Disclaimer

The Steeles walked into the emergency room area of the hospital where they were directed to the eighth floor waiting room. As Remington entered the waiting room he observed his dear friend Caterina, surrounded by HPD, Five-O and others he did not recognize. Sitting next to his long time friend was his long time adversary Arms. He greeted his friend, “Caterina.”

Caterina looked up when she recognized Remington’s voice calling to her. Tiredly she greeted them. “Hello Remington, Laura, thanks for not leaving today.”

Remington and Laura could see that Caterina was in bad shape from the bandages and blood covered cloths. Something had gone drastically wrong this afternoon after leaving Caterina and Danny to return to the hotel before heading home to Los Angeles. “Caterina, tell us what happened?” Laura asked with concern as Remington went to comfort her.

Caterina didn’t respond immediately because the tears she was trying to hold at bay were choking her voice. Turning to Remington, several tears escaped rolling down her face.

He wiped the tears away with his handkerchief then put his arms around her so she could cry on his shoulder, patting her back. “There, there Love. We’re here for you. We were listening to the news when we heard about the shooting and came right over.” Remington was trying to sound calmer than he was feeling. “It’s going to be all right. It has to be all right.”

After a few minutes, she pulled away from Remington, and moved awkwardly to the doorway to look for some one or some kind of sign. “What’s going on in there? WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG?”

Remington moved carefully towards her hearing her controlled impatience in her voice. He asked, “How long has Danny been in there?” He could remember the numerous times he had received calls in the middle of the night from Caterina when her man was hurt on the job. There had always been that impatience in her voice, accompanied by tears during those calls. They would talk for several hours until there was no reply on the other end of the phone. At that point, he knew she was asleep in her bed, and then he would wish her a good night and hang up. He always checked on her the next day or two by either talking to her directly or talking to Arms and/or Amanak.

“What?” Caterina still partially in shock from the events of the day and was not sure if someone was talking to her. After a few moments Caterina said, “Remington, I can’t believe this has happened. After this past year we finally got time to be by ourselves since Election Day and THIS HAS TO HAPPEN.” Caterina throws her hands up in the air dramatizing the issue.

Caterina wanted to hit something out of frustration. She thought about how much she hated waiting like this. She always hated waiting for the doctors to tell her ‘everything went the way it should during the operation.’ Could this be the time ‘it didn’t go right?’ She had waited through this for her parents, then her cousin and NOW, again for her husband. Caterina thought to herself, I have always expected the doctors to say what I’d heard so many years before, “I’m sorry, . . .” Caterina started to tremble and reached out to catch herself on a wall that was out of her reach when Remington and Arms were on each side of her suddenly to catch her from falling.

They guided Caterina back to the couch in the waiting room and sat down beside her. Arms and Remington looked at each other with their usual ‘Am watching you,’ but when it came to Caterina, in unusual circumstances, there would not be the usual adversarial disagreeing going on, but only support needed to get her through the latest family problem.

Remington spoke softly to Caterina, ‘Love why don’t you tell me what put Danny in this position?”

Caterina looked around once again feeling a little more confident about the situation with two of her closet friends sitting there on the couch with her. “After you left, Dannya and I made a small lunch and took it out to the patio, where we just sat talking quietly together. The kids as you know, are spending a couple of days with Steve. We were on the patio, with only the security people in the background giving us our privacy.” She paused to clear her throat; “While in each other’s arms a shot came out of nowhere. It hit Dannya in the abdomen and the blood flowed everywhere. The security people were there in seconds helping Dannya.” The voice was weak from the commotion earlier and the ‘fear of the worst’ caught in her throat. Her manner was starting to take on her official police attitude of reporting the details. “Everything is a big blur. The first clear thing I remember is a doctor in the emergency room who was examining me. I didn’t even realize that I was hit until they took Dannya up to surgery while they prevented me from following.” Looking up towards the operating room, hoping to see the doctor, “I can’t believe that any of this is happening.”

Everyone in the waiting room was quietly watching her while noticing the difference in Lady Caterina’s manner. It is not often that anyone in HPD and Five-O sees the caring wife side of Commandant Caterina. The normal behavior of Commandant Caterina (a.k.a. Lady Caterina) is a matter-of-fact and a strong commanding officer for her position in Five-O. They knew better than to get in the way of the Chief and/or Lady Williams when either was hurt or badly injured. One never interfered with The Williams’ quest to find out what happened to each other or anyone close to them.

Laura, like the rest of the people in the waiting room, had been watching. She had known Caterina long enough to know she was looking into the face of woman of uncommon courage, demanding loyalty and loving warmth. That face was now racked with pain and worry. Laura had always been a touch jealous of Remington’s relationship with Caterina but not now. She thought to herself I’ve never seen her like this. No wonder Remington is so protective of her; this is why he has always been so defensive whenever I said anything negative about Caterina and those late night calls. Fortunately, Caterina was not like some of the other mysterious women from Remington’s past that I have met over the years. She was lost in her own thoughts when she realized she didn’t hear her husband asking for something. ‘I’m sorry Remington, what did you say?’

Laura could see that Remington was upset and she was not her usually attentive self in a case like this. “Would you get Caterina a cup of hot tea with sugar?”

“Sure.” Laura got up, looking once more at Caterina, knowing Remington was right. She needs something to help calm her nerves just a little. “I’ll be right back.” Laura left the room as Remington turned back to caring for Caterina. How did Caterina’s and Remington’s relationship ever get started? What is their secret? Laura considered these thoughts for the millionth time since meeting Caterina how many years ago? She knew, like so many other parts of Remington’s past, he would not tell her about his past with Caterina, yet she knew it was nothing she ever needed to worry about.

Remington was being his usual ever-lovable self while trying to comfort Caterina as she continued talking about something that was truly audible. Remington looked around at the officers in the room noting the looks of concern and apprehension. They were unable to comfort Lady Caterina the way truly good friends like he and Arms could.

Turning his attention back to Caterina, Remington murmured softly, “There, there, Danny is a tough guy. WE ALL Hope he’ll pull through. With his new career ahead of him, he has no choice about pulling through, eh?” Remington still trying to be more positive then he felt, while trying to calm her continued softly, “Come on Love, what did the Doctor say about Danny’s injury.”

“I don’t remember. They worked on Dannya in the trauma room then took him up to surgery. The Doctor working on me had given me something for the pain while he worked on my shoulder. If the Doctor who was working on Dannya told me, I can’t remember what he said.”

Remington couldn’t believe Caterina of all people not knowing the facts. Then again, re-examining Caterina’s present physical and mental condition he would not doubt her lack of memory in regards to what the Doctor’s may have said earlier. “Then Love, tell me about your injuries. Eh?”

Caterina wasn’t even fully aware of her own injury because her concern was totally on her injured husband. She reached for her shoulder that had been patched up when Dannya was first taken up to surgery. After she was fixed up, the Emergency Room Doctors and Nurses showed her into the operating waiting room where they could keep a watchful eye on her since the hospital staff knew from past experience of the impossibility of getting her into own room.

Just as Caterina started to reply, a doctor came looking for her.

“Mrs. Williams?”

Remington stood up pulling Caterina with him while supporting her with his arm around her waist. “Yes, doctor, Mrs. Williams is over here.”

“Mrs. Dan Williams?” He had to confirm this because of pictures he had seen of her over the past few months in the papers and on television, but she looked so pale and lifeless compared to what she looked like during the campaigning over the last six months. So full of energy and supporting the man he just finish operating on.

Caterina nodded her head to acknowledge him.

“I’m Doctor Singleton, chief of surgery, as you know. I have some good news for you about Chief Williams. Your husband came through surgery as well as can be expected.”

Caterina leaned more heavily on Remington for support with the news that her husband had survived surgery. “That is great news, doctor.”

The doctor continued with his report, “The major concern is the amount of blood loss due to trauma in the abdominal area. We gave him three units of blood to stabilize him before surgery, and fortunately none during the course of the surgery. They should be taking him down to his private room on the fourth floor near the ICU area in a few minutes.”

“Doctor, tell me what is the extent of my husband’s injury?” Caterina’s voice was soft but it started to take on some of its normal strength. Having Remington there seemed to be helping her to regain her strength. She always could depend on her old friend to be there when she needed someone to talk with from time to time over the years.

The doctor was puzzled as to why he was telling this woman about the surgery again. He looked her over, when he realized that she might not have truly comprehended the problem earlier because of her own shoulder injury and the medication she was given to ease the pain. Dr. Singleton also noted that there were a few others in the room who would be asking the same questions again later. He also remembered dealing with the Police always meant answering the same questions more then once. “The bullet nicked the ascending large intestines and Chief Williams should be able to recover completely. As you know from past experience, the ICU private room area is strictly only a precautionary measure. He should only be in that private room near ICU for twenty-four hours barring no complications.” Next time he makes this report will be at the press conference being held within the hour in the lobby of the hospital.

“Thank you Doctor. May I see my husband now?” Caterina was pleased with the news about Dannya but still held her emotions in check, due to the fact, that she has seen so many of their friends and fellow officers on the force not recover from various complications after performing surgery on various abdominal injuries.

“You can go down in a little while when he has been set up in his private room. I suggest in the meantime that you get some much needed rest yourself for your own injuries.”

Caterina kept wondering why everyone was so concerned over her little injury when her husband was the one who needed the help. With more force then she should have, she replied, “DOCTOR, I’M FINE. It’s my husband that is the one who needs the attention and rest.”

The Doctor started to comment when he remembered what he had heard over the years, that it’s the nature of Chief and Mrs. Williams’ to not listen to doctor’s orders or suggestions, and getting them in a hospital bed required their being knocked out cold. Dr. Singleton shook his head to clear that train of thoughts. “Mrs. Williams, I suggest, once again, you get some rest for your own injuries. Let me get a nurse to take you to your room.”

Caterina had a look of protest that if the doctor moved to get the nurse he would regret it. “Doctor I repeat, I’m fine.”

Dr. Singleton was resigned to the fact that this woman would not go quietly, so he took her hand shaking it gently because of the shoulder injury, and then left the waiting room as Steve McGarrett arrived with DJ, Quentin, Daniella and Guinevere Williams.

Caterina’s attention was suddenly fixed on the gurney that was coming out of the operating area, she did not notice her cousin and children entering the waiting room as the hospital staff was taking her husband down to his room. Remington felt a physical change in Caterina when he became aware of Danny’s gurney going past the doorway.

Caterina’s police instincts started to take control of her emotions when she realized that none of the officers in the room moved to follow Dannya’s gurney. Since there was no guard with her husband, she took the pistol from the nearest officer on duty to follow her husband as they took him down to his room.

When Caterina pulled away from Remington, he realized that she was off and following Danny before he could stop her. He chased her down the hall without much success because she made it into the elevator before he could reach her.

Caterina walked along side her husband’s unconscious body from the elevator into his private room. From the doorway, Caterina watched the nurse hooking her husband up to the monitors and IV. Then she looked at him sleeping so peacefully in his hospital bed. Dannya looked the same way at home in their bed every time she came home late from work or when she had to go in earlier than him. All she wanted to do was go over, wake him up, and tell him to get his butt moving because they had a lot of things to do before the New Year.

Then Caterina’s mind wondered back to the other occasion in their long police partnership and the number of times she stood watching a similar scene. How many times have I lived through this scene before? Now that you are leaving Five-O, how many more times will I have to go through this when you’re sworn in as the Governor? Tears were building again in her eyes. She would keep the pistol concealed in her hand until security arrived to take over the guarding of the next Governor of Hawaii.

The duty nurse recognized her patient and looked up knowing she would see the woman by the door. She continued to hook Chief Williams up to the monitors, placing the IV on the stand, and then taking his vital signs. She made the appropriate notes on his chart and left the room. “You can go in now Lady Caterina but only for a few minutes.” She knew that Lady Caterina would not leave the Chief unless she was physically forced to but the nurse had to say it anyway.

“Thank you. Thanks for everything.” Caterina recognized the nurse, but could not place her. After the nurse left, she entered the room and sat down next to her husband to hold his hand. Softly to herself, “No one will get another chance to take you out of the future for this State while I’m still around to protect you, My Love.” She raised his hand in hers kissing it softly feeling his warmth, then held it next to her cheek. She looked around the room and out the doorway wondering why the security team had not followed her down yet. “Where are those security people who were supposed to be watching over you anyway?” She whispered to her unconscious husband. She was upset that the protection that should be there was slow in arriving to protect the Governor Elect.

After getting off the elevator, Remington headed down the hallway looking for Caterina. Then saw a nurse in the hallway flagging her down, “Where is Chief Williams?”

“You’ll find them down the hallway in the corner room?” She pointed towards the proper area.

He gestured toward the corner room as he passed the nurse. As Remington approached the room, he saw Caterina sitting vigilantly by her husband side speaking to him softly holding his hand to her cheek. “Well Caterina you now know the state of your Dannya. I’ll be back later to check on you.” Remington turned back towards the waiting room full of waiting family and friends. ‘I wonder if Danny really knows how lucky he is having Caterina,’ Remington wondered to himself. He knew how lucky he was with his wife Laura and their children.

To be continued . . .