Author's Note: For all those who celebrate, I wish you a joyous Easter. I'll be taking a break from writing for the holiday, which is also my youngest daughter's birthday. Don't worry — there will be more!

TW: Spousal abuse

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May 8, 2023

Steve was working with the VA group Shammy had gotten him involved in. Today they were building a house for a homeless vet and his dog. Steve was getting pretty tired, though, and the phantom pains were bad. His face was stinging where Dr. Kaether had removed glass and debrided the wounds. His right eye really hurt, and his glasses were driving him nuts.

His prosthetic leg was on the fritz after getting shot by Brinski a couple days ago. He was working with the VA on getting a new one, but he wasn't sure when it would come through. He might have to wait awhile.

"Hey, everyone, I'm wiped out. I'm going home." He clapped Shammy on the back and walked to the door.

"Bye!" They all stopped what they were doing and waved. Steve waved back. Then he walked to his truck, climbed in, and drove home. At home, he switched to his chair, but he carried his crutch inside in his lap.

Danny was watching Sammy today. They hadn't had a job since Brinski. On the way inside, Steve's business line rang. He answered. "Hello. S & D Private Eyes. How may I help you?" It was a struggle not to yawn over the line.

"Hi. My name is Jeremy Canton. I'm here from Centennial, Colorado. Thomas Magnum suggested I call you. He says you and your partner are two of the best private eyes in the business."

Steve grinned. It was always nice when Magnum referred business to him and Danny. "That's good to hear. What's the problem?"

"I'm trying to locate my daughter," Canton said. "She's six months old. A friend of ours was babysitting the other day. They were at a local fast food place. She turned her back for a minute, and a man picked my daughter up and walked off with her. We got a description of him from other people at the restaurant and were able to figure out who he was. He's an adoption lawyer based in Oahu."

Steve frowned. "Have you contacted the police? This seems more like a job for them than for a couple of private eyes."

"Magnum suggested the same thing. I'd rather not involve the police if we can avoid it."

Steve was at his desk now. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote down the client's name. "Tell me your wife's name. Also, what is your daughter's name?" After the debacle with Brinski and Carlin, he intended to check out their clients before meeting them.

"My wife is Deborah Canton. Our daughter is Alicia." Steve wrote the information down.

"You said you got a description of the man who took your daughter. Do you know his name?"

"Yes. His name is Kalani Aukai."

"All right. I'm going to do some research and I'll get back to you. We can meet tomorrow around noon." He gave directions to La Mariana. He and Danny had decided it was better not to give his address to clients any longer.

After hanging up, Steve called Danny. "Hey, I'm home. You can bring Sammy back. And we have a client. Come over and we'll talk about it."

"Be there in a few minutes," Danny said. He and Sammy would walk over. Sammy loved walking and the kid had way too much energy. Steve had never imagined that running around after his son could wear him down. He was getting old.

His next call was to Junior. "Hey, if you could check out our client, I'd appreciate it. He's contacted me about a kidnapping case and he doesn't want to bring the police in. There's got to be a reason. His name is Jeremy Canton and he's from Centennial, Colorado. His wife is Deborah Canton and they have a six-month-old daughter named Alicia. She's the one who was kidnapped. Also look up adoption lawyer Kalani Aukai. Canton says he's the kidnapper."

"I'm on it, Boss."

"Thanks, Junior. How are Lina and Holokai doing?"

Junior laughed. "Growing like weeds. Lina keeps asking for Sammy. I think he's her favorite person. She's not just walking, she's climbing. It's hard to keep things out of her reach."

"We'll have to get them together to play soon. I've just been really tired lately. You can blame Sammy for that."

"Sounds good, Boss. I'll get on this now."

It must be a quiet day at the Palace. Steve knew better than to comment on it. If he said one word about it, things would get busy and it would take hours to get any information on Jeremy Canton.

Danny and Sammy arrived about fifteen minutes later. Danny was breathing heavily. "Your son loves to run."

Steve picked the little boy up and kissed him. "Hey, Sammy. I love you, Buddy. It's naptime!"

"No!" Sammy pouted. Steve looked at the little boy's big tear-filled eyes and the lower lip that was jutting out. He wasn't sure he could stand up to those sweet puppy-dog eyes.

"Be strong, Dad," Danny said.

Steve nodded. He needed a nap, and for him to get one, Sammy had to take one. "Hey, Buddy. You have to take a nap now and we'll have fun when you wake up."

Sammy's forehead wrinkled. "Fun?"

"Yeah, fun. But first, sleep." He handed Sammy back to Danny. "Can you take him upstairs and put him in the crib?"

"Sure," Danny said. He trotted upstairs with his nephew and disappeared into the nursery. A few minutes later, he came back down. "So, what's this about a client?"

Steve told Danny about the call and showed him his notes. "Junior is checking him out now. I really don't get why he's not willing to go to the police. We're meeting him tomorrow at noon at La Mariana."

Danny stuck around until Junior called back. Steve put the phone on speaker mode.

"I figured out why he doesn't want to involve the police," Junior said. "Canton owes child support payments to his first wife, Lucy. His daughter Alicia is disabled, and Canton is arguing that if he's required to support his other child, he won't have the money for Alicia's care."

"They aren't garnishing his wages?" Steve asked. "They could put a lien on his property, too. I don't know much about Colorado law, but I think that's pretty standard."

"Right now all of that is on hold," Junior said. "He's got a high-powered attorney working for him. The man is loaded."

Danny nodded. "We'll have to ask him for a fifty percent deposit before we tell him we have to bring the police in on this one. Anyone who refuses to support his kid when he has the means is scum."

"Junior, what did you learn about Kalani Aukai?" Steve asked.

"He's totally clean, Boss. I haven't found anything negative about him at all, except for Canton's reviews of him. He's never been in trouble with the law."

Steve nodded. "OK. We should call him. Do you have his number there, Junior?"

"Yeah." He read the number off and Steve wrote it down. "Thanks, Junior. You've been a big help."

He passed the lawyer's number to Danny. "Could you call him? I need a nap. I'm wiped out."

"I hope you're not coming down with something."

Steve shook his head. "I'm not. It's just the extra effort I have to put into everything now. The doctor told me it's normal."

Danny nodded. "Go take a nap. I'll make this call when I get home. Sammy should take a good nap — he was running around and being wild all morning. He's an animal, just like his dad."

"Thanks, Danny. Text me what you find out. But don't expect an answer back for a while." Steve put on his crutch and walked upstairs. He turned on the baby monitor, then stretched out on his bed and fell asleep.

Steve woke up before Sammy did. He put his glasses on, smeared antibacterial salve on the sores on his face, then checked his phone and found a text from Danny. Hey, Steve. Aukai says that Canton and his wife contacted him to put their daughter up for adoption. They didn't want a child with disabilities until his lawyer suggested that might get him out of paying child support on his older daughter. He says the whole story about him taking the child from a fast food restaurant is made up and he was afraid something like that would happen. Canton has posted the same story in online reviews. Aukai has already found an adoptive home for the little girl. He's ready to show us the contract that Canton and his wife signed. I made an appointment for nine o'clock in the morning. Alani is off, so she can watch Sammy. Let's tell this joker that our fee is 1,500 and request a deposit for half before we do anything. We'll need to compare the signatures on the check and the contract anyway.

Steve wrote back. Sounds good. I'm awake and feeling better. Sammy's still asleep. Thanks for wearing him out. Can you drive me to my appointment with Dr. Wickland at four? My vision is still fuzzy and I shouldn't drive.

Danny's response came quickly. Sure. No problem. I'll be there at three fifteen. I'll bring Alani's car. My car is still in the shop.

Thanks. Alani's car wasn't quite as cool as the Camaro, but it was comfortable. And since Steve wasn't driving, he was happy to be comfortable.

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Steve was sitting in the exam chair. Danny was waiting with Sammy in the lobby. Dr. Wickland peered into Steve's eyes. "How much do they hurt, Commander, on a scale of one to ten? And I want an accurate number. Your other doctors have warned me about you."

"The right eye is really painful," Steve admitted. "Probably a seven. It feels like something is still in there. The left eye isn't so bad. I'd say about a two."

Wickland removed the bandage contact and put more fluorescein in Steve's right eye. "Hmmph," he said. "There's a small piece of glass that I missed, under your eyelid. I'll remove that now. It has caused a new abrasion. It probably moved when you were blinking. The other abrasion is healing, but it could be a few more days before it's fully healed. Are you using the drops I prescribed?"

"Twice a day," Steve said.

"Keep using the eyedrops. I'm going to put another bandage contact in. That treatment carries a risk of infection, so I'll see you again in two days. Make an appointment on your way out." He put the bandage contact in the eye. "You can put your glasses back on now."

Steve sighed as he put the glasses on. He just wanted to be able to wear his contacts again. Now it would take even longer. "Thanks, Doc." He moved to his wheelchair and rolled out to the lobby to meet Danny and Sammy. Once he had his little boy in his lap, he went to the desk and made another appointment.

In the car, Steve told Danny about the appointment. "I can't believe he missed a piece of glass. No wonder my eye hurt so much. It feels better now, but I have to wait a while longer before I can wear contacts again. I hate glasses."

"Dada!" Sammy called from the backseat. "Fun?"

Steve sighed. "I guess we have to go to the playground. I did promise him fun if he took a nap.

Danny pulled in at the Aina Haina Community Park. There was a playground there. It was small, but big enough for Sammy. Steve strapped on his crutch, then got out of the car and got Sammy out of his seat. "All right, Buddy. Fun."

Sammy grinned and giggled. Then he ran to the slides and climbed up the curved ladder to get to them. Danny stood next to Steve and watched his nephew. "You know, Grace couldn't climb ladders like that until she was four. Your kid isn't even two yet! He has no fear. Like I said, he's an animal, just like his dad."

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May 9, 2023

Danny knocked on Kalani Aukai's office door at nine o'clock sharp. He opened the door himself instead of having his secretary do it. "Hello. I am Kalani Aukai. You are Williams and Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes," Danny said. "I'm Danny Williams. My partner is Steve McGarrett. You can use our first names."

Aukai shook their hands. "It is a pleasure to meet you. If you will come into my office, I would like you to meet the Snyder family. They are adopting Alicia."

He gestured for them to enter. Steve wheeled his way in. Danny walked behind him. Steve's eyes got big. "Lieutenant Snyder! I haven't seen you for a long time!"

"Commander McGarrett! Actually, I got promoted shortly before my accident. I went out as a Lieutenant Commander. This is my wife, Suzy. And this is Alicia."

Steve grinned. "Commander Snyder. I like the sound of that. Suzy, it's good to meet you. You can call me Steve."

Danny noticed then that the man had a prosthetic right arm. He was holding a baby who was missing her left leg. Her left arm ended at the elbow. The baby grinned at Steve, who smiled back at her. She plopped her right thumb in her mouth.

"You're such a pretty little girl," Steve said. He held out his hands. "May I hold her?"

"Sure," Snyder said. He handed the baby over to Steve.

"Hi, Alicia," Steve said, using the baby talk he used to avoid. "I like your smile, sweetheart." She seemed perfectly content in his arms. She cuddled in close to him and started falling asleep.

Aukai got some papers from his desk and handed them to Danny. "Here's the contract Canton and his wife signed. I met them in Colorado two months ago and they signed custody of Alicia over to me. You'll see it's even notarized."

Danny looked over the contract. "This all looks legitimate," Danny said. "Can we get a copy of this, Mr. Aukai?"

"Call me Kal. And of course." Kal took the contract and ran it through his copier.

Danny looked at the baby. "She's adorable," he said.

"We think so," Mrs. Snyder said. "We've been wanting a baby ever since we got married five years ago, but I wasn't able to conceive. So, we decided to adopt. After Carl's injury, we chose to adopt a baby with a congenital limb difference. We have the means to take good care of Alicia, and we'll help her do whatever she wants to do."

Danny smiled. It was good to meet people who saw potential instead of limitations.

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Steve handed the sleeping baby back to Carl. "Congratulations. She's perfect." He rubbed at his stump.

"Combat injury?" Carl asked.

Steve didn't mind the question from a fellow SEAL, but he wasn't going to give the full details. "No. It was related to my service in 5-0 — an angry man wanting revenge for the death of his brother."

"I was in a helicopter crash," Carl said. "Mechanical problem. Sometimes I get down about it, but then I remind myself that I'm lucky to be alive. I was the only one who survived." He passed his daughter to Suzy and held up his prosthetic. "This is relatively minor compared to what the others suffered."

"That's rough," Steve said, his tone solemn. "Hey, I'm part of a VA group that builds tiny homes for homeless vets. We'd love to have you join us."

Carl nodded. "That sounds like a great project. I'm in. Let me know when and where."

"We're meeting at La Mariana in a couple of days to make plans for the next house."

"I'll be there," Carl said."

"Well, we'd better get going," Danny said. "We have to prepare for our meeting with Canton."

Suzy's eyes filled with tears. "Please don't let him take Alicia back."

Steve smiled at her. "No way. She's better off with the two of you. If we have to get 5-0 involved, we will."

He wheeled his way out of the office, with Danny at his side. Once they were in the hall, Steve said, "They're good people. Alicia is a lucky little girl."

"They're lucky too," Danny said.

Steve nodded. "Yeah, that's true." Danny had told Steve how incredibly blessed he felt over adopting Makai. Rachel's new boyfriend didn't want kids, so Charlie was living with Danny full time. He loved having a brother, and he loved Alani as if she were his real mother. Steve felt bad for his nephew. Charlie didn't see his mother very often. Rachel had chosen her boyfriend over her son.

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Danny followed Steve into La Mariana. It was a safe place to meet their client. Everyone knew them here. Rick called a greeting across the bar. T.C. was sitting at a table looking over some paperwork. Shammy was wheeling back and forth around the restaurant.

In the past, Danny had worried that Steve would leave him behind in favor of his new friends at the VA. The opposite had happened. Steve's new friends had welcomed Danny too. He hadn't served the same way they did, but he'd been in law enforcement and they recognized that as service. They made him a part of their ohana as much as they did Steve.

Danny pulled up the photo of Jeremy Canton that Junior had sent him on his phone and then looked around the restaurant. Their client wasn't here yet. He chose a table, moved a chair out of the way for Steve, and then took a seat himself.

They were supposed to meet at noon. At five minutes after the hour, Steve shifted in his wheelchair. "He must not be that interested in finding his daughter."

Danny nodded. "Yeah." Canton didn't arrive for another ten minutes. Danny stood up and waved at him.

Canton came over and took a seat at the table. He was followed in by a small woman with big, frightened eyes. Canton glared at Steve, then turned and addressed Danny. Danny's prosthetic hand was resting in his lap. "So, what can you do to find my daughter?"

"Actually, Mr. Canton," Danny said, "we already have." He put his prosthetic hand on the table. "My name is Danny Williams. That is Commander Steve McGarrett."

Canton's face went bright red. "I'm going to hire somebody else," he said angrily. "I'm not interested in paying money to a couple of freaks."

"Jeremy," the woman said.

He turned on her. "Shut up!" He raised a hand as if he were going to slap her, but then he must have remembered where he was because he lowered it.

"You can try that," Steve said, "but we'll make sure to spread the word among all the P.I.s on the island that you talked to us like that. We'll also tell them about how you threatened your wife. No one will want to work with you. Besides, we've already done the job you wanted us to do. We found your daughter."

"If you want any more information," Danny said, "our fee is 1,500. We'll be happy to take a check."

Steve nodded. "Anyone else on the island would charge you twice that after we talk to them, if they were willing to work with you." He raised a hand. "Hi, Magnum!"

Magnum walked over and sat down at their table. "Hey, Steve. Hey, Danny."

"Meet Jeremy Canton. You sent him our way. Now he's not interested in paying 'a couple of freaks' for their work," Steve said.

Magnum rolled his eyes. "Wow. I'm sorry I sent you such a jerk."

Canton was pulling out his checkbook. He scribbled on a check and handed it to Danny. "There. Now, give me the information you got."

Danny passed the check to Steve. "You should deposit this now," he said.

"Sure." Steve got out his phone and deposited the check. "Can I see that contract Aukai gave you?"

"Sure." Danny passed him the stack of papers. Steve paged through it until he came to the signature. "Yeah, the signatures match. My guess is that Deborah signed it under duress."

Tears filled Mrs. Canton's eyes. Her husband put a hand on her neck. She blinked away the tears. Danny noticed a thumb-shaped bruise on the side of her neck. He was pretty sure Canton was responsible.

Danny pushed the contract across the table. "This is a contract you signed allowing Aukai to take your daughter into his custody and find her an adoptive home. It happened two months ago, not just the other day, like you told Steve on the phone."

He saw that Canton's hand was tightening on Deborah's neck. "Let go of her. Now." Danny pulled out his phone. "I can have 5-0 here in a matter of minutes. Even if she won't press charges, I can tell them what I saw. They'll have you locked up so fast you won't have time to blink."

Canton lowered his hand. Higgins came over to the table and leaned down next to Deborah. "Come with me. Let's talk," she said.

Deborah got up and went with Higgins, looking back fearfully at her husband. If anyone could convince her to press charges, it was Juliet Higgins.

Steve frowned. "We are going to recommend that Kalani Aukai bring a defamation lawsuit against you. Your untruthful reviews are causing damage to his reputation. We are also going to give information about this case to our friends at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Everyone will read about how you want to revoke a legal contract in order to avoid paying child support. The story should help Aukai's reputation, too." He leaned back in his chair. "Alicia is in a good place with parents who love her. They see a good future for her."

Canton rolled his eyes. "She's just a freak like you," he said.

"And that," Steve said, "is why you don't deserve to be her father."

Magnum nodded. "I agree."

Steve backed his wheelchair away from the table. "Let's go, Danny, before I show Canton what a one-legged Navy SEAL can do. Rick doesn't need a bar fight in his establishment. Not that it would last long."

Danny got up. "Yeah. Let's go." He could see the anger in Steve's eyes. He would take Canton down in a matter of minutes. "Oh," Danny said to Canton. "If you cancel that check, we'll press charges. And you'd better believe we'll win."

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Steve was furious. He wanted to wipe the smirk off Canton's face. He wheeled his way past Higgins and Deborah Canton. Deborah was crying. "I have to go with him," she said. "I don't know how to live on my own. Besides, I deserved it."

Steve stopped his chair and turned to face her. He kept his voice low. "No, Deborah. You didn't deserve it. If you go with him, one of these days he is going to kill you. We can get you help, and we can probably arrange for you to see your daughter. I know you didn't want to give her up."

Deborah shook her head. "I'm sorry, but no. I have to do what Jeremy says. I'm sorry for the things he said to you." She got up and went back to her husband.

Steve turned and watched as she walked back to her husband. "I'm sorry, Jeremy. I'll be good now."

Steve sighed. There wasn't much they could do if she chose to go back to him and refused to press charges. He wheeled his chair out of the restaurant and to the parking lot.

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Jeremy Canton walked his wife out to their rental car. He squeezed her neck hard. "Never correct me," he said. "You don't get to talk to me that way."

She didn't say anything.

Jeremy started the car and backed out of his parking spot. "I'm going to find out where that ex-Navy SEAL lives and I'm going to prepare a little surprise for him. I know people who will help me." He chuckled. "They'll be cleaning up pieces of him all the way down his street."

Deborah remained silent. Good. She had learned something. He took her back to the hotel.

"You know, I was born on this island," Jeremy said. "My dad is serving a life sentence in Halawa prison. I didn't move to Colorado until I was ready to go to college. So I know lots of people here, and I know how to get hold of explosives."

He looked at Deborah out of the corner of his eye. She had her lips pressed tight together and her eyes narrowed. She didn't like the way he was talking. At least she was keeping her mouth shut.

Jeremy drove his wife back to their hotel. He walked her up to the room and told her not to leave. "If you're a good girl, I'll bring you a nice dinner."

She nodded. "I'll be good. I promise."

"I'll be back in a few hours." Then he walked out of the room and closed the door.

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Deborah Canton paced the floor. She wasn't sure what to do. If she called the police, Jeremy really would kill her. But she couldn't let him kill that nice man who tried to help her. They were both nice men. They both wanted the best thing for Alicia.

Deborah knew she wasn't the best thing for her daughter. She was too scared to be a good mother to a little girl with special needs. But she did love her. Part of the reason she didn't fight signing the contract with Aukai was that she wanted to get her little girl far away from Jeremy.

He hadn't been so cruel when they were dating. It was only after they got married that he showed how controlling and mean he could be. She believed Steve that he would kill her one day. Maybe even today.

"God," she prayed, "I haven't talked with you for a long time. I'm sorry. I need your help. I need to know what to do." She had grown up in a Lutheran church, but Jeremy never let her attend services. He said that all women were good for was making babies and doing what their husbands told them to do. "Please forgive me, God."

She felt a sense of peace wash through her. Her eyes fell on the telephone. She knew she had to make a call. She stopped pacing, picked up the phone, and dialed 911.

A dispatcher answered. "911. What is your emergency?"

"M — my husband is about to kill Commander Steve McGarrett. He said he was going to get explosives and make sure they were picking up pieces of the Commander all along his street."

"What is your husband's name, ma'am?"

"Jeremy Canton. He says he knows a lot of people on the island who will help him. I don't know where he's going or I'd tell you."

"Can you describe him?"

Deborah described Jeremy, right down to the clothes he was wearing.

"Thank you for calling. We'll let 5-0 know about the threat. They'll take good care of Commander McGarrett."

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Jeremy stopped in the hotel's gift shop and bought himself a Hawaiian shirt. He went into a restroom and changed out of the shirt he'd been wearing. He didn't trust Deborah not to call the police.

The key card was in his pocket. After he changed, he went back upstairs to the room. He opened the door just in time to see Deborah hanging up the phone. "You called it in, didn't you?" he said.

She turned to him, eye wide with terror.

"Tell me the truth!" He was enraged. She couldn't be trusted.

She nodded slowly. Jeremy kicked and punched her. She didn't cry out and she acted like she didn't even feel it. Then he felt a force push him against the hotel wall. He watched as Deborah fell to the ground. Someone was pounding on the door. Jeremy went out the sliding doors and climbed over the fence, thankful that they were in a room on the ground floor. He ran as fast as he could away from the hotel, slowing only when he realized that no one was coming after him. If anyone got into the room, they would stop to call paramedics before chasing him. Deborah would be just fine. He would take her home in a few days and life would go back to normal.

But now he had to assume that she had described him to authorities. He ducked into a drugstore and purchased a bottle of hair dye and a burner phone. Then he went into a gas station restroom and dyed his hair brown. The police would be looking for a man with blond hair.

When he got outside again, he dropped his original phone in a trash can. They could track him with that phone. He would use the burner instead.

He dialed a number he knew by heart, his best friend from high school, Rand. He would know how to find out where McGarrett lived. When Rand answered, Jeremy spun a story to get him to cooperate.

"Hey, Buddy. I'm here in Honolulu. An idiot just threatened my life. Steve McGarrett. He's an ex-Navy SEAL. I need your help getting him before he gets me. Can you find out where the hell he lives?"

"Sure," Rand said. "I've got people who know people. I'll get that info for you. Meet me at Wailupe Beach Park in half an hour."

"Thanks, Pal."

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Lou took the call from 911 Dispatch. "This is Captain Grover."

"Captain, there has been a threat on Commander McGarrett's life. I thought you would want to know. A man named Jeremy Canton has threatened to use explosives to kill him. His wife called it in."

"I'll get over to his house now. Thank you for the warning."

Lou went into Cole's office. "There's been a threat against Steve. I'm going to his house now."

"I'll come with you," Cole said.

Junior followed them. "I'm going too, Cap."

On the way to the car, Junior called Steve. "Hey, Steve. There's been a threat to your life. A guy named Jeremy Canton."

Steve groaned. "Another client who wants to kill me. Great."

"Are you at home?"

"Yeah, I just got here."

"We're on the way to you now."

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Steve had just come downstairs after putting Sammy down for a nap. He was crying in his crib, but he would fall asleep soon. Someone rang Steve's doorbell. He didn't usually keep the door locked, but he had locked it after Junior called him.

He went to the door and looked through the peephole. It was Duke. Steve opened the door and invited his friend in.

"I had word that there was going to be a murder attempt on you," Duke said. "I came straight over."

"Did Junior call you?"

Duke shook his head. "No. No one from 5-0. My CI told me."

"I need to call Danny and let him know what's going on." Steve pulled out his phone and dialed. "Danny, Jeremy Canton has threatened to kill me," he said. "Duke is here, and 5-0 is on the way."

"I'm coming, too."

"No," Steve said firmly. "I don't want you to get hurt. I'll be OK." He hung up the call.

Five minutes later, Danny knocked on his door. Steve let him in. "You never listen, do you?"

"Idiot. Did you think you'd get rid of me that easily?"

Steve wouldn't show it, but he was grateful to have Danny there. Once again, his ohana was gathering around him.

Steve grabbed his crutch from the office and strapped it on. Then he stood up and got his Sig Sauer out of the gun cabinet. He looked at Danny to make sure he was packing heat too. Of course he was.

"Let's go outside and meet Canton when he comes," Steve said. "I don't want any of this fight to come inside the house."

Danny, Steve, and Duke were standing in the driveway when Lou drove up. He, Cole and Junior got out of the car. "How do you want to do this, Steve?" Lou said.

"I think everyone but me should be out of sight. Let him think I'm here alone."

"No way," Danny said.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Danny, I want to make sure he goes down for attempted murder. He won't try anything if he sees I've got backup."

Danny shook his head. "He'll be just as eager to kill me as you. 5-0 and Duke can hide, but I'm standing by you."

"He's planning to use explosives," Lou said. "That's what his wife said when she called 911."

Steve's eyes widened. He was surprised she found the courage to act. "I'll have to thank her for that call," he said. He turned to Duke. Duke was a grandfather. He didn't need to put himself in danger. "Duke, I'd really appreciate it if you were inside with Sammy."

"All right," Duke said. "I'll keep him safe. You should know, the man who is with Canton is my CI. He's the one who informed me." He turned around and went inside.

Jeremy and Rand approached McGarrett's house. Jeremy had a couple of grenades. He intended to throw one through one of McGarrett's windows. But when they arrived, he saw both McGarrett and Williams standing together in the driveway. They were fairly close to a pickup truck.

Jeremy frowned. How was it possible for McGarrett to stand? At La Mariana he was in a wheelchair. He squinted his eyes and looked closer. Yeah, he had some prosthesis or something on his leg. It didn't look like a normal prosthesis. It didn't matter that he used to be a Navy SEAL. Now he was nothing but a freak.

Instead of throwing the grenade through the window, Jeremy decided to roll it under the pick-up truck. He pulled the pin on the first grenade and rolled it. Then he sent the second one under. Hopefully one of them would blast through the gas tank.

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Steve watched as Lou came running out of the bushes. "Get back! Get back!" he shouted. "He threw something under the truck!"

Steve and Danny moved as far from the truck as they could get. Then there was an incredibly loud bang that left Steve's ears ringing. He couldn't hear anything but the high pitched sound. His right ear was really hurting and he was dizzy.

He saw flames under the truck. Damn, I never carried in today's newspaper! "Get down," he told Danny. Danny was rubbing his ears and Steve guessed he probably couldn't hear anything either. He pointed at the ground, then pulled Danny down with him and covered him.

Seconds later, the truck exploded. The ground shook. Steve felt shrapnel hitting his back. There must have been some debris on the ground that penetrated the gas tank. Steve was glad his wheelchair was in the house. One less thing to replace.

He tapped on Danny's hand in Morse code: YOU OK?

Danny gave him a thumbs up, then tapped back: THANKS TO YOU.

Steve chuckled. YOU CAN BUY ME DINNER.

Danny shook his head. I BOUGHT LUNCH.

Junior came walking up the driveway with Jeremy Canton. He looked rattled and off balance.

Steve felt rattled, too. When he stood up, he was woozy. He guessed it was a flash bang, or there would have been more damage. The explosion would have been bigger. He didn't hear the sirens, but suddenly the fire department was there putting out the fire. His truck was totaled. Incidents like this were the reason Steve had really good insurance.

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Danny couldn't believe Steve wanted him to buy dinner. The amount of money Danny had spent on that man over the years was enough to cover a lifetime of having his life saved. Besides, Steve shouldn't expect something from him. All the times Danny had saved Steve's life, he'd never asked for a thing. It's what friends did for each other.

Danny rubbed his ears. They were ringing and he couldn't hear anything. He watched as the fire department arrived and put out the fire. Steve's truck was totaled. That meant Danny would be driving him everywhere until he could get a new one and get a left foot accelerator installed. Actually, it meant Steve would be driving Danny everywhere because Steve never let Danny drive his own car.

He put his hand on Steve's back. It was wet. Danny pulled his hand away and found blood on it. He tapped on Steve's hand. YOU'RE BLEEDING.

Steve nodded. He already knew. SHRAPNEL, he tapped back.

Paramedics came over to them and started talking. Danny pointed to his ears and shook his head. Steve did the same. The paramedics nodded. Danny turned Steve around so the paramedics could see his back. They cut his shirt off him and covered the shrapnel wounds with gauze. Some of the wounds were pretty long, and they looked deep.

Damn, Danny thought. First his face and eyes and now this. He turned around and looked at Canton. Junior was guarding him. Canton was glaring at Steve.

Gradually, Danny's hearing returned. First everything sounded far away, but within about fifteen minutes, he was hearing normally again. He just wished his ears would stop ringing. He tapped Steve on the arm. "Can you hear now?" Steve didn't respond, so Danny tapped out the message.

Steve shook his head. "Paramedic thinks I have ruptured eardrums."

Danny shook his head. "This job is hard on you." He looked back at Canton just in time.

Suddenly Canton shoved past Junior and pulled out a gun. He aimed it at Steve and shouted, "You were supposed to die!"

Danny tackled Steve to the ground as Canton fired. He hoped he wasn't doing any damage to Steve's stump, but hurting that was better than Steve getting killed. He heard the bullet whizzing through the air above them. Steve shouted at him, but Danny rolled over and pulled out his gun. Canton was adjusting his aim. Danny never got the chance to fire. Junior shot and killed Canton.

"What the hell!" Steve sat up and rubbed his head. His glasses lay broken on the ground next to him. He rubbed his right ear. "I can hear on the left now. Just not on the right." He felt around for his glasses. When he found them, he groaned. "Why'd you tackle me?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Because Canton was about to shoot you. If I hadn't tackled you, you'd be dead."

"Oh," Steve said. "Thanks, then."

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The paramedics insisted that Steve and Danny both go to the hospital. They had Steve lie on his stomach on a gurney. He was irritated that his glasses were broken. At Steve's request, Danny called Alani to come get Sammy. Duke could stay with him until she arrived.

Dr. Kaether and Dr. Kowalski met them as they were pulled off the ambulance. Steve knew that Kowalski would want x-rays of his stump. He was pretty sure it was OK — there was no pain, other than the usual phantom pains that plagued him daily. Kaether would care for the wounds on Steve's back and stitch them up. He would also look at Steve's ears.

Steve's right eardrum was indeed ruptured. Dr. Kaether said it would heal on its own in a few weeks and that his hearing would return. He checked the wounds on Steve's face and then looked at his back. "I hear your client tried to kill you."

Steve nodded. "He didn't like me because of my leg. And he was mad that Danny and I wouldn't help him the way he wanted."

"This job is as hard on you as 5-0 was," Kaether said.

Steve shrugged. "But I can help people. We saved a kid's life the other day. Well, Danny and Lou did. I was getting engaged. I hope our next clients aren't out to get us, though. This is getting kind of old."

Kaether debrided and cleaned the shrapnel wounds on his back and then stitched them up. "Congratulations on your engagement. You need to keep these dressings dry," he said. "You also need to keep your ear dry. The wounds on your face are healing well." He pulled out a prescription pad and wrote on it. "I'm giving you a prescription for antibiotics. Your ear is more susceptible to infection right now."

"Yessir." Dr. Kaether helped Steve into a wheelchair. He was still feeling a bit dizzy, thanks to his ruptured eardrum. He didn't want to try walking right now.

"All right. Go get your x-rays. I'll send a nurse to get Danny. I want to look at his ears too. Have a good day, Commander. At least, I hope your day gets better from here. You need to take it easy."

Steve's stump was uninjured. When Danny came out, it was with the good news that his ears were fine. The ringing had even stopped, he said.

"Lou was here," Steve said. "He told me that Deborah Canton is at King's. We should go visit her. She needs to be informed about her husband."

"OK, but then you're going home and taking it easy. Dr. Kaether told me you have to rest. I already told Alani I'm going to stay at your house to help you out for a few days."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Really, Danny. I'm fine."

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Deborah Canton lay in a hospital bed. She remembered Jeremy beating her again, but she also remembered feeling protected. His fists had showered her with punches, but she hadn't felt any of it. In the end, she'd fallen unconscious. That's why she'd been brought here. Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called. Everyone at King's had been so nice to her.

The door opened and Commander McGarrett and Danny Williams came in. McGarrett wasn't wearing his glasses anymore. Williams was pushing his wheelchair. Deborah covered her face. She just knew that something terrible had happened. "I'm so sorry," she said. Tears sprang to her eyes and dripped down her cheeks.

Steve moved close to her bed and reached for her hands. "Hey, we're both OK. Thank you for calling about what your husband planned to do. I'm sorry that you're here. How did this happen?"

"Jeremy beat me. I think he was trying to kill me. But strange as it is, I didn't feel any of it. And some force came between us and pushed him away from me. I think maybe —" She paused. "You'll think I'm crazy, but I think maybe it was an angel."

Steve shook his head. "I don't think you're crazy. I'm glad you're going to be OK, but I have some difficult news for you. When your husband tried to kill me, he was shot and killed by a member of 5-0. Danny and I used to work with 5-0, and they had come to my house as backup, thanks to your warning."

A sudden burst of hope went through Deborah. "He's gone? He can't hurt me again?"

Steve nodded. "Do you want us to see if the couple who are adopting Alicia would bring her to visit you?"

Deborah nodded. "I can't be her mommy. I love her, but I don't know anything about being a mother. I don't want to take her back, but I do want her to know I love her."

"I'll call Kalani Aukai and see if he can arrange it. They're really nice people, and I could tell they love her a lot. She's a beautiful little girl."

"Thank you." She sighed. "I don't know what to do now. I don't know anything about arranging a funeral. Really, I don't want to have a service for him. It's probably best to cremate him." She was quiet for a minute. "Oh my. All of Jeremy's money. It's mine now, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Steve said. "There are people who can help you manage it."

Her eyes danced. "I want to donate some of it. And I'll share with Jeremy's first wife. She needs it to help care for her daughter. I always thought Jeremy was wrong not to pay her the way he was supposed to. Oh, and what did he do at your house?"

McGarrett waved a hand through the air. "Don't worry about it. There's a great group I'm part of that builds tiny homes for veterans in need. You could donate to them if you want. I'll give you a name and phone number." He yawned. "I think I need to go home and get some rest. Goodbye, Deborah." He offered his hand to shake hers. "I'm glad to know you. Thanks again for helping to save my life."

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May 18, 2023

Steve went out to get the mail. He had a letter from Kal Aukai. Inside was an envelope from Centennial, Colorado and a certified check signed by Deborah Reinig.

May 13, 2023

Dear Commander McGarrett,

Mr. Aukai emailed me a newspaper story about what happened at your house. When I read that Jeremy had destroyed your pickup truck, I wanted to help you buy a new one. I didn't have your address, so I sent Mr. Aukai twenty thousand dollars to give you. Please use it for a new truck. If anything is left over, split the remainder with Danny Williams. You deserve a bonus for all that you did.

I'm home now. I have hired an accountant to help me manage the money I inherited. Half of it I gave to Jeremy's first wife, Lucy. Still, there's a great deal left over. I gave some to the organization you mentioned. I am also giving some to the Snyders to save for Alicia. Someday she'll want to go to college. Thank you for arranging for me to see her before I left. I'm glad she has parents who love her.

Thank you for all you did for me. Mr. Aukai told me that you are getting married. I pray that it will be a happy, healthy marriage full of many blessings.

Sincerely,

Deborah Reinig (I went back to my maiden name.)

Steve smiled as he folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. He would use the money to pay off the truck he'd bought. He would give the rest of it to Danny. He rolled his chair up the ramp and into the house. Olina was waiting for him. She had Sammy in her arms. Dinner was cooking and it smelled wonderful.