Ohana, Now What? (Hawaii Five-O) ON HOLD

2. Hoʻohui ʻohana

(Family reunion)

"You've met dad?" Steve said slowly, deliberately, surely she is mistaken.

"Yes," Maxine said firmly. "I got in with a bad crowd a few foster homes ago, I had snuck out and we went to an abandoned building. They were all drinking and smoking pot, but I wasn't. The cops showed up and one of the guys shoved a baggie in my pocket because he thought they wouldn't search me because I was under age."

Steve rolled his eyes at the kids ignorance. "Yeah, that's not how things work."

"I know that now," Maxine snorted. "Anyway, they obviously did search me. And I got to spend the night in juvie. Mrs. Hopper, foster mother dearest, called the foster agency and demanded I get counciling instead of jail time. Which was just her making sure she could still collect her money from the state and not out of concern for my reputation." She rolled her eyes. "So I had to go to twice a week for eight weeks court mandated counciling. He was my councilor, said his name was Jack Garretson. He was really nice. I just can't believe it, I spent right weeks with him and I had no idea."

Steve is surprised when the morose look on her face peps up. "He said he knew the moment I walked in I was a good kid. I just needed someone to talk to. So that's what we did, for sixteen visits, we just hung out. He'd bring pizza and soda and we just shoot the breeze for an hour." Maxine is quiet for a moment, obviously lost in her thoughts.

"You must be hungry, let's get some food and we'll talk some more."

Maxine followed Steve into the kitchen and sat at the table when he declined her offer to help. He slid a bottle of water in front of her. "Are you ok with Danny coming over for dinner tonight? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Maxine smiled crookedly at him. "Trust me, it takes a lot to make me uncomfortable."

If Steve didn't pride himself on being a good reader when it came to people, he might have missed the small crack in her voice and the way she slightly shifted in her seat as she tried to put an edge of humor behind her words. But seeing as how he was trying to reacquaint himself with his baby sister, it was probably not the time to pry, as uneasy as it made him to think she might have been hurt by someone.

He finished making their sandwiches and set them on the table. He stood, awkwardly lingering for a bit, suddenly feeling at a loss.

"Do you have any more pictures?" Maxine asked, picking off the crust from her sandwich.

"Yeah," Steve nodded. "Yeah, I'll go get them." He still hovered near her chair.

"I'll be here when you get back," Maxine chuckled.

"Right," Steve snorted, shooting her a smile. He took the stairs two at a time and opened the hall closet where he'd packed up some things. His cellphone chirped in his pocket, it was a text from Danny.

"Everything ok?"

"I think so? She looks so sad but she tries to hide it. I'm really out of my depth here, Danno."

"Is emotional constipation a familial trait? I'll be over soon, you two try not to drown in such an expansive emotional ocean."

"Yeah, yeah, love you too."

When he makes his way back to the kitchen, box in hand, Maxine is still quietly sitting at the table, her sandwich finished. Steve doesn't hide the fond smile at seeing the remains of her crust still on the plate, he makes a point to remember she doesn't like them for future reference.