Hello! Those two weeks have passed very quickly, don't you think;)? Time for another chapter. Don't forget to share your thoughts with me after reading.

Chapter 11

"How could he say that?!" Rick was the first one to speak, his voice shaking with emotion. "I thought he was our friend."

"Hey, calm down, brother." TC stepped closer to him and put his hand on his arm. "Gordie is our friend, he's a part of our Ohana here."

"I know it may be quite irritating but he's just doing his job." Kumu said softly. "I guess, acting like this, which is really professional, helps him deal with his own emotions I'm sure he's experiencing like we do right now."

It was evident Rick was deeply contemplating what the woman had just said. After a long moment, a tiny grin finally appeared on his face.

"I'm sorry, guys, I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"Don't apologize. We understand that, it's perfectly normal in this situation." TC assured him.

However, Rick just couldn't stop. "I shouldn't have let my emotions run high." He said under his breath.

At that time, Kumu felt the need to step in and help her friend. She approached him slowly and grabbed him by the arms. "Rick, look at me." She spoke and saw that he avoided meeting her gaze. "Look at me." She tried again, this time her voice was firm and steady.

Finally, he did what he was told and soon she found out the reason for his hesitation. His eyes were shining with unshed tears and he looked like he was about to have a break down. "Rick," she murmured, gently placing her hand on his cheek, "it's okay that you got angry with the way Gordon had acted. You're worried about Thomas, he's like a brother to you, right? And you care about Juliet, too."

Rick nodded his head.

"But you know Gordon is a good man and he'll do everything he can to find them." Kumu stated.

Rick sniffled and spoke after a while, "Yeah, I know that." His voice was weak and very quiet. "But it's so hard for me not to do anything when now they both need us the most and count on our help. It's so frustrating."

The last sentence was barely a whisper but Kumu managed to hear it. She instantly drew him in her embrace, holding him tight, giving him all her love and comfort she felt he desperately needed so much at that moment.

TC was standing nearby, witnessing this very emotional scene and he had to admit that he got emotional too so he frantically tried to blink away the tears that came to his eyes.

Kumu and Rick remained like that for some time, until the woman finally spoke, "Are you okay now, my dear?"

Rick nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm good." He murmured and then slowly stepped out of her embrace. "I'm much better now. Thank you, Kumu." He gave her a grateful smile.

"You're welcome." She said, smiling back. She took his hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt this moment but I have to ask this question – what do we do now?" TC spoke up.

"We're surely not going home like Gordie had told us, right?" Rick said and for a moment it seemed that doubt and anger threatened to settle back in him again.

"Of course not." Kumu replied at once, glancing at him.

"So what is our next move? We shouldn't be here when the CSU come in order not to mess with their work." TC told them.

"You're right. Let's go to my place." Kumu offered. "I'll make some tasty dinner, I think food will do us good. I don't know about you, boys but I'm starving."

"Well… actually I would eat something." TC admitted, giving her a sheepish grin and then quickly added. "But we don't want to cause you any trouble, Kumu."

"Hey, it's no trouble at all. I love cooking but since I've lost my husband, it's only me and cooking for one person is just not the same." The woman told them, her voice going nostalgic. "Unless you want to go and check on La Mariana." She added.

Rick spoke, shaking his head, "No, I think it'll be okay without us."

"Yeah, we'd better stay at the estate." TC said, meeting his friend's eyes.

"Okay then. Come on." She told them, already leading them to the part of Robin's Nest where she lived.

She let them in and put on the light. The interior decorations were quite similar to those in the main building where Juliet resided and to Magnum's place which was the guest house. It seemed a bit smaller but the living room also had a wonderful ocean view and a small lanai with a wooden chaise lounge to relax there.

"Please, have a seat." She said, pointing to the couch in the open space living room. Then she went straight to the kitchen area. "Let's see what I have in the fridge." She murmured while looking over the food stored there.

"Kumu, I bet you have more food in your fridge than Magnum." TC stated, making her giggle helplessly.

It was good to see her like that, even if just for a short while. Both Rick and TC observed how the woman moved around the kitchen, choosing the ingredients, mixing them and finally coming up with an appetizing meal. She served it to them and after they started eating, both men couldn't help but comment on it.

"Mhmm, Kumu… that's so good. I've never eaten anything so delicious in my life." TC moaned with pleasure and then added, "Even in La Mariana with Rick's cooking."

Rick pretended to be hurt. "Oh, thanks, man. It's very comforting to know what your best friend and business partner really thinks about you." He said with sarcasm and then turned to the woman. "But actually, he's right. Kumu, you're a real cooking goddess." He said that between bites, his mouth full of tasty food.

The woman laughed cheerfully at her friends' words. "Wow, thanks. I guess no one has ever called me a cooking goddess, even my late husband." She told them.

They dug in and soon their plates were empty, looking like they haven't been used at all.

"Now, that's what I call a fit for king dinner." TC stated while he started cleaning the table.

"Thanks, TC but you don't have to do this, you're my guests here." Kumu said and tried to get up but Rick was faster and stopped her immediately.

"No, let us do this. You made this heavenly meal so it's only fair that we take care of the cleaning. You can just sit and relax." Rick told her and his touching words made her face light up with gladness.

And so she remained on the sofa while the men busied themselves in the kitchen. As soon as they were done, she stood up and joined them in the kitchen. TC put away the towel he was holding and looked at her. He knew that he had to bring up the subject that upset them so much.

"Listen, I know it's painful but we need to decide what we're doing next with TM and Higgy." He stated.

"We can't just sit and wait here." Rick replied.

"Don't worry, we won't. We need to check their old cases and see who that dark van belongs to." TC told him.

"Boys, it's really late. I hate to tell you but we definitely won't help them if we're so worn out. Why don't we get some sleep now and first thing in the early morning, we'll contact Gordon and see whether they found anything." Kumu said.

Rick spoke quickly, "And if he doesn't want to share that with us, we'll investigate on our own. First, we need to hack into the city's traffic cam system."

"To do that we'll need Juliet's skills." TC pointed out reasonably.

"Not necessarily. I know a hacker who will be able to do that in just a few seconds." Rick was already forming a plan in his head.

Kumu's eyebrows rose in mock surprise. "Okay but in the current situation I think Gordon will tell us everything."

"Agreed." TC nodded his head.

"So since we've decided what we're going to do, it's time to get some rest. Are you going to sleep at Thomas' place?" Kumu asked.

"Well, actually…" TC spoke with hesitation, meeting Rick's knowing look, "we were thinking if you could let us stay here."

Kumu stood there totally surprised. "What? It's not that I'm inhospitable because of course you can stay here but I'm curious where this idea is coming from." She said, staring at them as if she wanted to see right through them.

"Well, you know… since we're already here…" TC started and was instantly joined by Rick who was desperately trying to come up with some plausible reason.

"Besides we really don't know if we're allowed to enter TM's place due to the police investigation." He finally blurted out, hoping Kumu would buy this explanation.

While listening to their ridiculous talking, the woman kept observing them. She squinted her eyes and wondered what really was on their minds. When Rick and TC saw their friend's serious face, they both realized that she definitely hadn't bought it.

With her piercing eyes still on them, she slowly approached them, her hands on her hips. "Now, cut the crap, boys. What is this all about?"

Rick gave it one last try. "What? I have no idea what you're talking about."

At once she sent him a reproachful look which made him feel like he was back at school and tried to lie to his teacher.

TC shook his head and sighed deeply. "All right, Kumu. Sorry for not telling you this straight out but we think that after what happened to Magnum and Higgy, you shouldn't be alone right now."

Kumu gave them a tiny smile. "Oh, mahalo for thinking about me but I'm perfectly safe here." She stated but soon she noticed that they weren't really convinced by that.

"To tell the truth, we would be a lot calmer if we stayed with you just in case…" TC told her.

Kumu let out a deep breath. She was greatly touched that her friends wanted to watch over her but she thought that it would be better for them if they just spend the time resting and saving their strength because they had no idea what they would deal with in the morning. As she was about to tell them this, their sincere faces made her change her mind.

"All right," she said, lifting her hands in surrender, "if staying here is what makes you feel better, then stay." She said but then added, "But only on one condition."

"What is it?" Both men asked at the same time and listened eagerly.

"I want you both to sleep the whole night through. No night watch and no shifts in sleeping. And I mean it. You have to be rested and ready for anything when the morning comes." Kumu told them in a voice that invited no argument.

"Yes, ma'am." They shouted in unison like they used to do when they served in the army. Their faces lit up with broad smiles.

"Oh, come here." The woman reacted and pulled them into a big hug. "Thank you so much." She murmured against their chests. They both noticed how much her voice was shaking with emotion.

"You don't need to thank us." TC spoke softly.

"You're Ohana." Rick finished for him.

After a moment, when they stepped away, all of them noticed with knowing smiles that each others' eyes were unusually shiny.

As always, Rick decided to lighten the atmosphere and spoke, "You know, Kumu, have you ever considered joining the army? I'm sure you'd make quite a career there. You'd be a perfect commanding officer."

She chuckled hearing that. "No, I've never thought about something like that but who knows, maybe one day I'll enlist." She replied playfully and all three of them laughed.

After a while she said, "Okay, now let's talk about the sleeping arrangements. As you can see, my place is quite small – only one bedroom and a living room. I'll let you take the bedroom and I'll sleep here." She offered.

"No, no way!" TC protested and Rick came up with an idea at once.

"Kumu, this is your place so how about you keep your bedroom and we'll stay here. We'll be just fine."

"But there's not much place here." She pointed around. "This couch is only for one person." She tried to reason with them.

"Don't worry, we'll manage. Believe me, we used to sleep in much worse conditions." TC told her and when she looked at Rick he nodded his head to confirm his friend's words.

"Unfortunately, that's true. Your house is like a palace when compared to all those places." Rick sounded not very happy to recall those times.

"Oh, I'm sorry, boys. I didn't know it'll bring back bad memories." The woman said with genuine sympathy.

"That's okay. Luckily, it's all in the past." TC murmured and gave her a weak smile.

Rick looked around the room and his eyes fell on the lanai. "I know what we're going to do. I'll take that place and you can sleep on the couch." He turned to TC.

"No, brother. I'll take it and you'll sleep on the couch." TC replied.

"No way, man. You're bigger than me so you won't fit in there." Rick went on.

"Oh, you'll see I will." TC told him.

Kumu stood there with a smile on her face and listened to her friends bickering about the place to sleep. She finally decided to step in.

"Boys, stop arguing. Haven't you noticed that you're wasting the precious time for relax?"

"You're right, Kumu." Rick stated and then turned to TC. "So how are we doing this?"

"The usual way." TC replied, giving him a knowing grin. "Let's do this like real men do."

"All right." Rick agreed.

Kumu wondered what was going to happen next and she was totally perplexed when she noticed what those two grown men and former Marines were doing. They hid their hands behind their backs and on the count of three they stuck their hands in front of them and evidently started playing 'Rock, scissors, paper'.

"I would say it's like little kids do rather than real men." Kumu said under her breath, shaking her head in complete disbelief.

TC and Rick seemed not to notice her wry comment as they became so engrossed in the game. Finally, after a couple of ties, it turned out that Rick lost.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rick but don't worry, I'll bring you a big pillow and a fluffy blanket so you'll get comfortable on the lanai." Kumu said with genuine compassion.

"Uh, actually I lost so I'm going to sleep on the couch." Rick stated.

The woman seemed slightly confused about his words.

"What? I don't understand. I thought you played for the couch."

"No, you see, while we were serving in the army, we often played this game but to make it more ridiculous, we chose the less appealing option as the reward for the winner." TC explained.

"Yeah and don't worry, Kumu, it made everyone watching our game as clueless as you are." Rick told her with a smile.

"That's good to know. It's very comforting." The woman spoke, "I thought I was losing my mind."

Rick and TC chuckled at that. Kumu's sense of humor was the best.

The woman glanced at her watch. "Oh, I see it's quite late. I'd better go and bring you some pillows and blankets, you may need them… wherever you're going to sleep." She added with a wink and a wide smile and then she went to her bedroom to grab those things for her friends.

As soon as Kumu left the room, Rick turned to TC. "Do you think the men that took TM and Higgy may come back?"

"There's a very small likelihood for that but I don't want to tempt fate. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to Kumu and we didn't prevent it while we could." TC replied.

"Yeah, me too." Rick murmured and sighed deeply.

For a moment, they fell silent, each of them engrossed in their thoughts and then Rick asked the question he was dreading since he had learned about the kidnapping. "TC, do you think they're still alive?"

For a second there, his friend thought he must have misheard him. He met his gaze, instantly recognizing that worried look. It was the same one Rick was wearing while they were held captive in Afghanistan whenever Thomas was taken away by their captors and they had no idea what was happening to their brother and whether he was going to come back alive.

"What?" TC asked. "Of course, they are."

Rick continued. "It's been twenty-four hours since we have last seen them and we didn't get any phone calls from the kidnappers."

"It doesn't have to mean the worst. Perhaps those men need Thomas and Juliet for something. We just have to find out what for. If we get that, we'll know who took them and then it'll be only a matter of time before we locate them and bring them home." TC stated, trying to keep Rick's spirits up.

"Yeah, of course you're right. I shouldn't have been thinking like that. What kind of friend I am?" Rick murmured, self-pity clearly evident in his voice.

"Hey, brother, look at me." TC told him and gently touched his arm. When Rick finally met his eyes with some hesitation, he spoke. "It's nothing wrong with you having different thoughts. You're worried… we all are and although we all have moments of doubt, we have to stay positive and believe that they'll both come back to us. And when it comes to the kind of friend you are, I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that you're the best friend. One for whom I as well as Thomas are truly grateful. A friend on whom we can always count, who will do everything he can to help those in need. A sensitive, honest and sincere person who is undeniably a good man. And I'm really proud to have you as my friend, my brother and my Ohana."

When TC stopped saying this, Rick smiled shyly and they both hugged and patted each other on their backs.

"Wow. Thanks, brother. I needed that." He whispered and added. "I want you to know that you're a great friend too."

"Thank you. Good to hear that." TC said, a wide grin all over his face.

Kumu was standing behind the corner for some time. She didn't want to interrupt them so she was just observing the whole situation with a cheerful smile. TC and Rick were both good men and remarkable friends. Since she had met them, along with Magnum and Nuzo, she admired their close friendship, or rather brotherhood in this case and their strong feel of community accompanied by the need to help each other whenever the need arose.

Kumu guessed that serving in the army and spending so much time together usually made people feel close and become friends but when it came to those four men, it was probably also the captivity they were held in that led them to their brotherhood. In that camp, on the enemy's territory they were forced to count on each other, not only physically but also mentally, they offered comfort and gave hope thus forming a bond so strong that it continued to exist even after they left the army and she was more than sure that nothing would destroy it.

Not even death. She thought.

When she finally felt that she wouldn't be disturbing her friends' conversation, Kumu came in with a smile, holding the pillows and blankets.

"Here you are." She said, handing the stuff to them. "I guess you haven't changed your mind with the sleeping arrangements, have you?"

Both TC and Rick chucked at that and shook their heads.

"No way. As you could see I won and I'm going to claim my reward." TC stated, moving to the lanai and preparing the chaise lounge for him to sleep.

"All right, as you wish." Kumu said. "Goodnight, boys." She said and went to her bedroom.

"Goodnight, Kumu" Both men replied.

The moment they were sure she disappeared behind the door, they looked at each other and said at the same time.

"I'm taking the first shift."

They laughed at that and prepared themselves for another round of the game.

That's it for today. We're going to stay with Rick, TC and Kumu for some time. I hope you don't mind it but don't worry - eventually we'll get back to our favorite duo. See you in two weeks.