March 9, 2018
Dr. Wayne Halsey was an excellent neurosurgeon. Even so, he didn't see the point of the surgery he was performing right now. "This brain is a mess," he said to the orthopedic surgeon who was working on the man's broken left leg. "I've drained the hematoma, for what little good that will do. He'll live, but it won't be much of a life. I predict a permanent vegetative state. It would be better just to let him go."
Dr. Kowalski looked up at him, frowning. "You'll do your best for him," he said. "Just like you do for all your patients."
Dr. Halsey rolled his eyes. "Of course I will. I'm just saying it won't do much good. He's had three traumatic brain injuries in less than a week. Don't feel like you have to knock yourself out on that leg or the hand. It's not like he'll ever be using them again."
Dr. Kowalski's tone hardened. "I'll do my very best for him regardless. I've seen miracles happen before."
The neurosurgeon rolled his eyes. "There's no such thing as miracles. There's just good hard science, and that tells me this man's brain is useless now."
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"We're through!" Junior's announcement brought a round of cheers from the rescuers. Danny was well-liked among them. Garvey called for a Stokes to be lowered into the hole. He had his drug box and a defibrillator. Junior didn't wait for an invitation. He followed Garvey through the tunnel, determined to get first-hand information on his friend.
"He's not conscious," Garvey said. "I want to get him out of here quick. I'll check him over when we're up top." He pulled a c-collar out of his pack and put it around Danny's neck. "Help me slide him onto the backboard. Then we'll lift him into the Stokes."
Junior knew what to do. He hadn't been a SEAL medic, but he still had some medic training. While they were moving Danny onto the backboard, he started waking up. He tried to push Garvey's hand away. "Don't touch me."
"Hey, Danny," Junior said. "He's gotta touch you. We have to get you outta here." A trickle of dirt drifted down from the well's wall. That's when Junior noticed a couple of human skulls on the ground close to Danny. There were a lot of other bones as well.
"That wall's unstable. We need to move now," Garvey said. He and Junior moved Danny into the Stokes. Each of them grabbed an end and they crawled through the tunnel as fast as they could. Clods of dirt were dropping on them. As they emerged into the larger shaft, the tunnel collapsed behind them.
Dirt was raining on them. Garvey connected the Stokes to the rope that was ready to pull it up. "Get up that ladder, fast! The shaft is about to go!" There hadn't been time to shore it up. Everyone had been focused on getting to Danny as quickly as possible.
"You go first!" Junior wasn't about to leave someone else to be buried alive.
Garvey grumbled, but he did as Junior told him. Junior followed.
Garvey made it out, but a massive amount of dirt and rocks pulled Junior down. Thankfully, he found his head in a pocket of air. The rest of him was encased in dirt. He couldn't move. He worried that if he tried, he might cause more dirt to come down and suffocate him.
It was crazy how heavy the dirt was. Junior was pretty sure he had a broken rib. Dirt was everywhere. It was inside his clothes. The taste of it was in his mouth, and he felt it in his lungs. For a moment, he heard the motor of the digging machine. Then it stopped. Someone said, "We've gotta use the shovels. The machine can't feel for a person under it. It could end up hurting him."
They were coming. It would be a while, but Junior knew they would get to him eventually. At least he had air to breathe. Tani's worried voice yelled to him. "Junior, can you hear me?"
"Yeah!" he shouted. "I'm OK!" He coughed. "I'm in an air pocket!"
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Lou paced the ground while Garvey worked on Danny. He was worried about his friends. Tani was trembling. He put an arm around her and pulled her close. She had become like a daughter to him. "They'll get Junior out. Danny and Steve will be OK." He knew he shouldn't make promises like that, but he also knew that's what she needed to hear.
Garvey pulled Lou aside. "From his bruising," Garvey said, "I believe Detective Williams was beaten before he was dropped in the well. He's got an open fracture of the right leg. I'm pretty sure he has a broken left leg and broken ankles as well. He's complaining of severe back pain. My guess is, that's a sprain. It isn't causing any paralysis or lack of sensation. He's taken a blow to the head, but he's coherent. Probably a mild concussion. I want to get him down to the helicopter and on the way to Tripler now. I'll leave some paramedics here to take care of Junior once he's out."
Lou nodded. "Thanks, Dennis. Take good care of my friend."
"Will do, Captain."
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Junior couldn't check his watch, so he had no idea how long it took them to get to him. By the time he was up top, Danny had already been flown to Tripler.
"That's where you're headed," Tani said. "The docs want to check you out."
Junior waved a hand through the air. "I'm ok." He could wrap a broken rib and be just fine. He coughed again. It sent a wave of pain through him. He did his best not to show it.
Paramedic Jameson insisted he pull off his dusty shirt. "I'm going to wash your eyes out. And you need to drink some water. From the sound of that cough, you've got dirt in your lungs. Your nasal passages are swollen. I've got a sample of the soil — the doctors will want to analyze it to see if you've inhaled any bacteria or fungus." He pointed at the bruise that was spreading across Junior's left side. "Damn, looks like a broken rib, too."
"I'll just wrap it. It'll be fine."
Jameson shook his head. "Oh no, not on my watch. Besides, wrapping it makes you more likely you'll end up with pneumonia. Now, lie down in that Stokes. You don't need to be hiking out."
When Junior was strapped in the Stokes, they started the trip down to the clearing. Another chopper was already on the way to take him to Tripler. He wished he could stop coughing because it hurt so bad.
By the time they got down the steep path, Junior's chest had started to ache. The pain spread to his back. He tried gritting his teeth and getting through it, but he was starting to have trouble breathing. He grabbed Tani's arm.
She looked down at him and went pale. "Something's wrong! His lips are blue!"
Jameson bent over him. "I think he's got a collapsed lung." He looked up. "Barclay, get over here!" His hand went to Junior's arm. "Barclay's dealt with this before; I haven't."
Junior nodded. Breathing was getting harder. He couldn't talk.
Barclay was there within seconds. He examined Junior. "His blood pressure has bottomed out. He won't make it to the hospital unless we do a needle thoracostomy." He pulled on his gloves and a mask. "Jameson, give me a decompression needle."
Junior squeezed his eyes shut. This was going to hurt. But it would lead to relief. He could handle the pain.
Barclay plunged the needle in. A hiss of air came from his chest. Junior felt relief almost instantly. Jameson put an oxygen mask on him. "All right, get him to the chopper!"
"Can I go with him?" Tani asked.
"Sure." That was Jameson's voice. Junior was glad Tani could stay with him. He needed her.
Jameson and Barclay loaded him into the chopper. Tani climbed in and sat next to him. She wrapped her fingers around his. Her skin was warm and soft. He clung to her hand. He was exhausted. Not long after the chopper lifted off, sleep claimed him.
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Tani kept her hand in Junior's even after he fell asleep. She was reassured by the warmth of his skin. When the shaft had collapsed, she had feared he was dead. Her stomach had sunk, her heart beat double-time. His voice, reassuring her that he was alive, made her gasp in relief.
She liked Junior. She might even be close to loving him.
It had taken the diggers three hours to get to him, and then another hour to get him out without causing another collapse. The ground was incredibly unstable. It was a wonder the cabin was still standing.
HPD was going through the cabin. This was one hell of a drug bust. Next would come the task of finding out who the Jennings' supplier was. Neither of the Jennings brothers would be able to help with that, but 5-0 would figure it out.
That is, the remaining members of 5-0 would figure it out. There was no telling how long Danny and Steve would be out of the game. Junior would need at least a few days before the doctors released him, and it could be a while before he could come back to work. That left Tani, Grover, and Jerry. They would do whatever was necessary to stop this operation.
At Tripler, Dr. Miranda Clark asked if Tani was family. She nodded. Junior's parents wouldn't come. Their anger had fractured the family. But 5-0 had become Junior's ohana. After examining Junior and looking at a chest x-ray, Dr. Clark explained that he had a large pneumothorax, caused by his two fractured ribs on the left side. "We're going to have to put in a chest tube to remove the excess air in his chest cavity. First I want to get some pain reliever going. Does he have any sensitivity to fentanyl or versed?"
"I don't think so," Tani said. "Will he be OK?"
The doctor nodded. "It will take time, but yes. He's young. He's strong. I believe he'll recover well. Now, you should know the versed can cause some retrograde amnesia. Don't worry about that."
Once the pain meds were active, the doctor placed the chest tube. Then she called for an x-ray to make sure the tube was properly placed. Junior was only minimally conscious for the procedure. The pain meds soon knocked him out. Tani kissed him on the forehead, then went to find out about Steve and Danny.
"Excuse me," she said to the head nurse. "I'm Tani Rey, from 5-0." She showed her badge. "I need to find out how Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams are doing."
The nurse checked the computer. "Mr. Williams is currently in surgery. Mr. McGarrett is in Recovery. His neurosurgeon was looking for his family."
"5-0 is Steve's family," said Tani. "He has a sister in California, but the doctor can talk to me. It's in his records."
"All right." The nurse reached for the intercom button. "I'll page Dr. Halsey."
Dr. Halsey responded to the page quickly. The nurse introduced him to Tani. "She needs information about Steve McGarrett."
"Are you related, Ms. Rey?" the doctor asked.
"I'm part of 5-0." Tani indicated her badge. "We're Steve's ohana. And we're investigating what happened. You can tell me everything."
The doctor nodded, then proceeded to share the information in an emotionless monotone. "He had a left-side subdural hematoma. I was able to drain this completely. He also has a skull fracture from a heavy blow to his forehead. That caused an open wound, which I stitched up. Given that he was already suffering from a moderate concussion, I believe the damage to his brain is permanent. The language center of the brain was badly affected. It's likely he will be unable to speak or understand speech. He will experience some level of paralysis. I predict a permanent vegetative state. There's also damage to his optic nerve, which could leave him blind. Dr. Kowalski, our orthopedic surgeon, worked on his broken left leg and his left hand. He has several fractures and nerve damage from the gunshot wound in the hand. Dr. Kowalski will cast the leg and hand after the swelling has gone down."
Tani frowned. This wasn't possible. Nothing could hurt Steve McGarrett. At least, nothing he couldn't recover from. "When can I see him?"
"When he's moved from Recovery to ICU." The doctor looked at his watch. "That should be in about an hour."
"I also need to know about Danny Williams." Tani knew the doctor probably couldn't tell her anything, as he was only working on Steve. "I'm told he's in surgery."
Dr. Halsey nodded. "You can go to the surgical waiting room." He pointed down the hall. "Someone will come there when they have information for you."
"Thank you, Doctor," Tani said in a clipped tone. She didn't like this surgeon. He was too discouraging.
She found the surgical waiting room. To her surprise, Lou was there, sitting with Jerry. Dr. Halsey must not have tried too hard to find Steve's family. "Captain. I wasn't expecting you yet. I thought you were hiking out."
Lou stood up when Tani came in. "I left my car at the trailhead and flew back with the paramedics. What have you heard?"
"They were able to drain Steve's subdural hematoma." Tani shuddered as she thought about everything that had happened. "The surgeon thinks the damage is permanent." Tears filled her eyes. "He believes Steve will be in a permanent vegetative state. Steve will be moved to the ICU in about an hour. We can visit him then. Danny's in surgery. Joons has a collapsed lung, and they had to put in a chest tube. He's sleeping right now."
"And you'd like to sit with him, I'm guessing." Cap gave her a knowing look.
Tani lowered her eyes and nodded. He was right. She did want to be with Junior. She didn't want him to wake up alone. Then again, she also needed to see Steve and hear about Danny.
"Go on back to Junior," said Cap. "I'll come tell you when I know about Danny."
Tani gave the Captain a hug. "Thank you. Joons is in room 315."
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Lou Grover sat down. He was impatient for news. The least they could do was send a nurse in with an update. He decided to call Rachel. She would want to be here.
He checked his wallet for the list of numbers he kept on hand, then pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Rachel. She answered after the second ring.
"Hello, Rachel. This is Lou Grover. I'm sorry to call so late." He rubbed his neck. "Danny was badly injured while on a camping trip with Steve. Actually, both of them were injured. Danny's in surgery right now. We're at Tripler." He didn't tell her over the phone that they had been attacked. That information could wait.
"We'll come right away," said Rachel. She hung up the phone.
Next, Lou dialed Renee. He felt bad waking her, but she had told him to let her know how things were going. "Darlin', I'm going to be at Tripler for a while. Danny's in surgery. Steve's in Recovery and will be moved to ICU soon. Junior was hurt in the rescue. It's just a real mess."
"Do you want me to come, honey?"
Lou nodded. He needed Renee's strength and support. "Yeah," he said. "Please."
"I'll be there as soon as I can. I love you, Lou Grover."
"Love you too." He hung up and settled back in his chair. Hopefully, there would be some good news soon.
Renee and Rachel arrived at about the same time. Renee had brought Will, and Rachel had Charlie and Grace with her. Grace was pale and crying. Charlie was worried and clinging to his mother's hand.
"Chase was s'posed to take care of Daddy!" Charlie cried.
Lou got down on his knees and looked into Charlie's eyes. "Hey, buddy. Your daddy is alive. I think Chase did his job."
The little boy sniffled and nodded his head.
Will took Grace's hand and gave her a kiss. Lou watched his son proudly. "Danno will be OK, Grace," Will said. "He's gotta be." He led her over to sit by a window.
About five minutes later, Danny's surgeon came in. She looked around the room before calling out. "I'm Dr. Revere. I'm looking for Danny Williams's family."
Rachel raised her hand. "That's all of us."
"All right. Detective Williams had a grade five splenic rupture, requiring a splenectomy. An orthopedic surgeon is working on his right leg now. He has an open fracture of his right tibia that needs to be cleaned out. Our first priority is to prevent infection. His left leg has a closed tibial fracture. Both of his ankles are broken. He also has a sprained back, severe bruising, a broken nose, and a mild concussion. And he needed stitches to a wound on the back of his head."
Rachel grabbed Lou's arm. "How the hell did this happen? They were just camping."
"We believe they were caught in an explosion. Sometime after that, Danny was thrown into a well. We think he might have been beaten first." Lou eased Rachel into a chair.
Rachel looked at the surgeon. "Will he be all right?"
The surgeon nodded. "He'll need to take daily antibiotics and stay up-to-date on his vaccinations. Before surgery, he received blood transfusions and several vaccines to help prevent infection. As long as we can keep the right leg from getting infected, he should fully recover. If the leg does get infected, he could lose it."
Rachel gasped. "No! That would kill him." Renee put an arm around her.
The surgeon sat down across from Rachel. "I don't think that's going to happen. The orthopedic surgeon working on him is one of the best there is. Detective Williams will be our guest for at least a couple of weeks. After that, he will need a lot of support while he recovers."
"He'll have everything he needs," said Lou. "We'll make sure of that." He stood up. "I'm going to talk with Tani. I promised I'd let her know."
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Danny was surprised to wake up and find himself in the hospital instead of at the bottom of the well. He didn't remember getting pulled out. Apparently, his pain meds were wearing off because he was hurting from head to toe. His head was pounding.
Lou was sitting in the chair next to his bed, reading a magazine.
"Hey," said Danny. "Did you find Steve?"
Lou looked up and a grin stretched across his face. "It's good to see you awake! Rachel was here long enough to see you. She took the kids home about half an hour ago." He pulled a piece of paper out of the back of his magazine. "Charlie asked me to give you this." It was a picture of Danny and Charlie together with a big heart around them. Lou's eyes darkened. "Yes, we found Steve. He's alive, but his surgeon believes the damage to his brain is permanent. Steve had a subdural hematoma. He also had a second traumatic brain injury. On top of the concussion he had, well —"
"Damn." Guilt washed over Danny. "I knew he had a head injury, but I don't know how it happened. He said there was an explosion. Then that guy hit his head hard with the butt of his rifle. He was trying to kill him. All over a lousy pair of earbuds. I should've shot him when I could, Lou. Instead I let him get the drop on me."
"Earbuds?"
Danny nodded. "When I shot the first guy, I destroyed his brother's earbuds. I tried giving him Steve's, but he didn't want those. He wanted his back. He said I was going to pay. I got the idea he didn't care much about losing his brother."
Danny felt his eyes getting wet. He blinked hard to keep the tears back. "Steve saved my life. He couldn't even see, and he still shoved me out of the way of a bullet. Took it in his hand instead."
"Enough about Steve for now," Lou said. "How are you feeling?"
"Everything hurts."
Lou nodded. "Yeah. I'm not surprised. You've got a lot of injuries. Your spleen ruptured and the surgeon had to remove it. Two broken legs, broken ankles, a broken nose, and a mild concussion." He handed Danny the call button. "If you need pain meds, call the nurse. She'll take care of you."
Danny pressed the button. The nurse came soon and added some pain meds to his IV. They made him drowsy pretty quickly. He felt his eyes closing.
As he drifted off, he felt Lou's hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest. I'm going to see Steve. I'll come back here in a little while."
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Before going to the ICU, Lou went to Junior's room. Junior was sleeping. Tani was sitting with him, her fingers intertwined with his. "Hi, Tani. How's he doing?"
She shrugged. "He's been asleep the whole time. I think he's doing all right, though."
"Good. Danny woke up. He was in pain, but the nurse gave him some medication. He's sleeping now."
"Did he tell you anything?" Tani stroked Junior's hand with her thumb.
"Yeah." Lou sucked in a deep breath. "Apparently, Frankie Jennings was mad because Danny destroyed his earbuds when he shot Orville. Sounds like he cared more about the earbuds than his brother." He'd heard from HPD. Fingerprint analysis had confirmed the identities of the two dead men. "Steve saved Danny's life, even though he couldn't see. He pushed him out of the way when Frankie tried to shoot him. Took the bullet in his hand."
"Sounds like something Steve would do."
Lou nodded. "Yeah. I'm headed up to the ICU to check on him. He's probably still unconscious."
Tani pulled her hand away from Junior's. "Mind if I come with you?"
"Not a bit." When she stood up, Lou put an arm around her shoulders. "Junior's going to be just fine. And I'm hoping and praying that Danny and Steve will too."
"Yeah. I want to go back to the Palace. We need to figure out who the Jennings brothers' supplier was. He's as responsible as they are for what happened." Tani's eyes shone with stubborn determination.
"I agree." Lou wanted to get the guy too, whoever he was. "HPD has moved all of the drugs to evidence lockup. Orville and Frankie were among the worst kind of drug dealers, the kind who sell to kids."
"At least they're out of the picture, and the drugs are locked up."
"Yeah." Lou pushed open the door into the ICU and approached the nurse's desk. "We're here to visit Steve McGarrett."
"Come back during visiting hours." The nurse didn't even look up.
Lou held up his badge. "I think if you check, you'll see that 5-0 has access to visit him day or night."
The nurse hunched over the computer and then nodded her head. "Fine. He's in room three. Keep it quiet. No more than two people at a time. He doesn't need any stimulation right now."
Lou was expecting to find Steve unconscious, but he was lying in the dimly lit room with his eyes wide open. His eyes didn't move at all when Lou and Tani came in. He didn't acknowledge them in any way. Lou waved a hand in front of his face, but Steve's eyes didn't track it.
Lou sat down in one of the chairs next to the bed. Tani took the other chair. Lou glanced over at her to see a tear trickling down her cheek. "Somehow, things will work out, Tani."
He put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Danny's going to be OK, Buddy, thanks to you."
Lou bowed his head. He didn't pray much around his colleagues. Right now, though, he felt a prayer was in order. "God, Hawaii needs Steve healthy again. Can you do something about that? Please? Amen." He crossed himself, then squeezed Steve's shoulder. "We got the guys who did this to you. They won't be hurting anyone else."
Steve's eyes filled with tears. He didn't blink them away. Several tracked down his cheeks into his hair. Lou wondered what brought that on. Steve still didn't do or say anything to show that he understood he had company. Lou pulled a tissue from a box and wiped the tears from Steve's face. "Hey, things are going to work out."
Lou was quiet for a while. He put his hand over Steve's and wished that Steve would wrap his fingers around it, but he didn't. Finally, he decided it was time to go. "I've gotta go to the Palace," he said quietly. "I'll be back to check on you later."
"I'll be back too," said Tani. "We love you, Steve."
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Steve had awakened to find himself wrapped in darkness. He heard strange noises around him. He couldn't move. His head was pounding.
Suddenly, he heard a voice talking to him. Lou's voice. But Steve couldn't understand what Lou was saying. He wanted to tell him, but he couldn't figure out how to make his mouth work.
His eyes filled with tears. He felt them running down his cheeks. He couldn't do anything to stop them. Lou gently wiped them away. His hand on Steve's was comforting. Then he was gone. If Steve could talk, he would have begged him to stay. He didn't want to be alone.
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March 10, 2018
Danny's eyes flew open. It was light outside his window. He was hurting, but he didn't want any more sedatives. The pain was better than the nightmares. His dreams kept taking him back to that cabin. Back to the punches and the dark well. Back to Steve pushing him out of the way of the bullet and getting shot himself.
Rachel was in his room. So were Grace and Charlie. Danny put on a brave face for them. He didn't want them to know how awful he felt. "Hey," he said softly. "Any news on Steve?"
Charlie stood next to his bed and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Daddy."
"Hey, Buddy Boy." Danny forced a grin. His little boy worried about him so much. "Daddy's going to be just fine, Charlie."
Charlie nodded. "I know."
"Grace, honey, please take Charlie to the vending machine to get a candy bar." Danny wanted to talk to Rachel without little ears overhearing.
Rachel got some money out of her wallet and handed it to Grace. She took her little brother's hand and walked him out of the room.
"Steve saved my life," Danny said. "He pushed me out of the way of a bullet. Took it himself. What's more, he couldn't even see when he did it."
Rachel nodded. "Lou told me he had surgery for a subdural hematoma. I haven't visited him yet." She wrapped a hand around Danny's, then pressed her lips to his. "I'm so grateful to him."
"Please go see him," said Danny. "If he's awake, tell him thank you for me. I don't know when I'll be able to visit him."
Rachel nodded. "Yes, I'll go. As soon as Grace and Charlie come back. They can stay with you."
Danny nodded. He was grateful he had family with him. He hated thinking of Steve alone in the ICU. "Thanks, Rachel."
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Rachel hung at Steve's door for a minute. She looked in to see him lying there, eyes open, just staring at the ceiling. His head was bandaged and lots of tubes were running into him, including one in his nose. Rachel assumed that was for feeding. He looked so different from his usual strong, confident self. Finally, she stepped inside and sat down on the chair next to him. She wrapped her fingers around his hand.
"Hi, Steve." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He hadn't acknowledged her, so she wasn't sure he realized she was there. "Danny asked me to come see you. He wanted to thank you for saving his life. I-I wanted to thank you, too." She wondered how much he understood. "Steve, if you understand what I'm saying, blink once."
She looked at his eyes. Nothing. "Danny wishes he could visit you. He's got two broken legs, and he doesn't know when they'll let him sit up in a wheelchair." She gently massaged his hand. She had never seen him so still.
The nurse came in. She took Steve's vitals and made notes on his chart. Then she hung a few new bags of medication and connected them to his IV port. "The doctor ordered IV acetaminophen and gabapentin for his pain. The gabapentin will help to prevent seizures. He's also on an IV antibiotic to prevent infection in his hand." she said to Rachel. "Keep massaging that hand. I'm sure it will help."
Rachel nodded. She wanted to be with Danny, but right now, Steve needed her. She would stay with him. Hopefully his sister could come soon.
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Back at the Palace, Lou checked his list of phone numbers again. He had tried calling Mary McGarrett the previous day but got no answer. Now he would try again. He wasn't sure if she would be at home or at work. It was Saturday, so he dialed her home number first. It rang a few times, and then a child answered. "Hello?"
"Hello, Joan. Is your mom there?"
"No. She's traveling."
"Could I talk with the grown up who's watching you, then?"
"Yeah." The phone clunked on something and then Joan shouted, "Telephone!"
A few seconds later, an adult's voice came on the line. "Hello. This is Anne. I'm watching Joan."
"Hi. This is Captain Lou Grover with Hawaii Five 0. I work with Mary's brother Steve. Is there a number where I can reach Mary?"
"I'm sorry. She's traveling overseas right now. She didn't want to pay extra for international service. That means she can't get calls or texts. She is checking her email, though."
Lou copied down Mary's email address. "Thank you. Hopefully I'll make contact. Goodbye."
He wished he could call Doris, but he had no idea where she was, and her cell number wasn't on his list. Only Steve had that, and he wasn't able to give it at the moment. From what Steve said, she didn't answer most of the time anyway. He could, however, call Joe White. Joe would be on the next flight to Oahu. Lou dialed his cell phone number.
"Hello. Joe White speaking."
"Joe, this is Lou Grover. I'm afraid I have some difficult news." He cleared his throat. "Steve was attacked and badly injured a couple days ago. Danny, too." He explained as much as he knew about what happened. "The doctors say Steve's brain is badly damaged, probably permanently. He can't see, can't move, can't speak. He's at Tripler."
"I'm actually in Hawaii now," Joe said. "I'll change my travel plans and get over to Tripler right away. Thanks for calling me."
Lou breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought they would have to wait for Joe to make arrangements and fly in. "Thanks, Joe. Steve's in the ICU. I'll make sure your name is on the list for day or night access to him. Goodbye."
He called the hospital and added Joe's name to the list, then took a few minutes to write an email to Mary, explaining what had happened. Hopefully, he would hear back soon.
Meanwhile, Tani was going over the Jennings brothers' bank account. Lou checked with her to see what she had found out.
"They made a couple of large payments to a Swiss bank. I'm still trying to track where that money went. The notation says it's for HD Rehab, Inc. The bank has not been forthcoming about who owns the account."
Lou thought for a moment. "Tell them we'll press charges with the International Criminal Court, naming them as accomplices in drug sales to children and attempted murder if they don't cooperate."
Ten minutes later, Tani found Lou at his desk. "That threat did the trick. The man who owns the account is Harvey Dooley. Problem is, the only Harvey Dooleys I'm finding online have been deceased for years."
Lou nodded. "We have to follow the money. Someone is going to access that account. We need to find out who and where the money goes. Get Jerry to help you with that. I'm going to head back to the hospital to check on Steve and Danny. Junior too."
"Will do," Tani said. "Give them my love, OK? Tell them I'll come later today."
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Joe announced himself at the ICU nurse's station and was directed to room three.
"Thank you." He made his way to Steve's room, stopping at the door to steel himself for what he was about to see. Once he had gathered himself, he walked into the room and put his hand on Steve's. "Hello, Son."
He turned to Rachel. "Can you give us a little time? I'm sure Danny is waiting for you." Rachel nodded and left the room.
Joe sat at Steve's side and talked soothingly to him. He watched for any sign that Steve understood what he was saying but couldn't see anything. "Your doctor — well, he doesn't know you the way I do. I believe you are going to recover fully." He started massaging Steve's hand. "I bet this feels good. You've got a splint on the other hand. There's a bullet wound there. Lou says you pushed Danny out of the way and took the bullet for him. You saved his life, Son. We'll let that hand heal before I massage it."
He kept rubbing Steve's hand and was soon rewarded with a slight squeeze. He smiled. "There you go. It's already coming back."
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Lou walked into Steve's room. He was grateful to find Joe there. He'd felt bad about leaving Steve alone.
"He has gotten a little movement back in his right hand," Joe said. "Massage helps."
Lou nodded. "Thanks, Joe." He leaned over Steve and took hold of his hand. "Hey, Steve. Lou here. I want you to know everyone is thinking about you. Whatever you need, we'll do it."
Steve's fingers just barely pressed his hand.
Lou squeezed back. "Listen, I need to go check on Danny. Joe will stay here with you. Bye, pal." Lou stepped out of the room and headed to the orthopedics ward.