The Long Road

Concussion

Pulling up to Maddie's house Pete jumped out of the passenger seat of the black SUV and pulled the back door open. "Here, Steve, I'll take her," he offered so he'd be able to get out of the car.

Reluctant to hand her over, Steve looked down at Maddie's face, or at least what he could see of it since she had it buried in his chest and neck. "It's alright. I got her."

"Alright, bro," Pete smiled knowingly before he carefully helped his friend out. As long as he had known him, Steve had always been really overprotective of her.

As Steve walked up the few steps to her already open front door (thanks to Kono) he heard Maddie groan and tuck herself tighter against him. "Sorry for the movement, Mads. We're almost there," he assured her before softly kissing her forehead.

Making his way into the living room right off the kitchen he noticed Kono had already placed a blanket on the couch and was cutting open a trash bag. "You read my mind." He didn't want to take Maddie to her room until after she'd had the MRI. "But," he stopped, watching her place what used to be the trash bag, but was now a big sheet of plastic, on the carpet next to the couch. "What's with the... whatever that is?"

"She still has some glass on her. Her hand for sure and a few small pieces here and there. I mean, you got the big pieces, but she's still covered in teeny ones. Thought while we wait I'd try and get the rest out. I don't want any falling on the carpet only for someone to step on them later, so," she gestured to the plastic.

"Good thinking." He bent over to lay Maddie on the couch, however she still clung to him, his shirt balled in her fists. It seemed there was no way she was letting go so Steve bent close and whispered something in her ear. No one heard what he said, but whatever it was worked. She let go of his shirt. Reaching a hand out he placed it on Kono's forearm before making eye contact with her. "I know how close you and Maddie are. She's gonna be okay. Luckily the pieces of glass were all pretty small. Every cut on her is superficial."

"But, boss, her head. I mean she really hit her head. What if..." Kono couldn't finish.

Knowing what she was worried about because it was exactly what was worrying him, Steve replied, "She's responding to me. She's gonna be fine. Leave it to Maddie to pass out on marble and broken glass as opposed to carpet or grass. She is, and always has been, the biggest klutz I've ever met." Steve smiled, hoping he was helping to ease Kono's fears. His voice and body language oozed calm, but his eyes told a different story. One Kono, thankfully, didn't pick up on. However, Pete did. He could see Steve was not only worried about her head, but also over whatever she was hiding. Given her reaction to seeing him, both Steve and Pete knew whatever she was hiding was worse than they had originally thought. Maddie wasn't a drama queen or a diva. She despised causing people to worry and didn't do very well when people fussed over her. It made her uncomfortable. What she hated most of all was worrying Steve. So he knew if she was falling apart like this and causing everyone to worry, it had to be something serious. I should've called Steve months ago, he thought.

Steve bent over and closely inspected Maddie's left hand, the hand she'd crushed the glass in. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted some almost microscopic shards all over her clothes. How were there any left. "It's like she's covered in glass confetti."

"Let's not worry about what's on her clothes. I'll get the rest out of her hand and you look at her legs. I think I got almost all of it out in your office, but better to be sure," Kono stated.

"Alright," Steve agreed as he knelt next to Maddie eliciting a groan from him.

Kono glanced over. "You okay, boss?"