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Fella

by Terri Whitman © 11-4-06

“Ah…” a yawn interrupted his response to the wet nose and licks now bumping him with a sense of urgency. After rubbing the back of his stiff neck, McGarrett reached down and ruffled the dog’s ear. “Morning Fella.”

Sitting up a little more, McGarrett realized he had fallen asleep on the couch. “Damn, I must have been more tired than I thought. I guess the first order of business should be to take you out so you can do ‘your’ business.” A quick glance around his apartment told him that the dog hadn’t had an accident. “Hold on Fella. Let me get changed and I’ll take you out.”

It had rained during the night but that morning the sky was clear and the winds coming off the ocean were soft and gentle. It didn’t take McGarrett and the dog very long to reach the beach.

“There you go, Fella. Just stay near by,” McGarrett told the dog unsnapping his leash. He figured the dog couldn’t get very far or go very fast wearing the cast.

Nose to the ground, the dog followed invisible scent tracks along the dryer portions of the sand. Whenever he strayed too near the edge of the waves McGarrett would call him back and the dog hobbled back, his tail wagging in hard circles, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth and a sparkle in his eyes.

McGarrett watched the dog’s antics with considerable joy. Two terns were up ahead. Seeing the birds, the dog crotched down as far as the cast would let him. Head level with the top line of his body, the dog slowly approached the birds. Slowly, he worked his way around the birds, gently herding them towards the man.

Stopping, McGarrett realized what the dog was doing. Where did he learn that? Not knowing what to do on his part, he sidestepped over to the right. The dog immediately repositioned himself herding the birds back towards the man.

Swinging his right arm to try to tell the dog to leave the birds, McGarrett watched in amazement as the dog again reposition himself as he sidestepped to the birds to the left once more.

Putting up both hands as if to push the birds away, McGarrett now saw the dog lay down and look up to him for more directions.

“You’ve been trained to herd, haven’t you, Fella?”

The only reply he got was another round of thumping from the dog’s bushy tail.

“Come on, Fella. It’s time we went back home. The game’s is about to start.”

*****

“Morning Steve, Fella. How are you two getting along?” Danny asked the next morning after getting his coffee and walked into McGarrett’s office. He smiled when he saw McGarrett leaning back, strumming his guitar - not really playing a tune but just fingering the strings absent-mindedly with the dog lying on the floor next to his chair.

Hearing Danny, the dog looked up. Not sensing any danger, he lowered his head back down. When McGarrett reached down and petted his head, he lifted up his nose and licked the man’s hand.

“We’re doing fine,” McGarrett replied contentedly. “From your note I take it that yesterday was pretty quiet.”

“Yeah, for a change.”

“I saw the announcement KXYI gave about the girl. Let’s hope someone replies soon.”

“You wanting to get rid of the dog soon?” He noticed how McGarrett’s hand was on the dog still, ruffling his ear.

“No, it’s not that. It’s the little girl. I’d like to find her family.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Doc says she’s still in a coma,” McGarrett said disheartenly.

Danny grimaced at the news and shook his head. “She was pretty beat up when I found her. Did he say anything else?”

“Yeah, surgery was done last night to repair her thigh bone. She’s going to be confined to a bed for at least six weeks while the bone heals. Maybe, being as young as she is, it’s a good thing she not conscious. A little kid like that can easily get bored.”

“I’m planning on going over this afternoon. At least she’ll know somehow that someone cares about her,” Danny said.

McGarrett nodded his agreement. “Your notes say HPD finally caught Leo Starnes.”

“Yeah, get this, this guy, Starnes, doesn’t know he’s trying to break into the back of Chief Dann’s home. Bill hears some sort of noise in the kitchen. Goes and looks and sees this hand and arm reaching through the broken window on the door. This Starnes guy is so absorbed trying not to get cut from the broken glass that he doesn’t see Bill until it’s too late. By then Bill’s slapped on a pair of handcuffs he had taken home to oil and clips the other cuff onto the doorknob.”

“Not what I’d call very bright,” said McGarrett shaking his head at the man’s stupidity.

“Me either.”

“Any word on the girl’s hit and run driver?”

“Nothing yet. Duke and I were going to canvas the area again today to see if we might have missed anything.”

McGarrett only nodded his head as he looked down at the dog as he continued to rub the dog’s ears. Danny could sense that his friend was taking this incident to heart.

*****

“No, I didn’t see any one get hit, but I did see a car going pretty fast about that time. Mia and I were walking off the pumpkin pie,” the man told Duke.

“Do you remember anything about that car?”

Looking down at the road, the man thought for a moment, and then looked up. “Yeah, one of the headlights was out. It was a small car, low to the ground. I happened to mention to Mia, that’s my wife, that if that guy could afford such a car then he should be able to afford to have both lights working. She replied that the guy might not know its out.”

“What about the type of car?”

“Hmm, I think is was one of those fancy sports cars. Not sure about the make, but the license plate started with 249 H. I couldn’t make out the rest of it, it went by too fast.”

“How about the color?” Duke prodded.

“I think red, but it was too dark to really tell. I can tell you that the driver had light hair, almost white. Its brightness is what I noticed.”

“How do you mean?” Fascinated by the man’s last statement, Duke couldn’t help but ask the question.

“It almost seemed to glow.”

*****

Stuck in a traffic jam on the H1 Highway, Danny absentmindedly thumped his thumbs on the steering wheel trying to will the traffic to get moving. Hearing his name paged on his car radio, he snapped up the mic. “Williams.” 

“Danny, I’ve got Jim Duncan, from KXYI, on the line for you,” said Jenny.

“Thanks, Jenny, put him through.” Hoping his friend had some news for him he continued to impatiently thump his steering wheel.

“Hi Danny,” said Jim, “I thought you’d like to know, we’ve received a phone call from a Lyle Wagner. He saw the announcement and thinks the little girl might be his neighbor’s niece.”

“Why didn’t he call the office?”

“I asked him the same thing, he said he only caught the last of the announcement and didn’t see the phone number, so he called the studio,” Jim replied. “I’ve got his phone number and address. Thought you might want to check it out.”

“Yeah, thanks Jim,” said Danny as he wrote down the information. “I’ll let you know how it works out.”

“Okay and I hope it leads you to her parents.”

*****

“McGarrett.”

“Steve. It’s Duke. I’m at the Bessemer’s residence. I think I’ve found the car that hit the girl and her dog. I thought you’d like to question this guy yourself.”

“Is there a problem?” inquired McGarrett.

“Yeah, he’s denying he owns the car that hit the girl. I’m standing right next to it parked in his driveway. I’ve already checked who owns it and it’s his. Thought maybe he’d fess up if you’d questioned him yourself,” said Duke with a smile.

McGarrett leaned forward and took down the address, which was only block from where the girl and her dog had been discovered. Grabbing his coat, he sprinted out of his office. As he past Chin’s cubical, he slapped on the framework and nodded his head, indicating he wanted the Oriental officer to accompany him.

Chin Ho instinctively took a death grip onto the car’s door fighting the gravitational pull as McGarrett took a sharp turn. Throwing his boss a concerned look, he swallowed down the lump of anxiety at what lay ahead when his hot Irish tempered boss confronted the hit and run driver.

The six-mile drive was made in record time. The Mercury’s front end dipped dramatically as McGarrett slammed on the breaks stopping the car a mere fraction of an inch from the HPD cruiser parked at the edge of the street. Two additional HPD cruisers stopped behind him.

It took Chin a second or two to gather his wits back after the wild ride to follow his quick striding boss up to the front door of the house.

“What do ya have, Duke?” McGarrett asked, as he looked at the car in question.

“The guys name is Jack Bessemer. After confirming that he did own the car, I knocked on the door. At first no one answered, but I knew someone was home because I saw them through this kitchen window as I walked up to the door,” said Duke pointing at the window near the door.

“After pounding on the door several times, they finally answered. I identified myself and asked Bessemer if he owned the car out in front. He claimed it isn’t his, but when I told him I had already checked the ownership of the car out, he became belligerent and slammed the door on me. That’s when I called you.”

“Good enough, Duke,” said McGarrett as he looked around the property once more. “This guy’s going to bolt, so take two men with you around back. I’ll give you to the count of twenty, then I’ll knock on the door. If he doesn’t answer, I’ll bust it down. You watch for him trying to leave out the back.”

“Right, Steve. Kimo. Jessie,” Duke said leading the way to the back.

“You think this is the guy that hit the girl?” ask Chin.

“Duke seems to think so,” McGarrett said as he walked up to the door.

Giving Duke the needed time, McGarrett prepared himself for any eventuality. With a quick look back at Chin and the remaining HPD officer, he knocked soundly on the door. “This is McGarrett, Five-0. Open up Bessemer.”

Sounds of furniture being moved, spurred McGarrett into shoulder slamming the door. One the third slam, the door gave way. Bessemer was seen just for a second as he fled out the back door. The Five-0 chief immediately heard a heavy thud as Duke tackled the man.

“Good going Duke,” McGarrett said as he walked up to the two. “Book ‘em Duke for resisting arrest and possible felony hit and run.” As Duke led the man away, McGarrett couldn’t help but stare at the man whose glowingly white hair was a stark contrast to the black outfit his was wearing.

After Duke had led the man away, McGarrett walked back to the damaged red sports car. “Chin, get a tow truck out here and have Che Fong go over this vehicle. I’ll met you make at the office. I’m going to the hospital and check on the girl.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

*****

A long hedge of plumeria plants created an effective screen from the street. As Danny pulled into the driveway, he noted the well-kept lawn and several bicycles leaning up against the side of the house.

A petit Hawaiian woman answered his knock. “Yes?”

“Hi, I’m Danny Williams, from Five-0,” he said showing her his badge. “Your neighbor from down the road, Lyle Wagner, contacted KXYI in response to one of our news broadcasts. He thinks the little girl he saw might be your…”

“You know where my Lita is? Bill! They found Lita!” she yelled.

Danny stood there listening to the commotion. A man, just a little taller than the woman came running fast, winding his way around the furniture and the kids who had now noisily congregated at the door.

“Hi, what’s this about Lita? You found her?” he asked.

“Ah…maybe. Can I please see some identification,” asked Danny.

“Sorry, I’m Bill Osuna and this is my wife, Mali,” he said as he reached into his back pocket and withdrew his driver’s license.

Satisfied Danny pocketed his badge then removed a picture from his inside suit pocket and handed it Mr. Osuna. “Is this your niece?”

Both of the adults looked at the picture. “That’s my little Lita. She’s Tom’s daughter,” replied Mr. Osuna handing the picture back to him.

“And he is?” asked Dan as he pocketed the picture and then got out his notebook.

“My son-in-law, Lieutenant Thomas Rumsey. He’s with the Navy somewhere in Vietnam. We tried to notify him,” replied Mr. Osuna.

“Do you know which ship he’s on?”

“No. But he work for NIS, though, based out of Pearl,” said Mrs. Osuna. One of her littlest children was clutched to her leg and she was trying to disentangle herself from them. “No, not now. Joanie, can you come and get her?” Her eldest daughter came over and relieved her mother of her clinging sibling.

Hmm, NIS, Steve can probably get word to the father. Danny waited for things to settle down before he continued. “Here’s my card. Your niece is located at Queens Hospital. My boss, Steve McGarrett, is taking care of her dog.”

Mr. Osuna let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear that. My sister, Emma, gave her the dog right after Tom moved all three of them here. Tom was gone a lot and Lita was having trouble adjusting, so Emma thought if Lita could have a special friend it might help. I don’t know how Lita would take it if he died too. How is he?”

Danny smiled as he nodded his head. “He has a broken front leg, which has been set and has some nasty scrapes and bruises, but he’s doing okay. Is Emma here?”

Mrs. Osuna looked up at her husband for a minute, their sad eyes meeting. “No…Emma died in a car wreck a month and a half ago, Mr. Williams. Lita was with her when it happened. She wasn’t hurt but severely traumatized from it. The officer who contacted us said she was holding onto her mother when the rescue unit arrived. We think this might be why Lita took off. She’s never really accepted the loss of her mother. We know Tom took it very hard. He seemed to submerge himself in his work even more, staying away for days at a time. He didn’t even come to see Lita before he shipped out.”

Touched by the news, the young detective remembered how he drove himself to work harder after he had lost Jane, so he understood how the father must have felt. “You have my condolences,” he replied. “As I said, my boss has the dog and your niece is in room 407 at Queens and is listed as a Jane Doe. I’ll check and see if there is anyway we can contact her father.”

“Thank you, Mr. Williams. We’ll go over to see Lita now. Aloha,” Mr. Osuna told him as his wife led their kids away.

*****

“We’ve moved her into ICU, Steve, where we can monitor her more thoroughly. Her heart rate has been acting irregular and her blood pressure keeps dipping down too much,” said Dr. Ernest Waldron, the little girl’s physician.

Unconsciously, McGarrett set his jaw firmly as he swallowed hard upon hearing the news. “How bad is she?”

“At the moment, she’s in guarded condition. We’re getting ready to…” A noise from down the hall stopped him in mid-sentence.

“My Lita, I was told she was in room 407, but she’s not there. Where is she?” an exasperated and breathless man asked at the nurse’s station.

McGarrett followed Dr. Waldron over to the man. “I’m Dr. Waldron. And you are?”

“Bill Osuna. A Danny Williams, from Five-0, came to our home. He said you have my Lita here.” The man’s face was flushed and he was trying to catch his breath.

Dr. Waldron smiled as he looked over at McGarrett who had stepped up next to him.

“I’m Steve McGarrett, Chief of Hawaii Five-0. Dan is my second-in-command,” he said extending his hand. “The doctor was just filling me in on your daughter’s condition. Doctor, is there a room where we can all talk?”

“Sure, we can use my office,” the doctor said leading the way down the hall.

“Mali and I have been frantic. We’ve been looking for her for four days. Lita told us she wanted to talk to her father, but when we told her he was in Vietnam she didn’t believe us…”

McGarrett’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’re not her parents?”

“Ah, no. I’m her uncle. Tom was married to my sister,” Mr. Osuna replied.

“Was? Are they separated?” McGarrett asked.

“No, my sister, Emma, died in a car wreck six weeks ago. Just before Tom shipped out, he gave us guardianship over little Lita,” said Mr. Osuna.

Surprised by the information, McGarrett looked over at the doctor and then back to the man. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Dr. Waldron and I were just discussing your niece’s condition.”

“As I was just telling Mr. McGarrett, your niece is in what we term as a guarded condition. We operated on her to repair her broken left thighbone and casted her broken left forearm and wrist. She’s also sustained a closed head injury, which means her brain was bruised and it might be swelling. We’ve moved her to ICU so we can better monitor her condition.”

Mr. Osuna covered his mouth and cheeks with both hands. “Oh, no. Oh my God.”

“Is she going to be okay?” he asked, his voice quivering.

“I hope so. We’re doing everything we can for her. Right now, it’s a wait and see issue. We’ve scheduled some more tests and will be doing some x-rays of her head. Hopefully, we won’t have to operate,” said Dr. Waldron.

“Can I see her?” asked Mr. Osuna.

“Of course. Follow me, please.”

*****

The bed seemed too big for the small unmoving body. A large white bandage hid most of Lita’s golden curls and the unhealthy pallor of her uninjured facial areas seemed to blend into the white sheets. The defused lighting though couldn’t hide the ugly dark bruising which surrounded her left eye. Her left arm, casted and elevated on a pillow, resembled a club. A gentle traction suspended her broken left leg.

Mr. Osuna stood frozen in the doorway. That must be horribly uncomfortable.

“She’s on a strong pain killer and will be asleep for a while longer,” Dr. Waldron told them as he stepped over to his patient’s bed.

With heavy worried steps, Mr. Osuna forced himself over to his niece’s bed. “Lita…my little kaikamahine. Please don’t leave. I couldn’t find a way to tell your daddy if you died too.”

McGarrett slid a chair over to the bed and positioned it behind the man. “Why don’t you sit down next to her? The doctor and I will be out in the hall for a bit if you need to talk to us. Please leave your phone number and address with the nurse as I’d like to talk with you about her and her dog later,” McGarrett told him, his voice was low and reassuring. He didn’t expect the man to verbally reply and nodded silently back to the headshake the man gave him as he and the doctor left.

*****

“Steve! Jack Bessemer just gave us a full confession,” said Duke.

McGarrett looked up at the HPD officer and smiled as he sat back. “Did he even remember hitting her?”

“He admitted that he thought he might have hit someone, but was so drunk he didn’t care. He even admitted that he told himself they deserved to be hit if they were out so late,” Duke said as he eased himself into one of the chairs.

McGarrett shook his head in disgust. “He probably was dead drunk and wasn’t paying any attention. What type of charges is HPD bringing him up on?”

“For a start, felony hit and run and DUI, which by the way is his fourth. Stewart is going to do his best to make sure it’s a ‘no bail’ hold until the trial.”

“Good. A few days cooling his heels will be good for him. Anything else?” Absentmindedly, he reached down and rubbed the furry head that had risen up upon the Duke’s arrival.

“Yeah, you’ll never believe what we found in his car,” beamed Duke.

“Let me guess…drugs.”

Duke smiled as he pointed to his nose. “You got it. I figure there was right around five ounces of heroin all in little bags ready to sell.”

Leaning forward, McGarrett smiled and looked down at the dog that hadn’t left his side since he returned to the office. “Well Fella, it looks like he won’t be running down any little girls for a long time. Keep me informed, Duke. I’ll be there for his trial.”

*****

Lyle Wagner waited until he saw Danny’s car back out of the Osuna’s driveway. He waved his arms as he ran over to the detective. “Excuse me, Mr. Williams. It’s me, Lyle Wagner. I was just wondering if that was their niece, Lilly?”

“Lilly?” asked Danny.

“Oh, sorry, yes, her full name is Lillian Lolika Rumsey. The Osuna’s call her Lita.”

“Ah, yes, it was,” said Danny after regrouping.

“My wife and I would like to go see her when we are allowed, but we don’t know which hospital she’s in.”

“She’s in Queens. I don’t know if they are allowing visitors right now, but you can check.”

*****

Long afternoon shadows danced on the walls of McGarrett’s office. He had just contacted Admiral Paul Willis to see if he could pull some strings to get Lieutenant Rumsey an emergency leave. With the assurance that Lt. Rumsey would be quickly shipped home McGarrett leaned back into his chair and took a moment to relax.

Fella lay along side of his chair, not moving except for his tail, which thumped on the floor whenever McGarrett lowered his hand to the dog’s head. Neither of them moved as if to enjoy the company of each other.

The dog was the first to know that someone was coming. Sitting up, he looked up at the man. When McGarrett didn’t move, the dog shoved his nose into the McGarrett’s palm resting lightly on the chair’s arm.

A smile crossed McGarrett’s face at this, and then realized the dog was telling him they had company coming. Turning around, he watched his young detective slip momentarily into his own cubical before continuing on into the office.

“Steve, I’ve got the name of our little girl,” Danny said as he walked in.

“I know. Mr. Osuna said you had told him where his niece was and I’ve put in the request for emergency leave for her father.”

Astonished, Danny stood looking at his boss for a long moment before it registered with him. “Ah, the hospital. Okay, now it fits in. Boy, Mr. Osuna must have moved fast.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it. Did he happen to mention the dog’s name? I didn’t ask him at the hospital.”

Danny looked at the dog sitting alertly by McGarrett’s side. It seemed like dog was smiling at him. Grinning at the thought of McGarrett caring so much for an animal, he shook his head lightly. “No. There was too much commotion. No sooner than I told him then he took off for the hospital. His wife stayed behind to care for their other kids.”

McGarrett nodded his head understandingly as he looked down at the dog whose tail was beating a steady rhythm as if he knew the men were talking about him.

“Are you going to be able to give him up?” asked Danny amazed by the growing bond between the man and the dog.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a dog. When I was a kid, I had one similar to him. Pat was a Border collie mix and would follow me everywhere. He’d be there at the corner waiting for me when I got out of school.”

“I didn’t know you had a dog.”

McGarrett nodded his head. “Yeah, but after my dad died I was too busy to take care of him, so my uncle took him to his ranch up in northern New York. From then on it seemed my life has been too busy to even consider owning another one - until now. But no, I’ll give him back to the girl. After all, he’s her rescuer of sorts.”

The dog held his position as Danny walked around the desk and reached down to pet him, but it was very clear, through the dog’s expression, that he’d rather have McGarrett’s attentions.

“Looks to me like he’d like it too, if you did keep him that is,” his eyebrows rose in surprise. “I don’t think it would take very much for him to settle right in.”

McGarrett smiled as he looked down at the dog whose tongue lolled out the side of his mouth as he looked up at McGarrett. Reaching down, he ruffled the silvery black ears and got a reply back of several thumps of the tail on the floor.

“Duke booked Jack Bessemer, the man who ran these two down. At first the jerk denied doing it. Che was able to find bits of fur, skin and blood on the car that matches the girl and the dog.”

Smiling, Dan leaned against the small table along the wall. “Is HPD going to charge him with only hit and run?”

Shaking his head and chortling a little, McGarrett told his young detective what was found inside the car.

“You’ve got to be kidding. No wonder he ran,” his jaw dropping a mile. “I don’t think that creep will be driving for a long time.”

*****

The night nurse silently slipped inside the darkened room. She smiled when she saw Mr. Osuna’s head resting on the edge of the bed, his right hand covering the little girl’s wrist. 

“Mr. Osuna,” the nurse said softly. Getting no response, she called out to him a little louder as she stepped over to him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

“Huh?” He slowly raised his head, tightened his fingers and arched his back as he stretched, relieving his stiff muscles.

“You have a phone call. I’ll stay with her if you’d like to take it and then a break,” the nurse offered.

“Who’s calling?” He was still trying to wake up and was a bit confused as to where he was at the moment.

“It’s your wife,” said the nurse as she helped guide him to the door. “Patsy…will show which line his wife is on,” she said watching him weave a little as he walked over to the nurse’s station.

*****

“Bill how is she? Has she awakened?” asked Mali. With her husband and granddaughter never out of her mind, she had bathed and dressed the rest of her family for the night.

“No, not yet.” He rested his head heavily upon the receiver. “The doctors don’t really know when she’ll come to. How are the kids taking this?”

“Bobby is upset naturally, but the others seem to be okay. Both Liana and Lyle have offered to watch the kids so I can join you tomorrow.”

“That’s good. The Wagner’s have been such a great help since they moved in next door. Have you been able to reach Thomas?”

“No, but I’ve talked with Commander Johnston. He’s going to see what he can do.”

Mr. Osuna nodded silently. It had been a long week and exhaustion was taking its toll.

“I think Mr. McGarrett is going to also. He was here when I arrived.”

“McGarrett?”

“Yeah, Danny Williams’s boss. He and the doctor were talking about Lita when I arrived.” Mr. Osuna yawned as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “God I’m tired. Look, I’m going to ask and see if they can put a phone in her room. One of the nurses is with her now.”

“Okay. Let me know as soon as you can if she wakes up.”

Several minutes went by with no verbal exchange. “Bill? You there?”

“Mmmm, yeah, sorry, I dozed off for a moment. I need to get back to Lita’s room. I don’t want her waking up and not have someone there she knows.”

“Okay. Tell her we all love her and are worried about her. The Wagner’s said they’d be here by eight, so I’ll try to be at the hospital by nine or ten.”

“Good, good. I’ll call if anything changes. Aloha,” said Bill. His hand rested on the phone for a moment. Before he got up, he rubbed his face and stretched.

“Everything okay at home?” asked the nurse when he walked back into Lita’s room.

“Yeah. Thanks for getting me. How is she?” Bill asked as he sat down in the chair.

“Still asleep,” the nurse told him quietly as she withdrew a blanket and pillow out of the closet. “Here, it might be sometime before she comes to, so you might as well be comfortable too,” she said putting the items on the end of the bed.

Mr. Osuna only nodded his head. His full attention was on the tiny figure lying in front of him. The nurse stood quietly for a moment watching the two, then slipped out of the room.

*****

The outer office was already dark and vacant when McGarrett finally closed the file and turned off his desk light. “Time to go home, Fella,” he said slipping on his coat and then picked up his briefcase.

The dog had risen to his feet as soon as McGarrett stood. It looked to the detective as if the dog had a smile on his face.

“Looks like our time together will soon be coming to an end. We’ve found your mistress’s family,” McGarrett told the dog after they got into his car. Reaching over, McGarrett ruffled the dog’s ears, in the spot he had learned that the animal liked.

Fella immediately put his paw on the man’s hand, but didn’t push down to remove it. His tail thumped against the car’s cushion, but not with its normal velocity. It was as if the dog understood what the man was saying or at least the intent.

After parking his car at his apartment complex, McGarrett decided to take a walk on the beach instead of going directly up to his apartment. He watched Fella bounded down the beach, chasing the waves as it lapped onto the beach and then retreated. Smiling, he shook his head at the dog’s antics. It didn’t appear as if the cast impeded his ability to run very much. By the time he turned to go back home, the dog had expended his energy and walked sedately next to him.

*****

Pinned down by a sniper for eight long hours, Lieutenant Thomas Rumsey and his men slowly managed to work their way around their enemy. Two men were already injured, but none seriously.

“Harry, do you see him?” asked Rumsey.

“Not yet, Lieutenant. We see some leaves moving though.”

“Carl, how about you?” asked Rumsey.

“Almost there. Hold on. Yeah, we see him, two clicks south of Harry. But I don’t have a clear shot.”

“Harry, did you copy that?”

“Yeah. Hold on.” Suddenly two shots fired out with return fire from all three locations, then it was quite with the exception of the screaming birds as they took off in fright.

“GOT HIM!” yelled Harry as he and his men cautiously approached their enemy. “He’s PAU, Lieutenant.”

“Okay, everyone met up. We’ve got to move on,” said Ramsey with a sigh of relief. Their mission had been successful with a minimal lost of life on their part. The expected counter attacks kept them moving, but they had stepped right into this sniper’s trap. With that threat removed, the Lieutenant allowed his men a breather before they needed to leave.

A small buzzing sound came from the hip pack of the corporal. “Yes, Sir, he’s right here. Hold on please.”

The corporal quickly walked over to Rumsey. “Hey, Lieutenant, I’ve got Admiral Willis on the horn for you,” the radioman said handing him the receiver.

The Lieutenant’s eyebrows rose at the mention of the Pearl based Admiral. “Afternoon Admiral Willis, Lieutenant Rumsey here.”

“Lieutenant, effective immediately, you are on emergency leave. Your flight leaves Kimpo tomorrow morning. From there you will be taken to Queens where you will meet up with your father-in-law. My understanding is that your daughter has been injured and he has requested your return to Honolulu.”

Stunned, Rumsey stood there, mouth agape.

“Lieutenant? Do you hear me?” asked the Admiral when he didn’t get any reply.

“Ah…yes sir. Did he say what was wrong with her?” asked Rumsey.

“He didn’t go into specifics, but Steve McGarrett from Five-0 put in the request,” said the Admiral.

“Five-0? What do they have to do with this?”

“You can ask him when you get here. Right now, you’re burning daylight. I’ll see you when you report in, Lieutenant.”

*****

Danny wasn’t surprised when he saw McGarrett’s car. Bounding up the stairs, he pushed open the door of the Five-0 office. None of his co-workers had arrived yet, but he could see a bright light coming from Steve’s office.

“You’re in early, Danno,” said McGarrett. Finally accustomed to the comings and goings of the office, the dog didn’t raise his head, but did thump a greeting to the newcomer with his tail.

“I’ve got court this morning so I thought I’d go over the Dabney file once more,” said Danny as he sat on the corner of the desk. “Hey, Fella. How’s he treating you?”

Fella reared up placing his front paws on the detective’s leg. Danny complied by scratching the dog behind the ears. “Any word on the girl?”

“Nothing so far,” said McGarrett.

“What about him?” asked Danny nodding his head at the dog.

Fella had returned to McGarrett’s side and was looking up at the Irish cop. There was a genuine look of affection being shared by man and dog. The dog’s tail thumped hard against the floor when McGarrett stroked the black and silver fur.

“I need to ask when Mr. Osuna wants me to bring him by the house. I’m sure the family would like to get him back,” said McGarrett as he patted his leg, urging the dog to reach up to him.

“Danno, I’m going to miss this guy. I didn’t think I could get attached to another dog since I had Rocky.”

“Was that the name of your dog?”

McGarrett fondled Fella’s ears as he remembered back those many years. “Yeah, he was about this size and loved to run with me.”

Danny didn’t say anything for he could see his friend fighting to keep a wall around his emotions. After several long minutes, McGarrett sighed and looked up at his friend. 

“You said you had court. Is everything ready?”

“Yeah, John Manicote and I went over what I had yesterday afternoon. He’s positive we’ve got a strong case against John Dabney. Too many witnesses saw him try to kill the Senator and the biggest clincher is we have it all on video tape.”

“Sounds pretty cut and dry then.”

“Yeah, it should be,” said Danny nodding his head. “John’s positive it should wrap up by today, unless the guy’s a fool and insists that the tape was rigged.”

Smiling and shaking his head, McGarrett clasped his hands together pressing his thumbs and wiggling them a little as he leaned back. “It never fails to amaze me what some people think they can get away with. Speaking of which, what about your Rosario case? Anything more on where the drugs are coming from and by whom?”

Danny fidgeted at the mention at his hardest case of the year. All of his leads had dried up and none of his snitches had heard anything. “Nothing. I’m beginning to think Paul Rosario’s death was a fluke. Even Bergman can’t confirm exactly how he died, but he’s positive it was a reaction to some type of drug.”

“Hmmm, that’s unusual. Usually he has some sort of an idea. What about Che, anything from him?”

“Several partial prints and some bits and pieces of material, but nothing solid enough yet to get a lead from.” Before the young detective could continue, McGarrett’s phone rang.

“McGarrett.”

“Steve, is Danny there?” asked Che Fong.

McGarrett’s eyebrows rose as he looked up. “Yes he is. Hold on. It’s Che.” 

Perplexed, Danny took the phone. “Yes, Che, what up?”

“I did a some tests on that swatch of material. It’s a synthetic compound used for screen-printing onto T-shirts and such. It was also smooth enough that I was able to get a match on the partial fingerprint and it matches set we have on file. I also found something else. The material had a fine dusting of a drug, which I was able to identify.”

Danny’s eyebrows shot up at hearing this. “What type of drug and who’s prints are they?” asked Danny as he looked over at McGarrett.

“A drug called and Tylox which is highly toxic in large amounts, easily absorbed through wet skin. But it’s the prints I think you’ll be most interested in. They belong to someone HPD all ready has in lock up,” teased Che.

“Che!! Who?” Danny’s voice went up several octaves as he took the bait.

“Jack Bessemer’s.”

Danny had a wide smile as he glanced over at McGarrett. “Che, I think you had better tell Steve this. Hold on.”

With an inquisitive look, McGarrett hesitated for a moment then hit the speaker button. “Morning Che, whatdaya got?” McGarrett listened attentively as the forensic expert repeated what he had told Danny. 

“And?” McGarrett asked shooting a look up at his young detective.

“The drug is Tylox and the prints belong to Jack Bessemer.”

McGarrett quickly sat forward to write down the information. “How sure are you on that print?”

“Positive enough. The partial print found on the material matches eleven out of the fourteen points for identification.”

“Perfect. Get me a… ”

“It’s all ready on its way to you. Oh, and Steve…be nice to the kid. He’s my new assistant and still wet behind the ears,” said Che before disconnecting.

McGarrett shook his head and smiled as he looked down at the dog and ruffled the soft fur.

“Well, Fella, it looks like the creep who hit you and your little mistress will be going to prison for a long time.” Sitting back in his chair, McGarrett looked up. “And you got the break in the Rosario case you needed. With Che’s findings you should get another conviction.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d like to hear that. This way we can clean up both cases at the same time,” said Danny kneeling down to pet Fella.

Sensing something good had happened, Fella jumped up, licking the curly haired detective all over his face.

*****

The drive to Kimpo was fast. Securing a jeep, Lieutenant Rumsey’s only thoughts were on his daughter. What happened? How bad is she hurt? Where was his brother-in-law when this happened?

Military red tape was slashed with surprising swiftness. During the flight back to Hawaii, Rumsey found out he had actually bounced out a Major’s son on his way to the islands for some R & R. I’ve heard this McGarrett guy had some power, but wow, I never expected a civilian had ‘that’ much clout.

Exhausted from his expedition and the rush to get to Kimpo, Rumsey sat back heavily into his seat. Soon the steady drone of the jet engines lulled him into a restful and deep sleep, but it was filled with unsettling dreams…dreams of dangers…dreams of death.

*****

Finished with lunch, Jenny sat down at her desk to continue typing up the final report on one of the cases Chin Ho had just finished. The old typewriter’s keys stuck a lot and the ribbon was damp from the humidity.

“Damn, I wish Steve would get me a new one. This old war surplus contraption has just about had it,” she said reaching forward to try to unjam the machine for the fourth time in ten minutes.

McGarrett had just opened the main door to the office when he heard the loud exasperated voice of his secretary.

“DAMN THIS INFERNAL THING!” yelled Jenny who was now trying to undo a major paper jam. The sticky black ribbon was draped out over the top of the machine. Jenny’s fingers black from the ink and there was several black smudges on the typewriter house, her face and unfortunately her blouse.

Hearing the commotion, Chin Ho almost bumped into his boss in response to her statement. Both men quickly walked up to her to see if they could help.

“I need a new machine, boss.”

“I can see that. How long has it been acting up?” asked McGarrett trying to assist her in rescuing Chin’s report.

“For about two weeks,” Chin replied before Jenny could. “Careful, boss, that thing’s got a mind of its own. I ended up with black ink all over me.” No sooner had he said that when McGarrett lost his balance when the paper finally came loose. Chin, who was just behind him, was unable to get out of the way and the two men crashed to the floor.

Suppressing the giggles, Jenny tried to help them up, but only managed to smear the tenacious black ink onto their white shirts. Realizing what she had done, she tried to rub it off but only managed to make the stains bigger.

Shaking his head, Chin Ho stood up and assisted his boss to his feet. “Looks like that machine knew how to take everyone out of its way, boss,” he said as he surveyed the damage to his clothing.

“Yeah, more than one way too I think. Sorry you had to go through this for so long, Jenny. You know the forms needed to get a new one, BUT do it by hand. I don’t think any of us could withstand another round with THAT machine,” McGarrett told her trying to unsuccessfully wipe the black stain from his skin. “Just what I needed. I’ve got a meeting with the Governor in thirty minutes. I’ll be in the wash room cleaning up.”

“Oh, Boss, a Major Willis called. A Lieutenant Thomas Rumsey should be arriving at Pearl sometime tomorrow morning. He thought maybe you’d like to meet him and take him to Queens,” said Jenny.

McGarrett stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Good going. Call him back and tell him I’ll call him after I get out of my meeting. Do we have any Lava soap?”

*****

“Steve, how are things going?” asked Governor Jamison.

When McGarrett realized the Governor noticed the reddish skin on his hands he smiled. “Chin and I lost the battle with Jenny’s typewriter,” McGarrett said holding up his hands before his superior could ask.

Smiling, the Governor motioned McGarrett to sit. “I knew you ran a tough office, but you didn’t need to buy equipment that is just as tough.” Both men broke into laughter. “But really, Steve, how is the Paul Rosario’s case going? I heard his killer might be connected to the hit and run incident.”

Amazed at how fast things reached his boss, McGarrett nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, we have evidence which firmly connects Bessemer to both cases.”

“Good, then Manicote should easily get a conviction.”

“I would be surprised if he didn’t. According to his file, these aren’t Bessemer’s first offenses. Six years ago he was convicted of his second DUI hit and run. He got six months in lock up and has a suspended license.”

The Governor nodded his head hearing McGarrett’s corroborating information, pleased that his source had been accurate. “I hear you and the dog are getting along nicely. When do you plan on returning him to the Osuna family?”

“Probably in the next day or two. I’ve got to contact Mr. Osuna and find out when it would be convenient for him. Right now he’s spending all this time at the hospital with his niece.”

“What about her father, Lieutenant Rumsey? He’s suppose to be arriving soon, from what I’ve been told.”

“Yes, sir. He should arrive in the in the next few hours.”

“Good,” said the Governor as he rose to walk with McGarrett to the door. “Oh, and Steve…buy your secretary a ‘new’ typewriter. Battleship gray doesn’t look very professional on my top officials,” he said pointing to a smudge of ink near his friend’s ear.

After rubbing the spot, McGarrett groaned a little when he noticed a new ink stain on his hand.

*****

The plume of dust swirled behind the huge military cargo plane as it touched down. The engines whined as they were thrown into reverse.

McGarrett watched as the plane turn at the end of the runway, then slowly maneuvered its way up the tarmac. Finally, it stopped and the ramp moved over so the passengers could disembark.

Having never seen Lieutenant Rumsey, McGarrett knew he would have to wait and see if he could find the man by chance. He didn’t have to wait long though. A lieutenant looking very rumpled and with something on his mind emerged from the plane. Pausing only briefly to look around, the lieutenant descended the ramp.

“Lieutenant Rumsey?”

Lieutenant Rumsey looked around to see where the person was who had called his name. There was a tall imposing man in a black suit looking at him, so he started over towards him.

“Lieutenant Rumsey, I’m Steve McGarrett. Admiral Willis thought I might want to pick you up and take you over to your daughter.” McGarrett frequently could size up a man by his handshake and he was pleased to feel a firm grip as he offered his hand.

“I was told you’d be here. How is my daughter?” asked the Lieutenant keeping in step with the long legged detective.

“Holding her own, from the last I heard.” After ascertaining the lieutenant didn’t have any luggage, McGarrett led the way to his car.

“No one has told me about her condition. How did she get hurt?” asked the lieutenant as McGarrett left the base.

“A drunk driver hit them. My second-in-command happened upon them shortly afterwards as he was returning home late that night. He’s the one who called it in and spearheaded the search of who she was and where she lived.”

The lieutenant didn’t say anything. He just looked out the window.

“She was on Kahala Avenue when she and her dog were hit.”

“What in the Sam hell was she doing out alone on that road at that time of night?” asked Lieutenant Rumsey. “Where was Bill, my brother-in-law?” The thought of his daughter out so late was unfathomable. The Osunas were a very vigilant family, everyone looking out for each other. He couldn’t understand how this could have happened.

“My understanding was that she wanted to see you and when they wouldn’t take her to you, she left on her own,” said McGarrett aware of the tension building up in his passenger.

“How bad is she?”

“She’s sustained a concussion and has some broken bones in her left arm and leg. We had a devil of a time finding out who she was.”

“Why? Has she lost her memory?”

“No, unfortunately, she’s still unconsciousness.”

The color drained from Lieutenant Rumsey’s face at this. Oh my God. What have I done? I should never have accepted this newest assignment. I should have stayed home and taken care of her. Emma would never forgive me if I allowed something to happen to Lilly.

*****

Lieutenant Rumsey’s had to beat a fast pace to keep up with McGarrett’s long legs. Just before entering Lita’s room, McGarrett stopped and barred his way.

“The first thing you need to do is to take a deep breath and relax a little. I need to warn you, she’s badly bruised up. Her head most of her head is covered by bandages, but the main thing to remember is she’s still alive.”

The lieutenant steeled himself at this warning. With trepidation he nodded he understood. Taking a deep breath, he followed McGarrett into his daughter’s room.

*****

Mr. Osuna gently fingered one of the golden curls sticking out from under the bandage. Tortured by the feelings he had let her down; he bowed his head as tears rolled down his face. “Lita, please wake up. Please,” he implored. So complete was his grief he didn’t hear the door open.

It only took the Lieutenant Rumsey’s eyes a few moments to adjust to the room’s dim lighting. There was a man sitting next to the bed and a nurse who was blocking his view. When she heard the door open, she turned around, nodded her head and left the room.

It was then he realized that the man was his brother-in-law. A momentary bit of anger flared up in him as he unjustly accused the man of allowing his daughter to get hurt. It wasn’t until he stepped up to the bed that he could hear the man’s sobs that he relented.

When his eyes were diverted to the stark whiteness of the head bandage, his legs suddenly turned to rubber forcing him to grab the back of the chair.

“Oh no,” the lieutenant gasped in dismay stepping up to the bed. His heart sank when he saw his daughter’s condition. What have I done to you? I should never have left you.

Feeling the chair move, Mr. Osuna looked up and back over his shoulder. “Tom! You’re here!” Standing up, he embraced his son-in-law. “We’ve been trying to contact you.”

McGarrett stood quietly at the door, but when the lieutenant looked desperately over at him, he walked over to him.

“You can thank Mr. McGarrett. He contacted Admiral Willis,” said Lieutenant Rumsey without taking his eyes off the small figure in the bed. “How long has she been like this?”

“Six days so far,” said McGarrett.

“Why wasn’t I notified sooner?”

“We had problems finding out who she was, but you can thank your father-in-law’s neighbor, Lyle Wagner. He recognized her on the TV broadcast my second-in-command arranged.”

The lieutenant didn’t respond, but only nodded his head. “What have the doctors said? Do they know how long does she’ll be like this?” he asked a few minutes later.

“You’d have to ask Dr. Waldron. He’s in charge of her case.”

Lieutenant Rumsey looked at both men, then back to his daughter. A gentle pressure on his arm from his father-in-law guided him to the vacated chair. Once more he looked at McGarrett who gave him a small smile and a nod.

“You can go ahead and touch her. It might let her know you’re here,” said Mr. Osuna who took up a position behind the chair.

Hesitantly, the lieutenant reaches over to touch Lita’s arm then moved his hand down to hers. “Lilly, it’s dad. I’m here,” he said, his voice low and quivering some. “Honey, please wake up,” he pleaded as he stroked her face. He stomach turned seeing the tubes stuck in her mouth and nose. His eyes followed the IV line attached to her small little arm. “Lily, wake up.”

Knowing both men wanted to stay at the girl’s side, McGarrett slid another chair over to the bed for Mr. Osuna. With both men thus occupied, he quietly walked out of the room.

On the other side of the door, McGarrett halted; his head tilted down looking at the floor. He remembered the words the doctor told him about how long or short of a time it might be before the young girl came to.

Finally, with a heavy sigh, he walked down the hall. “Nurse, can you let Dr. Waldron know Lita’s father is here?” he asked.

“Sure thing, Mr. McGarrett.”

*****

Jenny wasn’t at her desk when McGarrett returned. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he walked into his office. No dog. ‘Jenny must have taken him for a walk.’

Stepping behind his desk, he opened the lanai doors. Leaning against the framing, he could see the heavy mid-afternoon traffic on King Street. As he watched, he visualized the night when Fella tried to defend his mistress. It wasn’t hard to imagine the plucky little dog positioning himself between the girl and the dangers encountered that dark night. Pat, my Border collie mix, did the same thing when we got caught in the cannel. He almost didn’t let those officers rescue us.

A commotion from the outer office pulled him from his reverie.

“Hold on, hold on. Let me get this off,” said Jenny. She was trying to unsnap the leash but the dog was squirming too much. Finally, in frustration, she dropped the leash and the dog took off through the open door behind her desk.

“Hey, Fella, How you doin’?” asked McGarrett who managed to turn around in time before he was bowled over by the exuberant dog. He laughed when he saw how hard Fella’s tail was wagging and wonder which was wagging what. After he undid the leash, Fella jumped in circles in front of him. Finally, the dog stopped when the man sat down and rumpled the furry ears.

“Sorry Boss. He knew you were in here and wanted to get to you.”

“That’s okay. I was just thinking back to Pat, my dog I had as a boy. These two have a lot in common.”

“I didn’t know you had a dog. What type?”

“A black and white Border collie. We did everything together – including getting into trouble.”

Fella had settled down now and was lying quietly next to him. Every so often, he would look up to see if the man gave any indication of going somewhere.

“I can imagine you two must have been a handful,” said Jenny before returning to her desk.

*****

Paperwork from other cases had stacked up because of everyone’s commitment to finding out who the little girl was and then to finding her father. The file McGarrett chose happened to be the one about Paul Rosario’s murder.

Danny had just finished his report that morning and had put it in McGarrett’s in box with a note paper clipped to it.

‘Manicote happy. Dabney confessed. Named Bessemer as supplier. Now Manicote wants to know who supplied Bessemer.’

McGarrett smiled at the short cryptic note. After a bit more investigation into the dealing charge, he was sure additional charges would be brought against the man who ran down Lita and Fella, ensuring that it would be a long time before Bessemer ever got behind the wheel again.

*****

“McGarrett.” The phone call on his private line interrupted his thoughts as he answered it on the first ring.

“Mr. McGarrett, this is Mr. Osuna, Lita’s uncle.”

“Oh, yes, Mr. Osuna. How is she?” The normal workflow of the other pressing cases had temporarily taken his attention. When Mr. Osuna called, it reminded him that he still had a bit of that case right there with him - Fella.

“She still hasn’t come around. I made the suggestion that maybe - just maybe, if Wally was here, he might be able to help. Dr. Waldron says he doesn’t think it could hurt.” From Mr. Osuna’s tone McGarrett could tell he was getting desperate and was trying to think of other ways that would help his niece.

“That sounds good, but who is Wally?” asked McGarrett.

“Wally is Lita’s dog. You said you still have…”

Relief washed over McGarrett as he sat back in his chair giving a little chuckle. “Ah, okay, now I understand. I didn’t know his real name and have been calling him Fella.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that. Yes, his full registered name is Bela Lugosi of Sandybrook. He’s a champion sheepherder and a show dog. Lita didn’t like that name so she named him Wally.”

I don’t blame her. McGarrett was beside himself with laughter. He never would have imagined that he would pick a name so close as to the dog’s real name.

“Mr. McGarrett? You okay?”

Wally/Fella sat up putting his paws on McGarrett’s leg when the phone rang. When McGarrett started laughing, he began to whimper then started to bark. He didn’t stop until the man reached over to him and ruffled his ears vigorously. 

“Ah…yes. I’m sorry. Yes, I’ll bring Fella…ah…Wally right over,” said McGarrett over the barking after he was able to compose himself better.

*****

Wally seemed to know the way as McGarrett entered the hospital. His nails clicked loudly on the tile floor as he struggled to drag the big Irish cop along the hallway.

“Sir, you can’t bring a dog in here,” insisted a nurse at the nurses’ station.

“Dr. Waldron requested I bring him. This is Lita’s dog, Wally,” replied McGarrett. Wally was sitting at his feet, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, panting in excitement. It almost seemed as if the dog was smiling as he sat there, his eyes wondered from the man, to the nurse and then to a door down the hall.

“I wasn’t told of this so please wait here,” she instructed him as she dialed Dr. Waldron’s number. “Yes, Doctor. I understand. Yes, sir, I understand. No, sir, I wasn’t trying to undermine your efforts. Yes, sir. Yes, SIR! I will at once. I’ll let him know. Thank you, sir,” the nurse said after a brief conversation with the doctor. “Sorry, Mr. McGarrett, I wasn’t told he was coming. Please go ahead and I hope this works.”

McGarrett didn’t say anything just nodded his head and smiled as he and Wally continued down the hall to Lita’s room. He knew he had just heard a one-sided chewing out.

Wally eagerly pulled at the leash and when they got to the door, he started to paw at it in earnest.

“Hold on Fella. Let me make sure it’s okay to go in,” said McGarrett as he knocked, then opened the door just a crack. “Mr. Osuna?”

Bill Osuna turned when he heard some scratching at the door. Silently, without bothering Tom, he reached the door just as it started to open.

“Mr. McGarrett. You have Wally?” asked Mr. Osuna. The stress of the long days was evident on him. He hadn’t left Lita’s side since he found her.

“Yes, and he knows she’s in there,” replied McGarrett trying to keep Wally from just running in out of control.

“I’m sure he does. They were always inseparable. Please, let’s not wait for their reunion.” Taking the leash from McGarrett, Mr. Osuna allowed himself to be pulled over to the bed.

As soon as Wally entered the room, his whimpering stopped. He sensed that there was a need for silence. Pulling hard on the leash, he went over to the man still sitting unmoving next to the bed. Shoving his nose into the nearest hand, he licked it and starred intently at the father of his mistress.

Tom felt something warm and wet on his hand. Turning, he saw Wally. It seemed as if the dog was waiting for him to tell him it was okay to touch the bed where his mistress laid. “Wally, where did you come from? I thought you were dead.”

Wally whimpered softly shifting his weight from leg to leg, licking the tear-streaked face.

“Up boy, let her know you are here,” said Tom as he moved over a little to allow the dog access.

Standing on his hind legs, Wally could just reach the hand. He first nudged it and then licked it. Whimpering a little louder, the dog reached as far forward as he could to paw at the inert hand. An excited yip escaped him as he strove to get closer to ‘that hand’.

Tom reached down and lifted Wally unto his lap. From there, it was easy for the dog to leap upon the bed. Carefully, he lay down along side of Lita. He slowly moved up to her head so he could lick her face. Getting no response, he licked her left ear, whimpering.

An ever so soft moan escaped from the still figure. Slowly, Lita moved her head away from the dog’s wet ministerings.

“Lita! She’s coming to! Lita, wake up. It’s Daddy. Wake up, Honey,” said Tom vigorously rubbing the little hand he had held onto since he had arrived.

“Lita, it’s Grandpa, wake up. Wally’s here. He wants you to wake up too. Come on, please wake up,” pleaded Bill.

With both men busy trying to get the Lita to wake up, McGarrett silently left the room to inform the doctor. As he reached the nurses’ station, Dr. Waldron walked out of the elevator.

“I heard the dog is here. Has she responded?” He stopped only for a second then led the way to his patient’s room.

McGarrett had no difficulties in keeping up with the long legged doctor as he replied, “Yes. She was moaning and moving her head when I left to notify you.”

“Good, good,” said Dr. Waldron. With Lita’s file in hand, the two of them walked over to the door with the nurse right behind them.

When the three of them walked in, Lita’s was sitting up trying to fend off the enthusiastic licks from Wally. “Wally! You’re here!”

“Hi Lita, I’m Doctor Waldron and this is Nurse Holmes, she’s been taking care of you. So, how are you doing?” asked Doctor Waldron smiling at the sparkle in Lita’s eyes as she hugged her dog.

Lita looked up at the doctor and then over at the nurse and McGarrett. “Okay, but I’m hungry.” This brought smiles and laughter from everyone.

“Any time a kid tells me they’re hungry, I know they’re feeling better,” said the doctor as he checked his little patient out. “I’d like to keep her over night still just to make sure things are fine, but I don’t see why she can’t go home tomorrow.”

Everyone was smiling except Lita. When McGarrett saw that, he kneeled down near her bed. Wally turned his head and gave his face a lick. “Hey, Fella, I guess this means you get to go home too.” He ruffled the dog’s ears a bit.

Lita’s eyes widen at the interaction between her dog and this strange tall dark haired man next to her bed. McGarrett realized she didn’t know what had gone on.

“Hi Lita, my name is Steve McGarrett. Your friend here and I have been looking forward to seeing you. He couldn’t wait to come to you, but he had to wait until the doctor said it was okay.” 

Wally whimpered and shoved his nose under McGarrett’s hand a few times, licking it and then licked the face of his little mistress.

“Yeah, that’s your little girl, isn’t she, Fella,” said McGarrett. Here was the connection that he and Pat had and he knew no one could ever change the dog’s devotion to his charge.

“His name is Wally. You called him Fella,” said Lita a bit confused and very possessively.

“Uh ha, that’s what I was calling him. No one knew his real name until today. We didn’t know who you were either until a few days ago,” said McGarrett.

“Detective Williams, one of his men, was the one who found both you and Wally. From what Mr. McGarrett told me, as bad as Wally was hurt, he put up a bit of a fight trying to protect you,” said Tom after seeing she was still confused.

“He’s my lifesaver,” squealed Lita as she hugged her dog again.

“He sure is,” said McGarrett. “He sure is.”

Pau