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By Terri Whitman © 8-11-03

Day 6

A spectacularly bright pink and crimson pre-dawn sky held the promise of a major storm. The underside of the not so far distant dark clouds frequently showed an electrical charge, which flashed across its length. With huge waves whipped up by the approaching storm, the Dragon’s Tail fought its way towards the waiting freighter, the China Doll.

Two titanic waves would shoot off the bow whenever the boat landed heavily into the back surf after breaching one of these waves. Each time they landed hard Captain Wong would silently cursed Song Tai Wo, the owner of the two crafts. Because of her orders to remain on board until her return, they now had to endure the larger waves.

Standing next to him was Song Tai Wo, still furious at her failure to kill Steve McGarrett. He tried his best to stay as far away from her while he moved about the bridge, but she seemed determined to stay his side and this did nothing for his already strained nerves.

"Glen, Phil, get that line secured better. If it goes over it’ll get caught on the rudder," Wong said urgently trying to scream over the wind and the breaking waves.

"Aye, Captain," they both yelled back as they fought with the heavy docking line that had slipped from its spot on the deck.

"Can’t you steer this ship any better?" screamed Song as she and Chang tried to maintain their balance on the heaving deck.

"I’m doing the best I can, Miss Wo. I’m not in charge of the weather or Neptune," the Captain replied testily. He was beginning to wonder if his fee had been high enough to take on this job.

*****

"Central, patch me through to the USS Jarvis," Mike requested as his powerful black Mercury splashed through a standing puddle. The Coast Guard Cutter, USS Jarvis, was waiting for him in Pearl. From there they would try to intercede with the China Doll anchored just off Kaena Point.

While waiting for the patch he scanned the skies above, hoping they could beat the bad weather. But the crimson colored clouds, which just started to crest the far away mountains, foretold of an approaching late summer storm. As soon as Mike had heard of the China Doll’s location, he called Commander Abercrombie, who informed him that they would cast off as soon as he arrived and of the approaching storm.

"Commander Abercrombie, we’re almost there," Mike said when the connection was finally made. "I’ve got four others with me, Officers Kokua and Loi, my father and Dan Williams."

"We’ll be ready to shove off as soon as you’re on board Mike," replied the Commander.

A high-speed right turn forced Dan and the others to grab portions of the car’s interior in order to keep their seats. The wild ride was very reminiscence to those he’d endured as a passenger of the former Five-0 Chief.

The tires squealed their protest from the hard breaking on the wet surface of the pier as Mike brought the car to a screeching stop near the side USS Jarvis’s berth. Dan exited the car at a dead run almost before it was stopped, with the others in close behind him. As soon as all were aboard, the Commander gave the order to depart for the China Doll.

Once the Coast Guard destroyer was clear of the port, the captain gave the order for full power. All on board hardly felt the ever-increasing waves as the large ship made its way for the northern section of the island.

At Mike’s insistence, the Commander dispatched two Coast Guard helicopters to that area of the island. Once there, they radioed back that the China Doll was now under steam and headed for open waters.

*****

Carefully Wong piloted the Dragon’s Tail over to the lowered gangplank of the open sea door of the freighter. "Kevin, Tim, tie her off," he instructed as he stepped over to the side of the bridge to make sure the side of the boat wasn’t coming into direct contact with anything.

"Watch your step here, Miss Wo. The decking here can be real slick at times," Wong said as he tried to offer his hand to help steady his passenger.

Song’s eyebrows lifted at his impertinent move and gave the captain an arrogantly defiant stare. Standing fast, she waited until Chang came to her side, who shoved the captain roughly aside as he aided his mistress up the two steps and into the ship.

Disgruntled at his rude dismissal, Wong watched the two disappear into the hold before he turned his attentions back to his men. "Mike, get those bags shifted. Then I want you and Glen to take this boat over to the hooks and have it hauled up and secured. I want to set sail within the hour."

Mike Keenan popped up from his work and gave his captain a quick salute. "Glen, give me a hand here," he asked his shipmate leading the way down into the cabin to retrieve the items.

"It would suit me just fine if some of this stuff accidentally managed to fall overboard," Glen complained as he carried out one of the larger suitcases.

"You wouldn’t live to see tomorrow if it did," Keenan told him carrying several of the smaller ones out onto the deck.

After the fourth trip, they finally had all the items moved into Song’s stateroom. Kevin, Tim and Phil met up with them on their way to the Dragon’s Tail.

Phil glanced around to see if anyone was within earshot. "Mike, we’d like to talk with both of you."

"Okay, but we’ve gotta take care of the Dragon’s Tail first," Keenan said hesitating a moment to look at the others.

"We want out," Phil stated insistently.

"We don’t want to serve on a ship where we’ve been used to cover up a murder," Tim said.

"We’ve been talking and we are all in agreement. We’ve gotta get off this ship and the Dragon’s Tail is our way out," Phil said as Mike looked at each man. Silently they all nodded their heads in agreement.

"How do you feel about this, Glen?" Keenan asked. From the expression on his cohorts face, he knew he fully agreed with the others.

"I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. I didn’t know the others felt the same until now and I agree. I want off this barge as soon as I can, in whatever way I can," Glen replied adamantly.

Keenan didn’t say anything. He, himself, had felt the same dread the others now voice. He didn’t like it when they dispose of those bodies. The problem was; they had all signed a very binding contract to serve under Wong for two years and according to maritime law that was desertion punishable by imprisonment, which did not appeal to him at all.

"We’re taking the Dragon’s Tail. You’re either with us or against. Which will it be?" Phil asked clenching and unclenching his fists nervously. He didn’t want to fight his friend and could see that Mike was giving it some serious thought.

Keenan knew his mates were right though. From the beginning, he knew they were in for trouble and now he wished he had listened to his instincts.

"Okay, what are you all waiting for? Get your asses on board," Keenan ordered and climbed up to the bridge.

Tension released, the men scrambled to board the escape craft. Phil was the last, having freed the ship from its moorings. Once freed, Keenan shoved the throttle open and the small boat headed away from the freighter. The short ride away from the freighter was forgotten when they began to encounter the waves as they headed for shore.

*****

"Captain Wong. How are you?" First-Officer Darryl Gunderson said as he saluted the man who would now take control of the freighter.

"Good to see you again, Darryl. Is everything ready?"

"Aye, aye, Sir. We can set sail any time."

"Good. Once the Dragon’s Tail is secured, we can depart."

"Kim, go down and see about their boat. Let us know when it’s aboard and secured," the First-Officer told one of the helms crew.

"Yes, Sir," and saluted his superior before departing.

Wong picked up the bridge log as he waited. The records indicated the ship was fully loaded. One of the items on the long list caused him to raise his eyebrows as his finger stopped on it. "What are we doing carrying drums of high grade crude? This ship isn’t designed or permitted to carry such items," he asked.

A questionable look appeared on Darryl’s face. His eyes squinted as he read the line in question. "I’m not sure. These were items that were already on board when I arrived." He gave a quick look at another line of items. "Look here. There’s a listing of rockets of some type and directly below it is listed some rounds for a 5 inch, 54 caliber gun."

Wong looked at the First-Officer after reading those lines. "A 5 inch, 54 caliber gun? How come you didn’t know about these?"

"Sorry Captain, but I didn’t have time to check the ship out. They instructed me to pilot her to the point and then drop the anchor. I didn’t question the why’s or wherefores of those orders."

Wong silently agreed with him. When you received an order from Song you didn’t question them. Far too many people have mysteriously disappeared having done so.

He felt uneasy about the highly explosive items being so near the skin of the ship. One little accidental bump of any of those containers could set off a chain reaction and blow a hole into the side. "I don’t want them stored so close to the sides. Get a team and move them further into the hold," he said as Song and Chang stepped onto the bridge.

"You’ll disregard that order," Song demanded with a hiss.

"Miss Wo. I didn’t hear you," Wong said giving her a slight bow. "I’m having those items moved into a safer, stronger area is all."

"They will remain where they are, Captain," she told him flatly.

"But they could be a problem…" Wong started to explain but was interrupted.

"I said they will remain. I own this ship and it will be run the way I want it. If you don’t agree, I’ll find another Captain," Song said.

"You understand that if these containers are damaged or exposed to any sort of fire or heat that they could explode," Wong said, thankful to have Darryl around to hear in case he needed a witness later on.

"Your only concern Captain is to pilot this ship," Song told him, her eyes narrowing to mere slits. "If you had bothered to read your contract you would have realized this." Not bothering to wait for any reply from the perplexed captain, Song turned her back on the man as she walked over and sat down in the Captain’s chair.

Wong watched her contemptuously as she took possession of the command chair. He was beginning to have serious doubts about this job. Indecision halted his steps until he looked over at his First-Officer who had stepped closer to the door of the bridge.

Darryl was beginning to wonder what type of mess he had gotten himself into by signing onto this trip. The uneventful trip from China to Hawaii hadn’t indicated any problems like this. In the previous two years of his contract with TWIS there was no indication that the owner would be a problem. When he saw the captain glance over at him, he nodded his head silently requesting to talk with him.

Squinting his eyes, he gave an almost imperceptible nod of compliance. He gave Song one last disdainful look before he walked over to the First-Officer.

"Can I speak to you Captain?"

Not bothering to give a verbal reply, Wong put his hand on Darryl’s shoulder and pointed to the door. "What’s up?" he asked once they had left the bridge.

"I don’t like the feel of this Captain."

"Neither do I and I think I just quit. She can find someone else to pilot this rust bucket," Wong said vehemently leading the way back to his cabin.

To shocked to respond back, Darryl mutely followed him. As he leaned against the doorframe, he watched Wong gather his belongings. "Are you just going to walk off the ship?" he asked having recovered from the startling events.

"I’ll jump overboard if I have to, but yes, I’m leaving. Stay if you want, but I’d advise leaving." Wong snapped his duffle bag closed and swung it over his shoulder as they went to leave the room. Chang blocked their way.

"Mistress says you’re not to leave," the giant bodyguard said as he shoved them both back into the room, then slid a wooden plank through the door handle on the outside effectively locking the men inside.

*****

"Sir, Lieutenant Lores reports that the Dragon’s Tail is headed back to shore," the Radioman said.

"Plot a course to intercept them Peterson," ordered Commander Abercrombie.

"Yes Sir," Petty Officer Peterson replied as he logged the coordinates into the computer. "We’ll intercept them in 15 minutes, Commander."

"Why are they coming back?" Mike asked as he looked through the binoculars.

"Hard to say. Maybe they are leaving something or someone behind. But don’t worry. You’ll have your answer soon enough," the Commander replied.

The destroyer made rapid time at it headed on a northeasterly route to intercept the China Doll. Several pair of eyes were looking for the Dragon’s Tail.

"Radar says the boat should be within visual, Commander," Peterson called out.

"There she is," Dan said excitedly. His hands rested on the collar of the life vest given to him as he looked through the borrowed binoculars. "She’s taking a good beating from these waves, Commander."

No sooner then he had said it when a large wave swamps the boat drowning out its engines. With no power to maneuver or steer, the next big wave smashed into the stern turning the craft around so that it was parallel to the on coming waves. Somehow they managed to survive the next few waves, but its demise came when another large wave flipped it over into the wash.

"They’ve capsized, Commander."

"Bring her about and slow down. Prepare to take survivors aboard," the Commander instructed as he walked out to the railing around the bridge. "Get that rope ladder down. When they’re all aboard bring them to my cabin." Turning to Mike and his group. "Gentlemen, if you will follow me."

*****

All six men aboard the Dragon’s Tail were scared. The approaching storm had whipped up the waves even larger then they were that morning. Now instead of crashing through the waves, the boat would crest a wave then nose down hard into the well. Each time it felt like the boat would turn nose over end.

"Mike, try to go over them at an angle," Glen suggested after picking himself up off the deck for the third time.

"I’m trying to, but she’s sluggish."

Kevin and Tim, their eyes wide with fear, had given up trying to remain on their feet and were holding onto whatever they could in the open stern area. Their other companions were up on the bridge hanging onto whatever they could.

"Watch it!" Glen said as another large wave crashed into the side of the boat.

"Damn, I can’t keep her straight," Keenan grunted just as the wheel was torn from his grasp slamming one of the spokes of the wheel down hard on his hand. "Ow!" he screamed out. He snatched his hands away from the punishing wood just as another wave crashed into the boat, the water cascading down into the engine compartment.

Before anyone could react, another wave sent more water over the railings and into the engine area. The engines gave a final cough, sputtered then died.

Glen had grabbed the wheel as he tried to steer the now powerless vessel. Using his remaining good hand, Keenan attempted to help him but without power they couldn’t turn the rudder.

Soon the Dragon’s Tail became parallel to the on coming waves. Several of them threatened to capsize boat. There was a momentary glimmer of hope when a large wave hit the stern, temporarily correcting their course.

Suddenly an unusually large wave hit them broadside. As if they were in slow motion, the Dragon’s Tail slowly turned over. Keenan and Glen both managed to pop up to the surface almost at the same time with Phil and Jamie shortly there after.

"Anyone seen the others?" Glen asked spitting out another mouthful of water.

"No. They were near the stern the last I saw of them," Jamie replied as he swam toward the others.

"I hope they got clear. Maybe they’re on the other side," Keenan said after popping out the backside of a wave. "Too bad we’re not closer to the shore. We could just body surf in," he said as he tried to ride a wave a bit in order to spare using his injured arm. Luck seemed to have turned against him for when the ship capsized his forearm hit against a portion of the boat breaking both bones near the wrist.

"Mike, look. It’s the Coast Guard," Phil said as he raised his arm and pointed to the south.

The USS Jarvis slowed down as it turned toward the Dragon’s Tail. The two men could hear the Commander ordering a full stop. They quickly grabbed onto the floatation rings tossed out to them.

"Are there any more men?" Commander Abercrombie asked Keenan, who gratefully accepted the blanket from a Yeoman.

"Two more. But I haven’t seen them since we flipped over," Keenan replied cradling his arm.

"They were near the stern. I don’t know if they made it off or not," Glen said.

"Get two divers over the side," the Commander ordered as he appraised the survivors. "Have Doc look at his arm too."

The Commander and the Five-0 contingent followed close behind as two guards escorted the blanketed quartet to the Commander’s office for questioning. Nodding, the Commander dismissed the guards who took up positions outside his door.

The four-blanketed men took seats at the table. From their expressions it was clear they were grateful for the help but knew they were in trouble. Other than for an occasional barroom brawl, none of them had ever broken any laws and had never dealt with Five-0.

"Gentlemen, my name is Michael Lukela, head of Five-0. All of you are facing some very serious charges, starting at and not limited to trafficking in drugs, and the murder of at least four men. I hope the four of your realize the seriousness of this and I suggest that all of you cooperate fully and answer all question asked of you," he said firmly as he leaned over the table.

An hour later, a Petty Officer came in and reported that they had recovered the bodies of the other men. Saddened by the news, the Commander acknowledged the information and turned his attention back to the prisoners.

"Mike, are you finished?"

Mike tightened his jaw muscles in disgust and contemplated what the prisoners had told him. He shook his head unable to fathom how anyone could be as inhuman as this woman.

"Yeah, let’s get out of here."

"Russ, take these men to the brig," the Commander told one of the guards. "Come on Mike. We’ve got work to do."

*****

With her anchor hoisted, the China Doll was finally under steam rolling heavily over the waves. The ship lay low in the water. Her lower decks fully loaded with goods for China and other oriental ports.

Song sat comfortably back on the bridge chair. From there she watched the activity of the ship as it made its way to the open ocean.

Everyone on the bridge kept their distance from her. They knew she was still in a foul mood and didn’t want to incur her wrath.

Chang over saw the crew, making sure they performed their jobs as she dictated. A mere look at his stern face made the crew double their efforts.

Nervously Kim approached the giant oriental. "Radar has reported a large ship approaching us fast," he said.

Chang narrowed his eyes at this bit of information. "How far away?"

"They are just off the point. Should be in sight soon."

Lifting the binoculars up, Chang slowly scanned the horizon. It wasn’t long before he saw an enlarging dot in the distance. Curling his upper lip in disgust, he walked up to the bridge.

"Damn," Song muttered to herself. She had raised the binoculars up to her eyes as she scanned the seas.

"Mistress, the radar has indicated a large ship making its way towards us."

"I know Chang. I see it. How soon will we be clear of the reefs and shoals?"

"About thirty minutes more."

"Can we increase speed now?" Song watched the dot get closer as they talked. She had a feeling that it was trouble making its way towards them.

"Not safely Mistress."

Lowering the binoculars, Song turned her head slightly towards her bodyguard. "Get a crew busy uncovering the gun. If they try to stop us we’ll have to fight our way to open water."

"Yes Mistress," Chang replied with a bow.

*****

"Commander, the China Doll is still within the reef."

"How long before she clears it?" Commander Abercrombie asked as Mike and Dan followed him over to the radar operator’s chair.

"At her present speed about twenty minutes," Yeoman Doran replied as he watched the various blips on the screen.

"Will we catch her before she’s in the clear?" Dan asked.

"Easily Mr. Williams. At our speed, we’ll be there in ten," Yeoman Doran told him.

"Commander, there’s a flurry of activity going on her deck," called out a Petty Officer.

The three men quickly moved over to the window. Each lifting up their set of binoculars. What they saw confirmed the Petty Officer’s statement. They couldn’t tell what was going on but they could see a lot of movement near the stern of the freighter.

"It almost looks like their putting something together," Dan said.

"Hard to say," the Commander replied. Something itched down his back though as he watched the freighter. It didn’t feel right.

"Marvin, have a crew stand by on the forward guns," the Commander ordered.

"Yes Sir."

All eyes on the bridge temporarily watched the Jarvis’s crew scramble to their positions. Nervousness abounded on the bridge at the heightened sense of urgency.

"Commander, the USS Hopper has radioed us reporting bad seas ahead," the radioman informed his superior.

Abercrombie turned his binoculars to the west where the Navel ship was. The dark foreboding clouds told him of a strong storm in the making. No sooner than he did that then the cutter shook from an explosion.

"Commander, we’re being fired upon!"

"Damage report!"

"They hit us near the bowsprit just above the bilged line but we’re water tight Sir."

"Reduce speed one third and come to course bearing seven nine point two."

The China Doll fired again. This time it missed the cutter hitting the water spraying those along the railing.

"Return fire across their bow."

*****

"Their coming up fast Mistress."

"Open fire," Song commanded. It was taking too long for the freighter to clear the reefs in order to gain speed. The cutter would be upon them long before that happened and she wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

They only had the one gun, but her crew knew how to handle it. Excitement raced through the ship at her command. The crew, made up of ex-military personnel, quickly responded to her orders. When their first shot got lucky, they cheered loudly. Encouraged by their first hit, they fired again.

*****

Captain Wong and First-Officer Gunderson ran to the porthole when they heard the report of the 5-inch, 54 caliber gun.

"What the Sam hell is going on?" Captain Wong asked.

"They’re firing on that Coast Guard cutter," Gunderson replied pointing to the other ship and a column of smoke where the shell had hit.

"Is she crazy? She’ll get us all killed with this shit."

"Damn. They’re going to return fire and they’ll have a larger target to hit," he said as he ran back to the door as the China Doll fired again.

Wong soon joined him as they felt around the door in the hopes of figuring out how to open it.

"It’s not locked but they’ve must have put up some sort of bar across it," Gunderson stated after trying the door handle again.

"Can we wiggle it free?"

"I don’t know. But it feels like it’s getting looser," Gunderson replied wiggling the door handle which moved a little bit more.

"Try it again," Wong suggested getting into position behind him.

They heard a deafening explosion as a shell hit the ship. Both men hesitated only for a moment before being the handle again.

Another shot was heard from the decks above as they finally broke the plank and fell into the aisle way. Quickly regaining their footing both men headed for the stairwells, which lead to the upper decks.

*****

Both Dan and Mike left the bridge to stand near the starboard railing of the upper deck. They couldn’t believe the China Doll had fired upon them. They had expected firearms, but not a large gun.

The second shot from the Jarvis hit the freighter in the stern. They were trying to hit the engines and stop the ship. They covered their ears on the next report but the shot fell way short of its mark because of a large wave had unexpectantly pushed the stern of the cutter around.

The wave rolled the cutter sharply causing Dan and Mike to grab onto the railing for support until the helmsman could correct their course. As the cutter came about, another shell hit it again just below where they stood destroying the deck and railing and throwing the two men into the sea.

"Man overboard!" yelled out one of the crew as he rushed over to the damaged portion of the railing. Suddenly another explosion rocked the cutter making him scramble to hold onto the railing more firmly.

"All stop!" ordered Commander Abercrombie. He got up from the floor where he had landed. "Damage reports!"

"We’re taking on water and there was fire in the engine room but they put it out, Commander. We got hit just below the water line and the number one engine is down," Petty Officer Doran said. "But they don’t think the bulge pumps will be able to keep up with the in flow, Commander."

"Shut down all engines and seal off the compartment. Radio the Hopper for assistance."

"Aye aye, Sir."

"Commander, we’ve got two men over board from the second blast," Petty Officer Peterson informed him.

"Get an inflatable out there and pick them up."

"Aye aye, Sir."

*****

The decking heaved up suddenly beneath Dan and Mike’s feet from the impact of the shell. Desperately, both men tried to take hold of something solid as the area around them disintegrated.

The force of the explosion catapulted both men high into the air and over the side of the cutter. Arms and legs flayed helplessly crashing frequently into solid pieces of the ship as they sailed through the air.

A searing pain raced down Dan’s entire left side as he hit the water. An overwhelming blackness followed as his body sank beneath the lashing, pounding waves.

Mike landed a few feet from Dan, sinking several feet below the surface. Reaching the surface, he took a quick assessment of his condition. The lifejacket hindered him a bit as he checked his right arm. His upper arm hurt like hell and when he took his left hand away from the sore area he noticed blood on his fingers. His ribs hurt too but not so much as to obstruct his breathing. Thankfully both legs seemed okay as he kicked with them to maintain his position.

"Dan," Mike called out after spitting out a mouthful of ocean. He could see Dan floating a few feet from him, but it didn’t look like the older man was moving. He tried to ignore the severe pain in his arm as he swam towards his friend.

"Dan!"

It seemed for a bit like the ocean was against Mike. Each time he made his way through a wave, another wave would move his friend further and further away.

From what he could see Dan’s head was above the water thanks to the large collar on the lifejacket, but he was concerned because he wasn’t moving. When he reached the older man he noticed he was unconscious but still breathing. A nasty looking bruise was on the right side of his face and some blood trickled from his nose.

"Dan, hold on. Help is on the way," Mike cried as he tried to help keep the other man above the water. The Coast Guard cutter was still some distance from them but he knew they would be sending help so he began to swim in their direction.

The waves were battering the men furiously. Several times Dan was torn away from his grasp. Hampered by his own injuries, Mike did the best he could as he tried to make some sort of headway toward the cutter.

"Damn," he cussed under his breath after a wave had swamped the two men causing him to lose his grip once more. "Come back here Dan," he muttered to himself as he caught up with him for the fourth time.

Every time they were on the high side of a wave, Mike tired to scan the ocean to see where the cutter was and where the rescue boat might be. "They must be in one of the troughs." Discouragement started to set in as he struggled against the ocean.

"All we need is a damn shark now Dan," Mike said spitting out another mouth of the salty brine. "Damn."

Fatigue quickly set in as he continued his swim. He wondered if it would have been a better to try attempt swim toward shore. Either way he knew both of them were doomed if he stopped.

Finally after what seemed an eternity, he saw the rescue boat coming towards them. "Hey! Over here!" Mike yelled out as he waved his one good arm. "Over here!" he called out even louder. On the next wave he saw that they had seen him and were waving back.

"Hold on Dan. Helps on the way." Mike was worried. The older man was still out and the bruise was getting larger and darker.

*****

The rescue boat bounced and rolled in the heavy surf. The four men wondered at times if a wave would over turn them as they made their way towards the two men who had been blown off the ship.

"Daws, over there."

"Right Skip. I see them too," Ensign Daws responded as he adjusted the course of the boat.

"Sanders, Logan, get ready to give them a hand."

"Yes Sir," the two replied.

Fifteen minutes later, Mike and Dan were on their way back to the cutter.

"He’s been unconscious since I reached him," Mike said once they were aboard.

"Get these men below and have Doc check them over," Commander Abercrombie ordered. "How soon will the Hopper get here?"

"They’ve radioed saying they should be close enough to intercept the China Doll within five minutes," Petty Officer Peterson replied.

"Have them put a warning shot across their bow once they’re in range," the Commander ordered.

With his arm in a sling Mike rejoined the Commander on the bridge. Without binoculars he couldn’t see much detail. It didn’t look to him like the China Doll was going to heed the warning shot. Within a few minutes after the third shot, he saw flashes of light from the deck gun on the freighter.

"The stupid jerk. He’s firing on the Hopper," the Commander stated as he watched.

All eyes turned towards the China Doll when they heard the loud explosion. No one moved as they watched the start of a series of explosions occurring in the middle of the freighter.

"Get all the inflatables in the water. There might survivors," ordered the Commander.

*****

No one took heed of the two former officers of the China Doll as they made their way topside. After a quick look at the activity at the other end of the ship, they ran back down to the cargo bay doors.

"The Dragon’s Tail should be there," Wong said as he led the way.

Both men ran through the doorway and slid to a stop. The expected means of escape was gone.

"Where is it?"

"I don’t know Captain, but I’m going for a swim," Gunderson said as he jumped.

"I’m right behind you."

*****

"They’re trying to cut us off," Song yelled as she watched the Navel ship getting closer. "Turn the gun on them Chang. That should make them slow down at least."

"Yes Mistress."

She watched as the big oriental left the bridge and moved over to the gun. Soon the gun was pointing at the large destroyer. They successfully shot two rounds before something went wrong with the gun. Once the problem was resolved they fired several more rounds at the quickly approaching ship. Their shots were way short of their mark though.

"You’re short you stupid fool. Recalculate your shot," Song demanded as she stormed off the bridge.

Kim’s fear of Song made him quickly reconfigure the gun’s trajectory. Without first assuring that his aim was accurate, he fired it.

Nothing happened.

"Why have you stopped?" Song asked angrily.

An explosion rippled through the freighter before anyone could reply.

"What the hell was that?" Song demanded.

Chang saw the bright orange flames, which reached high from over the side of the freighter and from a cargo hold. Nervously he half bowed to his mistress before he took a gentle but firm hold on her arm in the attempt to guide her away from the falling debris. "We must leave, Mistress."

Contemptuously she looked at him then to where his hand had dared to touch her. But after looking at the flames coming from her doomed ship, she nodded affirmatively. "Kim, continue to fire upon that ship. I want them to back off so the China Doll can leave these filthy islands."

Kim, eyes wide in terror of her and of the explosion, bowed low acknowledging her instructions. "We will continue as instructed, Mistress."

*****

Executive Officer Charles Iniguez stood at the bridge window watching the large freighter. The powerful binoculars allowed him to observe all the deck side activities going on aboard her. "Those stupid fools," he said watching them turn and fire their gun towards the USS Hopper. "Commander Callaway, they’re ignoring our warning shots and have fired upon us."

"Damage report," Commander Bernard Callaway said as he walked over to his XO’s side.

"Minor sir. The first round fell short but the next folly peppered our side. No one hurt."

"Put one low in her mid section."

"Aye aye, Sir," he said then relaying the orders to the gunnery sergeant.

The shot was perfect. Hitting the freighter just above the water line and away from the fuel tank yet damaging enough, they thought, to stop her. No one expected the next series of explosions to rip through the ship.

"What in the hell did we hit?" the XO asked after the fourth explosion.

"I don’t know but get a team ready to help evacuate those on the freighter if needed and call for a fireboat to help put that fire out."

Those aboard the Jarvis and Hopper watched in horror and awe as a series of explosions ripped through the China Doll, which tore the aged freighter in half. By the time the fireboats arrived, the freighter had sunk.

"Commander, the USS Jarvis is requesting assistance. Their engines are out," the radioman said handing Callaway the message slip.

Commander Callaway gave a quick look out at the storm then to the Jarvis before turning back to where the freighter had sank. He could see several inflatable on their way to the wreckage to help any survivors. "Set course for the Jarvis."

"Aye aye, Sir."

*****

The four Five-0 detectives were standing on the dock watching the Jarvis being jockeyed into her berth. Near by was a contingent of six ambulances waiting to transport the injured to Tripler and Queens Hospitals. The detectives were shocked when they saw the ragged black wound near the bridge of the ship. In stunned silence they watched the ship’s crew secured the ship to its moorings.

*****

Early that afternoon Mike, laying on a gurney, was wheeled into McGarrett’s room. As the nurses settled Mike into one of the empty beds, another gurney bearing Dan on it entered the room.

"How is he? Is it serious? Where did he get those bruises?" Something had happened to Dan and McGarrett demanded to know what it was.

"He’s going to be okay Mr. McGarrett. You just lean back and rest while we get him in bed and hooked up," Nurse De Le Croix said. Ever since McGarrett had regain consciousness he’d been a real challenge to her with his demands and rapid-fire questions. Each time she stepped into his room he would try to interrogate her more for any more information about the freighters explosion. The local TV station was covering it but it appeared they didn’t have very much information either.

"Why aren’t they telling us more?" he said as he watched Cindy Watanbe telling the television audience about the massive explosion, the dramatic attempts at rescuing and the removal of the injured survivors. He recognized Jeremy Kalakaua and Frankie Kokua so he had a feeling it had something to do with Song Tai Wo.

"Mike, what happened?" McGarrett asked when he saw that the young Five-0 chief was awake.

"Hush Mr. McGarrett," said Nurse De Le Croix giving him a stern look.

"I just want to know what happened," shouted an increasingly agitated McGarrett.

"Simmer down Mr. McGarrett or I WILL have to sedate you. You’ll be able to ask your friends all the questions you want in a little bit, but right now is NOT the time," she told him flatly.

Sullenly McGarrett leaned back onto his bed and watched them take care of the two men. He smiled inwardly at the spunk and nerve that his nurse had at standing up to him and ordering him about. ‘Oh to be several years younger.’

So engrossed in his worry and thoughts about his two friends, McGarrett jumped a little when the door suddenly opened and Katie Williams walked in.

"Hi Annette, Betty. I just got the word he’d arrived. How is he?" asked Katie.

"He’s doing okay. Mr. Williams has broken two ribs on his left side and his left leg. He also has a mild concussion. He came to in the ER but the shot of Demerol has knocked him out," Betty, the floor nurse said.

"What did she say?" insisted McGarrett.

"Hush!" the women told him in unison.

Annette smiled and snickered to herself as his persistence. "He’s been like that since they wheeled Mr. Williams in here," she told Katie.

"Not surprising. He can be a handful to deal with, but the Governor did right in asking you to handle him Annette. He’s old military and for a long time ran things his own way," Katie told her smiling over at McGarrett who had again sat up in his bed. The alarms from the monitor were sounding off again from his agitated state.

Walking over to the monitor, Katie flipped the switch on the machine silencing the alarm. "He’ll be okay Steve. He’s asleep right now and he’s injuries aren’t every bad, just a few broken bones," she told him. "The bruising you see is from hitting his head on something, which caused a mild concussion."

"Why is he still out?" McGarrett asked, thankful that someone had finally come over to tell him what was going on.

"He’s out because of the pain medicine given to him in the ER. He’ll probably sleep for a few more hours," replied Katie. "Just sit back and relax or Annette will indeed sedate you." Her tone was teasing but had a serious note to it.

McGarrett sighed discontentedly as he laid back again. "I just want to know how he is."

"I understand that and I know how much you hate hospitals, but you’ve got to relax if you expect to get out of here soon."

With a disgruntled look on his face, McGarrett crossed his arms and nodded his acceptance of what she said. Quietly he watched the nurses care for their two newest patients and when they were done they left.

Almost an hour had passed before McGarrett became restless from doing nothing. Fidgeting, he kept an eye on Dan wishing he’d wake up so he could talk to him. Mike was also asleep, so he kept quiet.

A movement from Mike’s bed caught his eye. Encouraged that he might finally be able to get some information he called to the young Five-0 chief. "Mike."

"Huh?" came a sleepy reply.

"Mike, you awake?"

"Uh huh, I am now."

"How are you feeling?"

"I’ve got one hell of a headache, but I’m okay. I see they got Dan in here with us," Mike said gently rubbing his temples.

"Yeah, they brought him in soon after you arrived."

"I was worried about him. How is he?" Mike asked looking over at the other bed.

"Katie said he’d be okay, nothing more than some broken bones and a concussion."

"Ouch."

"Actually, this use to be just about normal for him," McGarrett told him then he started to tell about other times that either he or one of his officers would get injured on a case. For the next two hours they talked about various cases that Five-0 had been involved with and the dangers they faced.

Nurse De Le Croix checked on them frequently during the afternoon. When their dinner arrived, she made a point of visiting them to make sure no one had trouble eating.

Dan didn’t realize just how hungry he was until he smelled the dinners. ‘Boy does that smell good,’ he mentally told himself. ‘But where is it?’ he thought as the aroma penetrated his subconsciousness.

A movement in the bed next to him caught McGarrett’s eye. "Hey Danno, wake up. You’re missing dinner," he said smiling. The sight of his friend moving was a giant relief to him, which he expressed with a delighted sigh. "Mike, Danno’s awake."

"Hey Dan, come on fella wake up," Mike said encouragingly.

"Huh? What?" came a groggy reply. Dan yawned and stretched then turned his head towards the one voice he knew so well. A mile wide smile appeared on his face when he saw his friend was alive. "Steve, you’re alive!"

"Thanks to you, I am Danno. I don’t think I would have made it without you."

"When I left the hospital they didn’t know if you’d make it or not. When the Coast Guard said they had found the Dragon’s Tail and the China Doll, I had to be there to extract your pound of flesh from her for what she did to you."

"Here comes Sergeant De Le Croix," McGarrett said with a smile as the door suddenly opened admitting the nurse into the room.

The monitor at her desk had indicated movement in her third patient so she knew he was waking up. Ignoring McGarrett’s remark she walked over to Dan’s bed and readjusted the monitor above his head. "Good afternoon Mr. Williams. I’m Annette De Le Croix, your nurse. Are you hungry?"

"Ravenous." Almost immediately Dan liked her. ‘She’s got spunk and a lot of back bone if she can handle Steve,’ he thought to himself as he repositioned his bed so he could sit up more.

"I’ll have some dinner brought to you," Annette said after taking his blood pressure. "Good, it’s normal." She quickly wrote down the figures onto his chart then left to get his food.

"She’s been assigned to take care of me by the Governor," McGarrett told him when he saw the questioning look on his friend’s face.

"Ah, that explains it then," Dan replied with a smile.

"Explains what?" Mike asked.

"Most of the nurses in the olden days hated to take care of Steve when he was in the hospital. This one didn’t seem afraid of him when she walked into the room."

"I’m not ‘that’ hard to get along with," McGarrett said feinting a defensive tone.

"Don’t you believe a single word of that Mike," Dan teasingly replied.

The door opened again to admit a nurse who had a tray of food for Dan. "Doctor Williams will be in to check on all of you in a few minutes," she said setting the tray down and then collected the other trays.

Dan eagerly ate his meal as he listened to his two roommates talk about their other hospital stays.

Katie came in as he was eating. "How’s the food Dad?" she asked not really expecting an answer. Stepping over to McGarrett she indicated for him to sit forward.

The wound on his shoulder looked a lot better. It was still very raw and red but she could tell that the drainage was clear now with no traces of puss or infection. "It’s looking good Steve, compared to yesterday. Any discomfort?"

"Just a little, especially if I happen to move it wrong," he told her sitting back once she had rebandaged it.

"Do you need some more pain killer?" she asked. When he told her no, she walked over to Mike’s bed.

"How’s the headache and the arm Mike?" she asked.

"Head still hurts some, as does the arm, but it’s only a dull ache."

"I’ll have Annette get you something for it," Katie told him writing down the instructions for the medicine.

"Okay Dad, it’s your turn," she said as she moved the portable table to the side. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore but better," Dan told her allowing her to check the bandage on his side and his leg cast.

Katie carefully lifted his leg up to put another pillow beneath it. "I want this leg kept elevated for now."

"It’s uncomfortable stuck up so high," complained Dan trying now getting into a more comfortable position to accommodate his leg position.

"Sorry but you need it to be kept up to reduce the swelling." Smiling, she patted his other leg. "Any pain in your side?"

"Not really. I’m fine now that I have had something to eat," Dan told her.

For the next half hour, the four talked about the last six days. Dan teasingly told McGarrett that he must have really slowed down to have allowed someone to get the jump on him like that. They debated how Song Tai Wo could possibly be Wo Fat’s daughter and her mad lust for revenge.

"Immigration sure didn’t check into her history very well," Dan stated.

"They sure didn’t," Commander Abercrombie said having heard Dan’s statement as he entered the room. "Good to see you’re alive Commander McGarrett. These two were worried sick about you." He introduced Commander Callaway and Petty Officer Peterson who were with him. They had come to see how the man who had been the subject of the most intense search for was doing as well as his two friends.

"I’ll leave you three with your company," Katie said excusing herself. "I’ll see you all in the morning." With the good-byes said, she left the room.

"It’s good to be alive Commander," McGarrett said smiling and nodding a hello to the other two men.

"I don’t think you need to worry about any further attacks from her," Peterson said positively.

"Were there any survivors?" asked Dan.

"Only six men made it off the ship. Several bodies were recovered but were unfortunately burned beyond recognition," Commander Callaway replied.

"Any sign of Song Tai Wo?" McGarrett asked, highly interested in the activities following his rescue.

"No, not that we’ve found. A guy named Tim was one of the survivors. He said there were about forty men and one woman on board. He does remember seeing Captain Wong and one other man come topside, but then they disappeared below decks," replied Commander Abercrombie.

"Were they among the survivors?" Dan asked.

"Yeah, so much for a Captain going down with his ship," Petty Officer Peterson replied a bit sarcastically.

"From what he told me Song Tai Wo took over the ship and imprisoned him and his First Officer, Darryl Gunderson. Somehow they managed to escape, but by then the China Doll was on fire," the Commander said giving his First Officer a stern look.

"I’d still like to know what blew her apart like that," said Peterson.

"Captain Wong said the manifest listed several tons of explosive materials. He was concerned because of the location of the containers and wanted to move them to a more secure area. That’s when Song Tai Wo removed him from his post and imprisoned him," the Commander replied. "He said the whole deal was cockeyed from the beginning. He wishes now he had listened to his inner voice that was warning him."

"What will happen to him now?" Peterson asked.

"That’ll probably be up to the DA, but I don’t think he’ll be charged with anything," Mike said.

The talk went from what the ship was carrying, to why Song took over the ship and technically kidnapped the two men, to McGarrett’s kidnapping and subsequence recovery, to how Song Tai Wo could possibly be the daughter of Wo Fat. The five men debated the possible reasons for each item. All of them were thankful things had turned out as they had. Finally, the officers had to say their goodbyes and left.

Worn out physically and emotionally from the previous events, the silence was a welcome respite to the three men.

With a slight groan of discomfort, McGarrett shifted his position in the bed. "Ah, that’s better," he said.

"What’s better, Steve?" Dan asked

"My shoulder was bothering me. I had to move it."

"It’s good to see you both feeling better," Mike said. He had sustained a broken arm from the explosion and a mild concussion and the doctor wanted to keep him a few days for observation.

"It’s good to be alive," McGarrett answered.

"I bet it is," said Mike as he adjusted his bed to he was more comfortable.

"Not exactly the homecoming you expected, was it Danno?"

Dan smiled at his long time friend. "Not exactly, but it did almost seem like old times, what with rushing round trying to find out who did what and when," Dan replied as he thought of the past week.

"I was a bit worried about you when they brought you in with your head all bandaged up," McGarrett told him.

"Yeah, but after all, the training you’ve given me it will take more than a bump to do any real damage," Dan teased back with a smile, but then got serious. "My one concern was for your safety Steve and to catch the witch that did this."

"Well you didn’t have to blow up a whole freighter to do that you know," McGarrett teasingly reprimanded him.

Mike lay back as he silently enjoying the friendly bantering going on. What his father had told him of these two men was so true. These two were the best of friends, but yet more, more like brothers.

The pain pill Nurse De La Croix had given Mike was finally making him sleepy. Unable to keep his eyes open any more, he tiredly repositioned himself in the bed and fell into a deep restful sleep.

For about a half an hour, the room was quiet. McGarrett and Dan were deep within their own thoughts.

"Danno, you okay?" McGarrett asked when he heard him groan in pain.

"Yeah Steve. My leg is hurting a little so I’m trying to reposition it."

"Maybe you should call for the nurse."

"Nah, I’ll be okay."

"This wasn’t exactly the homecoming I had planed for you," McGarrett quietly said after another stretch of silence.

Dan looked over at his life long friend and smiled. "No, I bet it wasn’t. You probably had a dozen hula girls ready for me."

"I wouldn’t exactly say that," McGarrett replied with a smile.

Dan smiled back because he knew his friend probably did have some girls lined up for him and probably a few leis to boot. "Sure Steve, sure," he mockingly said.

"What? You don’t believe me?"

"No, I just know you too well."

"Well, I did want to give you a good coming home present." They both laughed because they knew Dan was right.

"But really, it’s good to be home," Dan told him with a sigh.

"I’m glad you are home too Danno." He wanted to ask why the sudden move back to Hawaii, but he figured his friend would tell him soon enough and he wouldn’t pressure him for the answer.

"Steve, my moving back now wasn’t a bad time for you was it?"

"No Danno. As I told you on the phone, you are more than welcome any time."

"The first thing I want to do is to find a place naturally. I thought maybe something near my old apartment I once had."

"That would be good," McGarrett said tiredly. He could tell his friend wanted to broach the subject of why, but for some reason he was only making small talk, going over things they had already discussed before.

Patience was and wasn’t one of his better traits. As he listened to his friend reminiscence about what he planned to do he became increasingly edgy. "Danno…" McGarrett started to say as he tried to break into the almost one-sided conversation.

"…I’ve also thought about getting another Mustang. I’ll need a car of some sort and there’s no reason…" Dan continued to tell him but stopped when he realized his friend was trying to say something. "Yes Steve?"

"Danno, we need to talk."

"I thought that’s what we were doing." His tone changed almost immediately from a carefree to one of apprehensiveness.

"No, not about what you’re plans are but…" McGarrett’s patience began to wear thin now. He wasn’t use to his friend’s hedging around.

"Of why I left," Dan finished for him glumly. On the flight over he had tried to think of how to tell his friend why he had left Five-0 so abruptly so many years ago and why he moved away from the Islands. Now it was time. Now he would finally tell his friend the why to it all.

"Yes."

Dan looked over at their sleeping roommate and then out the window as he tried to gather his thoughts on how he could explain it. It was especially hard since he hadn’t truly understood it himself until recently.

"Do you remember our last case we did together?"

"Yes, I do. I remember you got pretty badly beat up and shot several times rescuing me."

"But I wasn’t the only one that got hurt," Dan said defensively. "If you remember right, Duke got shot too, in fact almost killed when he tried to cover for you. If you hadn’t just stormed in like you had we could have had time to set up better, with more coverage. No one would have been hurt then."

McGarrett’s mouth opened and closed several times as if he was going to say something, but didn’t.

"I had told you once before that your blatant disregard for your own safety would not be tolerated and if you persisted in doing so that I leave Five-0. Well, after that last time, Kimberly begged me to keep my word.

"At first I wasn’t going to leave, but dammit Steve, I had a wife and family to think about." The anger within finally seemed to reach an end as Dan sat back exhausted.

Not a word was said for several minutes. McGarrett, stunned and slightly hurt by the verbal lashing, sat back and looked at the ceiling as he tried to control the emotions now running wildly through him.

"I didn’t know Danno. I mean I did know but I didn’t. I knew Kimberly didn’t like you being on the force and all, not after that one time where you almost died. The night after you were moved from ICU she came to my office and demanded that I quit deliberately putting your life on the line whenever you came to my rescue. I tried to explain that those times were unintentional but I could tell that she didn’t believe me."

Dan smiled a little at the thought of his petite wife chewing out the top cop of the islands.

*****

McGarrett was the one who had introduced him to Kimberly. He had been a good friend of her mother’s and just before she died of cancer, she had made the Five-0 Chief promise to watch over her headstrong daughter. When he introduced Dan to Kimberly it hadn’t been his intentions for his second-in-command to fall in love, but it happened anyway.

At first Dan and Kimberly only dated. Neither of them wanted a serious commitment at the time, Dan because of his work and Kimberley because of her career in teaching. Each of them simply enjoyed each other’s company. But McGarrett could see that it had turned into something much more than that.

After Dan’s last bad wipe out, he had given up surfing altogether at Kimberly’s request. Instead he spent more time with her doing things they could do together, such as tennis or an occasional round of golf with McGarrett.

Soon their love bloomed full. McGarrett loaned them his boat for their honeymoon, which they spent just off the coast of Kauai. He had stocked the ship with all the provisions they needed for the week they would be gone.

It wasn’t until months later that McGarrett and Kimberly started to butt heads over the dangers of the office. She couldn’t understand why Dan had to be in the line of fire so much and felt that McGarrett could have delegated that type of work to another detective in the office or to let HPD handle that segment of the case.

The disagreement escalated to a heated shouting match after Dan sustained a small non-life threatening injury after they were married. By then Kimberly was confirmed pregnant with their first child, who would be named Daniel Stephen Williams, Jr. Unfortunately the strain of her pregnancy caused some serious health problems and she was forced to quit her job.

Sensing some unrest in Dan, McGarrett had tried on several occasions to discuss the problem with him. He even had him go to a psychologist.

Kimberly had notified him when the doctors released Dan. The tension between the two men was tight. No one said a word as McGarrett drove the two to their home. Dan was too tired still to stay up for very long, so McGarrett said his good-byes and left. It was two weeks later that he received a call from Dan. Since he was still on disability, Kimberly and he decided to fly to New Jersey to visit her parents. It was during that time that Kimberly apparently convinced Dan to quit Five-0 and to accept a teaching position at Brown University.

*****

Very loud and harsh voices emanated from room 302 and could be heard all the way down the hall to the nurses’ station. Perturbed by the noise, Nurse De La Croix stepped into the room just in time to hear Dan’s emotional reply.

"Steve, look. I know my leaving left you in a lurch, but I had had it. Call it job burn out if you want, but I couldn’t take it anymore. Something had to give."

McGarrett’s emotions were going crazy now more so than ever. He didn’t know whether to be mad or sad as he allowed his Irish temper to flare. "You could have talked to me. Things could have been worked out," he shouted.

"No Steve. I had told you before what I would do if you pulled another stunt like you did before, but you didn’t listen. You didn’t listen to anyone, not me, not Duke and not even the Governor. You didn’t know then how to back down when needed and I felt like you didn’t trust me and Duke any more. I couldn’t continue to work under those situations."

"I trusted you. I trusted the both of you," shouted McGarrett, his monitor going crazy now from his heightened emotional state.

"Mr. McGarrett. You are going to have to settle down or I’m going to have to sedate you," said Nurse De Le Croix after she pushed the alarm button off.

"I AM calm Nurse," McGarrett yelled back at her, his temper rising from the heat of the debate.

"Not according to your monitor, Mr. McGarrett," Nurse De Le Croix said admonishingly. She hadn’t had such a stubborn patient in quite some time and he was beginning to get on her nerves.

Duke Lukela walked in just as McGarrett yelled at the nurse. "I see the old Steve is back making trouble for the nurses again."

Both Dan and Nurse De Le Croix grinned as they held a hand up to their mouths in the attempt to stifle a laughter threatening to burst forth. Even Duke smiled at it.

"So what if I am?" McGarrett said condescendingly. His temper had started to level off by now when he realized everyone was onto his game and that he had managed to awaken Mike.

"Gee, what does a guy have to do to get some rest?" asked Mike sleepily repositioning the height on his bed.

Nurse De Le Croix excused herself when she saw that her three patients were okay. Laughingly the four men began to talk all at once about their nurse and Dan’s return. McGarrett laid back listening and conversing with his friends as they reminisce about the years they were on the Five-0 force.

"Did Dan really do that to Steve?" inquired Mike caught up in one of Dan’s tales about a case from long ago.

"Yep," said Duke with a quirky looking smile. "When Steve punched him in the mouth I thought for sure Dan was going to lock him up and throw away the key."

"Steve had gone under ground on one of his ‘spy’ type of cases without informing anyone in the office. Your dad and I had that case almost cracked when it happened," Dan told him with a smile.

"If I remember right, we had received a tip about the drug deal going down on the docks. We called for some back up and surrounded the area. What we got was Steve and another man." Dan unconsciously rubbed his jaw where Steve had hit him during the fight back then.

"Your jaw would have been a perfect match for your current bruise, if I remember right," McGarrett said.

"Yeah it was but I got you back. I got to slap on the handcuffs onto the ‘great’ Steve McGarrett," replied Dan, his eyes sparked at that memory. "It was right after that that Steve introduced me to Kimberly."

"That was probably the best and the worse thing I could have done," replied McGarrett.

"How do you figure that Steve?" asked Duke. He always thought that Kimberly was the best thing that could have happened to his young friend.

"I don’t mean it disrespectfully Duke, but that it sort of was the beginning of the end of Danno working for Five-0."

"Kimberly wasn’t the sole reason why I left Steve," Dan said a bit defensively.

"I know that…" McGarrett shot back getting a bit uptight now. He wasn’t use to explaining his feelings to anyone and felt cornered.

"I think I know what Steve is referring to Dan," Mike said breaking in. "He feels that if he hadn’t introduced you to Kimberly that you would have stayed longer with Five-0. But he also feels that Kimberly was the best thing that ever happened to you too."

"Exactly Danno. I do understand why you chose to leave, but if I hadn’t introduced you to her, you might have stayed on longer. And you have to admit, we made one hell of a team."

The monitor over McGarrett’s bed was once again sounding off, as was the one over Dan’s. The tension in the room was becoming thick once more.

"Look you two, you both need to settle down," Mike told them.

"Yeah, or that nurse will come back in and carry out her threat," Duke reminded them.

No sooner did he say that then Nurse De La Croix walked back into the room. She stopped at the foot of Mike’s bed and crossed her arms in front of her. The look she gave the men told them she wasn’t happy.

"I’m sorry sir, but you’re going to have to leave. These men need their rest," she told Duke uncrossing her arms to hold the door open for him.

The look on her face told Duke she wasn’t going to relent. "I’ll come back tomorrow, if that’s okay with you nurse."

"Tomorrow will be fine," she told him with a smile. "Visiting hours start at 9 AM." Smiling and waving to his friends Duke left. "Okay gentlemen, visiting hours are over. It is time for all three of you to get some sleep."

"And what if we’re not sleepy?" Dan asked her. He actually was tired but didn’t like being told when he would sleep.

"If you’re having problems sleeping I can get something for you," Annette told him turning off his monitor’s alarm.

Dan looked up at her and started to say something but didn’t. He looked over at Mike, his eyes pleading for his help; but all Mike would do was to shake his head and imitated a zipper being drawn across his lips.

"Chicken," Dan said getting a vigorous nod from the other bed.

"And as for you Mr. McGarrett, I told you once before what I’d do if you didn’t settle down," Annette told him.

"Is that a threat?"

"No, a promise," she told him stabbing at the alarm button, silencing the din. "I’ve heard how you can be difficult and I won’t put up with it. So you have a choice, be quiet and get some rest, of I’ll help you achieve that need." Standing next to his bed, she crossed arms and gave him a ‘don’t cross the line’ type of look.

McGarrett looked at Dan and Mike, trying to elicit their help. Mike cleared his throat and got an instant ‘I dare you’ stare from her.

"Uh…" Dan started to say.

"Hush," she told him sternly, pointing her finger at him then watch him slid deeper into his bed bringing his covers up to his chin in surrender.

"Look, you don’t…" McGarrett began.

With her hands on her hips, Nurse De Le Croix quickly turned back around to her problem patient. "I said HUSH."

McGarrett quickly closed his mouth but then started to say something again until he saw the determination in her eyes. Shutting his mouth once more, he laid his head back onto the pillow raising both hands surrendering to her will.

Nurse De Le Croix looked over at Mike and then Dan before looking back down at McGarrett. A smirky smile appeared on her face as she recrossed her arms and rocked on her heals. "Gee, I finally got in the last word."

PAU

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