Steve/Danny: pre-slash/angst/h.c Yesterday When I Was Young, part 3 of 4
Title: Yesterday when I was young, part 3 of 4
Pairings: Steve/Danny
Genre: pre-slash/angst/h.c.
Rating: 14+ for language
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: Danny’s attempt to try to be more young and carefree ends in disaster.
Word Count: 3,655
Author's note: How did this thing get so long?
Yesterday When I Was Young, part 3
Steve woke early the next morning with a shaft of sunlight shining on his face. The SEAL sighed tiredly and rubbed his face before climbing out of the cot the hospital staff had set up for him. It wasn’t the most uncomfortable thing he’d ever slept on before but as usual, it was too short for him and his feet hung off the end.
He folded the blanket that someone must have placed over him in the night then walked to Danny’s bed and looked down at his injured friend. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor through night gave him the comfort of knowing Danny was still alive which allowed him to snatch a few hours of sleep.
Steve picked up Danny’s warm, limp hand and held it both of his. He was pleased to see that some colour had returned to his friend’s face and although he was still pale, he was no longer the sickly grey he had been last night.
“Morning Danno,” Steve spoke quietly as he reached out one hand to push a lock of hair from his partner’s forehead. “How are you today? Are you feeling better? You look better.”
Steve didn’t expect any answers while Danny was so heavily medicated but he knew that it was possible Danny could hear him. Besides, it made Steve feel better.
“I talked to Rachel and she’ll bring Grace by after school. Gracie is worried about you but I told her you were a tough guy and you’d be fine. I reminded her that Danno loves her of course.”
Steve continued holding one of Danny’s hands while the other rested on his partner’s shoulder.
“You scared me last night babe,” The SEAL whispered hoarsely. “I thought you were dead and I…” Steve’s voice faded away and he had to drop his head to his chest for a moment while he collected himself. He looked up at his friend once more.
“Danny I…we’ve never really talked about it…this…us. Maybe there is no “us” for you but…I think there is for me.”
The Commander released a strained, frustrated laugh.
“If you were awake you’d be giving me shit about not using my words and calling me a Neanderthal.”
Steve shifted nervously on his feet and clutched Danny’s hand a little harder.
“It’s just…I’m not very good at this but…I feel like, maybe we belong together and maybe we should try it…you know…being a couple and stuff.”
Steve blushed and chewed his bottom lip nervously for a moment.
“I’ve never been half of a couple with a man - or a woman for that matter - never dated anyone long enough. And I didn’t think I’d ever want to, you know, live with another guy but I think I’d like to try it with you…if you want. ”
Steve shook his head in disgust. He really wasn’t good with his words, Danny was right about that.
He began to say something more when the hospital room door opened and Chin poked his head in. Steve gestured for him to enter and the Hawaiian detective came up to the bed and leaned over Danny’s still unconscious form placing a warm hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Hey Danny,” he murmured quietly. “Good to see you brah. Hurry up and get well ok?”
Chin straightened up and looked at Steve worriedly.
“How is he?”
Steve nodded and forced a small smile to his face.
“The doctors say he’s doing well. They say he’s a stubborn bastard so they expect him to wake up and be loud and annoying very soon.”
Chin grinned and looked back down at his injured friend.
“Lucky you can’t talk right now Danny, you’d be ranting at Steve for that huh?”
Steve’s smile faded a bit and he looked down sadly at his friend.
“I think I’d love to hear a rant right now,” he whispered.
The Hawaiian detective nodded in understanding then gestured for Steve to move to the far side of the room so they could talk quietly.
“Anything new?” Steve asked as soon as he and Chin were far enough away from Danny.
“We have a fairly good sketch of the woman seen with Danny,” he dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded paper. Steve unfolded it and looked down at the sweet-faced girl. He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.
“She looks like she should be on the cheerleading squad.” The Commander looked over at his unconscious partner in surprise (and maybe a little jealousy), “I can’t see Danny going off with someone so young.”
“I can’t either and Kono and Lori agree with me. Maybe she convinced him she needed help or something.”
“Maybe,” Steve replied quietly before looking back at the older man.
“Anything else?”
Chin nodded again and pulled out his iPhone to consult it a moment.
“Lori checked with HPD and they’ve received a couple of complaints over the last two months from tourists saying that they met a young woman in a bar and she lured them to a secluded location where two or three men attacked and robbed them.”
Steve felt a knot of anger twist in his gut.
“Why the hell haven’t we heard about this?” he hissed angrily. “The tourist trade is Hawaii’s life-blood. If there’s a gang out there…”
Chin lifted his hand, palm-out to stop Steve’s flow of words.
“None of the men would agree to file an official report they just called the HPD complaint line. It sounds like they were both pretty embarrassed and one was married. Anyway, HPD checked around the bars on Ewa Beach but couldn’t dig up anything about the incidents so they dropped it.”
Steve forced himself to calm down.
“Was Danny the only one hurt?”
“The others reported a few cuts and bruises.”
Steve sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair.
“So Danny goes into a bar for a drink and stumbles across this gang? And he calls me a trouble magnet?
Chin smirked and glanced over to the bed before looking back at Steve.
“I’ve distributed this girl’s picture to HPD and asked the patrol units to be on the lookout for her.”
“Good. Check with the other bars on that beach to see if she’s been in them and if they have any more information.”
The Hawaiian detective nodded and pocketed his iPhone.
“Kono and Lori are doing that but Steve I’m thinking the only way to catch these people might be to set up a sting in a few of the bars.”
“Send in a couple of undercover cops out dressed like tourists and see if she latches onto any of them?”
Chin nodded and Steve considered the idea.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Will you coordinate with HPD and set that up Chin?”
“I will.” Chin examined his boss critically for a moment. “You look exhausted brah. I would suggest you go home for a while but I know I’d be wasting my breath.”
Steve refolded the sketch Chin had given him and stuffed it into one of the pockets of his cargo pants.
“I’m ok. I slept for a while on that cot.”
“Not that much though I’m betting,” replied Chin gently.
Steve looked up at his friend with solemn eyes.
“I can’t leave him yet Chin. I have to be here when he wakes up. I need to be sure he’s ok.”
The Hawaiian man nodded in understanding and gripped Steve’s upper arm for a moment before letting it go.
“I understand but call us if you need anything alright? Any one of us will happily come and sit with him.”
Steve smiled slightly. “Yeah, I will. Thanks.”
**********
Danny blinked his eyes open a couple of hours later and Steve was leaning over his bed, his face inches from Danny’s before the detective even had time to focus. The smaller man looked up at the worried eyes of his partner, noted the shadows and the messy hair and figured whatever happened to him had been bad.
“Hey Danny, welcome back,” Steve grinned at his friend.
“St--“Danny tried but his mouth felt like it was stuffed with sawdust. Steve spoon fed him a few ice chips and the detective closed his eyes in relieved bliss for a moment.
“Wha hpnd?”
“You were beaten and stabbed last night partner. Do you remember anything?”
The blonde man’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment.
“Went…went to a bar.”
The SEAL nodded encouragingly.
“Met…a girl.”
Steve pulled the sketch out of his pocket and held it up for Danny to see.
“This girl?”
Danny squinted for a moment before nodding slightly.
“Emma.”
“Did she give you her last name?” Steve prompted gently but Danny shook his head and slowly closed his eyes.
“What happened after that Danny?”
The blonde man’s eyes blinked open again.
“Umm…danced for a while then…out on the beach…to talk.”
“Did you…” Steve really didn’t want to hear the answer to this question - for a number of reasons. “We’re you going to go home with her Danny?”
The detective glared at his partner.
“She’s…just a kid.”
Steve smiled in relief and nodded.
“Is she the one who got you so far away from the bar?”
Danny licked his dry lips and squinted as if trying to dredge up the memory.
“She…asked me to… walk her home,” He replied, his voice fading as tiredness overcame him.
“She lives nearby?” asked Steve urgently knowing that Danny was fading fast and needing to get as much information as possible.
“Said she…lived on beach…tent…”
Danny’s breathing evened out and Steve knew he was asleep. The Commander pulled out his phone and texted the latest information to Chin asking him to begin searching the small tent encampments that sometimes dotted the island. It was unlikely that the girl’s name really was Emma or that they would find her that easily but criminals tended to be stupid and Steve could only hope this group was too.
**********
“Okay we’re looking for a young woman in her early 20’s who calls herself Emma. As you can see from the sketches she has shoulder-length, curly brown hair and green eyes. She’s very small - about five feet tall - and has a slim build.”
Chin was briefing the HPD officers who would be going undercover at a variety of bars on Ewa Beach as well as the officers who would provide them back up. The undercover cops were decked out in standard tourist clothing - bright colours or loud patterned shirts - and either shorts or khakis. They were of course all men.
Officer Simmons, who would be undercover at the bar where Danny had been the previous night, put up his hand.
“Lieutenant, do we know if she’s at the bars every night or if it’s a hit and miss kind of thing.”
“We don’t really know much of anything at all,” supplied Chin as he paced in front of the officers. “The bartender we spoke to who actually recognized Emma said she comes in every few nights. It’s possible she only does this a few times a week or it’s possible she is at different bars each night.
Chin looked over at Lori and nodded. The blonde officer stepped forward to address the assembled team.
“This woman chooses her marks carefully. She finds men who are alone - usually sitting at the bar - and who appear to be tourists. Detective Williams, as most of you know, tends to dress in business wear so she probably pegged him as not local. She’s obviously very charming and can appear quite innocent. She was able to fool a highly skilled, experienced detective into going with her so it’s important for each of you to seem as wide-open and naïve as possible so she will approach you. She’ll be on her guard - especially after finding out one of the men she trapped was a police officer - so if you meet her just play along, don’t do anything to rouse her suspicious, understood?”
The officers nodded as Chin spoke up again.
“It’s possible that she will lay low for a while and none of you will meet up with her but we have to give this a try and we will keep trying until they are caught.”
Chin paused to see if there were any questions.
“Okay, be at your assigned spots at 8 p.m. tonight. Make sure you do a radio check before you enter the bars and check in here every hour. Good hunting all of you.”
The assorted men and women nodded at Chin and Lori and turned to amble out of the 5-0 offices discussing the case among themselves.
“What do you think?” asked Lori walking over to stand beside Chin.
“I think that if she comes back tonight she’d the stupidest person on the earth. I also think none of us have had much sleep in 24 hours. We’ve got a couple of hours till the operation begins. Let’s head home and grab a nap.”
Lori sighed gratefully.
“I’m glad you said that I’m dead on my feet.”
**********
Steve looked up from the book he was reading at Danny’s bedside to see Kono step quietly into the room. Danny was still asleep so Steve soundlessly motioned to her to come near the bed.
The young officer walked over slowly and stopped a couple of feet away from Danny’s bedside wringing her hands nervously and staring at the injured man as if he were an apparition. Steve’s heart broke for the troubled officer who he knew was struggling with feelings of guilt. He got up from his chair and moved to stand beside her.
“He’s doing much better,” the Commander whispered encouragingly. “He’s been awake and talking a few times and he even visited with Grace for a while after school. Doc says she’s pleased with his progress.”
Kono nodded in acknowledgement but her wide eyes were bright with unshed tears and it was obvious she couldn’t speak at the moment. Steve knew the only thing that would help her would be to talk to Danny.
“Hey, will you do me a favour?” Steve asked softly. “I’ve been sitting here all day and I really need some fresh air. Will you sit with him for an hour or two? I’d like to run home and have a swim and change my clothes.”
Kono looked up at him anxiously for a moment as if she wanted to argue then nodded almost reluctantly. Steve patted her on the shoulder and quickly left the room before she could change her mind. Kono stood looking at Danny for another few moments before walking around the bed and sitting in the chair Steve had vacated. She reached out tentatively and took Danny’s uninjured right hand in hers.
**********
Danny woke up in a hospital room that was dimmer than the last time he was awake and he assumed it was evening. He had no idea how long he’d slept but he knew he was sick of lying in bed and hoped he’d soon be allowed to get up and at least sit in a freaking chair for a while.
The detective looked over the side of the bed looking for Super SEAL in his usual spot and was surprised to see a pale, drawn Kono occupying the room’s only chair. The young woman was sitting quietly, eyes downcast and Danny wondered for a moment if he was terribly sick and no one had found the courage to tell him.
“Hey,” Danny whispered his voice rough from lack of use.
Kono jerked her head up and met his eyes with the most forced looking smile he’d ever seen.
“Hey,” she replied nervously. “How are you? Do you need some water?”
Danny smiled back and nodded. The young woman picked up the glass near the bedside table and with shaking hands, held the straw up to Danny’s mouth so he could drink. When he was done he sighed with relief and nodded his thanks.
“Any leads on who attacked me?” Danny asked when it became obvious he was going to have to lead off the conversation.
Kono cleared her throat. “Sort of. We have the sketch of the girl that you’ve seen but we haven’t had any sightings of her. We’ve set up a sting in a half dozen bars on Ewa Beach so we’re hoping that she’ll pick up another victim and we’ll catch her.”
Danny nodded and shifted on the bed trying to get more comfortable.
“Sounds like a good plan.”
He paused for a moment and distractedly picked a thread off the blanket covering him. “I suppose the HPD guys are having a good laugh about all of this; the dumb loud-mouthed haole picking up some young girl in a bar then getting beaten up by her friends?”
Kono took a step closer to the bed and put her hand over Danny’s.
“Everyone knows you just went to the bar for a drink and that you turned down the girl’s offer. All the cops are upset about what happened to you and are determined to catch these bastards.”
Danny looked up at the Hawaiian woman and felt his heart stutter in his chest when he saw how devastated she looked.
“Danny I…” Kono began, her voice cracking and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”
The detective turned his hand over and wrapped his fingers around Kono’s hand.
“Hey, hey, you’re not responsible for what happened. Like you said I went into the bar for a drink and got caught up in a mess. That’s not your fault.”
The young woman shook her head angrily and wiped her face with her free hand.
“No, you’re wrong. I am responsible. I said all those stupid, ignorant things about you in the staff room and you overhead and that made you go to that bar.”
“Kono,” Danny’s voice was low and soothing. “I did hear what you said and it did hurt my feelings a bit but it was my choice to go into that bar and really, it shouldn’t have been a big deal. I should have been able to have a drink or two and leave without any trouble.”
Danny paused for a moment and his mouth twitched with a suppressed smile.
“Actually I blame this all on Steve. His trouble magnet tendencies are starting to spread to me.”
Kono gave a watery smile and Danny grinned at her until her smile faded and she looked away from him again, her beautiful face shadowed with guilt.
“Danny, I need you to know I didn’t mean those things I said. I was being arrogant and acting like I had it all figured out. I’ve always been awed by your abilities as a police officer and I figured I would show you how great I am. But I’m not great, not yet anyway, and if someday I’m half the cop you are I’ll be satisfied.”
The blonde man squeezed his friend’s hand and gave her a grateful smile.
“Thanks kid, that’s nice of you to say but I have no doubt you’ll be a much better cop than me someday.”
Kono shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t think so. I’m too arrogant and full of myself.”
“Kono, you’re young. You’re new on the job. Lots of new cops act that way when they first start out. When I first started in Newark…” Danny’s voice faded away and he blushed and dropped his eyes when he realized he was doing it again - he was lecturing.
The detective looked up when Kono tugged on his hand.
“Please Danny I want to hear the story. Please.”
The detective shrugged slightly.
“Well, I was just going to say that after I’d been on the job for a few months I was starting to think I was pretty hot stuff with my gun and my badge and my patrol car. I started to think I had it all figured out and really didn’t have anything more to learn from my training officer.”
Danny shifted again on the bed. Telling this story always made him feel like an jerk no matter how many years had passed.
“One day I pulled over this kid for some minor traffic violation…didn’t come to a complete stop at a stop sign or something. Anyway this boy was like 16 years old and had just gotten his driver’s license. I decided I would show him what a hard-assed tough guy I was and I…I yelled at him for being a bad driver and…” Danny dropped his eyes to the blanket and bit his bottom lip, “he started to cry.”
Danny paused for a moment, feeling the guilt of that time wash over him again.
“At that moment I realized what an insufferable asshole I was being. I apologized to him and talked to him for a while until he calmed down. I never behaved like that again.”
Danny looked back up at Kono and squeezed her hand.
“Being a cop isn’t about being a tough guy or kicking ass or throwing your weight around. It’s about helping people, talking to them, listening to them, keeping them safe. You already do that Kono. You’re terrific with people. You’re a terrific cop. You just need to remember that as cops we never stop learning - especially from each other. We can never let ourselves believe we have all the answers. That’s a dangerous mindset to get into.”
Kono smiled and nodded gratefully.
“I hear you Danny.”
The detective gave her a weak smile and sank back tiredly into the mattress. All of the talking had drained him completely.
Kono straighten and tucked the blankets around her friend and patted him on the shoulder.
“Get some sleep ok? I’ll be right here watching out for you.”
Danny’s eyes slowly closed and he smiled again.
“Thanks kid.”
Yesterday When I Was Young 4
Pairings: Steve/Danny
Genre: pre-slash/angst/h.c.
Rating: 14+ for language
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Summary: Danny’s attempt to try to be more young and carefree ends in disaster.
Word Count: 3,655
Author's note: How did this thing get so long?
Yesterday When I Was Young, part 3
Steve woke early the next morning with a shaft of sunlight shining on his face. The SEAL sighed tiredly and rubbed his face before climbing out of the cot the hospital staff had set up for him. It wasn’t the most uncomfortable thing he’d ever slept on before but as usual, it was too short for him and his feet hung off the end.
He folded the blanket that someone must have placed over him in the night then walked to Danny’s bed and looked down at his injured friend. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor through night gave him the comfort of knowing Danny was still alive which allowed him to snatch a few hours of sleep.
Steve picked up Danny’s warm, limp hand and held it both of his. He was pleased to see that some colour had returned to his friend’s face and although he was still pale, he was no longer the sickly grey he had been last night.
“Morning Danno,” Steve spoke quietly as he reached out one hand to push a lock of hair from his partner’s forehead. “How are you today? Are you feeling better? You look better.”
Steve didn’t expect any answers while Danny was so heavily medicated but he knew that it was possible Danny could hear him. Besides, it made Steve feel better.
“I talked to Rachel and she’ll bring Grace by after school. Gracie is worried about you but I told her you were a tough guy and you’d be fine. I reminded her that Danno loves her of course.”
Steve continued holding one of Danny’s hands while the other rested on his partner’s shoulder.
“You scared me last night babe,” The SEAL whispered hoarsely. “I thought you were dead and I…” Steve’s voice faded away and he had to drop his head to his chest for a moment while he collected himself. He looked up at his friend once more.
“Danny I…we’ve never really talked about it…this…us. Maybe there is no “us” for you but…I think there is for me.”
The Commander released a strained, frustrated laugh.
“If you were awake you’d be giving me shit about not using my words and calling me a Neanderthal.”
Steve shifted nervously on his feet and clutched Danny’s hand a little harder.
“It’s just…I’m not very good at this but…I feel like, maybe we belong together and maybe we should try it…you know…being a couple and stuff.”
Steve blushed and chewed his bottom lip nervously for a moment.
“I’ve never been half of a couple with a man - or a woman for that matter - never dated anyone long enough. And I didn’t think I’d ever want to, you know, live with another guy but I think I’d like to try it with you…if you want. ”
Steve shook his head in disgust. He really wasn’t good with his words, Danny was right about that.
He began to say something more when the hospital room door opened and Chin poked his head in. Steve gestured for him to enter and the Hawaiian detective came up to the bed and leaned over Danny’s still unconscious form placing a warm hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Hey Danny,” he murmured quietly. “Good to see you brah. Hurry up and get well ok?”
Chin straightened up and looked at Steve worriedly.
“How is he?”
Steve nodded and forced a small smile to his face.
“The doctors say he’s doing well. They say he’s a stubborn bastard so they expect him to wake up and be loud and annoying very soon.”
Chin grinned and looked back down at his injured friend.
“Lucky you can’t talk right now Danny, you’d be ranting at Steve for that huh?”
Steve’s smile faded a bit and he looked down sadly at his friend.
“I think I’d love to hear a rant right now,” he whispered.
The Hawaiian detective nodded in understanding then gestured for Steve to move to the far side of the room so they could talk quietly.
“Anything new?” Steve asked as soon as he and Chin were far enough away from Danny.
“We have a fairly good sketch of the woman seen with Danny,” he dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded paper. Steve unfolded it and looked down at the sweet-faced girl. He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.
“She looks like she should be on the cheerleading squad.” The Commander looked over at his unconscious partner in surprise (and maybe a little jealousy), “I can’t see Danny going off with someone so young.”
“I can’t either and Kono and Lori agree with me. Maybe she convinced him she needed help or something.”
“Maybe,” Steve replied quietly before looking back at the older man.
“Anything else?”
Chin nodded again and pulled out his iPhone to consult it a moment.
“Lori checked with HPD and they’ve received a couple of complaints over the last two months from tourists saying that they met a young woman in a bar and she lured them to a secluded location where two or three men attacked and robbed them.”
Steve felt a knot of anger twist in his gut.
“Why the hell haven’t we heard about this?” he hissed angrily. “The tourist trade is Hawaii’s life-blood. If there’s a gang out there…”
Chin lifted his hand, palm-out to stop Steve’s flow of words.
“None of the men would agree to file an official report they just called the HPD complaint line. It sounds like they were both pretty embarrassed and one was married. Anyway, HPD checked around the bars on Ewa Beach but couldn’t dig up anything about the incidents so they dropped it.”
Steve forced himself to calm down.
“Was Danny the only one hurt?”
“The others reported a few cuts and bruises.”
Steve sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair.
“So Danny goes into a bar for a drink and stumbles across this gang? And he calls me a trouble magnet?
Chin smirked and glanced over to the bed before looking back at Steve.
“I’ve distributed this girl’s picture to HPD and asked the patrol units to be on the lookout for her.”
“Good. Check with the other bars on that beach to see if she’s been in them and if they have any more information.”
The Hawaiian detective nodded and pocketed his iPhone.
“Kono and Lori are doing that but Steve I’m thinking the only way to catch these people might be to set up a sting in a few of the bars.”
“Send in a couple of undercover cops out dressed like tourists and see if she latches onto any of them?”
Chin nodded and Steve considered the idea.
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Will you coordinate with HPD and set that up Chin?”
“I will.” Chin examined his boss critically for a moment. “You look exhausted brah. I would suggest you go home for a while but I know I’d be wasting my breath.”
Steve refolded the sketch Chin had given him and stuffed it into one of the pockets of his cargo pants.
“I’m ok. I slept for a while on that cot.”
“Not that much though I’m betting,” replied Chin gently.
Steve looked up at his friend with solemn eyes.
“I can’t leave him yet Chin. I have to be here when he wakes up. I need to be sure he’s ok.”
The Hawaiian man nodded in understanding and gripped Steve’s upper arm for a moment before letting it go.
“I understand but call us if you need anything alright? Any one of us will happily come and sit with him.”
Steve smiled slightly. “Yeah, I will. Thanks.”
**********
Danny blinked his eyes open a couple of hours later and Steve was leaning over his bed, his face inches from Danny’s before the detective even had time to focus. The smaller man looked up at the worried eyes of his partner, noted the shadows and the messy hair and figured whatever happened to him had been bad.
“Hey Danny, welcome back,” Steve grinned at his friend.
“St--“Danny tried but his mouth felt like it was stuffed with sawdust. Steve spoon fed him a few ice chips and the detective closed his eyes in relieved bliss for a moment.
“Wha hpnd?”
“You were beaten and stabbed last night partner. Do you remember anything?”
The blonde man’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a moment.
“Went…went to a bar.”
The SEAL nodded encouragingly.
“Met…a girl.”
Steve pulled the sketch out of his pocket and held it up for Danny to see.
“This girl?”
Danny squinted for a moment before nodding slightly.
“Emma.”
“Did she give you her last name?” Steve prompted gently but Danny shook his head and slowly closed his eyes.
“What happened after that Danny?”
The blonde man’s eyes blinked open again.
“Umm…danced for a while then…out on the beach…to talk.”
“Did you…” Steve really didn’t want to hear the answer to this question - for a number of reasons. “We’re you going to go home with her Danny?”
The detective glared at his partner.
“She’s…just a kid.”
Steve smiled in relief and nodded.
“Is she the one who got you so far away from the bar?”
Danny licked his dry lips and squinted as if trying to dredge up the memory.
“She…asked me to… walk her home,” He replied, his voice fading as tiredness overcame him.
“She lives nearby?” asked Steve urgently knowing that Danny was fading fast and needing to get as much information as possible.
“Said she…lived on beach…tent…”
Danny’s breathing evened out and Steve knew he was asleep. The Commander pulled out his phone and texted the latest information to Chin asking him to begin searching the small tent encampments that sometimes dotted the island. It was unlikely that the girl’s name really was Emma or that they would find her that easily but criminals tended to be stupid and Steve could only hope this group was too.
**********
“Okay we’re looking for a young woman in her early 20’s who calls herself Emma. As you can see from the sketches she has shoulder-length, curly brown hair and green eyes. She’s very small - about five feet tall - and has a slim build.”
Chin was briefing the HPD officers who would be going undercover at a variety of bars on Ewa Beach as well as the officers who would provide them back up. The undercover cops were decked out in standard tourist clothing - bright colours or loud patterned shirts - and either shorts or khakis. They were of course all men.
Officer Simmons, who would be undercover at the bar where Danny had been the previous night, put up his hand.
“Lieutenant, do we know if she’s at the bars every night or if it’s a hit and miss kind of thing.”
“We don’t really know much of anything at all,” supplied Chin as he paced in front of the officers. “The bartender we spoke to who actually recognized Emma said she comes in every few nights. It’s possible she only does this a few times a week or it’s possible she is at different bars each night.
Chin looked over at Lori and nodded. The blonde officer stepped forward to address the assembled team.
“This woman chooses her marks carefully. She finds men who are alone - usually sitting at the bar - and who appear to be tourists. Detective Williams, as most of you know, tends to dress in business wear so she probably pegged him as not local. She’s obviously very charming and can appear quite innocent. She was able to fool a highly skilled, experienced detective into going with her so it’s important for each of you to seem as wide-open and naïve as possible so she will approach you. She’ll be on her guard - especially after finding out one of the men she trapped was a police officer - so if you meet her just play along, don’t do anything to rouse her suspicious, understood?”
The officers nodded as Chin spoke up again.
“It’s possible that she will lay low for a while and none of you will meet up with her but we have to give this a try and we will keep trying until they are caught.”
Chin paused to see if there were any questions.
“Okay, be at your assigned spots at 8 p.m. tonight. Make sure you do a radio check before you enter the bars and check in here every hour. Good hunting all of you.”
The assorted men and women nodded at Chin and Lori and turned to amble out of the 5-0 offices discussing the case among themselves.
“What do you think?” asked Lori walking over to stand beside Chin.
“I think that if she comes back tonight she’d the stupidest person on the earth. I also think none of us have had much sleep in 24 hours. We’ve got a couple of hours till the operation begins. Let’s head home and grab a nap.”
Lori sighed gratefully.
“I’m glad you said that I’m dead on my feet.”
**********
Steve looked up from the book he was reading at Danny’s bedside to see Kono step quietly into the room. Danny was still asleep so Steve soundlessly motioned to her to come near the bed.
The young officer walked over slowly and stopped a couple of feet away from Danny’s bedside wringing her hands nervously and staring at the injured man as if he were an apparition. Steve’s heart broke for the troubled officer who he knew was struggling with feelings of guilt. He got up from his chair and moved to stand beside her.
“He’s doing much better,” the Commander whispered encouragingly. “He’s been awake and talking a few times and he even visited with Grace for a while after school. Doc says she’s pleased with his progress.”
Kono nodded in acknowledgement but her wide eyes were bright with unshed tears and it was obvious she couldn’t speak at the moment. Steve knew the only thing that would help her would be to talk to Danny.
“Hey, will you do me a favour?” Steve asked softly. “I’ve been sitting here all day and I really need some fresh air. Will you sit with him for an hour or two? I’d like to run home and have a swim and change my clothes.”
Kono looked up at him anxiously for a moment as if she wanted to argue then nodded almost reluctantly. Steve patted her on the shoulder and quickly left the room before she could change her mind. Kono stood looking at Danny for another few moments before walking around the bed and sitting in the chair Steve had vacated. She reached out tentatively and took Danny’s uninjured right hand in hers.
**********
Danny woke up in a hospital room that was dimmer than the last time he was awake and he assumed it was evening. He had no idea how long he’d slept but he knew he was sick of lying in bed and hoped he’d soon be allowed to get up and at least sit in a freaking chair for a while.
The detective looked over the side of the bed looking for Super SEAL in his usual spot and was surprised to see a pale, drawn Kono occupying the room’s only chair. The young woman was sitting quietly, eyes downcast and Danny wondered for a moment if he was terribly sick and no one had found the courage to tell him.
“Hey,” Danny whispered his voice rough from lack of use.
Kono jerked her head up and met his eyes with the most forced looking smile he’d ever seen.
“Hey,” she replied nervously. “How are you? Do you need some water?”
Danny smiled back and nodded. The young woman picked up the glass near the bedside table and with shaking hands, held the straw up to Danny’s mouth so he could drink. When he was done he sighed with relief and nodded his thanks.
“Any leads on who attacked me?” Danny asked when it became obvious he was going to have to lead off the conversation.
Kono cleared her throat. “Sort of. We have the sketch of the girl that you’ve seen but we haven’t had any sightings of her. We’ve set up a sting in a half dozen bars on Ewa Beach so we’re hoping that she’ll pick up another victim and we’ll catch her.”
Danny nodded and shifted on the bed trying to get more comfortable.
“Sounds like a good plan.”
He paused for a moment and distractedly picked a thread off the blanket covering him. “I suppose the HPD guys are having a good laugh about all of this; the dumb loud-mouthed haole picking up some young girl in a bar then getting beaten up by her friends?”
Kono took a step closer to the bed and put her hand over Danny’s.
“Everyone knows you just went to the bar for a drink and that you turned down the girl’s offer. All the cops are upset about what happened to you and are determined to catch these bastards.”
Danny looked up at the Hawaiian woman and felt his heart stutter in his chest when he saw how devastated she looked.
“Danny I…” Kono began, her voice cracking and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”
The detective turned his hand over and wrapped his fingers around Kono’s hand.
“Hey, hey, you’re not responsible for what happened. Like you said I went into the bar for a drink and got caught up in a mess. That’s not your fault.”
The young woman shook her head angrily and wiped her face with her free hand.
“No, you’re wrong. I am responsible. I said all those stupid, ignorant things about you in the staff room and you overhead and that made you go to that bar.”
“Kono,” Danny’s voice was low and soothing. “I did hear what you said and it did hurt my feelings a bit but it was my choice to go into that bar and really, it shouldn’t have been a big deal. I should have been able to have a drink or two and leave without any trouble.”
Danny paused for a moment and his mouth twitched with a suppressed smile.
“Actually I blame this all on Steve. His trouble magnet tendencies are starting to spread to me.”
Kono gave a watery smile and Danny grinned at her until her smile faded and she looked away from him again, her beautiful face shadowed with guilt.
“Danny, I need you to know I didn’t mean those things I said. I was being arrogant and acting like I had it all figured out. I’ve always been awed by your abilities as a police officer and I figured I would show you how great I am. But I’m not great, not yet anyway, and if someday I’m half the cop you are I’ll be satisfied.”
The blonde man squeezed his friend’s hand and gave her a grateful smile.
“Thanks kid, that’s nice of you to say but I have no doubt you’ll be a much better cop than me someday.”
Kono shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t think so. I’m too arrogant and full of myself.”
“Kono, you’re young. You’re new on the job. Lots of new cops act that way when they first start out. When I first started in Newark…” Danny’s voice faded away and he blushed and dropped his eyes when he realized he was doing it again - he was lecturing.
The detective looked up when Kono tugged on his hand.
“Please Danny I want to hear the story. Please.”
The detective shrugged slightly.
“Well, I was just going to say that after I’d been on the job for a few months I was starting to think I was pretty hot stuff with my gun and my badge and my patrol car. I started to think I had it all figured out and really didn’t have anything more to learn from my training officer.”
Danny shifted again on the bed. Telling this story always made him feel like an jerk no matter how many years had passed.
“One day I pulled over this kid for some minor traffic violation…didn’t come to a complete stop at a stop sign or something. Anyway this boy was like 16 years old and had just gotten his driver’s license. I decided I would show him what a hard-assed tough guy I was and I…I yelled at him for being a bad driver and…” Danny dropped his eyes to the blanket and bit his bottom lip, “he started to cry.”
Danny paused for a moment, feeling the guilt of that time wash over him again.
“At that moment I realized what an insufferable asshole I was being. I apologized to him and talked to him for a while until he calmed down. I never behaved like that again.”
Danny looked back up at Kono and squeezed her hand.
“Being a cop isn’t about being a tough guy or kicking ass or throwing your weight around. It’s about helping people, talking to them, listening to them, keeping them safe. You already do that Kono. You’re terrific with people. You’re a terrific cop. You just need to remember that as cops we never stop learning - especially from each other. We can never let ourselves believe we have all the answers. That’s a dangerous mindset to get into.”
Kono smiled and nodded gratefully.
“I hear you Danny.”
The detective gave her a weak smile and sank back tiredly into the mattress. All of the talking had drained him completely.
Kono straighten and tucked the blankets around her friend and patted him on the shoulder.
“Get some sleep ok? I’ll be right here watching out for you.”
Danny’s eyes slowly closed and he smiled again.
“Thanks kid.”
Yesterday When I Was Young 4