Could This Day Get Any Worse? by WinterM7

Chapter 1

The main island of Hawaii was basking in another glorious day. Tourists were out sightseeing, surfers were catching the waves and everyone was enjoying a good time. The Honolulu police department was also enjoying the day. Officer Kaleo was behind the reception desk filling out some paper work when he heard a commotion in the hall. He looked up to see Detective Danny Edwards and his partner Detective Chris Gains leading in a perp. Danny Edwards was a tall well built man with short brown hair and green eyes. His round face gave him a softer appearance His partner was just as tall with a shock of dark curly hair and dark eyes. Chris's high cheekbones and aquiline nose gave him a rougher look. The other thing that Kaleo noticed was Edwards was bone dry while Gains was sopping wet. Kaleo's eyes took in the smaller man, in handcuffs, between the two detectives and saw he was just as wet.

"Hey man, I didn't have no drugs on me," the perp protested.

"Oh yeah, then what the hell is this?" Gains asked as he dropped a soggy evidence bag full of now worthless marijuana on the desk.

"Hey, bruddah, watch the paper work," Kaleo said as he pulled the papers away from the water now on the desk.

Before Gains could voice his apology Captain Harada came stalking into the hall.

"Gains, Edwards what's going on?" he demanded. "And why are you dripping all over my police station?"

"Well you see cap…" Chris began.

"Captain it's like this," Danny said over riding his partner. "Flipper here…"

"Flipper," Chris chuckled. "I like that."

"Yeah," Danny smiled. "Think it's a good name?"

"Well!" The captain demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah um, Flipper here was caught selling marijuana," Danny continued. "When we showed our badges he decided to run. As he crossed one of the bridges over the canals he decided he'd lose us by jumping in."

"Except Flipper here can't swim," Chris said cuffing the perp in the back of the head with his hand.

"So Chris jumped in to save him," Danny added.

"And why are you dry?" Harada asked scowling at Edwards.

"Well I figured since Chris had everything under control why should I get wet as well," Danny explained.

"I see," Harada said.

"Besides who'd hold my gun?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, about that Cap," Chris said sheepishly. "I'll need a new weapon issued until mine dries out."

"I told you to throw it to me before you jumped," Danny said.

"It was kinda sudden," Chris defended. "Didn't really have time to think about my gun while I saved the guy."

"Which I'm grateful for," the perp said.

"But still," Edwards said. "You could have thrown it to me."

"Enough!" Harada barked. He was satisfied to see all four of them jump. "Edwards since you avoided most of the physical part of this capture you can do the boring paper work. I need to see your partner in my office as soon as he gets dried off."

All four of them watched as the captain disappeared into his office. Kaleo and Edwards both looked at Gains.

"What did you do now?" Danny asked.

"Me!" Chris said surprised. "I didn't do anything."

"Must have done something for thae captain to want to see you," Kaleo reasoned.

"Wonder if he found out about that long lunch we took," Danny whispered.

"Hey I ain't taking the blame for that one," Chris protested.

"You better hurry up and get changed," Kaleo said. "You know he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Yeah," Chris agreed.

"Hey what about me?" the perp said. "Don't I get a change of clothes. I could catch pneumonia or something."

"Shut up!" the three officers said in unison.

Captain Harada sat behind his desk signing reports when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in."

Terri Harada looked up to see Chris Gains come into the office. The detective had changed into khaki shorts and a white tank top. The captain gestured to the chair and Chris folded his lanky frame into the seat. The captain returned his attention back to the papers he was signing.

"Um, Cap, if this is about that practical joke I pulled on Declan," Chris began.

"What practical joke?" Harada growled.

"It's not about that," Chris stammered. "Uh then never mind."

"Listen up," Harada said. "Against my better judgement I'm giving you an important assignment."

"Really?" Chris smiled.

"Shut up and listen," the captain said. "Since you’re my only detective that can speak Japanese fluently you get this gig. Tomorrow you'll go to the airport and pick up three Tokyo detectives who'll be observing our operations over the next few days."

"I won't disappoint you Captain," Chris said.

"You better not," he warned. "This is something the mayor cooked up. Anything goes wrong and he gets mad at me who do you think I'll get mad at?"

"Me," Chris guessed.

"You better believe it!" Harada said. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a folder. "In here is everything you need to know. There's also a credit card to take them to lunch and stuff."

"Oh yeah," Chris smiled as he opened the folder and pulled out a gold card.

"Don't get carried away!" Harada warned. "Remember it's your ass I come down on if something goes wrong."

"I can handle it captain," Chris said as he stood up. He headed for the door and stopped. "Thanks for trusting me."

"Get out!"

Harada watched as the smiling detective left his office. The captain leaned back in his chair thinking Gains' adoptive father would be proud of the officer he had become. But sometimes Harada could see the punk kid that still lurked under the surface. Sometimes he wondered what his friend had seen in the eight-year-old boy that made him take him under his wing.

The maitre-de at Fluer de Sol restaurant looked up as six men walked in the door. They were all dressed in fashionable suits and he guessed they were here for a business lunch. The oldest of the group came towards the desk.

"May I help you sir?"

"Yes, reservation for Mathers."

"Just a minute sir," the young man looked at the appointment book and cheeked off the name. "Right this way sir."

The maitre-de signaled for one of the waitresses and he told her which table was theirs. They had requested a table that was secluded. The waitress led them up the stairs to the dinning area and showed them to a table towards the back. The restaurant wasn't very big but it had a very good reputation.

"My names Amanda," the waitress said smiling at the men as they took their seats. "Can I take your drink order?"

"Bring us a bottle of your best wine," The older man said. "Doesn't matter the price."

"Yes sir," she smiled knowing she was in for a big tip at the end. "If you need anything else just call for me."

The six men watched as she walked away. The older man looked around the restaurant and smiled.

"This will work perfect, Colonel," one of the men said.

"You're sure the vault is just on the other side of the wall towards the kitchen?"

"Yes sir," another answered. "If you walk back towards the kitchen there is a storage area. The vault is just beyond the wall."

"Anders has checked all the building construction maps at city hall," one of the men said angrily. "He's posed as health inspectors to get a loser look at the back room. Hell he's even opened an account at the bank next door so he could get a better look at the vaults."

"Don't take that tone of voice with me, sergeant," the Colonel said.

"I'm sorry sir," he replied. "But this plan of yours is flawless. They'll never know what hit them."

The men stopped talking as the waitress returned with the wine. She opened the bottle and handed the cork to the Colonel. He passed the cork under his nose and smiled at her. Amanda poured a small amount in the glass for him to try.

"It's perfect," he said. "We can pour."

"I'll give you a few minutes to look at the menu," she said.

The Colonel poured the wine for his men. When the glasses were full they raised them in a salute.

"Here's to a perfect plan."

Chapter 2

Chris waited impatiently at the arrival area. He wasn't so sure he was the right person for this job. He had decided to dress in a suit and tie but now the tie was trying to strangle him. He pulled on the neck of his shirt to try loosen the offending object. As he squirmed to get comfortable in his clothes a security guard notice the shoulder holster under his jacket. The security guard walked cautiously towards Chris.

"Sir, can you come with me," the guard said.

"Scuse me?" Chris said as he turned to the guard.

"I said can you come with me," the guard said again.

"Oh no, wait you've got it wrong," Chris said reaching towards his neck.

"Sir, please keep your hands where I can see them!" the guard shouted as he rested his hand on his gun.

Chris looked around as other visitors started to look their way. Another security guard heard the commotion and was heading their way.

"Look you've got it all wrong," Chris said putting his hands out to his side. "I'm a cop."

"Let's see some ID," the guard said.

"Ok. I'm gonna slowly loosen my tie," Chris said as he moved his hand towards his neck.

The second guard had joined the first and they both watched as Chris loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. Chris pulled on a chain with his fingers. Slowly a HPD Police badge appeared from under his shirt. The guards took a closer look before they relaxed.

"We're sorry, officer," the first guard said.

"Yeah can't be to careful," added the second.

"My fault," Chris said. "I should have had my badge out."

As Chris was talking to the guards two Japanese men and one woman walked towards them. Chris saw them out of the corner of his eye and cringed. He sheepishly raised the card the captain had put in the folder. Chris just hoped they weren't the detectives because first impressions meant a lot. As they walked over, Chris tried to straighten his tie and gave it up as futile. Then he just sighed in frustration. 'Could this day get any worse?' he thought

"Koniche wa Ha - waii," Chris said as he bowed.

"Please we would prefer if you spoke English," one of the men said. "May I introduce Detective Jiro Takashita, I'm Detective Akira Matsuki, and this is Detective Nori Fuchida."

"You're a woman," Chris said in surprise. His eyes widened when he realized he had just insulted her. "Not that it’s a bad thing. It's just odd to see a woman in a non-traditional job. Not that I agree with the old ways…" Chris stammered. "I mean I respect them…hell I just better shut up before I make a bigger fool of myself. "

"Its all right, detective," she smiled. "Its true this isn't a traditional role for a woman."

"So I didn't just blow this?" Chris said.

"No," she laughed.

"Oh good, I'm Detective Chris Gains," Chris said. "I figured I'd take you over to your hotel so you can freshen up before we head over to the station."

"That would be fine," Akira said.

Chris started walking and Nori caught up to walk beside him. She barely came up to his shoulders and had to walk quickly to keep up with his longer stride. Chris glanced over and saw her struggling to keep up.

"Sorry," he said as he shortened his stride.

"The advantage of long legs," she smiled. "You seem to know the Japanese culture fairly well. You also speak it very good."

"I learned from my grandfather," Chris replied. "He was a very traditional man. He told me of the culture and the roles men and women played. I didn't quite agree with them. Sometimes I felt sorry for my grandmother. I asked her if she minded being in such a submissive role."

"What did she say?"

"She told me she had all the power," Chris laughed. "She said she ran the household, budget, just about everything. Even my grandfather when I think about it."

"My grandparents were the same," she smiled. "Grandmother had all the power."

Chris led them to a sedan parking out front. He placed their luggage in the trunk as his guests got in the car. Chris came around to the driver's side and climbed in. He was happy to see Nori had claimed shotgun. Chris pulled away from the curb and battled the traffic out of the airport. Once out of the airport Chris took them on a scenic route to the hotel. It was a sunny day and as they passed the beach they could see a lot of surfers already hitting the waves.

"Do you surf?" Nori asked.

"Oh yeah," Chris smiled. "All the time. Maybe I could show you."

"We are not here to learn to surf," Akira said.

"Right," Chris said and continued driving.

The hotel the department had reserved overlooked the beach. Chris pulled up to the door and stopped. He got out and helped with the luggage.

"Your rooms are all reserved," Chris explained. "I'll wait for you down here."

"We won't be long," Jiro said.

Chris watched them enter the hotel and climbed back into the car. He dropped his head back against the headrest and pulled off his tie.

"This is going just great," he grumbled.

Danny Edwards sat behind his desk typing. He hated this part of police work. Being a mediocre typer didn’t help. As he slowly typed his report Linh came over and sat on the edge of his desk.

"So how do you think Chris is doing?"

"Better then I am," Danny said as he hit the wrong key again.

"Bruddah, you are one lousy typer," Sean said looking over his shoulder.

"Chris usually does the reports," Danny growled. "He's better with the computer."

"Speak of the devil," Declan said.

Chris walked in followed by the three detectives. He stopped at the desk and talked with Kaleo. Kaleo came out from behind the desk and took the detectives down the hall. Chris walked over to his desk removing his jacket. He pulled out his chair and dropped into it. He slumped in the chair and placed both hands over his eyes and sighed.

"That bad?" Sean asked.

"Oh yeah," Chris said sitting up. "You guys gotta come to lunch with me."

"I don't know, Chris," Sean said.

"Please!" Chris begged. "I don't know what to talk about. The captain didn't even need to send me. They want to speak English so they can practice."

"Hell, I'll go to lunch," Danny said. "As long as I'm not buying."

"Declan," Chris pleaded. He turned to Sean. "Sean please. Come on. I'll do anything."

"Anything?" Sean asked.

"Yeah, anything," Chris agreed.

"You're on," Sean said smiling.

"Thanks guys," Chris said jumping up. "I gotta go change. It's too damned hot for this monkey suit."

"Not to mention it looks terrible," Danny commented.

"Shut up!" Chris growled as he walked away.

"Well it does," Danny called after him.

"I don't want to hear it!" Chris yelled back.

"What?" Danny asked when he saw the look on the others' faces.

"You're impossible," Linh said as she got up and walked away.

Chapter 3

Ten minutes later Chris came back to his desk dressed in khakis and a blue button down shirt. The shirt was long enough to conceal the gun clipped to his belt. Chris was sitting at the computer Danny had used earlier.

"You really need to take a computer course," Chris said.

"Why," Danny smiled. "I have you."

"Whatever."

Kaleo came in a few minutes later leading the detectives over to Chris's desk.

"They're all yours," Kaleo announced.

"Thank you, officer," Akira said. "It was very informative."

"Anytime," Kaleo said.

"Ready for lunch?" Chris asked as he logged off the computer. "I booked a table at a restaurant down by the water."

"If that is what you do," Akira said.

"What? Don't you eat lunch?" Danny asked. He wasn't happy with the detective's tone of voice.

"We usually eat at ours desks," Nori said.

"Well around here we usually go out to eat," Sean said. Now he could see why Chris wanted them along.

"Uh detectives Akira Matsuki, Jiro Takashita and Nori Fuchida this is Sean Harrison and his partner John Declan," Chris said then pointed to Danny. "And this is my partner Danny Edwards. They'll be joining us for lunch too."

"Very well," Akira said.

Chris led the way out to the cars. They ended up taking two cars and they met at the restaurant. The all waited in the lobby as Chris went over towards the maitre-de.

"May I help you?"

"Reservations for Gains," Chris said.

"Table for seven, right this way."

"You knew we'd come," Sean accused.

"Yeah," Chris grinned. "Figured Declan wouldn't give up a free meal."

"I heard that," John called.

They followed the maitre-de as he took them to a table along the wall. Everyone settled around the table and the maitre-de handed them menus.

"Your waiter is Francois," he said. "He'll be with you shortly."

"Where'd you find this place?" Danny asked.

"Andrea told me about it," Chris said.

"The personal trainer?" Danny asked and Chris just smiled.

"Would this be a normal place you would eat at?" Akira asked.

Akira had driven over with Sean and Declan. His questions and comments in the car had Sean thinking he didn't approve of the way HPD operated. If this was another indication of what Chris went through at the airport it was no wonder he begged them to come to lunch.

"No it's not," Sean said. The department wanted to make sure you had a good time while you're here."

"I think it's wonderful," Nori said.

Francois came to the table and took their drink order. The three Japanese detectives order wine while the four HPD detectives ordered sodas since they were still on duty. Declan and Sean engaged Akira and Jiro in a conversation while Danny tried to hold a conversation with Nori. Chris just sat back and enjoyed the help. Nori turned to him and switched to Japanese.

"*Is your partner always this forward?*" she asked.

"*Only with women*," Chris joked.

They both laughed and Danny gave them a dirty look.

"What?" Chris asked innocently.

"The last time you spoke in Japanese I was the new loan officer at the bank," Danny groused.

While the HPD where enjoying their lunch seven men walked into the restaurant. One stayed by the door and locked it. He turned the sign so it read closed then pulled down the shades.

"What are you doing?" the maitre-de asked.

"Taking over the place," one of the men said. He was short with pale blond hair and blue eyes. "Now move!"

The young man was given no choice as the blond pulled him from behind the desk and placed a gun against his head. He started up the stairs to the dinning area followed by the others. Business was light and only six tables were occupied. The blond pushed the maitre-de away from him and raised his gun.

"Listen up!" he yelled. "We're taking over the place. No on will be hurt if you cooperate."

The four HPD detectives watched as three of the assailants disappeared towards the kitchen. Sean caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't do it, Edwards," Sean warned. "They have too much fire power."

They watched as the blond started gathering everyone in one place. Danny seethed when he pushed a young woman for not moving fast enough. When he got to their table he noticed their guns and badges clipped to their belts.

"Well what do we have here," he said as he reached for Danny's badge. "Colonel, you might want to take a look at this."

Sean watched as an older man walked over to their group. The blond handed him the badge. While he checked the badge the blond relieved them of their guns.

"I'm sorry gentlemen," he said. "But this will only inconvenience you for a few hours. Sergeant Carl, put them with the others."

Carl had them join the others over by the wall. The three men that went into the kitchens came back leading four men and a young woman.

"Back doors are locked and blockaded, sir," one of the men said. "This is everyone."

"Very good," he said. "You can get started."

Four of the men disappeared back towards the kitchens. Carl stood by the hostages while the Colonel talked to the last man. Carl walked over to one of the waitresses and stroked her hair.

"Aren't you a pretty one," he said.

"Get you hands off her!" Danny yelled.

"Or you'll do what?" Carl said as he grabbed the girl's hair and pulled her head back.

"Yeah that’s right," Danny taunted. "You're a big man with that gun and all."

"Danny, shut up," Chris said.

"Yeah better listen to him," Carl said.

"Look why don't you just let her go," Chris said soothingly.

"Yeah, Carl, let her go," Danny said. "What you're not man enough to get a woman without holding a gun to her head."

"Shut up!" Carl shouted and turned his gun on Danny.

"Yeah that’s right you're a big man," Danny continued to taunt.

"God dammit, Danny!" Chris growled. "Would you just shut up for once!"

"You're starting to piss me off!" Carl yelled as he pushed the young girl away from him and raised his gun.

Chris didn't even think. He just jumped in front of his partner. There was a searing pain in his right shoulder then another in his head before everything went black.

Danny watched in horror as his partner jumped in front of him just as Carl's gun went off. The other hostages started screaming. Sean tried to get to Chris but the other man with the Colonel helped Carl herd them to another part of the restaurant.

"Handcuff the detectives together around that pole," the Colonel instructed.

"What about my partner?" Danny asked as he struggled against Carl.

"You should have thought about that before you started to argue with my man," the Colonel said.

"Damn you, let me help him!" Danny shouted.

"Marco, gag him," the Colonel said.

"Yes sir," Marco said.

Once the detectives were handcuffed around the pole Marco grabbed a napkin and stuffed it in Danny's mouth. Over that he placed a piece of duct tape he'd gotten from a black bag. Carl walked over to the Colonel who was kneeling over Chris.

"Is he alive?" Carl asked.

"No thanks to you," the Colonel said and punched him. "You're just lucky all of the guns have silencers on them. Another mistake like that and I'll kill you myself."

Sean heard the Colonel say Chris was still alive but he knew every second that Chris's wound wasn't tended only made things worse. Everything had happened so fast Sean wasn't even sure where Chris had been hit.

"Can you see where he's hit?" Declan asked.

"Can't tell," Sean said. "The floors dark so I can't see how much blood he's losing."

While Sean was trying to get a better look at Chris, one of the men that went towards the kitchen came back leading a woman.

"Colonel, we've got a problem," he said. "I found her in the bathroom. She's called 911."

"I thought you checked them!" he yelled.

"We did," he said. "There was a closet but it was locked. We didn't know she was in there."

"How did you find her?" he asked.

"Matthew heard voices and we located her that way," he answered.

"Put her with the others," the Colonel said.

"Now what do we do?" Carl asked.

"We proceed as planned," he said. "This doesn't change anything. It just makes it a little more challenging."

Chapter 4

Captain Harada sat in his office going over some paper work. The office was unusually quiet without the antics of Gains and Edwards. Kaleo had told him he gave the three visiting detectives a tour of the precinct. Kaleo impression of the senior Japanese detective hadn't been good. He told the captain he'd found fault in just about everything he showed him. Harada was wondering how Gains was dealing with the detective. He knew Chris could be out spoken but hoped he was showing some restraint. When Chris came to his office to let him know he was taking them to lunch he had asked how everything was going. Chris had just rolled his eyes and told him he was taking Edwards, Harrison and Declan with him to Fluer de Sol. The captain had been able to read between the lines and knew Chris was taking reinforcements with him. As he was filing his last report office, Linh barged into his office.

"Captain, we have a hostage situation at a restaurant down by the water front," she said,

"Is SWAT rolling?" he asked as he followed her out.

"Yes, sir," Linh said as they walked.

"Do we know how many are inside?"

"We're not sure," Linh answered. "Dispatch got a frantic call from a woman who was hiding in a closet. She just said guys with guns were holding them. Then they heard a gun shot and the line went dead."

"Which restaurant?"

"Fluer de Sol down on Water street."

"Damn!" Harada shouted as he grabbed the nearest phone. "Patch me into SWAT!"

Linh didn’t' know why the captain was so upset about the restaurant and waited patiently for him to finish.

"This is Captain Harada," he said. "Don't do anything until I get there. Four of my detectives are in that restaurant… Fine set up a perimeter but sit tight until I get there!"

Twenty minutes later Linh was standing behind the SWAT van with the captain. Other police cars were pulled up in front of the restaurant with officers behind them waiting for orders. Captain Harada and the SWAT lieutenant were going over the blue prints for the building.

"I've got men stationed at the back. the lieutenant said. "But as you can see the only windows are the ones here in the front. There's no targets for my snipers."

"Are they up on the roof?" the captain asked.

"I've deployed one across the street," he answered. "He has line of sight to the front door. I also have one stationed at the back door."

"Good," Harada nodded in approval. "Is the line set up to talk to them?"

"Warren, the line set up?" the lieutenant asked.

"Yes, sir!" Warren answered and handed Harada the phone.

Harada waited for someone to answer the phone.

Sean knew it wouldn't take long for the HPD to surround the building once they knew of the hostage situation. He just couldn't figure out why the Colonel wanted the restaurant in the first place. It just didn't make any sense. But the one thing he did know was he had to get the Colonel to agree to help Chris. Chris hadn't moved since he was shot over and hour ago. Sean was just about to call for the Colonel when the phone started to ring.

"That's got to be the captain," Declan whispered.

"I hope so," Chris said. "We have to get Chris out of here."

"Has he moved at all?" Declan asked.

"No," Sean answered.

Danny mumbled something off to Sean's right. They had tried to pull the duct tape off but they weren't able to the way they were handcuffed together. The phone kept ringing but the Colonel didn't seem inclined to answer it. Sean got a bad feeling that the Colonel would play hard ball.

Captain Harada wasn't surprised when the phone wasn't answered. He let it ring a few more times before he hung up.

"Lieutenant," he said.

"Yes, sir."

"Have the buildings been evacuated around the restaurant?"

"Yes, sir," he answered. "We were lucky. The bank next door was already closed for a holiday."

"What holiday?" Linh asked.

"The Queen's Birthday," he smiled. "It's a British bank."

"Good," Harada said. "I want you to cut the power and the air conditioning to the restaurant."

"Just waiting for your word, sir."

Sean impatiently waited for the Colonel to come back to the main area of the restaurant. He had left Carl guarding them while he went to check on the other men. Sean knew it was useless to ask Carl anything. Suddenly the lights went out and the AC shut off. The restaurant wasn't completely dark but it was close enough.

"That's not gonna help," Declan said.

"But it might make the Colonel more willing to talk," Sean Said.

Both detectives were surprised when they heard a generator. Sean sighed. If the Colonel had a generator, it wouldn't matter if the power was out. A few minutes later, the Colonel walked back into the room and talked with Carl.

Pain. Voices. These were the sensations that greeted Chris as he slowly came to. Chris reluctantly opened his eyes and was rewarded with darkness. That didn't seem to make any sense so Chris decided to listen to the voices.

"Anders and Matthew should be through the vault in a few hours."

"What about the tunnel?"

"Simms has already cut through the floor. They checked to see if the tunnel is intact."

"Yeah we wouldn’t want to get half way and have to turn back."

The voices weren't familiar to Chris. And what they were talking about was even more confusing. Chris tried to move but the pain was unbearable and he passed out.

Chapter 5

*Three hours later*

It hadn't taken long for the restaurant to become uncomfortably hot. All the hostages had taken off various articles of clothing as the temperature had increased. Sean had his head back against the pillar they were handcuffed to trying to get comfortable. He was dozing lightly when Declan jarred him awake.

"Sean!" Declan called. "Chris is moving."

Sean looked and saw Declan was right. In the pale light provided by the restaurants oil lamps he could see Chris was beginning to stir. As they watched Chris rolled to his back and cried out.

"In ryou sui."

"What's he saying?" Declan asked.

"In ryou sui," Chris called weakly.

Danny screamed behind his gag. Sean turned to Danny and saw the desperate look in his eyes. Chris called out again but Sean had no idea what he was saying.

"He's asking for water," Nori said.

"Shit!" Sean cursed. "With the lose of blood and this heat he's becoming dehydrated."

"We've got to do something," Declan said.

Suddenly Danny started struggling and trying to shout behind the gag. Sean and Declan were finally forced to grab Danny's hands to keep him from pulling the cuffs that were hooked to them. The commotion finally got the attention of the Colonel and he walked towards them. He stopped in front of Danny and leaned down. He grabbed the duct tape and savagely pulled. Danny screamed as the duct tape was removed.

"Did you want something?"

"You have to let us help, Chris," Sean said.

"I don't have to do anything," the Colonel smiled.

"Look, so far all you have is taking hostages," Sean reasoned. "You let him die and you're looking at murder one."

"Not I," he said. "Carl would be looking at murder one."

"Then you'll be an accessory," Declan said.

"You have a point," the Colonel said. "If I let you check him can you guarantee this one will keep his mouth shut."

Sean looked at Danny. Danny's mouth was raw where the tape had been pulled off. Danny just nodded.

"Yeah, he'll keep his mouth shut," Sean said.

"Carl," he called. "Release him then cuff the other two together."

Carl walked over and released the cuffs from Sean. Sean stood up and watched as Carl cuffed Declan and Danny together. Sean rubbed his wrists to get the circulation going. As he did this he saw napkins and table clothes piled on a counter. He turned to walk over to them.

"Where do you think you going?" Carl asked.

"I'm going to need some of those table clothes for bandages," Sean answered.

"Fine," Carl said. "But don't do anything stupid."

Sean grabbed as many as he could along with a pitcher of water and a cup. He walked over to Chris and placed everything on the floor next to him. Sean then grabbed a couple of the lanterns and placed them around Chris. The feeble light didn't help much but Sean could see blood over Chris's left eye. He figured he must have hit it when he fell on the table but what had Sean worried was the blood saturating Chris shirt on the right side.

"In ryou sui," Chris moaned.

Sean poured water into the glass and placed his right hand behind Chris's head. He carefully raised Chris up as he held the glass to Chris's lips. Chris drank greedily and Sean was forced to pull it away.

"Easy, Chris, easy," Sean said as he put the glass back to Chris's lips.

"Sean," Chris said weakly after drinking his fill.

"Yeah it's me," Sean said as he started to carefully pull Chris's shirt away from his wound.

"Danny," Chris moaned. "Have to help Danny."

"Easy, Chris," Sean said as he held Chris down. "Danny's fine."

"Shot!" Chris cried out struggling against Sean. "I'm shot!"

"Shh, I know," Sean soothed. Chris was delirious and feebly struggled against Sean. "I'm going to need some help."

"Well you ain't getting it from me," Carl said.

"I'll help," Nori called.

Carl looked at the Colonel who nodded. Nori came over and knelt next to Chris. She picked up a napkin and hesitated.

"You're safe," Sean said.

"Excuse me?"

"Chris isn't HIV," Sean assured her. "The department requires us to get tested regularly."

"It wasn't why I hesitated," she said.

"Oh," Sean said as he was forced to rip away Chris's shirt. Chris moaned and Sean flinched.

"I just didn't know where to start so I wouldn't hurt him," she said.

"That makes two of us," Sean said.

Nori wet the napkin she was holding and began to wash the blood from Chris's face. Once the blood was gone she was surprised to find only a small cut about one inch long just to the side of Chris's left eyebrow. She could feel a lump under the laceration but didn't think it was too bad. When she was done she helped Sean wash the blood from around the gunshot wound. They noticed that the bleeding had almost stopped. Not that it matter because from the amount of blood on the floor and what covered Chris, Sean figured he'd lost about two pints.

"I need to check for an exit wound," Sean told her.

Nori nodded and helped Sean turn him. Chris cried out as he was moved. There was blood on the back of Chris's shirt but Sean couldn’t tell if it was from an exit wound. He ripped the shirt away from Chris's back. Both detectives gave each other a nervous look. There was no exit wound. They slowly lowered Chris to his back.

"That's not good," Nori announced.

"No it's not," Sean agreed. "But there's nothing we can do about it here."

Sean noticed they had started the shoulder wound bleeding again when they moved Chris. He folded up two of the napkins and placed them over the wound. Sean applied pressure to the wound and Chris cried out. He tried to shake Sean off and Nori was forced to grab his legs while Sean held his shoulders. Chris stopped struggling as he lost consciousness. Nori wet another napkin and started to bath Chris's face trying to keep him cool. She glanced over at Sean and saw how concerned he was. She knew they had to get Chris out of here, but how?

Chapter 6

Sean sat with Chris trying to figure out how they were going to get out of this. The captain had called several times but the Colonel hadn't picked up the phone. Sean glanced at the hostages. Everyone was lying down or leaning against the wall. The building was stifling and everyone was listless. Sean turned to Declan and Edwards. In the dim light he could see the fear and anger in Danny's eyes. Sean knew he wanted to say something wasn't willing to risk the consequences. Sean just wished Danny had used more restraint earlier. If Danny had kept his mouth shut Chris wouldn't have gotten shot.

"How's he doing?" John asked.

"Got the bleeding stopped," Sean said. "But he's not doing too good. This heat isn't helping."

Just then Chris started mumbling but the words made no sense to Sean. For some reason Chris kept talking in Japanese. Sean was just glade Nori was there. He watched as she leaned down to hear what he was saying. Sean could see Chris was getting upset and only calmed as Nori whispered in his ear. She wiped his face with a wet cloth and talked to Chris. When he was quiet again she sat up.

"What did he say?"

"He kept asking his mother to forgive him for trampling her flowers," she answered.

"I remember that," Sean said smiling. "His mother had the most incredible gardens. One day Chris, his dad and me were playing catch. Chris went out for a long pass but it was out of his reach. Chris dove for the ball anyway."

"Right into his mother's garden," Nori guessed.

"Not just any garden," Sean said. "Her award winning Hibiscus garden."

"He didn't," she laughed.

"Oh yes!" Sean said. "But she didn't blame Chris. She blamed me and his dad."

"Chris told me a little about his grandfather," Nori said. "That he was a very traditional man. I'm guessing his father wasn't. But Chris isn't Japanese."

"Hardly," Chris laughed. "Chris was an 8 year old street kid when we first met him."

"Street kid?" Nori asked confused.

"An orphan," Sean explained. "His father, Kevin Nakimora, and I were partners. I was a wet behind the ears new detective and Kevin became my mentor. One night we got a call about a break in at a candy store. Normally we wouldn't handle that type of call but we were close so we took it. When we got there we found Chris stuffing himself with candy."

"Oh no," she said.

"So we took him back to the station and found out he'd run away from the foster home," Sean said. "We took him back and figured that was the end of it."

"Apparently not," Nori said. Chris moaned and she leaned over and whispered in his ear. Chris quieted and Nori turned back to Sean. "So what happened next?"

"Next day we get a call from Kevin's wife," Sean continued. "Someone broke into the house. Of course we rush right over to find this one sitting in the kitchen eating milk and cookies."

"How did he know where Kevin lived?"

"We asked the same thing," Sean scowled. "Chris just pipes up that he picked Kevin's pocket and took the information off his driver's license. Kevin was furious and wanted to teach Chris a lesson by locking him up. Alana, Kevin's wife, wouldn't hear of it. She thought Chris was adorable. Kevin agreed not to lock him up but he would take him back to the foster house. Alana said why bother he'd only run away again and said he could stay with them. Kevin was furious but he could never refuse his wife anything. So since Kevin was a cop it was easy for them to become foster parents and keep Chris. Eventually they adopted him."

"I'm sure it didn't sit well with Kevin's father," Nori said.

"Not at all," Sean agreed. "But Kevin had never followed in his father's footsteps. But Chris seemed to be drawn to him. Eventually the old man came around and taught Chris everything he knew."

"From the way Chris talked about his grandfather they seemed very close," Nori said.

"They were," Sean agreed. "It wasn't easy for Chris when he died. Actually that wasn't a good year at all. Chris grandmother died shortly after her husband. Then they found out Alana had cancer. She died when he was a junior in high school."

"I got the impression his father is dead as well," Nori said.

"Chris was a rookie when his father was killed in the line of duty," Sean said.

"Se..an," Chris called.

"Easy Chris," Sean said as he gave him some water. "How ya doing?"

"Been better," Chris smiled as he looked around. "We're still here?"

"Afraid so," Sean said.

"Know why they're here," Chris said weakly.

"What?" Sean asked confused. "How?"

"Thought I was out," Chris answered. "They're robbing the bank next door."

"They're robbing a bank." Nori whispered. "But how will they get out?"

"That’s what we're here for," Sean said. "Once he gets the money, he make his demands to our captain."

Chris tried to follow the conversation. There was something else he needed to tell Sean but it was too hard to think. He took a deep breath to clear his head and started coughing. The coughing fit was severe and Sean became alarmed when Chris started coughing up blood.

"Shit!" Chris cursed. "Roll him on his side!"

Nori did as Sean demanded and they rolled Chris to his left side. The coughing stopped but Chris was having trouble breathing.

"What's wrong?" Nori asked as she wiped the blood from Chris's lips.

"I think the bullet punctured his lung," Sean answered.

"Sean!" Danny yelled. "You have to get him out of here!"

"He's right Sean," John agreed. "It's going to get tough for him to breathe."

The Colonel looked over towards the hostages when he heard the commotion they were causing. Carl had come to him to let him know the men were through the vaults and loading the bags. He sent Carl over to the hostages to see what was going on. Just then the phone rang. He walked over and picked it up.

"Hello."

"This is captain Harada of HPD," The voice on the other end said. "Who am I speaking to?"

"That's not important," the Colonel said. "What you need to do now is listen. In one hour I want a van to take us to the airport where a plane will be waiting with three million dollars inside."

"We can't get three million in an hour," Harada said.

"If you don't heed my demands in one hour I start shooting the hostages," he threatened. "Starting by putting one of your men out of his misery."

"What do you mean!" Harada demanded.

"One of your detectives was shot confronting one of my men," the Colonel answered.

"You have to let him go."

"Now why would I do that?"

"As a good faith gesture," Harada reasoned. "If you do that I'll turn the power back on along with the AC."

"I'll think about it," the Colonel said and hung up.

The Colonel walked over to the injured detective. He could see the young man was coughing up blood, a good indication of a punctured lung.

"That was your captain," He said. "He wants me to let your injured friend go."

"If you don't he'll die," Sean said. "If that happens I will hunt you down."

"I believe you would," the Colonel smiled.

"He'll have to get in line," Danny threatened.

"I suppose you'd hunt me down as well?" he asked Declan.

"I wont have to," John replied.

"Then I'll let him go," the Colonel said with a smile.

"Just like that?" Sean asked thinking it was a trick.

"You don't trust me?"

"No."

"Smart man," the Colonel laughed. "As a hostage he'd only slow us down. The women will be released as well."

"Why?" Nori asked.

"So many questions," the Colonel sighed. "Because I don't hurt women. Now if you'll excuse me I have to call back your captain."

"Chris," Sean said squeezing Chris shoulder. "We're getting you out of here. You have to tell the captain everything."

"I will," Chris gasped. "Hard to breathe."

"I know," Chris said. "Just a little longer."

Sean looked over to the hostages and saw Carl taking the women towards the stairs. Sean didn't know how the women were going to get Chris out. Sean sat Chris up and Chris cried out as he shoulder shifted. Sean put Chris's left arm over his shoulder a hauled Chris to his feet. Nori tried to help but Chris outweighed her by at least 60 pounds. Chris's eyes started to close and Sean slapped his face a few times.

"Stay with me, Chris," Sean pleaded.

"I can do it," Chris groaned.

Sean made his way to the stairs and practically carried Chris down them. He just hoped Chris could stay conscious a little while longer.

Chapter 7

Harada had been surprised when someone actually picked up the phone. He hadn't been happy with the news. One of his detectives was shot. He didn't know which one or how bad. He knew he had to get his injured man out but the man in charge inside seemed to want to play hard ball.

"Captain what does he want?" Linh asked.

"Three million, a jet, and a van to take them to the airport."

"Why'd he wait so long to make his demands?" Kaleo asked.

"Don't know," Harada said. "But there's more. We have one hour or he starts shooting hostages, starting by putting one of ours out of his misery."

"What!" the SWAT lieutenant exclaimed.

"Apparently on of my detectives confronted one of his men and was shot," Harada explained.

"It's got to be Danny," Linh reasoned. "He's the most likely to talk back."

"Could be," Harada agreed.

"Captain, he's' calling back," another officer said.

"This is Harada…Alright…You have my word…It will have to be good enough."

The others listened to the one-sided conversation trying to figure out what was going on. Harada hung up and turned to the SWAT leader.

"He's sending out the women and my man," Harada began. "I want your men to stand down."

"But, captain, it’s the perfect time to hit them," he said.

"You heard me lieutenant!" Harada snapped.

"Yes sir!" the lieutenant said and strode away talking into his radio.

The lieutenant told his men to pull back except for three officers with bulletproof shields. They would cover the hostages as the left the building.

"Captain, there's movement by the door," Linh said.

They watched as the door opened and the women came out in a group holding Chris up. The captain was surprised to see Chris but was worried when he realized Chris was barely able to stand. When they were a few yards from the door the SWAT team moved in to cover the women. One of the men grabbed Chris and Harada heard him cry out in pain. Harada left his post and ran over to the ambulance. Linh followed close behind. When they got there they found Chris fighting the paramedics.

"Take it easy!" the paramedic said.

"No," Chris wheezed. "Have to see the captain."

"I'm here, Chris, "Harada said moving to his side.

Before Chris could talk to him he started coughing. Harada grabbed his left hand and Chris crushed as the pain became too much. When Chris started coughing up blood Harada knew Chris was in trouble.

"That’s it!" the paramedic yelled as he pushed Chris back against the gurney.

"Captain," Chris gasped. "Tunnels under building…lead harbor."

"Chris, I don't understand," Harada said.

"Rob bank…way out…no hostages," Chris struggled to be understood.

"His blood pressures dropping!" the paramedic said as he took the stethoscope out of his ears. "We're out of here!"

"Linh, go with him," Harada ordered.

Linh nodded and jumped in the ambulance. They shut the doors and the vehicle pulled away with lights and siren blaring. Harada turned to where the women were being held. He saw Kaleo was with them and joined him.

"Captain, this is Nori Fuchida," Kaleo said.

"Can you give us more information about what's going on inside?" Harada asked. "Chris tried to tell me something about tunnels but I didn't understand."

"I don't know anything about tunnels but Chris did overhear that they were robbing the back next door," Nori said.

"Makes sense," the SWAT leader said. "Who'd suspect anyone to go through the restaurant to get to the bank."

"Captain, you said Chris was trying to tell you something about tunnels?" Kaleo asked.

"Yeah he was."

"Remember when Gains went undercover as a bank robber," Kaleo explained. "He was brought in to blow a hole in the floor to get to the WWII tunnels under the bank."

"Damn!" Harada cursed. "Kaleo take a half the men and get to the harbor. Gonna be a rough guess and where they might come out."

"Lieutenant, now that the women are out I want to see what you have in mind for going in," Harada said. "Talk with Nori and get all the information you can. How many are inside? What type of guns? You name it."

"Yes sir," the lieutenant said as he walked away followed by Nori.

Harada knew they would have to move fast or these guys would get away.

Chapter 8

As soon as Chris was out of the restaurant, Carl handcuffed Sean to Declan and Edwards. When he was secure, Carl started tying up the rest of the hostages. The Colonel obviously didn't trust the men not to do something stupid. The lights and AC came back on while Carl was tying everyone up.

"Guess that was the deal he made with the Captain," Declan said.

"I don't think it matters to the Colonel," Sean replied.

"He's up to something," Danny said. "Why would he take hostages in a restaurant? And what's with all the noise coming from the back."

"That's because they are up to something," Sean started when he noticed the Colonel walking over. "I'll tell you in a minute."

"If your captain meets my demands you'll be out of here in an hour," the Colonel said.

"And if he doesn't?" Declan asked.

"We'll have to wait and see won't we," the Colonel said smiling.

The Colonel and Carl left the hostages and walked to the back of the restaurant. Sean was surprised since this was the first time they had left the hostages alone.

Harada listened as the SWAT lieutenant outlined the plan to take the restaurant. The only had twenty minutes left to heed the demands of the bank robbers. What Harada couldn't understand was why ask for three million, unless it was just a delaying action. The Lieutenant's plan was risky but it was the best they had.

"Captain Harada this is unit 7."

"Go ahead unit 7," Harada said into his radio.

"We're down by the harbor," Kaleo said. "No sign of anything out of the ordinary. But there's no telling where they might come out."

"Copy that," Harada said. "Hold tight until further notice."

"10-4"

"Lieutenant you have a go on the assault," Harada said.

"Yes sir," the lieutenant said and turned to his men.

"Where the hell did they go?" Sean asked.

"They have been gone longer then usual," Declan said.

"But where could they have gone?" Danny asked. "The captain has the place surrounded."

"This whole thing hasn't made any sense," Declan declared.

"It does if you know they are robbing the bank next door," Sean said.

"How do you know that?" Danny asked.

"Chris overheard them," Sean answered.

"If that's the case the captain's gonna send in the cavalry soon," Declan reasoned.

"Everyone listen to me," Sean called to the hostages. "Get down on the floor and keep your heads down."

The hostages did as Sean said and lay on the floor. With the women gone there was only ten hostages left including the HPD detectives. As soon as everyone was down, all hell broke lose. Tear gas canisters came crashing through the windows of the front door. Sean and the others buried their faces against their shoulders to try to keep from breathing the gas. A few seconds passed when the assault team came trough the doors. The tear gas had the hostages coughing. Sean watched through the smoke as the team fanned out. Another group came in through the back.

"Clear!" yelled the leader of one team.

"Clear!" the lieutenant yelled.

Three of the SWAT team came over and helped the hostages up. All of them were coughing and were glad to be led outside. The lieutenant came over to the three detectives and used his key to unlock them. The smoke from the tear gas was dissipating but it was still hard to breathe.

"I'm Lt. Chambers," he said as through his gas mask. "Let's get you out of here."

"Great idea," Declan wheezed.

"Did you catch them?" Danny asked as he wiped his eyes.

"No," Chambers said. "They already got out."

"How!" Sean demanded.

"The detective that was shot told us the were tunnels under the restaurant leading to the harbor."

"Damn!" Declan cursed.

"How's Chris?" Danny asked.

"Don't know," Chambers said. "They loaded him into the ambulance and that was the last I saw of him."

As they exited the building the captain came over to them. The three detectives took deep breaths to get rid of the effects of the tear gas. As they were standing there one of the SWAT members still in the restaurant said they found the entrance to the tunnel.

"Tell them to use extreme caution," Sean advised. "I think these guys were ex-military. The tunnel could be booby-trapped.

Chambers nodded and relayed the information. A short time later the SWAT member inside informed them the tear gas was gone and they reentered the building. Harrison, Declan and Edwards had all been given guns. The captain knew they would want to be in on the search. Danny had asked about Chris but the captain wasn't able to give him any information. Harada could see Danny was torn about whether he should go to the hospital or help in the search. The captain knew Danny couldn't do anything at the hospital and told him so.

"My bomb expert will go first," Chambers said as the head for the tunnel.

They climbed down the ladder through the floor to the tunnel below. The going was slow since they had to check for traps. When they had been in the tunnel for fifteen minutes the captain got a call on the radio.

"This is unit 7 to command."

"Go ahead."

"We've got movement at one of the grates down by the water."

"Move in unit 7 but use caution. These guys are experts."

"10-4 unit 7 out."

A few minutes later gun shots could be heard down the tunnel. The Colonel obviously decided to make a stand. Captain Harada told Chambers to keep going to on guard incase they came back down the tunnel. They continued when they heard voices up ahead.

"We have to go back."

"There's nowhere to go."

"How did they know about the tunnel?"

"The one we shot must have overheard us talking."

"Knew I should have killed him."

Chambers and his team continued down the tunnel when they came to a sharp turn to the right. The lead man took out a mirror and held it at the corner. He silently pointed to his eyes then held up four fingers. Chambers looked at the captain and nodded.

"This is Captain Harada of the HPD you're surrounded."

Shots pinged of the stones at the corner and they all ducked. There was no easy way to shoot around the corner. Sean was impressed when one of the SWAT team stuck his arm around the corner and only his left eye and started firing. They heard cries of pain from around the corner and knew he had been on target.

"I surrender!" someone yelled.

"Throw your weapon and kick it towards me," said the sharpshooter. The robber complied. "Now turn around and interlace your finger behind your head. Get on your knees and cross your feet."

The robber did as he was told and the sharpshooter cautiously moved around the corner. For the whole time, another SWAT member was covering him. The captain and his detectives waited for the all clear.

"Clear!" the sharpshooter called.

They joined SWAT and found that the sharpshooter had killed three and the survivor was shot in the leg. When he was turned around Danny lunged for the survivor.

"No Danny!" Declan yelled as he grabbed Danny.

"If my partner dies I'm going to kill you!" Danny threatened.

"Where's the others?" Sean asked.

"Fuck off!" Carl yelled.

"Unit 7 to Captain Harada."

"Go ahead 7," Harada said.

"We have three in custody," Kaleo said.

"That all of them?" Harada asked Sean.

"Yeah," Sean answered.

"10-4 Unit 7, good job," Harada said. "Send some of the men down the tunnel. We've got four down here. Three are dead."

"Roger that."

"That worked out better than I thought," Harada said.

"If Chris hadn't found out about the tunnel they would have gotten away," Sean said.

"Just how many tunnels do you think are down here?" Declan asked.

"There's no way to tell," Harada said.

"I have to get to the hospital," Danny said.

"We'll get there as soon as we can," Sean said gripping Danny's shoulder. "He'll be alright. He's in good hands."

Chapter 9

When Linh agreed to go in the ambulance she thought Chris would be all right. As soon as Chris had give the information to the captain he'd passed out. This had helped the paramedics because Chris was no longer fighting them. But it was as if that information was the only thing keeping Chris going. Once it was given Chris vitals had dropped alarmingly.

"BP is 80/40," one of the paramedics said. "Pulse is rapid and thready."

"I've lost breath sounds on the right side," the other one said as she took the stethoscope out of her ears. "Respiration's are dropping. We're going to have to tube him."

Linh watched as the first paramedic grabbed some equipment from the cabinet.

"He's not breathing!" one yelled.

Linh became alarmed as the paramedics quickly tilted Chris head back and inserted a long tube down his throat. Once the tube was in they attached an ambu bag and started squeezing it. The paramedic with the stethoscope placed it on Chris right side and listened for a few seconds.

"We got it," she said then turned to the driver. "Step on it!"

Linh braced herself as the driver picked up speed. She listened as the paramedic talked to the hospital. All she could understand was collapsed lung and that Chris wasn't breathing on his own. They finally arrived at the hospital and Chris was rushed into the ER. Linh was escorted to the admissions desk where they asked he some questions. She was surprised when she realized she couldn't answer a lot of them. She knew Chris's parents were dead but she had no idea who the next of kin might be. Linh had worked with Chris for almost three years and was surprised at how little she knew about his personal life.

"Is he a police officer as well?" the nurse asked.

"Yes," Linh said as she glanced at the cubicle Chris was in.

"Worked with him long?" the nurse asked trying to distract the young officer.

"About three years."

"Don't worry they'll take good care of him," the nurse said before she walked away.

"Linh was worried about Chris but she was also worried about everyone she had left at the restaurant. Did they rescue them yet? Were the bank robbers caught? These questions and others plagued her as she took a seat in the waiting room.

While Linh was filling out paper work the doctor in the ER got the information about Chris from the paramedics. Chris was hooked up to a ventilator as the doctor gave orders.

"I want him typed and cross matched," she ordered. "We need to get him stable before surgery."

"He has a med alert bracelet," one of the nurses said. "Says he has his own blood here at the hospital."

"Smart," the doctor said in approval. "Get the ID number and bring whatever he has. We might have to supplement it."

"Yes ma'am," the nurse said.

"Get me a potable x-ray," the doctor said. "Need to find out where that bullet went."

The x-ray tech came in and he quickly took the shots the doctor ordered and rushed them off to be developed. The nurse arrived with the blood and the doctor had them hang two units. A heart monitor was also attached as well as a pulse ox on his finger.

"Where's those damned x-rays!" the doctor snapped.

"Here they are, Dr. Gibson," the tech said as he placed them on the light board.

"Damn," she sighed as she looked at the x-rays.

They bullet had entered at Chris shoulder and hit the scapula. It then ricocheted off the scapula and entered the upper right lobe of his right lung.

"Do you have a shot of the scapula?" Dr. Gibson asked.

"Sure do," the said he as put that one up.

"I was hoping it wasn't broken," She said when she saw the fine line in the large bone. "How are his vitals?"

"Better," the nurse said. "BP is 90/60, heart rate is 72."

"Inform the OR we're bring him up," she said.

Linh paced back and forth in front of the ER. The waiting was driving her mad. She was about to take a seat when they pushed Chris out of the ER and towards the elevator. Linh quickly moved to his side.

"How bad?" she asked.

"The doctor won't know for sure until she gets inside," the nurse said.

"Linh was stopped at the elevator. As the door closed all she knew was Chris looked small and lost amongst all the equipment keeping him alive.

Chapter 10

Three hours had passed by the time Sean, Danny, Declan and the others made it to the hospital. They found out Chris was still in surgery and were shown to the surgical waiting room. When they walked in they found Linh keeping a lonely vigil. When she saw them she jumped up and hugged Sean first.

"It's good to see you," she said as she hugged him.

"How's Chris?" Danny asked as she hugged him next.

"I don't know," she said as she hugged Declan. "They took him to surgery awhile ago."

"Linh, what aren't you telling us?" Sean asked when she saw the look in her eyes.

"Chris stopped breathing in the ambulance," she said. "When they took him up to surgery he looked bad."

"Let's not jump to any conclusion," Harada ordered.

"The captain's right," Sean said. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"This is crazy!" Danny shouted. "If he's been in surgery this whole time you'd think someone would tell us what was going on."

"Easy, Danny," Declan said.

"No!" Danny yelled. "I want to know what's going on!"

"You just can't keep your mouth shut can you!" Sean yelled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Danny demanded.

"You always have to be the big shot," Sean explained. "The big hero. Just like today."

"What?" Danny asked confused.

"Sean, don't do this," Declan pleaded taking Sean's arm.

"No someone has to," Sean said shaking Declan off and stepping in front of Danny. "You always have to rile people up. Just like today. If you had kept your mouth shut, like Chris wanted, he wouldn't have been shot."

"You can't blame that on me!" Danny said poking Sean.

"Why not?" Sean asked angrily. "You're a hothead. Chris is always covering for you and it has to stop."

"What are you his father," Danny said. "You gonna baby sit him?"

"No he's my God son," Sean said shoving Danny. "And I'll be damned if I let you get him killed."

"That's enough!" Harada said coming between them.

While they were fighting, they failed to notice the doctor standing in the doorway. She discreetly coughed to get their attention. They all turned to look at her.

"Came to tell you your friend is out of surgery," she said.

"How bad?" Danny asked.

"Not as bad as it could have been," she said. "I removed the bullet and repaired the damage to his lung. His shoulder blade was broken when the bullet ricochet off it but that will heal on its own."

"He stopped breathing in the ambulance," Linh pointed out.

"He still isn't breathing on his own," she started until she saw their worried looks. "But it's nothing to worry about. He's very weak and his body needs rest. If we can help him by breathing for him then we'll do it. I'm not worried about that."

"So he'll be alright?" Declan asked.

"I won't lie to you, he's not out of the woods yet," She said. "But with rest and proper care he'll pull through."

"Can we see him?" Linh asked.

"He's in ICU," she explained. "Only two can go in at a time. I'll have the nurse come get you when they get him settled."

Harada watched as the doctor walked out of the waiting area. The news was encouraging but he knew that it was going to be a long recovery for one of his most promising detectives. He turned back to the others and could see the division between his team already. Sean blamed Danny for what happened and Harada knew Danny blamed himself as well. Danny just didn't need Sean to make it worse. Sean was Chris's godfather and had promised his father to look out for him. Sean had given Chris his space and acted more like a mentor then a guardian. Danny also felt responsible for Chris, it's what partners did. Danny just didn't need Sean to remind him that he was a hothead and that Chris was always covering for him.

"Kaleo, you and Linh go in to see Chris first," Harada said. "John you go with them."

Kaleo and Linh looked at each other then at John. John just shook his head and walked out followed by Kaleo and Linh. Sean turned to Terri and gave him a defiant look. Danny hadn't turn from the window.

"Edwards," Harada called. Danny turned and looked at him. "This isn't your fault."

"Oh come on Terri!" Sean growled. "He egged on the guy until Chris was shot."

"He was going to hurt that waitress," Danny defended himself.

"You don't know that," Sean said. "Hell even Chris told you to shut up."

"Enough!" Harada shouted. "The both of you know this isn't anyone's fault but the guy who shot Chris. Now get over it."

Danny and Sean looked at each other but didn't say anything. Harada knew this wasn't over. Harada knew that Chris was the only one that would be able to get the two of them to work through this.

"Well if the two of you are done glaring at each other let's go see Chris," Harada said.

They walked down the hall to the nurse's station and were told they had to go to the fourth floor. They got into the elevator and they made the ride up in silence. When they got out of the elevator they walked down the corridor to the ICU. They walked up to John and looked in the window. They saw Chris surrounded by machines. He was pale and his dark hair, goatee and mustache were the only color in the room. Linh leaned over and kissed Chris on the forehead before leaving. Kaleo followed Linh out giving Chris a pat on the leg.

"John, you and Sean go next," Harada said.

Sean walked in and moved quickly to Chris's side. John moved to the other side and watched Sean. Sean took Chris's hand being careful of the IV's. The first thing he noticed was how cold it was.

"You sure know how to get out of work," Sean said to Chris.

"It's a little drastic," John added.

"Yeah a bit," Sean smiled. "But we got them all thanks to you."

Sean didn't know what else to say and looked at his partner. He could see John was just as lost for words. The beeping of the machines was the only sound in the room as they both walked out. They passed Danny on his way in. Sean watched Danny and knew it was going to take him some time before he could forgive him. They joined the others by the window.

"Are you really Chris's godfather?" Linh asked.

"Yeah I am," Sean said.

"It's funny," Linh said. "I've worked with Chris for three years and I don't even know him."

"Chris was never very open about personal things," Harada said.

"Only with Kevin," Sean said. "And his grandfather."

"When they died Chris went back to his old ways," Harada continued.

"How long have you two known Chris?" John asked.

"Since he was eight," Sean said.

"Kevin Nokimora was my best friend," Harada began. "He was Sean's partner when he became a detective. That's when Chris came into the picture."

"It's complicated," Sean said. "And not ours to talk about. You'll have to ask Chris."

Danny hated hospitals. He never knew what to do or what to say in situations like this. Sean was right. It was his fault that Chris was now hooked to every machine in creation. Danny took Chris's hand and just stood there. His partner looked so vulnerable and Danny wasn't used to that. Chris was always so tough. Looking at him made Danny decide that he wasn't leaving. He looked around the room and saw a chair by the wall. He let go of Chris's hand so he could get the chair and bring it over to the bed. Before sitting down he leaned next to Chris's ear.

"Don't worry, Chris, I won't leave you," Danny promised.

Chapter 11

Harada stood in his office looking through the window. The bullpen wasn't too busy. A few uniformed officers were going about their business. Kaleo was at the front desk talking with Linh. The two officers kept glancing towards the desks occupied by the department detectives. Harrison and Declan were doing work at their desks. As Harada watched Sean looked up and glared. Harada shifted his gaze to where Sean was looking and sighed. Edward's was leaning over his desk asleep. Harada now had two detectives to worry about. It had been two weeks since Chris was shot. His recovery in the hospital had been slow. He was no longer in ICU and he was breathing on his own but he still hadn't regained consciousness. Harada knew Danny blamed himself for the shooting. His guilt had him going to the hospital everyday, which was starting to interfere with his work. Sean didn't make it any easier since he blamed Danny for the shooting as well. Harada knew something had to be done.

"Edwards!" Harada yelled. He watched as Danny jerked awake and turned to him. "Get in here."

Harada stepped back into his office and walked behind his desk. Danny came in and closed the door then stood in front of the desk.

"Sit down," Harada said. As Danny sat, Harada lowered himself into his chair and looked at Danny.

Danny had dark circles under his eyes. His face was unshaven and it looked like he had slept in his clothes. Harada figured if he'd spent the night at the hospital he probably had.

"You can't keep this up," Harada said.

"What Harrison complaining I'm not pulling my weight," Danny demanded.

"This has nothing to do with Sean, "Harada said. "Chris wouldn't want this."

"How the hell do you know what Chris would want!" Danny shouted as he jumped to his feet.

"Sit down!" Harada growled as he pointed to the chair. Danny did as he was told. "I've known Chris a long time. He wouldn't want you blaming yourself."

"I know," Danny sigh as he leaned back in the chair. "But I can't help it. He's my partner."

"I want you to take some leave," Harada suggested. "Go home and get some sleep."

"Maybe you're right," Danny said rubbing his eyes.

"You better believe I'm right," Harada said. "I better not find out you went to the hospital. I want you to go home."

"Thanks Captain," Danny said as he stood up.

"Now get out," Harada ordered.

Harada watched as Danny went to his desk to gets his key. He grabbed a few other items then left the office. Harada wasn't surprised when Sean walked in the door a few minutes later.

"You sent him home?" Sean asked.

"I thought it was for the best," Harada said.

"Well, he sure wasn't contributing anything here," Sean added.

"Don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" Harada asked.

"No!" Sean said.

"Really," Harada said as he leaned back in his chair. "You know Chris is capable of getting into trouble all on his own."

"Not this time," Sean argued. "If Danny had just kept his mouth shut none of this would have happened."

"But he didn't," Harada said. "And what's done is done."

"Yeah and Chris had to pay for Danny's stupidity," Sean said. "Chris is always covering for Danny."

"That's what partners do," Harada explained. "I know you feel responsible for Chris but he can take care of himself."

"I promised his father I'd look out for him," Sean said.

"Kevin made sure of that when he named you Chris's godfather," Harada said. "But you weren't to blame for Kevin's death."

"But it was my responsibility to cover my partner," Sean said. "I should have seen the other guy."

"You need to lighten up on Danny," Harada suggested. "HE already blames himself for the shooting."

"I can't," Sean sighed. "Someone has to make him see what he's doing."

"And if Chris asked you too?" Harada asked.

"I don't know," Sean admitted.

"Don't make Chris have to decide between you and Danny," Harada warned.

Sean nodded and left the office. He went over to his desk and grabbed the keys to his Cadillac.

"Heading over to the hospital?" Declan asked.

"Yeah," Sean said checking his watch. "Visiting hours start in a few minutes."

"Alright," John said. "I'll keep checking around for information on the stolen cars."

"I won't belong," Sean said as he started to walk out.

Take your time," Declan called.

Sean pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and people turned to look. The candy apple red convertible always turned heads. Sean was no longer surprised when women gave him their phone numbers when he stopped at red lights. Sean pulled into the spot reserved for the police and noticed a familiar mustang park in the next spot. Sean couldn't believe Danny. The captain had told him to go home and he couldn't even follow that simple order. As Sean made his way to Chris's room his anger started to the better of him. He walked into the room to find Danny sitting next to Chris.

"You can't even follow a simple order can you?" Sean demanded.

"Wanted to check on my partner if that's okay," Danny said.

"I don't know how Chris puts up with you," Sean said shaking his head. "You're irresponsible."

"Yeah well its part of my charm," Danny said sarcastically.

"One of these days that mouth of yours will get you killed," Sean said. "If not you then Chris and I won't let that happen."

Chris could hear voices. They sounded familiar but he was so tired and the darkness threatened to pull him back down. He could tell the voices were angry. He recognized Danny's voice and thought he was in trouble. He had to wake up to protect Danny. Chris slowly opened his eyes and saw Sean and Danny arguing. As his fuzzy mind started to make sense of what they were saying he couldn't believe how stupid they were being. They were fighting over who was responsible for getting him shot.

"Enough!...Ow!

"Chris!" Danny yelled as he moved to his partner's side and took his hand.

Sean wasn't surprised when the nurse walked in after Chris woke. Chris had a death grip on Danny's hand and the heart monitor was beeping a warning. The nurse walked over and turned it off. As she turned to Chris, she smiled.

"Well its about time you woke up," She said as she checked his IV.

"Water," Chris croaked.

The nurse smiled again and poured him a cup. She dropped straw into it and held it to Chris's lips. Chris drank slowly savoring the feel of the cool water against his parched throat.

"Don't let him talk too much," she warned as she placed the cup back on the table. "He can have more water if he wants it."

Sean waited for the nurse to leave to get a better look at Chris. He was pale but it was good to see his eyes open. Chris looked at Danny then glanced at Sean.

"I know what you were arguing about," Chris accused.

"We weren't arguing," Danny said but changed his mind when Chris glared. "Okay, so we were."

"Danny I need to talk to Sean," Chris said.

Danny looked at Chris and nodded. Chris watched as Danny walked out the door. Chris took a deep breath and instantly regretted it.

"Shit!" Chris groaned.

"Just relax," Sean said as he took Chris's hand. Chris gripped Sean's hand and rode out the pain.

"What happened?" Chris asked breathlessly.

"Bullet ricochet off your collar bone," Sean explained. "Bullet then lodged in your right lung making it collapse."

"Damn," Chris sighed and closed his eyes.

"You need to rest," Sean said releasing Chris's hand.

"No!" Chris said gripping Sean's hand tighter. "I know you blame Danny for this."

"He was the one mouthing off to that guy," Sean said angrily. "He's the one that got you shot."

"Please Sean," Chris begged. "If I know Danny, he's already beating himself up over this. Don't make it worse. Besides if I know you, you're feeling guilty about this too."

"Why would I feel guilty," Sean said defensively.

"You couldn't prevent this from happening," Chris said. "Just like you couldn't prevent my father from being shot."

Chris watched as Sean closed his eyes and shook his head. He always knew Sean blamed himself for his father's death. Chris squeezed Sean's hand to bring him back to the present.

"Talk to Danny," Chris said.

"Alright," Sean agreed.

"Besides if anyone's going to yell at Danny it's gonna be me," Chris said smiling. "Could you send him in?"

"You're not supposed to be talking this much," Sean argued.

"Please Sean," Chris said.

Sean nodded and walked to the door. Chris was really hurting but he had to straighten things out between Sean and Danny. They were the only thing he had that came close to family and he didn't want them fighting. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain in his chest and shoulder. When he heard the door open Chris opened his eyes to see Danny walking towards him. Now that he got a better look at his partner he could see Danny hadn't slept in awhile.

"You look like shit," Chris declared.

"Look in a mirror lately," Danny retorted.

"But at least I have an excuse," Chris countered.

"Yeah you do," Danny frowned.

"You're a pain in my ass," Chris sighed. "Do you think I blame you for this."

"Your godfather does," Danny said.

"How'd you know..?" Chris asked confused.

"Sean threw that in my face when he blamed me for getting you shot," Danny said angrily.

"And you believed him?" Chris asked.

"He's not your godfather?" Danny asked.

"Yeah he is but that's not what I meant," Chris sighed. I was getting harder to keep his thoughts in order. "I don't blame you for being shot."

"You should," Danny said.

"That's bullshit!" Chris shouted. He regretted the outburst as pain flared on his right side.

"Easy, partner," Danny said grabbing Chris's hand. "I've got you."

"Fuck that hurts," Chris said as he opened his eyes and looked at Danny. "Do we have to continue this argument?"

"No," Danny said.

"So you'll stop blaming yourself?"

"Maybe," Danny said not looking at Chris.

"Don't make me have to get up and kick your ass," Chris warned.

"Yeah right," Danny laughed. "All I'd be doing is picking your sorry ass off the floor."

"So what's it going to be?" Chris asked.

"Alright...you're right, it wasn't my fault," Danny agreed.

"That's better, "Chris said smiling. "Besides this way you'll have to owe me one."

"Owe you?" Danny asked. "Hell you broke the window on my Mustang."

"And you think taking a bullet for you equals that?" Chris asked shocked.

"It was my Mustang."

"But I'm your partner."

"Still, that's my baby."

"You are so dead when I get out of here."

"Uh huh I can take you any day."

"Oh yeah you wish. Who was it that got jumped by that call girl."

"Hey! She took me by surprise."

"Right..."

Sean smiled as he closed the door. It was good to hear Chris's voice again. Now that Chris was awake Sean felt a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He still thought Danny was irresponsible but he knew Chris would be able to keep him in line.

Epilog

Three moths later.

"Where the hell is he!" Danny demanded.

Maybe the doctor is taking extra time to make sure," Linh said. "You know this will clear him to come back to full duty."

"I should have driven him over there," Danny said.

"Chris is a big boy," Sean said. "He's capable of driving himself."

"You're just lucky he was shot in the right arm," Declan said. "With his being a lefty he would have been impossible if that arm was immobile."

"Hell, he drove me crazy with his right arm immobile," Danny said.

"You can't blame him for asking to have his shoes tied and stuff," Linh said defending Chris.

"Yeah whatever," Danny said sitting at his desk.

Linh turned to head back to the front desk when she saw Chris walk in.

"Chris!" Linh declared. "What happened?"

Everyone turned to see Chris standing in the door. His right arm was back in the sling and he had a black eye. Linh moved to his side and helped him over to a chair.

"What happened!" Sean demanded.

"I fell," Chris said sheepishly.

"I knew I should have taken you there!" Danny yelled.

Harada walked out of his office to see what was going on. He saw everyone was gathered around Chris. His arm was in a sling and Harada could see he had a black eye. Linh helped Chris out his feet up while Declan got him a soda. Harada just shook his head as he walked to the door.

"Gains!" He bellowed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Captain!" Chris said standing. "I can explain."

"I just got off the phone with your doctor," Harada said crossing his arms. "She said you were released to come back to work. Now get out of that sling!"

Harada watched as Linh reached up and ran her finger across Chris's black eye.

"It's make up!" She yelled as she punched Chris in the arm.

"You just wanted us to keep waiting on you," Danny accused.

"Yeah it was kinda nice," Chris said smiling.

Harada returned to his office as Sean and Declan pelted Chris with paper balls. Danny grumbled about ungrateful partners while Linh just threw up her hands and walked away. Harada smiled as he closed the door to his office. It was good to have everything back to normal.

THE END