DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own "Hawaii Five-O" or any of its characters. I do, however, own Maddie, Tina, Pete, Doc, etc.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hi everyone! I hope you all are safe and healthy!

I'll be quick...

1. Thoughts are, as always, in italics.

Also... please don't kill me. Remember Maddie has only been in Hawaii for a week. I know the story has been long, but the actual time frame has not been long to them. This story is titled "The Long Road" for a reason. Things will be up and down at times. Gotta keep everyone on their toes.

As always, reviews are much appreciated. It helps me as a writer and it's really nice to know what you guys are thinking.

Anyway, I'll let you get to reading the new chapter.

XX

DivaLola

Chapter 38

Even with the siren on, Steve was driving only as fast as he was comfortable with, which was nowhere near as fast as he drove by himself or with another member of Five-O. He had Maddie in the car and refused to risk getting into any kind of accident. He glanced over at her as she shivered loudly and moaned in pain. "I take it your adrenaline rush is gone," he said.

"Mm hm," she trembled, her teeth chattering noisily.

"Can you look at me real quick?" Slowly she turned her head. Her eyes were half closed, whether because she was tired or because she was in pain he didn't know. Most likely it was a combo of the two. Her lips were tinted blue and her skin was pale. Not the same kind of pale it was when she was tired, but instead it had a light bluish tint to it. "We're almost home."

As he approached the gate at the base of her driveway he hit the opener he had in his car. He couldn't help but think how the driveway seemed to never end. Every other time he loved that her house was so far back from the road. As he continued to drive he grabbed his phone and opened the alarm app and disabled her house alarm.

When he reached the house he threw the car in park and took the keys out of the ignition at the same time he opened his door. While rushing around to the passenger door he found her house key. He pulled her door open and quickly unbuckled her. He scooped her up and closed the car with his shoulder before jogging to the front door. She moaned in pain from the movement, her body stiff and aching from the cold. "I'm sorry, baby," he murmured as he used his right hand to unlock the front door. "We won't be moving too much longer. We'll get you warmed up."

He shut the front door behind him and locked it before running up one of the sweetheart staircases. He carefully set her on the edge of her bathtub and turned the shower on before hurriedly removing his boots and socks. Kneeling in front of Maddie he pushed her pant legs up high enough so he could unzip each of her boots. He dropped them to his left with her wet socks before standing up and quickly pulling her arms out of her robe and sliding it down. She fought him, not so much with her body, but with her insistent groaning.

"I know," Steve murmured calmly. "Gotta get this off so we can get you warmed up." Now solely in her costume he picked her back up and walked into the shower. He leaned against the shower wall and slowly slid down. The shower rained cool water onto them as she tucked her arms to her chest in an attempt to keep what little body warmth she had. In his now soaking wet clothes he cradled her to his body. She continued shivering, almost as if she was convulsing. Her teeth chattered and she groaned in pain. After a few minutes Steve reached up with his left hand and made the water a little warmer.

Ten minutes later, Maddie's shivers were subsiding slightly, her painful moans fewer. She buried her face further into Steve. Having warmed up enough that she had relaxed a bit, his worry was considerably less. Her skin was still cold to the touch, but nothing like it'd been.

With the water now set to warm, she was starting to thaw. The exhaustion from her show as well as the last four days began to hit her. Plus, she felt so safe in Steve' s arms. Tired, she thought as she began dozing.

Steve felt her body start to fully relax and knew she was getting too sleepy. "Stay awake," he whispered and kissed her head. She didn't respond to his order. "Madeline, wake up," Steve said. He forced her head from his shoulder and neck so he could see her face. Her lips and skin were still lightly tinted blue, but her skin color had gotten better. Using his left hand he tapped her right cheek in an attempt to wake her. She moaned in annoyance as her eyelids opened slightly. "You gotta stay awake, okay?" She groaned. "I know. You'll be able to sleep in a little bit, but for now I need you to stay awake." Maddie snuggled her head back into his shoulder and neck. "When did you think to have Maroon 5 perform in the middle of your show?" he asked, deciding he was going to need to keep her engaged so she wouldn't sleep.

Maddie sighed deeply. She was so tired, her brain foggy from exhaustion and being cold that it took her a minute to answer. "I reached out to them the day I found out about the show to see if they would do a song with me." She sighed again. "A day into rehearsals I called them back asking if they'd do a set instead. I knew I was gonna need a break to be able to do the show."

"Smart," Steve said. He reached up and made the water even warmer. He smiled as she moaned in happiness. "Feel good?" he mumbled.

"Oh yeah," she answered. "Took you long enough to make it warm."

He laughed. "I know. Just following Doc's orders."

"Warmer," she murmured.

"Let's give it a couple minutes," he chuckled. She was definitely warming up since she was actually talking and not just shivering. She yawned. "Stay awake."

"That water was cold," she nearly whined. "Longest performance of my life."

"I bet," Steve replied. "I would have never known though. You acted like everything was fine."

"I don't know how," Maddie exhaled on a sigh. She was definitely becoming more alert. With her right hand she started patting down her body. "Am I still in my costume?"

"Yeah." He was a little worried she hadn't realized until now. "You don't remember Pete picking you up and bringing you to my truck?"

She was quiet as she thought it over. "Mmmm... I guess now I do," she answered. She patted her waist and thighs. "Am I still in my harness?"

Steve glanced down. "Yep." He reached up and warmed the shower again. She practically purred into him as the warm water hit their bodies. "How ya feeling? Warmed up?"

"Warmer than I was. Thank you." Maddie nuzzled into him, her arms wrapping around his waist.

He kissed the top of her head followed by her forehead. "You're welcome," he whispered. He rested the side of his face against the crown of her head, reveling in the fact that she was willingly snuggling with him. With his left hand he caressed her right arm to take in her temperature. It was so much warmer. It was still cold, but nothing like it had been. "Alright, let's get out of here and get you in bed."

"I need to shower first," Maddie replied.

"No, let's get you in bed."

"I just sweated my ass off for three hours. I definitely need a shower."

Steve sighed. He didn't like the idea of her in there alone where she could slip. He knew she'd received an injection in her knee, but he was sure it had either worn off or was about to. However, he understood why she wanted a shower. "Alright, but you have five minutes. And you need to sit down on the bench," he hesitantly agreed. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah," Maddie mumbled. Slowly she pulled her head away from his shoulder and shyly looked at him. "You're all wet... Sorry."

"No big deal," he smiled. "It's just water."

Using him as leverage she started to stand. Son of a bitch, she thought as she put weight on her right foot and knee. The shot in her knee had definitely worn off. And her foot was officially over being stood on.

As she stood she took inventory of her entire body. Everything ached. Everything felt stiff. She could tell that the injection in her tail bone was starting to wear off too. Ugh, pain, she thought.

"Five minutes, Maddie." He took in her stance, trying to discern if she was steady or not. "Sit down on the bench." Once she did, he hopped out of the shower, water dripping from his wet body. He grabbed towels from the cabinet and placed them on the outside of the shower. "I'm leaving your bathroom door open in case you need me. Just call out."

"Okay," she mumbled. He started walking out only to be stopped by her. "Wait!" When he quickly turned around, she continued, "I need help. Can you unhook my top?"

You mean the diamond bra thingy, he thought. "Yeah, of course," Steve said as he opened the shower. He was nervous. Now that there was this new part of their relationship, scenarios that were once no big deal now took on a whole different meaning.

Maddie stood, limped to the open door, and turned around, holding her long hair forward to keep it out of his way. She was feeling the same nervousness and apprehension he was, but just like him, she didn't let on to what she was experiencing.

Steve forced his hands not to hesitate as he reached forward to unfasten her top. As his fingers lightly brushed the wet skin of her back she effectively kept from shivering at his touch.

"There you go," he mumbled.

She kept her back to him, holding the top to her breasts as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Thanks."

Steve licked his lips. There was something so sexy about the way she was looking back at him, her naked back wet as warm water hit her skin. Their eyes lingered on one another before he finally said, "No problem." His gaze left hers as he closed the shower door. "Five minutes," he reminded.

"Okay," Maddie whispered, feeling as if butterflies were flitting around in her stomach.

Since he was soaked he rushed into the room next to hers and hopped in the shower. Minutes later he was dressed in light sweats and a white t-shirt, his hair almost dry from towel drying it. Hearing her still in the shower he ventured into her massive walk-in closet to find her some pajamas. By some miracle he was able to find a pair of black sweats, socks, and a pair of her lace boy-cut underwear, an article of clothing that was causing many images of Maddie wearing them. Get it together, he told himself. Luckily he remembered where she kept his clothes she'd stolen, something that still made him smile. He grabbed another one of his stolen Navy t-shirts as well as one of his hoodies. I was wondering where these went.

Inside her bathroom Maddie limped out of the shower, wrapping herself in the warm, pale blue towels.

"Can I come in?" Steve asked as he held her warm, dry pajamas.

She sniffled and coughed before answering him quietly. "Yeah." She felt terrible, something she was becoming more and more aware of.

Steve walked in to see her sitting on the edge of her bathtub, her shoulders hunched forward. She had wrapped one of the towels around her body while the other was in her hair. "Do you need any help?" he asked as he handed her her clothes.

Maddie shivered slightly as she shook her head. She had tried to be subtle, but he caught the movement. "Hurry and get dressed so we can get you bundled in bed where it's nice and warm." He watched her nod. "I'll be right outside." He waited a couple minutes in her bedroom before finally growing impatient. "You dressed?"

She coughed. "Yeah." He hurriedly walked in and without warning picked her up and carried her to her bed. She'd been at her sink trying to brush her hair. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "I can walk, you know."

Steve set her on the bed. "Oh yeah?" He looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "And how does it feel to walk?"

Maddie mock glared at him as he covered her with her big, fluffy duvet. While she finished brushing her hair he turned the thermostat up in her room. "I'll be right back." He looked back at her. "Don't move from that spot," he ordered.

Overprotective Steve has arrived, she thought. But, she didn't fight him. She knew she'd have to give in to his protective behavior to make up for not telling him about "Unknown Sender's" sabotages.

Once she finished brushing her hair she set the brush on her nightstand and slid down further in bed, reveling in the feel of her soft mattress, covers, and squishy pillows. "Man, I missed this," she sighed. She could tell he'd slept there the last several nights since she could smell him. It only made her relax more as she breathed in his scent, her eyes fluttering closed.

"Hey, Mads," Tina greeted as she entered Maddie's room.

"Hi," Maddie whispered as she opened her tired eyes.

Tina set her purse and bag on the couch. "You look cozy."

"I am," she answered. "How are they? They had to be just as cold."

"They're warming up. Doc was just finishing with them before heading here. He said because you're sick you probably felt the cold more," Tina answered. The fact Maddie's first thought was to ask about her dancers said so much about her character.

"You look comfy," Steve said as he entered carrying a steaming cup of tea.

"I am," she murmured.

"That's good." He paused, knowing what he was about to say was going to affect the comfort that had set in between them. "Maddie... what happened with the water?"

Instead of excusing herself to give them privacy Tina stayed just in case Maddie needed help reasoning with Steve. Not that she thought they'd be able reason with him. When it came to Maddie's safety it was his way or the highway. It was a subject they fought over fairly frequently. However, now that there were "more than friendship" feelings involved she imagined he'd be even more unmoving on the subject.

"I don't know," Maddie answered, which wasn't exactly a lie. She didn't know for sure, but she had a pretty good idea.

Steve didn't like her response. The temperature of the water hadn't just changed itself. If it had been a few degrees difference then maybe he would buy that, but thirty degrees difference? No way. "Maddie..."

"I honestly don't know. I was on stage and then with you."

He decided to bring up another pressing topic. "What were you thinking stage diving and crowd surfing with a stalker out there?"

"It was the last show," she quietly muttered as if that was a good enough reason to risk her life. "And... it's fun." She knew she shouldn't have said the second part, but for some reason she did. It was like she wasn't in control of her mouth.

"Fun?!" he exclaimed. "That's why you risked your life?" Steve was furious. The image of her being carried further and further away by her fans was not something he'd soon forget.

Pete had been walking down the hall to Maddie's bedroom when he heard Steve's angry voice. He couldn't make out what he was saying, but it was obvious he was mad. Maddie must have told him everything, he thought. He wasn't looking forward to the confrontation he knew he was about to have with Steve, but he was glad he was now aware of everything. He had hated having to hide things from him, especially when it came to Maddie. As he entered her bedroom, Pete said, "I'm sorry, Steve. I don't know how it happened. We were constantly vigilant and on top of things."

Fuck, Maddie thought as she prepared for a poor reaction from Steve.

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked, turning to his fellow SEAL brother.

Pete glanced at Maddie, her eyes closed in dread, and immediately knew she hadn't told him yet. "Shit," he cursed.

"Someone better start explaining," Steve said, his voice eerily calm. He looked between Pete and Maddie. "Talk. Now."

Maddie was silent as her hands clenched her duvet. If she thought it would work she would have slid down even more in bed and pulled the blankets over her head.

Sighing, Pete relayed what had happened the last few days. Although there was no yelling on his part, they knew Steve was furious. When Pete was finished Steve licked his bottom lip as he tried to contain his rage. "So, we lost evidence because you let her convince you not to call me?" he asked, his voice jarringly calm.

"We didn't lose any evidence," Pete hesitantly answered. Before Steve could even ask, he added, "Chin came and processed the scenes."

Maddie averted her eyes, unable to look at the hurt she knew she'd see. This is so much worse than I imagined, she thought. She should have just let Pete call him even though she was upset. She'd unintentionally pulled his friends and coworkers into this, forcing them to keep things from him, something that wasn't fair. She knew she'd messed up... big time.

"Where's the evidence?" Steve asked, a bite to his tone.

"Chin took it with him." Pete felt horrible and guilty. I should have just called him, he thought. However, he understood why she hadn't wanted him called and he couldn't really fault her for it. She had done what she felt was best for herself at the time. And some could argue she'd been right since she just killed her show, a show she never should have been able to do given her physical state.

Without hesitating Steve grabbed his cell from the bottom of Maddie's bed and called Chin, all while avoiding looking at her.

"Hey McGarrett," his coworker greeted. He and the rest of Five-O were still at the arena. They were processing the scene, making sure to gather whatever evidence they could from her tampered cables from her opening number as well as from the tampered water equipment.

"Where's the evidence?" Steve asked, ditching any pleasantries.

Chin hesitated briefly. "It's in Charlie's office... except the roller skates. They're bagged and in the bottom drawer of my desk. Locked of course. The chain of custody intact."

"Is that Steve? He knows everything?" Danny asked having been eavesdropping on Chin's side of the conversation.

"Danny knows, too?" Steve asked. Now his eyes met Maddie's. She could see the anger there, which was no surprise. And yes, that made her feel guilty, but what made her feel worse was the hurt and deep betrayal she saw. Chin's lack of response was response enough. "I'm assuming you're gathering evidence from the tampered water equipment." It was a statement not a question.

"Yeah, and the problem with her cables from the opening song," Chin answered.

"The cables?" He continued staring at Maddie, his eyes now fiery. He recalled at the start of her show when she'd released her harness from her cables and plummeted to the stage where Ryan and Tyler had fortunately caught her. How could she take such a risk? he fumed. Now that he knew it wasn't a practiced move he was livid. He'd been upset when he thought it'd been choreographed, but now it was worse. That and her stage diving and crowd surfing… does she have a death wish? He also reminded himself that she'd taken off from security on two different occasions over the last couple days.

Chin realized Steve didn't know about the cables."Don't worry, evidence wasn't lost at any time," he tried to reassure his friend and boss.

Steve said nothing, just hung up. There was nothing he could say that was going to be helpful to the situation. Chin knew he was angry. He just wanted to get to the bottom of things. He wanted to find this sick prick and either lock him up or kill him. In all honesty, he wanted to kill him so there was never a chance he could bother Maddie again.

Pete's ringing cell phone pulled Steve from his homicidal thoughts. "I'll be right back," Pete told them before leaving her room and heading downstairs.

Steve started changing out of his pajamas. Quickly, he pulled on a pair of clean khaki cargos. Maddie knew it wasn't the time, but she couldn't help herself and stared at his body. He's beautiful, she thought as he pulled his shirt over his head and rifled through his bag for a clean one. She continued staring, practically drooling over his rippling muscles and chiseled chest. Finally, he located a clean shirt. Just as he was about to slip it on he looked at her. In normal circumstances, the lust and want he saw in her eyes would have turned him on, but these weren't normal circumstances. Maddie had lied to him and gotten his friends and coworkers to go along with it. He was hurt and furious. "Why don't you take a picture. It'll last longer," he said. He smirked, making it seem like he thought her attraction for him was laughable. In the moment, he didn't realize the motives behind what he said, all he knew was he was mad. But in reality, he was hurt and wanted her to hurt. Something he wouldn't realize until much later when he'd calmed down. He didn't mean it, but anger could be a dangerous thing.

Maddie's heart shattered at his words. I knew he thought of me as a joke, she should have never let their friends get in her head. Once again he'd led her to believe he cared for her as more than a friend. He'd gotten her to begin letting her walls down and then destroyed her with only a few words and a condescending look. How could I have fallen for it again?

Without a second look in her direction Steve grabbed his shoes and bag and walked out. No "bye", no "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it". Nothing. Just silence and fury radiating from him. Tina sat there shocked. And mad.

Steve continued to the front door, passing Doc and Pete as he walked out of the house. Once at his truck he quickly slipped his boots on and left. As he waited for the gate to open at the bottom of her driveway, he texted Chin telling him to meet him at headquarters. He then sent a similar text to Charlie. Angry, he drove away, never once giving a thought to the damage he'd just caused to his relationship with Maddie.

"That didn't seem good," Doc said to Pete as Steve drove away.

"No, it didn't," Pete replied. What did he do? Please tell me he didn't say or do anything stupid, he thought. "He knows about what happened during rehearsals."

"Yikes," Doc said. They made their way into the kitchen and Doc looked around. "The house is beautiful."

"That's right. You haven't been here before."

"No, I've been to her place in New York and LA, but never here." He took in his surroundings. "Her other properties seem like her, but this is her home. I can feel it. It makes me happy she has that." He smiled to her head of security and friend. "I'm so glad you brought her here. This is what she needed."

Pete sighed heavily. "Hopefully. Unless Steve just made things worse. Maybe I shouldn't have brought her here."

"It's gonna work out," Doc reassured him.

"God, I hope so." Pete just wanted this whole stalker nightmare over. He wanted to see Maddie happy. He wanted to see her constant smile and silly sense of humor. It felt like he hadn't seen that side of her in forever. Sure, she'd shown flashes of it the last few days, but they were few and far between and nothing like it used to be.

Although devastated, Maddie refused to cry. She wouldn't shed another tear over Steve. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Maybe her stalker wasn't crazy. He had warned her that he'd just been trying to protect her from Steve. Maybe he was right?

She swore she'd never let him in again. In all honesty, she never wanted to see him again. She understood him being mad, but him being cruel? She didn't know this Steve. He had changed, and she wanted nothing to do with him.

Tina didn't know what to say as she sat next to Maddie. She was furious with Steve. She knew he was upset, but of all the things to say to her out of anger that was the last thing he should have ever said. Maddie didn't need to say anything for her to know what she was thinking. She knew she believed Steve was making fun of her and thought her feelings for him were a joke. If she'd been in her shoes she'd probably be thinking the same thing. There was no defending him this time and she wasn't going to even try. All she could do was let Maddie know she was there for her. She grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it, offering her silent support. Without saying anything Maddie squeezed back.

Pete and Doc appeared at the open door to Maddie's bedroom. They stared at the two women completely silent. Fuck, Pete thought, immediately knowing something bad had happened.

"Hey, guys!" Doc greeted, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You look like you've warmed up a lot," he told Maddie.

Swallowing the emotional knot in her throat, she looked at Doc. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better."

He approached her, setting his bag beside her bed and sitting on the edge to look her over. The first thing he checked was her body temperature. She was still cold, but definitely warmer. He pushed the covers away to look at her foot. He slipped her sock off to see she'd taken the wet bandage off. It looked angry and painful, and infected. He put the antibiotic ointment on it and rebandaged it. "You need to stay off this foot completely. It's not in good shape." He looked at her swollen knee. "You need to stay off this entire leg. It needs a lot of rest. You have to use the crutches." Pete set them against her nightstand so she could easily reach them. Doc felt Maddie's wet hair. She really shouldn't be sitting with wet hair, but she'd towel dried it quite a bit and it was more just damp at this point. "I want you to eat something before you take medication. I don't want any of this to upset your stomach."

The last thing Maddie was was hungry. She just wanted to sleep through the pain of Steve's words. Not that she thought she'd be able to quiet her mind long enough to sleep, but it was worth a try.

Pete caught Tina's eye and motioned her into the hall. "I'll be right back, Mads. I'll get you some food. Anything sound good?"

"No," she whispered.

Once downstairs, Pete didn't waste any time. "What happened?" he questioned. "Doc called. He was down at the gate and needed to be let in."

Sighing heavily, Tina told Pete everything.

"Fucking asshole!" Pete nearly bellowed.

"I know," Tina responded. "I know he's just scared and mad, but why did he have to go there?"

"He's a complete idiot when it comes to her," Pete fumed. "What was her reaction?"

"She hasn't said anything. She didn't cry." Tina thought back to Maddie's lack of reaction. "She just shut down."

"Is this fixable?" Pete asked the dreaded question.

"I don't know, Pete." She finished the peanut butter and jelly sandwich before meeting his eyes. "I honestly don't know."

Pete groaned in frustration and anger at his friend. "I think I'm gonna stay longer."

"I was thinking the same thing," Tina said as she grabbed a paper towel. "Do you think she'll even stay in Hawaii?"

"Fuckkk," Pete whispered. "I don't know. I hope so. They've got to figure things out." He paused. "He's gotta somehow convince her to tell him what she knows. Cause she's hiding something."

"Well, I can't imagine she's in a very forthcoming mood right now."

Pete knew she was right. "Well, one thing at a time. First things first is getting her to sleep."

"I doubt she will with what just happened," Tina told him as they walked towards the stairs.

"I'll talk to Doc about it. Maybe there's something he can give her." Pete took her in. He sighed, not really wanting to bring it up, but knew he needed to. He liked that she was talking to him right now. "How are you? How's your head? Are you dizzy? Have you been sick again?

Pete's questions brought her earlier pain back. God, she loved this man, but she knew they'd only ever be friends. And, after all, he was dating someone. "I'm fine."

"Tina," he started, pausing to collect his thoughts. "You scared the shit out of me earlier." He met her eyes and saw some emotion flicker in them, but before he could decipher it it was gone.

"I'm sorry, Pete. I should've said something when I started not feeling well."

"After you give this food to Maddie I want you to go to bed," he told her seriously as they walked down the hall to Maddie's room.

"She might need me. She's devastated even if she won't admit it." Without thinking Tina mumbled, "I can relate."

"Woah, what?" Pete asked, shocked by what she said. He reached out and placed his hand on her arm to stop her. "Talk to me, T... what's goin' on?"

Tina looked down at his hand on her arm and her heart ached. She looked up, meeting his concerned, gorgeous hazel eyes. She sighed, not realizing her sadness was evident in her eyes. He searched them worriedly.

"Everything's fine, Pete. I'm just tired," she lied. Well, she was tired, but that wasn't what was wrong. One of the benefits of being gone for the last two months was that she wasn't forced to be with him every day. But then one of the worst parts of being gone was that she didn't see him every day. So confusing, she thought, frustrated. She needed some sort of distraction from her feelings. Hopefully that guy Arthur calls me. Her attention returned to Pete who was looking at her intently. Before he could say anything else she said, "I better get this to Maddie."

Pete sighed. He was frustrated with both Tina and Maddie. Why can't they just tell me what's going on, he thought. I am not trained in this shit. I'm a SEAL for fuck's sake. He leaned against Maddie's open bedroom door as he watched Tina crawl on the bed and hand Maddie the sandwich.

"You gotta minute," Doc whispered, interrupting Pete's thoughts.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Downstairs," he replied.

"What's up?" Pete asked again as they sat at the kitchen counter. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's hangin' in there," Doc answered. "I know something's been bothering her the last few months. She's been tired and withdrawn. Several times over the last couple days I heard she's having nightmares. Do you know anything? She hasn't said anything to me about them."

Pete sighed, the memory of that horrible and terrifying nightmare she'd had the other night coming back to haunt him. "Yeah, we've been able to figure out they're about Steve in some way. She's having them pretty much every time she sleeps. Some are worse than others." He described Maddie's nightmare from the night Steve had gone out with Lori. "She was turning blue. It was like whatever she was experiencing in her nightmare was really happening."

Doc was quiet as he digested everything Pete had told him. "It sounds like she's having both nightmares and night terrors... Does anything seem to help?"

"Only if he sleeps with her. But, after what happened tonight I don't think that'll be happening any time soon," Pete replied, his frustration and anger at Steve returning.

"That bad, huh?" Doc asked.

"That bad." Pete shook his head as he thought of what Steve had said to her. "Is there anything you can give her to help her sleep tonight?"

"Yeah, I filled Ambien for her earlier after I'd heard about the nightmares. There's another medication I'll get for her tomorrow. Hopefully, that will help. It's given to soldiers with PTSD. We don't really know why it works, but it does provide some relief from nightmares."

"That's great, Doc. Thanks," Pete said.

Steve's words played on repeat. That, and the look on his face. My dad was right. He'll never love me, Maddie thought. She was so grateful Tina hadn't been trying to tell her Steve hadn't meant it. The silence, that was fine. But she couldn't handle anyone trying to convince her of something that wasn't true.

"You eat enough?" Doc asked as he and Pete entered.

"Yeah," she mumbled. She hadn't eaten much. Maybe a third, and that was being generous.

"Okay, let's get this on you." Doc uncovered her legs and put the knee brace on. She immediately shivered. "Sorry, I know it's cold, but you need to wear it." She said nothing in response, her mind somewhere else. "Here, take these." He handed her several pills, including pain medication, prednisone, antibiotics, and an Ambien. Once she'd swallowed them he gave her the small medicine cup filled with cough medicine. She silently took it, chasing it with water. "Alright, sleep well, Maddie. You need it, and deserve it. You killed the show tonight. Now sleep." She snuggled into the bed, pulling the covers up to her neck. "I'm gonna head back to the hotel. Your meds are here in case you wake up and need more."

"Okay. Thanks, Doc," Maddie whispered. "I really appreciate it." He smiled at her before saying his goodbyes and leaving.

"Want me to sleep here with you," Tina asked.

"I'll be okay. Thanks, T." She smiled at her friend. She'd missed her so much the last couple months. "Get some sleep. You earned it."

"Yes, I agree with that statement," Pete said from where he was leaning against one of the posters of her big bed. "Tina, head to bed."

Tina ignored Pete. She refused to let herself wonder why he'd been protective of her the last few days. "Want me to unpack your bag, Mads?"

"No, it's all good. I'll take care of it tomorrow." Maddie knew she couldn't let Tina do anything with her bag until she'd removed the screws and note from "Unknown Sender". She needed to put it with everything else he'd ever sent her. She also needed to add to the journal she used to document everything. She hoped that one day it would be safe enough to give everything to Pete or Steve. When that day happened she wanted to make sure she hadn't forgotten a thing, so she'd been documenting everything in journals. She'd also been hiding everything in her room, but needed to get it to a safer location in her house. But in order to do that she needed to be alone so they wouldn't see where she went.

"T, bed. Now," Pete ordered.

Tina rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, dad." As she got off Maddie's bed she handed her her cell. She hoped Steve would wise up and reach out, however she didn't think that would happen tonight. And even if he did, she didn't think Maddie would answer.

Maddie took her phone and set it on her nightstand. "Thanks, T. Sleep well."

Tina handed her the remote to the TV. She didn't think Maddie would be able to clear her mind to fall asleep without it.

"Tina, I got Maddie. Go to bed," Pete said as he walked forward and gently took her by the arm. He guided her to the bedroom door and ushered her out.

"I'm going, I'm going," she mumbled as she begrudgingly walked down the hall to her room.

Pete turned around and took a seat on Maddie's bed.

"What's with you and Tina?" Maddie asked, a small, tired smile on her face. "You have feelings for her?"

Pete was surprised at the question. "I'm just concerned because she hasn't slept much more than you."

"That wasn't a no," she teased.

Pete sighed. He couldn't think about Tina in that way. He had too much to worry about right now. However, he was still wondering about her behavior earlier. "Do you know why she was upset today?"

Maddie only continued staring at him. Her lack of a response was answer enough.

"She upset with me?" he asked.

"I wouldn't word it like that," she hedged.

"Maddie, what did I do?" Pete asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Nothing intentional."

"Mads, come on," Pete urged. He wanted answers.

She was quiet as she thought it over. "I'm sorry, I can't."

He sighed. He knew it was unfair of him to ask her to betray Tina's trust. He looked at her pale, exhausted face. Now that all her stage makeup was off you could see the dark circles beneath her eyes. Although she wasn't saying anything, he could also see the sadness in her eyes. "Maddie, I'm sorry. When I heard him raise his voice I thought you'd told him. I thought that's why he was mad."

She shrugged and smiled sadly. "I know. It's okay, Pete. He was going to react badly no matter how he found out... I'm sorry I put you in the position to lie to him. That wasn't fair."

"I understand why you didn't want him to know. I'm not upset with you. I'm just sorry he was such an ass."

"It's not your fault," Maddie responded, trying to swallow the lump of heartbreak lodged in her throat. "It is what it is."

"I know I've been telling you this for days, but he loves you and he was just angry tonight. It's no excuse, I know." He paused. She was really hard to read, something he took as a bad sign. "You guys will work it out."

No, we won't, she thought, knowing she was never going to let Steve in. Tonight had been the end of them. She couldn't trust him and if she couldn't trust him then she couldn't be around him. "I love you, Pete. Thanks for always being there and taking care of me. I know sometimes I can be a pain in the ass and drive you crazy."

"Sometimes?" Pete smiled. "I wouldn't change it for the world. I love you, too." He paused, chuckling softly. "I'll never confirm this if you tell anyone, but I would much rather have you taking off and crowd surfing than you being sad." She smiled sadly at him. "I mean, you nearly give me a heart attack on a daily basis, but my life would be so boring without you." Her smile grew. "Speaking of heart attack, I had a massive one when you dropped from your cables tonight."

Maddie hadn't been expecting that and she laughed out loud. He joined her, her laugh a beautiful sound. "Like, no big deal, let me just plummet and hope Ryan and Tyler catch me!" he said, impersonating her voice which made her laugh harder. "There was no hesitation on that, Mads."

She giggled. "The show must go on," she replied.

"You know, whoever said that, I hate them so much. I cringe every time I hear that statement," he joked. She laughed as she fought the sleepiness that was threatening to take over. There it is, he thought, watching as the medication hit her. He'd stayed with her for a reason. He wanted to distract her until the meds kicked in. "Close your eyes, Shorty. Get some sleep."

Maddie did as he said, her eyes fluttering closed. "Mmm hmm," she murmured.

"Call me if you need anything." He grabbed her phone from her nightstand and flipped it to silent, not wanting anyone to wake her up.

"Love you," she slurred.

"Love you, too," Pete whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her head. He did love her. She was the closest thing to a sister he had, and he would do anything to keep her safe. He just hoped that didn't mean having to keep her safe from Steve.