As the newest member of the squad, I was the gofer. Not that it was really a hardship. I was working with a couple really hot guys. I had been selected by the commander himself.
I was the newest member of 5-O! I still couldn't believe it. I wasn't even out of the Corps yet, when I got a phone call asking for a meet with Lt. Commander McGarrett. Out of curiosity, I did go.
I showed up in my "civvies", as it was my furlough. My idea of civilian attire was a pair of denim cut-offs that showed my legs off to maximum tan effect and a sports bra and wife-beater tank top; also to get as much sun as possible. I wore flat sandals on my feet so I could move quickly if I needed to. I wanted the sun, not some jerk coming onto me.
I sat on the sand at Kuhio Beach, waiting for the Commander to show. I got there before sunup just to be able to take a swim out a mile and back with time left to soak up some glorious morning sun.
I was laying on the sand in just my shorts and my sports bra feeling the sun all over my body when it got a little darker all of a sudden. I raised one hand to shade my eyes and looked up. The commander was standing there in boarding shorts and nothing else. I loosed my hold on the knife I had sheathed under my left butt cheek.
"Commander," I said as I started to stand up.
"Lieutenant," he replied. "Care for some help up?"
"No thanks, sir" I replied. To prove a point, I flipped up from an almost prone position and landed lightly on my feet. I leaned down and grabbed my tank top to put it on. I also grabbed the diving knife that I had brought along for self protection. I strapped it to my waist and right thigh while he watched.
"So, Commander" I asked as I clipped on the knife with the waist and thigh fasteners. "What can I do for you? You called me after all."
"How would you like to go into law enforcement?" McGarrett asked me.
"Seriously? Me? Are you nuts?" I replied. "You have read my file, haven't you?"
"To quote your file, 'has problems with male authority and following orders,' to put it short and sweet" He said in a brusque tone.
"And you want me to come and work for you? You really have a screw loose." I said and started for my jeep.
He grabbed my arm, which I wasn't prepared for. Without thinking, I tried to throw a roundhouse punch to get him to let go. He countered and pinned my arm behind me. When I started to panic, I twisted away and tried to kick him in the head, but he caught my foot and pushed me to the ground. He pinned me to the ground and my struggles began in earnest.. I went for my knife before I realized what I was doing.
"Stand to, Lieutenant." McGarrett barked. "I'm not here to hurt you. Just to talk with you."
My hand froze on the handle of my knife. I finally came out of the haze it was in. I looked at the commander and saw that his lip was bleeding from where I had connected in my struggles.
I went limp and he got off me and backed up to stop about 4 feet away. He swiped the blood of his mouth with the back of a hand.
I slowly got to my feet, all the while watching him to see what would happen. Hoping that he couldn't guess the reason for why the struggles had happened in the first place. But my hope went out the window when he spoke to me again.
"How long did they have you, Lieutenant?" He asked in a quiet voice.
"Long enough to cause me problems, sir." I replied in a muted tone. "But I didn't let it get to me in front of them, sir. The fugue states started after I got back."
"And that would be the 'problem with male authority' that has you getting a dishonourable discharge? Why didn't you tell anybody?" McGarrett asked.
"And let the Corps know that I was weak, sir? Not fucking likely." I snarled. "The corps is all I know. All I know how to do is hurt anybody that grabs me."
"You get discharged in 2 weeks. Apply to 5-O. I'll make sure you get on the team. With your skill set, it's where you belong. I can help with the fugue states. I've been there, done that. Not for the same reasons, but the states themselves." He said in a now normal voice.
"Why? Why would you want help me, Commander?" I asked, sitting on a boulder at the top of the beach. "I'm an all round screw-up. Everybody says so."
"You've got cause. But not telling anybody doesn't help." he responded. "I know why you punched your CO first chance you got when you got back to base. And by the way, call me Steve."
"Think about it, Sam. Let me know after you've been discharged." Steve got up and started walking to the parking lot. "I'm sure we can help you keep from hurting people that don't deserve it."
****
That was 6 months ago. The team was grabbing some downtime and drinks at an out of the way watering hole over by Diamond Head. We were letting off steam after a particularly trying case. The whole team was there, even Williams. Which kind of surprised me, considering he seemed kind of stuffy and tight-assed. Although, after knocking back a couple of beers, he seemed almost likable.
While I was waiting for drinks at the bar, I leaned back against it with my elbows on the bar top and started thinking. Danny came up beside me and got me grounded into reality again just by standing there.
"You started zoning, Sam. Just thought I'd come and see if you were okay." Danny said in a quiet voice. "Steve told me you needed a ground every once in a while. No specifics, just that you needed it."
"The commander saved me from myself." I said in turn. "I was headed down a road I really didn't want to go down."
"Yeah, that doesn't really seem like him, but he surprises us all sometimes." Danny said leaning his arms on the bar. "Do you think you'll be okay now?"
I turned around as the bartender placed the last of our drinks on the bar. Danny looked down as I turned.
"Ummm, question okay with you?" he asked.
"Go for it," I replied in a normal voice. "No guarantee you'll get an answer, but ask away."
"How long were you in the Corps?" he queried in a low voice.
"How did you know I was in the Corps?" I asked in a low and shocked voice. "Nobody was supposed to know."
"Nobody polishes boots like the army." Danny replied in a wry tone. "I pay attention to details. Like, you never wear anything but sandals or boots.. And you like to keep your boots pretty much spotless. Same as your desk at HQ; nobody keeps a desk that clean unless they are either anal or ex-military. And you don't strike me as the anal type, Sam."
"Well," I replied as we grabbed the drinks to head back to the table, "I was in the Corps, but got a DD out of it. Long story, not going into it tonight. If ever."
"No problems," Danny replied. "Just letting you know that Steve doesn't have the only ear and/or shoulder if you need one."
"Thanks, Danny. That's a real nice offer." I said as we approached the table where Steve, Kono, and Chin were waiting for us."
"Thanks, for the drinks, Sam" Kono said as I put hers down in front of her.
"No worries," I said to her. "My turn to pay for a round this time."
Danny grabbed a chair beside me as Steve and Chin got up to play around of pool. Kono got up to wander over to the jukebox in the corner to pick the next round of tunes. Danny sidled his chair a little closer to me.
"Do you want to go somewhere and talk?" He offered. "You really look like you could use a friendly ear instead of more booze."