I know there have been doubts, but Irony is finished. I hope you enjoy this final chapter of this story. When we began, I thought we would have two chapters, tops. Silly me. But I like where we went with it. Thanks for sticking with us! …Cokie

Actually, this was supposed to be a really short one-shot. It was never intended to get past the first scene of two people getting killed… I mean, shot. I meant to say getting shot. Ups.

Anyway, even if it takes us sometimes a little longer to finish a story… never fear, we will always finish it. Thank you for reading. …Sam

Irony – Chapter 4

Mieke kept careful watch on the monitors at the large desk in the open ICU. The blood pressure cuff on Steve's arm had been set to record at ten minute intervals and she was concerned that his pressure was dropping. After the latest reading, she quickly put down her pen and walked into his room to check on him.

She was alarmed at what greeted her when she stepped next to McGarrett's bed. Her patient was bathed in sweat and in obvious discomfort. He didn't look awake, but he was very animated; mumbling and groaning.

"Commander? Can you hear me?"

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve tried to focus on the woman talking to him with urgency in her voice. But it was so hard to concentrate. He felt dizzy and cold; his head hurt and there was an ache all over his body like one he never felt before. His abdomen pulsed away with burning hot pain. And his right hip was one big agony. It didn't help that most of his muscles were contracting on their own.

It took a few moments for the fuzz in his brain to clear. "Commander, can you hear me?"

"Yeah," Steve croaked and wondered whose voice that was.

"How do you feel?" Steve heard the question and felt a gentle hand on his forehead. He had yet to open his eyes, knowing that it would increase the pain in his head.

"Like crap," Steve admitted and hissed when he moved his leg. "Hurting all over, feel sick… 'm tired," he added, finding it hard to concentrate on his answer.

"Is there a specific pain that's worse than the rest?"

"Wha'?"

"What hurts the most?" The kind nurse rephrased her question.

Steve only had to think about that for a second. The pain in his abdomen was off the charts. "Stomach," he answered, accompanied by a groan. He felt his breathing speed up even more, and the room hadn't stopped spinning since he woke up. Steve was feeling worse by the minute while the sounds around him were fading into the background again. The only noise remaining seemed to be the roaring in his head, and a frantic beeping sound.

But soon even that ceased and Steve slipped back into oblivion.

H50 – H50 – H50

After Steve had passed out again, Mieke turned to the doctor who had just arrived in the cubicle. "He complained about severe pain, his abdomen is rigid, his BP 80/40, skin clammy and cold, breathing up to 30 per minute, body temp 101," Mieke gave the basic information.

"That's not good," Dr. Eniou, the attendant for the night, said. "Let's do an ultrasound."

A short few minutes later it was clear why the patient had deteriorated at such an alarming rate. "There's a lot of free blood in the abdominal cavity," Dr. Eniou grumbled. "He needs to go to the OR stat."

"I'll call ahead and …

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve felt the grit of the sand between his toes as he ran in the surf. His lungs were working to capacity as he heaved much needed air into them. He was frantic, running from the water up onto the sand to look behind foliage at the edge of the beach.

She was gone. Cath was nowhere.

And he needed her. He needed to find her now.

The sunshine's warm rays from the morning had disappeared as black clouds replaced the brightness. Thunder rolled in across the ocean and he knew this was no mere afternoon storm. Instead, this would be what his dad had always termed a 'gully washer'. Lightning was flashing around him, so close that he could feel the sizzle. Fat drops of water began to pelt him, bringing pain as they increased in number and in intensity.

Steve was quickly soaked and what little light he had to work with disappeared, making the landscape more stark with each jagged streak of lightning. But he couldn't leave; he had to find Catherine.

He had left her here and now he had to find her. She was alone. Out there someplace. And he knew he couldn't stay here alone either. He needed her.

Steve ran until he could run no more and finally dropped to his knees, raising his face to the dark sky and screaming "Catherine!"; his voice half guttural cry and half sob.

The only sounds he heard were those of the storm raging around him.

He was alone.

H50 – H50 – H50

"He's crashing," the surgeon called out before they could even begin their emergency surgery. "Get that blood flowing, and get more fluids in him. Gary, do something, or we're gonna lose him," he spoke urgently to the anesthesiologist.

"We don't have time to wait for him to be stable, you need to stop the bleed," came the clipped answer.

"OK, we're opening him up."

H50 – H50 – H50

The stormed seemed to pass over, but the dark clouds still hung heavy in the sky. Steve sat in the wet sand and pondered what to do. He had looked everywhere for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

He felt so tired, so utterly exhausted. He was wet, cold and shivering and he could barely keep his teeth from chattering. With a groan, he let himself fall back and look up at the darkening sky.

"Cath, where are you?" he called out before closing his eyes.

H50 – H50 – H50

Catherine slept fitfully, although in a drug-aided sleep. Her injuries were painful and even asleep, she couldn't get comfortable. Suddenly she gasped and raised up on her right elbow, trying to catch her breath. "Steve!" she cried.

Her night nurse was quickly by her side.

"Catherine, easy. Everything's OK, let's get you lying back down."

"No. Where's Steve? I heard him. Just a minute ago – I heard him call my name."

"Shh, you were just having a dream."

"No, really. I heard him call. Please, I need to see Steve."

"Catherine, you can't get up yet. Just relax and take a deep breath for me. Your stats are all over the chart. Come on, calm your breathing. Do you need anything for pain?"

Cath slowly shook her head, finally realizing where she was and remembering that Steve was across the hall. "Is Steve asleep?" she quietly asked.

"Yes, dear, he's asleep. And you need to go back to sleep, too. You'll feel better in the morning."

"OK," Catherine whispered while closing her eyes. The frantic feeling that woke her was disappearing and she felt like she could breathe again.

"It was so real," she said as she drifted to sleep. "I heard his voice…"

H50 – H50 – H50

"Is she OK, Annie?" Mieke asked when the nurse returned to the station.

"Yeah, she is now. Said she heard Commander McGarrett calling her name."

Mieke glanced over at her patient's empty room. "Those two really have a connection, don't they? I just hope he makes it through surgery and he's back in here before we have to give her the news."

"Me, too," Annie agreed. "If he doesn't make it, I don't think she will want to, either."

H50 – H50 – H50

Kono was seated by Catherine's bed, scrolling through her phone, when she heard a soft sigh. She set down her phone and waited, not looking forward to the coming conversation.

She didn't have to wait long before Cath opened her eyes looking around the room in panic.

"Steve!" She slowed her breathing when she saw Kono seated next to the bed. "Kono."

"Hey, Cath. How're you feeling?"

"Um, OK I guess. Stiff and sore." She felt like she was forgetting something. "Is it morning?"

"Yeah, a little after seven."

"Were you here all night?"

"Nah, sister, they kicked me out last night," she replied with a smile. "You were sound asleep. I just got back here."

Catherine felt the bed beside where she was lying, then glanced around the room.

"What's wrong?" Kono asked, standing up.

"My phone. Do you see it?" She smiled. "This time, I want to call Steve. Have you seen him this morning?"

"Um, not yet," Kono said. "Hey, Chin is outside. Let me go get him. He said he didn't feel comfortable sitting here watching you sleep. Be right back," she told her, before escaping out the door.

Kono returned a couple minutes later with both Chin and a nurse.

"Hello, Lieutenant," the nurse said. "I'm Kari. How do you feel this morning?"

"I'm OK," she said, her eyes darting among all three. "What's wrong? It's Steve, isn't it?"

Chin sighed and moved closer to the bed, speaking quietly. "Cath, during the night they took Steve back into surgery."

Catherine closed her eyes for a moment before focusing back on them. "What happened?" she whispered, her voice shaky.

"He developed an internal bleed, so they went in to close it," Kari quietly explained to her. "Surgery is over and they have taken him to Recovery where they will probably monitor him for a while."

"I need to see him."

"Cath, you're not ready for that," Kono told her.

"You don't understand. I need—"

"Hey, Catherine," the nurse soothed. "The commander can't have visitors right now. He's in Recovery. But I promise, the minute he gets back to ICU, we'll let you see him."

"You promise?" she asked while trying not to let them see her cry.

"I swear to you, somehow I will make sure you see him. But right now, you need to concentrate on getting well yourself. The doctor will be here soon to examine you. How about some breakfast before then?"

"I'm not hungry," she quickly said, but saw the look on the nurse's face. "OK, I guess I can eat a little. But can I get up and go to the bathroom?" She had been so glad when she was allowed up the night before.

"Yes, that's a good idea," the nurse told her. "Walking will help you heal. Just a minute and I'll get you unhooked."

"I think that's my cue to leave," Chin said, leaning forward and kissing Cath on the forehead. "I'm going to go wait with Lou."

"Where's Danny?" Cath asked him.

"Ah, I think he's at HQ."

"I can tell Danny's not pleased," she said quietly. "With me."

"Girl, you know Danny," Kono chimed in. "When is he ever pleased with anything?"

"I got the impression when he popped in yesterday that he isn't happy I came back. I guess he doesn't trust me."

"Hey, don't worry about Danny," Chin told her. "You concentrate on getting yourself well. We'll check back in later," he told her before heading out.

H50 – H50 – H50

Lou Grover stood in the doorway to the recovery ward, where they said he could sit with his friend for a few minutes. He smiled up at the illuminated ceiling and again thought that everything in Hawaii seemed to be different. Chicago hospitals didn't have fluffy white clouds on the ceilings.

Grover made his way over to one of the beds on the left side, only giving a short, friendly nod to the woman sitting next to the second bed occupied by a young man. Lou thought that he couldn't be older than maybe 20. And judging by the look of it, he wasn't any better off than the man Lou came to see.

Surprisingly, Steve wasn't connected to as many wires and machines as Lou had feared. There was a BP cuff that probably inflated automatically at a set rate. Grover recognized the very low beeping of the heart monitor, and wondered why they kept the sound on. There were two IVs, one attached to a clear, small bottle and a bigger clear bag; the other leading to a bag of blood. He wondered just how many units of blood that made since Steve was brought in?

Steve's upper body was wrapped in gauze, and a big tube came out of his side. Drainage, Lou thought with a shudder. Lou looked at the little thingy on Steve's finger, the one small device Lou never could figure out how it worked. But he knew it measured the oxygen level and pulse of the patient.

Lou was surprised that Steve only had a nasal canula. He learned, before he was allowed in, that Steve was still critical and would be placed back in ICU after his stint here in recovery. But before he could be moved he needed to be stable. Which he wasn't, as the doctor had explained.

Grover sat down in the chair and just now realized that his friend was covered in sweat. His face was not relaxed as one would think, but lines of pain were visible.

"Steve? Can you hear me?" Grover softly talked to his friend, hoping to get a reaction.

"Ugh."

Lou wasn't sure if what he heard was a grunt of pain, or if Steve tried to say something. "Steve?"

No answer came from the injured task force leader.

"Captain Grover?" Lou turned around when the nurse addressed him.

"Yes? I'm sorry, am I in the way?"

"No, no, it's fine. I just wanted to tell you that the lieutenant woke up and is asking about Commander McGarrett."

"Oh. Thank you. I'll go see her in a few minutes."

"You can stay a bit if you like."

"Thank you. We really appreciate what you're doing," Grover said and smiled at the nurse as she turned to leave.

Lou looked back at his friend, moving closer to the bed. "Steve, listen to me. Your girl wants to know how you are, so you better get well. Don't make me a liar."

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve quickly sat up and looked around the beach. He was positive he had heard a voice, but there was no one nearby. The rain had ended although he could still see the lightning in the distance out over the dark, rolling water. Thunder echoed in the background, which was what he probably had heard.

He checked the perimeter; Cath was still nowhere to be found. Steve reached up his hand to wipe the sweat stinging his eyes. He had been freezing earlier, but now he felt the steamy, stifling heat radiating that seemed to be always present after a storm.

He stood and looked back from where he had come. He had searched diligently for Cath and she wasn't there. He turned in the opposite direction and sighed, while placing one foot in front of the other. His body ached and he felt beaten down, but he knew he couldn't quit. He wouldn't stop in his quest until he found Catherine.

Or die trying.

Once again, he wiped sweat from his eyes and stared into the distance. Lightning still flashed over the water but as he continued down the beach, a small patch of white appeared on the horizon. Finally a break in the dark clouds. And it gave him hope.

He was still weak and his gait was anything but sure, but he continued to walk toward that small patch of sky.

Surely Catherine would be there.

H50 – H50 – H50

Steve felt like he was on a roller coaster. Whatever he was riding took a corner and then quickly bumped over something on the surface. Whatever it was jarred him and it hurt! Where was he going? He slowly became aware of muted sounds which were steadily became clearer. He again felt 'off', hot and sick, and he knew that something wasn't right, but he wasn't sure what it exactly was that was wrong. And he also wasn't sure that he cared.

He drifted, knowing there was something he needed to remember, something important that he needed to do, but when the ride stopped moving, the steady beeping sound he heard lulled him back to sleep.

H50 – H50 – H50

The patch of white sky continued to push away the dark clouds and Steve kept his eyes on his target. Soon, half the sky was lit with a watery-blue sky and white clouds. He still tiredly pressed onward; seeing no one on his journey. His breathing wasn't quite as labored and he wasn't burning up like before, so all in all, he felt better. If only he could find Catherine everything would be great.

The water was beginning to glisten with the sun's rays and they began to shine through the clouds. And up ahead, he saw her.

Catherine turned and smiled at him. All was well.

H50 – H50 – H50

"Say what?" Lou rolled his eyes and shook his head as he spoke into the phone. "Yeah, I get it, he kinda looks like the wallpaper paste we used when Renee and I almost got a divorce." He grinned and explained, "We tried to wallpaper the kitchen together. Worst day ev-er. I'm not tryin' to be mean, but yeah, I agree, he needs a little color. OK, gimme a sec, I'll tell her."

Steve woke once again to the steady beeping sound. Along with it he could hear other noises and he realized that, in the midst of the beeps and blips, he heard words… and as more of his world came into focus, he recognized that voice. Lou.

"Woman, would you wait just a second?" Grover said into the phone. "Just like a magpie," he said in a low voice, grinning, knowing that she could hear him over the line. "Nurse Mieke, I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job or nothin', but she wants me to tell you that Commander McGarrett is too pale… her words… and she wants to know if you agree. I mean, not that I'm questioning anythin', but the lady is concerned."

A female voice Steve didn't recognize laughed and answered, "Yes, I do know that the commander is pale; I totally agree with her. She does need to realize that he is recovering from his second major surgery in three days and that we are still pumping blood back into him. She also needs to realize that he has a lot of healing to do. But please tell her that he is doing just fine. Now… I have a suggestion, too," she added with a grin. "Would you please tell her for me that she needs to turn over, close her eyes and take a nap!"

Grover nodded. "Hey, she said… Oh, you heard that, huh? Well, alrighty. How about you enjoy that nap? Talk to you later."

"Sorry about that," Lou said as he placed his phone in his pocket.

"I totally understand," the nurse agreed. "She's worried. But she needs to get some rest. Worrying about the commander isn't helping her one bit."

The conversation he heard hadn't made much sense to Steve's not-up-to-speed brain and he tried to sort out the information. Two surgeries? When did that happen? And why? And who was Lou talking to?

Even asking the questions to himself made his head hurt. But he knew he had to figure out what was going on.

Steve slowly opened his eyes and blinked in the bright light before quickly closing them once again. "Lou?" he said, unsure that the low, hoarse voice he heard was actually his.

"Steve! You're awake."

"Hello, Commander. How do you feel?" the female voice asked and he turned his head to see her, realizing by her scrubs that she was a nurse. He glanced around and recognized the ICU, but couldn't remember why he was there. He remained silent, trying to gather his scattered thoughts.

"Steve?" Lou patiently waited for his friend to process his surroundings.

"How about some ice?" the nurse asked, holding out a spoon.

He nodded and opened his eyes once again, saying "Please". The memory of the shooting came into focus and he gasped, "Where's Cath? Lou, where's Cath? Is she—"

"Calm down, she's gonna be fine. You, on the other hand, know how to scare the bejeebies outta everyone."

Steve tried to remember what had happened to him but other than the dull throb throughout his body, he came up blank.

"I do have something that might make you feel better," Lou told him. "Do you feel like someone is watching you?"

"Huh?"

"We pulled some strings," Lou replied. "You have Mieke and another nurse, Annie, to thank for this. He pointed to the side wall. "Look over there."

"Here," the Mieke said, pushing the tray table out of the way. "Can you see over here? We pushed aside the curtain."

Steve turned his head and stared, finally getting the scene before him into focus. There was a wall of glass with a bed on the opposite side. Staring back at him were the prettiest brown eyes he had ever seen.

"Cath," he whispered, a smile spreading across his face.

She had a matching smile for him and he saw her lips move. "I love you."

He nodded at her and grinned before his eyes closed. Steve quickly opened them again, trying to stay awake.

"Don't fight it," the nurse told him. "You need to sleep and heal."

" 'M tired," he said, glancing back at Catherine who was still watching him.

She blew him a kiss and then waved, watching as his eyes closed.

H50 – H50 – H50

Catherine woke up, remembering that something was different. She lay with her eyes closed and quickly catalogued how she was feeling, noting that although she was still sore and her body was stiff from lying around for far too long, she did feel better. Much better. And that led to what was different. The evening before she had been moved out of ICU into a regular room. While she should be pleased of that fact, the move took her away from Steve. He had been asleep when they had moved her and she hadn't been allowed to say goodbye.

She sighed and opened her eyes, glancing around the new room.

And was startled to see a smiling face staring back at her.

"Steve!" she whispered, reaching out her hand for his. "You shouldn't be here. Did you sneak—"

Steve tried to look appalled that she would think he had snuck out of ICU. But his grin gave it away.

"Of course I didn't sneak out," he quickly told her and squeezed her hand. He leaned back in the wheelchair he was seated in, wincing when the movement tugged on his stitches. "The nurse said I needed to sit up for a while and I pleaded with her to let me sit down here. I've got about eight minutes left before her break is over and I have to go back," he sadly told her. "But I promised you I would come see you, so I did."

Catherine smiled and tugged their clasped hands to her mouth. "Took you long enough, Sailor!"

Epilogue

He was walking slowly along the beach and looked up to see how close he was to home when he saw her. She was sitting in a chair facing the ocean, the sun shining on her face, one arm in a sling.

Steve slowed and watched her, while still moving toward her.

"Hey, Sailor," she said with a smile. "Been waiting for you."

He carefully sat down in the chair next to her and smiled, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. "Hope it hasn't been too long," he told her.

"How was your walk?"

He grimaced, dropping his cane on the sand and reaching up to run his hand along the back of his neck. "Honestly?" He sighed and dropped his hand to reach for her fingers. "It was pretty frustrating," Steve admitted. "I didn't make it two houses away before I had to turn around and come back. And I was walking slow as a turtle."

"You're doing good," she assured him while squeezing his fingers. "Remember you were still in the hospital a week ago. And… I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I bet the doctor didn't expect you to go for a walk along the beach."

Steve leaned his head back against the chair and smiled, feeling the warmth of the sun on his face. "He said to begin slow walks. And use the cane. That's what I did, right? How about you?" he asked, turning his head to the side.

"I'm fine now… was getting cabin fever. I've just been appreciating this gorgeous view." She turned and looked out toward the sparkling water.

Steve didn't take his eyes off of her. "Me, too," he commented, watching her with a smile on his face. They were silent for a few moments before he spoke once again. "Cath… do we need to talk?"

"About?" she asked, turning to meet his eyes.

Steve sighed again. "Like, do you remember what happened? Does any of…" he waved his hand toward the ocean. "Any of this seem remotely like déjà vu to you?"

Cath thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Kind of, yeah, it does. Does it matter?"

He considered her question and then slowly shook his head. "No, I guess not. But I feel like we've been here before, having this conversation. I mean, recently. I guess that doesn't make any sense because we were both in the hospital."

It was Catherine's turn to sigh and she leaned her head back onto the chair as she pondered his question. Glancing down at the navy blue sling on her arm, she nodded. "It must have been just a dream. At least part of it, anyway." She took a deep breath and then added, "And then it turned into a horrible nightmare. I remember us walking on the beach and feeling so wonderful and peaceful."

"That's what I dreamed, too," Steve told her, a questioning look on his face. "It felt… just right. Everything, I mean this is gonna sound crazy, but everything around us was brighter, more perfect, sort of like I had never seen it before."

"Yeah, that is how it felt," Cath agreed, staring at him. "We had the same dream? How is that possible?" She thought for a moment and then added, "But I didn't like the end of it," she quickly told him.

"Why not?" Steve asked. "All I remember is we were enjoying ourselves on the beach and then suddenly nothing. When I woke up, I was in the ICU and I was in pain and the dream was gone."

Cath was silent for a moment and then replied, "My dream ended with us lying on the beach and suddenly you couldn't breathe and you stared at me and you looked so sad. And then…"

"Then what?"

"Then you died," she said, letting go of his fingers to wipe away a tear.

Steve scooted forward in his chair and used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the water on her face. "But, look, I didn't," he reminded her.

"It seemed so real," Catherine quietly admitted. "And we were sure it was forever, but it wasn't."

Steve used his cane to help stand and then reached a hand down to help her out of the chair. When she stood, he immediately put his arms around her. "One thing I know is that part hasn't changed," he promised.

"Want to know what I know?" she asked him with a grin.

"I'm sure you will tell me regardless."

She poked her elbow lightly into his side. "Don't be smart."

"Oof," he said, and his eyes widened. "That part sounded… and felt familiar, too."

"Yeah, it did," she agreed. "This is kind of weird."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they turned to slowly walk back toward the house. "So what do you know?"

"That wherever this leads, we are together," she replied, glancing up to look at his face.

"Forever," he added. "This time it's forever. No matter what, that will never change."

H50 – H50 – H50