Notes: Mari and Sammy – Thank you for the love and laughter. You brighten every day in dozens of ways.
Special thanks to Sammy for effortlessly, or at least seemingly effortlessly, coming up with fabulous work details. Ah-mazing.
Readers and REAL McRollers – Thank you for the amazing support and enthusiasm. I'm as grateful for it now as I was when we started.
Hope you enjoy!
Like Butterflies (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
Catherine sat at her desk quietly looking through the environmental impact study Senator Laemoa provided in yesterday's meeting. Her brow knit at a slightly but not quite familiar sensation. Her eyes widened suddenly and she looked down.
"Was that you, Niblet?" she asked aloud.
She felt it again, something almost but not quite like nervous butterflies in her stomach, and put the pen and papers down, straightening in her chair. Her hand went to the bump now visible at her tummy and she paused, waiting.
At 17 weeks pregnant she knew it was possible to feel the baby move, and her intuition told her that wasn't a feeling she had ever had before, but she wanted to be sure. At least, as sure as she possibly could be.
Another fluttering and she knew she what she needed to do. She checked her watch. Lea would be in her office prior to their meeting with Miliani Onakea about his quarries so she swiftly stood and stepped out into the hallway. She walked through the small waiting room of the governor's office, nodding at Naomi, Lea's administrative assistant.
She knocked lightly on the door and opened it after hearing the "Come in" from inside. Lea would know it was one of her top staffers since anyone else would be announced by Naomi.
Lea smiled at her, then looked momentarily panicked. "I didn't lose an hour, did I?" She looked at her watch. "The meeting's not till 11, right?"
"No, no," Catherine assured her. "No time loss. I wanted to ask you something."
"As long as it has nothing to do with crushed stone mining. I'm up to my eyeballs in production and capacity statistics."
Catherine chuckled and shut the door. "Nothing to do with crushed stone of any kind. Actually, not work-related at all."
"Even better." Lea grinned. "I'm all ears."
"You've had three kids …" Catherine began. She paused, licking her lips. "What does it feel like … when the baby moves for the first time?"
Lea raised her eyebrows slowly, her grin widening. "Did you …"
Catherine nodded, beaming. "I think so."
Lea let out a tiny and very uncharacteristic squeal as she jumped up and moved quickly around her desk to come stand in front of Catherine.
"But I know it can be hard to tell," Catherine said. "Especially since it's my first baby."
"I know what you mean. With Liam I wasn't sure if it was really him or just my tummy acting up. I thought it kind of felt like little kernels of popcorn popping, but that could be because I craved popcorn hardcore my first pregnancy."
Catherine laughed.
"Then later there's no mistaking it," Lea continued. She sighed. "And they're most active at night, of course, right when you want to sleep. Oh, and wait'll you see little limbs pushing against you. Mason was my acrobat, I swear that kid never stopped moving. Still hasn't, come to think of it." She grinned at a memory. "He used to poke his foot right here." She pointed to the side of her abdomen. "I'd poke it in, he'd poke it back out. Like a little game."
Catherine smiled at the amusement on her friend's face and the growing excitement she herself was feeling.
"You should go tell Steve," Lea said suddenly. "He won't be able to feel it yet, but–"
"I was going to call him …"
"No, no, go tell him in person," she said, steering Catherine toward the door. "Is he at the Palace? Trust me, you want to tell him in person so you can see his face."
"He should be," Catherine said with a quick check of her phone. "He always texts if they've caught a case."
"Then go," Lea insisted. "We've got," she checked her watch, "35 minutes until the meeting with Onakea. Plenty of time."
Catherine smiled excitedly. "Okay, back in a few."
In the hall, she sent Steve a quick text to see if he could meet her outside between their two buildings. His affirmative reply came seconds later and when she exited the capitol, she saw him already heading across the grass.
He picked up his pace once he spotted her and jogged over the rest of the way.
"What's going on? You okay?" he asked, his hands going to her shoulders as he did a quick once over.
"I felt Niblet move," she said, unable to wait another second.
"What?" He leaned back so he could look down at her bump as if he could see something different. "Really?"
"Really."
His eyes danced happily when they met hers again. "When?"
"Just now. In my office."
"What did it feel like?"
"Like …" She smiled. "Like butterflies."
He smiled softly at her description. "Well, isn't that pretty much perfect?"
"Pretty much."
He put a gentle hand on the bump at her abdomen, his gaze warm and full of love.
"It's too early for you to–" she began.
"I know," he said softly. "Just sayin' hello."
She smiled, watching as he addressed their unborn child.
"I hear you're keeping busy in there, Niblet," he said. "That's what I like to hear." He smiled. "At least, until you're keeping your mom up at night."
She grinned. "I should get back," she said after a moment. "I've got a meeting in twenty minutes."
"All right. I should be home early unless something comes up."
She nodded. "Same here."
"Okay. See you at home." He smiled, his eyes dropping momentarily. "Both of you."
Smiling, she leaned up for a quick kiss before they turned and went back toward their respective buildings.
She paused, sensing his gaze, and looked back, smiling to see he had indeed done the same. He flashed a quick smile before heading for the Palace, and she sighed happily, silently acknowledging Lea had been absolutely right to tell him in person. The excitement in his eyes at this latest milestone had been well worth it.
That night, Catherine returned to bed after another trip to the bathroom and slid back in beside Steve who was sitting up with a familiar book in his lap.
"Think that's it for the night?" he asked, teasing gently.
She snorted. "I wish."
He gave her a sympathetic smile before turning back to his book as she settled onto her back and closed her eyes.
"You wanna sleep?" he asked. "I can turn out the light."
"Not quite yet," she said, rubbing a hand over her tummy. "What are you reading about?"
"Baby's movements."
She smiled, her eyes still closed. "Of course."
"Niblet's probably going to be most active at night."
"So I've heard."
"And changes in blood sugar level can contribute to movement."
"Mmhmm," she said. She opened her eyes suddenly. "Oh."
He looked over at her questioningly, then understood. "At it again?" he asked, a smile growing on his face.
She reached for his hand and put it on her abdomen, interlacing their fingers, wanting to share the moment even though they both knew it was too early for him to feel it.
He smiled to see the slightly amazed look on her face.
When the fluttering stopped, she saw him looking at her and gave him a small smile.
"I'm sorry you can't feel it yet," she said.
"I'm not."
She looked surprised at that.
He shook his head. "I mean, I'm looking forward to it … so much … but, at the same time, it feels right this way."
She waited curiously for him to continue.
He put the book aside and shifted to lie beside her, replacing his hand on the growing swell.
"It's just that … my part here was easy," he said. "You're doing the hard stuff. Dealing with your body changing, the tiredness, nausea, and everything else." He nodded toward the bathroom to indicate her frequent trips.
She smiled. "I've heard some stories, all in all I think I've been pretty lucky so far." Eyeing him saucily, she added, "And not every symptom has been … uncomfortable."
He grinned. "Definitely not. And I've gotten to enjoy that, too." He paused, his expression more serious. "But all the rest … I just … I think it's good that this is between you and Niblet right now. Something special, just for you two."
She remained quiet for a moment, taking in his words.
Blinking back tears, she said, "That might be one of the most unselfish things I've ever heard."
He smiled softly. "Coming from the most unselfish person I know, that's saying something."
She leaned over, kissing him slowly.
When they parted, she squeezed his hand and said, "I can't wait for you to feel our baby move."
He smiled, nodding to indicate she'd proved his point. "See?"
"Won't be long," she said quietly.
He nodded slowly. "In the meantime," he kissed her forehead, "enjoy the butterflies."
Hope you enjoyed!
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