Hawaii 5-0 Fanfic - Ke Kapunakane

Epilogue

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6

Steve raised his hand to salute at the call of the sergeant. The peal of the gun reports echoed across the bay. The rifles fired twenty-one times. The urn was handed down and Harry disappeared below the surface of the water. A bugle played taps. It seemed to flow in time to soft lapping of the waves against the base of the Memorial.

The white stone glowed pink in the setting sun. Long shadows fell across the darker shadow in the water below. The missing man was going home.

Steve glanced over at the rest of his team where they stood next to him. Unlike Steve, who wore his Navy formals, Danny, Chin, and Kono were dressed in Police formals. Steve swallowed hard. He owed these three people more than words could ever convey. They were his mates.

Steve let his gaze wander across the others assembled there. Paul wore a uniform identical to his own. Amy stood next to him, clutching a picture of Jeremy. Coach Peterson and Jeremy's teammates stood in several rows behind the family. He could see the reflected lines of tears on many of their faces.

The Hawaiian girl beside Kono sobbed quietly into a hanky. She had finally learned from Tom why Jeremy had agreed to the plan. He'd wanted money to buy her a ring. Steve shut his eyes. The cost had been too great.

Tom and Sam were not among the gathered. They were in custody, awaiting arraignment. He had already agreed with Chin to speak on their behalf. The boys learned a terrible lesson. One that might well be stronger than any sentence a judge could impose.

Chin had tracked the ad that had drawn the boys into the dangerous gamble. It had seemed so innocent. Money offered to divers willing to retrieve something. Sam had been the only one who really had full knowledge of what they were doing. He'd probably get a tougher sentence.

The one thing that really bothered Steve was that the guy in the limo had disappeared. All the shooters had been local talent. They had no connections to whoever had hired them. The tracks had been well hidden.

The formal ceremony ended and the assembly began to disperse. It would be a few minutes before the boats arrived to take them back to the landing.

Danny started to walk away. A tight knot formed in Steve's stomach. "Danny?"

His partner turned and looked back. He managed to smile. "Look, Steve."

Steve shook his head. He pulled Danny into an embrace. "Thank you."

Danny patted him on the back and let him go. "Hey, what are partners for?" He grinned. "It's not like we need any more paperwork around the office, you know. Besides, she agreed." He pointed over Steve's shoulder. "They wouldn't give you special dispensation. I asked. No can for even you."

Steve turned to follow Danny's point. Ms. Hamilton was helping Harry up a ladder.

Steve looked back and grinned. "Well, you're right about that. Besides, I got a space marked out next to my dad."

Danny's face crumpled. "Just don't be in too much of a hurry to occupy it. Okay?"

Steve didn't trust his voice. He nodded and moved toward the divers.

Paul intercepted him before he could get there. His friend held out a hand. "Steve. I can't thank you enough."

Steve shook it. "I'm sorry the results turned out to be so bad."

Paul glanced over to where Amy talked with Kono and Miako. "I just can't help thinking that if I'd done something differently..."

"Paul." Steve pulled on his arm to get his attention. "You can't change what has already happened. You can only learn from it."

Paul managed to nod. His focus was drawn to something behind Steve.

"If you ever decide to retire, you can always come join our staff. Sounds like you might have the beginnings of a decent Park Service interpreter."

Steve grinned and turned around. "Why thank you, Ms. Hamilton. I'll keep that in mind."

Harry came up beside her. "And then you won't have to ask how the diving is." A loud speaker announced the arrival of the first boat. "Well, that's my call. I've got equipment to clean up and get put away."

Ms. Hamilton looked at him. "And what about you? Do you want to catch this boat?"

Steve looked around at all of the other people headed for the ramp. "No, I'll wait for the next one."

The pattern of fading light drew his attention to the end of the Memorial. He paused by the rope barricade and stared up at the engraved list. He could just make out the names.

"One thousand, one hundred, seventy seven."

Steve managed not to jump. He hadn't realized she'd followed him. "I know." He'd known that number as long as he could remember. There was one name that he was looking for.

"Thank you for every thing you've done to help return the urn." Her voice was very quiet. "Harry told me."

Steve found the name on the list and focused on it.

Ms. Hamilton gasped.

Steve turned and found her staring at him. "You were named after him?"

Steve nodded and turned back to the wall. He finally let the salty drop go. It trickled down his cheek and fell to the deck. One small tear for the Arizona.

Author's Note: Thanks to the readers who helped catch the mistakes! Hope you enjoyed the story!