Mama

by MM

disclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't make money on 'em, sure love to whump 'em!

Chapter one: We're suffering a Lapse in Communication...

"Hey, Steve, got a minute?" Danny asked somewhat breathless. Several gunshots came over his phone.

"No, me and the cousins are kind of busy here," Steve retorted a little tersely. "Could use your backup!" he barked as he fired his gun in response.

"Uh, have to pass," Williams managed.

"Well, we'll just have to talk about this later, if you manage to get your lazy butt into work!" McGarrett growled and hung up.

Apologetically Danny looked up at a bound older woman, Mama, in the back room of her coffee shop. He'd managed to get his phone, a difficult feat given the cuffs and the beating he'd endured.

"I got another friend on speed dial," he promised. Gingerly he rolled and once more manipulated the phone as best he could. He knew Mama was terrified; he forced himself to be calm even though he wanted to rant about the situation.

"Kamekona! The Shaved Ice King!" the surprisingly chirpy voice came over the phone.

"Hey, Big Man! It's your favorite Haole!" he coughed, splattering blood before trying to take a breath.

"Little big man!" he said affectionately. "What can I do you for?"

Steve McGarrett was still growling about Williams being awol. Kono and Chin were now keeping a respectable distance since nothing they'd said had curbed his anger. He stormed into the Palace and eschewed the elevator.

"WILLIAMS!" his voice actually rattled the door glass. He stomped through each office not finding the focus of his anger.

"He'd better have left his resignation!" he threw his office door open. On the desk was a sticky note.

*Call me, haole! Kamekona*

"What's that?" Kono asked as she followed him in with Chin.

"Don't know," he growled. "Danny knew today was the day we went down on the Bautista drug runners! He knew how important it was to get into that compound! Where is he?"

"Maybe something happened to Grace?" Chin suggested for the third time.

"How did he sound when you spoke with him?" Kono asked gingerly. The immense adrenaline rush of the bust was finally winding down. Now they could talk rationally with the Navy Seal.

"Uh, breathy, like he'd been running," Steve leaned against his desk and rubbed his forehead. If Danny had been there a couple of tylenol would be plopped in his hand. Now that he thought about it something was wrong. Williams was too much of a professional and team player to leave them in the lurch.

Before he could express his concern the phone rang. He pushed speaker.

"McGarrett! 5-0!" he said as he continued to massage the bridge of his nose.

"Cmdr, have your heard from Detective Williams?" the governor's worried voice came over the line.

"Yes, sir," he said. "But I don't know what's happened to him. I am disappointed that he didn't show up for work."

"You don't know what happened to him?" he asked, incredulous.

"Exactly that, he did not show up to work. He called me in the middle of the Bautista take down to talk to me!" Steve huffed still a little annoyed. "I really couldn't talk then."

"I would recommend you turn on your television, view the break-in news," the governor replied and the phone went dead. With a shrug Kono picked up the control and flicked on the wall screen. She surfed the channels until they came to a news feed.

"Isn't that Mama's coffee shop?" Chin asked. There was police tape cordoning off the business, an officer standing stoically in front of the door. They picked up the report mid-stream.

"...was severely brutalized. He was taken to Hawaii Medical Center. Ms. Iatora, Mama to her friends and customers, was restrained but unharmed. She was released by paramedics on the scene..."

Chin quickly opened his phone and hit the speed dial. He had Kamekona on the speaker phone before Steve could finish moving.

"Hey, Kamekona! Steve got your note," he said.

"Yeah, good, the little Haole sure is buss up!" the big man said.

"Eh, I won't buss him up too bad when I get my hands on him!" Steve grunted. "We sure could have used him this morning!" Steve vaguely watched the news report wondering why the Governor had told him to watch it.

"Well, maybe he couldn't help because he was handcuffed and shot up," Kamekona's voice dripped sarcasm. "Seems that when he went to pick up coffee and malsadas for you guys he walked in on a robbery at Mama's. Took a shot and lots of kicks. Maybe snapped his forearm. Severe concussion. Managed to use his cell phone to call me since he had to use speed dial."

"Wha-at?" McGarrett stopped and paled significantly.

"Mama's, some guys hopped up on meth wanted her til," he explained. "Danny walked in on it and Mama said he protected her. Took all their shit after they tied Mama up. She's really shook up."

"He was the person who was beaten?" Steve eeked out.

"Yeah," Kamekona reported. "Still in surgery. Had to sign the papers for ya, coe-man-der, since you weren't available. They'd like you to come in and do it all official when you can spare the time."

"Surgery?" now Steve had to sit down. All that vitriol drained out of him.

"Yeah, bullet in the leg, got hit with a baseball bat," he was relaying injuries like he was checking down a grocery list. "And the rest of contusions are pretty bad, and the hits to the head. They figure he was pounded on da floor. Mama is too shook up to give a report. Maybe Chin can come down and talk with her." Kamekona said. "She trusts him."

"Shit," Steve dropped his head into his hands. "He called for help and I blew him off."

"We got to get to the hospital, Boss," Kono urged. The team moved out to her car.