slowly letting it out. "No big deal."

Tina watched the whole exchange, her heart aching for her friend. "Don't you want to change into something a little more comfortable anyway?" When Maddie nodded, Tina quickly ran into the other room and grabbed her some clothes. When she returned she said, "I'll help you."

As Doc stood to get out of Tina's way, she said, "I'm assuming you're going to put Maddie in her big knee brace. Why don't you show Steve how to do work it since he'll be the only one left with Maddie in a couple days. And I'm sure you'll still have her in it," Tina suggested.

Doc smiled, understanding what Tina was doing. She's a great friend, he thought. "Good call, T!" He looked to Steve. "Come with me, I'll show you how to do this."

He looked at Maddie, not wanting to leave her. "Steve, we'll just be right behind her in the kitchen. She'll be fine," Doc smiled. How the hell has he not realized he's in love with her? And, more importantly, how has she not realized? he wondered, dumbfounded.

Steve nodded, knowing he was being ridiculous. He'd been in the dark for several days and now that he was with her he wanted to stay close. He quickly rubbed her back as he leaned towards her, his soft lips lightly touching her left ear. "I'll be right there if you need help," he whispered.

A tingle shot down her spine at the feel of his lips against the sensitive skin at her ear.

As Steve began to pull away, he kissed the side of her head right above her ear. He stood, trying to keep from smiling at her reaction. Maybe I will be able to fix things after all, he thought, seeing how flustered she was.

Every single cell in her body was tingling. Although she was mad at herself for letting him affect her like that, she couldn't help but blush. She could feel his eyes on her as he stood, but she refused to meet them. She couldn't until she'd composed herself, not wanting him to see the effect he had on her. It would only embarrass her further since he didn't have feelings for her.

"Steve?" Doc said, pulling Steve from the moment.

"Yeah," he responded, reluctantly turning away from Maddie.

Tina waited until the two men were busy before starting to softly snicker.

Maddie closed her eyes, slightly shaking her head. "Shut up," she murmured as she began unbuttoning her jeans.

"I told you he feels the same, Mads," Tina whispered.

"He does not, T. He wasn't intentionally doing that. He had no idea it would have that kind of effect on me," Maddie countered as she unzipped her jeans.

Tina looked at her friend, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Yes, he did. He was testing the waters, trying to figure out if his screw up Sunday was fixable or not," she whispered. Tina reached out and pulled Maddie's motorcycle boots off. As the right boot left her foot Maddie quietly winced.

"Sorry." Tina made a face, biting her bottom lip in guilt. "You okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah," Maddie mumbled.

Glancing up she met Steve's eyes and realized that although it was quiet he must have heard Maddie wince. She gave him a nearly imperceptible nod, letting him know Maddie was fine.

"Ready?" Maddie quietly asked.

"Of course." Tina smiled slightly before taking a fist full of her boss' jeans in each hand. Maddie carefully used her legs and abs to lift herself up the littlest bit while using her hands to start pushing her jeans down and over her butt. Pain shot through her tailbone, and she cried out.

Steve's head immediately jerked in her direction. "Maddie?" He strode over to the back of the couch and leaned over. "What happened?"

She tipped her head back to look up at him and was surprised to his face so close to hers. "Tailbone," she whispered.

"Let me help you," he quietly said. When she shook her head, he sighed loudly. He hated how messed up things were between them.

"Go finish learning about that brace because you're gonna need to help her when it's just the two of you. Okay?" Tina smiled brightly at him, hoping to reassure him.

Subconsciously licking his bottom lip, he stared at Maddie. He hated how much pain he'd caused her. "If you change your mind and need me-,"

"I know," Maddie interrupted, looking back at Tina. "You'll be right there. Three feet away."

Sighing, Steve walked back into the kitchen. I gotta figure out a way to get through to her, he thought. The sooner the better.

"You okay?" Tina whispered.

"Of course," Maddie said, forcing a smile.

"He loves you. Deep down, you know that Maddie."

Maddie closed her eyes and briefly massaged her temple and forehead with her left hand. Her head was absolutely killing her. Not to mention every part of her body was aching. It felt like it was coming from inside her bones and radiating out. After a second she opened her eyes. "T," she sighed. "I know you mean well, but I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

Tina stared at her heartbroken and miserable best friend. "Sure, Mads. I understand." She reached out and took hold of her jeans. "Let me help you." Maddie smiled appreciatively, grateful she hadn't pushed.

As Tina began to pull her jeans, Maddie lifted up slightly. "Just relax. I'll do the work," Tina told her. "This is proving to be a lot harder than I thought," she whispered as she tugged and struggled with the denim. Tina eyed her legs carefully. It was only then that she discovered the problem. Maddie's knee was really swollen and unfortunately she was wearing tight, skinny jeans. They just didn't allow room for her knee, or any part of her legs, to swell this much. Tina began pulling on them again, but they wouldn't budge.

"I can just stand up and do this," Maddie told her.

"No, it'll be so painful for you to bend over. Plus, I'm almost there." Tina gave it one last hard tug, putting everything behind it. Finally, the jeans slid off, however because Tina had put all her weight into it she fell backwards, landing on her butt and crashing the back of her head against the sharp edge of the coffee table.

"Tina!" Maddie cried. "Oh my God! Are you okay?"

Hearing the commotion, Doc and Steve rushed over. "Steve!" Maddie cried, reaching for the blanket next to her and trying to cover her bottom half. "I'm in my underwear!"

As he squatted at Tina's side, Steve looked over at her, frustrated. "Maddie, I've seen you in your underwear plenty of times. I don't care." He made a face. "I'm not even looking," he finished, turning his head towards Tina.

"Oh crap," he immediately mumbled as his eyes shut. Steve swallowed when he looked back at Maddie. She was tense and he could tell what she was thinking. "Maddie," he began, slowly. "That's not what I meant."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced a smile. "What?" she asked, feigning confusion.

Steve closed his eyes in frustration as he took a slow, deep breath. After a few seconds he opened them and tried to catch her eyes. "Maddie..."

"You okay, T?" Doc asked.

"Ouch!" Tina whispered. Hearing her voice Steve and Maddie turned their attention to her. Doc was flashing a light in her eyes, and she batted at his hand. "Doc, I'm fine." Her left hand released the jeans and brought it to the back of her head. She began to rub it, her forehead wrinkled in pain.

"You alright?" Steve asked.

She nodded.

"Can you stand?" Seeing her nod again he took hold of her right hand while placing his left hand on her back. Slowly he helped her to her feet.

"Careful, Steve. Not too fast," Doc instructed.

Once she was on her feet she looked between the two men standing before her. Both were worriedly staring at her, studying her movements and behavior closely. "Is this how you feel, Mads? When people constantly worry and fuss over you?" Tina asked.

"Sure is. Fun, isn't it?" Maddie replied sarcastically.

"I get it now. I get why you fight them and take off. How have you handled it for so long?"

"I deserve an award, don't I?" Maddie joked.

"At the very least," Tina whispered as she took a small step. She immediately realized it was a bad idea when she faltered slightly.

"Woah, T," Steve mumbled, grabbing her.

"I'm fine, Steve. Really," Tina smiled at him.

"Why do women always say that when it isn't true?" Steve smirked.

"You really hit your head hard. Let me take a look," Doc instructed.

"I'm okay. I promise," Tina tried to tell him.

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

Tina sighed. "Fine, but at least finish looking Maddie over. That way she can get some clothes on. Plus, um... there's some things I think you should look at. Things that are much more pressing than my head."

Steve's head jerked to Maddie as he scanned her body.

"Thanks for selling me out, T. I thought we were friends," she joked.

"Sorry, Mads, but you're right. The worrying is too much to handle. You're good at dealing with it… well, kind of," Tina chuckled, thinking about all the stunts Maddie had pulled and the times she had run. She grabbed the blue tank top and white long sleeve shirt from the coffee table. "Can you guys turn around while I help her change her shirt."

Maddie immediately spoke up. "T, go sit down. Seriously, thank you, but I got it."

Realizing she wouldn't be swayed, Tina said, "I'll just be in the kitchen." Steve walked with her, staying close in case she needed him. Once seated at the table, she looked up and gave him an appreciative smile. Grabbing his hand she whispered, "Go to your girl. As much as she claims and swears she doesn't, she needs you." Steve smiled and squeezed her hand before turning and walking back to the couch.

As he approached, he noticed Maddie had quickly changed her shirt while he was gone.

He watched Doc push the blanket off her knee. Seeing Steve she held it tightly over her underwear and upper thighs. He couldn't help but think how weird things were between them. She was self-conscious in front of him, something she'd never been before.

"Oh, Mads," Doc whispered as Steve sat beside her.

Steve's eyes immediately looked at her extremely swollen right knee. Without thinking, he gently caressed the skin of her left knee wanting to give her some sort of comfort.

Electricity immediately shot through her body at his touch. God, all it takes is a single touch from him to turn me on, she thought, frustrated that her body didn't seem to care that he'd hurt her.

However, she had no idea that feeling her soft skin underneath his fingertips caused the same jolt of electricity. He fought the urge to move his hand up to her thigh.

"This is worse than this morning," Doc said, thankfully distracting Steve. "You want a pain pill?"

Maddie shook her head. "Nah, I'm okay." She shrugged, nibbling her bottom lip. Steve's hand was making her incredibly nervous and unsure. Well, that and turned on.

"Mads, I think you should take something."

She made a face, scrunching her nose. "It makes me loopy. It's too hard to rehearse," Maddie told him.

Steve's eyebrows rose as he smirked. "Well then, good thing you won't be rehearsing anymore today."

"But," she began to argue only for him to interrupt.

"Nope," Steve said authoritatively.

"But the pills give me a stomach ache," Maddie pouted.

As cute as she looked giving him sad eyes, Steve's whole body tensed at her comment, something she immediately noticed. "That's cause you need to eat with them, Madeline," Steve told her, his voice suddenly sounding odd. The words 'eating disorder' echoed in his head. "And, it's perfect timing because you haven't had lunch."

"Speaking of which," Tina interrupted. "I'm gonna go grab you guys some." She stood, surprised that she felt a bit strange.

"Are you sure you're okay, Tina?" Steve asked, studying her from across the room.

"Aw, you're sweet to worry, but I'm just fine. No worries!" she smiled.

"I'd really prefer to check you over before you go anywhere, T," Doc said, quickly glancing at her.

"I won't be gone long. Let me just get their lunch orders in."

Reluctantly, both men conceded. "Okay, just be careful!" Doc told her. "And if you don't feel well, call for Pete or someone to help you and then bring you here."

"Gosh, you guys worry too much. I'll be fine!" Tina smiled. "Be back soon!"

"Ugh," Maddie mumbled. "I'm not hungry."

Steve tensed at her statement. "Madeline, you need to eat something."

The use of her full name didn't go unnoticed by her. In fact, it was the second time in the last minute. As they stared into one another's eyes, she knew exactly what was going through his head and why he was suddenly tense. As much as she didn't want to talk about it, the conversation was leading there already. She nibbled on her lip as her eyes fell from his.

She looked back at him and they gazed into each other's eyes. Steve could feel her searching his trying to figure out what to say while he searched hers trying to figure out if the rumor was true.

Deciding there was really only one thing she could say to him, she swallowed hard, her eyes and face crinkling at the pain in her throat. Once the worst of the pain passed her eyes opened, meeting his once again. "Steve," she began.

"Not now," he immediately said. The truth was he wanted to talk to her about it. In fact, he couldn't wait to discuss it. Since he'd read the reports online he hadn't been able to get it out of his head. The words 'eating disorder' repeated themselves like a terrifying mantra. He just didn't want to talk about it there. It was a conversation they were most definitely going to have, but in private. Once he got her back home. In fact, they were going to be talking about a lot of things.

"But, wait... Steve," Maddie tried again, surprised by his reaction. She was confused. She knew he was worried so she thought for sure he'd not only want to discuss it, but hear what she had to say.

"We'll talk about it later," Steve interrupted again, his tone firm.

Just as she was going to argue, Doc interrupted, worried they'd get into another fight. "How's your foot?" he asked.

Maddie reluctantly looked away from Steve. "It's good! Feeling so much better!" she answered as she subtly tried to move her feet away from Doc.

His eyes narrowed at her. "What'd you do?"

She straightened a bit, surprised at his question. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything."

"Let me see it." He reached out and tried grabbing her foot as gently as possible so as not to unintentionally hurt her. She quickly pulled it away.

"It's feeling better," Maddie tried to convince him.

"Madeline," Steve said warningly. She turned to look at him, her face the picture of innocence. He wasn't buying it. "Let Doc see your foot."

His tone pissed her off. "Stop telling me what to do!" Maddie cried. She'd held her tongue over the last twenty minutes when it came to his overprotective behavior.

Steve's eyes shut in frustration as he took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. "Mads, don't fight me on this. You'll lose." As she nearly sputtered, so mad she didn't know what to even say, he added, "We can talk about why you're really mad if you want."

At his words, her anger immediately disappeared, replaced by nothing as she shut down. It scared the hell out of him. Just as he was opening his mouth to try and get through to her, Doc's voice interrupted them.

While the two argued, Doc took the opportunity to grab Maddie's foot. His brow furrowed at the feel of her black, sock-clad right foot in his hand. "What the hell?"

Both Steve and Maddie turned to him. Realizing what was going on Maddie tried to pull her foot from his hand. "I told you it's fine." Steve could see she was getting flustered and upset, so he ran his right hand down the back of her head in a loving gesture. The tips of his fingers lightly played with her soft auburn hair as his hand made its way to her upper back, stopping just below her shoulder blades.

Steve leaned a bit towards her. "Hey," he softly said. "Calm down, and let him see your foot." As she gently nudged him away, he sighed realizing more and more just how hard it was going to be to get through to her. "What is it?" Steve asked Doc. "What's going on?"

"Madeline, you should've said something the second you got back from press," Doc told her angrily. It was an emotion she never saw from him, especially towards her. Frustrated, yes, but not angry. "I told you how bad this was. I reiterated it over and over again. Why didn't you say anything?"

Maddie shrugged sheepishly.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, his concern increasing at Doc's reacting. Although Steve had just met the man, he knew it was out of character for him.

"Her foot. It's worse," Doc said. "It was already infected." He sighed. "This is gonna hurt," he warned as he began to carefully peel off her wet sock.

She winced. Instinctively she wanted to reach for Steve, but refused. Instead, she gripped her hands together. She hissed as she squeezed her eyes shut, the pain in her foot excruciating. "Can't we just leave it alone?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," Doc told her as he continued to remove her wet sock. "How long have you been walking around with your sock wet like this?"

"Wait, wet?" Steve asked, confused. "Mads, how is your sock wet?"

"You probably don't want to know," she told him, biting her lip as she looked over. His tough exterior cracked at the agony in her eyes. Her face scrunched in pain, whatever Doc having just done causing more. Steve glanced down at her hands tightly clasped together in her lap. She was squeezing them together so hard that her skin was turning white. Hating to see her like this he reached for her hands and pulled them apart, enveloping her left in his.

Maddie looked at him hesitantly, unsure and nervous to put herself in a position where she could end up getting hurt again. Trying to convince her, Steve flashed her a small, reassuring smile as he gave her left hand a light squeeze. Doc's movements caused another jolt of pain and she unconsciously squeezed his hand. She jerked her foot away, not wanting him to touch it anymore.

"I know it hurts, but I gotta get this wet sock off," Doc told her sympathetically.

"Why is your sock wet?" Steve asked again, as he held Maddie's hand.

She made a face. A face he had grown to learn meant 'I don't want to tell you cause you're gonna get upset'. He shot her a look.

"Steve," Doc said, and held his palm out for him to see.

"Is that blood?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Maddie!" he exclaimed, turning back to look at her.

"Crap," she mumbled, knowing he was going to be even more overbearing. Plus, she knew she'd receive another lecture because of this. Just another one to add to the long list, she thought.

Before Steve could say anything more, Doc added, "It's not just blood."

Steve turned back to him. "What do you mean?"

Doc used the fact she was distracted to grab her foot again. He quickly pulled the rest of her sock off knowing he just needed to get it over with. "Ow!" she cried, her face scrunching in pain.

Steve felt Maddie tighten her grip on his hand. He looked over at her, seeing her in complete agony. Going on instinct he quickly wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. When she didn't pull away he tugged her a bit towards him.

"Sorry, Mads," Doc apologized. He gently lifted her foot, trying to get a closer look. "This is really bad."

With one arm around Maddie and the other one holding her hand, Steve watched Doc inspect her foot. He could tell by the look on his face it wasn't good. Worse than he was even letting on. "What did you mean you don't think it's just blood?" Steve asked again.

Doc glanced up and met the Navy SEAL's concerned look. "It's oozing. We'll leave it at that."

"Ew, that's so gross," Maddie mumbled. "Did you really have to share that with him?"

"Yes, he did!" Steve replied incredulously. "And just so you know, Maddie-" He paused waiting for her to meet his eyes. Once she did he continued. "You're not putting any weight on that foot until it's healed." She narrowed her eyes at him. He knew what that meant. She was going to argue. "No, that's an order. If I have to handcuff you to the bed to keep you off it, I will."

Maddie's face flushed red at his comment, her mind immediately imagining Steve handcuffing her to the bed naked. She'd never been into anything like that before, but with him she wouldn't fight it. She looked away quickly, hoping he wouldn't see and know what she was thinking.

However, it was too late. Steve smirked seeing her bright red face and knowing exactly where her mind had gone. He figured it was a good sign that her mind immediately went there.

Doc stood and quickly walked to the kitchen to get some items he'd need to clean Maddie's foot. Grabbing what he needed, he hustled back to the coffee table. "Good! That's exactly what needs to happen! She has to stay off this," Doc said as he placed a towel on his knees, happy to hear that Steve was going to make sure she started taking care of herself.

He gently set her foot on his knees before reaching into his leather bag and pulling out a pair of gloves. As he quickly slipped them on he said, "I'm gonna need to clean this. To be honest, Maddie, it's gonna hurt like a bitch."

"It's fine," Maddie claimed, trying to feign indifference. In reality she couldn't imagine how it could hurt more. The thought alone caused her stomach to twist in knots.

Steve was hesitant to pull away from her, but he wanted to get a good look at her foot before Doc took care of it. Sure, he wanted to see how bad it was. But mainly, he wanted to be sure that he saw what it looked like when it was bad. That way when he was the one left with Maddie, he could keep an eye on it. "Before you clean it, let me see." Steve reluctantly took his arm from behind her and let go of her small hand. He scooted to the edge of the couch and leaned over, looking to his right. "Holy shit!" Steve exclaimed. His left hand immediately came to his face, resting above his mouth. "God, Mads, how the hell have you even been able to walk on it?"

Maddie looked at her hands, embarrassed. "It looks much worse than it feels," she claimed, refusing to look at either man. Just another thing for him to be grossed out by, she thought.

Steve couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but Maddie suddenly seemed much more uncomfortable. Almost self-conscious, he thought, although he didn't understand why.

To be honest, as upset with her as he was for not speaking up, he also had a lot of respect for her. He had no idea how she'd been able to walk on that foot, let alone dance and perform nearly 24/7 for almost four days. Plus, it was the same leg that had her busted knee. He wasn't sure how she'd been pushing through the pain. She was strong and tough as nails, he had to give her that.

Sighing, Steve said, "I know it's killing you." Done looking at her foot he straightened and leaned back into the couch. His right arm immediately went behind her, but his stomach sunk when she didn't lean into him. He grabbed her left hand with his and was disappointed when she didn't really respond. Instead she left her hand almost rigid in his. As hard as it was, he didn't force it. He didn't want to pressure her. If he was going to push her, he had to choose his moments wisely. So for now, he kept his right arm around her back and continued to hold her left hand with his.

"Alright, I'm gonna apologize ahead of time," Doc told Maddie, sympathy and guilt etched into his face as he looked at her.

She shrugged her shoulders, nibbling her bottom lip. Although she didn't let on, she was freaking out inside. She knew this was going to be excruciating. "Don't worry about it," she murmured, pretending like it was nothing.

Taking a deep breath Doc began.

Steve immediately felt Maddie tense as she shut her eyes. Although she didn't realize she was holding her breath, Steve did. "Breathe, Mads," he quietly instructed as the hand around her back rubbed her right bicep soothingly.

"Yeah, seriously. The last thing we need right now is for you to pass out," Doc stated as he continued to clean the huge, infected gash on the bottom of her foot.

As Doc worked, Steve felt Maddie reposition their clasped hands, threading their fingers together. He gave her small, delicate hand a light squeeze, letting her know he was right there with her.

"Oh man," she whispered as she hissed in pain. She inhaled sharply, her breath shaky. It must've caught in her throat just right because she started coughing.

Just as she stopped coughing, Doc caused a surge of pain and she grumbled, "Holy crap!" That was it, Steve couldn't handle it anymore. He pulled her closer into his body.

Maddie's instinct was to bury herself in him, however she knew she needed to be careful and protect herself. Sure, she wanted to act like things were back to normal, but in moments like these it was hard. The old Maddie would have had no reservations curling into him for comfort, but although she wanted people to think she was back to her old self, she wasn't. And she and Steve's friendship was not what it once was. If she was being honest with herself, the second she realized she was in love with him, she knew their relationship would never be the same. Although she knew all this, she just couldn't handle the pain anymore. She needed his comfort. And she hated that she did.

"Aw Mads," Steve whispered as she closed the remaining distance between them, laying her head on his chest. "It's okay. I'm right here. It'll be over before you know it." He tried to soothe her by rubbing her arm with his right hand while he squeezed her hand.

"Crap," Doc whispered as he looked at her foot. He hated what he was going to have to do, but he had no choice. He reached for the tweezers he'd set on the coffee table beside him – just in case he'd need them. Maddie was thankful for the brief break, giving her a short amount of time to try and collect herself. She had continued to unintentionally hold her breath. Every minute or so Steve would press against her ribs with his right hand and quietly whisper to her to breathe.

Now that Doc wasn't working on her foot she tried to normalize her breathing. She panted a bit as she silently thanked God for the brief break.

She wasn't the only one thankful for the short break either. It was killing Steve to see her in so much pain. She was tough as nails and could handle an incredible amount of pain, so he knew this had to be excruciating. He hated not being able to take it away for her. His chest tightened as she removed her hand from his. However, he was surprised when he felt her take his same hand again, only with her right hand instead of her left. He suddenly realized that once she had tucked herself against his side, her left arm had to be twisted so she could hold his hand. Using her right hand was easier and more natural for their current position.

"I just realized I was holding your injured hand. Is it okay?" Steve quietly asked.

She nodded against his chest. "My hand's actually a lot better," she whispered.

"Good," he smiled, placing a light kiss on the top of her head. "At least something's doing better."

Steve watched Doc turn back to her foot with tweezers in hand and knew things were going to get worse before they got better. He felt Maddie start to wrap her free hand around his torso only to quickly pull it away as if she'd been physically burned. It was obvious she wasn't completely comfortable with him, a reminder that although she was letting him comfort her, things weren't okay between them.

Doc closed his eyes briefly and sighed heavily again. "I'm so sorry, Mads, but I missed something in your foot yesterday. I think it's some kind of piece of glass. Although it's hard to know exactly until I get it out of there." He sighed again, feeling guilty. "It's pretty deep, but I have to get it out. It's why your foot is so much worse." Even though he already knew the answer he said, "I can numb it, and it won't hurt so much."

"No, because I can't have it even slightly numb for the show. Not with the choreography so complicated," she immediately replied. "Not with so much riding on this show."

Not only did Steve hate the stress she was under, but he felt responsible. I should've looked over her foot again after Kono and I pulled the glass from it, he thought. He assumed that because it was glass it had to be from when she first injured it at Five-O.

"Okay," Doc whispered as he gripped her foot tightly with his left hand, not wanting her to pull away. With the tweezers in his right he began to dig in her foot.

Although unsure of what to do with her left arm only seconds before, Steve felt her wrap her hand in his outer light blue, long sleeve button-up shirt.

Doc must have dug deeper because Maddie suddenly cried out. In fact, it was nearly a scream. It drove Steve crazy. He'd never been able to stand seeing her in pain or sick. He immediately became agitated. "For God's sake, are you almost done, John?" he growled, using the doctor's given name for the first time.

Although Steve's tone was angry, the rest of him was sweet and supportive as his right arm pulled Maddie tighter to his body, rubbing her back gently.

"I'm sorry. The fucker's really in there," Doc apologized, feeling horrible for causing her so much pain.

Maddie couldn't help but briefly smirk at the fact he'd just sworn. She wasn't sure she'd ever heard him use the F-word before. However, the smirk didn't last long as Doc dug deeper.

Steve felt bad for suddenly snapping at him when he knew he was only doing his job. It was torture for him, seeing her in agony and not being able to fix it.

"Ow," Maddie whimpered.

"What's going on?" Tina asked, concerned at the sight before her as she walked in with lunch.

Before either man could answer Maddie screamed pulling her foot away from Doc. "Fuck!" she yelled. She'd been doing all she could not to cry, but she'd had enough. "Stevie," she quietly breathed, almost inaudibly, as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Steve's eyes closed as he held her tight against his body. Her desperate whisper of his name was torture. He felt powerless and helpless, feelings that he never handled well. However, feeling her warm tears against his skin destroyed him. "I know, baby," he whispered, and kissed her head.

Doc reached for Maddie's foot. However, she moved it out of his reach. She'd had enough pain; she was done. "Mads, I know this hurts, but I gotta do this. I'm almost done, I promise. But... I need your foot," Doc tried to reason with her.

Maddie only shook her head roughly against Steve's neck and violently pulled her foot away as she felt Doc's hand touch her ankle.

"Steve," he said, instinctively knowing he was the only way to get through to her.

"Mads, give him your foot. This'll be over before you know it," Steve murmured. His tone was gentle, but at the same time held authority. He felt her hold her breath, the occasional tear still hitting his skin. "Breathe," he whispered when it'd gone on too long for his liking.

Maddie knew he was right. The sooner she let Doc get her foot cleaned up, the sooner it would all be over. But, it was so painful. She could handle pain, a lot of pain, but she really didn't think she could handle much more of this. However, she knew she didn't have a choice.

Whimpering, she relaxed her foot signaling she was going to cooperate.

"I'm gonna get this out as fast as I possibly can, Maddie," Doc assured her. "I promise." He glanced over at Tina sitting at the kitchen table. "Can you help me?" He knew he needed Kendall, but she was helping a couple crew members feeling ill.

"Sure thing," she quietly responded. She took a seat on the couch to Maddie's right. "How can I help?" she asked, readjusting the blanket covering Maddie's bottom half.

"Hold her foot. And tight," Doc whispered, hoping Maddie wouldn't hear. However, he could tell she did as her body and leg tensed.

Maddie released Steve's hand and wrapped it around his torso, bringing her even closer to him. As much as he hated the circumstances, he couldn't have been happier that she was seeking out his comfort.

Steve wrapped his now free left hand around the front of her body and squeezed her to him. He couldn't help but feel bad for the doctor as he saw the guilt and remorse in his eyes.

As Tina tightly grabbed Maddie's ankle, she whimpered softly as she nuzzled further into Steve. As much as she wished she didn't, she needed his comfort. She wouldn't get through this without it.

"You're okay," Steve whispered, leaning the right side of his face against her forehead. He jolted at the intense heat radiating off her skin, but then remembered her fever. There had been so much going on in the last few minutes that he'd forgotten. God, she has to feel awful, Steve thought as he rubbed her back. Her knee, foot, and being sick? He wished he could fix it all, but the only thing he could do was try to comfort her and take care of her. And that included getting her to get some sleep.

Maddie tensed in anticipation as she felt Doc's hands on her foot. She started holding her breath as long as she could, only to gasp for air and then do it again.

Steve leaned his head back a bit so he could try and see her face still buried in his neck.

Feeling his movement, she tilted her head to look up at him.

The look of pure agony and pain gutted Steve. He lifted his right hand from her back and brought it up to her face. He gently brushed away the hair stuck to her damp cheek. "I'm right here," he whispered only loud enough for her to hear as he stared into her terrified and miserable eyes.

Maddie stared into his eyes, noticing that they were a combination of blue and green, as his hand brushed the hair out of her face. Her head was telling her to not only look away, but also pull away, while her heart was telling her to stay exactly where she was. She loved him. As much as she wished she didn't, she did. The problem was she knew he didn't feel the same way. That and someone desperately wanted to keep them apart. But that aspect was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

With his eyes filled with so much concern and love, although she didn't realize that's what she saw, Steve used the thumb of his right hand to wipe the couple tears away. "I'm right here," he repeated, his whispered voice just as quiet as before. "I'm not going anywhere, Maddie. Okay?"

Maddie knew he was referring to more than just the current moment, that he was letting her know that he wasn't going to let her push him away. She could try, but he wasn't going to budge. As much as she wanted him to just let her push him away, she also was happy he wasn't going to. Well, that's not confusing, she thought sarcastically.

"Okay?" Steve quietly asked, wanting some kind of response from her. He wanted to make sure she understood that after more than twenty-five years of friendship, of being constants in one another's lives, he wasn't about to abandon her when she needed him the most. No matter how hard she pushed him away.

She nodded, unsure of what to really say.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Mads." He gave her that small, one sided, smile-like smirk he was so good at. The one that always caused an immediate wave of warmth to spread throughout her body. His right thumb slid from her cheek and joined the rest of his fingers as they moved through her silky, soft hair. Seeing she seemed to be receptive to the moment they were having, he leaned forward, brushing his lips against her forehead. Her eyes fluttered closed as they hit her hot skin. Feeling Steve pull away she opened her eyes only to find herself staring into his, a knowing smirk firmly in place on his face.

Worried he was making fun of her reaction to him, she tensed. Saturday night's kiss followed by his statement and laugh the next morning immediately popped into her head. On repeat.

Steve immediately noticed the sudden change in her. Not understanding why, his eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. Worried she was going to pull away he leaned forward and gently kissed her nose. He lingered, wanting her to begin to realize that what he'd said over the weekend wasn't true.

He pulled back the tiniest bit, leaving almost no space between their faces. Maddie's heart pounded at their close proximity. Her heart wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but her head was telling her to run and hide.

Maddie wasn't the only one whose body was reacting to their close proximity and intimate moment. Why the hell does my heart feel like it's gonna pop out of my chest, Steve wondered. He'd never reacted so significantly to the smallest moment with another woman. However, as confused as he was by his body's reaction to her, he also loved it. His left arm remained around her, holding her close, while his right hand was still firmly placed on the side of her head, his fingers tangled in her long hair.

As time went by and their faces remained only an inch or two apart, Maddie began to get nervous. Although her head was screaming at her to pull away, she stayed rooted to the spot, staring into his eyes, which were now bluer. Her nervousness only multiplied as the seconds ticked by. Feeling unsure and self-conscious, she began to unknowingly nibble her bottom lip.

Steve had already been fighting the urge to kiss her, but seeing her tongue lightly lick her bottom lip before beginning to bite it, only intensified the feeling. He couldn't help it when his eyes flitted from her eyes to her lips and back, unconsciously licking his in longing.

Noticing, Maddie immediately tensed. She was scared that it would be a repeat of Saturday night. That he would kiss her, making her believe there were feelings there, only to let her down. She couldn't let him lead her on again.

Steve could feel her go rigid in his arms. Not only worried that she was going to pull away, but also wanting to get through to her, he quietly whispered, "I missed you."

Maddie was unsure of what to do or say as she was filled with both longing and panic.

"Alright, Mads, all done," he said, interrupting their moment.

Surprised, Maddie broke eye contact with Steve. As she turned her head to the right she saw Doc was no longer working on her foot.

Realizing she'd been so wrapped up in the moment with Steve that she hadn't noticed Doc not only retrieve the piece of glass from deep within her foot, but also finish cleaning it, she began to blush. She turned back to Steve, whose arms were still wrapped tightly around her. He grinned, also realizing what had just happened.

I didn't even realize Doc had continued to work on her foot, Steve thought. The realization that they'd been so transfixed by one another that everything around them had completely disappeared scared the hell out of him. Before he could think too much about just how much it scared him, he forced himself to take a deep breath, reminding himself what would happen if he let that fear take over and determine his actions. I'll definitely lose her, he told himself. That reminder alone was enough for him to ignore the fear he was feeling. Or at least not react to it.

However, Steve wasn't the only one freaking out. Maddie couldn't believe that after everything he'd said and done she'd still allowed herself to get sucked in. And easily. Damn it, she inwardly cursed. However, she tried to remind herself of the circumstances. That she'd been in agony and needed comfort to get through it.

Suddenly it dawned on her that he was still holding her tightly. Maddie quickly pulled her hands away from his torso, releasing the bit of his shirt that had been clenched in her right hand. As she did so she looked away, her cheeks turning a darker shade of red.

Before Steve could stop her, she completely extricated herself from his arms. They both immediately missed the contact.

Maddie leaned back against the couch as she stared straight ahead at Doc.

Tina and Doc shared a quick look. Although they'd been busy with her foot, they'd caught the friends staring into one another's eyes. Tina couldn't help but smile, hoping Maddie had seen the love in Steve's.

Steve's stomach sunk as he noticed Maddie sitting stick straight, her shoulders squared. Every muscle in her body seemed to be contracted. His eyes fell to her hands as he watched her repeatedly pull and smooth out the blanket on her lap, making sure that her bare thighs and underwear were completely covered. For the millionth time Steve wished they were alone.